To celebrate Florida’s Arbor Day on Friday, Jan. 20, the Florida Forest Service will join communities throughout the state in several tree planting projects, tree seedling giveaways and forestry education activities to highlight the benefits of trees. Florida’s Arbor Day is held each year on the third Friday in January. A list of Florida’s Arbor Day festivities in your area can be found on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ events calendar.
“Florida’s Arbor Day is about highlighting the countless ways trees make Florida a special place to live,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “I am proud of our forest rangers who not only maintain 1 million acres throughout Florida’s 37 state forests, but also educate communities about the importance of trees.”
In Florida, 173 communities have taken a proactive role managing trees and are recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as official Tree City USA communities.
“The Tree City USA program is a great way for communities, large or small, to come together to manage and expand their public trees,” said Jim Karels, Florida State Forester. “This Arbor Day, we encourage all Florida communities to work with their local county forester to become official Tree City USA communities.”
Communities can achieve Tree City USA status by meeting four core standards of sound urban forestry management, including: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and celebrating Arbor Day.
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, manages more than 1 million acres of state forests and provides forest management assistance on more than 17 million acres of private and community forests. The Florida Forest Service is also responsible for protecting homes, forestland and natural resources from the devastating effects of wildfire on more than 26 million acres. Learn more at FloridaForestService.com.
For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com
Attorney General Bondi sues tobacco companies for violating settlement obligations
Attorney General Pam Bondi today filed an enforcement motion against ITG Brands, LLC f/k/a Lignum-2 LLC (ITG) and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) to enforce the explicit terms of the tobacco settlement agreement dated Aug. 25, 1997. That agreement resolved Florida’s landmark 1995 lawsuit against RJR and the other major tobacco companies seeking relief from decades of past unlawful actions relating to the marketing and sale of cigarettes.
Pursuant to that agreement, RJR and the other major tobacco companies agreed to make annual payments to Florida of several hundred million dollars, in perpetuity. The annual payments compensate Florida for the past and future public health care expenses from its citizens’ consumption of the settling defendants’ cigarettes.
RJR recently sold three of its most iconic cigarette brands, Winston, Kool and Salem, along with a legacy Lorillard Tobacco Company brand, Maverick, to ITG for $7 billion. These four brands accounted for approximately 17 billion cigarettes sold in 2016, eight percent of the domestic tobacco market.
RJR has refused to include the sales of these cigarette brands when making annual payments to Florida, despite not having been released from its payment obligations. ITG has similarly refused to make any payment to Florida even after agreeing with RJR to assume the payment obligations for these iconic brands. The exact same cigarette brands continue to be sold to Floridians, thus imposing the very public health care expenditures that the settlement payments are intended to compensate.
“The sale of major, pre-existing tobacco brands to another company for billions of dollars does not cause the payment obligations to vanish like a puff of smoke,” said Attorney General Bondi. “I look forward to the state obtaining prompt relief.”
According to the enforcement motion, both RJR and ITG are liable for millions of dollars of missed payments to Florida on these brands. The motion seeks the entry of an order requiring payment to Florida for the past and future sales of these cigarettes and directing RJR and ITG to provide the necessary information to accurately calculate the amounts owed pursuant to reporting requirements under the settlement agreement.
To view a copy of the enforcement motion, click here.
Commissioner Adam H. Putnam Available in Florida City to Discuss Screwworm
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam will be in Florida City, Fla. on Thursday morning to visit the incident response center that is conducting expanded surveillance and response related to the recent New World screwworm detection in Homestead. He will be available to media to discuss the screwworm eradication program in Florida.
Event: Media availability with Commissioner Adam H. Putnam
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Home 2 Suites
77 NE 3rd St.
Florida City, Fla. 33034
Please note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will be arranging an event for media to witness the sterile fly release, and details will be forthcoming.
For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com or call 1-800-HELP-FLA.
Department of Education Celebrates Braille Literacy Month at Tallahasee Elementary School
Walter Blackmon of the Florida Division of Blind Services reads “The Three Little Pigs”
in braille to the several pre-k students at Conley Elementary for Braille Literacy Month.
In honor of National Braille Literacy Month, staff from the Florida Department of Education’s (FDOE) Division of Blind Services (DBS) read the braille version of “The Gingerbread Man” to 60 Pre-K students at J. Michael Conley Elementary School in Tallahassee.
Following the reading, students learned about the varying levels of blindness, as they participated in activities using vision simulators. The students were later presented with copies of their names written in braille and the braille alphabet.
Students in Mrs. Jaime Cox’s pre-k class feel the braille on the pages of a book
during a reading at Conley Elementary School for Braille Literacy Month.
Through FDOE, students with visual disabilities work with teachers who are trained specifically in visual impairments to learn important skills such as reading braille and how to navigate the classroom using a cane or a guide dog.
For more information about the Florida Department of Education, visit www.fldoe.org.
For more information about the Division of Blind Services, visit www.dbs.fldoe.org
Nelson to lead new Senate panel on cybersecurity
In the wake of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election, the Senate Armed Services Committee announced today that it has formed a new subcommittee to focus on cyber threats facing the United States.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee and a former member of the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, will serve as the top Democrat on the new panel. He says that in addition to ensuring the proper policies, strategies and resources are in place to defend the U.S. in cyberspace, the new subcommittee will hold the administration accountable if they fail to adequately respond to a future attack.
“You can’t just sit on your hands and do nothing,” Nelson said. “If we’re going to deter our enemies from attacking us, we have to make it painfully obvious that the consequences are going to be so severe that they won’t want to do it in the first place.”
Attorney General Bondi Issues Statement on Florida Supreme Court Decision in McCall v. Scott
Attorney General Pam Bondi issued the following statement in response to the Florida Supreme Court’s decision today to deny the review of a case challenging Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program:
“Today, the Florida Supreme Court declined to review McCall v. Scott, a case dismissed by the lower court challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship Program. I am pleased that the lower court’s decision will stand, and that this important program will continue to provide educational opportunities for children of families that have limited financial resources. Today is a great victory for our children.”
To view the Florida Supreme Court’s decision, click here.
Florida Supreme Court: New Posting, 1/18/2017, 2:10 p.m. ET
New material has been posted to the Supreme Court website in:
1. Florida Power & Light v. Miami-Dade County (motion to stay mandate in nuclear power case)
Follow the links at: http://www.floridasupremecourt.org.
Statement by Gov. Jeb Bush on Florida Supreme Court Decision on McCall vs. Scott
Governor Jeb Bush released the following statement today on the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to not hear McCall vs. Scott.
“Today’s ruling marks a monumental moment in the lives of the more than 90,000 students who are able to receive a quality education through Florida’s Tax-Credit Scholarship program.
“The Florida Supreme Court’s decision on the case is also a powerful reminder to entrenched special interests that when policymakers work hand-in-hand with Florida’s families, students win.
“It is my hope that opponents of Florida’s efforts to help our most vulnerable students will stop impeding successful reforms and join us in ensuring all students have access to excellent educational options.”
Senator Artiles & Representative Avila File Legislation To Strengthen Property Owners Rights
State Senator Frank Artiles and State Representative Bryan Avila filed SB-226 to continue to strengthen property owners’ rights and continue to promote efficiency and integrity in the Value Adjustment Board Process.
“After successfully passing legislation last Session to improve the efficiency of the Value Adjustment Board, I wish to continue my work to make sure we have the most efficient process in place” said Representative Avila.
The bill seeks to increase from $500 to $5000 of value the longstanding property tax exemption for widows, widowers, blind or totally disabled persons. It would also allow Property Appraisers to waive penalties and interest on homestead exemption and senior exemption liens only when good cause is shown in circumstances where there was no intent to illegally avoid the payment of taxes. Another great component of the bill is that it would empower condominium owners to affirmatively decide whether they want to appeal their assessment to the Value Adjustment Board.
FAMU Legend Bob Hayes to be Honored by NFL at Super Bowl LI
Rattler Football Great Among 29 HBCU Legends to be Recognized in February
Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes, undoubtedly the greatest male student-athlete produced by the legendary athletic program at Florida A&M University (FAMU), will be among the 29 historically Black college and university (HBCU) gridiron greats honored in February by the National Football League (NFL) during the Super Bowl LI festivities in Houston, Texas.
In December 2016, the NFL joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) at the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia to kick off an enhanced partnership initiative titled, “Strength of HBCUs: Impacting Pro Football Since 1948.” The goal of the partnership is to honor the history and impact of HBCUs and their players and increase career opportunities for students and athletic administrators at these institutions.
The NFL announced that its celebration of the influence of HBCUs and their players will continue at this year’s Super Bowl, where it will honor the 29 Pro Football Hall of Fame players who attended HBCUs, culminating with an on-field, pregame ceremony featuring the Hall of Famers at NRG Stadium on Sunday, February 5, 2017.
Hayes was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in July 2009, seven years after his death in September of 2002, at the age of 59. The legendary two-sport Rattler was credited by many with revolutionizing the game of professional football with his world-class sprinter’s speed. In addition to a successful career with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and a stint with the San Francisco 49ers, Hayes was an Olympic gold medalist, and earned the nicknames, “Bullet Bob” and “World’s Fastest Human.”
FAMU’s Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., expressed the University’s appreciation for the NFL’s commitment to HBCUs, and for the unique way it will honor one of the institution’s most beloved sons.
“I commend the NFL for honoring Bob Hayes along with the other well-deserving HBCU greats,” Robinson said. “I look forward to representing FAMU and Rattler sports at one of the world’s most widely viewed athletic events.”
He added, “The University has worked with the NFL on several previous occasions, including our Marching ‘100’s’ performance at Super Bowl XLI with the late music legend, Prince. We look forward to a growing and fruitful relationship with one of the most influential brands in the world.”
In a recent statement, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said, “the HBCU influence on the NFL goes beyond the evolution of the game and reaches deep into the very fabric of football.”
“Our partnership with the HBCUs is an important initiative which celebrates the tremendous legacy fostered by these institutions that continue to contribute a standard of excellence and character for our game,” Vincent said.
