Florida News Straight From the Source
The Florida Lottery announces the launch of the $400,000 Super GROUPER® Promotion. Now through Monday, August 6, each free LUCKY MONEY™ ticket from every GROUPER purchase can be entered to win second chance prizes from $1,000 to $20,000. The nine-week promotion will award 96 second chance prizes totaling $400,000. [Read more…] about Start your summer vacation right with $20,000 from the Florida Lottery
WHO: Lineworkers from public power communities across the state
WHAT: Florida public power lineworkers will be recognized at the June 2018 Florida Cabinet meeting for their outstanding service to the state and their stellar performance in state and national competitions that showcase their skills and craft. A resolution honoring the state’s public power lineworkers will be presented by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Adam Putnam. [Read more…] about Florida Public Power Lineworkers to be Honored at June Florida Cabinet Meeting
Drivers this week will encounter a lane closure on eastbound Lee Road. This is occurring at Edison Avenue, just to the west of Edgewater Drive. The closure affects the right lane/outside lane. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is working to fix a drainage pipe and a storm water inlet that are experiencing some settling. [Read more…] about Lee Road lane closure at Edison Avenue in Orlando
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today held a media availability to correct widespread misinformation regarding the concealed weapon license program.
Governor Rick Scott today announced the appointment of Jill Danigel to the Southeast Volusia Hospital District.
Jill Danigel, 53, of Edgewater, is the former captain of the Edgewater Fire Department. She succeeds Ferdinand Heeb and is appointed for a term beginning June 8, 2018, and ending March 21, 2022.
[Read more…] about Appointments by Governor Rick Scott for Friday, June 8, 2018
For more than a year, the state of Florida failed to conduct national background checks on tens of thousands of applications for concealed weapons permits because an employee could not log into the FBI crime database, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
[Read more…] about League Condemns Lack of Background Check Oversight
Please see the following statement from Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam in response to today’s Tampa Bay Times article on the concealed weapon licensing program:
“To be clear, a criminal background investigation was completed on every single application. Upon discovery of this former employee’s negligence in not conducting the further review required on 365 applications, we immediately completed full background checks on those 365 applications, which resulted in 291 revocations. The former employee was both deceitful and negligent, and we immediately launched an investigation and implemented safeguards to ensure this never happens again.”
The Florida Department of Transportation is closing Interstate 4 (I-4) under Maitland Boulevard (State Road 414) for multiple nights from Monday, June 11 through Thursday, June 14. The closures are necessary to place girders for a new eastbound Maitland Boulevard bridge over I-4.
Eastbound I-4 under Maitland Boulevard closes at 12 a.m. through 5 a.m. on Monday, June 11 and Tuesday, June 12. All motorists traveling I-4 eastbound toward Maitland Boulevard will exit to westbound Lee Road (State Road 423) at Exit 88. Drivers will turn right onto Edgewater Drive then right onto northbound Forest City Road/ State Road 434. Motorists can then turn right onto State Road 436 to then re-enter eastbound I-4. The eastbound I-4 exit ramps to eastbound and westbound Maitland Boulevard (Exits 90A and 90B) will also close at 10 p.m. on June 10-11 and reopen at 5 a.m. the following mornings to accommodate the closure. The eastbound I-4 entrance ramp from Lee Road closes at 12 a.m. through 5 a.m. on June 11-12 as well. A handout illustrating the eastbound I-4 detour is available online to view or download at: fdot.tips/ebi4sr414.
Westbound I-4 under Maitland Boulevard is closing nightly at 12 a.m. though 5 a.m. on Wednesday, June 13 and Thursday, June 14. All motorists traveling I-4 westbound toward Maitland Boulevard will exit to State Road 436 at Exit 92. Drivers will detour south on State Road 434 to Maitland Boulevard to re-enter westbound I-4. The westbound I-4 on ramp from State Road 436 and westbound exits to Maitland Boulevard (Exit 90A and 90B) will also close at the same time to accommodate the closure. A handout illustrating the detour is available online to view or download at: fdot.tips/wbi4sr414.
Law enforcement officers will be present along detour routes to facilitate traffic flow.
Modifications or extensions to this schedule may become necessary due to weather delays or other unforeseen conditions. Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving through the work zone.
The I-4 Ultimate project is rebuilding 21 miles of Interstate 4 (I-4) from west of Kirkman Road in Orange County to east of State Road 434 in Seminole County, adding two new dynamic tolled Express Lanes in each direction, replacing more than 140 bridges, reconfiguring 15 major interchanges and reconstructing the entire roadway.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) filed legislation Thursday aimed at further protecting U.S. service members and their families from predatory lenders, including those who open up businesses outside the entrance to military bases and offer loans to members of the military at a much higher rate than those offered to members of the general public.
“Our military men and women have dedicated their lives to serving our country and we must help ensure they do not become the targets of unscrupulous lenders,” said Nelson, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “This legislation will help provide our men and women in uniform with financial stability for their futures.”
If approved, Nelson’s measure would, among other things, set the maximum interest rate that a lender can charge a U.S. service member for most loans at 24 percent. It would also prohibit debt collectors from making abusive telephone calls to a service member’s commanding officer, and extend protections beyond active duty service members to also include recently discharged veterans – many of whom continue to serve in a reserve capacity.
The legislation, which Nelson introduced as an amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, would amend a 2006 law that Nelson and others passed to protect members of the military from the predatory lending practices.
That bill, which capped the interest rate on most loans made to active duty service members and their families at 36 percent, has been hailed as a success in cracking down on the most egregious lending practices that military families face, but it didn’t go far enough to end the practice altogether.
To further protect service members and their families, the legislation Nelson introduced this week would:
The Military Lending Improvement Act of 2018 is supported by Veterans of Foreign Wars.
A copy of the bill is available here.
The American Democracy Legal Fund today called for Gov. Rick Scott to immediately open an independent investigation following a report in the Tampa Bay Times that the state of Florida approved tens of thousands of applications for concealed weapons permits without performing a rigorous background check, allowing people with dangerous intentions or mental health problems to carry a gun in public.
