To assist the Tampa Police Department’s efforts to keep the Seminole Heights neighborhood safe, Governor Rick Scott today directed the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) to deploy additional officers to the area. These officers will work with the Tampa Police Department to enhance their efforts in patrolling the neighborhood to increase safety. The deployment of FHP Troopers is in addition to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center who has a squad of agents assigned to neighborhood canvassing. FDLE also has agents assigned to vet leads and is providing analytical assistance. FDLE lab analysts continue to process numerous items of evidence. FDLE has also contributed $10,000 to the Crime Stoppers reward.
Governor Scott said, “Safety is our top priority, and we are glad to provide additional state resources from the Florida Highway Patrol and FDLE to the Tampa Police Department to assist in their efforts. I have spoken with Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan and Mayor Bob Buckhorn to offer any resources they may need from the State of Florida. Everyone in the area should continue to listen to local law enforcement who have been working day and night to keep families safe. I am fully confident that our brave law enforcement will bring whoever is responsible for these senseless acts to justice. Our hearts break for the victims of these crimes and their loved ones. Today, we are making it clear – Florida has zero tolerance for violence and crime, and we will stop at nothing to keep our communities safe.”
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Mast Statement on Passage of First Major Tax Reform Since 1980s
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
“Bureaucrats in D.C. seem to forget that every dollar they spend is the result of somebody else’s labor. It’s about time that we make the government do more with less and empower the American people to do more with more.
“This is a great accomplishment: the first major tax reform since the Reagan Administration. Our bill simplifies the tax code, doubles the standard deduction for all families, and most importantly, cuts taxes for low- and middle-income families who are struggling just to get by. Every dollar less the government takes, and every dollar more that you keep in your pocket, is a big win. That’s exactly what this bill does and why it will grow middle class paychecks in Florida by more than $2,250 and lead to the creation of more than 55,000 new jobs.”
Background
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
- Lowers individual tax rates for low- and middle-income Americans to 0%, 12%, 25%, and 35% so people can keep more of the money they earn throughout their lives, and continues to maintain the 39.6% rate for the wealthiest Americans.
- Significantly increases the standard deduction to protect roughly double the amount of what taxpayers earn each year from taxes – from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples.
- Eliminates special-interest deductions that increase rates and complicate Americans’ taxes, so an individual or family can file their taxes on a form as simple as a postcard.
- Establishes a new Family Credit, which includes expanding the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $1,600 to help parents with the cost of raising children and provides a credit of $300 for each parent and non-child dependent to help all families with their everyday expenses.
- Reduces the tax rate on the business income of Main Street job creators to no more than 25% – the lowest tax rate on small business income since World War II.
- Lowers the corporate tax rate to 20%, down from 35%, which today is the highest in the industrialized world.
- Maintains the Mortgage Interest Deduction for mortgages up to $500,000.
- Maintains popular deductions that help low- and middle-income families, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, charitable deductions and deductions on 401(k) retirement accounts.
The bill would:
- Lead to the creation of an additional 56,530 jobs in Florida, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
- Raise after-tax income for middle class families in Florida by an average of $2,252, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
- Allow 41,887 taxpayers in the 18th District that claim the child tax credit to deduct an addition $600 per child.
- Drastically reduce taxes for 61,644 taxpayers in the 18th District that have small business income – capping the rate at 25%.
- Simplify tax filing for many of the 105,875 taxpayers who currently itemize their taxes, as a result of doubling of the standard deduction and other simplifications.
Sen. Bill Nelson statement on Sen. Franken
Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) on Sen. Al Franken:
“Sexual harassment is never acceptable. The Senate Ethics Committee will fully investigate this troubling incident, as I believe they should.”
Giving thanks for Florida’s one-of-a-kind Osceola wild turkey
Did you know there are five subspecies of wild turkey in North America? However, Florida is the only place in the world where the Osceola subspecies is found. Also known as the Florida wild turkey, this unique bird lives only on the Florida peninsula. It’s similar to the eastern subspecies, which is found in north Florida, but tends to be smaller and darker with less white barring on the wings.
Many people don’t know that wild turkeys are powerful fliers. They can fly as fast as 55 miles per hour for short distances. However, to conserve energy, turkeys spend most of their time on the ground, where they search for acorns, seeds, fruits, leaves, insects, small reptiles, frogs, snails and more. They are woodland birds, preferring open forests and where forests and fields meet.
Wild turkeys are social animals and typically flock together in groups. These wary birds have excellent eyesight and will run away or fly to a tree to escape danger. At night, they roost in trees to avoid ground predators.
“Wild turkeys are an amazing conservation success story in Florida and across North America,” said Brian Yablonski, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman. “They had almost disappeared by the turn of the century, with populations remaining in remote pockets of habitat. However, thanks to science-based wildlife restoration efforts, today Osceola and eastern wild turkeys are thriving throughout the state.”
Because the Osceola subspecies is only found in Florida, the Sunshine State is a must-hunt destination for hunters pursuing their Grand Slam. The National Wild Turkey Federation, which recognizes grand slam accomplishments, works with the FWC’s wildlife professionals to support habitat improvement projects and the use of scientific data to conserve wild turkey populations and provide sustainable hunting opportunities. Wild turkey meat, which is leaner than store-bought birds, provides a delicious and clean-eating alternative for the Thanksgiving feast.
From the FWC family to yours, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Jacksonville man turns $20 into $1 million playing $5,000,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game
The Florida Lottery announces that Munib Garvanovic, 53, of Jacksonville, claimed a $1 million prize in the $5,000,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. He chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $745,000.00.
Garvanovic purchased his winning ticket from Gate, located at 1001 Monument Road in Jacksonville. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $20 game, $5,000,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER, features six top prizes of $5 million, 30 prizes of $1 million, and more than $752 million in total cash prizes! This $20 game offers more than 16.8 million winning tickets, and overall odds of winning are one-in-2.99.
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.
FDLE’s Operation Gravity leads to arrest for fraud, grand theft
Agents with Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Miami Regional Operations Center arrested Peggy Sue Juffre, 43, of 629 Southwest 167 Way in Pembroke Pines, Florida, for one count of organized fraud and one count of grand theft in the first degree.
According to investigators, Juffre embezzled nearly $300,000 from her employer, a fitness company based in the Miami area, between January 2015 and January 2016. FDLE’s investigation began after the business owner discovered the funds were missing, confronted Juffre, and reported the theft.
FDLE agents, with the assistance of the Office of the Statewide Prosecutor, obtained an arrest warrant for Juffre based on the results of the investigation. Juffre turned herself in to FDLE on Tuesday.
Juffre was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Bond has been set at $10,000.
Nelson calls for better coordination to address housing needs of hurricane victims
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson today joined nearly a dozen other U.S. senators in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to work together to provide housing assistance to thousands of displaced Puerto Rican and U.S. Virgin Island residents.
In a letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long and HUD Secretary Ben Carson, the senators called on the agency heads to heed recommendations made in the aftermath of similar disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and to establish a disaster housing assistance program to help expedite temporary and long-term assistance for low-income households.
The senators emphasized that the federal government must do everything in its power to assist the victims of these hurricanes.
“We write with deep concern about the federal response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma, particularly as it relates to addressing the housing needs of the multitudes of newly-displaced families in Puerto Rico and the USVI,” the senators wrote. “It remains unclear to what extent FEMA is coordinating with HUD to respond to the disaster. Moreover, we are concerned that a lack of effective coordination will unnecessarily delay assistance and could have disastrous consequences for the families in greatest need. We are prepared to work with you to provide additional resources for unmet needs and to work to ensure that assistance is deployed effectively to help families on the islands.”
In addition to Nelson, the letter was signed by Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Bob Menendez, (D-NJ), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bran Schatz (D-HI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The full text of the letter below and a PDF copy is here.
November 15, 2017
The Honorable Brock Long
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20472
The Honorable Ben Carson
Secretary
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 Seventh Street SW
Washington, DC 20410
Dear Administrator Long and Secretary Carson:
We write with deep concern about the federal response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma, particularly as it relates to addressing the housing needs of the multitudes of newly-displaced families in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Among them are some of the over 100,000 families in Puerto Rico who were receiving assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at the time Maria made landfall. While we were pleased the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released long-awaited guidance on housing resources for hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico on October 30, 2017, it remains unclear to what extent FEMA is coordinating with HUD to respond to the disaster. Moreover, we are concerned that a lack of effective coordination will unnecessarily delay assistance and could have disastrous consequences for the families in greatest need.
The federal government’s responses to previous disasters of similar scale should be instructive. To address temporary housing needs in the wake of Katrina, the Bush Administration initially chose to provide some displaced families with trailers, cash grants, and short-term stays in hotels and motels—solutions that proved inadequate to meet the needs of affected residents. Months later, the Bush Administration conducted a comprehensive review of the federal government’s response to the disaster, identifying lessons learned and furnishing recommendations on how the federal government should respond to future disasters. One of those recommendations was closer coordination between FEMA and HUD.[1] It is crucial for the agency and the department to heed this essential recommendation, especially given the scope of the devastation in Puerto Rico and USVI.
As part of that coordination, we encourage you to consider establishing a disaster housing assistance program (DHAP). Such a program would allow the federal government to leverage its relationships with housing agencies across the country to help respond to the crisis. It would also facilitate improved data sharing among FEMA, HUD, public housing authorities, and other housing providers in the states to expedite temporary and long-term assistance for low-income households. Ultimately, the policies that the department and the agency consider must be informed by federal and local coordination, including: a combination of FEMA’s disaster assessments, data provided by the governments of Puerto Rico and USVI, and the needs of citizens on the islands.
We are prepared to work with you to provide additional resources for unmet needs and to work to ensure that assistance is deployed effectively to help families on the islands. To that end, we request prompt answers to the following questions:
1. What resources are available for the people of Puerto Rico and USVI today to quickly and properly house displaced persons—both for people on the islands and for those who have evacuated to the mainland?
2. How many HUD-assisted households were impacted by Irma and Maria, and to what extent—if any—is FEMA coordinating with HUD to ensure that displaced persons in Puerto Rico and USVI are quickly and properly housed?
3. What are your deadlines for coming up with temporary medium- and long-term housing solutions for the people of Puerto Rico and USVI?
4. Given the initial damage assessments of public housing infrastructure, single-family homes, and rental units for Puerto Rico’s and USVI’s lowest-income residents, what are some options available to the people of Puerto Rico and USVI, housing authorities in Puerto Rico and USVI, and housing authorities and organizations in diaspora states to meet the additional needs of displaced families?
5. Have you identified any data sharing gaps that must be addressed in order for federal disaster benefits to flow efficiently to Puerto Rican and USVI families in need of housing in the wake of Hurricanes Maria and Irma? If so, what is required to improve data sharing at the federal and local levels?
Hurricanes Maria and Irma have presented a housing crisis that the people of Puerto Rico and USVI may face for months or years to come. We must do all to ensure these citizens will be assisted in an adequate and timely manner. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Attorneys General Bondi Urges Repeal of a Federal Law to Hold Drug Manufacturers and Distributors More Accountable for Opioid Oversupply
Attorney General Pam Bondi joined 43 other attorneys general to send a National Association of Attorneys General policy letter to congressional leaders, urging the repeal of a 2016 federal law to restore the Drug Enforcement Administration’s ability to hold drug manufacturers and distributors of opioids accountable.
“The opioid crisis is affecting families across our country and we need every tool available to combat this epidemic and save lives. To ensure the Drug Enforcement Administration is able to stop the oversupply of dangerous prescription opioids, Congress must repeal the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016,” said Attorney General Bondi.
The Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 severely limits the DEA’s response to the opioid crisis. In 2016, more than two million Americans had an addiction to prescription or illicit opioids. Since 2000, more than 300,000 Americans have died from overdoses involving opioids.
According to the NAAG letter, the Act effectively strips the DEA’s ability to issue an immediate suspension order against a drug manufacturer or distributor whose unlawful conduct poses an immediate danger to public health or safety.
Florida is one of the states leading a widespread multistate investigation into major manufacturers and distributors of opioids. As part of this effort, the bipartisan coalition of 41 state attorneys general recently sent subpoenas and demanded additional information about potentially unlawful practices in the distribution, marketing and sale of opioids.
To read the NAAG letter to congressional leaders, click here.
Appointments by Gov. Rick Scott for Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Gov. Scott Appoints Chief Melanie Bevan to Statewide Council on Human Trafficking
Governor Rick Scott today announced the appointment of Chief Melanie Bevan to the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
Bevan, 52, of Bradenton, is the Chief of Police at the Bradenton Police Department. Bevan is a 31-year veteran law enforcement officer who most previously served as Assistant Chief at the St. Petersburg Police Department. She received her bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University, her master’s degree from Troy State University, and her doctor of education degree from Argosy University. Bevan fills a vacant seat and is appointed for a term beginning November 15, 2017, and ending June 30, 2018.
Gov. Scott Reappoints Representative Larry Metz to Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Council
Governor Rick Scott today announced the reappointment Representative Larry E. Metz to the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Council.
Metz, 62, of Yalaha, has served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2010 and has practiced with the Metz Law Firm P.A. since 2007. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1976 to 1982, including active duty until 1980. Metz received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Florida State University. He is appointed for a term beginning November 15, 2017, and ending June 30, 2020.
Sen. Bill Nelson statement on GOP tax bill
Following is a statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, on the new GOP tax plan:
“Here we go again. The GOP has added a provision to their tax plan that will cause health care premiums to go up 10 percent and 13 million Americans to lose their health coverage. We should be working together to find ways to cut taxes for hardworking middle-class families, not taking health care away from millions of people just to give huge tax cuts to the largest corporations.”
Below is a video of Nelson’s remarks during today’s Finance Committee hearing on the tax bill.
