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17th straight day with COVID positivity rates below 10% Statewide positivity rate under 6% again
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: 'We will never do any of these lockdowns again'
WPTV
THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke on a range of topics related to the coronavirus Monday afternoon during a visit to Central Florida.
The governor was joined by Dr. Scott Atlas, adviser to President Donald Trump on the coronavirus pandemic, during a visit to the UF Health The Villages Hospital.
DeSantis continued to reiterate that the state is headed in the right direction in the battle against the virus.
"The number of COVID positive patients that are currently hospitalized is down nearly 60 percent statewide from our July peek," DeSantis said.
Florida's new coronavirus cases on Monday dropped below 2,000, the lowest number since June 14.
DeSantis Extends Eviction, Foreclosure Ban Again
Spectrum News 9
STATEWIDE — The moratorium on evictions and foreclosures got a late-night extension by Gov. Ron DeSantis, although moving forward it will shift some of the burden of relief back on to renters.
Landlords can file eviction actions in court, however final judgments will be withheld until the moratorium is lifted.
Renters behind on monthly payments will need to file a motion in court proving they have a coronavirus hardship causing them to miss rent payments, such as a job loss or other income reduction.
And when the hardship passes, all accrued rent payments dating back to April when the moratorium was put in place will be due.
The moratorium extension comes as bad news for landlords who have been in limbo for five months, not being able to take legal action to retrieve lost rent payments.
Gov. Ron DeSantis encourages tourists to fly to Florida on commercial flights
USA Today
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made the case that tourists could safely take commercial flights to visit Florida as newly reported coronavirus cases grew by more than 3,800 Friday, down from peak averages of nearly 12,000 cases daily in mid-July.
Speaking with industry executives at an airline travel forum in Fort Lauderdale, DeSantis said he hadn't heard of any airline passenger catching the virus on a plane.
“When this industry thrives, it provides this economic security for so many people in the state of Florida," DeSantis said.
Airlines and airport executives told DeSantis the virus was having the biggest impact on international travel to Florida because many countries had implemented travel restrictions and quarantines on people traveling to and from the United States.
DeSantis said 8.8 million people traveled from March to June in Florida, down from 24 million during the same period a year earlier.
Task Force Sends Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations to Florida Governor
Spectrum News 9
Recommendations for safely reopening Florida’s long-term care facilities are now on their way to Governor Ron DeSantis, after the task force he created finalized their proposal on Wednesday.
At a roundtable discussion in Orlando, the governor said he supports limited visitation – an indication he will move forward with the plan.
“My view on all of this, since the beginning, is you got to do things to keep people safe – particularly our most vulnerable in those facilities,” DeSantis said. “But, just like anything else, you got to find a way to get stuff done, and this visitation is long overdue at this point. We’ve got to get it done.”
For many families, this move signals a long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel after being banned from visiting since March.
Task force member Mary Daniel, who made national headlines when she took a dishwashing job at her husband’s assisted living facility earlier this summer, expects it to be just a matter of days before a new emergency rule – or an amendment to the original – is put in place.
Can we test our way out of COVID-19?
The Hill
Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came under attack again for its new guidelines suggesting that brief exposure to a person with COVID-19 didn't automatically mean that an asymptomatic person needed to be tested.
But Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC director, explained to me in an interview on SiriusXM's "Doctor Radio" that he was all for testing asymptomatic contacts provided that "testing should be actionable from a public health point of view." In other words, the medical personnel necessary to perform the contact tracing are essential to the process.
Last week a patient came to my office and told me that his building superintendent had been working in his apartment for several hours and later tested positive for COVID-19. My patient was asymptomatic, but I sent him for a test as a precaution. It was negative. Dr. Redfield told me that he agreed with having this patient tested, isolated, and all his contacts traced, if positive.
But even with close to 80 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests performed in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic, there still is frequently a several-day delay between testing and results, which makes contact tracing very difficult. The gold standard is still the polymerase chain reaction test developed in the 1990s, which looks for the specific genetic material (nucleotide) unique for this coronavirus.
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COViD-19 by the numbers | COVID -19 Fatalities
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ICUs and hospital beds by the numbers | Current as of 8/14/2020
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24.2%
% of ICU Beds Available Statewide
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43.44% % of Pediatric ICU Beds Available Statewide
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26.67% % of Available Hospital Beds Statewide
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Governor DeSantis Addresses Florida
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Players, Coaches, and Athletes Agree #WeWantToPlay
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Trump adviser backs DeSantis on safety of schools Palm Beach Post Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday enlisted the help of an emerging star on President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force to insist that going to school poses little risk to children.
“We are the only country of our peer nations in the western world who are so hysterical about reopening schools,” said Dr. Scott Atlas, who became a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force this month. “We have the data. There is extraordinarily low risk to children.”
The appearance of Atlas with DeSantis at a roundtable discussion in Tallahasee came as Palm Beach County schools began offering online classes to school students, joining districts throughout the state that have already opened for both virtual and in-classroom instruction.
It also came on a day that the Florida Department of Health reported 68 deaths from COVID-19, well below the daily average of 111 that have been reported in the last two weeks.
Schools shouldn’t overreact to coronavirus, DeSantis and Trump adviser say Tampa Bay Times As the remainder of Florida’s schools resumed classes Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he embraces the controversial view that people who test positive for the coronavirus but don’t show symptoms are not a large factor in spreading the disease.
His thoughts about the issue surfaced during an education roundtable in Tallahassee, where he sought to steer the conversation to next big flashpoint: the inevitable decisions on when to close schools or classrooms as COVID-19 cases are reported.
To make his point, DeSantis brought in Scott Atlas, a top medical adviser to President Donald Trump who has promoted a controversial “herd immunity” approach to overcoming the virus.
Atlas focused on the concept that testing people without symptoms for the coronavirus has led to an unneeded step of shutting down in-person learning.
“The purpose of testing is to protect the vulnerable,” Atlas said during the roundtable discussion. “The goal of testing is not to close things.”
He argued that children are at low risk from the illness, and do not pass it along as readily as adults do. By setting priorities based on positivity rates rather than on the prevalence of cases where patients have symptoms, Atlas said, schools and other organizations might overreact.
As an example, he spoke of people who did not seek needed medical attention during the height of the pandemic.
“There is no need for fear at this point,” said Atlas, who also called for a resumption of college football.
Florida’s order to reopen schools stands — for now — after appeal court ruling Orlando Sentinel In a victory for state education leaders, an appeals court said Monday that Florida’s school reopening order did not force students back to campus, nor teachers back into classrooms, and should remain in effect while the lawsuits challenging its constitutionality move through the court system.
The ruling by the First District Court of Appeal put on hold a decision issued last week by a circuit court judge in Tallahassee. That judge, ruling in favor of the teachers who had sued, said that the state’s controversial July reopening order was unconstitutional because it required Florida’s public schools to open “brick and mortar” campuses five days a week starting in August.
But appeal court judges, in the order released Monday, said they expect the state will win the case eventually, so they put the lower court’s ruling on hold during the appeals, saying it had “caused confusion and uncertainty for students, parents, and teachers.”
Those judges noted that when the circuit judge issued his ruling last week more than 700,000 students were already back in school for face-to-face lessons and by this week 1.6 million would be, all returning “under plans that local school districts carefully crafted.”
The 1.6 million represent about 57% of the state’s public school enrollment.
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, who signed the reopening order and called the lawsuits against it “frivolous,” said Monday during a press event in Tallahassee that the appeal court ruling was a “great decision.”
His reopening order, he added, gave parents choices, and more than 40% opted for online options. But more realized that what was best for their children was a “world-class teacher standing in front of those kids, imparting wisdom and knowledge,” he said.
Corcoran signed the school reopening order July 6, requiring public schools to open their campuses in August for five-day-a-week classes for parents who wanted their children to have in-person education. They could also offer online lessons but would not receive full state funding for those, unless in-person education also was an option.
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Department of Children and Families
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Governor and First Lady Speak at DCF’s First Virtual Child Protection Summit
Yesterday, during the first-ever virtual Child Protection Summit, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis shared a message of thanks with over 3,000 child welfare professionals and advocates from across the state. With their newborn, Mamie, on their laps, they also discussed the importance of family and how it has kept them level-headed and focused, even at the height of the pandemic. Then, they shared how they hope all children in care can find their forever families and grow up feeling safe and loved. Finally, Secretary Poppell closed the conversation by introducing MyFloridaMyFamily, a new website that will serve as a gateway to connect Florida families in need to local faith institutions and community organizations eager to help.
Thank you for your commitment to Florida’s children and families, Governor and First Lady!
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Division of Emergency Management
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Florida Department of Citrus
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Fungal Biopesticides Useful in the Fight Against Citrus Pests Growing Produce.com
While the use of biocontrol products has been gaining more attention in recent years as new products come online, it’s certainly not a new practice. Dr. Pasco Avery, a Biological Scientist with the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center, discovered in the State Plant Board of Florida Bulletin that Florida growers used fungal biopesticides to manage arthropod pests as early as 1916.
From 1907 to 1911, Professor H.S. Fawcet cultured an entomopathogenic “insect eating” fungus (EPF) with pieces of sterilized sweet potatoes in wide-mouth bottles. Fawcet aimed to use the fungus as a biopesticide against insect pests that he knew were attacking commercial citrus trees. He worked at the Florida Experiment Station in Lake Alfred, now known as the Citrus Research and Education Center.
“In 1916, during the peak of the citrus production season, a whitefly infestation threatened Florida citrus trees,” Avery says. “In response to this problem, Fawcet prepared 358 fungal cultures, and officials with the Florida Entomological Department distributed the cultures to growers. The growers then sprayed their trees with the fungal culture suspension, and 50% reported excellent results.”
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Intrepid Spirit Center opens at Eglin 96th Test Wing Public Affairs EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund kicked off its Eglin Heroes Week virtual event to celebrate the official opening of the Intrepid Spirit Center here Aug. 24. Eglin’s ISC, the first on an Air Force base, is a treatment center dedicated to post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, associated pain conditions, and psychological injuries in active-duty service members.
The event began with a ribbon-cutting with Brig. Gen. Scott Cain, 96th Test Wing commander and seven Team Eglin leaders cutting a red, white and blue ribbon.
Cain said the ISC effort took years of vision led by patriotic citizens, military leaders and the Air Force’s Invisible Wounds Initiative. “I want to tell everybody how proud I am for Eglin AFB to host the Air Force’s first ISC. This culmination and capability is what we are celebrating here today and rolling out for our service members,” said Cain. The EISC represents the blending of the IFHF mission and the Air Forces Invisible Wounds Initiative, which recognized the need for a medical facility dedicated to invisible wounds. In 2018 when the Air Force broke ground on the Invisible Wounds Center, Arnold Fisher, Honorary Chairman of the IFHF, offered to build an Intrepid Spirit Center at Eglin. “The ISC is our commitment to treating those with wounds from service and our dedication to providing service members the opportunity to continue their service to the nation,” said Cain.
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Agency for Persons with Disabilities
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Bakery to use augmented reality to train adults with disabilities Miami's Community Newspapers
If you’re an adult with disabilities, what do you get when you combine a Cuban-American bakery chain known for its pastelitos and café Cubano, the latest augmented reality (AR) technology and a color-coded baking system?
A recipe for success — and a potential career.
That’s the formula Pinecrest Bakery (Pinecrestbakery.com), Florida’s largest 24-hour bakery chain — with 20 locations in the Florida Keys and South Florida — is counting on as it continues its expansion with a new, 2,500-square-foot training center geared to turning adults with disabilities into bakers.
“We’re in the midst of converting one of our bakeries into a training facility and school to assist adults with autism and others with disabilities begin a meaningful career as bakers,” said Gladys Valdes, who, along with husband Efrain, founded Pinecrest Bakery in 2012.
“One of the keys to success in the bakery business — or any business for that matter — is product consistency. By using technology such as augmented reality, we’ll be able to train all of our bakers to make certain our recipes are followed on a consistent basis.”
The training facility, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021, could encompass up to 12 bakery “students” per class.
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Florida Department of Corrections
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Eight FDC Correctional Institutions Earn Reaccreditation by the American Correctional Association
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The American Correctional Association (ACA) reaccredited eight Florida Department of Corrections’ (FDC) correctional institutions during the ACA’s 2020 Summer Conference panel hearings. “Each reaccreditation is further affirmationthat Florida’s correctional institutions are operated safely, professionally, humanely and in compliance with the U.S. Constitution,” said FDC Secretary Mark Inch. “Our staff ensure FDC facilities meet and exceed professional standards while exemplifying our core values of respect, integrity, courage, selfless service and compassion. I am extremely proud of their achievement and look forward to remaining among the top accredited correctional departments in the country.” Over the last year, ACA audit teams from across the country visited Avon Park, Dade, DeSoto, Hernando, Homestead, Lake, Okaloosa and Walton Correctional Institutions and conducted comprehensive on-site audits of all aspects of prison operations. These institutions were 100 percent compliant in mandatory standards and exceeded 98 percent for non-mandatory. FDC began the process of seeking nationally recognized accreditation from the ACA in 1968. All 50 of Florida’s major institutions are accredited by the ACA. For more than 149 years, the ACA has been the recognized worldwide authority in corrections, and its Commission on Accreditation for Corrections certifies correctional facilities.
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Agency for Healthcare Administration
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Florida reports lowest daily coronavirus caseload in months Tampa Bay Times
Hospitalizations: The Agency for Health Care Administration reported that Florida’s hospitals had 3,738 patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of COVID-19 on Monday. A majority of those patients were located in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, a region that’s been the epicenter of Florida’s pandemic. In Tampa Bay, there were 609 patients.
About 27 percent of Florida’s hospital beds and nearly 25 percent of all intensive care unit beds were available for new patients. In Tampa Bay hospitals, about 26 percent of all patient beds and 23 percent of all ICU beds were open on Monday.
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Department of The Lottery
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Florida Lottery Launches New Mobile App CBS Miami TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) — If you’ve ever played the Florida Lottery and didn’t feel like going to the store to see if you actually won anything, now you don’t have to. The Florida Lottery has launched a new app that allows players to scan a ticket barcode to check if it won. In addition to the Check My Ticket function, it also allows users to enter tickets into second chance promotions, creates and saves favorite numbers on digital playslips which can be used to purchase tickets, and it also shows current jackpots and winning numbers for past games. The Florida Lottery’s new mobile app is free and available to both iOS and Android users. It’s important to note that the Florida Lottery does not accept wagers, bets, or payments of any kind through the mobile app. While Florida Lottery offices remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Lottery is still drawing numbers nightly and those winning numbers air during the CBS4 News at 11.
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Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs
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Three Family Members Plead Guilty In Connection With Defrauding Veterans Health Care In The Villages
OCALA, Fla. – Miller Wilson Jr., his daughter, Myoshi Wilson, and Erica Wilson have each pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to defraud U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefits.
Miller Wilson Jr. pleaded guilty Aug. 26 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and solicitation and receipt of a health care kickback. He faces a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment for the conspiracy charge, and up to 10 years in federal prison for the kickback offense. On March 5, 2020, Erica Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. She faces a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment. Myoshi Wilson had pleaded guilty on Feb. 18, 2020, to making false statements to law enforcement. She faces a maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment. All three defendants will be sentenced on Oct. 6, 2020. According to court documents, Miller Wilson Jr. was an employee at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) Clinic located in The Villages, Fla. As part of his employment, he provided transportation arrangements for veterans needing medical treatment. From 2014 through 2016, Miller Wilson Jr. obtained cash kickbacks from the transportation vendors in exchange for awarding them health care contracts from the VA. Thereafter, from 2016-2017, Miller Wilson Jr. conspired with Erica and Myoshi Wilson to open and manage two different transportation companies to conduct similar schemes. Miller Wilson Jr. used his official position at the VA to funnel health care contracts to the companies that he had formed with Erica and Myoshi Wilson. During a 17-month period, the two companies billed the federal government $305,673. Myoshi Wilson admitted to making false statements to a federal agent in 2019, to conceal the conspiracy.
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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Gray triggerfish reopens Sept. 1 in Gulf state and federal waters
The recreational gray triggerfish season reopens to harvest in Gulf state and federal waters Sept. 1 and will remain open through Oct. 25, closing to harvest Oct. 26, 2020.
NOAA Fisheries is reopening Gulf federal waters because data indicates the recreational quota for gray triggerfish was not met when the fishery was open earlier this spring. The FWC is also opening state waters to be consistent with the federal season and to provide additional harvest opportunities for recreational fishermen. Learn more.
The minimum size limit is 15 inches fork length and the bag limit is one per person.
If you plan to fish for gray triggerfish from a private recreational vessel, you must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler (including those 65 and older). An annual renewal is required. To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “State Reef Fish Survey” under “Reef Fish.” Sign up at no cost today at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
Learn more about gray triggerfish regulations at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking on “Recreational Regulations” and “Triggerfish,” which is under the “Reef Fish” tab.
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Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
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FEMA Approves Lost Wages Assistance grant for Florida WFLA
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Pete Gaynor has approved Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ application to participate in a new federal unemployment assistance program to boost benefits another $300 a week.
The grant funding will “allow Florida to provide $300 per week — on top of their regular unemployment benefit — to those unemployed due to COVID-19,” according to FEMA.
Since the application was approved, the benefits will be backdated to Aug. 1.
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Orlando Airport adds new amenities as air travel surges Airport Technology Orlando International Airport (MCO) in the US state of Florida has added new amenities and retail spaces following a gradual increase in its passenger numbers.
The airport has deployed automated hand sanitizer stations and placed eight new retail vending machines throughout the terminal.
The vending machines, located throughout the four airsides, will feature cosmetics, headphones, cables and adapters, among other items.
The move will help passengers to purchase such items without interaction, minimizing Covid-19 contagion risks.
MCO, which was the busiest airport in the state last year, is currently handling around 20,000 passengers for departure every day.
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Florida Department of Law Enforcement
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Charges filed against two deputies after FDLE investigation
Following an FDLE investigation, charges have been filed against two Central Florida law enforcement officers for falsifying a report, a misdemeanor. FDLE began its investigation in June at the request of Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood.
Agents say Orange County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brian Calkins gave Phillip Donaldson—who at the time was a deputy for Volusia County Sheriff’s Office—two firearms that he said he got from a cousin. Calkins asked Donaldson to dispose of the weapons, a revolver and semi-automatic pistol. Donaldson asked other VCSO deputies how he should dispose of the weapons, but after learning one of the weapons was stolen, he and Calkins worked to make up a story about where the weapons came from.
Donaldson wrote in his VCSO report that an elderly female stopped him and gave him the guns saying she had found them in the bushes outside her home earlier in the day. After the report was written, other VCSO deputies, including Donaldson’s supervisor, became suspicious of the conflicting stories, reported their concerns and contacted FDLE. Donaldson resigned the day after he wrote the report.
Because the charges are misdemeanors, Calkins and Donaldson were given an October notice to appear in court. The Office of the State Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit, will prosecute the case.
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Florida Housing Finance Corpration
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$1.6M available to help Santa Rosa homeowners with mortgage, rent and utility bills Santa Rosa News
The Florida Housing Finance Corporation has allocated $1.6 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds for mortgage/rent/utility assistance for Santa Rosa County residents who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
The funding will be used to provide financial assistance to eligible Santa Rosa County homeowners/renters who are currently unemployed or underemployed as a result of COVID-19. The funding will assist residents that have fallen past due with mortgage, rent, and/or utility payments and/or are in jeopardy of future payment delinquency due to lost or diminished income.
Assistance will be provided in the form of a grant to be paid directly to the service provider. The amount of assistance provided will be determined by each household’s current need in order to maintain the housing unit through the end of the funding period.
Applications are currently available for download but will not be accepted until September 9. For more information, eligibility requirements or to download the application, visit the following link: HOUSING DEPARTMENT
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Volunteer Connect Webinar Today Volunteer Connect, the state’s official volunteer opportunities platform provides a way for nonprofit and governmental agencies to share their needs with people who have an interest in volunteering. Learn more about Volunteer Connect's key features in today’s webinar. Click here to register: https://bit.ly/2GboCEJ.
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Department of Business and Professional Regulation
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Family-owned restaurant goes above and beyond to keep customers safe WTFS Tampa
As the pandemic continues to impact every part of our lives, restaurants are doing everything they can to earn back customer trust.
In Palm Harbor, East Lake Cafe is one of only a handful of businesses in Pinellas County to receive a new Seal of Commitment award for COVID-19 sanitization and best practices.
The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association started the newly created training program. The goal, empower restaurants to follow strict guidelines to keep staff and customers safe.
"They put out this program, and I saw it and said this looks like a good thing," Peter Pergola, the owner of East Lake Cafe, said. "Hopefully, it tells them, yes, we are complying with all CDC regulations and all the recommendations of Florida and the National Restaurant Association. We are giving masks to people if they don't have them, and surprisingly even to date, we have to refuse people because they don't want to put a mask on the inside. So, that's hurtful, but I don't want to compromise my staff or any of the customers that are coming here."
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Apprenticeship Program Offers More Career Pathways, Helps Close the Skills Gap Quality Digest
A manufacturing apprenticeship pilot program in Florida is taking a hybrid approach that replaces the traditional classroom element with competency-based, on-demand e-learning. It could help bring the apprenticeship career development tool into the digital age and be a breakthrough for manufacturers who are struggling to fill their skilled worker pipeline. The National Association of Manufacturers, based on a Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte study, estimates that by 2028 manufacturers will need to fill 4.6 million jobs. Unless we take the right steps now, more than half of those jobs could go unfilled due to the industry’s skills gap.
Apprenticeship programs for decades have followed a similar core model—an entry-level paid job at a manufacturer with on-the-job training and workplace mentors, and classroom learning at a community college or technical school. The model has been a win-win for employers and employees, with apprentices having higher retention rates as they develop skills and achieve technical credentials while earning, on average, about $300,000 more in career earnings. Despite its proven return on investment, the apprenticeship concept has not seen a rapid expansion. Apprenticeships have been occupational in nature, so some manufacturers have been hesitant to invest in workers that have more mobility and may change jobs. Some workers have not wanted to commit to a specific line of work. It also has been a challenge to get staff members to commit to one to four years of part-time classroom work in addition to their full-time job and other lifestyle and logistical barriers.
The Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Apprenticeship Program aims to provide greater access to potential participants while meeting demand for “learn while you earn” and, most important to the Generation Z population, a clear path to career advancement.
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Department of Juvenile Justice
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Florida Department of Elder Affairs
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Emergency utilities assistance offered to seniors to pay energy bills in time of need The Apopka Voice Senior Resource Alliance-led effort supports seniors amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic from Senior Resource Alliance Central Floridians living with at least one resident who is age 60 or older might be eligible for energy bill assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP) helps eligible seniors pay energy bills in an emergency. The program is 100% federally funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and was created in partnership with the Department of Elder Affairs, Senior Resource Alliance and its partner agencies, along with Central Florida utilities. EHEAP-eligible residents can receive up to $2,000 for multiple energy bills while funds are available. “We must continue to take care of our beloved elderly population,” said Karla Radka, President and CEO of the Senior Resource Alliance. “We are thankful for this partnership with the Central Florida utility companies, not only so that we can supply financial assistance, but also ultimately provide seniors with the comfort and peace of mind they need.”
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Department of Environmental Protection
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Wilbur-By-The-Sea Mangrove Restoration Progressing Daytona Beach News Journal
Almost nine months after 500 mangrove trees in Wilbur-By-The-Sea were illegally cut, there are now hundreds of mangroves starting to grow again, bright green leaves stretching upward from where they’d been cut down.
Ashley Gardener, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said everything was going “as expected.” In March, Gardener said all three responsible parties had been issued consent orders and fines: Zarcone was fined a total of $5,559 in penalties, SB Tree Service was fined $6,000 and the improvement association was fined $4,849.
“The plan called for 300 black mangroves to be replanted, along with 19 red mangroves, 484 spartina bakeri, and 57 spartina patens,” Gardener said. “The first quarterly report was submitted in July and it shows the site is progressing and in compliance. The site will continue to be monitored and reports will be submitted to the Department on a quarterly basis.”
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Department of Transportation
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College of Engineering Earns Funding for Research to Maximize Bridge, Highway Safety Source Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University News
The Department of Civil Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach recently scored big with three research grants from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) totaling $500,000.
In addition to helping state transportation authorities maximize highway safety while minimizing taxpayer cost, the research will give students in Embry-Riddle’s Civil Engineering Department opportunities to participate in real-world work.
Associate professor of Civil Engineering Jeff Brown said at least three graduate students will work on each of the three projects. His hope is for some of the student researchers to base their master’s theses on the projects.
“That’s going to give them an opportunity to really look at these projects very closely and gain a level of understanding that goes beyond the typical classroom experience,” said Brown.
Because the students will be required to write about and present their research, both to the FDOT and to the broader structural engineering community, “there’s just a tremendous amount of growth that occurs for students,” he said.
Researchers will examine alternatives to common construction methods and materials, with the goal of scientifically determining which are better in terms of safety, performance and affordability.
The beauty of the research represented by the three projects, according to Brown, is that it can quickly translate into new processes and protocols for FDOT.
“It’s exciting to be a part of helping the Department of Transportation understand what they need to do to make their bridges last longer and to promote public safety,” said Brown.
Because FDOT is considered innovative in its adoption of state-of-the-art technologies, other transportation authorities will likely follow FDOT’s lead.
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