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CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis Puts Full Weight of Office Behind First Responders

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CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis issued the following statement regarding the unanimous approval of Senate Bill 376 by the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee, sponsored by Senator Lauren Book.  
“The numbers don’t lie. More than 15 percent of firefighters reported having made at least one suicide attempt during their time in the fire service, compared to about 2 percent of the general population. Forty-six percent of firefighters reported having thought about suicide, compared to about 5 percent of the US population. These statistics are alarming and this is what we are fighting to change this session.
Our first responders arrive on any emergency scene without hesitation, without question. We can only imagine how difficult it is to face what they see daily. I’m putting the full weight of my office to increase benefits this legislative session for our first responders who suffer from PTSD. It’s time Florida step up for our fearless first responders.”

State Board of Education to Meet in Tallahassee

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The State Board of Education will meet tomorrow in Tallahassee.
The agenda is available at State Board Meeting.
The meeting may be viewed on The Florida Channel.
WHAT: State Board of Education Meeting
WHEN: 9:00 am
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
WHERE: The Capitol, Room LL03
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida
For more information about the Florida Department of Education, visit fldoe.org.

CRC Meeting Schedule Week of January 15-19

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MEDIA ADVISORY

The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) noticed the following meeting schedule for the week of January 15-19, 2018. CRC meetings are open to the public. Members of the public wishing to address CRC committees will be provided an opportunity to speak at the direction of the respective committee chair. Visit flcrc.gov/Committees for additional information on CRC committees.
The Interim Calendar is available on the CRC Calendars Page at flcrc.gov/Meetings/Calendars.
Monday, January 15

  • No scheduled meetings

Tuesday, January 16

  • No scheduled meetings 

Wednesday, January 17

  • No scheduled meetings 

Thursday, January 18
NOTE: Meetings on this date will be held at locations outside the Capitol Complex. Visit committee pages for location details.

Friday, January 19

Gov. Rick Scott: Two Years of Louisiana Tax Increases Makes Florida Better Destination for Business

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Gov. Scott to Tell Louisiana Business Owners to Move to Florida

Governor Rick Scott today announced he will be leading a domestic trade mission to Louisiana this week to convince more businesses to move to Florida. During the trade mission, Governor Scott will meet with Louisiana companies to share how Florida is making it easier for families and job creators to succeed and why they should consider moving their operations to Florida.
Governor Scott said, “While we are fighting to cut taxes and make it harder for politicians to raise taxes in Florida, Louisiana is doing the exact opposite. In fact, for nearly two years, Governor John Bel Edwards has been continuously working to raise taxes instead of reaching a long-term solution for their state’s financial crisis. Passing the buck to Louisiana families and business owners, who are already overburdened by high personal income and business taxes, is clearly not working. Louisiana’s unemployment rate is larger than the national average and their job growth rate is more than three times lower than Florida’s.
“Louisiana leaders should look to Florida to see how to achieve economic growth. Florida faced a $4 billion budget deficit when I became Governor in 2010, but over the past seven years, we have completely turned around Florida’s economy without raising taxes. With no income tax, a low business tax and a business-friendly environment, Florida is the perfect location for Louisiana business owners and families who want to keep more of their hard-earned money. I look forward to sharing this message during our domestic trade mission this week and ultimately welcoming more Louisiana job creators to Florida.”
Additional details on the trade mission will be announced in the coming days.

Senator Annette Taddeo, Representative Robert Asencio File Legislation to Improve Florida’s Teacher Recruitment, Certification, and Retention Processes

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Senator Annette Taddeo (D-Miami) and Representative Robert Asencio (D-Miami) have filed SB 1704 and HB 1269 to establish the Blue-Ribbon Panel Task Force on Teacher Recruitment, Certification, and Retention within the Department of Education to investigate and provide recommendations to improve K-12 teacher recruitment, certification, and retention. The bill also makes changes to teacher certification, allowing certain scores on the Graduate Management Admissions Test and a Graduate Record Examination Subject Area Test to meet particular needs for certification.
“Florida has a serious problem of teacher shortages and high turnover rates that directly affects our children – I have noticed it in my daughter’s and her friends’ schools across Miami-Dade. We must take action to remedy the situation effectively and swiftly,” stressed Senator Annette Taddeo.
“Waiving certification fees for prospective teachers and allowing standardized tests scores to be used for specific certification requirements can only serve to cut down on teacher turnover and shortages,” stated Representative Robert Asencio. “With the arrival of our Puerto Rican and Virgin Islander neighbors fleeing the destruction of Hurricane Maria, it’s crucial that we do everything we can to ensure our schools have the teachers they need to serve their students.”
The task force will submit a report of their findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Commissioner of Education, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which will also be published on their websites. Membership will be composed of thirteen various public education officials and others appointed by education stakeholders
If enacted, SB 1704 and HB 1269 will also make certification less expensive for teachers and prospective teachers by waiving fees for first time applicants and licensed educators seeking renewal. But, if an applicant doesn’t pass the exam on their first attempt they are responsible for all fees.
The bill also attempts to bring transparency to the state examination process for teacher certification by changing the public records exemption on testing materials from indefinitely to three years. Beginning in the 2020-2021 school year, and every three years after, the Commissioner of Education must publish a previously administered general knowledge examination and a Florida subject area examination for each subject area.

OFR Releases Fifth Edition of Fast Facts

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The Office of Financial Regulation today released its annual Fast Facts, providing consumers and stakeholders with a pocket-sized booklet containing agency data and trends for the past fiscal year.
Commissioner Drew J. Breakspear said, “The Florida Office of Financial Regulation is committed to protecting consumers while promoting growth of financial services industry. I encourage all interested Floridians to learn more about our agency and how we can help them verify the license of a financial services business and protect them from financial scams.”
Highlights from this year’s agency snapshot include:
  • Increased Taxpayer Value: Licenses under regulation by the OFR have increased 2.9 percent in the past year and have increased 15 percent in the last five years. The OFR now oversees more than 444,000 licensees.
  • Improved Customer Service: In Fiscal Year 2016-17, the OFR answered more than 40,000 consumer calls in an average of 19 seconds.
  • Delivered Value to Businesses: In Fiscal Year 2016-17, the OFR approved more than 79,000 applications in an average of 5 days per application.
The Florida Office of Financial Regulation also offers another valuable online resource for consumers, the Consumer Knowledge Center, where Floridians can learn more about a variety of financial literacy topics, including how to spot potential scams.

The Florida Lottery is celebrating its 30th birthday with a new family of Scratch-Off games

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The Florida Lottery today introduced the FLORIDA X THE CASH family of Scratch-Off games. The four new games range in price from $1 to $10, and feature more than $363 million in cash prizes and more than 32 million winning tickets! All Lottery retailers are expected to have these new tickets in stock and available for purchase within 72 hours.
The $10 game, FLORIDA 50X THE CASH, gives players the opportunity to multiply their winnings by up to 50 times! The game also offers over $162 million in cash prizes, plus eight $2 million top prizes! Overall odds of winning are one-in-3.46.
The $5 game, FLORIDA 20X THE CASH, features 14 top prizes of $1 million, and more than $110 million in cash prizes! The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-4.22.
The $2 game, FLORIDA 10X THE CASH, has over $65.5 million in cash prizes, including 325,000 prizes from $50 to $1,000! Overall odds of winning are one-in-4.68.
For just $1, players can win one of 100 top prizes worth $10,000 with FLORIDA 5X THE CASH! The game also features more than $26 million in cash prizes and over eight million winning tickets! Overall odds of winning are one-in-4.88.
Additionally, six drawings will be held between January 31 and April 11, 2018, for non-winning FLORIDA X THE CASH tickets entered into the 30th Birthday Cash Spectacular Second Chance Promotion. In each of the six drawings, one player will win $30,000, two players will win $10,000, four players will win $5,000, and 30 players will win $1,000. Players can also earn up to 35 extra entries per entry period by entering special social media “promo codes” that will be posted to the Florida Lottery’s official Facebook and Instagram pages during each second chance promotion entry period. For more information about these games and the second chance promotion, visit flalottery.com.
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 68 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $784 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2016-17.

Ballard Partners Welcomes Jose Felix Díaz As Executive Vice President

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Ballard Partners, a leading Florida-based lobbying firm, today announced the addition of Jose Felix Díaz (Pepi) as Executive Vice President of the firm.
“We are thrilled to welcome Pepi to the firm, he brings a unique combination of integrity, experience and accomplishment that takes our Miami practice to new heights. He will be a critical asset guiding our clients’ efforts in south Florida as well as assisting our expansion in Latin America,” said Brian Ballard, president of Ballard Partners.
A well-respected name in Miami-Dade County, Diaz most recently served for seven years in the Florida House of Representatives, representing Districts 115 & 116.  During his time in Tallahassee, Jose led the Commerce Committee which oversaw gaming, economic development, regulated industries, and tourism.  He also served as Chairman of the powerful Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation and helped unite his bipartisan colleagues while taking the caucus to a new level of cooperation.
“Ballard Partners is an exceptional institution whose lobbyists deliver unmatched results for their clients,” said Diaz. “I am looking forward to working with Brian and his team in developing solutions that will help our clients meet their difficult challenges.”
Diaz has been serving clients in Miami-Dade County at Akerman LLP, one of the State’s largest law firms, since 2005.  His expertise in land development, procurement, public private partnerships and local government consulting will complement the Miami Office’s already well-established team. Diaz added, “I want to thank Akerman for thirteen wonderful years.”
Diaz earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and his Juris Doctorate from the Columbia Law School. He serves on the Board of Our Kids of Miami-Dade and on the State of Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission. Diaz and his wife live in Miami with their two sons.

PSC Begins FPL Need Determination Hearing on Wednesday

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The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a hearing on Florida Power & Light Company’s (FPL) determination of need petition for the Dania Beach Clean Energy Center Unit 7 beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
During the hearing, the Commission will consider testimony from parties to the case about the proposed Dania Beach facility in Broward County.
The hearing is scheduled for the following time and location:

Wednesday, January 17, 2018
9:30 a.m.
Betty Easley Conference Center
Joseph P. Cesse Hearing Room (Room 148)
4075 Esplanade Way
Tallahassee, Florida

In addition, Thursday, January 18, 2018, is reserved to continue the hearing, if needed. The starting time for the next day’s session will be announced at the conclusion of day one.

Caldwell Campaign Continues to Outraise the Field

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Representative Matt Caldwell continues to outraise the field and build momentum in his bid for Commissioner of Agriculture. In December, Caldwell’s campaign and Political Committee raised a combined $101,701 and has over $1,078,762 million cash-on-hand.
Caldwell is running against Senator Denise Grimsley and former Representative Baxter Troutman in the Republican Primary. Senator Denise Grimsley, on the other hand, didn’t break the six-figure mark with her fundraising this month. In December, Grimsley’s campaign and Political Committee raised a combined $90,275 and has $872,278 cash-on-hand. In December, Troutman’s campaign and Political Committee raised a combined $7,875.
Brian Swensen, spokesperson for Caldwell’s campaign said, “Matt is the hardest working candidate in the race for Commissioner of Agriculture and continues to build momentum every day heading into the election year. He is outraising his opponents, has traveled more than 41,000 miles across the State since May, is the principled conservative in the race, and the only candidate that has consistently received an A rating from the NRA.”
The Commissioner of Agriculture serves as a member of the Florida Cabinet and is critical to the foundation of Florida’s economy. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services helps the agricultural industry with its daily challenges, promotes Florida’s agricultural commodities, manages state forests, safeguards consumers, implements the school lunch program, and oversees the concealed-weapon license system.
The Caldwell campaign has also announced the endorsements of Republican House members from the Panhandle, Northeast Florida, Central Florida, Southwest Florida, and South Florida delegations. This is in addition to endorsements from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, former candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture Paul Paulson, and a number of county constitutional officers.  Caldwell is also a Life Member of the NRA and has consistently received an A-rating during his service in the Legislature.
Additionally, the campaign continues to travel across the Sunshine State as a part of Caldwell’s statewide #2LaneTravels Work Days Tour that highlights and showcases industries overseen as Commissioner of Agriculture. WATCH: Highlights from our #2LaneTravels Work Days, including oysters, timber, cattle, and more!

Paid by Matt Caldwell, Republican, for Commissioner of Agriculture