The Florida Lottery is kicking off the 2017 college football season with the GameDay Cash Promotion, giving Lottery players the chance to win cash and football prizes while supporting their favorite Florida college team all season long. All FLORIDA LOTTO®, FANTASY 5® and Fast Play (CORNHOLE CASH™) tickets purchased by November 27, 2017, can be entered to win. Universities participating in the promotion include Florida State University®, University of Central Florida™, University of Florida®, University of Miami® and University of South Florida™.
“The GameDay cash promotion is unique because it showcases the Lottery’s commitment to education by supporting five state universities and adding some fun to the football season,” said Florida Lottery Secretary Jim Poppell. “At the same time, we are pleased to introduce the new Fast Play game, CORNHOLE CASH, which will provide additional revenue for education statewide.”
Players who purchase qualifying tickets from September 1, through November 27, 2017, can collect symbols to earn entries by downloading the free GameDay Cash App on their smartphone or tablet which they can use to scan the barcode on their ticket. Players can also enter their ticket numbers on the Lottery’s website. Each time a player enters a ticket in the promotion, they have a chance to be selected for a bonus game to win $25 cash or Florida Lottery coupons.
Each team will have four Fan Experience drawings and a Grand Prize drawing, with prizes including season tickets, team merchandise and free Florida Lottery Scratch-Off tickets. Additionally, there will be a final RV Grand Prize drawing held on November 28, 2017, to award one lucky player a 2018 Winnebago Motorhome provided by Lazydays RV. “Lazydays RV is proud to partner with the Florida Lottery on the Gameday Cash College Football Promotion to benefit Florida’s schools and colleges,” said Lazydays RV Chief Marketing Officer, John Lebbad.
Governor Rick Scott today awarded 315 Florida veterans with the Governor’s Veterans Service Medal for their service to Florida and the nation.
Governor Scott said, “Florida’s brave veterans have made countless sacrifices in defense our state and nation, and it is so important that we take every opportunity to thank them. I’m proud to honor some of our true American heroes with the Veterans Service Medal today.”
The Governor highlighted the following Florida veterans at today’s ceremony: Francis David Bell
Francis David Bell enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1944 at the age of 18 and served in Japan during World War II from 1945 to 1946. Following the war, he attended Fordham University on the GI Bill to become a ranked officer, and served in the Korean War as Second Lieutenant from 1950 to 1952. Bell’s service was recognized with a Korean Service Medal and a United Nations Service Medal prior to his retirement as a Captain in 1960. Staff Sergeant William Shrader
Staff Sergeant William Shrader joined the Florida Army National Guard in February of 2005. Since then, he has deployed to Afghanistan twice with the 715th Military Police Company, and currently serves as a squad leader. SSG Shrader’s 12 years of service has been recognized with numerous decorations, including two Army Commendation Medals, a National Defense Service Medal and three Army Reserve Component Achievement Medals. Sergeant First Class Geoffrey Stone
Sergeant First Class Geoffrey Stone served in the United States Army from 1997 to 2003 as a Field Artilleryman. In 2010, he joined the Florida Army National Guard and currently serves as a Platoon Sergeant in the 715th Military Police Company. Throughout SFC Stone’s 13 years of service, he has been deployed overseas twice and has received recognitions including three Army Commendations Medals, five Army Achievement Medals and a Good Conduct Medal.
As part of ongoing efforts to reduce conflicts with bears, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is releasing two new videos in the “Living with Florida Black Bears” series. These videos are designed to help educate the public about how to safely coexist with bears in Florida.
The “Bear Behavior” video describes how a person should react if they encounter a bear in the wild, such as speaking in an assertive voice and backing away slowly. Bears are generally not aggressive toward people, but an encounter may become dangerous if a bear feels concerned or threatened. Knowing how to interpret bear behavior can help people react appropriately when they have a close encounter with a bear.
The “Scare the Bear” video illustrates how residents can reduce conflicts with bears that may come onto their property. Bears are driven by their need for food and powerful sense of smell, which often leads them into neighborhoods and areas with readily accessible food sources. While properly securing garbage and other attractants is critical, scaring bears away from neighborhoods is also important because it can reinforce their natural fear of people. A bear that has been frightened by people is less likely to stay in areas where people are present, which reduces the risk to public safety.
“The No. 1 cause of conflict with bears is unsecured trash and other attractants, such as pet food, barbecue grills and birdseed,” said Dave Telesco, who leads the FWC’s Bear Management Program. “As bears spend more time in neighborhoods, they begin to lose their natural fear of people, which can lead to dangerous encounters. These videos highlight steps that can be taken to ensure the safety of both bears and humans.”
The new videos are being added to the existing “Living with Florida Black Bears” series, which already includes the following videos:
How to Make Your Wildlife Feeders Bear-Resistant
How FWC Conducts Bear Population Estimates
A Day in the Life of a Florida Black Bear
How to Protect Livestock and Pets from Bears
Cause for a Call
BearWise Communities
The FWC plans to release more bear-related videos in the coming months. These videos help educate the public about black bears in a quick and convenient format.
The entire “Living with Florida Black Bears” video series can be viewed at MyFWC.com/Bear in the “Brochures & Other Materials” section.
In addition to educational efforts, the FWC is inviting local governments to apply for BearWise funding for their communities. The FWC will focus on providing financial assistance to local governments with BearWise ordinances in place, which require residents and businesses to keep their garbage secure from bears. A total of $515,000 will be available to offset the costs for communities to use bear-resistant equipment to secure their garbage and help reduce conflicts with bears.
To learn how to become BearWise, visit MyFWC.com/Bear and click on “BearWise Communities” on the left side of the page.
Attorney General Pam Bondi today released the following statement regarding the Florida Supreme Court’s ruling in Aramis Donell Ayala v. Rick Scott:
“Today’s Florida Supreme Court decision is a tremendous victory for victims and their loved ones. As my Solicitor General argued, the Governor has every right to reassign these cases to prosecutors who will uphold the laws of our great state. This year, we have seen the brutal murders of law enforcement officers in State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s circuit, and her unconscionable decision to never seek the death penalty will not be tolerated. The governor and I will continue to do all we can to protect our citizens.”
The League of Women Voters of Florida announced on Thursday that Marty Monroe has accepted the position of lobbyist for the upcoming 2018 legislative session. Marty Monroe
LWV Florida president Pamela Goodman stated, “Marty brings a treasure chest of League knowledge and a great background of skilled advocacy to the League of Women Voters of Florida. She is passionate and professional, and will represent us with grace, wit, facts, and force in Tallahassee. We are honored to welcome her to our team.”
Monroe stated, “I am delighted to be a part of this team of dedicated, tireless, and very focused advocates for good government and great outcomes for our citizens of Florida.”
Marty attended public schools in College Park/Orlando, graduated from Tusculum College with an undergraduate degree, and completed her graduate work at Florida State University. She lived for a short time in Ft. Myers, and returned to Tallahassee to work for several statewide campaigns. She also took a part-time job lobbying on behalf of the Florida Association on Aging/Florida Council on Aging.
Early in her career, she worked in the Florida Department of Education as a regional coordinator. While working with School Boards around the state, she was introduced to curriculum publishing companies.
Marty was recruited to work as a Sales Representative for Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley and later for Glencoe McGraw-Hill. She led the nation in sales for a newly formed division of Glencoe McGraw-Hill, which sold curriculum software/testing. Marty exceeded sales goals, receiving company leadership awards such as the Pacesetter Award.
She had another opportunity to work for a leading national integrated software curriculum company, Compass Learning. As an Account Executive, she met multiple territory expectations in the first year to join the Million Dollar Club.
As the software market expanded, Marty accepted the challenge of opening a new market in Alabama for Scientific Learning, a neurological intervention software company. In her initial year she generated over a half a million in sales and services.
Marty’s most recent sales position involved large enterprise sales solutions. She served as the Southeast Sales Account Manager for Educational Solutions Development, which provided administrative software for school systems nationwide. She oversaw installation of multiple year sales contracts totaling over $20 million.
Marty has been a member of the League of Women Voters for many years. She has served on the local board, and most recently served as interim executive director of the LWVFL.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
The Board of Governors discussed a progress report of the State University System’s gains
toward its Strategic Plan Goals and heard from a Think Florida: A Higher Degree for
Business panel about the role universities can play in helping start-up companies succeed.
Reaffirming its commitment to accountability and efficiency, the Board of Governors this week advanced several initiatives to promote excellent student outcomes and ensure the State University System is meeting its Strategic Plan goals.
The Board discussed a progress report on the System’s achievements, which showed the System is on track to meet or surpass its goals on retention and graduation rates, degrees in areas of strategic emphasis and more. In the 2015-16 academic year, 86 percent of first-time-in-college students met the System standard for retention– an increase of 7 percentage points since 2005-2006. Similarly, over the past five years, four-year graduation rates have increased by 10 percent and six-year graduation rates have increased to rank Florida second among the 10 largest states. Meanwhile, the System has reached its goal four years early of meeting Florida’s demand for degrees in strategic areas, including STEM.
“Due to performance funding and other accountability initiatives, the State University System’s progress in recent years has truly been remarkable,” said Tom Kuntz, Board of Governors Chair. “We’ve seen nearly across-the-board improvement on several quality indicators, and we have every reason to believe our momentum will continue.”
During the meeting, the Board also received a visit from Senate President Joe Negron, who discussed his recently filed Senate Bill 4 and his commitment to the State University System and to students.
Additionally ,the Board also hosted a Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business panel, which focused on the role that universities can play in boosting start-up companies. Panelists were Helena Cowley, CEO of Captozyme, and Sue Washer, CEO of AGTC, both of which develop therapies to treat various medical conditions, as well as UF Vice President for Research David Norton.
Chancellor Marshall Criser III, who moderated the discussion, also presented on the Board of Governors’ new ‘concierge’ website, which provides a single portal to recruit from all 12 public universities.
“Through Think Florida: A Higher Degree for Business, the Board of Governors is actively striving to learn more about the needs of our businesses and meet them where they are,” said Chancellor Criser. “We are using the feedback we receive from the business community to make sure our students are ready for the workforce and to provide the services that will help our businesses thrive.”
Additional meeting highlights include:
University of West Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University and Florida State University presented their Strategic Plans to the Board for approval.
The Board approved its 2018-2019 Legislative Budget Request, with a focus on performance funding and key System or state initiatives.
For more information, consult the meeting’s official minutes at http://www.flbog.edu/. The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for November 8-9 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
There’s still time to remove lionfish and win prizes by participating in the 2017 Lionfish Challenge. The statewide lionfish removal incentive program will come to a close Sept. 4. The winners, also known as the Lionfish King/Queen (recreational category) and the Commercial Champion, will be crowned at the Lionfish Safari in St. Petersburg at 4 p.m. Sept. 9. Join Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff along with Lionfish Safari organizer Reef Monitoring, as we celebrate these amazing lionfish hunters at the North Straub Park, 400 Bay Shore Drive NE.
Competition is fierce. The 100 recreational and commercial participants have removed more than 12,300 lionfish so far (just over 6,000 recreationally and just under 6,000 commercially) and have received prizes ranging from T-shirts, tumblers and heat packs to ZombieStickz Lionfish Eliminator and Neritic pole spears, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium gift bags and ZooKeeper Lionfish Containment Units. Lionfish Challenge winners will be given a custom-made FishBone Design trophy and a No Shoes Reefs limited edition Engel 85 cooler.
The FWC’s Lionfish Challenge started on Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day, May 20.
To enter, participants register online at MyFWC.com/Lionfish and submit their harvest of 25 lionfish (or 25 pounds commercially).
The more lionfish you enter, the more prizes you will receive.
Think you have what it takes to be crowned the next Lionfish King/Queen or Commercial Champion? Sign up and learn more today at MyFWC.com/Lionfish.
Learn more about the Lionfish Safari at ReefMonitoring.org by scrolling over “Event Page” and clicking on “Lionfish Safari.”
Also, be sure to check out the new and improved Reef Rangers website at ReefRangers.com, which will be launched Sept. 5.
Today, August 31st, Governor Rick Scott will announce his appointment for Hillsborough County Sheriff following Sheriff David Gee’s retirement. WHAT: Press Conference WHEN: 4:15 PM WHERE: Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay
Freddie Solomon Club at Nuccio Park
4805 East Sligh Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33610
The Florida Lottery’s new and exciting Fast Play game, CORNHOLE CASH™, goes on sale tomorrow, Friday, September 1. At just $2 per ticket, CORNHOLE CASH offers top prizes of $10,000. Fast Play game tickets print on-demand from the Lottery terminal, and can be played immediately. If the ticket is a winner, the prize can be claimed instantly! Fast Play can be purchased at the Lottery’s more than 13,000 retailers statewide.
“Fast Play is an innovative way to enhance the Lottery’s lineup of games while creating more winning moments for Florida players,” said Florida Lottery Secretary Jim Poppell. “Just like with every Florida Lottery game, Fast Play comes with the added benefit of generating additional funding for Florida’s education system.”
Players can visit a Florida Lottery retailer and ask for a Fast Play ticket for the CORNHOLE CASH game; or present a Fast Play tear-away sheet; or Fast Play barcode to the retailer and a CORNHOLE CASH ticket will print automatically.
To play, follow the instructions printed on the ticket to determine if it is a winner. The overall odds of winning a prize are one-in-4.14 and the odds of winning the top prize are one-in-360,000. Prizes up to $10,000 can be claimed at any Florida Lottery office and prizes less than $600 can be redeemed immediately at any Florida Lottery retailer. Fast Play game prizes must be claimed within 60 days after the end of game date.
JMI notes taxpayer funds help public employees push against taxpayer interest
Local governments in Florida are allowing a “blatant misuse of taxpayer money” by paying employees to perform union tasks unrelated to their public duties, essentially giving away scarce tax resources to private entities for private benefit, The James Madison Institute says in a new policy brief. Released just four days before Labor Day, the analysis concludes that Florida should put an end to “union release time,” a taxpayer-funded subsidy that allows members of public employee unions to conduct union business during working hours without loss of pay.
Even though Florida is a right-to-work state – meaning no employee can be forced to join a union in order to get a job – Florida municipalities give public employee unions access to millions of taxpayer dollars each year in the form of release time, according to the JMI policy brief.
“The business conducted on release time has no public benefit – it exclusively serves the interests of government unions. At a time of increasing scrutiny at all levels of taxpayer funding in Florida, organized labor, not taxpayers, should incur those costs. Yet, release time sticks taxpayers with the tab for private union activity,” according to the policy brief authored by Trey Kovacs, JMI adjunct scholar and policy analyst with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Sal Nuzzo, JMI’s vice president of policy.
The policy brief assails unions for release time practices that use tax dollars to promote the unions’ interests and notes that Florida governments do not effectively track their employees’ release time activities. In some places, employees are involved in activities that support union efforts that conflict with taxpayers’ interests.
“Government employees have a special responsibility to the public, and they should honor those responsibilities,” said Dr. Bob McClure, president and CEO of The James Madison Institute. “Labor Day was conceived to honor the many contributions of working men and women, and hard working taxpayers shouldn’t be expected to subsidize private unions that, in furthering their own agendas, often work against the interests of the taxpayer.”
Working in conjunction with JMI, researchers from the Competitive Enterprise Institute compiled public records from Miami-Dade County and the cities of Tampa and Jacksonville to examine the number of hours of union release time, activities paid for with release time, and the cost.
“As a right-to-work state, Floridians are not forced to pay union dues, yet release time amounts to a multi-million dollar taxpayer-funded subsidy,” said Nuzzo. “The so-called public unions are not required to return anything to the public, and local governments exercise little control over the use of release time. This glaring issue erodes the trust that taxpayers place in their government and should be addressed.”
Miami-Dade, Florida’s most populous county, allowed nearly 100,000 hours of release time in 2016. The same year, the City of Tampa spent $366,771 for unionized employees to conduct various union-related activities, while the City of Jacksonville used $314,677 for similar release time.
In reviewing the release time data, CEI’s Kovacs said it was particularly concerning that some county officials do not track or record what activities are taking place on union release time. “This practice is unsettling as it demonstrates a complete lack of transparency and accountability,” he said. “Public unions exist across the country as some of the most powerful and well-funded political machines, and it is wrong for taxpayers to be held accountable to provide these employees compensation when they are performing non-public work.”
JMI recommends that Florida eliminate union release time, citing several ways this can be accomplished including via specific policy or through an elimination of release time provisions in collective bargaining agreements. The government should focus on ways to cut taxpayer funds to private organizations that do not benefit the public, JMI said, and government employees should not perform duties unrelated to their public duties while on the clock at their government jobs.
“The Sunshine State has the tools at its disposal to put an end to the practice of giving away scarce taxpayer resources to private entities for private benefit. It is now time to use those tools,” the policy brief concludes.
The policy brief is available at: bitly.com/releasetime. The James Madison Institute is Florida’s premier free-market think tank. JMI conducts research on such issues as health care, taxes, and regulatory environments. Founded in 1987, JMI is one of the nation’s oldest and largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational organizations.
