Florida

January 22, 2009 -- TALLAHASSEE — Florida Governor Charlie Crist today announced the following reappointments:

Florida Citrus Commission
(Senate Confirmation Required)

Benny W. Albritton Jr., 40, of Wauchula, co-owner of Hardee Citrus Management, reappointed for a term beginning January 22, 2009, and ending May 31, 2011. He will represent district two as a grower member.

Virginia S. Pena, 46, of Clewiston, controller with Southern Gardens Citrus Processing, reappointed for a term beginning January 22, 2009, and ending May 31, 2011. She will represent district four as a processor member.    » read more »

August 24, 2008 -- George W. Bush today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by Tropical Storm Fay beginning on August 18, 2008, and continuing.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Fay in the counties of Brevard, Monroe, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.    » read more »

23 August 2008 -- Authorities in the the southeastern U.S. state of Florida say Tropical Storm Fay has killed at least 10 people since it began pounding the state with torrential rain last Monday.

Fay became the first storm of its kind in recorded history to make landfall four times in Florida - coming ashore again Saturday along the state's Gulf of Mexico coast.

Flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay: Photo by J.S. Clark (CC)

Its winds never have been strong enough to declare it a hurricane, but Fay has dumped more than 63 centimeters of rain on parts of Florida, flooding hundreds of homes and forcing numerous evacuations.    » read more »

August 21, 2008 -- The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Tropical Storm Fay beginning on August 18, 2008, and continuing.    » read more »

22 August 2008 -- Tropical Storm Fay has come ashore on the Florida coast for a third time since Monday, bringing more of the torrential rain that has flooded hundreds of homes and prompted numerous evacuations. Fay began moving west across mainland Florida Thursday, after stalling along the northeast Atlantic coast for hours, lashing the area with rain.

Major flooding in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay: Photo by Jeremy G. (CC)    » read more »

August 8, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has reached a $1 million settlement with a Hong Kong-based company that creates and distributes content for cell phones. Building on earlier agreements with advertising networks and a major wireless carrier, the agreement with MobileFunster, Inc., which does business as FunMobile, is the first CyberFraud agreement the Attorney General’s Office has negotiated with a mobile content provider and addresses another link in a business model that includes wireless carriers, billing aggregators, advertising networks, and content providers like FunMobile.    » read more »

Multilevel marketing scheme bilked victims out of thousands of dollars

August 6, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today filed a lawsuit today against Quincy company AdSurfDaily accusing the company and its owners of operating a huge pyramid scheme. The Attorney General’s lawsuit is seeking civil damages for the victims and an injunction against the company, its president, Andy Bowdoin Jr., and its employees to prohibit them from engaging in future deceptive marketing.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of a raid conducted by the U.S. Secret Service on the company’s headquarters. The federal authorities also froze $53 million in bank accounts held by the company.    » read more »

Governor joins with launch partners in wake of U.S. Air Force Space Command announcement

August 11, 2008 -- COCOA – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today, continuing his focus on strengthening Florida’s economy, met with space leaders to celebrate the commercial redevelopment of Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36

Under the landmark agreement announced by the U.S. Air Force, the 47-year-old complex will be rebuilt as a multi-use launch site for commercial business and research.    » read more »

August 12, 2008 -- MONTGOMERY -- “Today’s court order means that the end is in sight for the 18-year-old water war litigation concerning Atlanta’s water withdrawals at Lake Lanier,” said Governor Riley. “The federal appellate court in Washington has already validated Alabama’s position that Atlanta’s future water supply plans violated federal law. Alabama believes that Atlanta’s current withdrawals also violate federal law, and we are pleased that the federal court has placed that issue on a fast-track for resolution.”    » read more »

July 28, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Seteria L. Brown, 22, of Orlando, Florida, died July 25 in Sharana, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.

She was assigned to the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood Texas.

The incident is under investigation.

Source: DOD

August 1, 2008 -- Today, John McCain will visit Florida, where he will face Floridians - as well as one notable supporter, Governor Charlie Crist -- over his opposition to a national catastrophic insurance fund, which would provide economic relief for Americans struggling with rising insurance costs by creating a national pool for disaster insurance.

McCain has changed his position on the national catastrophic insurance fund multiple times, reversing himself twice - he was against it, then for it, then against it again - and now has established himself as a proud opponent, in line with President Bush - while ignoring the advice of governor crist.    » read more »

ESPN to Televise Second Annual Event in Prime Time

July 17, 2008 -- The second annual Under Armour All-America High School Football Game, an ESPN and Intersport owned-and-operated all-star football competition spotlighting the nation’s top high school seniors, will be played at a new venue – Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. The announcement was made today by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Rosalyn Durant, vice president and general manager, ESPNU, at a press conference at Orlando’s City Hall.    » read more »

June 17, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Gerard M. Reed, 40, of Jacksonville Beach, Florida, died June 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident.

He was assigned to the 86th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Campbell, Ky.

This incident is under investigation.

Source: DOD

June 17, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today commended Florida Department of Corrections and Florida Parole Commission employees for completing the review of all pre-2008 cases of ex-offenders eligible for automatic restoration of civil rights.

At the first statewide Florida Restoration of Rights Summit at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Governor Crist announced that since the Florida Board of Executive Clemency approved a rule change providing for the restoration of the civil rights for certain ex-offenders, 115,232 individuals have had their civil rights restored.    » read more »

$1 million telemarketing scheme victimized at least 50 people

June 16, 2008 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced four South Florida men have been sentenced after they pleaded guilty in January to their participation in an illegal boiler room operation that victimized more than 50 people out of more than $1 million. The men were prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

“Investment scams are particularly harmful because they target individuals who are trying to use their money wisely, perhaps to fund important life decisions such as buying a home or planning for retirement, and it our responsibility to protect our communities from this threat,” said Attorney General McCollum.    » read more »