Capital Soup

Florida News Straight From the Source

You are here: Home / Archives for Featured

Featured

CRC Announces Central Florida Public Hearing in Melbourne

Posted on

MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing at Eastern Florida State College’s Maxwell C. King Center on Tuesday, February 19 from 1:00-7:00 PM. This will be the second public hearing held on the CRC’s 2018 “Road to the Ballot” public hearing tour.

Public hearings are free events open to all Floridians who would like to attend. No tickets or RSVPs are required. Free public parking will be provided. Floridians planning to attend the public hearing are respectfully requested to observe the CRC Public Hearing Participation Guidelines.

WHAT: Central Florida Public Hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission

WHEN: Monday, February 19, 1:00 – 7:00 PM (Doors open at Noon)

WHERE: Eastern Florida State College
Maxwell C. King Center
3865 North Wickham Road
Melbourne, FL 32935

PARKING: Free parking is available to the public in the main King Center Parking Lot.
PARKING MAP LINK (PDF)
GOOGLE MAP LINK

SIGN-UP TO SPEAK: To speak at a CRC public hearing, Floridians must fill out an appearance form and hand it in to CRC staff at the Citizen Services Desk. The appearance form is available online at flcrc.gov and printed copies are available at public hearings. Appearance forms will not be accepted in advance of the public hearing.

Public speakers will be called in the order in which appearance forms are received by CRC staff at the Citizen Services Desk at the public hearing. The Citizen Services Desk will be open to accept appearance forms starting at 12:00 PM (Noon). Appearance forms received by 7:00 PM will be accepted.

Additional information for the February 19 public hearing is available online at flcrc.gov/Meetings/PublicHearings, including the following handouts:

Gov. Scott: Allegiant to Establish New Aircraft Base at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport

Posted on

Will Bring Additional Airline Routes and Tourism
Revenue to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Community

Governor Rick Scott today announced that Allegiant Travel Company (Allegiant) has chosen to establish a new, two-aircraft base with year-round routes at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS). The aircraft base will create 65 new jobs and bring an anticipated $418 million in tourism revenue to the area over the next five years. Allegiant is investing more than $49 million to establish the year-round base, which will house two Airbus aircraft. The new Destin base will also allow Allegiant to offer new routes to five cities. Allegiant currently supports more than 25,000 Florida jobs and generates nearly $3 billion in annual economic impact in the state.

Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce Allegiant has chosen to establish a new aircraft base at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, which will create 65 new jobs. Today’s announcement is a great reminder of how our tourism industry supports Florida business and communities and creates new opportunities for our families. Tourism partners like Allegiant work hand-in-hand with VISIT FLORIDA to bring more visitors to our state and we must make sure this success continues by fully funding VISIT FLORIDA at $100 million. I look forward to seeing Allegiant’s success in Destin and across the state as we continue to welcome families from all across the world to Florida.”

Allegiant, which employs more than 4,000 team members across the country, launched its first Florida destination in 2005, and today serves seven destinations in the state with more than 200 routes. Allegiant’s service in Destin-Fort Walton Beach began with six routes in 2016 and expanded to 16 cities in 2017. The new Destin base will become the airline’s 14th year-round aircraft base. Allegiant plans to immediately begin hiring pilots, flight attendants, maintenance technicians and ground personnel to support operations. Positions are expected to offer average salaries more than double the area’s average wage.

Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., Allegiant’s chairman and CEO, said, “We are excited to continue our growth in Florida’s Emerald Coast by establishing a full-time base at Destin-Fort Walton Beach. The base will not only afford many more options when it comes to adding routes and expanding service, but will also give us the opportunity to contribute even more to the community and the state’s economy. We have a terrific partnership across many state and local agencies, without which today would not be possible. We can’t thank them enough for their support.”

The five new routes will operate twice weekly and expand on the service Allegiant currently operates to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS), bringing the total number of Allegiant routes to VPS to 21. The new flights will bring nearly 25,000 additional visitors to the area. New seasonal service to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) includes Bentonville, Arkansas via Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA), Concord, North Carolina via Concord Regional Airport (USA), Lexington, Kentucky via Blue Grass Airport (LEX), Evansville, Indiana via Evansville Regional Airport (EVV), and Raleigh / Durham, North Carolina via Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found at Allegiant.com.

VISIT FLORIDA President & CEO Ken Lawson said, “Allegiant’s decision to make Destin a base of their operations and create new routes to the Emerald Coast is great news for Florida’s tourism industry. By opening new airline routes to our state, we’re able to share sunshine with more people around the world. VISIT FLORIDA is proud to play a small part in Allegiant’s decision, and we look forward to working with them to welcome more visitors and continue to set visitation records to our state.”

Peter Antonacci, CEO of Enterprise Florida, said, “The establishment of Allegiant’s new base at Destin-Fort Walton Beach is great news for our Emerald Coast families. Governor Scott has worked hard to make Florida the most business-friendly state in the nation.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “The exciting decision by Allegiant Travel Company to expand their routes to the Emerald Coast is another sign that Florida’s business friendly policies are having significant impacts on our economy.”

Commissioner Graham Fountain, Chairman of the Okaloosa County Commission, said, “Allegiant Air’s new announcement is such great news for the people of Okaloosa County. The creation of a new hub for a national airline that comes with over 65 new jobs at the Destin/Ft. Walton Beach Airport helps fulfill our mission of creating additional high-paying jobs in the county.”

Nathan Sparks, Executive Director of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, said, “Allegiant’s decision to name Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport a year round base is a win for the countless travelers who will benefit from the expanded service, and also a win for the 65 customer service personnel, aircraft maintainers and flight crew members who will now be hired to support the service expansion.”

Tracy Stage, Okaloosa County Airports Director, said, “We are thrilled! Allegiant Air’s model fits like a glove at VPS and a year-round base will bring monumental wide spread economic impacts to our region. We look forward to Allegiant’s continued success at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.”

FWC’s Scott Sanders Receives Humphrey Award for Career Achievement

Posted on

Parks and nature preserves have often been called America’s great gift to the world. They are, but by themselves, they’re not enough to ensure a lasting future for American’s wildlife. How privately-owned lands are managed has a huge impact on wildlife populations. 

Fortunately, America has an equally remarkable legacy of wise land management by private landowners. In Florida, in fact, more than 3.3 million privately owned acres are enrolled in Florida’s Wildlife Best Management Practices for Agriculture and Silviculture. One of the leaders in this effort, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Scott Sanders, was honored this week for a career devoted to working with private landowners to improve wildlife habitat. 

Sanders was presented the 2017-2018 Louise Ireland Humphrey Achievement Award by the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida at the FWC’s public meeting Feb. 7. Named for the late conservationist, Red Hills landowner and former FWC Commissioner Louise Ireland Humphrey, the award was created to recognize outstanding service and achievement by FWC staff over the course of their careers.

“We are honoring Scott Sanders today for his career-long dedication to wildlife management on private lands,” said Foundation CEO Andrew Walker. “He has been one of Florida’s most consistent advocates within government for acknowledging the needs and perspectives of private landowners on conserving fish and wildlife. He led the team that created the Wildlife Best Management Practices now in place for 3.3 million acres of private Florida lands.” 

Sanders was also an early advocate for “adaptive management,” helping develop and promote a quantifiable approach to land stewardship that adapts the latest scientific information and on-the-ground practices to specific landscapes, adjusting management strategies as needed to maximize habitat quality while meeting the landowner’s other needs. Entire landscapes have benefitted from this landowner-by-landowner approach: Florida’s once-threatened longleaf pine ecosystem, for example, has increased from 2 to 4 million acres during Sanders’ career.  

“It’s a great honor to receive the Louise Ireland Humphrey award,” Sanders said. “Working with private landowners for so many years has been very rewarding and has benefitted fish and wildlife everywhere in Florida.”

The nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida supports the work of the FWC and other public and private conservation organizations, with offices in Tallahassee and St. Petersburg. The Foundation has raised and given away more than $26 million for conservation and outdoor programs for youth since its founding in 1994. For more information about the Foundation, visit wildlifeflorida.org and our social media sites.

Boynton Beach woman wins top prize playing $2,000,000 FLAMINGO MULTIPLIER Scratch-Off game

Posted on

The Florida Lottery announces that Hilaria Granados, 40, of Boynton Beach, claimed a $2 million top prize in the FLAMINGO MULTIPLIER Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,510,000.00.

Granados purchased her winning ticket from Los Primos Grocery, located at 400 South Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $10 game, $2,000,000 FLAMINGO MULTIPLIER, offers more than $164 million in prizes and more than 6.3 million winning tickets. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-3.46.

Scratch-Offs are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in FY 2016-17, and comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales.

Sen. Bill Nelson on funding for Lake O dike

Posted on

Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on President Trump’s newly-released budget proposal that would require Florida taxpayers to pay $200 million to speed up work on the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee:

“The Trump administration wants Floridians to pay $200 million to speed up work on the Lake O dike. That’s absurd. Floridians shouldn’t have to pay a dime to finish the dike, Congress just gave the Army Corps all the money it needs to fully fund this project and get it done by 2022.”

The president’s proposal that would force Floridians to contribute $200 million towards the federal project comes just days after Congress approved a massive disaster funding bill that gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers $10.4 billion to use on projects such as the dike – more than enough to cover the $776.4 million the Corps says it needs to finish the project by 2022.

Unanimous Vote Clears Daycare Vehicle Child Safety Alarms in Senate Committee

Posted on

Today by unanimous approval, State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) presented and passed the Child Safety Alarm Act through its first committee. The legislation comes after the tragic death of an Orlando three-year-old child last summer, Myles Hill, who was left unattended in a hot daycare van that reached temperatures of 144 degrees.

“This is a bipartisan effort to keep our children safe,” said Stewart. “We need to be doing everything we can to try to prevent our most precious cargo from being left in hot vans and I look forward to the same vote outcome at the Transportation Committee.”

Senate Bill 486 is designed to curtail the frequency of incidents in which children are left in hot daycare vehicles. The bill requires daycare centers that transport children to equip their vehicles with reliable safety alarm systems by 2019. These systems will alert drivers to inspect their vehicles for any children who may have been left behind.

The bill is expected to be taken up next for a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee, followed by the Rules Committee and a full floor vote.

A companion bill, House Bill 305, has been filed by Representative Bruce Antone (D-Orlando).

Commissioner Adam Putnam Recognizes Dr. Martha Rhodes Roberts as the 2017 Woman of the Year in Agriculture

Posted on

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today recognized Dr. Martha Rhodes Roberts as the 2017 Woman of the Year in Agriculture. Commissioner Putnam presented the award to Dr. Roberts at the annual Woman of the Year in Agriculture Luncheon held at the Florida State Fair.  Since 1985, the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award has recognized women in all areas of the industry who have made outstanding contributions to Florida agriculture.

“Florida’s robust agriculture industry would not be as bright as it is today without the dedication and service of individuals such as Dr. Roberts,” said Commissioner Adam H. Putnam. “I’m honored to present Dr. Roberts with the 2017 Woman of the Year in Agriculture award.”

Dr. Roberts dedicated 35 years of service to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, beginning in 1968, where she championed policy changes for the advancement of Florida’s agriculture industry, trade and production practices. She was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture in 1984, and was the first woman in the United States to hold this position. Beginning in 2003, Dr. Roberts served 13 years as Director of Industry Relations and then as Special Assistant for Government Affairs for the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

Throughout her career, Dr. Roberts served in leadership capacities for numerous organizations that aimed to shape and enhance the agriculture industry. Her contributions to Florida agriculture have been awarded by the FDA, USDA and industry associations, and in 2003, Dr. Roberts was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame.

The Woman of the Year in Agriculture award is sponsored by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida State Fair Authority. More information about the “Woman of the Year in Agriculture” award and past award winners can be found here.

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.

Lake Worth man wins top prize playing new FLORIDA 50X THE CASH Scratch-Off game

Posted on

The Florida Lottery announces that Henry Vasquez Perez, 46, of Lake Worth, claimed the second of eight $2 million top prizes in the new FLORIDA 50X THE CASH Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,600,000.00.

Vasquez Perez purchased his winning ticket from Supermercados El Bodegon, located at 4704 Forest Hill Boulevard in West Palm Beach. The retailer will receive a $4,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.

The $10 game, FLORIDA 50X THE CASH, launched on January 15, and features more than $162 million in cash prizes, including eight top prizes of $2 million! Overall odds of winning are one-in-3.46.

Scratch-Offs are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in FY 2016-17, and comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales.

Commissioner Adam Putnam to Attend 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Posted on

MEDIA ADVISORY

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam will attend the 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Florida State Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Men and women who have made outstanding contributions to Florida agriculture are inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame annually.

Event: 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Attendees: Commissioner Adam H. Putnam

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 13

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Special Events Center
Florida State Fairgrounds
4800 U.S. 301
Tampa, FL 33610

Please enter the Florida State Fairgrounds at the Orient Road Security Gate, located at the intersection of Interstate 4 at Orient Road. Parking is behind the Special Events Center. For directions, click here.

For more information about the Florida State Fair, visit FloridaStateFair.com.

Attorney General Bondi Leads Bipartisan Coalition of All 56 US AGs Urging Congress to Help Protect Employees from Sexual Harassment

Posted on

Attorney General Pam Bondi and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein are leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from every U.S. state and territory urging Congress to end secret, forced arbitration in cases of workplace sexual harassment. Too often employees are required to sign employment contracts containing arbitration agreements mandating that sexual harassment claims be resolved through private arbitration instead of the judicial process. The secrecy surrounding these proceedings can protect serial violators and provide inadequate relief to victims.  

“Decades of private arbitration proceedings regarding sexual harassment have had the unintended consequence of protecting serial violators and it must end,” said Attorney General Bondi. “I am proud to lead this bipartisan coalition of all 56 U.S. attorneys general, along with General Stein, and look forward to the passage of strong federal legislation to help protect employees from workplace sexual harassment.”

The letter sent Monday to leaders in the United States House of Representative and the United States Senate asks Congress to pass appropriately-tailored legislation to ensure that sexual harassment victims have a right to their day in court.

“Congress today has both opportunity and cause to champion the rights of victims of sexual harassment in the workplace by enacting legislation to free them from the injustice of forced arbitration and secrecy when it comes to seeking redress from egregious misconduct condemned by all concerned Americans,” states the letter.

Attorneys general from the states, D.C. and five U.S. territories joined the letter: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.  

It has been a decade since all 56 U.S. Attorneys General have joined a letter to Congress. A copy of the letter is available here.