Going through life we are behind the steering wheel and with God’s help we take a choice of what road to take. Some are good and some are not so good. But remember this in this world of ours we are competing with EVIL! We have Al’s helping us do that because it understands as we do “if we don’t win we have lost it all for ever!”
In looking at what is evil it some times comes as a gentle soul, Challenged by their feelings and manipulated by the bad people or country’s. A business that looks like it is trying to help you… I hate to tell you to be skeptical but some not good intentions. Always sit with your back against the wall. Always have something to deter the bad person. Plan what you will do if and when Evil comes and Evil will come in some form. The young lady on the train that a guy stab her in the throat, she was totally relaxed and distracted. The bad guy hit for no reason but the opportunity. Maybe if she had a spray or something to help her fight off the attacker she might have survived. Continue reading
Tamara Fleischhaker has left the CEP Ocala Chamber for a great opportunity. Tamara has been hired by Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce as their President & CEO in Oak Ridge Tennessee.
She concluded her time with the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership after 19 and a half wonderful years. She said It has been an incredible journey serving the Marion County community and working alongside so many dedicated partners and colleagues.
Tamara ran the CEP Ocala as their Acting CEO while the Board was looking for a new CEO. The new CEO was chosen, after being announced he gave praise to Tamra for the great job she has done and thanked her. She will be missed.
Projects include a new express lane on I-4 in Hillsborough County, critical truck parking facility, and the nation’s first Advanced Air Mobility aerial test bed
BARTOW, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced major steps for congestion relief in Central Florida. These include 17 miles of new express lanes on Interstate 4 (I-4) in Hillsborough County and a new truck parking facility along the I-4 corridor in Polk County. The state is also breaking ground on the nation’s first infrastructure for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation.
“Florida’s conservative policies and sound fiscal management have produced one of the strongest economies in the nation,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Through our Moving Florida Forward initiative, we are making record infrastructure investments and completing projects ahead of schedule to meet the needs of our growing state.”
“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ leadership, we’ve successfully brought revolutionary congestion relief projects to life for Florida’s residents and visitors,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “Our work to accelerate congestion relief, especially along the I-4 corridor, is a commitment we will continue to deliver on.”
Projects included in today’s announcement build upon Governor DeSantis’ commitment to reducing congestion along Florida’s busiest travel and freight corridors through the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative, which has expedited major projects 10-15 years in advance. Continue reading
MIAMI, Fla.– Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Success Academy, one of the nation’s highest-performing charter school networks, is opening its first charter school in Miami as part of Florida’s Schools of Hope initiative. This represents a major expansion of high-quality educational options for families living in communities served by persistently low-performing schools.
“Florida leads the nation in educational freedom, and today we are adding to that promise,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “With Success Academy opening in Miami, students will now have access to one of the highest-performing education models in the country. Florida’s families deserve world-class education, and we will continue to make it available to every child no matter their zip code.”
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, parents are empowered to choose the educational path that best suits their children’s unique needs,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. “Success Academy offers families another high-quality option, backed by a nationally recognized track record of academic excellence and school improvement.” Continue reading
STUART, Fla.— Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the success of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Python Action Team – Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC) program in achieving record-setting removal numbers of invasive Burmese Pythons from Florida’s Everglades. The governor also called on funding for the program to be continued annually to build off of the state’s initial $2 million investment in 2025.
“FWC’s partnership with Inversa has supercharged the removal of invasive Burmese Pythons from the Everglades,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The new program accomplished more removals in July 2025 alone than in the entire year before. Our $2 million investment in python removal in the state budget has made this partnership possible, amplifying the success of the PATRIC program. We must now build on their achievements and continue investing in this proven strategy to protect the Everglades for many years to come.”
By Kat Cammack
On September 19th, House Republicans voted to keep the government open and spending flat. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats made the choice to shut down the federal government.
While the political blame game plays out on national television, the facts are clear:
- Senate Democrats are pushing an alternative funding bill that includes $200 billion in healthcare coverage for illegal immigrants (which can be found on page 57, section 2141 of their proposal).
- They also want to roll back $50 billion in direct rural healthcare investments and redirect $400 billion in subsidies that go directly to insurance company.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, in an operation led by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement, charged seven defendants for their involvement in a multilevel criminal enterprise centered on stealing smoke detectors from The Home Depot.
“This operation is the result of a great partnership between Florida’s Ag Law and our Office of Statewide Prosecution,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “We are proud that Florida doesn’t have stores with merchandise locked behind glass like you see in California, and we intend to keep it that way.”
“Today’s announcement shows Florida means business when it comes to organized retail theft. Our Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement — working with local and state partners — led a months-long investigation that dismantled a major criminal enterprise stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of products from Home Depot stores across our state,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson. “While too many states are weakening their laws and turning a blind eye to retail theft, Florida is strengthening its laws and holding criminals accountable. If you steal from Florida businesses and citizens, expect to be caught and prosecuted.”
“At The Home Depot, combating organized retail crime is about protecting the safety of our customers, associates, and communities,” said Scott Glenn, vice president of asset protection for The Home Depot. “We’re grateful for the leadership and willingness of Attorney General Uthmeier and Florida lawmakers to stop these criminals, and we remain committed to working with law enforcement and policymakers to address this growing issue.” Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Parental Rights is filing of a civil enforcement action against Roku, Inc. and its Florida subsidiary for violations of the Florida Digital Bill of Rights (FDBOR) and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA).
“Florida families deserve to know what is happening with their children’s personal information,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “Parents—not technology companies—direct the upbringing of their children. We will hold any company that conceals or exploits that information accountable.”
Roku is a platform for streaming video content; it acts as a smartphone for your TV, providing access to a vast library of apps for movies, TV shows, live news, sports, and more. Roku is the U.S. market leader in streaming video distribution, reaching 145 million people as of 2024. Continue reading
Field trips to Discovery Center are a great way to enhance classroom lessons! We offer field trips for schools, home school groups, day care centers and summer camps.
The Discovery Center hosts field trips Tuesdays through Fridays, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The average field trip runs about two hours. All field trips include 45 minutes of free play in the current exhibit with the option to one of our add-on programs. Each program is approximately 45 minutes long. Students are put into a group rotation between the exhibit hall and classroom programs.
Group capacity is 90 people per day. Groups over 90 people will be booked for two or more days. Large groups will be booked for the closest consecutive days available at time of booking.
The Discovery Center serves over 35 schools and organizations in Marion County by providing engaging, hands-on science programming correlated to Florida State Standards. Continue reading
Alex Sosa, B.B. Graphics
“Flying influences everything I do in life, including how I run my business.”
CEP partner Alex Sosa draws clear parallels between how he runs B.B. Graphics and how he approaches aviation.
“Being a captain teaches you leadership in its purest form,” he says, stressing the importance of details. “When people’s lives are in your hands, your decisions carry real weight. I approach business the same way—making sure our product is top-quality, our team is well-trained, and every client’s experience is seamless.”
Away from the office, it’s up, up, and away for Alex, who has built an unshakeable bond with the friendly skies starting the moment he received his high school diploma.
“I began my flight training right out of high school and aviation has taken me places I probably never would have seen otherwise.”
Flying runs deep in Alex’s family, as multiple family members have spent time in the cockpit. Continue reading
