Florida State Wide
Source: Florida Attorney General’s Office
Small businesses have increasingly become the target of scam artists who use their knowledge of small business practices to fraudulently induce these businesses to pay for services never performed or for products never delivered. These scam artists use a number of different techniques which include: sending phony invoices for items never ordered; using prizes as an inducement to sell overpriced office equipment and supplies; sending phony invoices or correspondence appearing to be from the Florida Division or Corporations or another government entity; and sending phony yellow page advertisement renewal forms which are actually contracts for advertisement in other directories. Consider the following to avoid small business scams:
Verify invoices.
Employ procedures to verify any and all incoming invoices prior to payment. Compile a listing of all suppliers with whom you normally do business by name, address and phone number and make the list available to anyone responsible for the payment of your invoices. Continue reading
6/1/2018
Today, marks the first day of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season and it is also a time when tourists love to visit Florida. Close to 21 million people call Florida home, and millions more visit the beauty Florida offers from the panhandle all the way to the Keys. In the past two years, Florida has been reminded of the impact of mother nature during the past hurricane seasons that have brought destruction and devastating flooding to our communities.
Everyone, whether you are a resident or a visitor, should make safety their number one priority and be prepared for this upcoming hurricane season. Hurricane experts predict this hurricane season to be an active one, and I want everyone to be prepared. My Hurricane Preparedness Guide provides a detailed checklist of items you will need in the event of a hurricane. To view my guide, click here. Continue reading
The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins Friday, June 1 and ends Friday, Nov. 30.
Post Date:05/31/2018 4:42 PM
OCALA, Fla. (May 31, 2018) – The 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins Friday, June 1 and ends Friday, Nov. 30. While Ocala/Marion County does not have a coastline, our community can still experience freshwater flooding when tropical storms and hurricanes move across the Atlantic Ocean. The City of Ocala strongly encourages its residents to be alert, aware and prepared this hurricane season. Continue reading
In 1968, Florida became the only state to allow for its state constitution to be revisited and changed through a regularly scheduled commission called the Constitution Revision Commission. Once every 20 years, Florida’s Constitution provides for the creation of a 37-member revision commission for the purpose of reviewing Florida’s Constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) meets for approximately one year, traveling the State of Florida, identifying issues, performing research and possibly recommending changes to the (State) Constitution. Any amendments proposed by the CRC would be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot. You can visit their web site at flcrc.gov to see all of the proposed Commission and Public Proposals, the full text of each proposed ballot amendment and additional information about the commission.
You might want to consider voting by mail, mailed to you by the Supervisor of Elections 35 days prior to the election. This will allow you plenty of time to review the eight (8) amendments being proposed by the CRC. In addition, there are numerous other amendments and perhaps a few local issues for consideration. The eight proposals by the CRC are as follows: Continue reading
WILDWOOD, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott attended a groundbreaking ceremony in The Villages to kick off construction of the Center for Advanced Healthcare at Brownwood, as well as the Brownwood Hotel and Spa. Governor Scott said, “It was great to celebrate a project that will create jobs and serve the 120,000 residents of The Villages. The Villages is a prime example of our state’s economic success. Florida has created more than 1.5 million jobs since December 2010 because of projects like the one we celebrated today.”
This week, Florida lost a law enforcement hero. Highlands County Sheriff’s Deputy William Gentry was shot while responding to a dispute between neighbors. He was rushed to the hospital where, the next day, he passed.
Deputy Gentry died a hero, and our entire law enforcement community is mourning his loss. Please pray for his family, friends and members of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office during this difficult time.
Sadly, Deputy Gentry is the fourth law enforcement officer Florida lost this year.
I am humbled by these courageous officers and their sacrifice. In the face of such bravery and heartache, we must not forget their families. They have suffered wounds that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives; but, along with their heartache, I pray they also carry our gratitude and admiration.
Continue reading
Drug abuse destroys lives, divides families and jeopardizes the safety of our communities. As Florida’s Attorney General and a former state prosecutor I have seen the destruction it causes firsthand. I have also seen families reunited and lives changed with the help of good people who stand up to fight against drug abuse and addiction.
This week, I was humbled to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drug Free America Foundation for the small role I’ve played in fighting drug abuse. We have a lot of great partners in this fight, and Florida exemplifies how local, state and federal law enforcement can work in harmony to stop drug traffickers. Continue reading
PLEASE BE AWARE OF THESE FOLLOWING SCAMS RELATED TO THE NEW MEDICARE CARDS THAT WILL BE SENT STARTING IN APRIL 2018 UNTIL APRIL 2019. PLEASE SEND THIS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO ARE ON MEDICARE OR WILL BE SOON.
Five Tips To Avoid The New Medicare Card Scams
Perhaps you haven’t heard, but starting in April 2018, Medicare will issue new cards to all Medicare recipients. The new cards will no longer use Social Security numbers. Instead, members will be identified by a unique, eleven-character ID composed of numbers and letters.
The reasoning is sound. The old cards contained social security numbers and getting rid of those numbers should help reduce fraud. According to Medicare, the new cards will be sent automatically, so there’s no need to do a thing. Unfortunately, that’s the end of the good news. Continue reading
This week, I had the pleasure of kicking off the 2018 Law Enforcement Torch Run benefiting Special Olympics Florida. This year, Special Olympics is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and to mark this milestone, local, state and federal law enforcement officers, corrections officers and support staff will carry the Flame of Hope 1,500 miles throughout Florida to bring awareness to Special Olympics.
Eight thousand members of Florida’s law enforcement and corrections community will carry the torch in a relay to the opening ceremonies at the Annual Florida State Summer Games. This year’s games take place May 18-19 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. In Florida, more than 46,000 dedicated athletes participate in Special Olympics activities to showcase inspiring strength and skill for the world to see. Continue reading
By Florida Senator Baxley
The 2018 Legislative Session has come to an end! We have worked hard to secure good policy for our constituents and the people of Florida. During our time in Tallahassee this year, some big issues were addressed: protecting our schools and seniors, more clarity on our freedom of speech, permanent increase for bright futures funding, and increased focus on mental health and the opioid crisis.
As a result of the terrible tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14th, the legislature was forced to take a very serious look at how our schools and students are protected. After weeks of talking with those on the front lines in education, law enforcement, our court system, and mental health experts, the Florida Legislature passed and Governor Rick Scott signed into law the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act, a comprehensive plan to address mental health issues and implement safety measures to protect our students. This bill, SB 726, creates the Office of School Safety within in the Department of Education, permits a sheriff to establish a Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, and creates the mental health assistance allocation to assist school districts in establishing or expanding school-based mental health care, among several other provisions. Continue reading
