During a meeting of the Florida Cabinet today, Governor Rick Scott recognized Chained Concepts with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award. Chained Concepts Bike Shop in Crestview specializes in cycling training, fitting and equipment. Owner and veteran, Miguel Davila opened Chained Concepts opened in 2014.
Governor Rick Scott said, “I’m proud to recognize Chained Concepts with the Business Ambassador Award. It’s great to see a fellow veteran pursue their dreams in Florida and make an impact in their community. I’d like to thank Miguel for his service to our country and for creating jobs for our families.”
Miguel Davila, Owner of Chained Concepts Bike Shop, said, “I’m extremely honored to accept the Governor’s Business Ambassador award on behalf of Chained Concepts. It has always been my dream to have my own business and I look forward to growing in the Crestview area.”
For more information on Chained Concepts, click HERE.
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Senate Democrats unveil $1 trillion infrastructure plan
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and other top Senate Democrats today unveiled a major $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan aimed at creating millions of new jobs while repairing the nation’s crumbling roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Democrats say the plan to invest $1 trillion in transportation and other infrastructure projects over 10 years would create more than 15 million new jobs and provide funding to repair roads and bridges, expand bus and rail systems, modernize ports and rebuild public schools.
“Florida is growing at a rate of nearly 1,000 people per day,” Nelson said. “You can imagine the toll that’s taking on our state’s infrastructure. This is our chance to make some much-needed repairs and create millions of new jobs in the process.”
Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee and a key sponsor of the proposal, says that if approved, the plan would likely fund several important projects in Florida.
Specifically, Nelson says the plan includes $180 billion to improve and expand bus and rail systems, which could be used to restore Amtrak service along Florida’s Gulf Coast and extend Sunrail service in Orlando. It also includes $10 billion to modernize ports and waterways, which could be used to speed up repairs being made to the Herbert Hoover Dike and deepen the ports in Jacksonville and Ft. Lauderdale to accommodate the new mega ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal, and $210 billion to fix crumbling roads and bridges.
The plan also provides, among other things, $30 billion for airport improvements, $10 billion to construct new Veterans Affairs facilities and $75 billion to modernize public schools.
Here’s a link to more information on the plan: https://www.billnelson.senate.gov/sites/default/files/Infrastructure_Plan.pdf.
Gov. Scott and Volunteer Florida Present Champion of Service Award at Florida Cabinet Meeting
During a meeting of the Florida Cabinet today, Governor Rick Scott and Volunteer Florida CEO Chester Spellman awarded Daniel Clein with the Volunteer Florida Champion of Service Award, Florida’s official statewide volunteer recognition.
Governor Scott said, “I’m proud to recognize Daniel Clein with the Champion of Service Award for his continued leadership and community service. His hours helping children and families in his community has impacted countless lives. I’d like to thank Daniel for his dedication to helping others.”
Volunteer Florida Chief Executive Officer Chester Spellman said, “We are grateful for the impact Daniel has had on the children and families being served at the Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital and the surrounding area. Volunteer Florida applauds Daniel for his civic engagement and celebrates his continued efforts to improve the lives of children and families in his community through service.”
About the Champion of Service: Daniel Clein
Daniel Clein is a 17 year-old high school student in Wellington, Florida. He is the founder of Bricks Busting Boredom, a non-profit that collects new or gently used Legos to donate to children’s hospitals in the Palm Beach County area. Daniel has collected over 500 pounds of Legos over the past year through community support and social media outreach that serve more than 400 children.
Volunteer Florida is the Governor’s lead agency for volunteerism and national service in Florida, administering more than $32 million in federal, state, and local funding to deliver high-impact national service and volunteer programs in Florida. Volunteer Florida promotes and encourages volunteerism to meet critical needs across the state.
Volunteer Florida also serves as Florida’s lead agency for volunteers and donations before, during, and after disasters. For more information, visit: www.volunteerflorida.org.
NORAD to conduct exercise over Southern Florida
North American Aerospace Defense Command aircraft will conduct exercise flights today between Greenville and Inverness, Florida, as the fighter aircraft practice intercept and identification procedures. The exercise will occur between 10:00 a.m. and noon EST.
Florida residents between Greenville and Inverness may hear and/or see low-flying NORAD-controlled fighter jets in close proximity to civilian aircraft, which will be taking on the role of an aircraft of interest.
In order to test responses, systems and equipment, NORAD continuously conducts exercises with a variety of scenarios, including airspace restriction violations, hijackings and responding to unknown aircraft. All NORAD exercises are carefully planned and closely controlled.
Although they are scheduled to begin in the morning, the flights could be delayed for 24 hours or cancelled due to weather.
NORAD has conducted exercise flights of this nature throughout Canada and the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.
NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that provides maritime warning, aerospace warning and aerospace control for Canada and the United States. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Travel like an All-Pro to the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl with Florida 511
Download the free mobile app, visit FL511.com, call 511 toll-free or follow #FL511 on Twitter
The NFL’s brightest stars will huddle in Orlando for the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium on Sunday, January 29. Whether rooting for the AFC, NFC or just out to have a good time, fans should check Florida 511 before heading to the stadium.
The Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Florida 511 Traveler Information System is the state’s official source for traffic and travel information. The system provides real-time information on crashes, construction, congestion and closures.
The free Florida 511 mobile app, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store, features an interactive map showing traffic speeds and incidents on roadways around the user’s location. The routing feature shows up to three routes to a user’s destination, including travel times and incidents.
Additional ways motorists can receive Florida 511 traffic updates:
- Visit FL511.com for interactive roadway maps showing current traffic conditions, crashes, construction, congestion, travel times and traffic camera views.
- Sign up for a My Florida 511 personalized services account at FL511.com to create custom routes and register for email or text alerts.
- Call 511 toll-free from any phone in Florida for updates.
- Follow one or more of the 13 statewide, regional or roadway-specific Twitter feeds (#FL511), including @FL511_CENTRAL, @FL_511_I4, @FL511_TURNPIKE and @FL511_I75.
FDOT encourages everyone to check Florida 511 before leaving for a safe and on-time arrival. Check Florida 511 before leaving or have a passenger check to avoid using a phone while behind the wheel.
Former U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw joins Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute Board of Advisors
Former U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, who represented Florida’s Fourth Congressional District for 16 years and was awarded the U.S. Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award, its highest civilian honor, is joining the Board of Advisors for the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute.
During his tenure, Crenshaw established himself as a respected voice on defense issues and a champion for the military. He fought for key priorities for Northeast Florida and led the way to bring the Jacksonville National Cemetery to the area.
Crenshaw was also instrumental in making Naval Station Mayport the East Coast homeport for all Littoral Combat Ships and Naval Air Station Jacksonville the East Coast home for all P-8 aircraft.
”The Institute is honored to have Ander Crenshaw join the Board of Advisors, and his extraordinary public policy experience, depth and expertise will be an invaluable contribution to the Institute and the Board,” said Rick Mullaney, Director of the Institute.
Prior to Congress, Crenshaw worked in the private sector as an investment banker and served as Florida’s first Republican Senate President. Job creation and economic prosperity for all have been the driving forces behind his public service.
The 25-member Board of Advisors is comprised of some of Florida’s most distinguished business, civic and community leaders, including 15 CEOs from public, private and non-profit organizations.
Crenshaw will attend the Institute’s next board meeting Feb. 16 with special guest and keynote speaker Gwen Graham, former Congresswoman from Florida’s Second Congressional District.
“Jacksonville University is taking its rightful place in Florida for graduate study in public policy, and for advancing discussion of matters of importance in public policy,” said JU President Tim Cost. “Ander Crenshaw has had a distinguished career in Congress, as President of the Senate in the Florida Legislature, and in the private sector as an investment banker. His depth and breadth of experience will add greatly to the mission of JU and the Public Policy Institute.”
About the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute
The Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute offers four graduate degree programs in public policy, including the only Master in Public Policy (MPP) degree in Florida, and prepares its students for diverse career opportunities in the public, privative and non-profit sectors. The Institute seeks to shape the future through preparing a new generation of leaders, public policy expertise, and providing a neutral gathering place for public policy discussion, education and debate. More information is at http://www.ju.edu/ppi.
BIOGRAPHY
The Honorable Ander Crenshaw
Former Congressman Ander Crenshaw was elected to Congress in 2000 and represented Florida’s Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight terms. Over the years, he represented 12 counties including Baker, Nassau, and Duval counties. When he retired, he was a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Prior to going to Washington, Crenshaw worked both in the private sector, as an investment banker, and served as an elected official in the State Legislature. His life in public service ultimately led to the Florida State Senate where he served as its first Republican President.
During his tenure in Congress, Crenshaw established himself as a respected voice on defense issues and a champion for our men and women in uniform. He fought for key priorities for Northeast Florida like making Naval Station Mayport the East Coast homeport for all Littoral Combat Ships and Naval Air Station Jacksonville the East Coast station for all P-8 aircraft. These moves not only brought missions and jobs to our Northeast Florida community but also secured the future of both bases from forthcoming BRACs.
Crenshaw led the way to bring the Jacksonville National Cemetery to NE Florida. He fought to make Naval Station Mayport a nuclear aircraft carrier homeport and secured the funding for three of the five required projects to do so. Knowing that at the time, a carrier would not come to Jacksonville, Crenshaw insured that an Amphibious Ready Group, including the Iwo Jima, the New York, and the Fort McHenry were homeported at Mayport.
In 2013, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recognized Crenshaw’s dedication to the nation’s Sailors and Marines and awarded him the Navy’s highest civilian honor – The Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.
Other projects that are credited to Crenshaw are the U.S. Marine Corps’ purchase of Blount Island to establish its pre-positioning command, the renovation of the Naval Hospital at NAS Jacksonville, the building of both the largest helicopter hangar and largest hangar in the Navy to house the P-8s at NAS and the Navy’s premier fitness and aquatic center at Mayport.
Additionally, he worked to build military housing, high-tech training centers for the LCS and the P-8s, and guided the establishment of the unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 headquarters at NAS. He made sure the Florida National Guard, the Coast Guard and the Customs and Border Protection services received new facilities for their missions.
Originally a member of the House Armed Services, Budget, and Veterans Affairs committees, Crenshaw ended his service as a member of the Appropriations Committee, where he chaired the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, sat on the prestigious Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and served on the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. Additionally, he was a member of the Republican Leadership Whip Team serving as a Deputy Majority Whip.
Representative Crenshaw gained a reputation for being a strong advocate for strengthening and rebuilding our military, enacting responsible and permanent tax relief, and standing up for projects vital to Northeast Florida. Long an advocate of job creation and economic prosperity for Florida, Crenshaw worked to secure projects that benefit the Port of Jacksonville, local beaches, and other important economic drivers.
His major legislative accomplishment was to shepherd the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act through Congress. This legislation affected millions of citizens who have disabilities, as it allows pre-tax, private fund savings accounts to be established for the purpose of supporting the needs of those with special needs.
A third-generation resident of Northeast Florida, Congressman Crenshaw attended Lee High School, the University of Georgia on a basketball scholarship, and later received his law degree from the University of Florida.
Crenshaw and his wife, Kitty, live in Jacksonville. They have two grown daughters and two granddaughters.
NOAA Releases First GOES-16 Image from Harris Corporation-Built Imager and Ground System
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released the first image taken by Harris Corporation’s (NYSE:HRS) Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) onboard their next-generation weather satellite. The image taken from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES-16) is of Earth’s full western hemisphere with detailed cloud and water features.
The Harris ABI, the main payload on the satellite, is a high-resolution digital camera with image resolution of one-tenth of a square mile, or four times better than current imagers. Additional filters, or spectral bands, on ABI will detect more information about volcanic ash, dust, clouds, winds, fires, rainfall rate, and hurricane intensity than previous generations of geostationary weather satellites. Critical information about severe weather events can come as fast as 30 seconds, five times faster than previous technology.
“Once the satellite is fully operational, the resolution of the imagery taken from the Harris ABI will be comparable to seeing a quarter from a mile away,” said Eric Webster, vice president and general manager, Harris Environmental Solutions.
The image was downloaded and processed by the Harris-built enterprise ground system, which controls the weather satellite and all of its six major instruments, including ABI. The ground system will also process the significant increase in new data, producing 1.75 terabytes of data per day for the National Weather Service and other users. In only three-and-a-half years, ABI data production will equal the total data production from 1975 through 2015 of all prior GOES imager and sounder data combined.
The GOES-16 was called GOES-R prior to its launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Nov. 19, 2016. Like its predecessors, GOES-R was renamed GOES-16 after launch, following NOAA’s numerical naming convention.
About Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation is a leading technology innovator, solving customers’ toughest mission-critical challenges by providing solutions that connect, inform and protect. Harris supports customers in more than 100 countries and has approximately $7.5 billion in annual revenue and 21,000 employees worldwide. The company is organized into four business segments: Communication Systems, Space and Intelligence Systems, Electronic Systems and Critical Networks. Learn more at harris.com.
Support for Sen. Young's bill to ban fracking in Florida
State Senator Dana Young filed a bill this morning that would ban fracking in Florida. Over 75% of Floridians live in a city or county that has passed a resolution or ordinance opposing this dangerous drilling practice, including Dade City, Zephyrhills, Tampa, and Pinellas County.
Jennifer Rubiello, Environment Florida state director, issued the following statement:
“We applaud Senator Young for listening to her constituents and Floridians across the state who want a ban on fracking. A ban on fracking will ensure our communities, our health, and our environment are better protected. Floridians should celebrate this bill, pick up their phones, and tell their state senators to support it.”
Secretary Senior Announces Contract Awarded to HCCI for Health Care Transparency Initiative
The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) announced today the selection of the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) as the vendor partner that will create an online health care transparency tool for Florida where consumers can find and compare the price of common health care services in their area.
Agency Secretary Justin M. Senior said, “Our Agency continues to place an emphasis on health care transparency for Florida’s consumers, and we are committed to ensuring that all Floridians have access to high quality health care. This tool is a huge step forward in providing consumers with as much information about pricing and quality as possible, allowing Floridians to make more informed health care decisions.”
The tool will calculate prices based on data from actual insurance claims that have been paid to Florida health care providers, and will help consumers estimate their out of pocket costs before they receive a health care service. The tool will allow visitors to the Agency’s existing health care information website, FloridaHealthFinder.gov, to compare health care providers based on both price and quality so they can make more informed decisions when seeking health care services.
HCCI was selected to create the tool for Florida when the new health care transparency law, F.S 408.05(3)(c), became effective on July 1, 2016. Under this contract, HCCI will add claims from insurance plans that are participating in Florida’s Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program and the Florida state employee group health insurance program. The vendor will create a dedicated website for Florida that will interface with FloridaHealthFinder.gov, allowing visitors to view prices, quality, regulatory and a wealth of other information on Florida licensed health care providers all in one place.
HCCI Executive Director and President David Newman said “HCCI is pleased to be working with the State of Florida on the health care transparency initiative. The Florida initiative is the largest state effort in the country to promote price and quality transparency and is part of the state’s larger efforts to reform and improve the care available to Floridians.”
The online tool will provide pricing estimates on up to 300 different “bundles” of health care services. Bundles are designed to help consumers understand the complete cost of their care, even if their particular condition requires care from multiple providers.
RoadWatch Advisory: Single southbound lane closed on US 27 for bridge repairs in Polk County
POLK
US 27 at the railroad bridge approximately two miles south of US 98: Crews will close the southbound right lane of US 27 approximately two miles south of US 98 at night/overnight from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Thursday, January 26 and Friday January 27. The lane closure is necessary while crews repair damage to the concrete bridge post and rail. Use caution and be prepared to merge.
