Lake County and all of Florida are safer today thanks to a new state law that gives law enforcement a valuable tool to prevent gun violence by helping keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who demonstrate an obvious threat to themselves or others.
Florida joined a handful of states earlier this year when it passed the Risk Protection Order Act (RPO), or red flag law, spurred to much-needed action in response to the tragedy in Parkland, Florida. This important law, passed with bipartisan support in the state legislature, allows law enforcement to remove firearms and ammunition from violent or mentally ill individuals while affording citizens their due process.
The process for obtaining an RPO is straightforward and puts the decision to remove guns in the hands of a judge. First, law enforcement files a petition listing the statement, actions or facts which give rise to a reasonable fear of significant dangerous acts by respondent. The petition is heard by a Judge within 24 hours to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe the respondent poses a significant danger of causing personal injury to themselves or others in the near future by having in their custody any firearm or ammunition. If granted, the respondent is served with the temporary order, and they must immediately surrender their firearms, ammunition and concealed weapons license pending a final hearing. Continue reading
By TomL
For a long time I have been hearing about Political PACs. So I decided to look it up on the internet. First it is short for “Political Action Committee”. Their purpose is raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates. Most PACs represent business, labor or ideological interests. It’s the ideological interests where the trouble comes in. There is always a radical in the group. They want to get their person in office and will go to extreme measures to make that happen, even break the law.
The Marion County School race has done that again. One of the candidates has made charges of being threatened and bullied in hopes that she would drop out of the race. Some history…several races back, employees of the school system actually stole a candidate’s identity and tried to use it to their advantage. They were caught by the Marion County Sheriff’s office and were not even charged. They were not fired. Back then Sheriff Dean was in office and he was busy trying to damage control a scandal of his own when his person in charge got caught up in a problem. Continue reading
~$50 million toward fixes for federal Herbert Hoover Dike, $700,000 for Lee County~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have reached an agreement on a $50 million state investment to fund repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike. This agreement follows a $50 million investment made earlier this year, bringing the State of Florida’s total investment in this federal project to $100 million. After decades of federal inaction, Gov. Scott fought to secure this state funding and secured a commitment from the White House to provide the federal funds to fix the Herbert Hoover Dike. The funding will accelerate critical repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee. Once completed, this project will reduce the need for harmful water releases from the Army Corps of Engineers by allowing more water to be stored in Lake Okeechobee. Continue reading
Lady Lake Chamber host a Nothing but Networking Luncheon every month. Here is a picture from that luncheon at the Water Front Inn in the Villages. The people at this table are all business people networking with each other. When you sit there and have lunch and listen to how each other’s businesses work and what is a perfect referral for them, then they can help each other. It’s like a hundred sales people on the street.
Several months ago we ran a picture of Bob Irwin of Bob’s Coins and Jewelry in Summerfield Florida catching his record fish. It was the largest marlin the captain’s boat had caught off Aruba. The Caption estimated the fish to be 500 lbs and 12 ft long. The marlin was caught in record time 17 min 49 seconds. The fish ran under the boat to cut the line on the prop 7 minutes into the fight. The prop then spun the line around enough times to reconnect the line to itself and continue the fight. At 17 minutes 44 seconds as the mate bent down to unhook the fish the stainless steel hook snapped and the fish released itself! The first and only stainless steel hook to ever break on that boat!
What an adventure‼ Bob’s fish replica is now on display at Bob’s Coin & Jewelry. It’s located at Spruce Creek Terrace Shoppes.
By TomL
OBL (Ocala Business Leaders) held a Political Forum at their regular breakfast meeting so the local Candidates could speak in front of the OBL Members. It was interesting to hear each answer questions and understand what they stood for. The speakers were: Continue reading
Cracker Jack and Lane Loury getting used to each other. Lane is 18 months and is getting his second lesson from his mother Lindsay. Photo taken by Debbie Sykes, grandmother.
July 27, 2018
The days of Florida being called the Pill Mill Capital of the Country are now behind us and we are making significant strides to combat the national opioid crisis. As a state and nation, we still face significant challenges exacerbated by heroin, fentanyl and other deadly drugs. Illegally sold prescription pills also continue to fuel addiction in our country.
This week, my office and the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Dr. Armando Falcon and two office managers following a lengthy undercover investigation. According to the investigation, Dr. Falcon operated a pill mill at the Pain Center of Cutler Bay, a pain management center in South Florida. The investigation determined that Dr. Falcon met with patients for less than two minutes before prescribing in many cases approximately 150, 30 mg, oxycodone pills—earning millions as a result of his criminal enterprise. Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the release of the 2018 Florida Military-Friendly Guide. The annual guide, created by the Florida Defense Support Task Force, offers a summary of Florida’s laws, programs and services benefitting military service members and their families. It also highlights Florida’s low tax and financial advantages, educational benefits, professional licensure opportunities and fee waivers for service men, women and their families stationed in Florida. A digital copy of the 2018 Florida Military-Friendly Guide is available https://www.enterpriseflorida.com/wp-content/uploads/Florida-Military-Friendly-Guide-2018.pdf Continue reading
From the desk of Florida State Senator Baxley
Friends, Washington D.C. may be in turmoil and dysfunction, but hometown America is alive and well! In the State of Florida and Senate District 12, we remain committed to those core values of faith, family, freedom and opportunity. This is your government and I work for you. As promised, I will continue this series of letters to you, highlighting all that we have done together and some of the recognitions we have received along the way.
The Florida Bail Agents Association (FBAA) is an advocacy organization that works with policy makers to advocate continued high standards for all bail agents, works to defeat serious threats to eliminate bail in Florida, and pushes to improve professional standards of bail agents through licensing and educational requirements. In 2017, your Senator was recognized as the Legislator of the Year by the FBAA for our work on SB 680, which passed as HB 361 and was signed into law by Gov. Scott. This bill amends several provisions related to bail and bail bonds agents and received unanimous support in the House and Senate. Continue reading
