The Florida Lottery announces that Sharon Porto, 59, of Port St. Lucie, claimed a $1 million prize in the $5,000,000 MONOPOLY™ FLORIDA EDITION Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. She chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $770,000.
Porto purchased her winning ticket from Murphy USA 7001, located at 160 Northwest California Boulevard in Port St. Lucie. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
The $20 Scratch-Off game, $5,000,000 MONOPOLY FLORIDA EDITION, launched in July 2016, and features more than $346 million in prizes, including six top prizes of $5,000,000 and 20 prizes of $1 million! The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.97.
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.
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RoadWatch Advisory for US 41 at Bay Street in Manatee County
US 41 at Bay Street: Maintenance project: Crews are making asphalt repairs. Expect right and center southbound lane closures from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, January 12. Use caution and expect possible delays.
Officials to Release Sterile Flies in Homestead in Precautionary Move
Following the announcement that a stray dog found in Homestead, Fla. was positive for New World screwworm, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced today that it will begin releasing sterile flies on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017 in the Homestead area as a precautionary measure. Since the 1950s, the Sterile Insect Technique has been used to effectively eradicate screwworm, and it is considered safe for people, animals and the environment.
“While the dog has been treated and is doing well, there are still a lot of unknowns about the dog’s history and recent locations. Given that Florida’s livestock industry is at stake, this sterile fly release is a precautionary move to ensure we’re doing everything we can to aggressively eradicate the screwworm from Florida,” stated Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam.
“The Sterile Insect Technique is the most effective resource we have to eliminate New World screwworm. We urge residents and visitors to observe their pets and other animals in the area for any suspicious wounds. These observations are critical to our eradication program,” said Dr. Jack Shere, USDA Chief Veterinarian.
New World screwworm was first confirmed on Sept. 30, 2016 in Key deer from the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key, Florida. This initial presence of screwworm was the first local detection in the United States in more than 30 years, and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam declared an agricultural state of emergency in Monroe County, Fla.
Animal health and wildlife officials at the state and federal levels have been working aggressively to eradicate this pest. Extensive response efforts have included: fly assessments to determine the extent of the infestation, release of sterile flies to prevent reproduction and disease surveillance to look for additional cases in animals. To date, fly assessments have been conducted on 40 Keys. USDA has released over 80 million sterile flies from 25 ground release sites in the Keys.
The agencies immediately expanded surveillance in Homestead following the screwworm confirmation in the stray dog. While no additional animals have been found with screwworm and none of the surveillance measures has yielded positive finds, this sterile insect release is being conducted as a preemptive measure.
New World screwworms are fly larvae (maggots) that can infest livestock and other warm-blooded animals, including people in rare cases. They most often enter an animal through an open wound and feed on the animal’s living flesh.
In the 1950s, USDA developed a new method to help eradicate screwworm using a form of biological control, called the sterile insect technique, which releases infertile male flies in infested areas. When they mate with local females, no offspring result. With fewer fertile mates available in each succeeding generation, the fly, in essence, breeds itself out of existence. USDA used this technique to eradicate screwworm from the U.S. and worked with other countries in Central America and the Caribbean to eradicate it there as well. Today, USDA and its partners maintain a permanent sterile fly barrier at the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia to prevent the establishment of any screwworm flies that enter from South America.
Residents who have warm-blooded animals (pets, livestock, etc.) should watch their animals carefully and report any potential cases to 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352) or non-Florida residents should call (850) 410-3800. Visitors to the area should ensure any pets that are with them are also checked, in order to prevent the spread of this infestation.
While human cases of New World screwworm are rare, they have occurred, and public health officials are involved in the response. For more information about this disease in humans, please contact your local public health department.
More information, including information on positive detections, can be found at FreshFromFlorida.com/screwworm. On this web page, people can find general information on screwworm, upload photos of suspected cases that they would like to have reviewed, and sign up for the screwworm email update.
Senator Bradley to Hold More Legislative Delegation Meetings
State Senator Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island) will be attending legislative delegation hearings next week in several counties in Senate District 5. The hearings are held annually to afford local citizens and elected officials an opportunity to make legislative and budget requests to their elected state representatives.
The delegation hearings being held this week include:
Wednesday, January 18th
Levy County – 10:00am-Noon – Dogan Cobb Municipal Building, Bronson
Union County – 2:00-3:30pm – Commission Chamber, Union County Courthouse, Lake Butler
Bradford County – 4:00-5:30pm – Commission Chamber, Bradford County Courthouse, Starke
Thursday, January 19th
Marion County – 1:00pm – Klein Conference Center, Ewers Bldg, College of Central FL, Ocala
All meetings are open to the public. For additional information, please contact the Senator’s office at (904)278-2085 or email [email protected].
Community members invited to nominate history-making women and girls
Nomination Deadline: January 15, 2017
2016 Trailblazer, Girls Can Do Anything! and Unsung Shero award honorees. March, 2016.
Sen. Nelson calls for increased funding to fight screwworm
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is calling on the federal government to step up its response to the infestation of New World screwworm in Florida.
Federal officials confirmed earlier this week that the flesh-eating parasite had been found in a stray dog near Homestead, Florida. It’s the first time in more than 30 years that the screwworm has been found on Florida’s mainland. And Nelson says that if state and federal wildlife officials don’t act quickly, Florida’s nearly $1 billion cattle industry could soon be at risk.
“If we don’t move aggressively to halt the spread of this dangerous pest, the result could be catastrophic for Florida’s wildlife and livestock industry,” Nelson wrote in a letter sent today to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. “More than 130 endangered Key deer have already fallen victim to the screwworm. We cannot allow the white-tailed deer population, or the endangered Florida panther, or Florida’s nearly $1 billion beef industry to collapse too.”
Nelson says he wants the federal government to provide additional funding to better monitor and contain the screwworms’ spread.
Below is the full text of Nelson’s letter to Vilsack and Jewell:
January 11, 2017
The Honorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20240
The Honorable Sally Jewell
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Jewell,
I’m writing to request your immediate assistance regarding the ongoing New World screwworm infestation in Florida, the first local infestation in the United States in more than 30 years.
This week, the presence of screwworm was detected on a stray dog in Homestead, Florida, marking the first confirmed case on the mainland. If we don’t move aggressively to halt the spread of this dangerous pest, the result could be catastrophic for Florida’s wildlife and livestock industry.
More than 130 endangered Key deer have already fallen victim to the screwworm. We cannot allow the white-tailed deer population, or the endangered Florida panther, or Florida’s nearly $1 billion beef industry to collapse too.
I understand the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are coordinating with the state on monitoring activities and treatment efforts, including the release of at least 80 million sterile flies in the Keys since the outbreak began. These response actions should be immediately implemented on the mainland and expanded to reflect the additional threats posed by the location of the first detection.
Homestead, Florida, is bordered by agricultural and environmentally sensitive landscapes like Everglades National Park that make detection and eradication even more difficult. That’s why I strongly encourage you to provide the necessary funding to increase monitoring of wildlife in these areas and begin contingency planning for containing this threat.
Further, I urge you to provide agency resources to increase sterile fly releases in appropriate areas, since this remains the most effective method of controlling the spread of screwworm. In your response to this letter, please explain any additional unmet funding needs that are necessary to quickly and thoroughly contain and eliminate the screwworm infestation in Florida.
Thank you for your attention to this serious and urgent matter.
Sincerely,
A .pdf copy of Nelson’s letter is available here.
Rideshare legislation filed in house and senate
Bill will establish uniform standards statewide for ridesharing services
Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) and Representative Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater) today announced they filed Senate Bill 340 and House Bill 221, proposing a statewide set of standards governing and authorizing ridesharing services and transportation network companies. If successful, Florida would join 36 other states that have adopted rideshare laws.
“Ridesharing is a part of our transportation future, and it is time Florida embrace these services,” stated Senator Brandes. “This is something that Florida businesses demand, tourists expect, and our residents deserve. It is time to end the patchwork of regulations across the state that stand in the way of transportation innovation and adopt a uniform, common sense law focused on safety and access to the new technology.”
“Floridians deserve a thriving and innovative transportation marketplace,” stated Representative Sprowls. “This bill provides certainty to a growing transportation market, by putting consumers in the driver’s seat of their transportation options, not special interest regulators. Not only is this bill good for consumers, but also it provides jobs for many Floridians still looking for work, or supplemental income to families struggling to make ends meet.”
The bill establishes the regulatory framework for the operation of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) in Florida. SB 340 and HB 221 establish minimum insurance requirements for TNCs, require thorough background screening standards for TNC drivers, and include consumer protection provisions that strengthen the community of riders and drivers in Florida. In addition, the bill provides regulatory certainty for TNC services in Florida by replacing a patchwork of conflicting local regulations with a unified statewide framework.
For more information on the legislation visit http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2017/0340.
Stuart woman claims $1 million prize in $10,000,000 FORTUNE scratch-off game
Marie Wiley (right) poses with her husband and oversized check after
claiming a $1 million prize in the $10,000,000 FORTUNE Scratch-Off game.
The Florida Lottery announces that Marie Wiley, 69, of Stuart, claimed a $1 million prize in the $10,000,000 FORTUNE Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.
Wiley chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $792,000.00. She purchased her winning ticket from Publix, located at 6550 South Kanner Highway in Stuart.
The $25 Scratch-Off game, $10,000,000 FORTUNE, launched in February, and features more than $623 million in total cash prizes, including 46 prizes of $1 million and four prizes of $10 million. The game’s overall odds of winning are one-in-2.88.
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.
Harris Employees Build Oyster Bagging Machine to Improve Indian River Lagoon Health
A group of Harris Corporation employee volunteers answered a call to aid the Indian River Lagoon with a machine that will help restore oyster beds to the endangered waterway.
The employees designed and built a mechanism to funnel shells into oyster bags, which serve as the foundation for new reefs. They donated the machine to the Brevard Zoo’s Oyster Restoration Program.
Volunteers can now fill an oyster bag in eight seconds, when it used to take several minutes by hand. Six volunteers can do the job that previously took a team of 40.
The Brevard Zoo has been working on oyster restoration in the lagoon for more than a decade and has plans to continue the efforts. Oysters are beneficial because their filter feeding improves water quality in the lagoon, which is among the most biodiverse estuaries in North America.
Six Harris employees donated a total of 240 hours to design and build the machine under the company’s volunteering program, which is called Harris Employees Actively Responding Together, or HEART. More than 2,900 employees have donated more than 40,000 hours under the program.
Harris was the first company to join the National Estuary Program’s Indian River Lagoon Innovators and Investors (IRL-I2) network. The company is dedicated to working with governments and groups to help improve the body of water, which stretches for 156 miles along Florida’s East Coast.
Who: Brevard Zoo: Jody Palmer, Director of Conservation
Jake Zehnder, Restoration Project Coordinator
Harris –Tom Campbell, Innovation Director
Employee volunteer team:
Ihosvany Garcia, project lead
Kari Andresen
Scott Cerasale
Chance Eldredge
Julio Perez
Jake Sherlock
What: Media availability to unveil oyster bagging machine designed, built and donated by Harris employees to the Brevard Zoo oyster restoration program. Reporters can interview employees who worked on the project and representatives of Harris and the Brevard Zoo as well as take photos and video of the oyster bagging machine in action.
When: Jan. 13, 2016, 9 a.m.
Where: Oyster shell impound area southwest of the interchange of I-95 and Eau Gallie Blvd. Impound area is remote and requires assistance with entry. All media are asked to meet at the Park-And-Ride lot (~1000 Inspiration Ln. 32934) west of I-95 on Eau Gallie Blvd. so they can be escorted by Zoo staff.
Why: Harris is committed to helping efforts to restore and preserve the Indian River Lagoon and is a member of the IRL-I2 group. The oyster bagging machine is a result of Harris employees taking that commitment to heart and volunteering time and expertise for this important initiative under the able leadership of the Brevard Zoo.
If you plan to attend the event, please RSVP by close of business Wednesday, Jan. 11.
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.
Brevard Zoo
Brevard Zoo is home to more than 800 animals representing 180 species from all over the world. As a not-for-profit organization, it is a leader in the fields of animal wellness, education and conservation. More information is available at www.brevardzoo.org.
Northwest Florida blue crab trap closure ending early
Recreational and commercial blue crab traps may be placed back in state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles) from the Florida/Alabama state line through the Franklin/Wakulla county line starting Wednesday, Jan. 11.
Traps had to be removed from the water as part of a 10-day closure that started Jan. 5, but this closure ended early because efforts to remove lost and abandoned traps have been completed.
This and other similar closures give groups authorized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) the opportunity to identify and retrieve lost and abandoned blue crab traps from the water.
Lost and abandoned blue crab traps are a problem in the blue crab fishery because they can continue to trap crabs and fish when left in the water. They can also be unsightly in the marine environment, damage sensitive habitats and pose navigational hazards to boaters on the water.
The closure is one of three regional, 10-day blue crab trap closures that occur in 2017 on the Gulf coast of Florida. There are six regional closures total: three in odd-numbered years on the west coast and three in even-numbered years on the east coast.
For more information regarding the FWC’s trap-retrieval program, blue crab trap closure dates, regulations and cleanup events, go online to MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing” then “Trap Retrieval/Debris Removal.” For additional information, contact the FWC’s trap retrieval coordinator, Pamela Gruver, at 850-487-0554.