State Senator Annette Taddeo (D-Miami) on Tuesday released the following statement on Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s campaign ad:
“The atrociously misleading ad released by Speaker Corcoran should be retitled: ‘Predictable.’ Predictable because it relies on racist stereotypes and fears to jumpstart a latent campaign for his next political promotion.
“Unfortunately, his brand of conservatism taps into the darker side of politics, demonizing immigrants as the bogeymen responsible for the ills of society in a shameless act of self-promotion, Willie Horton-style.
“Mimicking the divisiveness of his friend, Donald Trump, may endear him to the embattled president, but it saddens me that a man who wants to be governor is choosing to campaign on hate and fear.
“I know that the people of Florida will see through this, and reject these tactics. They know that Florida exemplifies the true meaning of diversity, and has been a beacon to all those who have sought her refuge and her opportunities, no matter where they came from.”
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Senator Annette Taddeo on Corcoran ad: “It saddens me that a man who wants to be governor is choosing to campaign on hate and fear”
State Senator Annette Taddeo (D-Miami) on Tuesday released the following statement on Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s campaign ad:
“The atrociously misleading ad released by Speaker Corcoran should be retitled: ‘Predictable.’ Predictable because it relies on racist stereotypes and fears to jumpstart a latent campaign for his next political promotion.
“Unfortunately, his brand of conservatism taps into the darker side of politics, demonizing immigrants as the bogeymen responsible for the ills of society in a shameless act of self-promotion, Willie Horton-style.
“Mimicking the divisiveness of his friend, Donald Trump, may endear him to the embattled president, but it saddens me that a man who wants to be governor is choosing to campaign on hate and fear.
“I know that the people of Florida will see through this, and reject these tactics. They know that Florida exemplifies the true meaning of diversity, and has been a beacon to all those who have sought her refuge and her opportunities, no matter where they came from.”
100,000 Florida Concealed Weapon Licenses Expedited for Active Military Members and Veterans
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced today that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has expedited 100,000 Florida concealed weapon license applications for active military members and veterans since July 2015. Commissioner Putnam moved to expedite licensees for active military members and veterans in the wake of the 2015 terrorist attacks against military personnel in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“Florida should be the most military and veteran friendly state in the country,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “I’m proud that we have expedited 100,000 concealed weapon license applications for our active military members and veterans.”
Active military personnel who want to apply for a Florida concealed weapon license should include a copy of their Common Access Card or other form of official military identification with their applications when they submit them to the department. The department will also accept a copy of service members’ current orders as proof of active duty status. Honorably discharged veterans should submit a copy of their DD 214 long form with their applications.
There are currently 1.84 million Florida concealed weapon license holders.
Visit FreshFromFlorida.com/CWL to learn more.
Study Finds Bacteria in Milk Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis
A strain of bacteria commonly found in milk and beef may be a trigger for developing rheumatoid arthritis in people who are genetically at risk, according to a new study from the University of Central Florida.
A team of UCF College of Medicine researchers has discovered a link between rheumatoid arthritis and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, known as MAP, a bacteria found in about half the cows in the United States. The bacteria can be spread to humans through the consumption of infected milk, beef and produce fertilized by cow manure.
The UCF researchers are the first to report this connection between MAP and rheumatoid arthritis in a study published in the Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology journal this week. The study, funded in part by a $500,000 grant from the Florida Legislative, was a collaboration between Saleh Naser, UCF infectious disease specialist, Dr. Shazia Bég, rheumatologist at UCF’s physician practice, and Robert Sharp, a biomedical sciences doctoral candidate at the medical school.
Naser had previously discovered a connection between MAP and Crohn’s disease and is involved in the first ever phase III-FDA approved clinical trial to treat Crohn’s patients with antibiotics. Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis share the same genetic predispositions and both are often treated using the same types of immunosuppressive drugs. Those similarities led the team to investigate whether MAP could also be linked to rheumatoid arthritis.
“Here you have two inflammatory diseases, one affects the intestine and the other affects the joints, and both share the same genetic defect and treated with the same drugs. Do they have a common trigger? That was the question we raised and set out to investigate,” Naser said.
For the study, Bég recruited 100 of her patients who volunteered clinical samples for testing. Seventy-eight percent of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis were found to have a mutation in the PTPN2/22 gene, the same genetic mutation found in Crohn’s patients, and 40 percent of that number tested positive for MAP.
“We believe that individuals born with this genetic mutation and who are later exposed to MAP through consuming contaminated milk or meat from infected cattle are at a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis,” Naser said.
About 1.3 million adults in the U.S. have rheumatoid arthritis – an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that causes the immune system to attack a person’s joints, muscles, bones and organs. Patients suffer from pain and deformities mostly in the hands and feet. It can occur at any age but the most common onset is between 40 and 60 years old and is three times more prevalent in women.
Although case studies have reported that some RA patients suffer from Crohn’s disease and vice versa, the researchers say a national study needs to investigate the incidence of the two diseases in the same patients.
“We don’t know the cause of rheumatoid arthritis, so we’re excited that we have found this association,” Bég said. “But there is still a long way to go. We need to find out why MAP is more predominant in these patients – whether it’s present because they have RA, or whether it caused RA in these patients. If we find that out, then we can target treatment toward the MAP bacteria.”
The team is conducting further studies to confirm findings and plan to study patients from different geographical and ethnic backgrounds.
“Understanding the role of MAP in rheumatoid arthritis means the disease could be treated more effectively,” Naser said. “Ultimately, we may be able to administer a combined treatment to target both inflammation and bacterial infection.”
Naser holds a Ph.D in Medical Microbiology from New Mexico State University. He joined UCF in 1995. He has been investigating Crohn’s disease and other auto-immune diseases for more than 30 years. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and has presented his work at numerous conferences. He has several patents including a licensed DNA technology for detecting MAP.
Bég, a board-certified rheumatologist, has been with UCF since 2011 after completing her fellowship in rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. In addition to practicing medicine at UCF Health, she is a full-time faculty member at the college. Her research and clinical interests include conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus and osteoporosis.
Statement from Emmett Reed, Florida Health Care Association Executive Director, on passage of House Bill 1369
“We’re disappointed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee passed this ill-advised bill, which would take away much-needed resources to continue enhancing care for our residents. Nursing home caregivers are being asked to do more with less, yet even so they continue making advancements in quality that are among the best in the nation. The subcommittee heard providers today talk about the millions of dollars it would cost to purchase $4-million insurance policies, if they were even accessible. It’s a dollar-for-dollar investment, and one that is simply impossible for providers to meet. Complying with this requirement would cost our state’s nursing homes over $2.7 billion, which amounts to almost 82 percent of Florida’s $3.4 billion that Medicaid spends to provide care to all Medicaid residents in a year. In an era where Medicaid underfunds nursing home care by more than $400,000 per center annually, those added resources are simply not there.
“FHCA will continue to oppose this misguided legislation because we know that putting more money into lawsuits and litigation costs will not improve care — it’s caregivers who make the difference. If legislators are looking for solutions that support continuous quality improvements, our hope is that they focus on directing more money to pay for additional staff, new technologies and other improvements that will directly benefit the residents.”
U.S. Consul General Paul R. Malik Opens Florida Pavilion at Arab Health 2018
Florida recognized as first U.S. state to participate at Arab Health
U.S. Consul General Paul R. Malik participated in the Florida Pavilion opening ceremony this week at Arab Health. Florida was recognized as the first U.S. state to participate at the show 12 years ago, and this year is again the state with the largest presence. There are 19 exhibitors in the Florida Pavilion and 11 others outside of the pavilion.
Manny Mencia, senior vice president of international trade & development for EFI said, “We have been attending this show for more than a decade and our presence gets stronger every year. This year there are 30 Florida companies in total at the show. That makes a big impression on everyone who attends Arab Health and healthcare leaders from around the world take notice. That kind of perception translates to success for the state and the companies in attendance.”
Following the 2017 Arab Health event, small businesses that exhibited in the Florida Pavilion reported $148.7 million in total projected export sales, including nearly $17.8 million in actual sales. The 2017 show attracted nearly 103,000 participants from 68 countries with 40 country pavilions, including medical staff, hospital management and dealer distributors.
Arab Health attracts decision-makers from the region’s healthcare sector and is the largest healthcare event in the Middle East. The 2018 edition of the event is expected to welcome more than 4,200 exhibiting companies and more than 100,000 attendees from 150 countries.
Enterprise Florida is hosting the Florida Pavilion at Arab Health. Companies exhibiting in the Pavilion include:
- Advanced Instrumentations, Inc. – Miami
- Airon Corporation – Melbourne
- Cirro Medical Systems LLC – Miami
- Ecleris USA dba EUSA Global LLC – Medley
- Excite Medical – Tampa
- Gaumard Scientific – Miami
- Genicon – Winter Park
- GeoSurgical – Clearwater
- Medicapture Digital Imaging – Stuart
- Medimar – Doral
- Mercury Medical – Clearwater
- Orthomerica Products Inc. – Orlando
- OSKO, Inc. – Miami
- Phoenix Healthcare Solutions – Ft. Lauderdale
- Protech Medical Inc. – Palm Beach Gardens
- SafeHands, LLC – Boca Raton
- Scar Heal – Largo
- US DEFIB Medical Technologies – Medley
- Victoria World Wide Business Connections Group – Miami Lakes
PSC Customer Meeting for FIMC Hideaway, Inc.
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) invites customers of FIMC Hideaway, Inc. (FIMC) to a customer meeting on Thursday, February 1, 2018, to discuss the utility’s petition for a rate change. Customers can comment on FIMC’s proposed rates and any quality of service issues at the meeting.
FIMC’s last approved rate increase was in 1992. FIMC provides water and wastewater service to approximately 200 customers in Levy County.
The meeting is scheduled for the following time and location:
Thursday, February 1, 2018
6:00 P.M.
Fat Goose Auction
14404 US Highway 19 North
Chiefland, FL 32626
Facts Fail to Slow Payday Lenders’ March Through Florida Committees
Senators Ignore Data Showing Floridians In Trouble With Debt Trap
Loans, Vote to Legalize An Additional Triple-Digit Interest Product
Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez seemed to be the only member of the Senate Commerce and Tourism committee who heard the arguments and the outright pleas of consumer advocates and faith leaders Monday afternoon as they asked lawmakers to stop payday lenders from moving a new harmful bill to the full Senate.
SB 920, sponsored by Appropriations Chair Senator Bradley, would allow loans twice as large as the current limit, up to $1,000, with 60- to 90-day terms and annual interest rates over 200%. According to an analysis from the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, a borrower in debt for 60 days currently pays $110 in fees for $1,000, but would pay $214.68 under SB 920. And payday loans financially devastate borrowers because they are structured to keep them paying the triple-digit fees over months or years, whether they are short or longer-term loans.
A representative of Amscot, a large payday lender, testified that his company needs the new law because the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a new rule impacting his business. That rule would require payday lenders to assess the ability of borrowers to repay their loans, something most lenders already do. The rule is not scheduled to take effect until August of 2019, and it is under attack by members of Congress and the new director of the Consumer Bureau, so it may not ever be put into place.
While Senator Rodriguez cast the only “no” vote, one senator voted in favor of the bill despite his concerns about the high cost.
“I’m going to vote for it because I have enough faith in Senator Bradley moving forward that we’ll take some of these pitfalls out that are of great concern here today,” said Senator George Gainer. “Certainly 200-something percent APR is out of the question.”
Another committee member, Senator Audrey Gibson, offered a 36% cap on annual interest rates before withdrawing it based on her friendship with the bill sponsor, Senator Bradley.
The FL NAACP, the AARP, the Florida Catholic Conference, National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders, Florida Prosperity Partnership, Florida Veterans for Common Sense, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida, UnidosUS, Florida Hispanic Unity, Florida Legal Services, League of Southeastern Credit Unions and many others are among the many groups who oppose legalizing a product that would snare borrowers in a debt trap even deeper and more damaging than traditional payday loans.
In a letter, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump expressed opposition to the bill:
“Payday lending puts the burden of extremely high interest rates on people of extremely low means. And these loans offer no value but instead serve to systematically redistribute wealth from low-wealth communities to large, corporatized predatory lenders. And as with so many other issues, this is one that has a devastating impact to the fabric of Black and Latino communities… We cannot in good conscience let a sophisticated means of exploitation, especially one that can be resolved with such a simple solution, continue to destroy good and decent people. Florida lawmakers should reject this new product and instead pass a usury cap on payday loans – just as people across this state are asking them to do.”
Rev. James T. Golden, social action director of the AME Church in Florida, gave committee members an impassioned plea:
“The reality is that on a per annum basis, all of the products that have been produced for consideration by the legislature in Florida have triple-digit interest rates. While we debate this in the two hours that have been granted, there are people who have to live with this for six months, or for a year. And the reason we complain is that they live with this much longer than that because these products keep them in debt, keep them from being able to move beyond the sad state that they find themselves in….
…I find it very difficult to be sympathetic to multi-millionaires sitting in here saying to you, we need help, when you all know that the resources this preacher and I bring to bear on this situation doesn’t come with one campaign contribution. But it comes with a heartfelt plea to you to do the right thing by the people who couldn’t come here today. Do the right thing by the people who couldn’t lift their voices because they’ve been too busy paying off these loans they’ve gotten from the industry.
Diaz Qualifies By Petition
The District 103 state representative has secured more than enough
valid petition signatures to qualify for the Senate District 36 ballot.
The Manny Diaz Campaign today announced that the Florida Department of State has verified that he has exceeded the 2,311 signatures required for ballot access. Diaz, who has represented District 103 in the Florida House of Representatives since 2012, is running for the District 36 seat in the Florida Senate.
“I’m excited that our campaign has reached this milestone, and I’m very grateful to the friends and neighbors who were part of this effort,” said Diaz. “I think over the last six years my fellow Miami-Dade residents have gotten to know me and my conservative record well. It’s been an honor to serve in the Florida House, and I look forward to continuing to work hard in the Senate for better education opportunities and for a stronger economy.”
Diaz has been a leader on education reform during his time in the Florida House. During the 2018 legislative session, he is serving as Chair of the House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. He also sits on the Education and Appropriations Committees, the Health Innovation Subcommittee, and the Joint Legislative Budget Commission.
Paid by Manny Diaz Jr., Republican, for State Senator
Nelson opposes Interior's plan to roll-back drilling safety regs
In a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) today submitted his formal comments in opposition to the agency’s proposal to roll back several offshore drilling safety standards that the Obama administration put in place after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster.
The letter comes as the agency prepares to close the public comment period on its latest proposal to undo the Obama-era regulations put in place to prevent another incident like the Deepwater Horizon.
The public has until midnight tonight to submit their own comments on the agency’s plan. Once the public comment period has closed, the agency will work to finalize the rule.
Nelson, a long-time opponent of having oil rigs near Florida’s coast, said earlier this month that if the agency moves forward with finalizing this rule to roll-back the regulations, he plans to invoke a procedural rule known as the Congressional Review Act to try to block it.
The Congressional Review Act gives Congress the power to overturn an agency’s final rule. As a result, any lawmaker seeking to block an agency rule from taking effect can file a so-called Resolution of Disapproval within 60 days of that final rule being sent to Congress. If a Resolution of Disapproval is approved by a majority in both the House and Senate and signed into law by the president, the agency’s rule would be overturned.
A copy of Nelson’s letter to Zinke is available here.
