West Palm Beach, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis proposed new measures to safeguard the sanctity of Florida elections. The Governor’s announcement reaffirms his commitment to the integrity of every vote and the importance of transparency in Florida elections.

“Last November, Florida held the smoothest, most successful election of any state in the country,” said Governor DeSantis. “While we should celebrate this feat, we should not rest on our laurels. Today, we are taking action to ensure that Florida remains a leader on key issues regarding our electoral process, such as ballot integrity, public access to election information, transparency of election reporting and more. By strengthening these election integrity protections, we will ensure that our elections remain secure and transparent, and that Florida’s electoral process remains a blueprint for other states to follow.”

The proposed legislation takes an important step in designing some of the nation’s strongest election integrity protections and providing unprecedented election transparency for Florida residents. The proposed legislation would include the following measures: Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

The 2021 Legislative Session will be underway as of March 2 and already the picture is becoming a little clearer about what the priorities of the Florida Legislature will be. The eight weeks of committee hearings leading up to this have had numerous state agency and local government presentations, along with citizen input, about the challenges our state faces and the needs we will be asked to meet. I will share a few of those highlights with you today.

The state budget is always the top concern, as the only constitutionally mandated duty of the Florida Senate is to pass a balanced budget. We do not have to do anything else or pass a single bill, except that one. Which we have done, faithfully, each year. This year, with the COVID crises, the forecasting is predicting a budget shortfall, which means that cuts will be made and many good projects will go unfunded. This will be an exercise in frugality and efficiency and will not be all together bad for our state. A budget event like this can be a good reset for Florida as it brings in to focus those things, which are actually a priority. We are in a good place with Senator Kelli Stargel leading our efforts in this area and she has my full confidence. Continue reading →

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the publication of the 2021 Florida Military Friendly Guide. The Guide updates the programs, policies and benefits Florida provides for our servicemembers, their families and military veterans.

“The Florida Military Friendly Guide reflects Florida’s consistent commitment to our military installations, servicemembers, their families and veterans,” said Governor DeSantis. “As the most military-friendly state in the nation, Florida has the back of the thousands of military and civilian families who live and work in our defense communities. We hope this guide connects our service members with the resources and support they need.”

Produced by Enterprise Florida and Florida Defense Support Task Force, the Florida Military Friendly Guide is distributed in print to Florida’s 23 major military installations, representing each of the six services, more than 65,000 active duty Servicemembers and families, over 35,000 DOD civilian employees and families, and 1.45 million veterans. An online version is also available.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Enterprise Florida, the Florida Defense Alliance and the Florida Defense Support Task Force remain committed to working with Florida’s state agencies to support our military men and women and their families and keep pace with their needs,” said Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell, president & CEO of Enterprise Florida. “This edition of the guide boasts more resources than ever and reflects the hard work of the Governor and Florida Legislature.” Continue reading →

By TomL

I have heard some rumors about taking the words “Under God” out of the Pledge Allegiance. I fact Check that and I can’t find where the rumor started and can’t find if someone is really trying to take then the words “under God” out. Several political’s repeated the rumor. NOT TRUE!

BUT the way things are going and the strange people that are getting elected it will come up. It will be political suicide! Do you ever wonder how these people are getting elected? Hell we are making girls compete against boys who wish to be girls. The problem is they have the male structure and strength. Girls are better at things that boys are not. NOT FAIR! It’s robbing some girls of their scholarships. I’m getting at what? It show that there is a force trying to disrupt everything in our country that means anything about our great Country’s history and current structure.

The Pledge of Allegiance  was written in August 1892 by the Social Minister Francis Bellamy. It was originally published in the Youth’s Champion on September8, 1892. Bellamy had hope it would be used by all countries.

The original form read: Continue reading →

On January 15, 2021, in News Releases, by Staff

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis commended the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for approving the continuation of the Low-Income Pool (LIP) program in Florida. The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) reached an agreement with the CMS to extend the 1115 Managed Medical Assistance waiver that allows for the continuation of the LIP program through June 30, 2030. The LIP program was established to ensure continued government support for the provision of health care services to underinsured and uninsured populations by providing critical funding to important safety net providers, including Florida’s hospitals.

“LIP funding provides critical support to Florida health care providers that serve our most vulnerable,” said Governor DeSantis. “Continuing this essential program means Floridians will have access to quality health care when they need it.”

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida continues to make great strides in providing meaningful health outcomes and support our frontline providers,” said Acting Secretary Shevaun Harris.  “We appreciate the federal government recognizing the significance of our LIP program and providing us with the necessary funding to ensure the stability of the program for individuals and families.” Continue reading →

On January 14, 2021, in News Releases, by Staff

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida received $85.8 million in CARES Act funding to address housing instability and homelessness across the state. The funds, which are being released in two separate disbursements ($20 million and $65 million), will be used to provide rental assistance, support emergency shelters, and conduct street outreach programs to connect unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness with local housing and other essential services.
“As Governor, I am committed to ensuring Floridians, no matter their circumstances, have the resources they need to succeed,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This federal funding will ensure those experiencing homelessness have the necessary level of support and can access the wraparound services they need to get back on their feet and begin or continue on their journey to economic stability and independence.”
In March 2020, $2.96 billion was allocated to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through Emergency Solutions Grants to support individuals experiencing homelessness and those at risk of homelessness due to financial setbacks resulting from COVID-19. Florida’s Emergency Solutions Grant, which totals $85,896,094, will be administered by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the single point of contact within state government for the 27 Continuums of Care (CoCs) and other agencies, organizations, and stakeholders serving the homeless population. Continue reading →

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, as part of his ongoing efforts to put Florida’s Seniors First, Governor Ron DeSantis released the following statement regarding booster shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines:

Governor DeSantis said, “While there is talk at the federal level regarding how to distribute vaccine doses and whether booster shots should be ‘held back,’ Florida is committed to the two-dose regimen for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. One dose seems to provide some protection, but the 95 percent efficiency has only been shown to be attained by taking the booster shot. This means that while the manner of distribution may change, the necessity of the booster shot will not. Florida wants all seniors to receive booster shots at the appropriate time.”  

Florida Leads the Nation in Vaccinating Seniors

On January 15, 2021, in News Releases, by Staff

Florida announces more than 500,000 seniors vaccinated to date

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis provided an update on Florida’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution progress, highlighting steps the state is taking to increase vaccination sites and put Florida’s Seniors First. Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

Our first round of committee meetings in January are completed and we have begun our preparations for another three weeks in February. The 2021 Regular Session will convene on March 2^nd, but much of the work happens in the weeks leading up to then. Per our state constitution, the Legislature’s only duty is to pass a balanced budget and we will have that completed by April 30^th, unless a special session is called by the Senate President and Speaker of the House. We are grateful that we live in fiscally responsible state that understands that we cannot spend beyond our means. This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, Florida will have to make cuts to our budget to fulfill that responsibility and tough decisions will be made. My colleagues in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat, are united in this effort and in the past few years, the final vote on our budgets has been largely unanimous (note: there have been years with a single member “nay” vote). In 2021, our leader on the budget will be Senator Kelli Stargel and we are very confident in her ability to lead us through the coming changes. Continue reading →

Newspaper have pivoted to digital advertising on their sites to bring their publications into the modern era with some easy, low cost improvements.  With little or no technical knowledge, publishers can create a beautiful digital site in less than an hour, for very little cost or can add various optional enhancements which will help attract more readers and sell more ads.

Many are succeeding with website development while others are struggling or afraid to try.  Here are several fear inducing website development myths busted, with a no holds barred strategy for tackling site upgrades, to guide publishers on the road to progress:

1- “I don’t need a website.”

Today, every newspaper needs to have a digital version in addition to the printed version.  Even local papers often generate from 10 to 30% of total revenue from their websites.  Newspaper websites have contributed significantly to the bottom line.  Having a digital website means reaching a bigger audience.  Only about 30% of newspaper readers read printed papers currently.  That means 70% of the potential audience can only be reached online, including young people, out-of-towners and people who have cancelled their print subscriptions.

2- “I don’t have time to deal with changing websites now.”

With the help of a good consultant, the job is much easier.  Upgrading a website involves as little as 1 hour of your time, to just a few hours, maybe four one-hour meetings, over four to six weeks, to plan and build out your new site.  You can transfer everything over from your old site and set everything up on the new one, easily and quickly.   Continue reading →