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CFO Jimmy Patronis’ Statement on Attorney General Bondi’s Lawsuit Against Major Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors

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Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis issued the following statement regarding Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcment that her office has filed an action in state court against some of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers and distributors for their role in the national opioid crisis:

“Attorney General Pam Bondi has been a fearless warrior against the opioid epidemic. She is the leader Florida families impacted by this crisis can count on. No matter how big the opponent is, she has taken on every facet of this epidemic.

“Opioids have taken lives, destroyed families, and threatened our first responders’ safety and resources. From investigating fraudulent drug treatment centers to the exponentially higher prescribing rates in the workers’ compensation system, my office has seen the impacts of the opioid epidemic first-hand as we continue working to protect Floridians. National data shows that in 2016 injured workers who were prescribed opioids received three times the US prescribing rate. The opioid crisis has seeped into the workers’ compensation system, and is the foundation for unscrupulous drug treatment centers who victimize individuals for their own personal gain.

“I’m honored to serve with Attorney General Bondi on the Florida Cabinet, and fully support her efforts to combat our state and nation’s opioid epidemic.”

Commissioner Adam Putnam’s Statement on Attorney General Bondi’s Lawsuit Against Major Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors

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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today participated in Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement of a lawsuit against major opioid manufacturers and distributors. The following are excerpts from his remarks:

“I can’t tell you how proud I am to stand beside you as your partner on the Cabinet in fighting the scourge that is the opioid crisis and to be joined by so many men and women who are on the front lines, by the family members who have suffered and sacrificed so much because of the pain of the opioid crisis in our state.

“Our first responders, our EMTs, our fire rescue, our law enforcement officials, who not only are protecting the public, but are putting themselves at risk even with a simple traffic stop.

“As we have traveled the state and unpeeled all of the layers of this opioid crisis, the sad, recurring theme is this: in every community, they’ve had to add staff to the Medical Examiner’s Office and add space to the morgue. That is how serious the opioid crisis is.

“I know that Attorney General Bondi does not take this lightly, and when she brings a lawsuit of this magnitude on behalf of the residents of the third largest state in the country, you’re already in the crosshairs.

“This lawsuit will result in the resources for additional treatment, prevention, awareness, additional facilities, like this, additional tools and support for the men and women in law enforcement, so that we can break the hold that this opioid crisis has on our state and on our nation.

“Our legislative leaders have led the way, Speaker Corcoran, Senator Simpson, Representative Boyd, and Attorney General Bondi who has been a national leader in shutting down pill mills, a global leader in saving our children from human trafficking and now, yet again, serving and protecting Floridians in shutting down the opioid crisis that’s hollowing out our communities.”

Attorney General Bondi Files Lawsuit Against Farm-to-Table Restaurants’ Deceptive Claims

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Attorney General Pam Bondi today filed a complaint against Icebox Cafe, L.C. and Icebox Cafe at MIA, LLC, Miami restaurants, for allegedly supplying non-locally sourced or sustainable products as claimed on restaurant menus. Icebox Cafe at MIA, a self-proclaimed farm-to-table eatery, allegedly misled customers by claiming the restaurant received state certification as a local provider and sold local products. However, national food distributor, SYSCO, provided much of the food sold.

“Many Floridians want to know where and how their food was grown, and we will not stand for any restaurant misrepresenting the origin of the produce they sell to deceive customers seeking locally-sourced, fresh food,” said Attorney General Bondi.

Farm-to-table is a growing movement for consumers looking for a more health-conscious lifestyle, willing to pay top dollar for the freshness and uniqueness these restaurants provide. Attorney General Bondi’s Office along with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are currently looking into the business practices of so-called farm-to-table restaurants across the state to ensure consumers are not being deceived.      

The Icebox Cafe eateries are allegedly in violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, as a result of allegedly making false or misleading statements, as well as material omissions regarding the food products offered and sold to consumers.

Some examples cited in the complaint include:

  • Claiming one restaurant sold produce from Paradise Farms, in Homestead with no record of purchase from this source;
  • Offering fish such as wild salmon, with no invoices substantiating that claim; and
  • Falsely professing to create Garden-to-Glass and Farm-to-Bar cocktails made with ingredients often picked from a nearby garden.

The Attorney General’s complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief against the defendants. The companies also face civil penalties for violations of FDUTPA.  

To view a copy of the complaint filed, click here.

Citizen groups host telepress conference

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Citizen groups host telepress conference to discuss FPL’s motion to
dismiss Clean Water Act lawsuit on Turkey Point’s polluting of Biscayne Bay

Tomorrow, on Wednesday, August 2 at 2:00 p.m. ET, advocates will hold a telepress conference to discuss their strong rejection of Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) motion to dismiss a Clean Water Act lawsuit filed last summer. Since this federal case, FPL has attempted to thwart citizens’ efforts to hold the utility accountable for their Turkey Point facility’s ongoing pollution of Biscayne Bay.
At 10 a.m. ET on August 3, 2017, FPL’s motion to dismiss will be heard in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida before Magistrate Judge Alicia M. Otazo-Reyes at the C. Clyde Atkins Courthouse, 301 North Miami Avenue. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), Tropical Audubon Society (TAS) and Friends of the Everglades (FOE) view FPL’s motion to dismiss as another example of the utility’s ongoing efforts to delay addressing the underlying causes of the failing cooling canal system at the Turkey Point facility, which is unlawfully polluting Biscayne Bay.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: Dial 727-258-5789 and enter PIN: 97609
SPEAKERS: Dr. Stephen A. Smith, Executive Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Laura Reynolds, Consultant to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Erin Clancy, Conservation Director, Tropical Audubon Society
Alan Farago, Conservation Chair, Friends of the Everglades
If you are unable to attend this telepresser, SACE staff will be available for media interviews outside of the C. Clyde Atkins Courthouse at 9:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, August 3, 2017.
About Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that work to address the impacts of global climate change and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.

Environmental Groups Announce Lawsuit Against World’s Second Largest Chicken Producer for Illegal Pollution of Suwannee River

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MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT: Members of the citizen-based environmental groups Environment Florida and the Sierra Club (Suwannee-St Johns Group) will be joined by their attorneys to announce the filing of the groups’ federal lawsuit to stop violations of the Clean Water Act that are polluting one of Florida’s Outstanding Waters, the Suwannee River. The groups will describe the poultry processing facility’s alleged violations and speak about the pollution’s effect on the Suwannee River.
WHO: 
Jennifer Rubiello, Environment Florida Director
Whitey Markle, Chair of the Sierra Club Suwannee-St Johns Group
Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Sierra Club Organizing Representative
Heather Govern, Attorney, National Environmental Law Center
Andrew Bonderud, Attorney
WHEN: Thursday, March 9, 2017 – 10:00 am
WHERE: In front of the Hogan Street entrance of the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse (Jacksonville’s Federal Courthouse)
300 N Hogan St, Jacksonville, FL 32202

Environmental Groups Announce Lawsuit Against World’s Second Largest Chicken Producer for Illegal Pollution of Suwannee River

Posted on

WHAT: Members of the citizen-based environmental groups Environment Florida and the Sierra Club (Suwannee-St Johns Group) will be joined by their attorneys to announce the filing of the groups’ federal lawsuit to stop violations of the Clean Water Act that are polluting one of Florida’s Outstanding Waters, the Suwannee River. The groups will describe the poultry processing facility’s alleged violations and speak about the pollution’s effect on the Suwannee River.
WHO: 
Jennifer Rubiello, Environment Florida Director
Whitey Markle, Chair of the Sierra Club Suwannee-St Johns Group
Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, Sierra Club Organizing Representative
Heather Govern, Attorney, National Environmental Law Center
Andrew Bonderud, Attorney
WHEN: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 – 10:00 am
WHERE: In front of the Hogan Street entrance of the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse (Jacksonville’s Federal Courthouse)
300 N Hogan St, Jacksonville, FL 32202

Attorney General Bondi and FTC Jointly Settle Lawsuit Against Debt Relief Companies

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Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with several related debt relief and credit repair services companies and their principal. The settlement resolves allegations that Chastity Valdes and her companies, Consumer Assistance LLC, Consumer Assistance Project Corp. and Palermo Global LLC, engaged in unlawful debt relief operations targeting student loan holders. Among other things, the settlement bans the defendants from operating in the debt relief and credit repair industries.
In 2016, Attorney General Bondi’s Office and the FTC filed a joint lawsuit against Valdes and her companies, alleging the defendants took illegal up-front fees in return for their purported debt relief and credit repair services. According to the complaint, the defendants allegedly falsely claimed these services reduced consumers’ student loan debt and repaired consumers’ credit. The complaint also asserted violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Credit Repair Organizations Act.
As part of the settlement, the defendants are banned from selling debt relief and credit repair services and prohibited from making material misrepresentations about any products or services. The defendants are also barred from misrepresenting endorsements, profiting from consumers’ personal information and failing to dispose of personal information properly.
The order also imposes a judgment of more than $2.3 million, which will be suspended upon the surrender of virtually all of the defendants’ assets. If the defendants are found to have misrepresented their financial condition, the full judgment will become due immediately.
To view the stipulated order, click here.
To view the motion for preliminary injunction against Valdes and her companies, click here, and for the complaint, click here.