The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Andrew Powell

Florida regulators approve Tampa Electric’s recovery of storm costs

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(The Center Square) — The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the request this week by Tampa Electric Co. to recover nearly $135 million in repair costs from tropical storms from 2018 to 2022.

The PSC ordered that any under-recovery or over-recovery be recovered or refunded through adjustments to the energy conservation cost recovery clause.

Tampa Electric Co. serves over 810,000 customers in Hillsborough County, and portions of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The petition for cost recovery covered Tropical Storm Alberto in 2018, Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Tropical Storm Nestor in 2019, Tropical Storm Eta in 2020, Hurricane Elsa in 2021, and Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022.

(Suparerg Suksai/Pexels)

In the company’s pre-hearing filing, the purpose of the hearing was to determine actual recoverable costs, which was estimated by the company to come to around $134.8 million.

The document further notes that Tampa Electric agreed to follow certain processes for incurring storm recovery costs, including using an independent accountant to perform an audit.

The Office of Public Counsel (OPC) reviewed the company’s audit plan, audit report and audit workpapers and determined that the company complied with all requirements. The OPC also noted that Tampa Electric has demonstrated good stewardship over resources used to restore service after a major storm event.

During the hearing, Malcolm Means from the Ausley Law Firm representing Tampa Electric, stated that the company’s goal is to always restore service safely, quickly and efficiently. Means added that the last time the company requested recovery of storm restoration costs was in 2019. In this agreement, future process improvements were set in motion.

“I’m happy to report that these process improvements worked,” Means said. “As a part of this proceeding, Tampa Electric engaged with an outside accounting firm to examine the company’s Hurricane Ian cost. In addition to this outside examination, your staff also conducted an audit of the company’s storm costs, and the Office of Public Counsel conducted discovery.”

Means noted that the parties agree that those processes worked as intended and that Tampa Electric has agreed to follow additional process improvements for future storms.

“Based on the record in this proceeding in the parties stipulations in this matter, we urge you to approve the company’s reasonable and prudent actual storm restoration costs,” Means said.

Published May 15, 2024

Report: State received only 58 cents for every dollar spent on tourism marketing

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(The Center Square) — State officials say Florida’s tourism marketing organization, Visit Florida, returned only 58 cents for every dollar spent on it in 2023.

The report by the Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) found that Visit Florida’s public marketing during fiscal years (FY) 2019-2022 generated a positive 0.58 return on investment.

(Ryan Haft/Unsplash)

According to the report, the return on investment for fiscal years 2019-2022 was much lower than the previous two reports that covered 2016-2019 and 2013-2016.

The report shows that in the 2021 report, Visit Florida’s marketing efforts received $3.27 for every dollar spent with a return on investment of 3.27. This was up from 2018’s analysis, which had a return on investment of 2.15.

Legislation enacted in 2013 and 2014 directs EDR and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to analyze specific state economic development incentive programs every three years.

According to the EDR, state payments to Visit Florida have decreased 35.7% since its previous review, averaging $48.9 million annually over three years. However, the report further states that the U.S. Travel Association has reported that average state funding for tourism was around $18 million in fiscal year 2021-2022.

Overall, Florida had 134.2 million visitors in 2022, with nearly 127 million being domestic travelers, the largest number of visitors between 2016 and 2022.

International travel recovered somewhat with a reported 7.2 million international visitors in 2022, a slight rebound since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which saw only 2 million international visitors.

However, despite appearances, Florida’s Economic Estimating Conference expects a strong period of growth, around 6.4% during FY 2023-2024, after which it is likely to drop to an average of 4.9% in FY 2024-2025.

The EDR also notes that they believe the current working return on investment for Visit Florida is closer to 3.3, which better reflects the program’s long-term goals.

The report says Visit Florida’s mission is to promote and drive visitation to and within the state of Florida in hopes of establishing the state as the No. 1 destination, both domestically and internationally.

Visit Florida conducts marketing activities, and advertising campaigns both domestically and abroad, as well as researching travel trends and tourism, managing welcome centers, administering reimbursement grant programs, and partnering with businesses and destinations.

Published May 15, 2024

How workplaces can contribute to COPD risk

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is a long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. Impacting 11.7 million people in the United States, many people only think of it as a disease that impacts people who smoke and use tobacco products, but long-term exposure to dust, chemicals, fumes and vapors from the workplace are also risk factors.

((c) KatarzynaBialasiewicz / iStock via Getty Images Plus)

In fact, work-related exposures account for 10% to 20% of either respiratory symptoms or lung function impairment consistent with COPD.

To help people understand the many facets of COPD risk, the American Lung Association is launching a campaign to raise awareness of occupational COPD. As part of the campaign, they are sharing patient insights, along with information to help people identify workplace risk factors and signs of disease progression.

Knowing the risk factors
Mary Cohen, who lives with COPD, started having symptoms when working at a nail and hair salon.

“I did not realize that working in a hair and nail salon doing nails would put me at risk for lung disease, COPD,” says Cohen.

The leading industries and job types that increase risk for COPD include agriculture, mining and manufacturing; however, many types of workplaces, from construction to welding, can potentially expose workers to harmful irritants that can contribute to developing COPD. Workplace exposures include:

  • Secondhand smoke
  • Mineral dusts like silica, coal and asbestos
  • Organic dusts like cotton, wood and grains
  • Metal or welding fumes like cadmium
  • Diesel or exhaust fumes
  • Asphalt, tar fumes, or vapor in roads or roofing
  • Smoke from fires

Recognizing the signs
While there is no cure for COPD, it is often preventable and once diagnosed can be managed and treated. That’s why recognizing the symptoms as early as possible is so important. These symptoms include shortness of breath, a cough that may bring up sputum (mucus or phlegm), wheezing, tiredness or fatigue, or repeated lung infections like bronchitis or pneumonia. Perhaps a person notices they are taking the elevator instead of the stairs because of shortness of breath, or that they develop a lingering cough every time they sweep sawdust. Unfortunately, people often attribute these changes to their health to aging or because they have gained weight or are out of shape.

If a person has been exposed to risk factors for occupational COPD or has symptoms, the American Lung Association recommends that they speak to their health care provider. For more information, visit Lung.org/workplace-COPD.

The workplace is where people spend hours of their day and years of their life. Learning more about how to protect the lungs at work is critical.

-StatePoint

Published May 15, 2024

Governor signs ban on lab-grown meat

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(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans the sale of lab-grown meat as part of efforts by state officials that are intended to boost the state’s agricultural sector.

DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1084, prohibiting the sale of lab-grown meat in Florida. He also said at a news conference in Hardee County that the Sunshine State is upping its beef production to keep up with demand.

(Louis Reed/Unsplash)

In addition, DeSantis said that Florida is supporting the state’s agriculture and meat industry by modernizing the Right to Farm Act, reestablishing funding for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program with $300 million in funding and investing more than $2.8 billion into the industry itself.

“We want to make sure we protect agriculture activities from frivolous litigation,” DeSantis said. “We’ve also signed legislation to ensure that agri-tourism operators qualify for protection against property tax assessments when operating on agricultural land, we also simplified steps for Florida farmers to receive sales-tax exemptions for agricultural materials.”

The governor said that the legislation is part of a continued effort to have a vibrant agricultural industry. He added the legislation is intended to protect the industry from natural disasters and also from man.

“What we’re protecting here is the industry against acts of man,” DeSantis said “Against an ideological agenda that wants to finger agriculture as the problem, that views things like raising cattle as destroying our climate. These will be people who will lecture the rest of us about things like global warming…meanwhile, they’re flying to Davos in their private jets.”

DeSantis noted that the people who hold these ideologies like the World Economic Forum (WEF) only want to impose restrictions on everyday people, while they do whatever they want. DeSantis further noted that policies have already been enacted to protect Floridians from being forced into a social credit score system as in China.

“I think what they’re looking to do is create a social credit score system…We see the threat for what it is,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis stated that is not a vision that has taken hold in Florida and that those at the WEF want to eliminate meat production and farming altogether.

“They want to eliminate meat, they want to eliminate cattle, they want to eliminate chickens…they want to create protein in laboratories,” DeSantis said. “So essentially lab-created meat, and their goal is to get to a point where you will not be raising cattle.”

Published May 15, 2024

Five things athletes need to know about asthma and summer heat

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Nearly 25 million people of all ages in the United States are living with asthma, a lifelong chronic disease that makes it harder to move air in and out of the lungs, and for athletes, the summer heat can exacerbate the disease.

Here’s what the American Lung Association wants everyone to know during summer, when extreme heat can make asthma harder to manage.

(Maarten van den Heuvel/Unsplash)

New challenges are emerging.
Beyond traditional asthma triggers like respiratory infections, secondhand smoke and pets, new challenges are emerging. Extreme heat, poor air quality, increased allergens, extreme weather events, and more frequent and intense wildfires, all are making asthma more difficult to manage.

Excessive heat and humidity increase the risk of asthma exacerbations, asthma-related hospitalization and asthma-related death, especially for children and women. Athletes should limit time outdoors during heat waves, seek access to air conditioning and take steps to improve indoor air quality, as humidity allows dust mites and mold to thrive.

City dwellers are particularly vulnerable.
Two-thirds of the average U.S. city is made up of roads, parking spaces, sidewalks and roofs. Since these surfaces are typically dark and nonporous, they contribute to flooding, increased air pollution, poor health and what is known as “urban heat,” a phenomenon in which cities experience warmer temperatures than surrounding areas. Urban heat, combined with pollutants from power plants, motor vehicles and other pollution sources, creates ozone pollution, also known as smog. Those with asthma can experience symptoms like shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing from both ground-level ozone and particle pollution, as well as from the impacts of extreme weather and airborne allergens.

Flooding can harm lung health.
Increased severe storms result in more flooding, which can harm lung health. Chemicals, sewage, oil, gas and other dangerous substances found in floodwaters can pose health risks, and mold, associated with asthma attacks, can grow anywhere there is water or dampness.

Advocacy efforts are underway.
The Smart Surfaces Coalition is made up of 40 national and international organizations committed to making Smart Surfaces the global urban design standard. Smart Surfaces encompass a suite of cutting-edge technologies, including reflective (cool) roofs and pavements, green roofs, trees, solar panels and rain gardens. Designed to mitigate urban heat, enhance air quality and improve health, these transformative urban features can cool cities by 5 degrees F, reduce flooding, provide economic benefits and potentially advance environmental justice.

The American Lung Association, an active member of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, encourages cities to take these actions:

  • Install light-colored roads, parking lots and driveways to reflect sunlight and reduce heat.
  • Install solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity and provide shade for roofs.
  • Plant trees to increase shade.
  • Select porous surfaces to collect polluted stormwater, soak it into the ground, and filter out pollution.

Other strategies to reduce urban heat, air pollution and ozone levels include using public transportation carpooling, increasing green spaces and installing cooling centers in extreme conditions.

Resources are available.
Educational programming can help people better manage the disease in summer and year-round. Patients can check out the self-management education programs, information and tools available at Lung.org/asthma or call the American Lung Association’s Lung Helpline at 1-800-LUNGUSA. Living with an illness, or being the caretaker to someone who is, can take a physical and emotional toll. Patients can get support and knowledge, and connect with others by joining the Lung Association’s Patient & Caregiver Network.

For the 24.8 million Americans living with asthma, extreme summer temperatures and emerging environmental threats can make life more difficult. Fortunately, new educational resources and expanded programming can help patients navigate new and old challenges alike.

-StatePoint

Published May 15, 2024

A special Mother’s Day wish

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(Courtesy of Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Keith Nowak, Navy Office of Community Outreach)

Seaman Cierra Kenney, a Spring Hill native serving in the U.S. Navy, wishes her mother, Meagan Loomis, of Spring Hill, a Happy Mother’s Day from afar. Sailors help maintain America’s advantage at sea and this means they do not always get to celebrate holidays with their loved ones. Kenney wants her mother to know she is missed on Mother’s Day. “Thank you for all you do for me,” said Kenney, in a news release. “I love you and I’m grateful to have someone like you in my life.”

Baldomero Lopez Nursing Home’s 25th anniversary celebrated

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Some of the younger residents of the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home were only teenagers when the place they now call home opened in 1999.

The 25th anniversary of the nursing home was marked by a special event on April 27 in Land O’ Lakes.

Residents of Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home watch the Crossroads Band. (Joe Potter)

About 120 veterans, whose ages range from 40 to 101, now reside there.

Being at the ceremony was a “great opportunity” said James S. Hartsell, retired Maj. Gen., U.S. Marine Corps,  and Florida Department of Veterans Affairs’ (FDVA) executive director. 

“This is what makes Florida great and I’m glad to be here,” Hartsell said. “This is a ‘home,’ not a ‘facility,’ and they aren’t ‘patients.’ The ones who live here are ‘residents.’”

Bob Hatfield, left, reads what was put into the Congressional Record regarding the nursing home’s 25th anniversary as its administrator, Marlies Sarrett, looks on.

As part of the ceremony, Bob Hatfield, a member of Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis’ staff, read what had been entered into the Congressional Record in Washington D.C. regarding the nursing home’s 25th anniversary.

“Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans, many of whom reside in the Tampa Bay and Nature Coast areas. Through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, the state of Florida operates eight skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living facility, including Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home. These critical long-term care resources are available to Florida veterans with an honorable discharge who are in need of assistance,” read Hatfield, repeating Bilirakis’ remarks.

Baldomero Lopez offers its residents safe shelter and skilled services 24/7 to help them live out the remainder of their lives in a good, healthy environment.

Attendees visit with a mini horse from Mary Rose Mini Pet Therapy Horses.

Meals are prepared daily to help meet the individual dietary needs of residents. There is a 58-bed Alzheimer’s/dementia unit. Other offerings include 24-hour skilled nursing service, help with pain management, and a variety of social and recreational activities.

The nursing home is named after First Lt. Baldomero Lopez, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, who died on Sept. 15, 1950, while serving during the Korean War. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military decoration.

Lopez was a rifle platoon commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (REIN). 

He was only 25 years old when he was killed while serving in Inchon, Korea.

Officials attending the event included, from left: Robert ‘Bob’ Asztalos, deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs; James S. Hartsell, FDVA executive director; and Marlies Sarrett, nursing home administrator.

This is the same age at which the nursing home named after him is now.

Lopez’s Medal of Honor (MOH) citation says, in part, that he was attempting to throw a grenade into a bunker from which enemy fire was pinning down the area where his platoon had just landed on a beach. He was wounded in his right shoulder and chest as he lifted his arm to throw the grenade.  

He dropped the grenade while falling backward and turned and dragged his body forward in an effort to retrieve the grenade and throw it.  

“In critical condition from pain and loss of blood, and unable to grasp the hand grenade firmly enough to hurl it, he chose to sacrifice himself rather than endanger the lives of his men and, with a sweeping motion of his wounded right arm, cradled the grenade under him and absorbed the full impact of the explosion.

“His exceptional courage, fortitude, and devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon 1st Lt. Lopez and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country,” the MOH citation said.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano also attended the event.

Marlies Sarrett, who has been the nursing home’s administrator for 13 years, said she was very pleased with how many people turned out for the celebration, which also included entertainment by the Crossroads Band that performs at Baldomero Lopez monthly.

She also noted that she was happy with the number of volunteers who had helped organize and run the event. 

A large number of organizations and vendors were in attendance, including the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit, Pasco County Votes, Land O’ Lakes Library, Mary Rose Mini Pet Therapy Horses, Rosebud Continuum, Coastal Cremations and the Sertoma Club, according to Johanna Snee, Baldomero Lopez activity director.

Also attending and participating were representatives of various veterans’ organizations, including the FDVA, American Legion, Marines Forever, Operation Patriot, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution. 

In addition, representatives of Kathryn Hintz Piano Studios, the New Port Richey Elks Club, JDog Junk Removal & Hauling, Grunt Style, Palm City Church, Pasco-Hernando State College, Tampa History Museum and Zonta participated in the event, according to Snee.

For more information about the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home, call 813-558-5000.

Published May 08, 2024

The Crossroads Band performs at the nursing home on a monthly basis.
This entrance has marked the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home for a quarter century.

Polk sheriff’s office seizes largest amount of fentanyl in county history

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(The Center Square) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in one operation disrupted a Mexican drug trafficking organization operating in several states. In the process, deputies seized the largest amount of fentanyl in county history of 14 kilograms, or 30.86 pounds — enough to kill one-third of the state’s population.

Two of the four individuals arrested were in the country illegally, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

“Fentanyl is the drug that is coming from Mexico through an open border … and it’s killing people all over the United States,” Judd said at a news conference. “It seems like every time I talk about a fentanyl operation, I’m saying it’s the largest fentanyl seizure in the state of Florida. Once again, that’s what I’m saying. The seizure of 14 kilos of fentanyl is the single largest seizure in the history of Polk County.”

Two milligrams of fentanyl is a lethal dose for most people, according to the DEA. (United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

The two criminal aliens they arrested, Judd said, “didn’t come here to better themselves and their family. They came here illegally to kill people in America with a deadly drug through a porous border that we need to seal off.”

“What’s frightening about this,” he said, is “the drugs we seized were enough to kill every man, woman and child” in 14 counties. Since January 2023, his deputies alone have seized enough fentanyl to kill everyone in Florida, he said. They’ve also saved 23 people’s lives from fentanyl poisoning using Narcan, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses if administered quickly enough.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said the record amount of fentanyl seized in Polk County, “enough to kill a third of our state,” originated from the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. “How does that happen? It happens because our border is wide open,” she said.

“Since 2021, since (President Joe) Biden took office, over 10 million people have poured into this country,” she said, citing the record numbers reported by The Center Square. In the first six months of fiscal 2024, more than 1.7 million illegally entered, the greatest number in U.S. history.

“As long as the border is wide open, we will continue to see those that crossed over illegally pouring deadly drugs into our state,” Moody said.

She also said Florida law enforcement officers and prosecutors were “being very aggressive to take down the poison peddlers.” The Florida legislature has also ensured law enforcement officers and first responders are fully funded and residents who have substance abuse issues are provided with a range of resources.

The sheriff’s operation began in August 2023 when members of a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force began investigating a Mexican drug trafficking organization specializing in fentanyl. The task force also worked with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol, and the State Attorney’s Office 10th Judicial Circuit.

In the early stages of the investigation, Polk County Sheriff’s detectives working undercover received two kilograms of fentanyl from a drug trafficker in Mexico. They later coordinated a delivery to be made in person this month at a motel in Lakeland, where they received one kilogram. They then arranged for a third delivery, with the trafficking organization agreeing to ship 11 more kilograms of fentanyl to Polk County.

On April 22, 2024, four individuals arrived at a predetermined location in Polk County to deliver the 11 kilos and were met by Judd’s team. All four were arrested: Maria Machuca-Alderete, Maria Guadalupe-Garcia, Sergio Garcia and Pedro Rodriguez-Correa. A fifth individual believed to be working with them is wanted and at-large.

Garcia, a U.S. Army veteran, brought the drugs from California to Florida, which came from Sinaloa, Mexico. His wife, Guadalupe-Garcia, said they were paid $42,500 to drive the drugs to Florida, Judd said.

Rodriguez-Correa, who was in the country illegally, drove the alleged four fentanyl traffickers and brought with them a 6-year-old boy to the delivery. The Florida Department of Children & Families was called and took custody of him.

The detectives also seized two vehicles used by the drug traffickers, and $5,461 in cash, according to the sheriff’s office.

Published May 08, 2024

Audit gives Florida Department of Transportation good grades for efficiency

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(The Center Square) — The Florida Department of Transportation received high marks on its efficiency with taxpayer funds during fiscal 2022-2023, but auditors found some issues that needed correction.

According to the annual report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the audit portion was done to provide independent appraisals of the performance of department programs and processes. This included an assessment of management’s performance in meeting information needs within the department while maintaining its resources.

(Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The audit team also provided assurance and consulting services to promote the efficiency and effectiveness of department programs, producing audits, reviews of contracts, grants, operational processes and information technology,  particularly focused on cybersecurity.

While most programs that were audited were found to be compliant, several issues included duplicate payments to certain engineering firms, unreliable performance measures and internal controls to protect personal information.

However, other programs with findings or recommendations, like the Nuclear Density Gauge Storage, and the Identity & Access Management Enterprise Cybersecurity Audit, were protected from disclosure. The report states that all findings had been addressed and actions had been taken to prevent future deficiencies.

The OIG’s investigative team worked to detect and deter activities such as contract fraud and employee misconduct within the FDOT. The investigation team received 203 complaints during the year, in which 18 investigations were opened, 112 were referred to management and 73 complaints were forwarded to other agencies.

The report noted that the OIG conducted fraud awareness briefings throughout the state to department employees, supervisor and management academies, and professional engineer trainees. Fraud hotline employees also were trained to identify and report fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct or mismanagement.

Nine investigations were carried forward from fiscal 2021-2022, and three cases were worked jointly with law enforcement. These included allegations of fraud, theft, falsification, conflicts of interest, bid rigging, false certification, lack of quality control and recording without consent.

One former department employee was believed to have misused a debit card or cash withdrawals from an Employee Benefit Fund. Investigators found unreconciled ATM withdrawals and several charges on the EBF debit card for DoorDash purchases.

The OIG found conflicts of interest involving a department employee and a contractor doing business with the department. Based on interviews and records, it was “proved that the employee created the appearance of a conflict of interest by attempting to utilize a department contractor for a fellow employee’s potential benefit.”

Published May 08, 2024

DeSantis touts more spending for the developmentally disabled in Florida

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(The Center Square) — Floridians with developmental disabilities will benefit from a record level of funding for direct services after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a multibillion dollar investment from the state.

DeSantis spoke at the Els Center in Jupiter on Monday and announced that as part of the Live Healthy legislation spearheaded by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and his Focus on Florida’s Bright Future Budget that $2.2 billion will be going to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities for services through the iBudget waiver.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stands with a $1 million check for the Els Center of Excellence.(Facebook/Governor Ron DeSantis)

This would allow those living with autism and other developmental disabilities to access social, behavioral, therapeutic and medical services.

“That is the highest amount ever appropriated in the history of Florida by a country mile, and the iBudget waiver offers an array of social, medical, behavioral, and therapeutic services to individuals who have developmental disabilities,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis stated that the record-high funding includes $200 million to support an across-the-board increase for iBudget waiver providers, $64.8 million to enroll additional individuals in crisis onto the iBudget waiver and $55.7 million to enroll individuals currently in a pre-enrollment category.

“So, this is a big deal, this is a big investment, it shows the state of Florida’s commitment,” DeSantis said, adding that he also has approved an additional $1 million for the Els Center of Excellence recreational complex.

DeSantis noted that the new facility will provide a specialized swim and water safety program, aqua therapy sessions, indoor sports and fitness, and a specialized autism-friendly hurricane shelter.

“The facility will also provide a specialized athletic curriculum that gives parents, teachers and coaches the best tools to assist children and students with unique abilities. We want them to get active, we want them to live healthier lives, and that’s exactly what they’re doing here at the Els Center.” DeSantis said.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities Director Taylor Hatch said that more individuals living with developmental disabilities will be empowered by the funding provided by DeSantis and the Legislature.

“This historic funding will provide services that empower a greater number of individuals and their families to thrive through the power of partnership, highlighting the importance of a strong provider workforce through first-ever, across-the-board pay increases, as well as focusing on the importance of community partners,” Hatch said.

Published May 08, 2024