Local News

Florida Lottery transferred $2.45B to K-12 education in 2023

March 26, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — The Florida Lottery has become a crucial part of funding for education in the Sunshine State, and according to a recent report from the Florida auditor general (AG), it continues to grow each year.

In late January, the AG released the financial audit of the Florida Lottery, whose mission is to maximize financial revenue for the benefit of education “in a manner consistent with the dignity of the State of Florida and the welfare of its citizens.”

The lottery offers a full range of scratch-off and draw products, and has for the 34th consecutive fiscal year (FY), sustained ticket sales in excess of $2 billion, with the last 11 years exceeding $5 billion. Over that 34-year period, a minimum of $800 million has been transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, with FY 2023 exceeding $1 billion for the 21st consecutive year, according to the report.

In FY 2023, there was approximately $2.45 billion transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF), compared to the previous fiscal year where $2.33 billion was transferred, reflecting a ticket sales increase of 5.12% over the prior year, collecting approximately $9.80 billion compared to $9.32 billion the previous year.

Around 71.86% of total sales came from the lotteries’ scratch-off products, which increased 0.26% from the previous year. Prize expenses increased by 4.97% or $310.25 million during 2023, also reflected by an increase in ticket sales.

According to the report’s financial analysis of the Florida Lottery’s assets, at the end of FY 2023, total assets increased by $154.98 million from $665.43 million in June 2022 to $820.41 million by June 30, 2023, which were primarily related to an increase of investments from the state treasury.

Total liabilities on June 30, 2023 were $768.47 million, around $151.79 million higher than total liabilities from the previous year which were $616.68 million. The increase in liabilities can be attributed to the increase of $84.84 million to prizewinners and $70.91 million for amounts due to the EETF.

Between June 2022 and June 2023, noncurrent liabilities decreased by $4.25 million, attributed to a decrease of $11.85 million for grand prizes paid to winners and an increase of $13.72 million in pension liability. Since the lottery’s inception, total transfers to the EETF have reached over $44 billion.

Published March 27, 2024

Florida’s DeSantis signs three bills designed to combat illegal immigration

March 26, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed three bills into law on Friday to bolster Florida’s efforts to prevent illegal immigration.

“We’re here today, one, to build off a record of success with respect to combating illegal immigration…if you go back six or seven years in the state of Florida, we were not leading against illegal immigration at all, in fact, we were one of the weaker states,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis stated that since he took office, sanctuary cities have been banned throughout the state, and harsher penalties have been enacted for people bringing fentanyl into communities, which in most cases comes across the southern border.

Illegal immigrants are banned from gaining a Florida driver’s license, and the state also will not recognize driver’s licenses issued in another state that does not require a social security number. DeSantis further stated that lawmakers have enacted E-Verify for businesses that employ over a certain number of employees to ensure those employees are legally working in the state.

“The federal government has failed in its responsibility to secure our southern border, leaving states to fend for themselves,” DeSantis said. “In Florida, we do not tolerate illegal immigration, let alone lawlessness committed by illegal aliens who shouldn’t be here in the first place. The bills I signed today further enhance Florida’s capabilities to uphold the law.”

DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1036, which enhances penalties for a crime committed by an illegal alien who has previously been deported and carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

House Bill 1451 prevents counties and municipalities from accepting “community” ID cards, which are issued to illegal aliens by other jurisdictions. Currently, Florida prohibits local jurisdictions from issuing these types of IDs.

HB 1589 increases penalties for individuals who operate a vehicle without a license. It increases the maximum sentence from 60 days to one year in jail if they have two or more offenses.

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez stated that Florida leadership will not stand by and allow illegal immigration to continue spiraling out of control.

“Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has provided a blueprint for other states to protect their citizens against illegal immigration,” Nuñez said. “Our administration will not stand on the sidelines and watch as the Biden Border Crisis continues to spiral out of control.”

Published March 27, 2024

Honoring the service of military heroes and canines

March 19, 2024 By Mary Rathman

Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 787 and the Veterans Council of Hillsborough County will host its annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans & War Dogs remembrance event on March 28 at 10 a.m., at Veterans Memorial Park, 3602 U.S. 301 in Tampa.

The event precedes National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which marks the final departure of U.S. troops from South Vietnam on March 29, 1973.

The theme of this year’s remembrance is “Still Serving” and will feature keynote speaker Rolfe Arnhym, retired U.S. Army officer and business leader, who served multiple tours in Vietnam.

The occasion also will include:

-Commemorative lapel pinning for all veterans of the Vietnam War era and their surviving spouses
-Salutes to local military heroes and the canines who served in the war
-Patriotic music, rifle salute and playing of taps
-On-site resources to assist veterans, including the Agent Orange Registry, caregiving, counseling, suicide prevention, and veteran benefits
-Authentic Southeast Asian cuisine and entertainment

The Vietnam War Memorial at the park features a war dog memorial and a pair of U.S. Army helicopters: the American Bell UH-1 Huey and AH-1 Cobra.

The event and parking are free. For information, call Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services at 813-635-8316.

Published March 20, 2024

An inventive new documentary gives us ‘Frida’ in her own words

March 19, 2024 By Shana Nys Dambrot

If there was ever an artist who would be done with people telling her story for her, it would be Frida Kahlo. The rightfully iconic painter, feminist, activist, sister, daughter, wife, lover, and indomitable passionista was a fierce voice for herself, her country, her culture, and above all, the power of art to change the life of an individual and an entire community. The good news is, thanks to a new artist-driven documentary, we finally get to hear Frida’s story as it was meant to be heard — in her own words.

Releasing March 15 on Prime Video, “Frida” — the feature film directorial debut of acclaimed editor Carla Gutiérrez (“RBG”) — is packed with the kind of extensive archival photography, video and audio along with contemporaneous media coverage that one would expect from a thorough documentary. But Gutiérrez and her talented team embed these primary source materials within a rich and beautifully acted voiceover read directly from Frida’s prolific diaries, along with a risky but ultimately delightful series of animations bringing motion and added drama to Kahlo’s most beloved images.

Frida Kahlo c 1940 (© Archivo Manuel Álvarez Bravo, S.C)

The artists behind the animation sequences are adamant about the love and respect for Frida that they held during the creative process. With no outside elements added to her paintings, the sequences most often took the form of watching a work being made by an invisible hand, or perhaps one element such as a snake sliding into place moving through the stationary parts to its final spot, completing the work. “First, we explored how to approach the artwork, taking it to its maximum expression in terms of meaning and color. I believe that each painting has extraordinary elements that highlight its feelings,” says artist Sofía Cáceres. Her colleague Renata Galindo adds, “We had to be very careful. Our first approach was to separate animation from Frida’s art because they are two different mediums.” In these elements the desired balance of whimsy and optical treat with respect for the original artworks was achieved with poetic appeal.

Frida in 1945 (Courtesy of Fundación-Leo-Matiz)

The charm of the animation gives expressive form to the often surprisingly intimate, personal, fiery, sensuous, emotional, political, psychologically fraught, steel-willed narration told in its unique first-person manner. Even those familiar with her illustrated diary might not have seen the trove of private letters, unpublished essays, and candid print interviews. Pointedly, the compelling voiceover performed by actress Fernanda Echevarría del Rivero is entirely in Spanish, drawing the viewer even closer to the sensation of hearing Frida herself in the words.

The filmmakers had unprecedented, unrestricted access to a global treasure map of rare archival materials, much of which had never been seen in public. We’re talking dusty boxes in Bay Area attics with partially transcribed cassette tapes from the ‘70s. “It was shocking for us to realize how much [Frida] could carry her own story because there haven’t been many interviews with her, but there are many letters,” Gutiérrez writes. “We had this opportunity to go much deeper and present the complicated, messy person she was outside the image or symbol she’d become.”

Producer Katia Maguire concurs, writing, “We wanted to bring her artwork to life in a way that we hadn’t seen done before. And we wanted to explore her writing. She was quite a prolific writer. She poured her heart into her correspondence with people because she was so intimate and so easily connected with people.”

Frida in 1933 (Photo by Lucienne Bloch, Courtesy Old Stage Studios)

“People that watched earlier cuts of the film were surprised by how humorous and deprecating she was,” Gutiérrez says. “Her sassiness when she was dealing with the world, especially in America, a lot of people enjoyed seeing that. Because she’s such an iconic symbol, in a way, she’s kind of a confined person. She is the symbol of female empowerment, or sometimes she’s the symbol of Latin sexiness. A lot of people thought about her as somebody that went through a lot of pain, and that’s how they know her. What’s exciting for me about coming into the premiere is seeing what new discoveries people will have of her because of the film.”

The research process discovered materials that had been in boxes for 40 or 50 years. Hayden Herrera, for example, who wrote the most important biography of Frida Kahlo, started her research in the 1970s. She interviewed a lot of people who knew the artist extremely well at various times in her life and career. Gutiérrez discovered that all of Herrera’s original research was just sitting in boxes in her attic. They went and got it. They spoke with the grandson of Diego Rivera and one of Frida Kahlo’s great-nieces, Cristina. They went to San Francisco, where a pair of nonagenarian filmmakers who had made a film about Frida in 1976 provided a box of quarter-inch tapes that hadn’t seen the light of day in 40 years, and badly needed digitizing. Like that, they were able to hear the full interviews.

“There’s been so much work on Frida, but this important research material has yet to be grabbed by anybody!” enthuses Gutiérrez, who is in awe that their “little film production” has been able to contribute such a monumental gift to art history — not to mention to new generations of viewers set to discover Frida anew or for the first time.

Published March 20, 2024

Zephyrhills celebrates its heritage with 113th Founders Day Festival

March 19, 2024 By Susan Green

Long before water made Zephyrhills a nationally known brand, wind was the force that put the city on the map. And over a century later, the same gentle winds that gave the city its name helped draw crowds to Zephyrhills’ downtown for an activity-packed 113th Founders Day Festival.

The Civil Air Patrol’s Zephyr Airport Cadet Squadron and Zephyrhills Police Department lead the city’s 113th Founders Day parade along Fifth Avenue on March 9. (Susan Green)

More than 50 vendors’ tents and food trucks stretched for several blocks along Fifth Avenue on March 9, and attendees celebrated the city’s 1910 birth with a 40-unit parade and an old-fashioned pie-eating contest, among many other activities.

Zephyrhills native Judy Holt, 73, said the parade is a Founders Day mainstay, and watching it brought tears to her eyes.

“I try to be here every year,” she said. “Watching the parade brings back a lot of good memories.”

Cecilia Poupore, a Zephyrhills winter resident since 2001, staked out her seat along the parade route early. She said she tries not to miss the annual event, and she was especially pleased with the 2024 version.

“I like the parade, I like the vendors and I love the weather,” she said.

Zephyrhills’ city and emergency services are represented with several units in the 113th Founders Day parade, including the city’s 1920s-era American LaFrance fire truck.

Organized by Main Street Zephyrhills, the festival kicked off at the city’s historic train depot with a 5K run, sponsored by East Pasco YMCA. It included children’s activities at the Zephyrhills Public Library, a downtown art show sponsored by the Zephyrhills Art Club, an open house and food concession at the historic Woman’s Club building, and other fundraisers staged by local civic groups.

“The main focus is to bring more foot traffic to downtown,” said Antwon Gildon, Main Street director and festival coordinator.

“As the largest city in Pasco County by population, it’s hard to say we’re undiscovered or unknown,” he said, adding that the city wants to make sure its commercial core benefits from the explosive housing growth in and around Zephyrhills in recent years.

“Our goal is to get people to see businesses they might not be familiar with.”

The Zephyrhills High School marching band drumline keeps the beat for the city’s 113th Founders Day parade on March 9 in downtown Zephyrhills.

Reveling in Zephyrhills’ RV history
The theme for this year’s festival was “Return of the Tin Can Tourist,” a nod to the city’s heyday as a top stop for retirees seeking a place to park their campers in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Dozens of vintage campers and travel trailers were on display at Zephyr Park on the outskirts of downtown. The exhibit — known as a “rally” among vintage camper and travel trailer collectors — was the first of its kind in Florida to be sponsored by Vintage Camper Trailers magazine of Sacramento, California.

Caroline Lacitinola, who owns the publication with her husband Paul, said their company has organized rallies on the West Coast for years. When Main Street Zephyrhills invited them to come to Florida, it was good timing because the couples’ kids had left for college and the older Lacitinolas had the time and resources to make the cross-country trip.

More than 50 vendors set up shop along Fifth Avenue and neighboring streets in downtown Zephyrhills for the city’s 113th Founders Day Festival.

“It’s super fun when you get a group of people together who love vintage trailers,” she added. “They have the same passion.”

The oldest camper on display at Zephyr Park was a 1957 Corvette model that was restored by Kevin and Janet Stone of Sarasota. Kevin said the couple acquired the relic when his daughter and son-in-law were buying a house, and their lender wouldn’t close on the sale until the dilapidated trailer was hauled off the property.

He and his wife spent two years during the COVID-19 pandemic restoring their prize. The exterior still sports its original jalousie and awning windows and metal siding, although the siding has been repainted. He said the couple had to gut the interior but chose the new wood wall and door paneling because of its authentic appearance.

A few campsites away from the Corvette camper was a 1961 Shasta travel trailer owned by Tim and Margie Suddard of Ormond Beach. Tim said the couple acquired it 10 years ago and spent four years restoring it.

Contestants try to wolf down an entire cherry pie without using their hands during the 113th Founders Day Festival pie-eating contest sponsored by Village Inn. From left to right: Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe; John Williamson, representing Lee Reed Insurance in downtown Zephyrhills; and Wesley Chapel residents Evon Constantine and Claribel Florez, both representing festival exhibitor Walmart Health.

He said they tried to stay true to the trailer’s original design but made some changes to accommodate their modern lifestyle. For example, he replaced the original interior gas lamp and a hand-primed water pressure pump with electricity-powered versions.

Back at the downtown festival, some store owners offered camper-themed goods, and many festival activities also followed the theme.

At the city library, Amelia Carden, 2, was among children who used icing and candy to decorate camper-shaped cookies. Her mother, Alexandra Carden, said she discovered the kids’ event listed on Facebook. While visiting the library, she and her husband Will noticed the downtown festival activities and planned to check them out. The family lives in Zephyrhills but had not attended the festival before.

Christine Mitchell, who owns the Vintage Chix furniture and collectibles boutique with her husband Pete, said she ordered some camper-themed knickknacks and yard flags to sell during the festival. Her family has traveled in campers and participated in rallies and she was happy that Main Street Zephyrhills adopted the “Tin Can Tourist” theme for Founders Day.

She said sales were brisk and she was pleased with the turnout for the event.

“This brings people in,” Mitchell said.

Gildon said the Zephyrhills Founders Day Festival doesn’t commemorate a particular founder. But he and others at the festival acknowledged that Capt. Howard Jeffries, a Union Army veteran of the Civil War era, is widely credited with revitalizing the town in 1910 by establishing a retirement community for veterans known as Zephyrhills Colony Company.

According to the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, the community was originally settled in 1882 under the name of Abbott.

The historic Jeffries house in downtown Zephyrhills was restored a few years ago and now houses Tina & Joe’s Café, which partnered with the Zephyrhills Rotary Club to offer a pancake breakfast to festival visitors.

Published March 20, 2024

Winners of the Dade City Miss Kumquat Pageant wave at the crowd during the 113th Founders Day parade on March 9 in downtown Zephyrhills.

Janet and Kevin Stone of Sarasota welcome visitors to check out their 1957 Corvette camper during a vintage camper rally March 9 at Zephyr Park, part of the Zephyrhills 113th Founders Day Festival.

Amelia Freiermuth, 7, of Zephyrhills, decorates a camper-shaped cookie during a kids’ activity at the Zephyrhills Public Library as her mother, Joellynn, looks on. The activity was part of the city’s 113th Founders Day Festival on March 9.

Mixed use development slated for Wesley Chapel

March 19, 2024 By Joe Potter

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved an ordinance rezoning 76.72 acres of property south of State Road 52, approximately 900 feet west of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, to a Planned Development (PD) during their March 12 meeting in Dade City.

The changes will permit a maximum of 130,000 square feet of commercial/office, 300 multifamily dwelling units and 50 townhomes to be developed on the site.

It is anticipated that the proposed new amount of commercial/office space will prioritize employment generation along the frontage of SR 52 and will provide adequate connectivity and accessibility to adjacent communities and between the different uses within the development according to Pasco County records.

Other positive factors considered in making the zoning change were the anticipation that the increase in the square footage of commercial use in the area could bring more jobs to the county, resulting in more revenue and less consumption in services, according to county records.

It’s proposed that 5.96 acres of the property will be for commercial use, 28.63 acres for a combination of commercial and residential use and 41.36 acres for residential.

The applicant was listed as Thompson Thrift Development Inc., and attorney Barbara L. Wilhite was listed as the authorized representative for the owner(s) of the property.

The recording of a Plat with Performance Guarantees was approved for Jen Tampa 5, LLC – Mirada Parcel 15B-1. The developer proposes to have a residential subdivision comprised of 65 single-family lots on 75.3 acres between Kenton Road and Future Tyndall Road.

The site is in the “Connected Cities” area east of Interstate 75 and south of SR 52. The developer is required to have a security bond in the amount of $3,006,250.20 to cover the estimated cost of landscape and infrastructure work that hadn’t been completed prior to the filing of the plat.

An ordinance changing the zoning of 7.12 acres of property on the north side of State Road 54, approximately 1 mile west of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, to Commercial (COM) and Conservation (CON) also was approved. The applicant wants to develop 12,600 square feet of retail/restaurant.

Plans call for 1.59 acres for commercial use and the remaining 5.53 acres to be used for conservation.

Housh Ghovaee was listed as the authorized representative for the owner(s) of the property.

The property was previously zoned RES-6 (Residential 6 Du/Ga).

Also approved, a zoning amendment for approximately 28.10 acres in south central Pasco. The change, requested by New River LTD Pasco, Houck Corporation/New River Houck, was from a C-2 General Commercial District to an MF-1 Multiple-Family Medium Density District Pasco. It had originally been listed as a consent item on the meeting’s agenda but District 5 Commissioner Jack Mariano requested it be removed for discussion.

The applicant plans to develop a maximum of 140 townhomes on the property located at the intersection of SR 54 and Ashton Oaks Boulevard. Mariano expressed concerns about there possibly not being adequate space for vehicles to park since plans call for each of the townhomes to have a one-car garage. There also will be space on the driveway of each townhome for one additional vehicle to be parked.

Attorney Wilhite, who was speaking on behalf of the applicant, emphasized there had been extended discussions over several months regarding the plans for the development.

It was approved by a vote of 4-1 with Commissioner Jack Mariano casting the dissenting vote.

NaphCare Inc. was awarded a bid not to exceed $81,524,720.98 to provide comprehensive inmate medical, mental health and pharmaceutical services for up to 2,040 inmates during fiscal years 2024-2029. The amount that will be paid annually will vary over the five-year length of NaphCare’s contract. There also will be an option to renew the contract for an additional five years after the current contract expires.

Two agreements to purchase vehicles during fiscal year (FY) 2024 that began Oct. 1, 2023 were approved. The agreement with Bartow Ford Co. is not to exceed $7,000,000 and the agreement with Beck Auto Sales of Palatka is not to exceed $1,500,000.

The agreement states that Ford Motor Co. vehicles may be purchased from Bartow Ford as needed, while various vehicles, including SUVs and light trucks, may be purchased from Beck Auto Sales as needed.

An ongoing cooperative purchase agreement to spend up to $1.779M as needed for maintenance also was approved.

Contract Management Services FL, LLC (CMSF) was awarded a bid not to exceed $1,020,000 as needed for general maintenance services for FY 2024-2026. CMSF will be paid in equal annual installments not to exceed $340,000. The company will assist in the operation and maintenance of the county’s water utility infrastructure on an as-needed basis and also will help support the operations and improve quality and reliability of the utility system.

Two task orders with Carollo Engineers Inc. (CEI), for a total not to exceed $856,926 for FY 2024 was approved. CEI is to prepare updates for the county’s Wastewater Master Plan Project and also for its Reclaimed Water Master Plan Update Project. The purpose for the update to the Wastewater Master Plan is to provide a strategy to accommodate anticipated demand and capacity needs for existing and future customers through 2045. The purpose of the updated Reclaimed Water Master Plan is to ensure that adequate supplies and pressures are available for existing and future customers through 2045. Both of the updated plans will include projections with planning horizons of five years, 10 years and 20 years.

Published March 20, 2024

Interactive wildlife recreation finder unveiled

March 19, 2024 By Mary Rathman

Florida has one of the nation’s largest systems of state-managed wildlife lands, which are managed primarily for wildlife conservation and nature-based public use. Options for experiencing wild Florida can be difficult to narrow down, with more than 6 million acres of state-management conservation lands.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced the WMA (Wildlife Management Areas) Recreation Finder, an interactive virtual map for Florida residents and visitors looking to find the perfect outdoor experience on public lands, according to a news release.

(Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)

Key features in the WMA Finder include:

Location-based search: Find local WMAs by entering your zip code.
Recreational experiences: Filter by activities such as boating, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, wildlife viewing and more.
Trail types: Explore different types of trails, including nature trails, paddling trails and scenic boardwalks.
Amenities: Find WMAs equipped with amenities like picnic areas, viewing structures, campsites, fishing piers and boat launches.
Accessible facilities: Identify WMAs with accessible trails, boat ramps, paddle launches, viewing structures, picnic areas and hunting blinds.

The map also includes details on how to plan a visit, including hours of operation, entrance fees, directions, links to the WMA website and regulations.

The FWC maintains, enhances and restores native natural habitats for the benefit of plant and animal populations, as well as for the people of Florida.

The Recreation Finder map can be found at tinyurl.com/zcbknz7b.

To view a video tutorial, visit youtu.be/ORZ9NgRZf-c.

Published March 20, 2024

Florida parental rights law survives multiple legal challenges, ends Disney feud

March 19, 2024 By Bethany Blankley

(The Center Square) – Florida has won its legal battle over its Parental Rights in Education Act, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law two years ago this month.

A settlement agreement was reached this week, prompting the lawsuit to be dropped. The law remains in effect, handing DeSantis a win.

The law prohibits teachers in kindergarten through third grade from teaching about “sexual orientation” or “gender identity” in the classroom. Numerous media outlets and opponents of it, including President Joe Biden, claimed the law is “anti-gay,” or uses the words “don’t say gay” to suggest it’s anti-LGBTQ. A review of the seven-page bill by The Center Square first revealed no such language exists; the bill never uses the word “gay.”

Not soon after the bill was signed, a special session was called for the legislature to strip Walt Disney Company of its self-governing status after company executives campaigned against it. Disney sued, and a war of words escalated among Disney executives, the White House, the governor and some Florida parents, and federal and state legislative leaders.

By mid-2022, DeSantis’ message on education freedom was resonating in battleground states, a teacher’s union poll found. By the end of 2022, Florida ranked first in parent-led education and its public schools were ranking among the top in the country.

By February 2023, DeSantis signed a bill into law stripping Disney of its self-governing privileges. By April 2023, the Florida legislature moved to extend provisions of its parental rights law and DeSantis also signed into law a Teacher Bill of Rights. Other state legislatures began passing school choice and parental rights bills following Florida’s model. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pointed to Florida’s education success as a reason for Texas to pass a school choice bill.

Meanwhile, Disney continued its legal pursuit, suing DeSantis in April 2023 claiming that the legislature dissolving its self-governing status violated its First Amendment rights to free speech. By June 2023, the state argued Disney had no basis to sue Florida and moved to dismiss the case. By January 2024, Disney’s case was dismissed by a federal judge.

And then on Monday, the lawsuit filed over Florida’s parental rights bill was defeated.

“We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors,” DeSantis’ General Counsel Ryan Newman said. “We are victorious, and Florida’s classrooms will remain a safe place under the Parental Rights in Education Act.”

The governor’s office says the case being dropped was “a major win against the activists who sought to stop Florida’s efforts to keep radical gender and sexual ideology out of the classrooms of public-school children in kindergarten through third grade.”

The law, which is now in effect, prohibits classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in K–3 classrooms. After grade 3, such conversations are required to be age appropriate. The law also requires parents to be notified at the beginning of every school year about health care services their schools offer and have the ability to decline them. It also requires schools to receive permission from parents to administer questionnaires or health screenings to their children.

Activists who opposed the law and media outlets “carrying water” for them, the governor’s office said, “wrote countless stories lying about the intent, design, and application of the law. The activists carried these same lies into the courtroom – thankfully, to no avail.”

Published March 20, 2024

Photo contest ‘captures the real Florida’

March 19, 2024 By Mary Rathman

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service announced the winners of the 2023 Florida State Parks Photo Contest. This year’s contest had three competitive divisions: Professional/Hobbyist, Student and Mobile Phone.

‘Morning Glow,’ John Hootman (Courtesy of Florida State Parks)

The contest provides an opportunity for people to explore their favorite parks and win prizes for future adventures, as well as create memories in Florida’s state parks. Winners receive prize packages including outdoor gear and Florida State Parks merchandise.

“We received thousands of outstanding photos this year, making it challenging to select just three winners. What makes Florida State Parks so special, our diversity of wildlife, flora and geography, has been captured perfectly in these photos,” said Chuck Hatcher, director of the Florida Park Service, in a news release.

Florida’s 175 state parks, trails and historic sites offer beautiful backdrops for recreational and nature-based photos. The 2023 contest asked residents and visitors to “Capture the Real Florida” and nearly 3,800 high-quality photos were submitted, the release says.

These are the first-place winners for the 2023 contest:

Professional/Hobbyist: “Morning Glow” by John Hootman. Photo taken at Manatee Springs State Park near Chiefland.

Student: “It Never Ceases” by Hope Bartlin, student at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Photo taken at Hillsborough River State Park.

Mobile Phone: “Reflection” by Tiffany Grandstaff. Photo taken at Honeymoon Island State Park.

To view all the finalists and winners, visit FloridaStateParks.org/PhotoContest-2023.

The 2024 photo contest will open this summer.

Published March 20, 2024

State lawmakers passed health care, social media restriction bills

March 19, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — The Florida Legislature wrapped up its 2024 session on Friday passing various bills ranging from prohibiting identity politics in colleges to banning children from using social media.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, both had different priorities of focus this year, with Passidomo focused on health care issues and Renner focused on social media and the dangers of the internet.

House Bill 3 restricts the use of social media platforms for minors under the age of 16, completely banning children under age 14 from being able to create a social media account. Parents are able to opt in for their 14- and 15-year-old children.

Third-party age verification would also be required of websites that contain adult content or materials deemed harmful to minors, restricting these sites to age 18 and over.

Passidomo released her “Live Healthy” package of legislation, which included incentives designed to grow the health care workforce as Florida faces potential doctor shortages in coming years, which includes removing barriers to increase workforce mobility. The legislation would also increase access for underserved counties and incentivize innovation.

The state’s $117.4 billion budget was passed by lawmakers for the 2024-25 fiscal year, initially proposed to be $115 billion, and was $1 billion over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $114.4 billion budget recommendation. The budget includes pay raises for state employees, increased funding for public schools, and sales-tax “holidays” speckled throughout the year.

According to a news release from DeSantis’ office, the budget includes $14.6 billion of surplus, and secured a further $500 million to pay down further Florida’s debt, with a total of $5.3 billion of debt having been paid since DeSantis took office in 2019.

Lawmakers also passed HB 1291, which would remove identity politics from teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities, including any lessons based on the theory that sexism, racism, oppression, and privilege “are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”

The state’s last-resort insurer Citizens Property Insurance Corporation underwent some minor changes as lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1716. The bill would merge all of Citizens accounts into one and limit the impact on Florida by making some second homes ineligible for coverage. Private insurers would also be able to do business in Florida under certain conditions.

Published March 20, 2024