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Legislation to Cut Commercial Lease Sales Tax Passes First Senate Committee

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SB 378 eliminates narrow corporate subsidy, instead providing
dollar-for-dollar recurring tax relief for Florida businesses

The Senate Committee on Finance and Tax, chaired by Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) today passed Senate Bill 378 by Senate President Pro Tempore Anitere Flores (R-Miami, Monroe). The legislation repeals the insurance premium tax credit and replaces it with a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the sales tax on commercial leases.
“When originally put in place thirty years ago, this narrow corporate subsidy for insurance companies was well intentioned, but times have changed and we need to reprioritize,” said Senate President Joe Negron (R-Stuart). “By replacing this outdated subsidy that benefits only one industry with revenue-neutral, meaningful, and permanent tax relief, we are continuing our commitment to reducing the tax burden facing Florida businesses.”
“Cutting this business tax will help the small, local businesses in our communities who lease property,” continued President Negron. “Florida is the only state in the country to tax businesses in this way. Reducing this burdensome tax promotes the private sector job creation we need to maintain a strong economy. I am hopeful that it will become a component of our comprehensive tax relief package for this session.”
Since 1987, Florida has provided a tax credit that insurance companies can take against their premium tax liability of up to 15 percent of salaries paid to employees located or based within Florida. The same benefit is not provided for other industries.
Senate Bill 378 is intended to be revenue neutral and provide a permanent reduction to the sales tax charged on commercial leases. The legislation revises distributions to ensure that local governments are not impacted by the rate changes in the bill.
 

Gov. Rick Scott to Host Fighting for Florida Jobs Roundtable in Seminole

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Tomorrow, March 22, Governor Rick Scott will host a Fighting for Florida Jobs Roundtable with business owners, economic development leaders, tourism leaders, and community members to discuss the local economic impact of VISIT FLORIDA and Enterprise Florida.
WHAT: Fighting for Florida Jobs Roundtable
WHEN: 9:00 AM
WHERE: Allen Sports Center
6585 Seminole Boulevard
Seminole, Florida 33772

Pompano Beach man wins $1 million playing new $10,000,000 WORLD CLASS CASH Scratch-Off game

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3-20-17 Mark Minter - $1 million - $10M WORLD CLASS CASH

Mark Minter poses with his oversized check after claiming a $1 million
prize in the $10,000,000 WORLD CLASS CASH Scratch-Off game.

The Florida Lottery announces that Mark Minter, 65, of Pompano Beach claimed a $1 million prize in the $10,000,000 WORLD CLASS CASH Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.

Minter chose to receive his winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $748,000.00. He purchased his winning ticket from Publix, located at 1405 South Federal Highway in Pompano Beach.

The $25 game, $10,000,000 WORLD CLASS CASH, launched on February 28 and features more than $549 million in total cash prizes, including two top prizes of $10 million and 46 prizes of $1 million! Overall odds of winning are one-in-2.89.
Scratch-Off games are an important part of the Lottery’s portfolio of games, comprising approximately 65 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $734 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2015-16.

Gov. Scott: Florida Leads Nation in January Job Creation

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Governor Rick Scott announced today that Florida businesses added more private-sector jobs in January than any other state. In January, Florida businesses created 50,700 new private-sector jobs, resulting in a private-sector job growth rate of 3.6 percent over the year. Governor Scott also announced today that January home prices were higher across the state than one year ago as Florida’s housing market continues to strengthen.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Florida business created more jobs than any other state across the entire nation during the month of January. As more and more companies choose to invest in our state, we also continue to see improvements in other parts of the economy, such as the housing market. Even though our economy continues to grow, we have to keep making sure more businesses move to and expand in Florida. That’s why we must keep fighting for Florida jobs and investing in proven tools that help our economy like Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA.”
January marks the 21st consecutive month that Florida has created more private-sector jobs over-the-year than Texas, with the addition of 260,600 new jobs in the last year. Florida led the nation in job gains in professional and business services, construction and manufacturing over-the-year in January. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in January was $220,000, up 10.1 percent from the previous year’s median price of $199,900. In January, 10,023 new building permits were issued in Florida, accounting for 12 percent of all U.S. building permits.
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Cissy Proctor said, “Now is a great time for job seekers to find their dream job in Florida. Our strong, diversified job growth highlights the critical importance of investing in job creation tools to ensure every Florida family can prosper. As we work to attract new companies and jobs to our state, we expect our housing market to continue its strong growth. Eliminating Enterprise Florida and reducing the effectiveness of VISIT FLORIDA would cripple our state’s ability to compete for these good jobs.”

Teens compete in DSC’s annual Physics Olympics, April 7

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From Laser Zap to a Rube Goldberg machine

3.21.2017 physics olympics
More than 200 high school students from Volusia and Flagler counties will gather at Daytona State College on Friday, April 7, to compete in the college’s annual Physics Olympics. This DSC tradition gives students the opportunity to apply the principles of physics they’ve learned in the classroom in competitive, fun and inventive ways.
Students will compete in multiple activities testing their knowledge of physics, engineering and mathematics – including bridge building, egg drop, constructing a coat-hook cannon, directing a laser beam around an obstacle (Laser Zap), a paper airplane pentathlon and building a Rube Goldberg machine, to name a few.
According to this year’s event organizer, Dr. Michael Olson, associate professor with the college’s School of Biological and Physical Sciences, “The Physics Olympics is a great opportunity for us to connect with area high school students in a competition that’s designed to strengthen the mind, to demonstrate physics in applied settings and, of course, to have fun.”
Activities will run from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in the L. Gale Lemerand Center on DSC’s Daytona Beach Campus, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.
With few exceptions, the Physics Olympics at Daytona State has been an annual event for over 20 years, challenging students’ physics knowledge and engineering skills. For more information, call (386) 506-3808 or email [email protected].

ICYMI: Florida Politics: Rick Scott harangues Duval Delegation, pushes incentives in Jacksonville

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Rick Scott harangues Duval Delegation, pushes incentives in Jacksonville
Florida Politics
A.G. Gancarski
March 20, 2017
When Gov. Rick Scott comes to your town to hold a “Fighting for Florida’s Jobs” round table, that means your GOP State Representatives crossed him on an incentive vote.
Scott started off March in Rep. Travis Cummings‘ district, where he repeatedly jabbed at Cummings and Rep. Paul Renner for opposing Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida.
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Reps. Cord Byrd, Clay Yarborough, and Jason Fischer all voted against incentives, as did Democrats Tracie Davis and Kim Daniels.
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“We’ve done over 900 projects around the state,” Scott said, “and we don’t put the money out unless the jobs are created.
Scott discussed tourism, of course, in the context of Visit Florida.
“In our state, one out of six jobs comes from tourism,” Scott noted. “For every dollar we spend, we get three dollars back on taxes … if we lost all our tourists, taxes would go up $1,500” per household.
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“Cord Byrd, Kim Daniels, Jason Fischer, and Clay Yarborough — they voted to get rid of Enterprise Florida along with Tracie Davis,” Scott said.
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“Jobs aren’t going to grow themselves. We’re going to have to go out and get them,” Love said.
Councilor Aaron Bowman, who also is Senior VP of JAXUSA, noted that 2,500 Amazon.com jobs wouldn’t have come to Jacksonville without incentives.
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Councilor Danny Becton, whose district houses Johnson and Johnson, noted that “it was close” between Jacksonville and Ireland — and incentives make the difference.
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Benefits of incentives go beyond Duval. In Nassau County, the Lignotech deal — trumpeted months back as a source of high-wage skilled jobs — may be an anomaly, if incentive money dries up.
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The case for Florida, Scott said, is made in “telling our story.”
In that context, incentive programs offer the megaphone.

Medical Robotics Company Harnesses UCF Research for Computer-Aided Surgery

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A medical robotics company has licensed University of Central Florida expertise to develop software for a new surgical-robotic platform.
AVRA Medical Robotics Inc., which has an office in the UCF Business Incubator, has partnered with Professor Zhihua Qu and research Professor Eytan Pollak of the College of Engineering & Computer Science to develop algorithms and sensors to navigate and control a robot capable of assisting physicians with performing minimally invasive surgical procedures in an ambulatory setting or operating room.
Barry F. Cohen, AVRA founder and chairman, said he was drawn to UCF because of its engineering strength for the development of a modular, robotic-assistive system that will be portable, precise and affordable.
“UCF research is providing the precision and guidance necessary for a computer-driven robotic system that will facilitate superior outcomes,” Cohen said.
AVRA partnered with a new industry-sponsored innovation program at UCF by providing $200,000 initially with planned follow-up funding for the research and the rights to any intellectual property developed during the project. In addition, Avra will pay UCF 1 percent in royalty fees for annual sales exceeding $20 million resulting from the intellectual property.
“At UCF we encourage the collaboration between our research and industry. Initiatives such as this innovation program help streamline the process and move pioneering research into the market,” said Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.
Qu and Pollak have extensive backgrounds in the development of computer-operated systems that encompass the integration of tools and sensors, real-time image/data processing, navigation, control and human-machine interface. Qu’s research has included robotic platforms and autonomous vehicles for the Department of Defense, applications and intelligent robotic systems for life support on Mars among others, autonomous coordination of robotic devices, and human-robot teaming.
Pollak has 30 years’ experience in managing complex research and development programs, holds several patents and has published papers in control systems and robotics. He is also the director of strategic technologies at L-3 Communications Link Simulation & Training.
Based on an original concept proposed by Qu, his graduate students Niladri Basu Bal and Deepalakshmi Babu Venkateswaran have implemented navigation/control algorithms and completed a 3-D computer visualization of how such a robotic device would work. Computer-aided design and development of a graphic user interface for surgeons are now under way.
AVRA has recently added some industry partners to its team. Anthony Nicholson, a longtime benefactor of UCF, serves as a senior advisor of the company, and Peter Carnegie, CEO of Minimally Invasive Solutions in Ocoee, and Dr. Nikhil Shah of Atlanta, are new directors.
For more information go to [email protected].

RoadWatch Advisory for US 41 in Lee County

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FDOT Header
COLLIER COUNTY 
US 41 at SR 29:  Maintenance permit project: Motorists should expect the southbound lane closed beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21 while the Department of Forestry performs a prescribed burn, weather permitting.  Motorists should use caution and follow detour signs as crews work near the roadway.

Fracking Opponents to Gather in State Capitol

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On Wednesday at 10:30am, hundreds of anti-fracking advocates from the Panhandle to the Keys will rally ahead of a lobby day urging legislators to pass a statewide fracking ban, increase support for renewable energy and ensure Florida’s waters are protected. The rally is being organized by ReThink Energy Florida, Environment Florida, Sierra Club – Florida, Food & Water Watch, Floridians Against Fracking, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Florida Conservation Voters, and others.envfl-environment-florida
Legislation to ban fracking in Florida has been introduced in both the state Senate and House with bipartisan support and backing from Senate leadership. Over 900 peer-reviewed scientific studies have been published highlighting fracking’s threat to our air, water, and public health. Banning fracking in the state would both encourage investment in renewable energy and protect drinking water in Florida from the dangerous chemicals used in fracking practices.FAF
WHEN: Wednesday, March 22nd at 10:30 am
WHERE: Waller Park (in front of the dolphins), Florida State Capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, 32301
SPEAKERS:
State Senator Jack Latvala
State Senator Gary Farmer
State Representative Heather Fitzenhagen
Dr. Burt Eno, President, Rainbow River Conservation, Inc.
Clifford Mitchem, Independent Energy Advisor, CREW-Clean Renewable Energy Worldwide
VISUALS: Over 100 anti-fracking advocates, anti-fracking signs and banners
Environment Florida is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.
Floridians Against Fracking is a coalition of over 55 environmental, health and social justice groups supporting a ban on fracking in Florida.

Fundraising Banquet Will Benefit FAMU Athletics, Honor Community Members

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Local Faith Leaders and Community Members Unite to Support FAMU

Tallahassee’s faith-based community is teaming up with the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Foundation for a unique fundraising effort that will benefit the University’s athletics programs and honor alumni and supporters who have contributed to FAMU’s rich legacy.
The Legacy Committee, founded and chaired by Rev. Dr. R.B. Holmes, pastor of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, and consisting of local pastors and community members from across the Big Bend, will host its second Legacy Banquet on March 30, 2017 at 7 p.m. The banquet will be held in the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium on FAMU’s campus and includes tributes to 15 honorees who have made a local and national impact in their respective fields, while supporting FAMU.
The focus of the banquet is to support the FAMU Athletics Department’s fundraising goals, which includes funding renovations to the historic Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The banquet is a component of the committee’s multi-year commitment to raise $100,000 for FAMU, which began with its 2015 Legacy Banquet. To date, the group has raised $64,356 and hopes to exceed its total goal this year, pledging to raise an additional $60,000 toward the FAMU Athletics Department’s $600,000 campaign.
“We believe Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s best days are ahead of us,” Holmes said. “This year’s Legacy Banquet will send a strong message to the nation and all stakeholders and supporters of FAMU that this community is committed to strengthening and sustaining FAMU.”
Banquet tickets can be purchased at the Bethel Veterans Center, Bethel Missionary Baptist Church Office, Bethel AME Church Office, the FAMU Foundation, and the FAMU Athletics Department. The committee is asking for a donation of $100 per person or $800 per table for event admission.
“FAMU Athletics has had a laser-like focus on strengthening its partnerships with the community,” said Athletics Director Milton Overton. “We appreciate the Legacy Committee’s efforts. This banquet shows the power of what can happen when we unite to support our student-athletes.”
FAMU Interim President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., and Vice President for University Advancement George Cotton expressed the University’s gratitude for the committee’s partnership and its continued efforts to pay homage to FAMU’s impact.
“The Legacy Banquet demonstrates the community’s commitment to supporting our student-athletes and programs, maintaining facilities that enhance the fan experience, and honoring the alumni, employees, and friends who have contributed to FAMU’s strong foundation,” Robinson said.
Cotton added, “We are proud to partner with Tallahassee’s faith-based community in hosting such an inspirational event. There is no better way to show our students that the community is behind them than hosting an event that helps to celebrate and fiscally support FAMU.”
Event honorees include:

  • Former FAMU Faculty Senate presidents Narayan Persaud, Ph.D., and Mary Diallo, Ph.D.
  • Former FAMU SGA presidents Monique Gillum, Tonnette Graham, Larry O. Rivers, and James Mathews
  • Former FAMU National Alumni Association presidents Tommy Mitchell, Sr. and Carolyn Collins, Ph.D.
  • Former members of the FAMU Board of Trustees Rufus Montgomery and Dr. Spurgeon McWilliams
  • FAMU Boosters Eddie Jackson, Elaine Bryant, Ph.D., and Stephanie L. Clarke
  • Former Miss FAMUs Trenice Seniors and Denise Barrett, Ph.D.

For additional information about the event, contact Bethel Missionary Baptist at 850-681-0990 or the FAMU Foundation at 850-412-5755.