By TomL

Famous people I have met. A Veteran came to a meeting I was attending some years ago.  I listened to this veteran’s story. He was being escorted around by other veterans helping him tell his story. According to his report, he was the last person alive that raised the flag on Iwo Jima and he felt obligated to tell the true story. He started: It was a day of a lot of dying. His fellow soldiers were falling all around him. After and during the battle a small group of solders put up the flag to show the ships and other solders that they had taken that part of the island. A high ranking military officer was watching with a pair of binoculars from a ship that was just off shore. He was struck by the sight of the flag raising. So after the battle he decided it would make a great photo op to send back home to USA. So he contacted his photographer to meet him on shore. Continue reading →

Friends,

It feels great to be home! The past few months in our State Capitol has again reminded me of the blessing and honor it is to be able to represent hardworking, salt of the earth people in Senate District 12. I thank you for the privilege of letting me work alongside of you to protect freedom and liberty. With the 2019 legislative session officially ending on May 4^th, I felt that it might be good to share with you a few of the big highlights from our work in Tallahassee.

The first big accomplishment was that we killed a lot of bad bills! Out of the 2500+ bills that were filed, less than 200 actually made it all the way through the House and Senate, and Governor DeSantis has already vetoed a few of those. Did some good pieces of legislation die with those? Sure. We didn’t get everything that we wanted but it has been my experience that the more bills that pass, and the more government messes in our lives, the less freedom we have. So, I am very pleased to see that this process is working, and that every decision we make is met with careful inspection and reflection. This process isn’t always pretty, but our country’s great experiment is still the best in the world. Continue reading →

Florida’s largest road project in half a century was given a green light Wednesday, after the House voted to send a bill creating three new toll roads to Gov. Ron DeSantis for approval. Overcoming opposition from environmental groups and questions about whether the roads were needed, the House voted 76-36 to start the ball rolling on creating one new toll road and extending one new one. The bill would extend the Suncoast Parkway to Georgia, extend Florida’s Turnpike to the Suncoast, and build a new toll road from the Naples area toward Interstate 4 near Orlando. Construction would begin in 2022 and be finished by 2030.

After about seven hours of angry, sometimes deeply painful debate about race and gun violence that spanned two days, the Florida House passed a bill Wednesday that would allow classroom teachers to be armed an expansion of the program it created last year after the Parkland shooting. The debate at times reached emotional heights that had Democrats shouting or tearing up as black members delved into details about their personal experiences with racism and their deep-seated fears about minority children being targeted by teachers who have guns. The bill is now on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. For teachers and other staff to be armed, school districts must opt-in to the so-called “Guardian program,” which allows teachers and other staff to volunteer to carry a gun on campus after undergoing screening and training by a local sheriff’s office.

May 24^th

Our Back the Blue Campaign continues to highlight individuals that take extraordinary steps to further build positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

This week, I traveled to Fort Myers to present a Back the Blue Award to School Resource Officer Donna Aiossa-McNally who serves at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center. Deputy Aiossa-McNally gave up her office and turned it into a food pantry so that special needs students could learn the shopping experience. By creating the food pantry, students are able to develop important vocational skills, build confidence when making decisions, and bring food home so they do not go hungry at night. This is especially significant at Buckingham because 78 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches.

Deputy Aiossa-McNally is also working towards making the school’s home economics kitchen ADA and wheelchair accessible. This would give students the opportunity to learn how to cook and make meals themselves from the items they picked at the food pantry. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today announced the first arrest in connection with the newly-formed Senior Protection Team. Acting on a complaint sent to the Team, investigators began looking into allegations that a Florida senior fell victim to contractor fraud following Hurricane Michael. The victim’s home suffered damage during the storm. The victim paid a contractor $5,000 for repairs that the contractor never completed.

Working with the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office, the Team helped build a case that led to the arrest of contractor Mark Kelsoe. The investigation revealed Kelsoe as an unlicensed contractor. Kelsoe is charged with one count of working as an unlicensed contractor during a state of emergency, a third-degree felony.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Anyone trying to take advantage of Florida seniors should think twice before committing fraud. Our Senior Protection Team is working diligently to investigate complaints of senior fraud and abuse. The Team has only been active for a matter of weeks and already their hard work is producing results. Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today visited the Orlando Police Department and presented a Back the Blue Award to the department for providing relief to Puerto Rico law enforcement agencies post Hurricane Maria. Over the past two years, the department gathered gear to help law enforcement maintain order on the storm-ravaged island. The materials consist of radio equipment, ballistic shields, tactical vests, tasers, flashlights, helmets and more. The department delivered the materials, valued at more than $500,000, to Puerto Rico last week.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The Orlando Police Department and Chief Orlando Rolón went above and beyond to support law enforcement in Puerto Rico. Not only do they dedicate their lives to serving Floridians, they are committed to helping those in need outside of Florida as well. The brotherhood within law enforcement is strong, no matter where you are located, and the care and consideration of this mission is outstanding. Thank you, Orlando Police Department for your tenacity, for representing our State so well and helping our fellow Americans.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging the Federal Communications Commission to take further action to stop the growing spread of illegal robocalls and spoofing. Spoofing is the practice of using technology to disguise a caller’s phone number. The number of spoofed calls and the consumer financial losses tied to these scams have increased by nearly 50 percent in recent years. Attorney General Moody is one of 42 attorneys general asking the FCC to enforce rules against caller ID spoofing on calls to the United States originating from overseas, while also addressing spoofing in text messages and alternative voice services.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Earlier this year I urged Congress to take action against illegal robocalls, and now I am advocating for the Federal Communications Commission to further enforce rules against the rapid proliferation of these calls. We must continue to work together to protect consumers from being harassed and scammed by robocalls.”

The coalition of Attorneys General delivered formal legal comments to the FCC. The comments urged the FCC to adopt provisions that are included in the FCC appropriations authorization bill also known as the Ray Baum’s Act of 2018.

Americans received almost 18 billion scam robocalls in 2018, and robocalls have increased in the U.S. by 57 percent from 2017 to 2018. The FTC reports that these imposter scams cost consumers $488 million just in 2018.

Attorney General Moody is joined in sending the formal comments to the FCC by the attorneys general of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.

To view the formal comments, click here. 

Florida continues to rank third in the nation in the number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. This horrific crime is plaguing our state and we must remain vigilant on combatting this modern-day slavery. Taking an active role in this fight is especially crucial with the Super Bowl coming to Miami next February. Major sporting events attract thousands of visitors from around the world and can also create a temporary and illegal market for human traffickers.

Today, our Statewide Council on Human Trafficking met in Jacksonville, and we discussed our partnership with Uber to help prevent human trafficking during the Super Bowl. Ahead of the last Super Bowl in Atlanta, Uber launched anti-sex trafficking training in an effort to protect visitors and stop trafficking. We need to do the same for next year’s Super Bowl in Florida and Uber will soon begin providing additional anti-human trafficking training sessions for its Florida drivers. I will also serve on the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee’s Executive Leadership Team in charge of anti-sex trafficking efforts and additional human trafficking interdiction efforts. Continue reading →