TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chair of the Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse, today in Miami convened the group’s third meeting. The meeting, held at Miami Dade College, focused on the recovery process and innovative programs to promote and sustain long term recovery for Floridians struggling with Opioid Use Disorder.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Today we heard from medical professionals, recovery specialists and a woman who struggled for years to overcome a powerful drug addiction, about how we can better serve those struggling with Opioid Use Disorder. By focusing on recovery and innovating the ways we help those struggling with addiction, we can change lives, heal families and reduce the death and destruction caused by the national opioid crisis in Florida.”
The recovery-themed meeting highlighted barriers to recovery, support systems for patients, Medication Assisted Treatment and effective peer recovery strategies. Task Force members heard from Jacksonville Fire Chief Mark Rowely about an innovative program reducing repeat opioid overdoses in Duval County. Project Save Lives, a partnership between Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and local hospitals, has proven successful in reducing successive trips to the emergency room for survivors of opioid overdoses. More than 70 percent of patients treated at a partnering hospital have enrolled in the program that provides additional engagement and follow-up treatment. Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today filed a petition regarding the Adult Use of Marijuana initiative. The initiative’s ballot summary claims it will permit adults to possess, use and buy marijuana. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Using and possessing the drug is and will still be a crime under federal law. Federal penalties for possessing the Schedule 1 Controlled Substance are and will remain significant.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Facts matter. Before Florida voters are asked to make critical changes to our state constitution, those facts should be made clear. That’s why, by law, any citizen initiative seeking to amend the state constitution must offer voters a summary explaining the legal effect of that amendment—painting a full picture of the important choice voters are asked to make. This initiative suggests to voters that their vote will allow for conduct that will remain illegal with significant penalties.” Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody thanks Congress for passing the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act. The TRACED Act, passed by the U.S. Senate Thursday, is designed to reduce the number of illegal robocalls and stop spoofing—the practice of using technology to disguise a caller’s phone number. The Act will now go to President Donald J. Trump for his signature.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Passing this Act is vital step in our fight to stop illegal robocalls and the scams that often accompany them nationwide. We must stop the inundation of robocalls that has been the norm for far too long. This legislation will also give us better tools for going against the practice of spoofing so we can better protect consumers.” Continue reading
On December 20, 2019, in News Releases, by Staff
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Florida Talent Development Council has submitted their strategic plan to improve education and training attainment by Floridians and to align the programs and credentials offered in Florida with the needs of employers.
“I would like to thank Mr. Schleicher and the members of the Florida Talent Development Council for their service and commitment to the development of Florida’s workforce,” said Governor DeSantis. “Ensuring that Floridians are prepared for the jobs in the 21st century is critical to the future success of our great state.”
The 16-member council, composed of legislative, business, workforce development and postsecondary education leaders, was tasked to develop a coordinated, data-driven, statewide approach to meeting Florida’s needs for a 21st century workforce that employers and educators use as part of Florida’s talent supply system. Continue reading
Dear President Trump,
On behalf of all Floridians, thank you for working with the U.S. Congress to develop the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act and for signing it into law.
While not the first appropriation successfully secured by your Administration to rebuild this critical base, the decision to spend over $2 billion for reconstruction efforts for Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) sends a strong message to the personnel assigned to the base and to residents of Bay County that they are not alone in their efforts to rebuild from Hurricane Michael. Additionally, we appreciate your Administration’s recent decision to base a wing of F-35 Lightning II fighters at the redesigned Tyndall AFB, which will be the most modern, most completely networked and interconnected fighter in the military’s inventory.
Secondly, thank you on behalf of our military communities for supporting the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP). Florida’s military families benefit from the off-base community infrastructure projects that support mission readiness and resilience, including utilities, transportation, emergency response, schools, hospitals, and other off-base infrastructure. Continue reading
Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis applauded President Donald Trump for securing $200 million for Everglades restoration in the federal budget that the President signed into law yesterday. Since taking office, Governor DeSantis has championed historic investments in Everglades restoration and water quality to protect Florida’s precious natural resources. Earlier this year, Governor DeSantis joined Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Rick Scott in asking President Trump to include $200 million for Everglades restoration in his federal budget.
The $200 million federal appropriation secured by President Trump for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration is a $130 million increase in Everglades restoration funding from last year. This important funding advances critical Everglades restoration projects including the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir Project, which will help reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries and send more water south.
“President Trump has followed through on his promise to deliver for Florida and America’s Everglades,” said Governor DeSantis. “This investment in Everglades restoration will build on our efforts at the state level for critical projects like the EAA Reservoir, the Caloosahatchee Reservoir and the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area. I look forward to continuing to work with the President and our local, state and federal partners on preserving and restoring Florida’s environment.” Continue reading
With the Holiday Season coming to an end and the New Year beginning, it is important to remain vigilant. Identity theft is a topic that is critical because once you become victimized, it is difficult to clear your name and credit if it becomes compromised. Perpetrators will steal data such as social security numbers, date of birth, addresses, and bank account information. If your information is stolen, you may receive correspondence from companies or creditors for debt you weren’t aware of.
There have been recent vehicle burglaries where wallets, pocketbooks, and backpacks have been left in both the front and back seats. The victim’s driver’s license, debit cards, and check book were in possession of perpetrators that wrote checks and passed them using the bank’s drive through teller lane that is farthest from the window also known as “felony lane.” The person passing the check will disguise themselves to match the appearance on the victim’s photo identification card by using wigs and sunglasses. It may sound peculiar to some but it works because the teller is busy with the transaction and cannot truly verify the identity. This is why it is so important not to leave anything of value in your vehicle even if it’s locked. Continue reading
First I am not going to make any resolutions yet!!! The past year has been challenging with readers thinking that because a story or letter is in my paper, it’s my belief. Remember my job is to bring you everyone’s opinion. I am still struggling to get Automobile ads in my papers. I need one for Ocala papers and one for the Villages papers.
One of the new and exciting things that happened was we won four Statewide awards, two I will mention. One was our Graphics Designer Christine Boody, who won first place best online Digital Graphics Design. I was lucky enough to win first place “Best Editorial,” on subject “What is a Political Pac.”
We had another honor; at least I consider it an honor. The University of Florida has asked permission to put our Ocala paper in their Digital Library. I am pleased for that opportunity.
I am in the process of learning a little bit about the re-fi world and how hard it is to get a mortgage rate under 4%. When you do there is a lot of information you must supply. Continue reading
I am not sure how one could view 2019 as anything but an incredibly successful year for the Ocala Metro. The CEP is excited to review how our community continues to grow, diversify, and prosper.
Economic Growth
The local economy continues to demonstrate very strong fundamentals. As of the time of this writing, the local unemployment rate was a record seasonal low of 3.5%. But more importantly, the area recorded a Job Growth Rate of 3.1%. This number is not only strong but it is higher than the state average and nearly double the national average! The Ocala Metro is recording job growth while at the same time seeing wages report health gains.
Our newest major employer opened in February when McLane Company opened their new 400,000 sq. ft. distribution facility at Ocala International Commerce Park. The company now employs more than 500 people at this facility. Red Rock Development began construction this summer on a new 620,000 sq. ft. spec building in the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park along the interstate. This new facility is significant in a couple of ways: 1) it will result in a $43 million investment in our community and 2) it represents a major investment in the growth of Ocala as a distribution hub. That a major developer like Red Rock was willing to make this investment on spec (or speculation meaning they do not have a tenant already lined up for the building) has further enhanced the community’s reputation as a place to do business. Continue reading
Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope that all of you had a safe and wonderful holiday season. My family enjoyed all the time we shared together and I was especially grateful for the opportunity to spend some time in our mountain home in North Carolina that we don’t get to visit nearly enough. 2020 is already shaping up to be an exciting year in the world of government and politics and the Presidential Election is sure to capture the majority of the news over the next year. More on that later.
As we say hello to 2020 and goodbye to 2019, let us take a look at a couple of highlights from this last year and for all that we have to be thankful.
During 2019, crime rates in Florida continue to decrease. We just had a chance to look at FDLE’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which showed crime dropped 6.1 percent compared to the first half of 2018 with almost 17,100 fewer reported incidents. This can be attributed, firstly, to those men and women in law enforcement who are doing an excellent job holding the blue line. Secondly, we can thank some fantastic leadership, chosen by you, in our county sheriff’s departments across the state. In addition, our city police chiefs and state law enforcement directors are among the very best, anywhere in the world and we should be very proud of the work they do. Thirdly, because the people of this state have chosen solid, conservative leaders to send to Tallahassee that will protect the rights of individuals to take responsibility for themselves and others. Continue reading
