Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam sent a letter to Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross emphasizing the need for fair trade, as Mexican imports have negatively affected Florida agriculture. He asked the Department of Commerce to initiate an investigation into Mexico’s unfair trade practices.
“I believe that Florida produces the highest quality agricultural commodities in the world and can successfully compete in a global market on a level playing field. Unfortunately, the current trade environment created under NAFTA is anything but a fair and level playing field for Florida’s producers,” stated Commissioner Adam H. Putnam in the letter.
The letter can be found here.
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UF receives up to $8.4 million from DoD to study brain training using electric stimulation
The U.S. Defense Department is looking for ways to speed up cognitive skills training — the types of skills useful for specialists such as linguists, intelligence analysts and cryptographers — and is awarding University of Florida engineers and neuroscientists up to $8.4 million over the next four years to investigate how to do that by applying electrical stimulation to peripheral nerves as a means of strengthening neuronal connections in the brain.
Two neuroengineering experts in UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering are among eight team leaders across the country receiving awards announced Wednesday under the Targeted Neuroplasticity Training program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. The program’s goal is to develop safe and effective enhanced training regimens that accelerate the acquisition of cognitive skills while reducing the cost and time of the DoD’s extensive training program. A large percentage of the work involves fundamental research to decipher the neural mechanisms that underlie the influence of nerve stimulation on brain plasticity.
Under an award of up to $4.2 million, Kevin J. Otto, Ph.D., will lead a team of neuroscientists from the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute of the University of Florida and the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center to identify which neural pathways in the brain are activated by vagal nerve stimulation. The team will conduct behavioral studies in rodents to determine the impact of vagal nerve stimulation on perception, executive function, decision-making and spatial navigation.
This could potentially lead to an expansion of the use of vagal nerve stimulation, a therapy currently applied to prevent seizures in patients with epilepsy and to treat depression and chronic pain.
“There are clinical applications, but very little understanding of why it works,” said Jennifer L. Bizon, a professor of neuroscience at UF and an investigator on Otto’s team. “We are going to do the systematic science to understand how this stimulation actually drives brain circuits and, ultimately, how to maximize the use of this approach to enhance cognition.”
The research funded by the DARPA awards will test the mechanisms by which peripheral nerve modulations make learning faster and more efficient.
For military analysts on the job, “One hypothetical example would be target detection,” said co-investigator Barry Setlow, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at UF. “So for people who spend hours a day looking for things of interest on a screen, if by stimulating their vagus nerve at just the right time you can help them realize performance improvements more quickly, then they become better attuned to the fine details of images.”
The technology has the potential to help Defense Department personnel advance through training more quickly, yet effectively. “Currently, they could spend 50 years of their careers, 80 hours a week, just doing training and still wouldn’t be qualified to do every single thing,” said Otto, an associate professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. “So they’re always interested in increasing mechanisms of learning and memory.”
Otto said if investigators can gain a more complete understanding of how targeted neuroplasticity works, they may be able to figure out how to optimize learning while avoiding potential side effects, such as blood pressure manipulation, heart rate changes and perceived visceral pain.
In a second UF effort, and with an additional $4.2 million award, Karim Oweiss, Ph.D., a professor of electrical and computer engineering, biomedical engineering and neuroscience, will study the mechanisms by which cranial nerve stimulation can affect brain activity. His lab will use advanced optical imaging that will produce extremely high-resolution images of brain dynamics to map the functional circuitry in areas of the brain responsible for executive function. Additionally, optogenetic interrogation, a technique to drive specific brain cells to fire or go silent in response to targeted illumination, will be used to study the causal involvement of these areas in learning cue salience and working memory formation in rodents trained on auditory discrimination and decision making tasks.
Oweiss will collaborate with Qi Wang, an assistant professor at Columbia University. Wang’s lab will focus on the noradrenergic pathway — a neuromodulator widely responsible for brain attention and arousal — and the extent to which it is engaged when rodents learn a tactile discrimination task.
Oweiss’ project seeks to demonstrate the effects of vagal nerve stimulation on cognitive-skill learning and the brain activity supporting those skills, as well as to optimize the stimulation parameters and training protocols for long-term retention of those skills.
“We want to see if it’s possible to promote targeted changes in specific brain circuits to accelerate this process by stimulating the vagus nerve, which sends close to 80 percent of its output back to the brain,” Oweiss said. “So if one knows that ‘brain area A’ talks to ‘brain area B’ when learning a new language, can we develop training protocols that promote the exchange between these two areas while leaving other areas unaltered? Then the person will learn at a faster rate and retain the skills for much longer.”
The implications of both projects reach beyond accelerated learning speeds. “If we identify specific ways that neural pathways change as a person learns, then if a person loses brain function, we could potentially rewire disconnected brain areas and personalize neural rehabilitation,” said Oweiss. “This technology could be used to restore quality of life much quicker if brain function has been compromised.”
Florida Small Businesses Report $38 Million in Expected Export Sales Following Mission to South Africa
The Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI)-led trade mission to South Africa resulted in more than $38 million in expected export sales and $700,000 in actual sales for 15 Florida companies. EFI hosted eight events that attracted South African companies with demonstrated potential and/or actual interest in developing commercial ties with the Florida companies that participated in the mission. The mission was held February 24-March 4 and visited Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
Mike Grissom, Interim President & CEO, Enterprise Florida, Inc. said, “Florida is an international trade and export gateway to the world. Our team works closely with partners in our international offices to connect Florida businesses to customers outside of the United States, and these connections turn small Florida businesses into larger businesses. I am proud to see the success of this trade mission and commend Senator Galvano for his support of the Africa Trade Expansion Program.”
“Florida’s businesses and products are desired throughout the world, and it’s clear that South African importers recognize the value in doing business with companies that call the Sunshine State home,” said Sen. Bill Galvano. “The global marketplace is key to Florida’s economic future, and the success of this mission is a clear illustration of the opportunities that await.”
As a member of the five-nation South African Customs Union, South Africa already offers immediate access to a market well beyond its own 54 million people. Additionally, the collaborative relationship with their East African neighbors represents an opportunity for open market access to 26 other countries with a combined GDP of over $900 billion and a consumer base of more than 550 million.
With the fastest growing middle class population in the world, the demand for U.S. products and services in Africa is outpacing the supply. Florida exporters are well positioned to gain from entry into the South African market. Our geographic location makes us the closest U.S. state to Africa and our superb international trade infrastructure and our business community’s experience and expertise, uniquely qualifies us as ideal trading partners with Africa.
The Enterprise Florida Trade Mission to South Africa included:
Flayco – Tampa
HSA Golden – Orlando
2Lyons Aerospace – Tamarac
Chicago Stainless Equipment – Palm City
American Traction Systems – Fort Myers
Roses Delight – West Park
Inline Filling Systems – Venice
Concept II Cosmetics – Doral
Fischer Renntechnik – Jupiter
Perma-Liner Industries – Clearwater
Ecological Laboratories – Cape Coral
Saminco – Fort Myers
SATamazone – Doral
Imperion Aerospace Group – Pensacola
Bell Performance – Longwood
University of Central Florida – Orlando
Florida Polytechnic University – Lakeland
Without EFI assistance, many companies would not be able to attend this trade mission and would have missed valuable business opportunities.
Jeffrey Graff, International Sales Manager, Perma-Liner Industries, Clearwater said, “This trade mission to South Africa has completely opened up conversation about our product and services and will most likely result in the placement of at least one distributorship and at least 3 installers of our equipment and product. The preparation and matchmaking prior to my arrival was superb; 8 out of 8 appointments were positive introductions to my product and would appear most will purchase within the next 3-6 months.”
“The program allowed me to meet directly with companies, decision makers and local small businesses that I would not have met otherwise. The program also allowed me to meet with people I attempted to meet on my own for over 12 months,” said Mike Cantave, President, 2Lyons Aerospace, Tamarac. “Because of the meetings and connections, I will now be able to increase the percentage of international sales and add 3 people to my organization in the next few months. With the projected growth, my company will be able to contribute more to the US economy and Florida’s economy. This is a definitely effective way to grow a business & expand a customer base.”
Glenn Williams, President, Bell Performance, Longwood said, “This trip to South Africa was excellent in terms of the value it provided to our company. The EFI team matched us up with some great potential partners who have some strong interest in our products. We are now cultivating these relationships. The grant we received from EFI has helped to make these connections possible, and it was something we could have not duplicated through our own efforts to reach the market. Over the next year or two, I expect that we will turn these relationships into distributors which will allow us to move more of our fuel treatments into South Africa, and this is just the beginning. None of this would be possible without the assistance of EFI.”
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.
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI launched “Florida – The Future is Here” to promote the state as the nation’s premier business destination.
Grouper fishing reopens May 1 in Atlantic, Monroe County waters
Anglers targeting grouper in Florida state and federal waters of the Atlantic, including state waters off Monroe County, will be able to take home some of their catch starting May 1, when the season for several species reopens to recreational and commercial harvest. The following species will reopen to harvest May 1: gag, black, red, yellowmouth and yellowfin grouper; scamp; red hind; rock hind; coney; and graysby.
The harvest of these species of grouper will remain open until Jan. 1, 2018. These species are closed annually from Jan. 1 through April 30 each year as a measure to ensure the long-term sustainability of Atlantic grouper species. State waters in the Atlantic are from shore to 3 nautical miles out.
Recreational anglers targeting these species may not take more than three groupers per person, per day. Within this three-fish limit, anglers may possess only one gag or black grouper (not both).
Dehooking tools must be aboard commercial and recreational vessels for use as needed to remove hooks from reef fish, including Atlantic grouper.
More information about grouper bag and size limits, gear restrictions and fishing seasons, including a map of the Atlantic and Gulf grouper fishing boundaries, is available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing; select “Saltwater Fishing” then “Recreational Regulations” and “Groupers.”
CRC Holds Public Hearing at the University of Florida in Gainesville
MEDIA ADVISORY
Tonight beginning at 5:00 PM, the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) invites all interested Floridians to participate in a public hearing at the University of Florida (UF).
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, April 26, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Doors open at 4:00 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: University of Florida (UF)
Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
3201 Hull Road
Gainesville, FL 32611
Google Map Link: https://goo.gl/maps/NrWZd9EBVBp
PARKING: Parking is available in the parking garage and surface lots at the University of Florida Cultural Plaza. ADA accessible parking is also available.
Link to Parking Map: http://performingarts.ufl.edu/venues/
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.
History Professor Receives Prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
Bossy Only Scholar in the Nation Working with Present-Day Yamasee Indians
Dr. Denise Bossy, a University of North Florida associate professor of history, was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship to support significant research in the humanities and to further her research of the Yamasee Indians, a community that is hardly understood by scholars today.
In its last five rounds, the NEH fellowships program, on average, received over 1,200 applications per year and awarded just 80 fellowships each year—meaning only seven percent of all applicants received NEH funding.
“Dr. Bossy’s trail-blazing work explores the history of the Yamasee Indians and the strategies they used to survive amidst European colonialism and American expansion. I’m convinced that she will write an impressive book on the Yamasees, one that will challenge the way we think about this supposedly extinct group of Indians, and the Indians of the Southeast in general,” said Dr. Charles Closmann, chair of the Department of History at UNF.
Bossy, the only scholar in the country working with present-day Yamasee communities, received over $50,000 for the year-long fellowship to study the history of the Yamasee Indians, who lived in Florida and other parts of the South. The Yamasees had communities on Amelia Island, St. Augustine and along the banks of the Oklevueha River, but they’ve been erased from Florida’s history.
“My study will not only recover Yamasee history but also expand current understanding of American Indian strategies for protecting their communities,” said Bossy. “Though scholars recognize migration, factionalism and ethnic diversity as central to the ethnogenesis of Southeastern Indian communities, only a few studies have considered how select Indian communities maintained their identities as they attached themselves to more powerful Indian polities.”
With the Fellowship, Bossy has already started her research at archives around Florida and South Carolina as well as the Library of Congress and Smithsonian in Washington D.C., where she’s consulting accounts of the Seminole Wars and Seminole Removals, the Dawes Rolls and other census data, BIA records and ethnographic studies of the Seminoles and Miccosukees with whom the Yamasees lived for much of the 20th century. She has also spent time working with the Oklevueha Yamasees, who have long kept their own collection of family papers and genealogical records.
A trained ethnohistorian of Southeastern Indians, Bossy is currently writing a monograph tentatively titled, “A History of the Yamasee Indians: Ethnogenesis, Strategic Diaspora, and Resurgence,” the first book on the history of this important Southeastern Indian community.
Scouring Spanish, British and American archival records, Bossy has begun to put the pieces of their history back together. “It’s hard work, because the Yamasees responded to the chaos wrought by European colonialism and American expansionism from the 17th to the 19th centuries by moving,” she said.
When the very existence of their communities was threatened by enslavement, pirate attacks, pressures to convert to Catholicism (or Anglicanism) or wars by British and then American colonizers who wanted their lands, the Yamasees would relocate. Gathering their communities together, they moved to a safer place where there were better economic and political opportunities.
Like the Yuchis, the Yamasees lived alongside the Creeks and, like the Shawnees, the Yamasees used movement as a political strategy, but there the comparisons largely end, says Bossy. Because mobility lay at the very heart of their ethnogenesis as a people, the Yamasees were able to sustain long-distance kinship networks across the South.
Through these deliberate migrations, the Yamasees made much of the Southeast their homelands, from Florida to Georgia to South Carolina and back. Though scholars have long believed that the Yamasees were extinct by 1763, Bossy’s work reveals that they survived well into the 19th and 20th centuries—in fact, there are descendant communities in the South today. Over the past two years, Bossy has made strong connections with the chiefs and matriarchs of the Yamasees in Florida and South Carolina.
She received her doctorate and master’s degrees in American history from Yale University and her associate’s degree in history from Princeton, joining the faculty at UNF in 2007. Bossy has held fellowships and grants from the NEH, American Historical Association, American Philosophical Society, Mellon Foundation, John Carter Brown Library and three institutes at Yale University. Her research regularly takes her to archives across the South and Great Britain.
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the NEH supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the NEH and its grant program can be found at www.neh.gov.
Gov. Scott Sends Letter to President Trump on Trade Opportunities With Argentina
Governor Rick Scott sent a letter today to President Donald Trump regarding the president’s upcoming meeting with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. Governor Scott is currently leading an economic development mission in Argentina and met with President Macri yesterday to discuss increased trade and business opportunities between Argentina and Florida. To read the letter, see below or click HERE.
April 25, 2017
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
This week, I am proud to lead an economic development mission to Argentina with more than 60 Florida business leaders – the first by any governor from the United States under Argentine President Mauricio Macri’s Administration. It was a true honor to meet with President Macri firsthand to discuss growing business opportunities and trade investments between our two homes. President Macri is already working hard to create robust economic opportunities for his country and has demonstrated a commitment to pursuing closer trade relations with Florida and the United States.
The State of Florida is the number one trading partner with Latin America and one in four Florida jobs is dependent upon international trade. Florida is proud of our successful trade relationship with Argentina, and we are committed to working with President Macri’s Administration on behalf of all our families and job creators to continue this growth. Currently, Florida is second among all U.S. states in origin exports to Argentina. Just last year, Florida and Argentina trade exceeded $4.2 billion dollars. Additionally, Florida is far and away the most popular U.S. destination for Argentine tourism, with 535,000 visitors in 2015 – a 68 percent market share. Maintaining a strong relationship with Argentina is incredibly important to establishing Florida’s position as a global hub for trade and ensuring job creation opportunities for generations to come.
I know that increasing job creation and economic growth across the U.S. continues to be a major goal for your administration. As you prepare for your upcoming meeting with President Macri, I hope that you see Florida as an example of the significant impact of increasing trade with Argentina. We are competing in a global economy, and increasing trade and business opportunities with Argentina is not only good for Florida, but good for our entire nation. I look forward to continuing to work with you on your fight to grow the American economy.
Sincerely,
Rick Scott
Governor
Mast Files Federal Do No Harm Act
Bill Designates Harmful Algal Blooms as Federal Emergency
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) formally filed the Federal Do No Harm Act today. The bill acknowledges the federal government’s role in perpetuating the recurring environmental and economic crises caused by Lake Okeechobee discharges. The legislation would authorize the President to declare a federal emergency when certain U.S. Army Corps water transfers lead to damaging harmful algal blooms and provide federal assistance for disaster cleanup, including the removal of toxic algal biomass and muck from affected waterways.
Rep. Mast unveiled the legislation at an event in Jensen Beach on April 14, 2017. More information on the bill, including bill text, is available here. Video of the Congressman discussing the legislation can be downloaded here.
Downtown Orlando Commuters Challenged to Rethink Commute
Downtown companies encouraged by Mayor Dyer to participate
The Florida Department of Transportation’s reThink Your Commute program is hosting the second annual Go DTO: Downtown Orlando Commute Challenge May 1-31, 2017.
Commuters who log their trips to work at GoDTO.org can earn points and prizes throughout the challenge. By rethinking their commute, participants can unlock specialty badges, such as “SunRail Track Star”. A special “Biked with Buddy” badge can be unlocked by participating in the city’s 18th annual Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 5, 2017. City of Orlando Mayor Dyer has issued a letter inviting downtown companies to participate in the challenge and compete for the prize of “Top Employer.”
Technology will play a larger role in this year’s challenge, specifically through a collaboration with RideFlag and Strava. To assist with the formation of new carpool groups, commuters can download the free mobile app, RideFlag. Active commuters who bike or walk to work can use Strava to track their distance and speed, then sync their commute trips to the Go DTO platform with one click.
The reThink Your Commute outreach team will be available for individual commuter assistance and transit trainings for commuter groups.
Companies that are interested in participating can get started at Register.GoDTO.org. The first Team Captain Meetup is Monday, April 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Downtown Orlando Information Center, located at 201 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 102, Orlando FL 32801.
The Downtown Orlando Partnership is hosting the Go DTO kickoff event at DoveCote (390 N. Orange Avenue #110, Orlando FL 32801) on Thursday, April 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Kickoff event tickets are available at DOPOrlando.com for $10. For a full listing of commute challenge events, visit Events.GoDTO.org.
Commute challenge incentive prizes have been donated by The Pop Parlour and Orlando Weekly. Additional partners include the Downtown Development Board and GreenWorks Orlando. For more information on joining the challenge, call 407-875-8917 or email [email protected].
Business Leaders and Free Market Groups Encourage Passage of Common Sense, Pro-Business Bill
Members of the Floridians for Fair Business Practices coalition urge Representatives
to pass SB 106 and repeal the Prohibition era Alcohol Separation Law
Members of Floridians for Fair Business Practices, a coalition of business leaders, free market organizations and Florida retailers, encourage members of the Florida House to vote yes on Senate Bill 106 during Wednesday’s floor vote. Sponsored by Representative Bryan Avila, the bill repeals an antiquated law which prohibits the sale of distilled spirits in the same location as beer, wine and other goods.
“The outdated ‘alcohol wall’ is the prime example of a costly, burdensome regulation which fails to demonstrate any benefit to public health and safety,” said Skylar Zander, Deputy State Director, Americans for Prosperity. “It’s time to empower consumer choices and advance entrepreneurship, and we urge the Florida House to pass this bill.”
“Consumers should decide what retailers stock on their shelves, not the government,” said Sal Nuzzo, Vice President of Policy, James Madison Institute. “The outdated alcohol separation policy must be reformed to advance and encourage competition, and we are hopeful the House will pass this free enterprise bill.”
“We support legislation to foster healthy competition for Florida’s retailers, while providing businesses with the tools to meet their customers’ evolving needs,” said Julio Fuentes, President and CEO, Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “The Senate has already signaled their support for leveling the playing field among retailers, and we encourage Representatives to follow suit.”
“The biggest threat to our industry is governmental overregulation, which is why we are advocating for a repeal of the Prohibition era liquor law,” said Richard Turner, General Counsel and Vice President of Government Relations, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “After nearly eight decades of red tape surrounding the sale of alcohol in grocery and big-box stores, it’s time to bring Florida into a modern era and embrace consumer convenience.”
“With online sales surpassing in-store revenue for the first time this year, brick and mortar retailers must adapt to new technology and provide consumers with the convenience they desire in order to remain profitable,” said Gina Kinchlow, Board Member, Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce. “Florida cannot continue to keep certain businesses out of the marketplace, and we ask Representatives to vote yes on SB 106 to ensure all retailers have the ability to compete.”
“This outdated law discourages competition and increases costs for all parties,” said Christian Camara, Southeast Region Director, R Street Institute. “I hope members of the House keep free market principles in mind when voting on this bill, and allow our great state to join 29 other states who allow businesses to flourish in today’s modern society.”
Floridians for Fair Business Practices is a coalition of retailers and business groups whose purpose is to identify rules and regulations, which prohibit the growth and expansion of Florida business. For additional information, please visit www.FairBizinFlorida.com.
