Florida State Wide
After seven consecutive weeks in Washington, D.C., it feels great to be home! This week, I visited with constituents in Alachua, Marion, Hamilton, Levy, and Baker Counties, criss-crossing Florida’s Third Congressional District and meeting some of the finest folks in the Sunshine State.
Volunteers with Americans for Prosperity Florida and the local chapters of the American Cancer Society visited to share their health priorities with me. I believe that our health care system is broken, but it will take a preventive approach from providers and patients to improve our quality of care. I’m excited to share some new projects on this front in the coming months.
In Baker County, I visited with Sheriff Scotty Rhoden, Baker Clerk of Court Stacie Harvey, the local fire department, World Honey Market, and several small organizations in Macclenny. I also stopped by Cedar Key in Levy County to check out the latest water projects on the Withlacoochee River in Yankeetown before heading to Marion County for a stint as a cashier at the RaceTrac location in Ocala. You can see these visits below and stay tuned for more from our travels next week. Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shut down a complex criminal enterprise using the dark web and cryptocurrency to commit identity theft and launder money. An Orlando teen led the complex cybercrime operation. The lead defendant, Justin Vassell, used cryptocurrency to buy bundles of stolen personal information to open credit card accounts and purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.
The Florida Attorney General’s Office and FDLE today announced the arrest of Justin Vassell, Jacqueline Vassell, Shannon Vassell, Marc Williams, Deonte Benejan and Lawrence Dority for the criminal enterprise that illicitly purchased more than $350,000 worth of merchandise, including ammunition and firearm parts. The group then sold the items to pawn shops around the Orlando area to obtain cash. Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning the U.S. Department of Justice against a politically-motivated investigation of Florida’s immigrant relocation program. In a letter to the DOJ, Attorney General Moody states that there is no legal basis for California’s request for the DOJ to investigate the program. Attorney General Moody’s letter responds to a request by the California Governor and Attorney General to the DOJ to investigate Florida and defends the state’s actions to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities on a volunteer basis. The letter also points out that California’s request is a political stunt and not a legal request, as California’s letter does not identify any violation of federal statute, judicial decision or law.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “California’s letter requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate Florida is a ridiculous political stunt. Our voluntary immigration relocation program is lawful, and California’s request fails to identify any violation of federal law. As an Attorney General who leads hundreds of highly-qualified lawyers and has led dozens of legal challenges against this administration, it is jarring that California is not competent enough to articulate even a minimal legal basis for its request. I thought California loved to tout its commitment to illegal immigrants, but now its governor does not want more immigrants in California, claiming that more of them could break his state—how ironic.” Continue reading
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today is National Lottery Day, and Attorney General Ashley Moody is releasing a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about sweepstakes scams. Lottery scams often begin when a scammer calls or sends messages to targets, often seniors, claiming the target won a prize. The scammer will then request service fees or financial information from the target stating that this is necessary for the winnings to be transferred.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Receiving a message that you have won a large cash prize can be exciting, but it’s also likely a scam. If you receive one of these messages, be suspicious, do some research and never open any links included in the message. For more tips to avoid lottery scams, check out our latest Consumer Alert.” Continue reading
Another a big week last week in Florida’s Third Congressional District, we continued our hard work during this holiday week, visiting locations across North Central Florida. This week, we had stops in Alachua, Marion, Baker, Levy, and Dixie Counties, visiting with constituents and hearing from them about the latest infrastructure, agriculture, and health-related projects in our area.
The House is back in session next week, so we’ll have more updates from Washington, D.C. in next week’s newsletter. August recess is coming up soon and we look forward to being back in North Central Florida for more visits, updates, and time with you in a few weeks. Continue reading
This week, my office and the Federal Trade Commission sent more than $540,000 to consumers who fell victim to an illegal robocall scheme, including nearly $50,000 going directly to Floridians.
This is the result of successful joint litigation by my office and the FTC against Life Management Services of Orange County, LLC, and related companies for tricking individuals into paying for interest-rate-reduction and debt-elimination programs that rarely, if ever, provided the results as promised.
The robocall campaign deceived consumers into paying upfront fees of $500 to $1500 for these services. Now, due to our litigation, the defendants are permanently banned from engaging in these deceptive practices. They are also required to pay money and surrender homestead property, luxury cars and more.
Hundreds of Floridians harmed by this deceptive robocall scheme will soon receive their restitution checks averaging $117.
Consumers who have questions about the refunds process should contact the administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 1(877) 381-0342, or visit the FTC website for more information.
My office works hard to protect Floridians and fight fraudsters who take advantage of unsuspecting individuals. But you can also help us combat these schemes.
Check out our Scams at a Glance: Robotexts and Robocalls resource to learn how to avoid falling victim to these types of scams.
You can report robocalls to the FTC by visiting ReportFraud.FTC.gov. Floridians can also report scams related to robocalls by filing a complaint with our office at MyFloridaLegal.com or calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM.
By being on the lookout for deceptive calls and reporting fraudulent activity, you can help us build a Stronger, Safer Florida.
by: Steve Hayes 06-16-2023 Source: FAIRtax
Supreme Court exposes more IRS abusive powers
diegograndi
SUPREME COURT EXPOSES MORE IRS ABUSIVE POWERS
If you’re going to have a federal income tax, there are three things that inevitably come along with it.
First, there are going to be people who try to cheat the system in order to pay less than they actually owe. Consequently, an income tax requires a large, powerful federal agency with broad investigative and enforcement powers in order to identify the cheaters and compel them to comply with the law.
Second, those powers must be precisely defined and delegated to the enforcement agency by Congress. Continue reading
Dear friends,
This month we are continuing our report on the 2023 Legislative Session and all that we accomplished on behalf of Florida’s citizens. Last month we reported to you on some of the big budget items. Over the next few months, our column will focus on reporting on key pieces of legislation that was a priority of the leadership in the Florida Legislature.
HB 837 – For decades, Florida has been plagued by excessive litigation and a legal system that benefitted the lawyers more than people who are injured. Florida families have shouldered the hidden cost of lawsuit abuse. Florida’s litigation environment has cost the state jobs and driven up the cost of goods and services. According to the American Tort Reform Association’s “Judicial Hellhole” Report, lawsuit abuse costs Florida households more than $5000, and costs the state more than 173,000 jobs. HB 837 institutes the most comprehensive tort reform in decades to decrease frivolous lawsuits and prevent predatory practices of trial attorneys that prey on hardworking Floridians. The transformative reforms in this bill will strike the right balance between protecting the rights of Floridians who suffer a loss, while at the same time safeguarding everyone else against the hidden costs of prolonged litigation. Continue reading
On June 16, 2023, in News Releases, by Staff
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Hometown Heroes program has provided $100 million in down payment and closing cost assistance to help Florida’s hometown workers purchase homes in the communities they serve. Governor DeSantis announced the launch of Hometown Heroes in June 2022, and since then the program has helped 6,753 veterans, active-duty military members, nurses, teachers, and law enforcement officers purchase homes for their families.
“Florida’s hometown heroes work hard to support our communities, and I am proud that we have supported over 6,700 of them as they purchased their family homes,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Through the Hometown Heroes housing program, we are ensuring that our police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, and military members and veterans can afford to buy homes in the communities that they have dedicated their lives to serving.” Continue reading
Florida’s unemployment rate remains lower than the nation’s for 31 consecutive months since November 2020
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida’s unemployment rate remains the lowest among the 10 largest states in the nation for the twelfth consecutive month. In May 2023, Florida’s unemployment rate remained at 2.6 percent for the fifth consecutive month. Florida’s statewide unemployment rate of 2.6 percent was 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 3.7 percent. In May 2023, Florida’s private sector employment increased by 17,200 jobs from the previous month, and by 323,400 jobs (3.9 percent) over the year, faster than the nation’s private sector job growth rate of 2.7 percent during the same time period.
“Florida’s unemployment rate has remained the lowest of the 10 largest states for an entire year —further proof that our Freedom First policies have strengthened our economy,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida will continue to protect taxpayers, foster new business formations, and maintain a responsible budget.” Continue reading
