by A.J.(Tony) Powell
“The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution”.
It was pseudo-celebrity, ‘Joe the Plumber’ who once wrote, “Your Dead Kids, don’t Trump my Constitutional Rights!”
The 17 murders at a school in Florida has started another barrage of hysteria in the media.
It’s about a year since a gunman executed 49 people and wounded 53 others in Orlando.
The Columbine shooting at a Colorado high school was back in 1999.
In Northern California a gunman killed four people and injured three children. Continue reading
By Florida Senator Baxley
Session is now over halfway done!
We have been hard at work the past five weeks ensuring good public policy makes its way to the people of Florida.
So far, we have passed out of the Senate SB 192, which clarifies that elected officials are allowed to ride to functions together and participate in fact finding missions without violating Florida Sunshine Laws.
We have also worked on SB 1048 which deals with Church Protection. This bill will allow churches to authorize concealed weapons permit holders to carry on church property for the purpose of protections. We want to empower law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and others and stop violent crime. Continue reading
ORLANDO, Fla. – Today, Governor Scott announced Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company, will be expanding in Orlando and creating 500 new jobs. The average wage of the 500 new jobs will be $87,064. The company will also invest more than $50 million in their Orlando facility. Lockheed Martin currently employs over 14,000 Floridians at 73 locations.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce Lockheed Martin is continuing to invest in Florida by creating 500 new jobs as part of their expansion in Orlando. Lockheed Martin is already a major job creator for our state, and our commitment to cutting taxes and making Florida business-friendly is making it easier for this global business to continue to create thousands of opportunities for Florida families.”
Lockheed Martin employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced, technology systems, products and services. Continue reading
PARKLAND, Fla. – Following the tragic shooting at Marjory Douglas High School in Parkland yesterday, Governor Scott has continued to be briefed by law enforcement and emergency management officials and has remained in communication with state leaders to ensure all state resources are made available. The Governor has also spoken with President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security and local school officials. Governor Scott remains in Broward County and additional details regarding the Governor’s schedule will be made available throughout the day. Governor Scott also announced that he will be organizing meetings with state and local leaders in Tallahassee next week to discuss ways to keep Florida students safe, including school safety improvements and keeping guns away from individuals struggling with mental illness.
Information on the State of Florida’s response:
Florida Department of Education
The Department of Education has offered to send crisis management teams to Broward County. These individuals have extensive experience in crisis situations and stand ready to coordinate with Broward County’s crisis management teams to provide any additional community support.
Grief counseling is available today, Thursday, February 15, 2018, at a number of locations in Broward County for anyone needing support following the tragic events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: http://bit.ly/2o7sIkw Continue reading
Now that many of our seasonal residents and guests are back with us, a quick refresher message about golf carts cannot hurt. This is especially true in light of the fact that serious consequences, including death, are a very real possibility for not following the law.
Just look around our local neighborhoods and you’ll see the boxy, open-air-vehicles morphing into mini cars that are as common as the full size vehicles zipping around.
Some people are even putting a new spin on the rides, customizing them like hot rods, airplanes, and fire engines to cruise on and off the golf course. But it is important to remember that this fun mode of transportation has legal and safety limitations.
Laws relating to golf cart operation are sometimes confusing especially when dealing with driver license requirements. The following information is being provided to assist with the understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of operating a golf cart on a public road or street. While the following is not a completely comprehensive legal examination, it does provide a snapshot of important highlights contained in the law. Continue reading
MARION COUNTY, Florida (February 13, 2018) – Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes detectives arrested Dunnellon resident David Romig (DOB: 10/07/1965) for reporting an alleged home invasion on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, in an effort to cover up the murder of his live-in girlfriend, Sally Kaufmann-Ruff (DOB 10/06/1953).
Romig told detectives at the time of the incident that an unknown armed subject entered his home located at 10499 SW 122nd Court in Dunnellon in the early morning hours on Tuesday, and that Kaufmann-Ruff had been shot during an altercation between Romig and the subject. During the investigation, evidence proved that David’s initial testimony was false and that he had staged the scene to support the presence of an intruder after he had shot Kaufmann-Ruff during an “out-of-body” experience. Continue reading
LifeSouth is in critical need of type O blood donors. Trauma patients and patients in surgery have sharply increased the usage of type O blood, and supplies have hit a critically low level.
Type O blood can be received by all blood types, so having it available for emergencies is critical. If you are type O, LifeSouth asks you to donate today. If you do not know your blood type, now is a great time to donate and find out. Donating with LifeSouth directly impacts the community and those treated at area hospitals.
Anyone 17 or older, or 16 with parental permission, weighing a minimum of 110 pounds and in good health can donate blood. A photo ID is also required. Go to www.lifesouth.org to find a blood drive near you, or call toll-free 888-795-2707 for additional information.
The City of Ocala will host the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park located at 223 NE Fifth St.
OCALA, Fla. (March 1, 2018) – The City of Ocala will host the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park located at 223 NE Fifth St.
This free event will include live entertainment, food vendors, family-friendly art activities, a sculpture scavenger hunt and more.
A ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ puppet show will take place at the Art Park stage from 10:15 to 10:50 a.m. Marionettes, big and small, perform together on stage in this traditional Celtic music puppet play by Bits ‘N Pieces. Continue reading
It is hard to believe 2017 has come to an end and we are already in the second month of 2018. The CEP recently hosted its Annual Luncheon with a sold out crowd of more than 600. With a theme of Delivering on Success, we shared with our partners many of the successes of the past year and goals reached through the first year of our 5-year Action, Moving Forward-Phase II.
Talent
The major new initiative of this plan is actually a two-prong approach to grow and attraction talent. The CEP took several steps for this effort in 2017 with the hiring of a Director of Talent Development, Dean Blinkhorn, and the creation of two programs to focus on these efforts.
Our Talent Development Initiative is presented by Townley Manufacturing who has made a significant commitment to this effort. The CEP will be partnering with our schools systems and higher education partners to ensure that teachers have the tools they need to provide relevancy to their lessons. This does not mean that we are going to tell teachers how to teach. Instead, we are going to provide them with resourced to help them prepare students for the realities of the workforce they will be entering. Continue reading
Here we are in March and it feels like there is a full time election campaign going on. Democrats and Republicans are lying to each other, doing strategy to make a deal so they can get re-elected. Throwing everything in but the kitchen sink. After taking a shower at night and watch an hour of Fox News I feel dirty again, and the unfortunate thing is most of what I have been hearing is what I suspected to be true.
Someone needs to go back to the Judge that gave the FBI the right to spy on the other party and ask the Judge to squash the warrant based on the fact that the information furnished was not true. Continue reading
