TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading a nationwide investigation into Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, for conduct relating to use of its social media platform Instagram by children and young adults. Attorneys General across the country are examining whether the company violated state consumer protection laws and put the public at risk by carelessly promoting the platform to younger users.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We have serious concerns about how social media is impacting the lives of young people in this country, and as a mother, I want to know how Facebook/Meta is targeting youth and what strategies this Big Tech giant is using to entice children and teens to lengthen engagement on its platforms. I am proud to lead these efforts with our partner states to find out if Meta violated any consumer protection laws and put our children at risk.” Continue reading →

It’s International Fraud Awareness Week and one of the best ways to fight fraud is to empower consumers with information and resources to spot and avoid scams. Fraudsters work day and night to trick consumers into parting with their hard-earned money.

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that businesses worldwide lose 5% of revenue each year to fraud, totaling more than $4.5 trillion lost annually. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 2.1 million fraud reports from consumers last year, with reported consumer-related losses adding up to more than $3.3 billion.

It’s so important to stay ahead of the latest trends and take steps to avoid falling prey to fraud. To guard against common fraud schemes: Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading efforts to garner support for the Federal Communications Commission’s continued attempts to fight illegal robocalls. Scammers are finding ways to circumvent previously implemented anti-robocall technology to continue bombarding citizens with scam messages.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Working with the FCC, we have been successful in reducing the number of scam robocalls targeting Americans. Unfortunately, in recent months, scammers have found ways to circumvent the technology created to protect our citizens from fraudulent robocall messages. Today, I asked the FCC to continue its efforts to reduce the number of calls by implementing stricter processes on companies that assign and distribute telephone numbers.”

Earlier this year, following efforts by Attorney General Moody and other attorneys general, phone companies were required to implement a technology program called STIR/SHAKEN. This technology checks to see if a phone call comes from a legitimate source before the designated phone begins to ring. Since the FCC required large phone companies to begin using this technology in June, scam robocalls have dropped nearly 30%. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Floridians about the recent explosion in deadly counterfeit pills confiscated nationwide. The United States Drug Enforcement Administration recently seized 1.8 million fentanyl-laced pills in a two-month nationwide sting that launched on Aug. 3. Since the start of 2021, officials have seized more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills—an increase of nearly 430% since 2019. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 times more potent than heroin and is an accelerating force behind the increase in drug overdose deaths.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We are seeing a nationwide increase in the amount of fentanyl coming across our border. We are also seeing a dramatic spike in the number of overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl. As Florida’s Attorney General and as a mother, I don’t want anyone to abuse drugs, but please be especially warned that if you take a pill from anyone other than your doctor, you may be risking your life. Just one dose of fentanyl can kill, and with an increasing number of these counterfeit pills circulating throughout the country, the message is more important today than ever before.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today issued a Consumer Alert highlighting a staggering increase in the number of robocalls flooding Floridians’ phones. According to the Robocall Index, so far in 2021, robocalls have increased by nearly 450 million calls, or 16% when compared to the same time period last year. The Federal Communications Commission cites robocalls as the agency’s top consumer complaint. Attorney General Moody is working with attorneys general from across the country in a coordinated effort to fight back against illegal robocalls to protect Floridians from scams connected to calls.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The pandemic changed the way we work, learn and socialize—further popularizing the tools we use to communicate remotely, including cellphones. With this rise in cellphone use, it is no surprise that we are seeing an increase in the number of robocalls targeting Floridians. Please remain vigilant when receiving calls from unknown sources and never give personal or financial information in response to an unwanted solicitation.”

In 2019, Attorney General Moody, attorneys general from other states and 15 phone companies adopted the Anti-Robocall Principles to fight robocalls through prevention and enforcement solutions. Since then, companies that agreed to the principles have: Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians of a new COVID-19 vaccination text scam. There have been reports of fraudulent text messages being sent to Floridians asking for driver license details in order to remake licenses that show vaccination status. The text messages provide a link that sends targets to a spoofed Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website with input boxes requesting Social Security and driver license information—including a place to upload a photocopy of a driver license.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “COVID-19 cases have decreased drastically across the state, but that hasn’t stopped scammers from finding new angles to exploit the pandemic. Please be on the lookout for phony messages and remember that the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will never reach out via text and ask for personal information. Florida is not updating driver licenses to include proof of vaccination—any solicitation making this claim is a scam that should be reported immediately.” Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges in a new report that early vaccination of seniors saved lives

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report which validates Governor DeSantis’ Seniors First vaccination policy, declaring that “efforts to prioritize and vaccinate” those 65 and older “helped prevent hundreds of thousands of new COVID-19 infections and tens of thousands of deaths among seniors” and “directly correlate[s] to saving lives.”

“As the COVID vaccines first became available, I made it clear that in Florida we were going to put Seniors First to make sure the most vulnerable received the protection they needed,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Following Florida’s lead, earlier this year the federal government reversed course from prioritizing younger populations for vaccinations to recommending that states prioritize seniors age 65 and older. When I decided to put Seniors First, the data clearly showed that prioritizing vaccines for seniors would save the most lives. It was the right thing to do, and I am glad to see the federal government has continued to acknowledge this reality.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the resignation of First Lady Casey DeSantis as Chair of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet and the designation of State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo as the new Chair.

“I’m proud of the First Lady’s leadership as Chair of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Her commitment to children is unmatched, and she has continued to foster collaboration across state and local partners to benefit families in our state. As a mother, she understands that Florida’s youth need our support, love and care and we are all better for her leadership over the past three years.”

Originally appointed in 2019, First Lady DeSantis led the Cabinet with distinction, recognizing the bandwidth and horsepower of the talented group of individuals serving on the Cabinet. The First Lady continuously challenged members to take a holistic approach to addressing the needs of children in our state. Under her leadership, the Cabinet tackled critical issues and aided in the state’s pandemic response, notably including: Continue reading →

Good afternoon,

My name is Kayla Hall with Genesis Reference Laboratories. October 11, 2021 we opened a new COVID-19 testing site located at the First Baptist Church of Ocala. We have partnered with Dr. David Kuhn, Marion County Health Department, COVID Test FL and the First Baptist Church to bring a more centralized and convenient testing location to the county. We are striving to educate the community on this new testing site as the two they are familiar with have limited hours and are due to dismantle here in the near future. We would like to broadcast this information and are willing to conduct interviews, etc to provide any and all necessary information.

Our demographic information is listed below:

Location: FBCO 2801 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala FL 34471

Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-6pm and Saturday 8am-2pm

This is a Free community testing site!

https://covidtestfl.org/

Dr. Robert Dreyfus

I know you want the best for your child.  Unfortunately many parents cannot give their child a superior private or Christian education due to financial considerations.   This is no longer a deterrent.  If you are unhappy with the education your child is receiving from the public school they attend, your child can receive the Hope Scholarship. The Hope Scholarship pays $7,000/yr which will enable you to send them to a private or Christian school that will provide your child with a superior education.  The Hope Scholarship is available to almost anyone.

Your child can receive the Hope scholarship if they have been:

• Bullied, threatened or harassed at school
• Intimidated by teaching that contradicts your moral values or
• Is in an unsafe learning environment
• Is made to wear a mask

To learn more about the Hope Scholarship call: 1-813-FL4-KIDS or 877-735-7837