WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden signed into law Congressman Aaron Bean (Fl-04) and Congresswoman Cammack’s bill to rename the Melrose, Florida post office after local letter carrier Pamela “Pam” Jane Rock, who tragically died after sustaining injuries while delivering mail in northeast Florida.

“Pam had a servant’s heart, and it was obvious in the way she lived her life. While her time on this earth was tragically cut short, she served the U.S. Post Service with passion and integrity,” said Congressman Bean. “Designating the Melrose Post Office in her name will honor her legacy in the community she loved. I am very proud to see our bill signed into law officially memorializing Pam’s memory and commitment to Floridians. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is fighting back against Biden’s attempt to wrongfully regulate gun owners. For decades, federal law has made a distinction between firearms dealers, who must purchase a federal license to sell firearms, and private individuals making private sales, a protected activity. Biden’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently enacted a new rule that requires thousands of law-abiding citizens to register as dealers and navigate a complex bureaucracy to simply buy, sell or trade firearms with friends and neighbors—a constitutionally protected activity. This rule also burdens citizens with additional costs. Attorney General Moody is pushing back against this unnecessary burden on second amendment rights of Floridians.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This is Biden’s latest step in trying to take guns away from law-abiding Americans. We are fighting back against this federal overreach that would force thousands of law-abiding gun owners to register as federal firearms dealers and navigate a federal bureaucracy. It’s unlawful and reflects a lack of respect for our second amendment rights. We won’t stand for it.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—May is National Older Americans Month and Elder Law Month, and in recognition, Attorney General Ashley Moody is sharing helpful resources for Florida seniors. Attorney General Moody is committed to protecting the more than 5.5 million seniors who call Florida home. The Florida Attorney General’s Office offers and promotes several resources to assist older Floridians who fall victim to scams, fraud and exploitation.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Not only is Florida the Sunshine State, but we are also a ‘silver’ state—attracting millions of seniors to live out their golden years. We’re proud of this reputation, and we work hard to protect older Floridians from scams and fraud. In recognition of Elder Law Month and Older Americans Month, I’m sharing initiatives and resources that aim to help older Floridians avoid falling victim.”

Attorney General Moody’s Senior Protection Team is an intra-agency group of experts working together to fight fraud and assist seniors. The team collaborates with law enforcement agencies, advocacy groups and community organizations to provide support, guidance and advocacy for seniors across the state. Since 2019, SPT is responsible for recovering more than $7.7 million in funds for Florida seniors.  Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Standing with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Transportation at a toll plaza in Orlando today, Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about a concerning new smishing scam targeting drivers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that scammers are sending fraudulent text messages to individuals claiming unpaid toll fees and providing links to settle the alleged debts. However, these links are malicious and designed to steal victims’ money. These scams are also being seen targeting E-ZPass users. Attorney General Moody’s Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit, working with FDLE, recently shut down 10 imposter websites.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Cybercriminals are sending text messages to thousands of unsuspecting drivers in the hopes that some of them will be tricked into paying a toll fee for a violation that never occurred. While this smishing scam is happening across the nation, our Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit worked closely with FDLE to shut down 10 fraudulent sites designed to mimic the official SunPass website and steal payments from drivers who received their fake text messages.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is activating Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline following a state of emergency declaration for the North Florida tornadoes. The order follows Governor Ron DeSantis’s state of emergency declaration covering Baker, Columbia, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

The Price Gouging Hotline is now available to receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities. Florida’s price gouging law only applies to items and services essential to getting ready for, or recovering from, a storm within the areas of a declared state of emergency.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Early morning tornadoes and severe weather ripped through North Florida—causing major damage and widespread power outages. As emergency crews remove road debris and rush to restore power, it is vital that Floridians in hard hit areas heed the advice of local officials. Those consumers who are purchasing emergency supplies should report any incidences of suspected price gouging by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com to file a complaint.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit announced the arrest of the owner of a home health services agency and a parent of a disabled child for Medicaid provider fraud. Latrena Marie Thomas is the owner of A River’s Journey, a home health care agency with residential home care facilities located in Yulee and Jacksonville. Thomas is accused of hiring non-licensed individuals to provide hands-on personal care services to Medicaid recipients. In addition, Thomas paid Donald Ray Adams II, a parent of a disabled Medicaid recipient, to provide medically licensed care for his own child. In total, Thomas fraudulently billed Medicaid claims for 30 distinct medically needy Medicaid recipients, which caused a total loss of more than $1.6 million.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This fraudulent billing scheme not only defrauded the Florida Medicaid program out of more than $1.6 million but did so at the expense of Medicaid-dependent recipients, one being a disabled child. In addition to manipulating the system for extra money, the hiring of unqualified and unlicensed medical staff resulted in poor treatment and medical emergencies for Medicaid patients. I’m grateful for our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for putting a stop to this scheme.” Continue reading →

Who is hindering the passage of the FAIRtax? The answer: those who benefit from the current system. A recent Rasmussen survey may provide a partial answer to who those people are.

Scott Rasmussen provides a revealing look at a group that he calls “America’s elite 1%”. This group is defined as people who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas and have postgraduate degrees. Here is some of the results of the survey:

*  The elite 1% represents 1% of the population and are extraordinary influential.

*  A heavy concentration of them went to one of 12 elite schools.

*  About half of the policy positions in government and half the corporate board positions in America are held by people who went to one of those 12 schools.

*  They are in power centers – Manhattan or D.C. Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

In the last few days, Governor DeSantis signed the following education bills into law:

HB 931 establishes a statewide school chaplain program, which:

▪  Authorizes school districts and charter schools to allow volunteer chaplains to be on school campuses and provide additional counseling support to students.

• Chaplains will be assigned by the district school board or charter school governing board.
• A student may only receive support offered by school chaplains with written parental consent.

HB 1317 authorizes districts to allow civic and patriotic organizations to visit schools to encourage student participation and involvement. These organizations include: Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the number of Americans rescued from political turmoil in Haiti by the State of Florida now exceeds 200 individuals. Since the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s first state coordinated rescue flight on March 20, a total of 220 Americans have been successfully evacuated from Haiti to Florida. The evacuations have been executed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (the Division).

“When Floridians and other Americans are in need, the State of Florida acts,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I’m pleased to announce that we’ve been able to successfully rescue more than 200 Floridians and other Americans from Haiti. Even when the federal government fails to act, Florida will always step up.” Continue reading →