The documentary After Spring, which provides a glimpse into a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, will be screened at The University of Tampa on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. in the Reeves Theater on the second floor of the Vaughn Center. The screening will be followed by a Q-and-A with filmmakers Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez at 4 p.m. The event, which is part of the Honors Program symposia series, is free and open to the public.
Executive produced by The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, the film follows two refugee families and aid workers at Zaatari, the largest camp for Syrian refugees that is gradually evolving into a permanent settlement.
Ching and Martinez both served as directors and producers on the film.
Ching was associate producer and additional editor on the Emmy-nominated documentary Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. She participated in relief efforts post-Hurricane Katrina and made several trips to Sichuan, China, to film testimonials with survivors of the 2008 earthquake.
Martinez was associate producer on Tested, a feature documentary about educational inequality in the New York City public school system. She was a director’s assistant and worked in the assistant director and production departments for various films in New York City. She has spent more than eight years in the Middle East and lived in Damascus, Syria, for four years.
For more information, contact the Honors Program at (813) 257-3545 or [email protected].
The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves 8,310 students from 50 states and 140 countries. Approximately 65 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.
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ICYMI: Naples Daily News: Gov. Rick Scott promotes VISIT FLORIDA, Enterprise Florida
Gov. Rick Scott promotes VISIT FLORIDA, Enterprise Florida
Naples Daily News
Arek Sarkissian
February 13, 2017
Gov. Rick Scott met with Southwest Florida business leaders in Cape Coral on Monday to discuss the potential impact of a plan by the Florida House of Representatives to eliminate VISIT FLORIDA and Enterprise Florida from the state budget.
Brian Rist, owner of Fort Myers-based Storm Smart, was among those who joined Scott. Rist said he relies on Enterprise Florida to bring in business from outside the country. A House bill to close the agency would wipe out $3 million in international business, Rist said.
“I don’t think the people supporting this plan realize I can’t market like Enterprise Florida does internationally,” he said. “Would you ever think about cutting marketing out of your budget because you want to grow?
“Nobody would do that.”
Rist was joined by Lee County Hotel Association President Jeff Webb, who said VISIT FLORIDA uses taxpayer dollars to expose smaller hoteliers to visitors from around the world.
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Rist and Webb were the latest additions to a list of businesses that oppose the House plan that would cut 23 incentive programs.
The bill cleared its first committee last week with a 10-5 vote after more than an hour of testimony from business owners who ranged from tour boat captains to restaurant owners and semitrailer dealers.
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But what brought people to live in Lee and Collier counties will not insulate the region from tough times, said Eric Berglund, president of the Southwest Florida Economic Development Alliance.
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“We don’t want to be in the position we were just a few years ago,” Berglund said.
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“Those incentives they want to eliminate in this bill help us compensate for the areas where we may not be able to compete as well.”
Scott planned stops in Flagler Beach, in the district of the bill’s sponsor, Paul Renner, a Republican. He will make another stop Tuesday in Panama City, in the district of Rep. Jay Trumbull, another Republican who voted for the bill.
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Event Notification Service covers more than two million Floridians
The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) announced today that the Florida Health Information Exchange’s (Florida HIE) Event Notification Service (ENS) has expanded to cover more than two million Florida residents. The ENS provides timely and secure notifications of patient hospital encounters to health care providers and health plans, who use these notifications to improve the delivery of patient care.
Agency Secretary Justin M. Senior said, “The ENS bridges a critical gap by notifying providers and health plans about their patients’ hospital visits. Reaching two million Floridians is an incredible milestone for this service, and the use of ENS and other health information technology platforms will be a key element in improving quality and reducing the cost of health care across the state.”
Together eight Florida health plans – Aetna, Florida Blue, Humana, Magellan Complete Care, Molina Healthcare, Prestige Health Choice, Sunshine Health, UnitedHealthcare and Wellcare of Florida – receive alerts on nearly half of all Florida Medicaid enrollees. This patient-authorized exchange provides information essential to improving care coordination, promoting primary care utilization and reducing health care costs.
Over 20 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are also participating in ENS and together cover an additional 300,000 Florida residents. Each ACO is a group of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who voluntarily come together to provide high quality care to their Medicare patients. By keeping providers informed of patient hospital encounters, the ENS is making it easier to provide high quality care to Florida’s Medicare population.
The ENS was piloted in late 2013 and the dedicated service has delivered over 1.8 million notifications since its inception. For more information on this and other Florida HIE programs, please visit www.florida-hie.net.
The Agency for Health Care Administration is committed to better health care for all Floridians. The Agency administers Florida’s Medicaid program, licenses and regulates more than 49,000 health care facilities and 43 health plans, and publishes health care data and statistics at www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov. Additional information about Agency initiatives is available via Facebook (AHCAFlorida), Twitter (@AHCA_FL) and YouTube (/AHCAFlorida).
Economic impacts of Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA in Florida counties
This week, business, tourism and community leaders attended Governor Rick Scott’s Fighting for Florida Jobs Roundtables in Cape Coral, Tampa, Flagler Beach and Panama City to discuss the local economic impacts of VISIT FLORIDA and Enterprise Florida and the need to fight job killing legislation in the Florida House. See below for information on the local economic impacts of Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA.
Governor Rick Scott Appoints Two to Board of Orthotists and Prosthetists
Governor Rick Scott announced today the appointment of two to the Board of Orthotists and Prosthetists.
Paul Weott, 55, of Bradenton, is the owner of Orthotic and Prosthetic Centers, Inc. He succeeds Thomas Chmielewski and is appointed for a term beginning February 13, 2017, and ending October 31, 2020.
Lance Benson, 43, of Miami, is the executive managing director for Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. He fills a vacant seat and is appointed for a term beginning February 13, 2017, and ending October 31, 2020.
These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Senator Tom Lee tackles lack of options and rising cost of state employee health insurance in latest bill
Senator Tom Lee (R–Thonotosassa) announced today the filing of SB 900, directed at modernizing Florida’s State Group Health Insurance Plan (Plan), which provides benefits to more than 360,000 state employees and their families.
The state currently offers a Preferred Provider Operation (PPO) group-insurance plan and regional Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans. Employees pay the same premium for both plans ($50 a month for single coverage and $180 for family coverage), despite differences in benefit design and value of the products. The state also offers a high-deductible, low premium option – a popular choice in the private sector – which has a participation rate among state employees of slightly more than one percent.
“Our current plan offers limited choices and lacks the price transparency needed for employees and their families to make cost-effective healthcare purchases,” Senator Lee said. “This bill incorporates modern, innovative models for delivering high-quality healthcare at lower costs that will empower state employees to decide what benefits make the most sense for them.”
SB 900 requires the Plan, beginning in 2020, to offer four levels of coverage at different price and benefit levels – bronze, silver, gold and platinum – giving employees a choice to either purchase a plan at a lower price point and share in the cost savings, pay more for top-tier coverage, or choose something at the level of the state’s contribution. If the state’s contribution is more than the premium cost of the health plan selected by the employee, the employee may elect to use the balance to credit their flexible spending or health savings account, purchase additional benefits or increase their salary.
Senator Lee added, “If an individual decides they don’t want or need the full coverage offered by the state’s traditional plan, why not give at least some of the cost back to them in another way — maybe in the form of increases in their health-savings accounts, maybe in the form of more take-home pay?”
SB 900 also requires the Department of Management Services (DMS) to adjust the cost of existing products in the Plan to reflect the difference in the value of benefits. DMS will submit the recommended premiums to the Legislative Budget Commission for approval. DMS must also hire an independent consultant to assist in any modifications to the Plan. Additionally, the bill creates a price transparency program aimed at educating and informing employees about their healthcare choices, including quality and average price information for services and providers. Employees who choose low cost, high quality treatment will share in any savings generated by their choice.
“Our one-size-fits-all approach to insurance coverage hasn’t kept pace with what’s available in the private sector,” Senator Lee said. “This bill eliminates waste in our current system while promoting and improving consumer choice.”
Clermont woman claims top prize in new $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game
The Florida Lottery announces that Elizabeth Devlin, 69, of Clermont, claimed a top prize in the $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She purchased her winning ticket from Publix, located at 250 Citrus Tower Boulevard in Clermont.
The new $5 Scratch-Off game, $500,000 GOLD RUSH DOUBLER, launched on January 17, and features more than $182.8 million in prizes, including 44 top prizes of $500,000. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-3.98.
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.
30a.TV and Groove Web Media, LLC Announce New Talk TV Show
30a.TV (http://www.30a.tv) and Groove Web Media, LLC announced this week they will begin airing a brand-new television show next Tuesday, (February 14th).
“While the exact format is still being kept a secret, we can give you a couple of hints: it’s a show that will have a little of everything, and it will be aired live with replays showing at various times throughout each week,” Wes Herndon of Groove Web Media shared.
“We think 30aTV is the perfect partner for this type of show,” Mr. Herndon continued, “They have a huge reach across cable, Roku TV, and various other online TV streaming outlets, so the show and any guests we host will enjoy mass exposure to an international audience. In addition, 30ATV is not beholden to traditional network creative restrictions on content. That allows us an enormous amount of creative freedom.”
The show, cleverly titled “Nothing Scripted,” will feature guests and topics related to anything the hosts and creators deem interesting and appropriate. It will be produced, hosted and written by Paul Vizard, CEO of 30A.TV and Wes Herndon, of Groove Web Media, LLC and Groove Web Marketing, LLC.
To watch the show live, tune in on Tuesdays at 3pm (CST) or you can watch for replays on 30a.TV online, on Mediacom Channel 17, Fairpoint Channel 8, WOW Cable CH 10, Your Roku Box or Stick, or AMAZON FIRE TV, FILMON and Omnibox T.V
For more information about the show, becoming a guest, or having your business becoming a show sponsor, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected].
About 30a Television
30a Television is a leading provider of hyper local TV programming, broadcasting on cable, OTT ROKU and AMAZON, Facebook live and Website at http://www.30a.tv
Florida Supreme Court: New Posting, 2/13/2017, 2:55 p.m. ET
New material has been posted to the Supreme Court website in:
- Florida Power & Light v. Miami-Dade County case (Answer brief filed on behalf of the Village of Pinecrest)
POWERBALL jackpot climbs to estimated $310 million
More Than $24 Million Will Go To Education!
The POWERBALL® jackpot continues to climb to an estimated $310 million for Wednesday night’s draw; the largest in the nation. In addition to the large POWERBALL jackpot prize, players have the opportunity to win lower-tier prizes from $4 to $2 million by matching any of the non-jackpot-winning combinations. The POWERBALL jackpot has rolled 16 times since the December 21, 2016, drawing and those sales have generated more than $24.7 million in contributions to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF).
“Every Powerball ticket purchased helps the Lottery provide Florida’s students with the best education, and it would not be possible without our loyal players,” said Florida Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie.
Jackpot prizes are paid in 30 annual installments or as a one-time, lump-sum payment. Jackpot prizes must be claimed within 60 days after the draw to receive the cash option of an estimated $189.3 million. Winners have 180 days from the applicable drawing to claim their prize.
As a reminder, players are encouraged to sign the back of their tickets at the time of purchase and keep them in a safe place. Players should also check their tickets carefully because even if they don’t win the jackpot, they can still win cash prizes of up $2 million.
Purchase your tickets at any of the more than 13,000 authorized Lottery retailers for your chance to become Florida’s newest multi-millionaire. The Florida Lottery would like to remind all players to please play responsibly, as it only takes one ticket to win. As with all Lottery products, players must be 18 years of age or older to purchase POWERBALL tickets.
The next POWERBALL drawing will be held Wednesday, February 15, at 10:59 p.m. ET, tickets must be purchased by 10:00 p.m. ET to be eligible for this drawing. National POWERBALL drawings are broadcast live, in high-definition, from the Florida Lottery’s state of the art draw studio in Tallahassee. Florida Lottery game drawings are broadcast on 17 carrier stations throughout the state.
ABOUT POWERBALL IN FLORIDA
Florida is among the top-selling POWERBALL states in the country, exceeding more than $3.9 billion in sales, yielding $1.6 billion in education funding to date. Since POWERBALL launched in Florida in January 2009, the Florida Lottery has had the most winners in the nation with more than 71.5 million winning tickets totaling more than $2.2 billion in prizes, including 12 jackpot winners.
