WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-FL-03) and Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL-09) led a bipartisan letter with members of the Florida Delegation to the House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Agriculture, urging them to provide equitable relief with respect to crop insurance for specialty crop farmers.

Due to an unintended consequence of the 2011 cap on administrative and operative (A&O) expense reimbursements, specialty crop insurance funding has been cut dramatically. Historically, the contract between the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) and the crop insurance companies has prevented A&O costs associated with specialty crops’ policies from rising when prices of products like corn wheat, soybeans, or cotton increase. However, the effects of this flawed funding design have detrimentally impacted crop insurance for specialty crops, yielding a nearly 40 percent cut nationwide, with Florida among the top five states to be hit hardest. Continue reading →

Attorney General Moody Releases Fast Facts on Fentanyl to Educate Parents About the Dangers of Synthetic Opioids

Attorney General Ashley Moody is releasing a new informational toolkit about protecting children from digital drug dealers during summer break—when kids often spend more time online. The Fast Facts on Fentanyl Toolkit highlights how drug dealers utilize social media to sell illicit substances, and warns that those substances may contain deadly amounts of synthetic opioids. Attorney General Moody encourages Floridians to download the free toolkit and learn about synthetic opioids—including the emerging threat of Nitazenes.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Drug dealers are utilizing the internet to conduct their illicit business—often using social media to pressure children into purchasing deadly substances. Minors may be increasingly susceptible to digital dealers during the summer, when they may spend more time online. That is why I am releasing Fast Facts on Fentanyl to help parents talk to their children about the dangers of drug use. Sadly, we are reminded almost daily that one pill laced with fentanyl can kill. I hope this resource can help families better understand the risks associated with drug use and avoid tragedy.” Continue reading →

Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning Floridians about an emerging text message scam offering a ‘free gift’ for paying a bill on time. The Better Business Bureau details recent reports of this scheme that entices text recipients with the promise of a present to click on a link to an unfamiliar website requesting personal information. Attorney General Moody reminds Floridians to never use links from unknown phone numbers or reply to suspicious messages—especially if free gifts or money are promised.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Scammers will try anything to steal your personal information. Their latest trick is simple, but effective—the promise of a gift in exchange for personal information. Don’t fall for it. Never provide personal information in response to a solicitation or click on links contained in a suspicious message. Remember that if something seems too good to be true, then it’s probably a scam.”

VIDEO CONSUMER ALERT:

Attorney General Ashley Moody is alerting Florida wire-fraud victims to a reimbursement opportunity. Victims who were tricked into wiring money to scammers through Western Union, between Jan. 1, 2004 and Jan. 19, 2017, may be entitled to financial reimbursement from Western Union. Claims must be submitted on or before July 1, 2022. As many as 36,000 Floridians may be eligible for up to $40 million as part of the Western Unions claims process.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “There are millions of dollars available to victims of scammers who utilized Western Union as part of their unlawful schemes—but action must be taken soon. If you believe you are eligible, please file a claim by July 1.”

Attorney General Ashley Moody has helped the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers kick off its annual conference. The association is such an important partner in our efforts to encourage citizens to engage with law enforcement to build safer communities.

“Through our work with Crime Stoppers, we have made innovative changes and streamlined services to make it easier and more enticing for Floridians to help solve crimes.

Last year, we nearly doubled the amount of reward money for tipsters who provide information that leads to an arrest in a homicide case. We also enhanced the Crime Stoppers app that allows two-way anonymous communication with Crime Stoppers through text messaging and image sharing. Continue reading →

Summer is here and so are the scorching temperatures. Floridians, especially our seniors, cannot endure the hot Florida summer without air conditioning. So, when an HVAC unit malfunctions, they must rush to have their units fixed.

Bad actors may attempt to take advantage of the situation to sell unneeded repairs—or new systems. To help Floridians avoid these schemes, this week I released Scams at a Glance: Keep Your Cool.

This new resource is full of information to help consumers avoid common scams associated with HVAC repair.

Tips highlighted in Scams at a Glance: Keep Your Cool include: Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) provided Governor DeSantis’ Office the certified list of nominees to fill the vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court created by the retirement of Justice Alan Lawson.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to the members of the Judicial Nominating Commission for recommending such an exemplary list of strong constitutionalist jurists and practitioners,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The JNC process is designed to select high-quality candidates for our courts. I would like to thank the Commissioners for their hard work and diligence. They have left me with a difficult choice, but I look forward to appointing our next Supreme Court Justice in the coming weeks.”

Governor DeSantis is committed to selecting a candidate for the Florida Supreme Court who has a keen legal mind and is devoted to the Florida and U.S. Constitutions. The Governor will make his selection based upon the merit and judicial philosophy of the candidates presented. Continue reading →

“Florida will always be welcoming to all of our athletes with disabilities, regardless of COVID vaccination status,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Special Olympics International should have never imposed a vaccine mandate on their athletes. Special Olympians who were in limbo for months will now be able to compete in Florida thanks to our continued actions to keep Floridians’ medical decisions private.”

Dear Friends,

This is Part II of our report on the 2022 Legislative Session. As of this writing, we have already worked through one Special Session addressing congressional redistricting and independent special districts (Disney, Reed Creek). Both of these have been highly publicized already, so we won’t spend much time on those, except to tell you two things:

First, the congressional maps that we passed are fair and constitutional, and we fully expect that it will be upheld by the higher court. The Fair Districts Act, while (possibly) well intended, sends the wrong message about how we should operate as a society. Drawing a district to favor a population, based on the color of their skin, is moving us further away from the dream of Dr. King where we judge men not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Second, in regards to the Disney and the Special Districts Bill, the robust authority granted to the Reedy Creek Improvement District stretches well beyond those for other cities and counties. It was time for the legislature to conduct an extensive review of the powers and authorities of special districts through the lens of today’s environment. As elected officials, it is our duty to represent the best interest of Floridians, not boardrooms in California. Continue reading →