The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement is seeking reaccreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA).
“A team of CFA-certified assessors will arrive Dec. 12 to examine the division’s policies, procedures, equipment and facilities, and conduct interviews with employees,” said Col. Curtis Brown, division director. “This important process assures that the FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement maintains the highest standards.”
The division must comply with approximately 240 standards to receive reaccreditation status. If the CFA determines the Division of Law Enforcement has complied with the appropriate standards, the reaccreditation will be awarded for three years.
“Accreditation is a voluntary pursuit and a valuable means of external accountability. This will be our fourth accreditation assessment, with the initial assessment taking place in 2008. Our commitment to excellence in conservation law enforcement is apparent by our continued commitment to the accreditation process through the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation,” said Juli Brown, the Division of Law Enforcement’s accreditation manager.
The general public, including members of the FWC, are invited to offer comments related to the agency’s ability to comply with CFA standards. Comments must be submitted in writing to CFA, Attention: Public Comment, P.O. Box 1489, Tallahassee, FL 32302, or may be submitted by email at [email protected].
A copy of the accreditation standards is available by visiting the CFA website or by contacting Robert Klepper, public information coordinator for the Division of Law Enforcement, at 850-617-9666 or by email at [email protected].
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$220 Million Settlement with Bank for Manipulating Interest Rates
Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced a $220 million multistate settlement with Deutsche Bank for fraudulent conduct involving the manipulation of LIBOR. LIBOR is a benchmark interest rate that affects financial instruments worth trillions of dollars and has a widespread effect on global markets and consumers. By manipulating LIBOR, Deutsche Bank defrauded government entities and not-for-profit organizations in Florida and throughout the U.S. out of millions of dollars.
The investigation, conducted by a working group of 45 state attorneys general, revealed that Deutsche Bank manipulated LIBOR in a number of ways. Deutsche Bank employees improperly made internal requests for LIBOR submissions to benefit Deutsche Bank’s trading positions. Deutsche Bank also attempted to influence other banks’ LIBOR submissions in a manner intended to benefit their trading positions. Lastly, Deutsche Bank received communications from inter-dealer brokers and external traders attempting to influence Deutsche Bank’s LIBOR submissions. At times, Deutsche Bank LIBOR submitters and supervisors expressly acknowledged and indicated they would work to implement the requests received.
Deutsche Bank employees had strong reason to believe that these LIBOR submissions did not reflect the true borrowing rates pursuant to published guidelines. Additionally, the LIBOR rates the bank submitted did not reflect the actual borrowing costs of Deutsche Bank and other panel banks. Even though these rates are material terms of LIBOR-referenced transactions, Deutsche Bank employees did not disclose these facts to the governmental and not-for profit counterparties who executed the transactions with the bank.
Governmental and not-for-profit entities with LIBOR-linked swaps and other investment contracts with Deutsche Bank will be notified if they are eligible to receive a distribution from the settlement fund of more than $213 million. The balance of the settlement fund will be used to pay costs and expenses of the investigation and for other uses consistent with state laws.
As part of the settlement, the Florida State Board of Administration is receiving more than $10 million and other Florida counter-parties are receiving a total more than $5 million.
To view a copy of the settlement, click here.
Deutsche Bank is the second of several USD-LIBOR-setting panel banks under investigation by the state attorneys general to settle. In August, 2016, the states settled with Barclays Bank PLC and Barclays Capital Inc. Deutsche Bank is cooperating with the investigation. The investigation into the conduct of several other USD LIBOR-setting panel banks is ongoing.
State Road (S.R.) A1A Public Hearing
South 22nd Street to South 9th Street permanent repairs
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is holding a public hearing regarding the portion of S.R. A1A from South 22nd Street to South 9th Street. The department is designing permanent repairs as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Matthew and other coastal storm events. The project is funded for construction in summer of 2018, after July 1. No additional right of way will be required. Other information:
- Estimated cost is $4.99 million
- The new road will have two lanes (one in each direction) and a median in portions of the section; the intent of the median is to retain storm water runoff
- Recommended posted speed limit of 30 miles-per-hour
- The project also proposes installing sand and native plantings on the east side SR A1A between the road and the right of way line.
The hearing is Thursday, November 2, 2017, at the Flagler Beach Methodist Church, 1520 South Daytona Avenue, Flagler Beach, Florida 32136. The purpose of this hearing is to introduce the project and present the design concept to the public. The hearing will begin as an open house at 5:30 p.m. A formal presentation will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a comment period. A court reporter will prepare a verbatim transcript of the proceedings. Persons wishing to submit written statements or other exhibits, in place of or in addition to oral statements, may do so at the hearing or by sending them to Mr. Ty Garner, FDOT Project Manager, [email protected], 386-943-5299, 719 South Woodland Boulevard, DeLand, Florida 32720. All exhibits or statements postmarked on or before November 13, 2017, will become part of the Public Hearing record.
Persons with disabilities who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Ty Garner, FDOT Project Manager, by phone at 386-943-5299 or via email at [email protected]. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact us by using the Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons wishing to express their concerns relative to FDOT compliance with Title VI may do so by contacting Jennifer Smith, FDOT District Five Title VI Coordinator by email at [email protected].
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) pursuant to 23 U.S.C. §327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.
Media inquiries may be directed to the FDOT regional communications office at: 386-943-5479; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected].
AHCA Statement on Florida Healthy Kids Board Meeting
The Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Justin Senior today released the following statement on the upcoming Florida Healthy Kids Board meeting.
Secretary Senior said, “Our Agency remains steadfastly committed to ensuring that no children lose their insurance coverage due to Hurricane Irma. During tomorrow’s Board meeting, the Board will hear and discuss the facts and the options Florida may have. We look forward to learning the facts, and discussing strategies that ensure that no child loses insurance as a result of Hurricane Irma.”
Ensuring that children have access to health care has always been a priority of our Agency. Under Governor Scott’s leadership, Florida has had much success in lowering the rate of uninsured children. According to a Georgetown University study, in 2009 Florida’s uninsured rate among children was 14.8 percent, and by 2016 had dropped to 6.2 percent. This is the second best improvement of any state in the U.S. this decade.
To qualify for CHIP, families can have incomes between 133 percent and 200 percent of the poverty level. This means the children in a family of four would qualify with an annual income between $33,000 and $49,000. Children included in the full-pay population are families living over 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
Upcoming Public Kickoff Meeting for the I-75 and C.R. 514 Interchange
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has scheduled a Public Kickoff Meeting for the I-75 at County Road (C.R.) 514 Interchange from 0.5 Miles West of I-75 to C.R. 525 Extension PD&E Study in Sumter County. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential impacts of a new interchange near the I-75/C.R. 514 (Warm Springs Avenue) overpass to the natural, physical, and human environments.
The purpose of this project is to improve the existing transportation network and support regional travel demand by providing additional access to I-75 at C.R. 514. The existing transportation network facilities in the project and surrounding area will be unable to support future demand associated with the planned Florida Crossroads Industrial Activity Center and residential development expanding from the north and east toward the project area. An additional access to I-75 is expected to provide relief to the surrounding transportation network and meet anticipated growth and future travel demand.
The Public Kickoff Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2017 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the City of Coleman Community Center, 1204 N. Church Street, Coleman, FL 33521. This meeting will be held in an informal, open-house format and is an opportunity to introduce the project and study process, present information regarding existing conditions, and receive initial feedback.
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for these projects are being, or have been, carried out by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.
Persons with disabilities who require accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Mary McGhee, Project Manager, by phone at 386-943-5063 or via email at [email protected] at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact us by using the Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons wishing to express their concerns relative to FDOT compliance with Title VI may do so by contacting Jennifer Smith, FDOT District Five Title VI Coordinator by email at [email protected].
For media-related questions, please contact the Public Information Office at 386-943-5473 or [email protected].
Five-Year Partnership Between Leon County Schools and Nopetro Yields Environmental Benefits, Over $1 Million in Savings
Co-founder Jorge Herrera educates Cobb Middle School students on compressed natural gas.
Leon County Schools (LCS) and Nopetro today marked the fifth anniversary of their historic partnership to transition the district’s school bus fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG). That move has saved the district more than $1.1 million and reduced related vehicle emissions by 90 percent while inspiring other local entities to expand their use of CNG fuel.
School Board Chairwoman Joy Bowen hailed the benefits of the partnership during a celebration at the county’s CNG fueling station, which opened on Capital Circle SW in 2012. The station now serves a growing number of city, county, university, and commercial fleet vehicles running on CNG. Joining Bowen at the event were Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna, Florida League of Cities President and Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tem Gil Ziffer, County Commissioner Nick Maddox, and a class of Cobb Middle School students accompanied by science teacher Gina Glass.
LCS and Nopetro also introduced educational materials to help students understand the energy that fuels their school buses. The students from the Earth Space class at Cobb’s science magnet program rode a CNG school bus to the fueling station, where they received a brief lesson in the environmental benefits of compressed natural gas as a fuel source. An informational animated video about compressed natural gas is being provided to the school district and can be viewed at www.nopetro.com.
The partnership between Leon County Schools and Nopetro was the first of its kind in Florida when it launched in 2012, and has proven beneficial for the school district, other local governments, and commercial fleets. The use of CNG is both less costly and more environmentally friendly than diesel, averaging about 30 percent less cost and generating 90 percent fewer emissions of nitrogen oxide.
Nopetro serves as the school district’s CNG provider. The two have worked together growing the local market, and the District now has nearly half its s buses – 94 out of 220 – being powered by CNG. Other local institutions, including Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, and Florida State University also utilize the Nopetro fueling station for their CNG vehicles. Over the course of the five years, the school district has saved more than $1.1 million through royalties and rebates, funds that can instead be used to enhance educational programs for Leon County students.
The Tallahassee fueling station was the first of a statewide network established by Nopetro, which now partners with other governmental entities to provide CNG for fleets throughout Florida, including the Lynx transit system in the Orlando area. Nopetro is working to expand its reach throughout Florida, providing energy alternatives across the transportation sector.
President Negron Discusses Important Developments in the Approval Process for a Southern Reservoir
Florida Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart) today released the following statement regarding continued progress on the southern reservoir project outlined in Senate Bill 10 (2017).
“The Army Corps of Engineers has notified the South Florida Water Management District of their intention to accept the District’s offer of resources to expedite the approval process contemplated in Senate Bill 10. This agreement will provide funding the Corps needs in order to provide technical assistance to the SFWMD. The Army Civil Works program has authorized a memorandum of understanding to formalize this important partnership.
“I am pleased to see all parties sharing resources and working together to increase southern storage as envisioned by the Legislature. Our coastal communities have been waiting on this type of tangible progress for decades. I am grateful to the South Florida Water Management District for providing a comprehensive update on the implementation of Senate Bill 10 during today’s meeting of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources and look forward to additional updates in the coming months.”
FDLE arrests Orlando man on 13 counts of child pornography
Agents with the Orlando Cyber Crime Task Force of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement today arrested Kevin Todd Jones, 52, of 319 S. Boyd Street, Orlando, on 13 counts of possession of child pornography.
Agents received a tip about Jones downloading suspected child pornography and began an investigation. After obtaining a search warrant, agents went to Jones’ home and conducted an on-scene forensic examination. They found evidence of child pornography on digital devices, which were seized for additional forensic analysis.
Jones was taken to the Orange County Jail with a no-bond status. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 9th Judicial Circuit.
Senator Hukill Files College Competitiveness Act
Legislation elevates the standing and visibility
of Florida’s nationally-recognized college system
Senator Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) today filed Senate Bill 540, the Community College Competitiveness Act of 2018. The legislation supports the over 800,000 full- and part-time students of Florida’s nationally-recognized college system by expanding credit transfer options through new 2+2 targeted pathways to graduation; requiring student and faculty representation on the new state coordinating board of the community college system, and expanding strategic academic advising to help students save time and money.
“As a former teacher, I have seen firsthand how each component of our education system provides a valuable experience for our students as they learn the skills needed for a successful career. For this reason, in developing this legislation, we worked to incorporate feedback from our state colleges regarding their unique strategies for student success,” said Senator Hukill. “This comprehensive legislation seeks to further elevate Florida’s nationally-ranked community colleges through a renewed focus on student success that will lead to on-time completion of vital associate degrees and workforce credentials that prepare students for jobs in communities across our state.”
“Florida’s 2+2 college-to-university program has earned a national reputation as a model for success in higher education. With a distinct mission, separate from the role of our K-12 and state university systems, Florida’s community colleges are vital to Florida’s K-20 public education system,” said Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart). “An independent coordinating board will ensure this critical component of our state’s education and economic development infrastructure retains its dedicated local focus while elevating the statewide leadership presence needed to continue to meet the needs of growing local and regional economies throughout Florida.”
The Community College Competitiveness Act of 2018
Elevates Community College Governance and State-Level Leadership
The bill elevates the organizational prominence and affirms the distinct leadership significance of the Florida Community College System and the essential role local community colleges play in improving the quality of life and economic well-being of the state and its residents.
- Restructures state-level governance of Florida’s community college system under a state coordinating board uniquely dedicated to the advocacy and advancement of the economic, community, and professional advancement goals of Florida’s 28 community colleges.
- Restores a “State Board of Community Colleges” (SBCC) to oversee and coordinate the FCCS [local college boards of trustees retain current local autonomy and local governing authority.]
- Shifts state-level responsibilities regarding Florida community colleges from the State Board of Education to the SBCC.
- Reinforces the open-door mission of community colleges as primary access points for workforce credentials and transferable college-credit associate degrees, and the non-college-credit mission of school district technical/career centers and charter technical career centers in promoting advances and innovations in adult education and workforce preparation.
- Secures the fidelity of community college workforce bachelor degree programs that meet district, regional, and statewide workforce needs and promote economic and community development.
- Reinforces community college primary attention to, and advancement of, associate level degrees and workforce education credentials.
- Modifies and streamlines bachelor degree approval processes, timelines, and requirements.
- Provides flexibility and a pathway for planned and purposeful growth of community college bachelor degrees within an upper-level enrollment cap of no more than 20 percent of a community college’s total enrollment, not to exceed 10 percent as a system.
Reinforces K-20 Articulation Options
The bill tightens articulation policy alignment and enhances credit transfer options students may leverage in their academic plans to maximize their return on investment and minimize unnecessary coursework that results in excess hours and additional costs.
- Requires school districts to inform high school students about the specific college courses and the related college credits which students may earn through dual enrollment courses and other acceleration options.
- Creates new “2+2” targeted pathways to directly connect community college graduates with timely advising and specified bachelor degree programs at individual state universities, in accordance with the terms of the pathway agreement.
- Requires each community college to establish at least one 2+2 targeted pathway articulation agreement with at least one state university as an option for their students to have guaranteed access to bachelor degree programs at the partner university. The legislation also requires each state university to execute one or more such agreements with a community college.
- Requires state higher education policy boards to identify and eliminate barriers to executing targeted pathway agreements.
Promotes Performance and Fiscal Accountability
The bill refines performance expectations for Florida colleges and aligns their financial rewards to sustain excellence in preserving open-door access and graduating students, regardless of their level of initial academic preparedness, with college degrees and workforce credentials.
- Fine-tunes performance expectations by adjusting performance metrics and minimum standards to emphasize national excellence benchmarks and reward community college performance success in meeting core mission responsibilities.
- Focuses performance incentive funding measures: completion/graduation of full-time students, job placement of workforce education program graduates, bachelor degree attainment for transfer students, and measures of college affordability.
- Refines “Distinguished” college measures: retention, graduation, excess hours, and wages.
- Reinforces effective developmental education instructional models (i.e., college remediation) that substantially bolster the achievement, advancement, and graduation of academically underprepared students.
- Establishes an outcome-based approach to sustaining and scaling instructional and support strategies demonstrating evidence of success in retaining, progressing, transferring, and graduating Associate in Arts degree students.
- Leverages locally-established, research-based developmental education innovations and instructional strategies uniquely tailored to the needs of Florida’s community college students.
- Tightens community college relationships with their direct-support organizations’ leadership, use of funds, and public disclosure activities.
November weekend added to Gulf gray triggerfish state season
The gray triggerfish recreational season in Gulf state waters will be open an additional weekend this November to provide anglers with fishing opportunities that were missed due to bad weather from Hurricane Nate earlier in the season. Gray triggerfish will open in Gulf of Mexico state waters for recreational harvest Nov. 4 and 5. The season was previously open Oct. 7, 8, 14 and 15. The season was also open Oct. 21 and 22 as an extension due to the impacts of Hurricane Irma.
During this state season opening, the Gulf state waters minimum size limit is 14 inches fork length and the daily bag limit is two per person, per day.
The season is closed in Gulf federal waters for 2017.
Several changes to gray triggerfish management are pending for Gulf state and federal waters, and could affect harvest starting in 2018. These pending management changes include:
- Creating a January through February annual recreational closure in addition to the current June through July annual spawning closure.
- Decreasing the recreational daily bag limit from two to one fish per person.
- Increasing the recreational size limit from 14 to 15 inches fork length.
These changes will not be in effect during the 2017 state season opening, but should help maintain fishing opportunities for gray triggerfish in state and federal waters for 2018 and beyond.
More information about Gulf gray triggerfish regulations may be found at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Triggerfish.”
