State Senator Aaron Bean (R-Fernandina Beach) was named the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association’s (FOMA) 2017 Legislator of the Year on Thursday, March 31, 2017. This award is presented each year to a legislator that has proven their support and commitment to osteopathic medicine and the delivery of quality health care to the citizens of Florida.
“I am beyond honored to be FOMA’s 2017 Legislator of the Year,” said Senator Bean. “As a longtime advocate for health care issues and a former chairman of the Senate Health Policy Committee, I understand how important it is to be constantly working to improve our health care and adopt treatment, prevention and alleviation advancements that benefit all Floridians. As session continues, I look forward to working with FOMA to ensure we’re always taking a step forward, not backwards, when it comes to health care in the State of Florida.”
Senator Bean represents Senate District 4, which includes parts of Nassau and Duval Counties. He can be contacted in Tallahassee at (850) 487-5004 or in his District Office at (904) 757-5039.
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ICYMI: WCTV Tallahassee: “Local investigator wins annual fire service award”
“Local investigator wins annual fire service award”
WCTV (CBS) Tallahassee
April 10, 2017
To view the clip, click HERE.
On Monday, the Chief Financial Officer and the State Fire Marshal recognized close to a dozen men and women who serve in the fire community, and have excelled in their profession.
One of those people from right here in the capital city– Brock Dietz. Dietz was recognized as fire investigator of the year. He says he’s been doing this since 2009, and has worked hundreds of cases.
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“It’s a privilege. I know a lot of investigators who have received this award in the past and its very humbling to be able to have my name mentioned among those,” said Dietz.
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UT And HCPS Partner to Improve High Needs Schools
The University of Tampa and Hillsborough County Public School Board have joined forces to focus on improving high-needs schools by encouraging teachers to receive advanced degrees specializing in school leadership for turn-around schools.
The initiative, which begins in fall 2017, establishes a special cohort of selected Hillsborough County Public School (HCPS) teachers who will pursue a master’s degree in educational leadership. The curriculum, which is designed to coordinate with the HCPS Leadership Pipeline, will focus on administrative leadership and emphasize improving high-needs schools.
A special focus of the M.Ed. (Educational Leadership) is the provision of an embedded course-aligned internship that will span the entire 30 credits of the program. Program participants will spend every semester in schools learning every aspect of school leadership.
HCPS will pay 50 percent of the tuition for these students. The program will be delivered on the UT campus, and will be taught by UT professors, as well as by highly respected school leaders from all of the five school districts across the Tampa Bay area.
“The turn-around leadership initiative is a great example of how teacher education entities can partner with community stakeholders to effect significant change in schools,” said Tony Erben, chair of UT’s Department of Education. “This is a lighthouse model on how leaders of the future can be developed.”
Yinka Alege, director of leadership development at HCPS, said another benefit of the program is that teachers selected for the M.Ed program will also work in high-needs schools so they can discuss and apply what they are learning from their perspective in those schools.
“The partnership allows our district to attract highly qualified teachers to work in high-need schools,” he said.
UT and HCPS will work together to interview each candidate who is selected through three stages of interview screening. This will include reviewing essays, recommendations and references, as well as 45-minute interviews at school site visits where both entities will interview colleagues, students, support staff, teacher leaders and school administrators in an effort to ensure only the best are selected.
According to Adrianne Wilson, graduate coordinator of the Educational Leadership program, this is UT’s first structured effort to specifically train the next generation of school principals targeted toward high-need schools.
CFO and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater Honors Florida Fire Service Award Winners
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater honored the winners of the 2017 Fire Service Awards during a reception hosted Monday evening at the Florida Capitol. The annual award ceremony honors those in the fire service community who have shown excellence in their profession. Award winners were also recognized by Governor Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Commissioner Adam Putnam, and CFO Jeff Atwater during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting.
“These award winners are men and women who exemplify what it means to be a leader, and I am proud to celebrate their professional success,” said CFO and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater. “These individuals, along with all firefighters and first responders across Florida, willingly risk their own lives every day and often run into dangerous situations when others are running out. Their dedication makes each of them a hero in my eyes.”
CFO Atwater presented the following awards:
- Darrel Donatto, Fire Chief of the Year – Palm Beach County Fire Rescue
- Ryan Gallik, Career Firefighter of the Year & Fire Service Instructor of the Year – St. Cloud Fire Rescue
- James “David” Dietz, Forestry Firefighter of the Year – Florida Forest Service; Chipola Forestry Center
- Ted Ross, Fire Marshal of the Year – Tice Fire District
- Jackie de la Osa, Fire Inspector of the Year – North Collier Fire Control & Rescue District
- Keith Tyson, Professional Firefighter of the Year – Vice President of Education Research and Outreach for Florida Cancer Support Network
- Brock Dietz, Fire Investigator of the Year – Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office, Tallahassee Field Office
- Earl Gray, Volunteer Firefighter of the Year – Highland Lakes Fire Department
- Robert Lemons, Fire and Life Safety Public Educator of the Year – Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services
- Fire Academy of the South, Training Center of the Year – Florida State College at Jacksonville
To view video footage via the Florida Channel, click HERE.
Seminole woman wins $1,000 a Week for Life playing new CASH4LIFE Draw game
Kelli Levay poses with her oversized check after claiming
$1,000 a Week for Life in the CASH4LIFE Draw game.
The Florida Lottery announces that Kelli Levay, 54, of Seminole, claimed a $1,000 a Week for Life prize in the new multi-state Draw game CASH4LIFE®. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump sum payment of $1,000,000. Levay is Florida’s second CASH4LIFE winner.
Levay purchased her winning ticket from Quick Stop, located at 6625 Seminole Boulevard in Seminole. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning CASH4LIFE ticket.
The Lottery added CASH4LIFE to its portfolio of games beginning in February. This popular multi-state game offers two lifetime prizes, with the chance to win $1,000 a Day for Life or $1,000 a Week for Life. Florida is the ninth state to join CASH4LIFE, and game sales are expected to raise millions of additional dollars for education in Florida, and increase commissions to the Lottery’s more than 13,000 retailers.
The next CASH4LIFE drawing will be held tonight, April 10, 2017, at 9:00 p.m., ET in New Jersey Lottery Headquarters studio. Live drawings may be viewed on www.livestream.com/CASH4LIFE, and on flalottery.com. CASH4LIFE winning numbers are also available at www.flalottery.com, at Florida Lottery retailers statewide, and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY. Also, you may register here to receive CASH4LIFE winning numbers and other Lottery information by email or text message.
Be bat aware: Maternity season starts April 16
Florida’s four-month bat maternity season starts April 16 and lasts through Aug. 14. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding the public that they cannot do exclusions to remove bats from buildings during this time when bats are giving birth and raising their young.
Florida is home to 13 species of native bats, including rare and threatened species. Many bats roost in natural sites such as trees with cavities and peeling bark. However, homeowners and building managers who need to exclude bats roosting in houses or other structures can do so as long as it is not done during maternity season.
In south Florida, additional precautions are needed to ensure Florida bonneted bats, an endangered species, are not roosting in a structure because they may give birth to pups outside of the April 16 to Aug. 14 bat maternity season.
The FWC provides guidelines on how to safely and effectively exclude bats without harming them or people. Go to MyFWC.com/Bats for more information.
“Maternity season begins in mid-April when groups of bats gather to give birth and raise young, and continues through mid-August when young bats are able to fly and feed themselves,” said Melissa Tucker of the FWC’s Species Conservation Planning Section. “Bats are beneficial to Florida, since they consume many insects, including pests that can significantly damage agricultural crops.”
FWC staff are working to learn more about Florida’s bats, including the Florida bonneted bat. Biologists are collaborating with University of Florida researchers on a study of a bonneted bat population on the FWC’s Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. FWC staff also are working with the Florida Forest Service to conserve bats at the FWC’s new Withlacoochee Caves Critical Wildlife Area.
There are several ways that Florida residents and visitors can help bats:
- Preserve natural roost sites, including trees with cavities and peeling bark. Dead fronds left on palms can also provide roosting spots for bats.
- Put up a bat house.
- Report unusual bat behavior to: MyFWC.com/BatMortality.
You also can watch a video to learn more about conducting a bat exclusion: How to Get Bats out of a Building. More bat exclusion information can be found at Batcon.org.
Get to know more about Florida bats by going to MyFWC.com/Bats. Contact your closest FWC regional office to speak with a regional wildlife assistance biologist if you have questions about bats in buildings.
This year, the FWC is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Florida’s Wildlife Management Areas, which conserve bats and many other wildlife species. Go to MyFWC.com/WMA 75 to find out about WMAs near you and special events and activities during 2017.
Attorney General Bondi and Governor Scott to hold news conference on opioid epidemic
MEDIA ADVISORY
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Governor Rick Scott will hold a joint news conference today about Florida’s opioid epidemic at 4:00 p.m. in the state Capitol in front of the Attorney General’s Office.
WHO: Attorney General Bondi, Governor Scott and law enforcement
WHAT: News Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, April 11, 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Florida Attorney General’s Office
The Capitol, PL-01
Tallahassee, Fla.
Texas woman wins $8 million FLORIDA LOTTO jackpot while visiting family in Florida
The Florida Lottery announces that Renae Fogarty, of Frisco, Texas, claimed the $8 million FLORIDA LOTTO® jackpot from the drawing held on April 8, 2017. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $5,503,312.78.
During her stay in Florida, Fogarty purchased the jackpot-winning FLORIDA LOTTO Quick Pick ticket from Cumberland Farms, located at 1020 Shorewinds Drive in Fort Pierce. The retailer will receive a bonus commission of $40,000 for selling the jackpot-winning FLORIDA LOTTO ticket. Total ticket sales for this jackpot generated more than $6 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).
The next FLORIDA LOTTO drawing will be held Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at 11:15 p.m. ET, with a $2 million jackpot. FLORIDA LOTTO drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state. Drawings are also available for viewing on the Florida Lottery website. Winning numbers are available on the Lottery website, at retailers statewide and by phone at (850) 921-PLAY.
FWC to meet April 19-20 near Tallahassee
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will meet April 19-20 at the Florida Public Safety Institute, 85 Academy Drive, Havana, FL 32333. The Institute is west of the city of Midway on U.S. 90. Both sessions are open to the public.
The meeting both days starts at 8:30 a.m., and the public will be provided opportunities to speak on agenda items both days.
The FWC is committed to providing ample opportunity for public input at each Commission meeting. As standard practice, the Commission will welcome public input regarding agenda items using the approved speaker registration process and time limits. To accommodate as much input as possible from those attending, the Chairman reserves the right to designate the amount of time given to each speaker, including time donation to other speakers. With regard to public comment on subjects that are not on the agenda, the Commission will have time on the agenda at the end of the second day, April 20. Those who wish to offer comments during this period will be asked to make sure their comments are not related to any agenda item. For future meetings, the day for comment regarding items not on the agenda will be identified when the agenda is posted.
For the full April 19-20 agenda and links to background reports, go to MyFWC.com/Commission and select “Commission Meetings.”
Those who cannot attend can follow coverage at Twitter.com/MyFWC (@MyFWC) and join in the conversation by using the #FWC2017 hashtag. Check the Florida Channel for possible live video coverage at TheFloridaChannel.org.
Chairman Carlos Beruff Announces Upcoming Public Hearing Dates
Carlos Beruff, the chairman of the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC), announced today the following dates and areas of the state where the CRC will next hold public hearings:
- Wednesday, April 12 – Tallahassee at FAMU beginning at 5:00 PM (Leon County)
- Wednesday, April 26 – Gainesville (Alachua County)
- Thursday, April 27 – Jacksonville (Duval County)
- Wednesday, May 3 – Bay County
- Wednesday, May 10 – Lee County
- Wednesday, May 17 – Hillsborough County
Additional information including times and venues will be announced as soon as possible. The CRC’s next public hearing is Wednesday, April 12 at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) beginning at 5:00 PM. Visit FLCRC.GOV for more information.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION
Once every twenty years, Florida’s Constitution provides for the creation of a thirty-seven member revision commission for the purpose of reviewing Florida’s Constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Commission meets for approximately one year, traveling the State of Florida, identifying issues, performing research, and possibly recommending changes to the Constitution. Any amendments proposed by the Commission would be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot. For additional information, visit FLCRC.GOV. Follow the CRC on Twitter @FloridaCRC and like the CRC on Facebook @FloridaCRC.
