Dear Friends,

Our first round of committee meetings in January are completed and we have begun our preparations for another three weeks in February. The 2021 Regular Session will convene on March 2^nd, but much of the work happens in the weeks leading up to then. Per our state constitution, the Legislature’s only duty is to pass a balanced budget and we will have that completed by April 30^th, unless a special session is called by the Senate President and Speaker of the House. We are grateful that we live in fiscally responsible state that understands that we cannot spend beyond our means. This year, due to the impact of COVID-19, Florida will have to make cuts to our budget to fulfill that responsibility and tough decisions will be made. My colleagues in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat, are united in this effort and in the past few years, the final vote on our budgets has been largely unanimous (note: there have been years with a single member “nay” vote). In 2021, our leader on the budget will be Senator Kelli Stargel and we are very confident in her ability to lead us through the coming changes. Continue reading →

Newspaper have pivoted to digital advertising on their sites to bring their publications into the modern era with some easy, low cost improvements.  With little or no technical knowledge, publishers can create a beautiful digital site in less than an hour, for very little cost or can add various optional enhancements which will help attract more readers and sell more ads.

Many are succeeding with website development while others are struggling or afraid to try.  Here are several fear inducing website development myths busted, with a no holds barred strategy for tackling site upgrades, to guide publishers on the road to progress:

1- “I don’t need a website.”

Today, every newspaper needs to have a digital version in addition to the printed version.  Even local papers often generate from 10 to 30% of total revenue from their websites.  Newspaper websites have contributed significantly to the bottom line.  Having a digital website means reaching a bigger audience.  Only about 30% of newspaper readers read printed papers currently.  That means 70% of the potential audience can only be reached online, including young people, out-of-towners and people who have cancelled their print subscriptions.

2- “I don’t have time to deal with changing websites now.”

With the help of a good consultant, the job is much easier.  Upgrading a website involves as little as 1 hour of your time, to just a few hours, maybe four one-hour meetings, over four to six weeks, to plan and build out your new site.  You can transfer everything over from your old site and set everything up on the new one, easily and quickly.   Continue reading →

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! We hope that each of you enjoyed a blessed and safe holiday season with your loved ones. 2020 was quite the ride and many things have not turned out the way we would like, but God is still good and we know that he is in control.

The second week of January brings our first week of committee meetings in the Florida Senate and we are excited to be back in Tallahassee on your behalf to advocate for the principles that we hold dear. Faith, Family, Freedom, Opportunity, and Life. These principles are worth fighting for and we will not quit.

We are very excited that we have won a big fight on behalf of Life in Florida. Just a few weeks ago, Ocala, Florida become the first city in the state to receive a Safe Haven Baby Box. This “box” or “bassinette” as we call it is located on the outside wall of a building such as a fire station or hospital, with one outside facing door for someone to place the infant in, and an inside door for staff or personnel to accept surrendered children under Florida’s Safe Haven Law. The device has a dual alarm system that activates once an infant is placed inside, and staff is required to periodically check the device and ensure that the alarm system is operable at all times. This will save lives and is one more tool to be used to help someone in distress who feels that they have no other option. The message that we can send with this is that we do care about every life, and every little baby deserves a chance to live. We are continuing to work on legislation to expand our safe haven law and promote these safety devices so that every community in Florida has this option. Every life matters and we can make a difference! Continue reading →

On December 16, 2020, in News Releases, by Staff

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the State of Florida’s initial distribution plan for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Florida is preparing to receive 367,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week, pending Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Doses of the Moderna vaccine will be distributed to 173 hospital locations that did not receive doses in the first allocation of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. These hospital locations span 43 counties. Find the full list at www.flgov.com.

The state is able to distribute this vaccine to a large number of hospitals as the Moderna vaccine does not require ultra-cold storage.

Governor DeSantis has issued regular video updates on vaccine distribution in Florida, which can be found at www.youtube.com/c/GovernorRonDeSantis/videos

Floridians are also encouraged to opt-in to receive updates about the COVID-19 vaccine via text. Floridians can receive these text updates by texting FLCOVID19 to 888777.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office today announced Operation Income Illusion, a nationwide crackdown on scams that target consumers with false promises of income and financial independence. The impact of these scams has intensified this year as scammers take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and financial crisis to exploit jobseekers. Attorney General Moody is joined by the Federal Trade Commission and other federal, state and local law enforcement partners in Operation Income Illusion.

Highlighted in the nationwide crackdown is Attorney General Moody’s action against FirstUSA Business Development Inc—filed last month in Pinellas County. The complaint filed against FirstUSA alleges that the company induced consumers through telemarketing calls to purchase business coaching products and services, supposedly designed to help consumers start or improve a home-based internet business, but resulted in some consumers losing thousands of dollars without earning the profits promised or, in some instances, not even receiving the products or services. The defendants marketed these services to consumers in Florida and across the country.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Income scams prey on people who find themselves in financially vulnerable situations, such as a sudden loss of employment or imminent retirement with inadequate funding. With high unemployment and the ongoing financial impact brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are looking for innovative ways to make ends meet, making them more susceptible to income scams. Sadly, these scams produce the opposite results for income seekers—instead of gaining a paycheck, they lose money. I am proud to work with our federal and state partners to actively identify, investigate and stop these schemes in Florida and nationwide.” Continue reading →

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured a 20-year prison sentence for a child sexual predator. Ryan Harding pleaded guilty to attempted sexual battery on a child under the age of 12 and several counts of possession of child pornography, among other charges stemming from his Aug. 28, 2018 arrest. Harding’s lengthy prison sentence will be followed by five years of sex offender probation. Harding will also have to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The abuse and exploitation of a child is an act of pure evil. It is incredibly disturbing and heartbreaking to learn of victims going through years of this form of physical and psychological torture. I am proud of my Statewide Prosecutors for securing a lengthy prison sentence in this case. I hope this will bring some peace of mind to the victim as the healing process continues.”

According to a June 2017 report filed with the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office, between 2013 and 2017, Harding sexually molested a child who was between the ages of 11 and 14 during the time period of abuse. The sexual battery reportedly occurred in multiple counties, namely Citrus, Lake, Marion and Miami-Dade. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case due to the multiple jurisdictions.

Harding pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual battery on a child under 12 years of age, 13 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of promoting a sexual performance by a child, one count of transmission of materials harmful to minors and one count of use of a two-way communications device to facilitate the commission of a felony. Julie Sercus with the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecuted the case.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody is taking action to claw back money owed to Florida’s Medicaid Program. Following a multistate investigation into Royal Pharmaceuticals LLC and Seton Pharmaceuticals LLC, Attorney General Moody and a bipartisan group of attorneys general from across the country secured more than $10 million for the states’ Medicaid programs. The nationwide investigation found that the two jointly-held pharmaceutical companies underpaid Medicaid drug rebates to all 50 states from 2013 to 2017.

Florida’s Medicaid program will receive more than $4 million through efforts by Attorney General Moody and other state attorneys general.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “For years these pharmaceutical companies shortchanged Florida’s Medicaid program—hurting the integrity of the taxpayer benefit and shortchanging Floridians. I am proud of the work of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the team of attorneys general who worked together to stop it and secure millions for our states’ Medicaid programs.”

In July 2018, Royal and Seton self-reported an error in the companies’ Medicaid Drug Rebate Program data to the North Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. As part of the MDRP, drug manufacturers are required to pay rebates to state Medicaid programs for each of the company’s drugs that are covered by Medicaid. From September 2013 to January 2017, Royal and Seton inadvertently, yet inaccurately, reported the market date data element that is part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ calculation of each drug’s rebate amount. Continue reading →

This month, I issued a Consumer Alert warning Floridians about COVID-19 vaccine product and distribution scams. With news that thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccines will be heading to Florida soon and consumers anxious to achieve immunity, scammers may exploit the situation to rip-off Floridians.

Once doses arrive, the swift and orderly distribution of the vaccine will be key to getting our state and country back on track.

With that said, I am asking all Floridians to be on the lookout for vaccine-related scams and report fraud. Scammers may try to exploit the sense of urgency surrounding the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to swindle those trying to protect their health.

The following tips can help Floridians avoid COVID-19 vaccine-related scams:

• Seek vaccine-related information from trusted health care professionals and government officials;
• Do not respond to solicitations about vaccines;
• Never send money or financial information to anyone offering a COVID-19 vaccine or claiming the ability to expedite the process; and
• Report suspicious solicitations or COVID-19 vaccine-related advertisements to my office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

To view the latest alerts and to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 related scams, visit our Consumer Alert webpage by clicking http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases

By keeping a watchful eye out for scammers and following the advice of trusted health care professionals, we will get through this pandemic and build a Stronger, Safer Florida.

(NAPSI)—If your electricity goes out due to ice, a generator can keep power flowing to your home or business.

Just keep safety in mind when using generators, advises the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association representing small engine, utility vehicle and outdoor power equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

“Not having power when you need it is frustrating, so a generator can provide emergency backup power at a reasonable cost,” says Kris Kiser, President and CEO of OPEI. “It’s important to follow all manufacturer’s instructions, and never place a generator in your garage or inside your home or building. It should be a safe distance from the structure and not near an air intake.”

More tips include:

#1. Take stock of your generator. Make sure equipment is in good working order before starting and using it. Do this before a storm hits.

#2. Review the directions. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions. Review the owner’s manuals (look manuals up online if you cannot find them) so equipment is operated safely.

#3. Install a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in your home. This alarm will sound if dangerous levels of carbon monoxide enter the building.

#4. Have the right fuel on hand. Use the type of fuel recommended by the generator manufacturer to protect this important investment. It is illegal to use any fuel with more than 10% ethanol in outdoor power equipment. (For more information on proper fueling for outdoor power equipment visit www.LookBeforeYouPump.com.) It’s best to use fresh fuel, but if you are using fuel that has been sitting in a gas can for more than 30 days, add fuel stabilizer to it. Store gas only in an approved container and away from heat sources. Continue reading →