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Cape Coral man claims top prize in $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game

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Jesus Quirino Gallo Medina (center) poses with his oversized check after
claiming a top prize in the $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game.

The Florida Lottery announces that Jesus Quirino Gallo Medina, 55, of Cape Coral, claimed a top prize in the $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He purchased his winning ticket from Sunshine, located at 19501 Sheridan Street in Fort Lauderdale.
The $5 Scratch-Off game, $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER, launched in January, and features more than $182.8 million in prizes, including 44 top prizes of $500,000. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-3.98.
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 65 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $734 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2015-16.

Upcoming public meeting for SR 45 in Marion County

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The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold a public information meeting regarding plans to widen and reconstruct SR 45 (US 41) in Marion County.
The project involves widening the existing roadway from two to four lanes and includes grassed medians, paved shoulders, sidewalks, driveway reconstruction, and full and directional median openings.  The project is funded for construction in 2018.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 4 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church located at 7525 S. US Highway 41 in Dunnellon. It begins with an open house at 5:00 p.m. and includes a brief presentation at 6:00 p.m. The meeting ends at 7:00 p.m.  Project information can be found at the project specific website, www.us41marion.com, or at www.cflroads.com.
Persons with disabilities who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Renato Gonzalez, Project Manager, by phone at 407-893-5851, or via email at [email protected] at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.  If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact us by using the Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status.  Persons wishing to express their concerns relative to FDOT compliance with Title VI may do so by contacting Jennifer Smith, FDOT District Five Title VI Coordinator by phone at 386-943-5367, or via email at [email protected].
Questions? Please contact the FDOT Public Information Office at [email protected] / 386-943-5473.
SR 45 Flyer

Gov. Scott: Glad President Trump is fighting to cut taxes

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Governor Rick Scott released the below statement today on President Donald Trump’s proposed tax plan.
Governor Scott said, “We have been committed to fighting the corporate income tax in Florida and I am glad that President Trump is doing the same for our national economy. Since I have been in office, we have cut taxes 55 times, saving Florida families and businesses $6.5 billion. It is great that we now have a president who is focused on turning the national economy around like we have done in Florida.”

Fish & Wildlife Foundation Awards $345,000 in Florida Conservation Grants

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$345,000 in conservation grants was given out this week by the nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida to benefit wildlife and people.
Meeting on Key Largo, the Foundation’s board of directors approved a $100,000 grant to help local communities purchase bear-resistant trash cans for homeowners. This follows the Foundation’s 2016 grant of $325,000 for bear-resistant trash cans, which was matched by a $500,000 commitment by the state of Florida.
“Human-bear conflict is increased when food is in garbage cans that bears can open,” said Foundation Board Chair Richard A. Corbett, in explaining the Foundation’s commitment to this program.
“Local communities and homeowners across Florida are eager to upgrade their trash receptacles to reduce human-bear conflict,” Corbett said. “But the funds are not always available. Having the Fish & Wildlife Foundation share those costs helps accelerate this program.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) administers the program and is using Foundation funds to provide financial incentives for communities to sign up.
The Foundation also awarded $5,000 to fund the land survey and engineering plan for a proposed orphan bear cub rehabilitation facility to be built in the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The facility will house young Florida black bears unable to survive in the wild. Most cubs in Florida are orphaned when mother bears are killed by vehicles or removed due to risks to public safety. Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo offers its veterinarian services free of charge to evaluate the bears taken in for rehabilitation.
The Foundation also awarded $15,000 to help address the alarming national decline in children’s outdoor play and recreation. Recent studies indicate youth in the United States now spend more than 50 hours a week indoors with electronic media. The funds will be applied to a larger effort to gather data, communicate the importance of nature in childhood development, and identify opportunities to create outdoor programs that reach a broader and more diverse public.
The largest grant awarded – for $225,000 – is for startup management of 16 “Critical Wildlife Areas” established in November by the FWC.
“Most of these sites host important nesting colonies of shorebirds, seabirds and wading birds. Many have experienced high levels of past human disturbance, leading to their designation as sanctuaries,” said Foundation President and CEO Andrew Walker.
“The few minutes a plover or heron is frightened away from its nest by an over-eager photographer or a boat passing too closely can be enough time to kill unprotected eggs in the heat of summer,” Walker said. “The Foundation grant will help FWC post these critical wildlife areas and hire full-time and seasonal biologists to monitor these sites, collect information on nesting success and educate the public.”
The funds for these grants came from the Conserve Wildlife specialty license plate fund managed by the Foundation. From every purchase of a Conserve Wildlife license plate – which includes the image of a Florida black bear – the Foundation receives $25 for conservation.
The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida was created in 1994 to support the FWC and other public and private partners. The Foundation has raised and given away more than $25 million to support conservation, fishing, hunting and outdoor education for children, adolescents and adults. More information can be found at WildlifeFlorida.org.

Media Advisory: Press call on Florida's vulnerable energy infrastructure

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Press Call and Report Release

Ahead Of Climate March, New Report Show Florida’s Most Vulnerable
Communities Bear Risks Of State’s Energy Infrastructure

In anticipation of the People’s Climate Marches this weekend, Organize Florida Education Fund and the Center for Popular Democracy will be releasing a new study this Wednesday showing how the most vulnerable communities in Florida bear the risks of new energy infrastructure in the state – including pipelines, refining sites, and extraction stations.
The report demonstrates that the risks of Florida’s energy infrastructure are not distributed evenly throughout the state. Rather, they overwhelmingly affect a handful of counties with significant populations of uninsured people of color, many of whom work in low-wage jobs. As a result, those with the most limited resources are exposed to the greatest risk of injury and illness.
The threat is especially acute for women in communities of color in the Central Florida metropolitan areas of Tampa and Orlando. Legislators and residents from these areas will be available to discuss the results of this report along with recommendations for addressing the convergence of factors that affect these communities.
WHAT: Press call – new report on disparate impacts of energy infrastructure in Florida
WHO: Elected Officials, Community Leaders and the study’s author
WHEN: 10am, Thursday, April 27
DIAL IN: 724-707-3168
CONTACT: Laura Dowler, 321-800-2095, [email protected]
BACKGROUND:
Organize Florida Education Fund joins with The Center for Popular Democracy to release a report on the intersection of energy infrastructure, climate change, access to health care and poverty, as well as its disproportionate impact on Florida’s low-wage women.

CRC Holds Public Hearing at Florida State College at Jacksonville

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Tomorrow beginning at 11:00 AM, the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing at Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ).
Members of the media wishing to attend are asked to bring their press credentials. The event will also be live-streamed by The Florida Channel on www.TheFloridaChannel.org.
WHAT: Public hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC)
WHEN: Thursday, April 27, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Doors open at 10:00 AM)
*End time is tentative depending upon attendance and public interest in speaking before the CRC. All Floridians wishing to speak before the CRC will be given an opportunity to be heard.
WHERE: Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ)
Kent Campus Auditorium
Building F, Room 128
3939 Roosevelt Boulevard
Jacksonville, FL 32205
Google Map Link to Kent Campus
PARKING: Parking is available in the lots adjacent to Building F on the Kent Campus. ADA accessible parking is also available.
Link to Parking Map
Individuals requiring an accommodation to participate in public hearings (such as a sign language interpreter) are requested to notify the Constitution Revision Commission five days prior to the scheduled meeting date at [email protected] or 850.717.9550.

Key Senate panel authorizes additional $100 million for mosquito control

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The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today approved legislation to bolster local mosquito-control efforts to curb the spread of the Zika virus.
The legislation filed earlier this month by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) would authorize an additional $100 million per year in grant funding to local mosquito-control efforts to eliminate the mosquitoes responsible for spreading the virus. It would also authorize additional funding for public health laboratories so they can better test for the virus, and would require the Government Accountability Office to find ways to improve existing mosquito-control programs.
“One of the best ways to curb the spread of the Zika virus is to eliminate the insects known to carry it,” Nelson said. “As summer approaches, Florida’s mosquito population is going to rise, and we need to make sure our local mosquito-control boards have the resources they need to protect their communities.”
With more than 1,300 cases of the virus reported last year, no state has been harder hit by Zika than Florida.
The bill, which Nelson filed along with Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Richard Burr (R-NC) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), now heads to the full Senate for a vote.
The text of the bill is available here.

CFO Atwater Invites Capitol Kids to Play “Money-opolis”

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MEDIA ADVISORY

CFO Atwater Invites Capitol Kids to Play “Money-opolis”
on Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day

CFO Jeff Atwater today announced that the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Consumer Services will participate in the Department of Economic Opportunity’s annual Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day event hosted at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee.
To educate and entertain the children of Capitol employees ages 8-18, the Department will host a giant-sized game of “Money-opolis” for all to enjoy. This larger-than-life take on the classic board game Monopoly was developed as an opportunity to engage children in a way that also teaches them financial literacy skills.
WHAT: “Money-opolis” at Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day Event
WHEN: Thursday, April 27, 2017
10:00 am to 1:00 pm EST
WHERE: Florida Capitol Building
22nd Floor
400 S. Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Fla. 32399

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, a statewide elected official, oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Atwater’s priorities include fighting financial fraud, abuse and waste in government, reducing government spending and regulatory burdens that chase away businesses, and providing transparency and accountability in spending. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter (@FLDFS).

Gov. Scott statement on budget negotiations

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Please see the below statement from Governor Rick Scott on budget negotiations:
“Lawmakers cannot be shortsighted at the expense of Florida families by cutting funds for tourism marketing and economic development. I would be absolutely shocked if politicians in the Florida Legislature put their self-interests before the interests of our families and small businesses. Let’s remember, fully funding VISIT FLORIDA and Enterprise Florida is only 0.24% of Florida’s state budget. But, reducing this funding will have a significant impact on state, county, city, and local tourism and economic development boards’ revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars.” – Governor Rick Scott

Kissimmee man claims $950,000 LUCKY MONEY jackpot

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Paul and Debora Salisbury poses with his oversized check after claiming
a $950,000 LUCKY MONEY™ jackpot from the April 21, 2017, drawing.

The Florida Lottery announces that Paul Salisbury, 59, of Kissimmee, claimed the $950,000 LUCKY MONEY™ jackpot from the April 21, 2017, drawing at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
Salisbury chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $708,738.77. He purchased his winning LUCKY MONEY Quick Pick ticket from Circle K, located at 1700 North Thacker Avenue in Kissimmee.
Total ticket sales for this LUCKY MONEY jackpot generated more than $1 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
The next LUCKY MONEY drawing will be Friday, April 28, at 11:15 p.m. ET, with a $550,000 jackpot. The LUCKY MONEY drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.