TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is filing criminal charges against the owner of a Tampa-based pool company for stealing more than $1.5 million from Floridians and failing to complete customers’ pools. James Ivan Staten, Jr., owner and operator of Olympus Pools, faces charges of aggravated white-collar crime, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft and contractor fraud. Staten accepted large down payments and then left many consumers in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Polk counties with no pools and destroyed yards. Attorney General Moody, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges today in Tampa.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “For many people, finally saving enough money to buy a pool takes years of dreaming and hard work, but for the victimized customers of Olympus Pools, their dream turned into a nightmare. This defendant conned numerous Florida property owners by demanding large down payments on pools, then abandoning job sites—destroying backyards and leaving customers short of funds to try and fix the mess.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is pushing Congress to pass legislation to protect veterans. In a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general, Attorney General Moody is calling on congressional leaders to support the passage of legislative proposals included in Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding Veterans Affairs Benefits Act.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Our veterans sacrifice so much for our freedom, and they should be able to access the benefits they earned without being preyed upon by bad actors. We need Congress to help protect these brave Americans by passing the GUARD VA Benefits Act and reinstating criminal penalties for unlicensed individuals who may try to prey on our nation’s veterans.”

In a letter sent to congressional leaders, the coalition of attorneys general explained that the passing of the bipartisan legislation would hold unlicensed and unregulated actors accountable for targeting and preying upon veterans who apply for benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Continue reading →

Dear Neighbor,
This week marks the first day of school for thousands of families across Florida’s Third Congressional District! We wish all of our students, teachers, and parents a productive and successful school year ahead, and we remind all of our area drivers and pedestrians to watch for school buses, put down electronic devices in the car, and pay attention to our young learners making their way to their classrooms. Continue reading →

The current federal income tax system is clearly broken-unfair,overly complex and almost impossible for most Americans to understand. But there is a reasonable, nonpartisan alternative before Congress that is both fair and easy to understand. A system that allows you only pay taxes on what you spend. The FAIRtax is a nation sales tax that treats every person equally and allows American businesses to thrive while generating the same tax revenue as the current tax code.

The FAIRtax is a REPLACEMENT not an add-on to the income tax. Under the FAIRtax, every person in the U.S. will pay a sales tax on purchases of NEW goods and services, excluding necessities due to the prebate. The FAIRtax rate after necessities is 23% compared to combing the 15% income tax bracket with the 7.65% of employee payroll taxes under the current system- both of which will be eliminated. Your paycheck will be what you earned without federal deductions giving you an instant raise in pay. The FAIRtax puts Social Security and Medicare on a more solid funding foundation. Instead of being funded by taxes on worker’s wages, which is a small pool, they will be funded by taxes on overall consumption by all residents. Continue reading →

Connecting more than 59,000 Unserved and Underserved Businesses, Homes, Farms and Anchor Institutions Like Hospitals and Libraries to High-Speed Internet 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis awarded more than $247 million through the Broadband Infrastructure Program, connecting more than 59,000 unserved and underserved businesses, homes, farms and anchor institutions like hospitals and libraries to high-speed Internet. Infrastructure deployment through 63 strategic projects in 43 Florida counties ensures that Florida residents have reliable and efficient access to workforce, education and health monitoring opportunities for generations to come.

These awards are in addition to more than $226 million in Broadband Opportunity Grant Funding already awarded to 53 counties awards to expand broadband Internet access to unserved areas across the state, connecting more than 250,000 homes and businesses. Additional funding will become available this year through new and existing programs. Continue reading →

Each educator earning a Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement receives a stipend worth $3,000 each

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced Florida has awarded 11,000 teachers more than $33 million for completing civics training offered by the Florida Department of Education. The educators have completed either the Summer Civics Professional Learning Series or the first-of-its-kind Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement, which equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to provide high-quality civics instruction.

Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) launched the Civics Seal of Excellence in January, and more than 10,000 teachers registered for the course within the first week. Course enrollment is at capacity with 20,000 teachers enrolled and an additional 11,000 educators on the waiting list. FDOE enlisted the assistance of nationally recognized civics experts to create the 50-hour online program that contains over 28 hours of high-quality video lessons focused on America’s history, civics, and government. Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Kat Cammack (FL-03), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus, and Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13), Co-Vice Chair of the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus, Co-Chair Susie Lee (NV-03), and Co-Vice Chair Representative Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, calling for the prioritization of women’s cardiovascular health.

“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of all. While many heart attacks, strokes, and deaths caused by CVD are preventable, the widespread lack of CVD awareness and subsequent lack of screening, diagnosis and treatment only broaden the impact this disease has on women,” wrote the signers. “All women deserve quality cardiovascular care with a focus on prevention, which includes access to innovative treatments when needed. Special attention should be focused on the disparities that exist among racial and ethnic groups. According to a report published by the American Heart Association, non-Hispanic Black women are more likely to suffer from CVD than their non-Hispanic White female peers. Between 2015 and 2018, the alarming prevalence of CVD was 42.1 percent in non-Hispanic white women, 42.7 percent in Hispanic women, and 58.8 percent in non-Hispanic Black women aged 20 years or older.” Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack voted to support FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

“With continued threats from the Chinese Communist Party, it’s more important now than ever to make sure our military is prepared to strengthen our national security. Our Armed Forces must have the necessary resources to keep our nation safe, and I’m glad this NDAA takes the proper steps to put our readiness first. We increased servicemembers’ pay to support our servicemembers and their families, removed radical, woke ideology, training, and requirements for our military, rejected Green New Deal initiatives, provided a path back to service for those who did not take the COVID vaccine, and reduced the burden on our military families for housing expenses.

“I’m also excited to see my own amendment included in the NDAA, including legislation to explore the uses of blockchain technology to create additional accountability within the DoD,” said Cammack. Continue reading →

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL-03) announced the Gainesville Regional Airport’s award of $6,354,437 to improve infrastructure and acquire a new aircraft firefighting vehicle.

“Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) continues to be an important part of our community in North Central Florida, providing commercial and chartered flights each day to destinations across the south and along the eastern seaboard,” said Congresswoman Cammack. “To continue the service patrons have come to expect at Gainesville Regional, it’s imperative to improve the infrastructure and continue to attract more travelers who deserve the best visitor experience possible. I know GNV will put the funds to good use, and I look forward to seeing the improvements.” Continue reading →