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Amendment 4 to become law in the Sunshine State

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Final passage of implementation bill to reduce taxes on solar imminent

The Florida House of Representatives today joined the Florida Senate in passing implementing legislation for the pro-solar Amendment 4, which voters overwhelmingly approved with 73% of the vote on the August 2016 primary ballot.
SB 90 is now in returning messages in the Senate and final passage is expected shortly. Once the Senate takes up the House version, the bill goes to the Governor. If the Governor receives the bill while the Legislature is in session, the constitution allows a 7-day period within which to sign or veto the bill. If the Legislature adjourns before the bill is presented, then the Governor has 15 days in which to take action.
Thanks to the leadership of Senator Jeff Brandes and Representative Ray Rodrigues, the support of hundreds of businesses, solar advocates and thousands of volunteers, Floridians will enjoy lower energy costs as burdensome taxes on solar energy systems are reduced beginning January 1, 2018.
“We applaud Florida lawmakers for implementing this important constitutional amendment in the closing days of the legislative session,” said Stephen Smith, Executive Director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and board member of Floridians for Solar Choice. “The importance of moving this forward cannot be overstated: with lower taxes for homeowners and businesses, solar energy development will increase allowing Floridians to lock in energy savings, create jobs, spur economic development, and bring much-needed diversity to the state’s energy mix.”
“The implementation of Amendment 4 is a win for the solar industry in Florida,” said Patrick Altier, President of Florida Solar Energy Industries Association (FlaSEIA). “Our membership of Florida solar companies has been working tirelessly in the Legislature, with solar advocates, and many other coalition partners over the past several years, fighting for good policy. Reducing burdensome taxes will lead to more solar, more local jobs, and a brighter future for our state.”
“Last year Florida voters overwhelming supported Amendment 4, and now Florida’s House and Senate have unanimously passed an implementation bill to enact that constitutional amendment expanding the economic freedom to choose solar,” said Tory Perfetti, Chair of Floridians for Solar Choice and Florida Director of Conservatives for Energy Freedom. “Supported by a historic coalition which spanned the political spectrum, reducing taxes is smart energy policy for Florida families and businesses.”
“The voices of Florida voters have been heard,” said Pamela Goodman, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “With the implementation of Amendment 4, approved by 73% of voters last August, voters have helped to shape our energy policy in a way that the Sunshine State can be proud of.”
About Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that work to address the impacts of global climate change and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.

Gov. Scott Visits CWU Inc. During “Fighting for Florida’s Future” Tour

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Governor Rick Scott today visited CWU Inc. during his “Fighting for Florida’s Future” tour. CWU helps support military members and U.S. national security by providing administrative, translation, and training services to the U.S. Defense Industry.  The company is headquartered in Tampa and will be creating up to 20 new jobs by next year.

Student Loan Debt Bill Passes Legislature

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Senator Hukill’s Bill Addressing Student Loan Debt Now Goes to the Governor

Senator Dorothy L. Hukill’s (R-Port Orange), Senate Bill 396 Student Loan Debt bill has passed the Florida legislature with unanimous support today.
The bill requires public and private post-secondary education institutions (colleges & universities) to provide information regarding student loans to students on an annual basis. The institutions will provide up-to-date information to each student receiving student loans. The knowledge provided will allow students to better prepare their finances and goals post-graduation.
In the U.S., student loan debt is over $1.3 trillion and growing by approximately $2,667.20 every second. Senator Hukill’s legislation allows students to be given their loan information annually by their college or university as they are working on their degree to be knowledgeable of their financial situation. This bill as well as Senator Hukill’s SB 392, which addresses teaching high school students’ financial literacy, will help students make better decisions about their financial futures as they join the work force and enter adulthood.
“Student loan debt is growing every second and every second a student is putting themselves further into debt for their education,” said Senator Hukill. “Our students need to be as informed about this debt and what it will cost over the life of the loan as they would be when they buy a car or a house.”
“With total student loan debt recently surpassing one trillion dollars, something must be done to make students aware of the debt they are accruing,” stated Senator Bean. “This bill will give students the information they need to make informed, fiscally-responsible decisions when it comes to student loans.”
Senator Aaron Bean (R-Jacksonville) is the co-introducer of Senate Bill 396.
Representative Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach) is the sponsor of the companion House Bill 867.

As hurricane season nears, early preparation is key

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Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters Encourages Homeowners and Businesses to Review Insurance Policies Prior to the Start of Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is only one month away and the first named storm of the season, Arlene, has already formed and dissipated. Now is not only the time to stock up on batteries and water, but also a crucial time for home and business owners to review their property insurance policies. The Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) advises Floridians to thoroughly review their policies to see what is and is not covered in the event of property damage, specifically damage caused by windstorms. The insured also need to be aware of the steps to take in case a hurricane strikes.
“Preparing for a storm in advance is one of the most important things a Floridian can do. This includes protecting your property from damage, but it is also crucial to know the steps to take in case damage does occur,” said Don Phillips, President of FAPIA. “You need to have all the necessary information and resources in place when dealing with your insurance company, especially since many companies have made significant changes to their policies in recent years.” Phillips advises home and business owners to turn to a public insurance adjuster if they incur property damage this hurricane season. Public insurance adjusters are insurance professionals licensed by the State of Florida to represent and protect insured consumers.
“Public adjusters play a vital role in making sure that Florida consumers receive full and fair compensation on their insurance claims,” said Phillips, citing a report by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability that shows how customers of the state’s largest insurer received 747 percent higher compensation for claims filed when represented by a public adjuster.
Based on the lessons of previous hurricane seasons, FAPIA has compiled this list of Six Steps to Prepare for Hurricane Damage:

  1. Make a visual record of your home and possessions. Use your mobile device, camera or video recorder to document the condition of your home and belongings. This will help establish your claim in the event of a loss.
  2. Have copies of your insurance policies, along with family medical information and copies of important documents such as deeds and wills in a safe deposit box or safe. Maintaining a digital library of important documents is advisable. Photograph or scan your documents and with your mobile device and save them to the cloud for easy retrieval in the event of loss.
  3. Carefully review your insurance coverage in advance of hurricane season. Does it cover flood or wind damage? Does it take into account current market value to rebuild your home or business? Are you covered for everything you think you are? Consult with your agent or your local and trusted public insurance adjuster for a free insurance policy review to make sure you can count on your insurance policy.
  4. Be sure to review the “Duties After Loss” section of your policy. Failure to follow the provisions listed in this section could result in non-payment on your legitimate claim.
  5. Check the “Exclusions” portion of your insurance policy. Recently, some insurance companies have added new exclusions to coverage, which could affect your protection against property damage caused by a hurricane or other property loss.
  6. Don’t allow anyone, including your insurer or agent, to persuade you from seeking help with your claim if you feel you need it. Print out contact information for several public adjusters in your area that you can quickly contact in case damage occurs. For a list of licensed public insurance adjusters, visit the FAPIA website at www.fapia.net.
About FAPIA
FAPIA was founded in 1992 to protect residential and business policyholders in the wake of devastating Hurricane Andrew in South Florida. Today FAPIA consists of nearly 400 members who are committed to ensuring homeowners who suffer an insured loss receive full and fair compensation from their insurance carriers.
FAPIA members are located throughout the state and commit to a strict code of ethics as well as continuing education requirements to ensure policyholders receive the best representation. FAPIA consists of licensed
insurance professionals who use their expertise to advocate for the consumer. The association is working to grow and enhance the industry by improving laws and regulations that govern public adjusters and their services to policyholders. For more information, visit www.fapia.net.

Gov. Scott directs statewide public health emergency for opioid epidemic

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Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declaring a national opioid epidemic today, Governor Rick Scott signed Executive Order 17-146 directing a Public Health Emergency across the state. By signing the Emergency Order, it will allow the state to immediately draw down more than $27 million in federal grant funding from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Opioid State Targeted Response Grant which was awarded to Florida on April 21 to provide prevention, treatment and recovery support services. Without the order, it would have taken months for the state to distribute these funds to local communities. In addition to declaring a Public Health Emergency, Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip will issue a standing order for Naloxen, an emergency treatment for opioid overdose. This will ensure first responders have immediate access to this lifesaving drug to respond to opioid overdoses.
Governor Scott said, “Today, I issued an executive order which allows the state to immediately draw down more than $27 million in federal grant funding which will immediately be distributed to communities across the state to deal with the opioid epidemic. HHS Secretary Dr. Tom Price awarded the Opioid State Targeted Response Grant to Florida and I want to thank the Trump Administration for their focus on this national epidemic. I have also directed State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip to declare a Public Health Emergency and issue a standing order for Naloxone in response to the opioid epidemic in Florida.
“Last month, I directed the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Department of Health (DOH) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to meet with communities in Palm Beach, Manatee, Duval and Orange Counties to identify additional strategies to fight the rising opioid usage cases in Florida. They have gotten a lot of feedback this week and we will continue to look at additional ways we can fight this national epidemic which has taken the lives of many Floridians.
“I know firsthand how heartbreaking substance abuse can be to a family because it impacted my own family growing up. The individuals struggling with drug use are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends and each tragic case leaves loved ones searching for answers and praying for help. Families across our nation are fighting the opioid epidemic and Florida is going to do everything possible to help our communities.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “This declaration will help strengthen our continued efforts to combat the national opioid epidemic claiming lives in Florida by providing additional funding to secure prevention, treatment and recovery support services. I want to thank Governor Rick Scott for his continued partnership in combating drug abuse in our state; from shutting down pill mills to outlawing deadly synthetic drugs, Governor Scott has long supported efforts by my office and law enforcement to raise awareness, stop drug abuse and save lives.”
See the Executive Order and Public Health Emergency HERE.

Florida College System chancellor to address DSC’s graduates

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Madeline M. Pumariega, the chancellor of the Florida College System (FCS), will address a class of more than 3,200 graduates during Daytona State College’s 57th commencement ceremonies on Monday, May 15, at the Ocean Center.

Madeline M. Pumariega

This year’s commencement will take place in two parts, with ceremonies for associate of science (AS), certificate and adult education students at 2 p.m. and for associate of arts (AA) and baccalaureate degree students scheduled at 6:30 p.m. The event will include a job fair for DSC graduates, set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Pumariega presides over the 28 colleges that make up the FCS, which serves nearly 1 million students annually and is rated among the nation’s best. Appointed as the first female and Hispanic chancellor in August 2015, she is herself a product of the FCS, having earned her AA degree from Miami Dade College.
She is the past president of Miami Dade’s Wolfson Campus, where she earned acclaim for nurturing community partnerships and for her work in developing innovative approaches to ensure that thousands can access and complete college.
Pumariega is a member of the Florida Prepaid College Board, Higher Education Coordinating Council, Florida Council of 100, the Center for Postsecondary Success at Florida State University, City Year Miami and an advisory board member of the Florida College Access Network. She was a Kellogg Fellow for the League for Innovation’s Expanding Leadership Diversity in Community and a graduate of Leadership Florida Class 33. Chancellor Pumariega holds a bachelor’s in political science from St. Thomas University, a master of education from Florida Atlantic University and is a doctoral candidate at Barry University.
The Class of 2017 features over 1,400 AA graduates, including 177 expected to complete their AAs this summer. Many will continue their studies in a DSC baccalaureate degree program or smoothly transition as juniors to the University of Central Florida through DSC’s Direct Connect to UCF partnership, or other universities.
Nearly 1,400 students will have earned their AS or certificate credentials, including candidates for summer 2017 graduation.
DSC’s commencement exercises include 455 bachelor’s degree recipients, including those expected to complete their degree this summer. Among them are 282 graduates of Daytona State’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management degree, which the college began offering over a decade ago, and 74 graduates of the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which DSC launched in 2014.
This year, 1,370 students across programs are graduating with honors, including 429 with high honors, and 64 have been inducted into the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa, based on their leadership skills, scholarship and community service. An additional 24 graduates were inducted this year into Sigma Beta Delta, the highest international recognition a business student can receive at a college or university. Sixty-three Associate Degree Nursing graduates this year were inducted into the Alpha Delta Nu national honor society, and eight students were inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi international honor society for education graduates.
Forty-seven Falcons this spring were named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges, and 15 students were inducted into the Daytona State College Hall of Fame, the highest honor that faculty can bestow upon a student.
More than 200 veterans earned their academic credentials this year, including those who completed their programs at the end of fall semester.
Over 150 graduates are earning their AA, AS or program certificate days before they receive their high school diploma, through Daytona State’s popular dual enrollment program, which provides opportunity for high school students to earn college credits free of charge and get a head start on their college education.
And over 462 students will have earned their adult high school diploma or GED as part of the Class of 2017.
This commencement marks over 100,000 degrees and certificates awarded by the college since its founding in 1957 as Florida’s first comprehensive community college.

Sen. Linda Stewart's Privacy Bill Protecting Identities of Homeless Passes Florida Senate

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Legislation sponsored by state Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) that would safeguard the dignity of those who have fallen on hard times won the unanimous endorsement of the Florida Senate on Tuesday.
SB 1024 is designed to protect the homeless population of the state by exempting their personal identifying information from public records requests. The bill also seeks to maximize the response rate to surveys conducted by the state from a population of Floridians that are particularly concerned with their privacy, suffer from mental illness, or have undergone the trauma of domestic violence or substance abuse.
“The release of individual identifying information could lead to discrimination, injury, and pose a barrier to homeless persons receiving services,” said Sen. Stewart. “At the same time, accurately collecting this data for funding purposes ensures that we are able to better assist our communities in the struggle to end homelessness in Florida.”
SB 1024 creates an exemption to the public records requirements for individual identifying information in homelessness surveys and databases. Unless re-enacted, the exemption would expire on Oct. 2, 2022.

Tonight: CRC Holds Public Hearing at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City

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Tonight beginning at 4:00 PM Central Time, the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC).
Members of the media wishing to attend are asked to bring their press credentials. The event will also be live-streamed by The Florida Channel on www.TheFloridaChannel.org.
WHAT: Public hearing of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC)
WHEN: Wednesday, May 3, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM Central Time (Doors open at 3:00 PM)
*End time is tentative depending upon attendance and public interest in speaking before the CRC. All Floridians wishing to speak before the CRC will be given an opportunity to be heard.
WHERE: Gulf Coast State College (GCSC)
Amelia Center Auditorium
5230 West Highway 98
Panama City, FL 32401
GOOGLE MAP LINK
PARKING: Parking will be available on the GCSC campus. Signs directing visitors will be posted on campus.
Individuals requiring an accommodation to participate in public hearings (such as a sign language interpreter) are requested to notify the Constitution Revision Commission five days prior to the scheduled meeting date at [email protected] or 850.717.9550.

What Parents Should Know When Considering Summer Camp Programs

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Parents, it is Your Turn to do Your Homework

The school year is almost over and summer time is quickly approaching. As their children finish the school year, parents across Florida are beginning to research summer camp offerings. The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is asking parents to do their homework when choosing a safe summer camp for children to attend.
“Summer is a time when parents have to take curriculum as well as safety into account when making summer camp selections.” Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Mike Carroll said. “It is very important for parents to thoroughly research prospective camps before signing their children up.”
Florida law requires all camp owners, operators, employees, and volunteers submit to background screens for state and federal criminal histories. In an effort to help parents, DCF publishes a list of summer camps that have reported state screening requirements on the department’s website. Additionally, parents should visit the summer camp in advance to meet staff, view activities, and find out information regarding child safety procedures.
Parents are also encouraged to create a list of questions that are relevant to making their selection. Examples include what the program’s health and safety policies and procedures are, what the staff to child ratio is, and how staff are trained in the case of a child emergency. The links below can assist with other ideas for questions.
www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/childcare/docs/2014SummerChecklist.pdf
Parents can find the camp listings and the complete summer camp checklist at www.myflfamilies.com/summercamps.
Though summer camps are not licensed or inspected by DCF, the department investigates complaints and concerns related to background screenings. If anyone has concerns that a summer camp is being operated without background screening of required employees, it can be reported to the department by calling 1-888-352-2842 or emailing [email protected] .

Office Update on Florida Blue’s Payment Processing Issue

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The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) is aware that many Florida Blue customers experienced multiple fund withdrawals from their bank accounts to pay for what should have been a one-time scheduled payment of their May health insurance policy premium. Florida Blue advised this was a processing error by the company’s third-party vendor.
The Office has been in regular contact with the company since Monday morning, May 1, as it looks at the adequacy of the refund and reimbursement process and conducts a complete review of this error.
Florida Blue has provided the following information:

  • 9,480 Florida Blue customers were impacted statewide by this payment processing error.
    • 8,177 are Affordable Care Act (ACA)-Compliant Individual Plan policyholders
    • 453 are Pre-ACA-Compliant/Transitional Individual Plan policyholders
    • 850 are Medicare policyholders
  • As of 2:00 p.m. on Monday, May 1, Florida Blue’s primary banking institution reversed these transactions to refund all affected customers. Florida Blue has received confirmation from several large banks that these refunds have been returned to the accounts of their members, but it may take more time for other banks to complete this process.
  • Customers will be advised on how to obtain reimbursement for overdraft bank fees or other expenses as a result of this error.
  • For more information, customers are asked to email [email protected] or call the phone number listed on the back of their insurance card to reach the appropriate call center for their policy.

The Office’s primary focus at this time is working closely with the Department of Financial Services and Florida Blue to ensure consumers are made whole as soon as possible.
For additional assistance, consumers may also contact the Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services, via email at [email protected] or through the statewide toll-free helpline at 1-877-693-5236 (in-state callers) or 850-413-3089 (out-of-state callers).