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Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida will be receiving over 420,000 portable Abbott BinaxNow 15-minute rapid tests this week and over 6 million by the end of the year.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced six additional recreational Red Snapper fishing days in the Gulf this fall.Thanks to Florida's pristine natural resources and sustainable fisheries maintained by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,residents and visitors can experience why Florida is the Fishing Capital of the world.
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Orlando Sentinel
Florida is receiving 6.4 million rapid antigen tests from the federal government to help the state protect nursing home residents and to check schoolchildren for the coronavirus, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
"It’s an exciting day in terms of rolling out something new that I think will make a difference in coronavirus response and particularly for our most vulnerable populations,” DeSantis said at BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital.....
Florida Trend
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Michael Adkinson, Jr., Melanie Bevan, Gary Calhoun, Jacqueline Harrison, Darla Portman, Carol Casimir, Michael Allen, Jermaine Lawson, Charles McIntosh and Richard Murphy to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.....
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Agency for Persons with Disabilities
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Independence is a Pleasure The Champion Newsletter
Where do you begin when you are hoping to achieve great things? For Luis Rodriguez, the answer was simple: Publix. Rodriguez, 23, works as a Front-end Clerk at Publix in Fort Myers, where he bags groceries, helps shoppers take groceries to their car, returns the shopping buggies, and lends a hand wherever he’s needed.
For Rodriguez, the opportunity to work is unmatched, and the independence he has earned is its greatest reward. “I like having my job because, with my money, I can independently buy myself clothes, things for my dog, and food. I recently bought myself a new bedroom set, which made me very happy. I also like having a job because it has helped me to make more friends,” said Rodriguez....
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Department of Business and Professional Regulation
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Bars and Restaurants Rejoice in Opening at Full Capacity after COVID-19 Restrictions Panama City News Herald For Christo's Sports Bar and Grill owner Christine Christo, the end of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on restaurants in the state could not have come at a better time.
The world of sports is at an all-time high of activity due to the odd circumstances games being shut down for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the NFL, college football, MLB, and NBA seasons overlapping each other, it's a great time for bars and restaurants to be open.
Christo said she isn't sure how it will work in the long run — if it'll go back and forth between closing and reopening — but she is excited about getting back to normal. Reopening during a whirlwind of sports is a good thing for Christo's Sports Bar and Grill, she said....
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Department of Children and Families
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Promote Awareness This October
As we welcome a new month tomorrow, please join DCF in highlighting three important topics that thousands of Floridians are impacted by each day. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Bullying Prevention Month, and Safe Sleep Awareness Month. Addressing each of these issues is important to ensure the safety and well-being of Florida’s children and families. DCF will be sharing key messages for the public through their social media channels and encourages other agencies to share the information with their followers. Follow DCF @MyFLFamilies on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for shareable content all month.
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Thousands of Duval Students Request Move to Brick-and-Mortar Learning WJXT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friday was the deadline for Duval County families to lock in their student’s attendance plans for the second quarter of the academic year, and more than four times as many students asked to transfer to the brick-and-mortar format as those who requested Duval HomeRoom.
According to the school district, 1,618 students requested to transition to Duval HomeRoom, and 7,740 asked to move out of that format and back into full, brick-and-mortar attendance...
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Department of Environmental Protection
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Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve partners with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to conduct seagrass study
DEP’s Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves’ staff have initiated a partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to investigate the impacts of sulfide toxicity on seagrass. Seagrass is a critical habitat for manatees, and wide variety of fish and shellfish which serve as the backbone for the state’s multi-billion dollar fishing and seafood industries. This makes protecting healthy seagrass beds and restoring damaged seagrass beds a priority for DEP. During their fieldwork, staff collected sediment core samples at nine sites within the bay for sedimentary sulfide analysis. Sulfide is highly toxic to marine plants, so quantifying sedimentary sulfide concentrations will allow staff to better understand bay stressors and increase knowledge of ecosystem connections between water quality, submerged aquatic vegetation and bay sediments.
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Department of Economic Opportunity
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New Head of DEO Looking to 'Ramp Up' the Unemployment System First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Dane Eagle, the new executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said the department is overworked and understaffed, in a First Coast News interview Tuesday. “There is such a high demand on people here and technology here that I’ve assessed they are quite frankly overworked and understaffed,” Eagle said, “so we are trying to look to ramp up in the appropriate places.” Eagle mentioned such places to “ramp up” would be the IT and Reemployment Assistance departments....
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Department of Elder Affairs
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New Florida Law Kicks Off Local Review of Elderly Abuse Deaths Jacksonville.com
The State Attorney's Office kicked off the first meeting of the Elder Abuse Fatality Review Team at the Duval County Courthouse, many members meeting via video conference. The members named Duval County Judge Gary Flower and ElderSource CEO Linda Levin as co-chairs.
The teams must submit information on elder abuse-related fatalities to Florida's Department of Elder Affairs. Each Nov. 1 the teams must summarize their findings and recommendations of the review to the governor, head of the state House and Senate and the Department of Children and Families.
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Department of Transportation
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces $574 Million in Emergency Relief for Road and Bridge Repairs Transportation.gov
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today that the Trump Administration will provide $574 million in Emergency Relief (ER) funds to help 39 states and Puerto Rico make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by storms, floods, and other unexpected events. “This $574 million in federal funding will help states repair and rebuild roads and bridges damaged from natural disasters,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s ER program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration, reimburses states, territories, federal land management agencies, and tribal governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations. The funds help to pay for the reconstruction or replacement of damaged highways and bridges along with the arrangement of detours and replacement of guardrails or other damaged safety devices...
New Entrance Ramp to I-4 at Kirkman Road to Open this Week Fox 35 Orlando LAKE MARY, Fla. - The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is opening a new entrance ramp to Interstate 4 (I-4) at the Kirkman Road interchange as soon as the morning of Wednesday, September 30. The lane did not exist before the I-4 Ultimate project but represents the last ramp at the interchange to move into its final configuration. Drivers will need to be in the right lane as they pass over I-4 to enter the free-flowing single lane ramp from the right side of southbound Kirkman Road. New construction has eliminated all left-hand exits that were part of the interstate’s original design. Drivers now use righthand exits to access Kirkman Road, which reduces lane weaving, FDOT says. The nearby Grand National overpass opened in summer 2017, but managed lanes and ramps remain closed. Expected to open in 2021, the managed lane exit and entrance ramps will provide even more travel options in this busy area. Also, a new pedestrian bridge over Kirkman Road, located just north of the Major Boulevard intersection, is in the final stages of construction...
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Division of Emergency Management
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Rapid COVID Test Kits Headed To Florida CBS4 Miami
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Florida will receive 400,000 rapid-test kits a week that can be used to detect COVID-19 infections at schools, senior centers, and long-term care facilities, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday at a news conference in Clearwater.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management will take the lead in distributing the test kits, which are coming from the federal government, said division Director Jared Moskowitz, who joined DeSantis at Morton Plant Hospital for the announcement.
“We will do our part to make sure that this gets out as fast as possible,” said Moskowitz, whose agency has been in charge of distributing personal protective equipment, such as gowns, face shields, gloves, and masks to long-term care facilities....
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Odessa Conveyor Belt Company Plans $2 Million Expansion in Pasco County Tampa Bay Business Journal
The Conveyor Consulting and Rubber Company in Odessa plans to invest $2 million to construct two new facilities.
Conveyor Consulting and Rubber opened in Pasco County in 2014 and has been growing since then. The two new facilities, one 20,000 square feet and the other 12,000 square feet, will both be in One Pasco Center business park near Interstate 75 and State Road 52, the Pasco Economic Development Council said Tuesday.
The company will move into one of the buildings and will house manufacturing in the other. Company President Ron Fernandes told the Tampa Bay Business Journal that the area lacks competition, helping it to expand. The company's primary area is in the cement and asphalt business. It already provides service and installation, but with the expansion it will create a line of manufacturing....
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Florida Department of Law Enforcement
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Take the Pledge to Combat Child Exploitation FDLE PIO
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) launched a new Safety Pledge Website to help parents, teachers and caregivers learn more about the risks children face online and how to keep them safe. NCMEC says it has seen a dramatic increase in reports of child sexual exploitation coming into their CyberTipline during the COVID-19 pandemic. With more children being educated remotely this fall and using electronic devices for virtual school and social interactions, it is essential that we work together to help keep children safe from online exploitation. The website, launched yesterday, features educational toolkits and a Safety Pledge, individuals can digitally sign, formalizing their commitment to safeguarding children online. NCMEC is asking citizens across the country to join in the effort to prevent online child exploitation and trafficking by signing the pledge and sharing it on social media using the hashtags #SafetyPledge and #EndExploitation...
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Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs
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OPINION -- Bob Asztalos: ‘Yes’ Vote on Amendment 6 will Honor Those who Served our Country Florida Politics
Florida is home to 1.5 million veterans, making it the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.
We offer veterans access to important programs and seek out avenues to deliver Florida veterans the earned benefits to which they’re entitled. Included in those benefits are very generous property tax breaks for veterans over the age of 65 who have combat-related disabilities.
For those veterans whose combat disabilities resulted from defending our nation, they receive a discount on their property taxes based on their disability. However, once that veteran passes away, the property tax discount disappears,i leaving the surviving spouse (who is often a senior citizen) to cover the full tax bill....
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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Gulf Red Snapper Fall Season
Governor DeSantis announced a fall red snapper season for private recreational anglers and state for-hire operations in the Gulf of Mexico that will be open on the following Saturdays and Sundays: Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31 and Nov. 1. During this season, private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal waters. However, state for-hire operations are limited to fishing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only.
These additional days would not be possible without the State Reef Fish Survey (SRFS). The State Reef Fish Survey was developed specifically to provide more robust data for management of red snapper and other important reef fish, and has allowed FWC the unprecedented opportunity to manage Gulf red snapper in state and federal waters.
All anglers fishing from private recreational vessels must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler to target red snapper and several other reef fish in state and federal waters, even if they are exempt from fishing license requirements. Sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler at no cost at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by visiting any location you can purchase a license.
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RSW Offering More Touchless Travel Options NBC 2
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is offering travelers new touchless options for safer travel amid the coronavirus pandemic.
RSW announced Monday that they have introduced new touchless initiatives to the airport including a parking ticket dispenser that works with a hand wave, hand sanitizing stations, social distancing signage, and plexiglass shields at customer touchpoints.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at RSW launched the “Stay Healthy. Stay Secure.” campaign mid-pandemic. With this campaign, passengers can use readers to verify their boarding passes and IDs while keeping the documents with them to avoid contact.
The airport announced they also maintain extensive cleaning and disinfecting measures...
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporation for National and Community Service released a new brand strategy for the future, announcing it will now operate as “AmeriCorps,” as part of a larger effort to grow awareness of service opportunities for all Americans. Along with the new name, the federal agency also revealed a new visual identity for the agency and all its programs, the first major update for the agency since it was created 25 years ago. While the agency’s operating name is “AmeriCorps,” its legal name will remain the Corporation for National and Community Service....
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Agency for Health Care Administration
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Department of Juvenile Justice
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Department of The Lottery
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Department of Management Services
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Florida Department of Citrus
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Florida Department of Corrections
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
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Florida Housing Finance Corporation
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