Florida State Wide
Florida Sets All-Time Tourism Record in First Half of 2017
TAMPA, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida set another record by welcoming the highest number of visitors of any six months in the state’s history with 60.7 million visitors, according to VISIT FLORIDA. This represents a 4.1 percent increase over the same period in 2016, and includes 53.2 million domestic visitors, 5.3 million overseas visitors and 2.2 million Canadian visitors.
Governor Scott said, “I am proud to announce today that Florida has continued its record breaking success by welcoming more than 60 million visitors to our state over the first half of 2017- the highest number of visitors of any six months in our state’s history. This means back-to-back record quarters for our state. Now, with the investments made in VISIT FLORIDA during this year’s Special Legislative Session, we can continue to break records and work toward our goal of 120 million visitors this year. Florida’s booming tourism industry supports 1.4 million jobs across the state, and I know that VISIT FLORIDA and their many local partners are continuing to focus on breaking more records in order to help create even more opportunities for our families.” Continue reading
This is a short summer for the legislature as we will already be starting Committee Meetings next month. Already we are starting to look at new legislation and beginning to plan delegation meetings so we may hear from our constituents on their issues and ideas. Marion County will be having their Legislative Delegation Meeting on October 19th.
I have traveled a lot this summer and attended many conferences from Miami to Boston. I attended the National Conference of State Legislatures in Boston and was able to hear from Frank Luntz, one of the nation’s foremost political commentators and pollsters, about how many American’s trust their local and state officials much more than their federal counterparts. My office is always open and available to constituents for help or comment. Please do not hesitate to reach out. Continue reading
Executive Orders 17-188 and 17-189:
Regarding State Attorney Reassignment
Please see Executive Order 17-188 and Executive Order 17-189 which reassign to State Attorney Brad King the investigation, presentation to the grand jury, and all matters related to criminal charges referenced in the Executive Orders against Callene Marcia Barton and Lakesha Chantell Lewis.
On July 7, 2017, Callene Marcia Barton and Lakesha Chantell Lewis were arrested for First-degree Felony Murder and Aggravated Child Abuse after inflicting fatal injuries upon a three-year-old victim. As reported in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, Lewis attacked the three-year-old with a plastic rod, repeatedly striking the child until the rod broke apart. The victim’s mother attempted to intervene and removed the child to another room, but Barton pursued them and grabbed the child by an arm and a leg, throwing him down a hallway, the impact of which caused his neck to turn and his body began convulsing. Barton prevented the victim’s mother from calling the police, but the woman fled from the residence and called the authorities from a neighbor’s phone. The minor victim was transported to a hospital, but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead several hours later. The arrest affidavit notes the child had other bruising on his body that had begun to heal, consistent with evidence of prior physical abuse.
MIAMI, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott gave opening remarks at the Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) Zika Preparedness Planning Meeting in Miami. DOH hosted the meeting with county health departments and mosquito control districts from across the state, as well as CDC officials, to discuss ongoing efforts to prepare for and combat the Zika Virus.
Governor Scott said, “While Florida does not have any identified areas with active Zika transmission, DOH, mosquito control districts and community partners across the state have been tirelessly working together to help combat the spread of this disease and keep our state safe. We know that summer means more rain, more mosquitos, and more travel-related cases, and that is why we must continue to take aggressive preparedness actions. It is also important that all Floridians do their part to dump standing water and wear bug spray in order to help fight the spread of Zika. We will continue to remain in contact with our federal and state partners and we remain fully committed to doing everything we can to protect our families and visitors.” Continue reading
It’s a good time to be in the Sunshine State! Last month George Mason University released an evaluation they completed “Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition”, and Florida came out on top! Florida’s No. 1 ranking ends Alaska’s three-year reign atop the leaderboard.
We work hard in the Legislature to ensure that Florida remains fiscally sound. That is our first responsibility to our constituents and all Floridians. If our state is not fiscally sound, all the rest of our goals and endeavors in Florida are put in jeopardy.
The group ranked Florida as the state with the strongest fiscal condition based on data collected from each state’s most recent audited comprehensive annual financial report. For the ranking, each state was evaluated on the amount of cash it had on hand as well as its budget solvency, long-run solvency, service-level solvency and trust-fund solvency. Continue reading
Florida Stands with the Venezuelan People Against Upcoming Maduro Controlled Constituent Assembly
ORLANDO, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott released details regarding his proposal to the Trustees of the Florida State Board of Administration (SBA) that will prohibit the State of Florida from doing business with any organization that supports the Maduro regime. The Governor reiterated that he stands against Nicolas Maduro’s upcoming plans to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution to further empower his dictatorship through a Constituent Assembly on July 30th.
Governor Scott said, “The atrocities happening at the hands of the brutal and oppressive Maduro regime are unspeakable. I have heard firsthand from Floridians about the need for change in Venezuela. Prohibiting the Florida State Board of Administration from making investments that support Nicolas Maduro is a big step in the right direction, and we must continue to find ways to bring freedom and democracy to Venezuela. I am encouraged by the Trump administration’s sanctions against the Maduro regime this week. President Trump’s swift actions on this issue are welcomed and I look forward to working with our federal and state partners to support democracy in Venezuela. Continue reading
On Friday, June 23, 2017, former State Representative Elizabeth “Betty” Metcalf passed away. Metcalf represented District 114, parts of Miami, Coral Gables, unincorporated Miami-Dade County and South Miami, serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 until 1988. Her three-term legislative legacy includes support for children, senior citizens, and resources for a mental health center. She also helped pass legislation to protect children at day-care centers.
As a symbol of respect for the memory of former State Representative Elizabeth “Betty” Metcalf, and her service to our State, I hereby direct the flags of the United States and the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at the County Courthouse of Miami-Dade County, Florida, the City Hall of Palmetto Bay, Florida, and at the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, from sunrise to sunset on Friday, July 7, 2017.
Florida lawmakers filed more than 3,000 bills in 2017 and fewer than 250 passed both chambers of the Legislature before it adjourned its annual session. I filed 39 bills this session. Of those, 8 passed both chambers in their entirety, a few others were passed with language in other larger bills.
We passed SB 312 this year which will require state, county, municipal, or other law enforcement agencies that conduct lineups to follow specified procedures. This provision will minimize cases of misidentification and strengthen cases that have used best practices. The Governor signed this into law on June 14th.
I was able to pass SB 436 this year, which will protect all students and school personnel in their choice of religious expression. This legislation makes it clear that the Legislature supports the constitutional rights of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion for everyone associated with our public school system. This bill protects the expression of all religious beliefs, and protects a student’s decision not to express any religion. The Governor signed this bill into law on June 9th. Continue reading
Tallahassee, FL- With the conclusion of the 2017 Legislative Session, Representative McClain is proud of the unified approach House members took with their fellow House members to solve important issues that affect every day Floridians. He helped to pass meaningful tax cuts including an increase in the Homestead Tax Exemption, which is projected to save Floridians about $644.7 million, because Floridians are better stewards of their dollar than the government. Representative McClain also stood against corporate welfare and supported Florida’s future by voting to increase K-12 spending.
“At the end of Session it was good to see Tax Exemptions and a budget passed that we can work from without causing unnecessary debt, as a fiscal conservative, I can stand behind that.” Continue reading
