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Bradford County Official Receives Clerk of the Year Award

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Clerk Ray Norman Honored by Florida Clerks & Comptrollers

The Honorable Ray Norman, Bradford County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, was presented with the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers’ (FCCC) 2016-17 Clerk of the Year Award by Nassau County Clerk and outgoing FCCC Board President John A. Crawford last week in Panama City Beach during the Association’s annual summer conference.
The Clerk of the Year Award is presented to an FCCC member who has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and a commitment to the Association’s mission of improving the ability of clerks and comptrollers to serve Floridians through professional education, legislative action and public awareness of the office.
Clerk Norman was recognized for his outstanding leadership efforts as Chairman of FCCC’s technology subsidiary CiviTek, which provides innovative technology solutions to clerks statewide.
“Clerk Ray Norman is a greatly beloved and respected public servant,” Clerk Crawford commented. “He has led CiviTek through a period of extraordinary growth, and it is because of his leadership that we have cutting-edge technology to serve our state’s citizens.”
Established in 1969, the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers (FCCC) is a statewide, nonprofit member association comprised of the Florida Clerks of the Circuit Court and Comptrollers. FCCC provides local government support services, technical assistance and accreditation opportunities for all members of the association. For more information, visit www.flclerks.com.

Florida History Day Student Winners Take Top Honors at National History Day Competition

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Students from Broward, Leon, Pinellas, Santa Rosa,
and Osceola Counties win big at national contest

Secretary of State Ken Detzner is pleased to announce that several Florida students from Broward, Leon, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, and Osceola Counties took home top honors at the National History Day (NHD) competition in College Park, Maryland, winning seven national awards and recognitions including three first-place finishes. Sixty-one students and 15 teachers represented Florida in the national competition at the University of Maryland, which was held June 11­­–15.
“This past May at the Florida History Day state contest in Tallahassee, I was thrilled to meet these young historians who spent months conducting research and developing their entries,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “I’m proud and delighted that their hard work, creativity, and dedication has been recognized at the national contest.”
In order to proceed on to the National History Day competition, the students’ entries had previously won first or second place at the Florida History Day state contest in May, which was sponsored by the Museum of Florida History. The middle- and high-school students presented their findings in a documentary, historical paper, performance, exhibit, or website related to the 2016–17 theme, “Taking a Stand in History.” More than 66,000 students participated statewide, making Florida one of the largest programs among the 57 National History Day affiliates.
The national contest drew 3,040 students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and international schools in Southeast Asia. This year Florida students won several top honors.
Listed below are Florida’s national-level winners by county:
Broward County
1st Place, Junior Individual Exhibit
Maya Moise, American Heritage School
Service Not Servitude
Teacher: Leslie Porges
Leon County
1st Place, Senior Group Exhibit
Creed King and Kate Powell, Leon High School
“Law, Not War”: Benjamin Ferencz’s Lifelong Stand on Peace Through Justice
Teachers: Kate David and Jeanine Meis
Outstanding State Award—Senior Division
Kiera Thompson, Leon High School
Senior Individual Performance
Touissant L’Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution
Teacher: Jeanine Meis
Chaminade University Scholarship (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Creed King, Leon High School
Senior Group Exhibit
“Law, Not War”: Benjamin Ferencz’s Lifelong Stand on Peace Through Justice
Teachers: Kate David and Jeanine Meis
Pinellas County
Eagle Eye Citizen Award, Special Prize
Kyle Nguyen, Palm Harbor University High School
Senior Group Website
The Revolutionary Reforms of Jacob A. Riis: Bringing Light to America’s Dark Half
Teachers: Jason Tsardoulias and Shaun Falcon
Santa Rosa County
1st Place, Junior Individual Performance                                                                                     
Max Mateer, Gulf Breeze Middle School
Two Goats on a Bridge and a Torpedo Underneath
Teacher: Grace Freeman
Outstanding State Award—Junior Division
Grace Mims, Gulf Breeze Middle School
Junior Individual Exhibit
Rachel Carson: Standing for the Environment
Teacher: Grace Freeman
Florida’s NHD Finalists by county:
Finalists are students whose entry is among the top ten projects in their division and category.
Osceola County
7th Place, Junior Group Website                                                                                    
Justin Barber, Kathryn Froehlich, Alondra Curet and Kaitlyn Haslam, Osceola County School for the Arts
Ignaz Semmelweis—Taking a Stand to Save Lives 
Teacher: Alissa Jean
Santa Rosa County
4th Place, Junior Individual Exhibit                                                                                   
Grace Mims, Gulf Breeze Middle School
Rachel Carson: Standing for the Environment
Teacher: Grace Freeman
About Florida History Day
Florida History Day is an affiliate of National History Day (NHD). NHD was established in 1974 to promote history in the classroom by offering students the means and encouragement to research people, ideas, and events of the past. The 2016–17 theme is “Taking a Stand in History.” After analyzing and interpreting the information they have gathered, students express their findings in a paper, exhibit, performance, documentary, or website. More than 66,000 students participated in the 2016–17 Florida History Day. For more information, visit floridahistoryday.com.

PSC’s June Helping Hand is Jacksonville’s Mary Singleton Senior Center

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The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) is presenting its monthly Helping Hand recognition to Jacksonville’s Mary Singleton Senior Center whose programs assist seniors year-round.
“Supporting positive senior lifestyles can improve the overall quality of life for these Floridians,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown.  “The PSC appreciates the Mary Singleton Senior Center for their education and activity programs and for inviting the PSC to help keep their clients informed.”
Each month, the PSC highlights a partner agency or organization whose clients are eligible for the federal Lifeline telephone discount program and/or need help reducing energy and water bills. Through these PSC Helping Hand partnerships, the Commission shares information to help consumers stretch their resources to meet their monthly bills.
“During Older Americans Month in May, we were delighted to have the PSC help our Center’s participants and support our ongoing educational programs,” said Deborah Bell, Site Coordinator, Mary Singleton Senior Center. “Our seniors benefit from the information on Lifeline, scams awareness, energy and water conservation, and utility bill payment assistance.  We look forward to more PSC educational visits.”
Look for this year’s PSC Helping Hand outreach partner recognitions on the PSC’s homepage, www.floridapsc.com, under Hot Topics.
About the Mary Singleton Senior Center
Located in Jacksonville, the Mary Singleton Senior Center offers a variety of activities such as lectures, games, plays, and classes in ceramics, painting, drama and line dancing.  The center has an auditorium, meeting rooms, computer lab, ceramics room, library/reading room, sewing/crafts room, piano, and game room with billiards and card games.  Monday through Friday seniors are offered hot, nutritionally balanced midday meals.  For more information, call (904) 630-0995.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.

Wounded Veterans Invited to Register for Free Lobstering, Scalloping, Kayaking Trips

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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam invites Florida’s wounded veterans to register for upcoming Operation Outdoor Freedom events, including a lobstering trip out of Fort Lauderdale, a scalloping trip out of Steinhatchee and a kayaking trip on the Chipola River. Space is limited, so eligible veterans must visit OperationOutdoorFreedom.com to register for the free trips. Since Operation Outdoor Freedom was launched in 2011, more than 3,000 wounded veterans have participated in more than 400 hunting, fishing, boating and other recreational events at no cost.
“Operation Outdoor Freedom is a special way of connecting the natural resources and beauty our state is blessed with to the men and women of our armed services who have courageously sacrificed for our nation,” said Commissioner Adam H. Putnam. “It’s the least we can do for those who have done so much for us.”
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, organizes and hosts Operation Outdoor Freedom events where participants can fish, hunt, boat and more. Outdoor excursions are held regularly on state forests and private lands throughout Florida and are funded through private donations.
Participants will be drawn at random prior to the event and will be notified by email.
Visit OperationOutdoorFreedom.com for more information about how Operation Outdoor Freedom is working to honor Florida’s wounded veterans and how you can get involved.

Enterprise Florida Opens Florida Pavilion at the 2017 International Paris Air Show

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This week, Enterprise Florida opened the Florida Pavilion at the 52nd International Paris Air Show. The Florida Pavilion is once again the largest exhibit of any U.S. state at the event, showcasing 16 Florida aviation, aerospace, defense and homeland security businesses and organizations. The International Paris Air Show is the world’s largest air show and will be open through June 23. Governor Rick Scott previously joined Florida business leaders at the International Paris Air Show, Farnborough International Airshow and other economic development missions, including Argentina earlier this year.
Governor Scott said, “The Florida Pavilion at the International Paris Air Show gives Florida business leaders the opportunity to meet with leading global aviation and aerospace companies so they know that Florida is serious about providing the best business climate in the nation. We have created more than 1.37 million private sector jobs since December 2010 and the state economy continues to strengthen. The aviation industry is key to Florida’s success and we are confident that the Florida Delegation’s time meeting face to face with aerospace business leaders will result in more jobs for Floridians.”
The International Paris Air Show provides Enterprise Florida and the businesses and organizations exhibiting in the Florida Pavilion with a unique opportunity to demonstrate their competitive advantages in the aviation and aerospace industry. EFI vice chairman Stan W. Connally, Jr., president & CEO of Gulf Power Company, and EFI leadership are hosting more than 50 business development meetings with industry leading companies to share Florida’s business story.
“Florida’s small businesses see a significant impact from shows like Paris,” said Connally. “They create some of the most innovative products and services in the industry, and the Paris Air Show allows them to exhibit to global aviation and aerospace companies much more cost-effectively than if they tried to reach these companies on their own. The opportunities they have here to grow their businesses and reach new markets in turn strengthen the state’s aviation and aerospace sector.”
Statewide partners like Space Florida help lead the state into the next stage of aerospace growth. The aerospace economic development agency will be at the show to discuss everything Florida has to offer industry leaders. “Space Florida is pleased to join Enterprise Florida in representing the State of Florida at what has become the single most important global aerospace gathering for this industry, the International Paris Air Show,” said Space Florida President Frank DiBello. “It is an opportunity-rich, deal-rich environment, and we look forward to the expertise and relationships that can be gained from our participation in Paris. Such opportunities will help Space Florida and Enterprise Florida continue our path to make Florida the leading state in the global aerospace industry.”
Florida is home to more than 2,100 aerospace and aviation companies employing more than 89,000 skilled workers. The state is a major hub for flight training, a leader in maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, and home to leading manufacturers of all types of aircraft and components. Florida’s overall manufacturing sector has more than 19,600 companies that employ more than 340,000 professionals.
In total, 16 Florida companies and organizations are participating in the Florida Pavilion, including:

EFI maintains an extensive schedule of overseas trade missions and exhibitions worldwide. In fiscal year 2015-16, Florida small and mid-sized businesses reported more than $911 million in total projected export sales following international missions and trade shows. Last year, EFI provided 129 Target Sector Trade Grants totaling nearly $490,000 to qualified show exhibitors. Those small businesses reported more than $426 million in total expected export sales.
 

Fant Endorsed by Seven Central Florida Legislators

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Reps. Miller, Cortes, Plasencia, Gruters, McClain, Burton, and Gonazalez
endorse Jay Fant in his bid to become Florida’s Attorney General.

The Jay Fant Campaign for Attorney General today announced the endorsements of seven Florida legislators: Rep. Mike Miller of Orlando; Rep. Bob Cortes of Altamonte Springs; Rep. Rene Plasencia of Titusville; Rep. Joe Gruters of Sarasota; Rep. Stan McClain of Belleview; Rep. Colleen Burton of Lakeland; and Rep. Julio Gonzalez of Venice. These legislators are key conservative leaders in the I-4 Corridor, the voter-rich region of Central Florida that dominates statewide Republican primary elections.
“I’m honored to have earned the support of these colleagues in the Florida House,” said candidate Jay Fant. “I’ve worked alongside my fellow House members on legislation important to all Floridians, and I hope to continue working with them from the executive branch. We have a vision for Florida consistent with our values, that freedom comes first and that we have a duty to protect our citizens from too much government.”
The legislators endorsing Fant stretch from Rep. Plasencia’s district on the Space Coast, up to Rep. McClain’s district in Ocala, and across to Rep. Gruters’s in Sarasota, encompassing all of Central Florida.
“Jay Fant is the right conservative Republican for Attorney General,” said Rep. Miller. “He is both a businessman and an attorney and is uniquely suited to understand the needs of Florida’s job creators and consumers.”
ON THE WEB:  www.JayFant.com

Paid by Jay Fant, Republican, for Attorney General

Biologist and Genetics Expert Team Up to Solve Turtle Health Mystery

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Almost 50 percent of the green sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon have tumors all over their bodies and despite data going back more than two decades, the cause of the disease remains a mystery.
University of Central Florida assistant professor and biologist Kate Mansfield works on various sea turtle research projects and is now partnering with UCF molecular ecologist Anna Savage to see if they can figure out how fibropapillomatosis or FP for short develops in turtles and why.
There is some existing work on FP, but Savage brings a unique approach to the UCF team. She specializes in figuring out the role genes play in species resistance to viruses and bacteria. Most of her work has been with frogs and she had never worked with turtles, until now.
“That’s why I’m so excited,” Savage said. “There’s been a lot of data collected and there is some literature on FP. But it’s a complicated disease. The belief is there are a lot of factors that play into the tumor formation. I’m taking a slightly different approach by looking at the genes related to turtle immunity to see if we can find a pattern that might lead us to some answers.”
Preliminary data show that the tumors in the sea turtles Savage has examined carry a specific herpesvirus. But some turtles with no tumors also have biomarkers for the virus in their skin and blood. And there are some turtles that have no presence of the virus at all. Important clues may be found in the genes of turtles with the virus, but no tumors, Savage said.
She and Mansfield recently earned a $17,631 grant from the Sea Turtle Conservancy to take a deeper genetic look at what may be driving the tumor disease among green and loggerhead sea turtles. They have a deep data set to review thanks to the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group that has been collecting sea turtle data since 1982. UCF researchers and students have been monitoring the health and nesting patterns of sea turtles at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (with US Fish and Wildlife Authorization), the Indian River Lagoon and the Tidal Basin near Cape Canaveral. The Archie Carr is a one of the most important nesting area for sea turtles in the Western Hemisphere.
Mansfield and her students capture sea turtles in the Indian River Lagoon twice a month to collect data and monitor their health. The biologists check the turtles’ weight body condition, collect samples of blood, skin, and when present, tumors. When finished, all turtles are flipper tagged and released back into the water. Large numbers of juvenile green sea turtles visit the lagoon – one of the most important feeding areas for the species.
“We encounter on average 100-200 turtles in the IRL a year and in some cases we have samples going back a decade or two,” Mansfield said. “So we have a unique opportunity to leverage our long-term dataset to answer some long-standing questions, and to fill some needed data gaps in sea turtle conservation.”
The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group studies all life stages of these sea creatures. Sea turtles remain at sea for most of their lives, where it is difficult to observe and track them over time. Turtles don’t reach maturity for 20-30 years. It is important to understand the threats and impacts to the health of the juveniles, like those found in the IRL, in order to ensure that future generations of sea turtles will continue to nest in Florida.
In addition to work on our local nesting beaches and coastal waters, Mansfield and her graduate students have been working in the Gulf of Mexico, and south Atlantic and Indian oceans to unravel the mystery of the sea “lost years” – examining where the youngest stages of sea turtles go and how they interact with their oceanic habitats.
Mansfield and the turtle team’s work helps state and federal managers better protect the endangered and threatened species for future generations.

FAMU Presents Aggressive Plan to Enhance Student Success, University Performance

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On Wednesday, Florida A&M University Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., presented the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) with plans to enhance student success, strengthen academic programs and improve University operations.
 
Robinson was among state university leaders presenting their 2017 Work Plans during the BOG’s June meeting. His presentation highlighted initiatives designed to improve student outcomes, including increasing retention and graduation rates. These efforts include enhancing the University’s student advisement system, restructuring recruitment and enrollment management, and expanding academic support services.
 
Dr. Robinson also pointed to FAMU’s recent success in acquiring external funding and leveraging partnerships to generate additional support to increase student success outcomes.  
  • In June, FAMU received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to increase student success and degree production in STEM disciplines.
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded FAMU a $15 million grant to establish the Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, which will provide internships and other student support opportunities.
  • FAMU signed a $5 million agreement with Lockheed Martin that will allow students and faculty to assist with the design of space systems used for NASA exploration.
Another student success initiative is the development of specialized 2+2 articulation agreements with members of the Florida College System. These agreements will allow FAMU to significantly increase enrollment of community college transfer students by providing seamless pathways to academic programs and on-time graduation. Articulation agreements have been established with Tallahassee Community College, St. Petersburg College and Valencia College. Several additional agreements with other institutions in the Florida College System are forthcoming.
 
The Board of Governors also released its performance-based funding scores for 2015-2016. FAMU maintained its score from the previous year, earning points in eight of the 10 performance metric categories. These areas included:
 
  • An increase in the percent of bachelor’s degree graduates enrolled in graduate school or employed at $25,000 or more annually (from 61.8 percent to 64.6 percent)
  • An increase in the median wages of bachelor’s degree graduates employed full time one year after graduation (from $32,000 to $32,700)
  • A decrease in the average cost to the student earning a bachelor’s degree (from $13,830 to $12,640 annually)
  • An increase in the six-year graduation rate for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students (from 38.6 percent to 40.7 percent)
  • An increase in the percentage of graduate degrees awarded in programs of strategic emphasis (from 51.5 percent to 58.2 percent)
FAMU’s average cost for students earning a bachelor’s degree was among the most affordable in the state, placing the University at No. 3 among the 12 state universities.
 
“Although we have made some improvements, I am not satisfied with the University’s performance,” Robinson said. “We have developed an aggressive and focused plan for improving on all aspects of the state’s performance metrics. FAMU is committed to elevating our standing in future rankings.”
 
To help ensure FAMU accomplishes its goals, Robinson created the Division of Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness to provide more effective management and oversight of critical academic programs and business operations. In the spring, colleges and schools with professional programs developed improvement plans with action steps to increase pass rates on licensure exams.
 
The University’s new five-year strategic plan also focuses on implementing initiatives that will lead to improving FAMU’s outcome on the state’s performance metrics. Earlier this month, the FAMU Board of Trustees approved the plan, which will be presented to the BOG for review and approval later this year.
 
“We were successful yesterday in getting the FAMU Work Plan approved by the BOG,” said FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) Chair Kelvin Lawson. “The BOG leadership provided a fair challenge on the metrics that need to improve. We will continue to work with the BOG and our own BOT to provide the right level of focus, resources and support to achieve the needed metric growth.”
 
Lawson added, “The University has laid the foundation for increasing our performance in key strategic areas. Our board and the administration are aligned on the strategic plan and the 2017 Work Plan. We now have to move to the proper execution of these initiatives. We are well aware of the areas that need improvement and are 100 percent committed to making the needed progress.”
 
While FAMU will not receive funding from the state’s performance funding allocations, based on this year’s scores, the University will continue to take proactive steps to engage stakeholders, the BOG, legislators and public and private partners to secure funding and resources to improve student success and recruit and retain the best and brightest students. The administration will leverage funding from these sources to absorb the non-recurring performance funds that previously supported University initiatives.
 
“I’d like to acknowledge the support of our Board of Trustees, administrative team, staff, faculty and students, who remain committed to an improved outcome in the future,” Robinson said. “We appreciate the comments provided by the Board of Governors members, and we look forward to their continued support of FAMU’s efforts.”

Gov. Scott: Florida Continues to Lead Nation’s Largest States in Job Growth

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Governor Rick Scott today announced that Florida added jobs at a faster rate than the 10 largest states in the nation over the last year. Florida had the second-fastest annual private-sector job growth rate out of all the states in the nation, behind Utah. For 62 consecutive months, Florida’s private-sector job growth rate, which is 3 percent, has outpaced the nation’s rate, which is 1.8 percent. Since December 2010, Florida businesses have created 1,377,100 private-sector jobs.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce today that Florida led the nation’s largest states in job creation over the past year. We have spent the past six and a half years working to make it easier for businesses to grow in our state, including recently establishing the new $85 million Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to attract more companies to Florida. It is clear that this work has helped Florida’s economy outperform our top competitors and create new opportunities for our families. I took this message on an economic development mission this week, and met with Connecticut and New York business leaders to tell them why they should relocate their operations to Florida. We will continue to do all we can to send a message across the country that Florida is the best place for job creators and families to succeed.”
In the last year, Florida businesses created more jobs in the professional and business services industry, with 52,900 new jobs, and more jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities industry, with 30,900 new jobs, than any other state. The state also had the second-highest over-the-year job gains among all states in both the construction and the manufacturing industries.
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Florida’s astounding job growth across multiple industries proves that our business-friendly focus is working. We have fostered an environment that sets hardworking Floridians up for success. Our state continues to beat the nation so that Florida families can flourish.”

Statement by CARE FL re: U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Hearing

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The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials met today to examine issues related to intercity passenger rail service in the U.S.  The Subcommittee heard testimony from the Federal Rail Administration and rail executives including Mike Reininger, a leader of the All Aboard Florida project.  As a Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Florida Congressman Brain Mast, representing the Treasure Coast Region, participated in the hearing to express the concerns of his constituents related to the All Aboard Florida/Brightline project.
Following the conclusion of the hearing CARE FL Chairman Brent Hanlon released the following statement: 
“For the past three years Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida (CARE) has worked to shed light on the All Aboard Florida (AAF) project and how it threatens the health and safety of our communities. We have also tried to reveal the facts about AAF’s insatiable need for public subsidies of its business plans.
“AAF has claimed that it is a private enterprise.  But the evidence does not support this claim.  AAF has, to date, been unable to raise private capital to finance its rail project without the benefit of public—as in, government—subsidies.  Today we start the latest adventure of disclosing AAF’s latest attempt to seek government subsidies—this time by seeking a multi-billion-dollar loan subsidized by the US taxpayers.
“At every twist and turn the company has sought handouts and subsidies from government. Their desire for subsidies is insatiable, unquenchable and inexhaustible.
“AAF’s quest began with an application for a more than $1.1 billion RRIF loan in 2013. They then applied for $1.75 billion in Private Activity Bonds (PABs) in 2014 prompting a US District Court to find that the PABs would cost taxpayers up to $600 million in the first 10 years. To add insult to injury, AAF is also demanding that county governments—Florida taxpayers—pay for crossing and safety equipment maintenance in perpetuity. The list goes on and on.
“Most recently, to moot an unfavorable Federal Court ruling, AAF and its executives decided to withdraw their application for the PABs and are now back to pursuing a RRIF loan. The new RRIF loan poses many new risks to the taxpayers because there are no guarantees that AAF will be able to repay the loan.  If that happens, taxpayers will be left holding the bag for potentially billions of dollars.
“Experts have concluded AAF cannot demonstrate how this project will be financially feasible. A 2015 economic impact report commissioned by CARE by a former White House economist found they could not obtain the revenue to pay off the debt they would incur unless they charged high ticket prices that are unlikely to yield the riders they claim will be attracted to their venture. The findings of the PhD Ivy League professor fundamentally question ridership and the project’s overall success.
“Mr. Reininger used his testimony today in a vain attempt to rewrite history by blaming bureaucracy for the lack of a Record of Decision (ROD) in AAF’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, and suggesting a two-year timeline moving forward.  But let’s look at the record of AAF and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s manipulation of this subject. In 2014, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement was issued for the AAF project. In the first week of August 2015, a Final Environmental Impact Statement was issued to facilitate the PABs that AAF failed to sell in four attempts. Both USDOT and AAF fought in court for two years, and in August 2016, the Court ruled NEPA applied to the project. Despite that, USDOT has still never issued the ROD—with AAF’s full support. Why? Because USDOT and AAF don’t want it issued since it would give the impacted Florida communities a legal opportunity to challenge the NEPA conclusions.
“We will continue to hold AAF accountable and call attention to their actions.  We would not be where we are today without the support of many federal state and local elected leaders. We particularly want to thank Cong. Mast for attending the hearing and for asking some very important questions.”
 
CARE FL is a coalition created by a group of concerned community leaders, organizations and neighbors in South Florida and the Treasure Coast. Our group continues to grow. We share a common goal: Protecting the safety, welfare and way of life for the families, businesses and retirees who live in and around our communities. To learn more about CARE FL’s concerns, visit www.saveourfl.com and like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CARE_FL.