Florida News
Index
of Stories 2013
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Florida
News 2013
(scroll down)
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Year-End
Tax Tips from an Expert
Dec. 30, 2013 12:35 pm | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - There are a couple of days left in
2013, but according to tax expert Marshall
Mennenga, there are some steps people can take
before 2014 arrives to not only lower their tax
bills, but to help others at the same time. He
suggested contributions to charitable
organizations.
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Posted December 26, 2013 08:45 am
LAKE CITY, FL – With healthful kids meals and
children’s nutrition remaining a top culinary
trend for 2014, according to a new report from
the National Restaurant Association (NRA),
Applebee’s restaurants have announced a
completely redesigned kids menu with 10 meals
that meet the NRA’s Kids LiveWell nutrition
criteria and more than 650 combinations of
entrees, sides and beverages.
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Posted
December 24, 2013 06:59 am
USA - This month marks the 40th anniversary of
the Endangered Species Act – our nation’s safety
net for fish, plants and wildlife on the brink
of extinction – and the Endangered Species
Coalition is marking the anniversary with the
release of a beautiful new book. A Wild Success:
The Endangered Species Act at 40 is a collection
of essays, quotes and stories from a broad
spectrum of Americans, the famous and the not-so
famous. The book also includes some of the
finest photographs ever taken of imperiled
species.
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Dec. 24, 2013 08:10 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Some 800,000 Floridians are spending
their holidays not knowing if they will have
access to health care insurance coverage under a
Medicaid expansion authorized by the Affordable
Care Act. The expanded Medicaid coverage is
meant to bridge the gap for people who are too
poor to qualify for insurance under federal law,
but don't qualify for state Medicaid.
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Posted
December 23, 2013 06:20 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - At hospitals and clinics across
Florida, the need for blood knows no season, but
donations tend to drop at this time of year. That's why
officials are urging Floridians to consider rolling up
their sleeves to give a lifesaving gift.
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75,000 Floridians Could Lose Unemployment
Benefits Dec. 28
Dec. 19, 2013 08:55 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A dark cloud is hanging over the heads
of 75,000 Floridians this holiday season as they face
the end of their emergency unemployment benefits on Dec.
28. So far Congress hasn't voted to continue funding the
benefits and it's not likely to happen since House
members already are home for their holiday break.
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Posted December 13, 2013 06:45 am
MIAMI - Bay
State Milling Company, a major flour and grain
producer, will pay $80,185 and furnish other
relief to settle an age discrimination suit
filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC), the agency announced earlier
this week. The EEOC's suit charged that Bay
State Milling Company discriminated against a
qualified applicant when the hiring manager
rejected him for a position vacancy because of
his age. The company hired a
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Dec.
9, 2013 06:45 am
Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The rich vegetation found in
parts of Florida, thanks to plentiful water and
lots of sunshine, is feeding a worldwide need
for biomass energy facilities, but a
study released this month asks, 'At what cost?'
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Posted
December 2, 2013 12:05 pm | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - During the holiday season, millions of Americans
will venture out to big and small retailers in search of
the best deal for their holiday gift giving, and experts
advise them to have the same diligence when it comes to
picking their charity.
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Posted
November 20, 2013 07:10 am | Public News Service
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - In the ongoing saga about health
insurance, there is a glimmer of hope in Florida. The
number of uninsured children in the state is heading in
the right direction - down 14 percent since 2010. That
figure is found in a report released today by the
Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.
Medicaid coverage for children and the Children's Health
Insurance Program (CHIP) both have made a big
difference, said Leah Barber-Heinz, chief executive of
Florida CHAIN, a group working to
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Dozens of FL Children Thankful for Family This
Thanksgiving
Nov.
25, 2013 07:45 am Public News Service
SARASOTA,
FL - This week, nine-year-old Ashley will join her new
family around the Thanksgiving table. She and
more than 20 other kids were officially adopted
Friday at the Manatee County Courthouse.
November is
National Adoption Awareness Month.
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Nov. 18, 2013 05:30 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASS EE,
FL - The number of hospital patients being listed as
"under observation" is rising dramatically, a
trend that's catching many senior citizens off
guard, and leaving them with hefty medical
bills.
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Posted November 6, 2013 08:25 am
SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL – The Suwannee Valley
Transit Authority (SVTA) Governing Board is
comprised of two county commissioners from each
of Columbia, Hamilton, and Suwannee counties.
The SVTA is the tri county Medicaid and
Transportation Disadvantaged provider,
transporting those who qualify to medical
appointments. The competency of the present
management of the SVTA has been an ongoing
contentious issue since 2011. At 6 pm on Monday
the Governing Board met for a special meeting.
Nowhere was the meeting announced
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Posted
Nov. 4, 2013 06:45 am | Public News Service
TAMPA, FL - Third grade is the crossroads of a child's
educational future, according to a report released today
by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The analysis found
that a majority of pupils, 64 percent, are not on track
with cognitive development by third grade.
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Posted
November 4, 2013 06:45 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida Prepaid College Board
annual Open Enrollment has begun. Through Feb.
28, 2014, parents can purchase a Florida Prepaid
College Plan to prepay higher education costs at
the current plan prices.
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Oct. 29, 2013 07:25 pm | Public News Service
MIAMI,
FL - Florida justice is not swift these days, in
part because of empty judicial benches in
federal courtrooms in the state. Right now four
are vacant - one has been for more than 600 days
- with three more vacancies on Florida's federal
courts expected by next year.
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Posted
October 28, 2013 08:05 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL -
Just months after the Florida legislature passed
a state law (HB 655) that preempted any local
laws requiring employers to offer earned sick
time, a task force formed by the state senate is
meeting to revisit the issue of
employer-provided benefits, including the right
of local governments to establish requirements.
Andy r restrictions on local
governments.
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Posted
October 25, 2013 08:40 am | Public News Service
WASHINGTON -
Revelations by leakers Julian Assange and Edward Snowden
have shown U.S. government agencies such as the National
Security Agency may have violated Americans' right to
privacy, according to advocates who will march and rally
in the nation's capital this weekend to protest.
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U.S.
Senator Bill Nelson Update - Oct.
24, 2013
Tallahassee (Posted October 24, 2013 10:40 am)
Sen. Nelson's most recent update talks about the
reopening of the government; guaranteeing pay
for the National Guard and reservists; fully
funding the food stamps (SNAP); and more.
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Affordable Care Act: New Tool in Fight Against
Breast Cancer
11,800 New Cases
Diagnosed in FL Yearly
Oct. 21, 2013 07:45 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - October is National Breast
Cancer Awareness Month, and this year marks a
major change for women's ability to get the
health care services they need to diagnose and
treat the disease.
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Posted
October 10, 2013 06:10 am | Public News Service
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Not all counties are created equal
when it comes to issuing death penalty sentences in
Florida, or the rest of the country. According to a new
report by the Death Penalty Information Center, Florida
leads the nation for the number of death sentences
handed down in the last two years, and has the
second-largest death row population in the country.
Duval, Clay and Nassau Counties top the list, and all
are in the 4th Judicial District.
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Posted October 1, 2013 11:55 am | Part XLIII
NORTH CENTRAL, FL – Originally supported in 2010 by
14 North Central Florida counties and hastily pulled
together by FSU's Jeff Hendry, the North Florida
Broadband Authority (NFBA) was awarded a $30 million
Obama stimulus BTOP grant to build a wireless broadband
middle mile network. The network ran through 14 of North
Central Florida's poorest and most economically
challenged counties. Now, three years later, the NFBA is
millions in debt and the Feds are looking to
arrange a deal to have the $30 million network
taken over.
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October 2, 2013 05:45 am | Public News Service
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - It's about protecting
Florida's forests and fish, wildlife and
wetlands. A constitutional amendment that would
fund conservation projects in the state has the
okay of the state Supreme Court, but it won't
get on next year's ballot unless supporters
collect an additional 300,000 signatures - to
reach the goal of more than 680,000.
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September 30, 2013 03:15 am | Public News Service
TAMPA, FL - On Tuesday, almost 3 million
Floridians will be eligible for health coverage
under the insurance exchange created by the Affordable
Care Act, but a spokesperson for the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services said the
state is "doing everything it can to make it
harder for Floridians to access the coverage
they need."
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Posted September 30, 2013 02:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Wednesday, September
25th, the first Grievance Committee meeting of
the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority was held
in Lake City. Numerous grievances were filed
against the Transit Authority by Rider
Representative LJ Johnson. Mr. Johnson, who is
the Rider Representative on the local board, has
taken an active and aggressive role in fighting
what he believes are abuses by the Suwannee
Valley Transit Authority. His appointment as the
Rider's Representative was actively opposed by
the SVTA
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Rider's Representative Retaliated
Against
Posted September 27, 2013 06:45 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Wednesday, September
25th, the first Grievance Committee meeting of
the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority was held
in Lake City. Numerous grievances were filed
against the Transit Authority by Rider
Representative L. J. Johnson. The grievances
included charges of foul and abusive language by
the Operations Director, William Steele;
changing Mr. Johnson's appointment without
permission; and violating HIPPA
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Posted
September 27, 2013 08:25 am
ST. LUCIE, FL – This summer's unseasonably heavy
summer rains are not just spurring the growth of toxic
algae in Florida's coastal waters. A new report by the
National Wildlife Federation and
Resource Media found that at least two of the
state's inland waters - the St. Lucie River and Lake
Harris - have had public health advisories issued this
summer because of algae. These outbreaks killed dozens
of dolphins, manatees, birds and fish.
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Posted September 18, 2013 08:59 am |
Public New Service
TALAHASSEE, FL – Teen birth rates in Florida and
around the nation have dropped to historic lows,
according to new Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention figures. In Florida, today's teen
birth rate is less than half of what it was in
1993.
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Posted September 16, 2013 05:45 am |
Public News Service | (1
comment)
TALAHASSEE,
FL – Fast-food workers around the country have
been agitating for raises, and some members of
Congress are pressing to increase the national
minimum wage. But what would the actual economic
impact be of a boost for the lowest-paid
workers? Critics have charged that raising the
minimum wage would mostly help teenagers, but
economists say that's largely a myth.
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Citizens to Rally Against Pollution on Sept. 1
Posted August 29, 2013 06:15 am | Public News Service
SEWELL'S POINT, FL –
The thousands of Floridians and tourists planning to
enjoy the last of summer on this Labor Day weekend will
find toxic algae and slime, particularly on waterways
and beaches along the southwest and southeast coasts of
the state.
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Posted August 28, 2013 08:40 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL – About
2.6 million people in Florida will have less money to
spend on groceries starting this November. SNAP benefits
- more commonly known as food stamps - are decreasing
and will leave people with $1.40 to spend per meal.
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Posted
August 26, 2013 12:15 am | Public News Service
MIAMI, FL – On
Saturday, janitors and landscapers at the University of
Miami authorized a strike if an agreement on wages and
benefits cannot be reached by September 1. This decision
comes seven years after janitors at the university
staged a historic nine-week strike over wages and
working conditions.
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Want to appeal your property assessment? Special
Magistrate Fred Rossiter will show you how
Posted August
12 to August 29, 2013
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On August 15, 2013, County Property
Appraisers in all 67 counties across Florida
will begin mailing Truth In Millage (TRIM)
Notices to Florida's 7+ million property owners.
Mailing of the TRIM Notice starts the clock
ticking on a narrow 25 day window in which
property owners may file a petition to appeal
their property assessment. If you decide to
appeal you must file a petition with your county
Value Adjustment Board.
•
Introduction
•
Part I - Meet Special Magistrate Fred Rossiter
•
Part II - FL's Property Tax Collection System: The Big
Picture
•
Part III - Two opportunities to challenge your property
taxes
•
Part IV - Your Third Opportunity to Challenge Your
Property Taxes
•
Part V - Preparing For Your VAB Hearing
• Part VI - What
Should Taxpayers Do Now?
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Want to appeal your property assessment? Special
Magistrate Fred Rossiter will show you how:
Introduction
Posted August
12, 2013 07:55 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – On August 15, 2013, County Property
Appraisers in all 67 counties across Florida
will begin mailing Truth In Millage (TRIM)
Notices to Florida's 7+ million property owners.
Mailing of the TRIM Notice starts the clock
ticking on a narrow 25 day window in which
property owners may file a petition to appeal
their property assessment. If you decide to
appeal you must file a petition with your county
Value Adjustment Board.
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Posted
August 13, 2013 07:45 am | Public New Service
APALACHICOLA, FL – The source of much of
Florida's seafood is being "decimated" by a
decades-long tug of war over water rights
involving Georgia, Alabama and Florida,
according to the state's seafood industry and
conservation groups. Today, representatives of
both will rally at the Franklin County Court
House to ask federal lawmakers to settle the
competing needs for the water that feeds the
Apalachicola River and Bay.
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Where are Florida's leaders?
Posted
August 9, 2013 06:15 am
Stuart, FL — A
massive toxic algae outbreak is covering
southeast Florida’s waters with fluorescent
green slime. Health officials warn people not to
touch the water. Thousands of upset residents
are protesting along the St Lucie and Indian
Rivers. Areas around many of Florida’s popular
tourist destinations are suffering noxious
outbreaks of toxic blue-green algae and red
tide. Toxic algae contaminates drinking water
supplies, kills fish, closes popular beaches,
causes breathing problems, and devastates
Florida’s tourism-dependent economy.
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Posted
August 8, 2013 07:53 am | Public News Service
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL –
Travelers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
Airport on Friday will witness a silent protest by
airline service workers who want to call attention to
what they say are unfair practices by their employer,
Baggage Airline Guest Services, Inc., a contractor for
Delta and American airlines.
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Orlando's SeaWorld the
subject of a documentary film.
Posted
August 5, 2013 06:59 am
ORLANDO, FL – Orlando's
SeaWorld is the subject of a documentary film gaining
national attention. "Blackfish" examines whether killer
whales should be kept in captivity and opens with the
tragic death of the amusement park trainer killed in
2010 by the whale, "Tilikum."
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Posted July
31, 2013 08:30 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The July 26, 2013 meeting of
the Local Transportation Disadvantaged Board of North
Central Florida navigated choppy waters under the
leadership of Columbia County's Bucky Nash. Chairman
Nash listened to everyone and steadied a sometimes rocky
and contentious ship. Chairman Nash made the Suwannee
Valley Transit Authority management issues secondary to
the purpose of the program: seeing that the people who
need transportation services are receiving them.
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Posted
July 29, 2013 07:55 am Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL –
Animal-rights advocates are perched on the edges of
their seats as members of the U.S. House and Senate
evaluate legislation to replace the Farm Bill that
expires in September. Two measures that directly affect
animal welfare are part of the package. Both House and
Senate bills include a version of the Animal Fighting
Spectator Prohibition Act, which would make it a crime
to attend or bring a child to a dog fight or a
cockfight.
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DEO Appeals Referee finds SVTA management created a "hostile
work environment." Unemployment claim upheld.
Posted July 11, 2013 11:30 am
SUWANNEE COUNTY, FL –
On Monday evening, July 8, 2013, the controversial
Suwannee Valley Transit Authority (SVTA) Board met for
its quarterly meeting. Chaired for as long as anyone can
remember by legendary Columbia County Commissioner
Ronald Williams, the meeting was as usual, barely
publicized. During the meeting it was brought to light
that the Operations Director, William Steele, was
handpicked and hired without any competitive process;
has no resume; only one illegible reference on his job
application; and no job history. Without the Board's
knowledge, Mr. Steele had received pay raises totaling
13%, receiving his last raise after being found that he
created "a hostile work environment."
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Posted
July 8, 2013 07:15 am | Public News Service
TAMPA, FL – People
aren't the only ones who find Florida's beaches a
necessary part of summer. It's nesting season for sea
turtles in the state and the endangered animals are
laying hundreds of nests every night along the 1100
miles of Florida's coasts.
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Lykes
Brothers Co. Pressured Florida to Bar Public’s
Right To Use River
Posted July 8, 2013 05:30 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – On
Friday, July 5th, an administrative judge ruled in favor
of citizens groups and against the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection in a landmark case to preserve
the public’s boating access to one of South Florida’s
wildest waterways, Fisheating Creek in Glades County. A
Division of Administrative Hearings Judge in Tallahassee
ruled that the Florida DEP cannot block off the creek’s
navigation channel.
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A
Call For A Twenty-First-Century Solution In Oil
Spill Response
Posted July 1, 2013 05:25 am
I appreciate that you are keeping this issue
alive in the news: A Deadly Paradox:
Scientists Discover the Agent Used in Gulf Spill
Cleanup Is Destroying Marine Life. The
devastation that is continuing to occur in the
Gulf as a result of the on-going application of
Corexit is jaw-dropping and heartbreaking.
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Posted June 26, 2013 04:20 am | Part XLII
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The North Florida Broadband
Authority (NFBA), sponsored by Obama Stimulus funds has
sunk to another new low under the leadership of General
Manager Richelle Sucara and Project Manager Donny Lort.
Having jettisoned their offices in order to have enough
money to pay themselves, the NFBA hierarchy is now
operating out of the trunks of their cars and
from a post office box. Not paying vendors, an
issue in the past, has again reared its head at
the NFBA. The latest casualty: A Advantage
Electric, a small company, tower climbers out of
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Posted June 17, 2013 08:45 am | Public News
Service
WASHINGTON – Global warming is turning up the
heat on national security, according to the
Pentagon. Factors that military strategists now
have to consider include global food and water
scarcity. These can lead to populations
migrating, with all the potential conflicts that
could create.
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Free Foreclosure Defense Program Extended To
July 31st
Posted June 13, 2013 04:55 pm
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Three Rivers Legal Services’
foreclosure assistance program – which has
assisted over two hundred homeowners with their
housing issues since the program began in March
– has been extended through the end of July
2013.
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Posted June 13, 2013 09:45 am | Public News
Service
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - The civil trial against BP
for the Deepwater Horizon disaster is in recess,
but preparation and planning continues for how
the funds awarded will be spent to restore the
Gulf of Mexico.
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Posted June 5, 2013 03:55 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Last week's big business story
about the sale of Smithfield Foods to a Chinese
company puts a "pig promise" in peril. After the
Humane Society of the United States exposed the
treatment of pigs at a Smithfield factory in
Virginia, the company promised to make changes,
including expanding the cramped cages that
didn't allow the pigs to move.
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Floridians Urged to Take Life Saving Measures
into Own Hands
June
3, 2013 07:35 am |
Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - When it comes to cases of sudden cardiac arrest,
bystander CPR can double or even triple survival
rates, but in the majority of such incidents
there is no immediate help.
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Posted May 30, 2013 07:55 am
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - Beginning yesterday - which happened to be
"5/29" - Florida parents and families have an extra
incentive to begin saving for their child's college
education. In celebration of national "529 College
Savings Day," the Florida Prepaid College Board is
waiving the $50 application fee for all 529 Savings Plan
accounts opened before June 30.
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Posted May 28,
2013 08:20 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - With Florida's unemployment rate down
to just above 7 percent, the state's Community Action
Agencies say they still are not seeing a decrease in the
number of people who need assistance. The 27 agencies in
the state help more than 500,000 people a year with
their utility bills or rent payments.
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Infant Stress Linked to Behavior Problems Later
in Life
Posted May
21, 2013 07:35 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - New research makes clear a direct link
between stress experienced by people as infants and
behavioral problems as they grow older.
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Fight for "Compassionate" Immigration Reform in
Florida
Posted May 17, 2013 06:15 pm |
Public News Service
ORLANDO, FL -
Immigration advocates are turning up the heat on
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., asking him to stand
strong in his support of what they call
"compassionate" immigration reform.
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Posted May 16, 2013 04:55 am | Part XLI
BRADFORD COUNTY, FL – The saga of the North Florida
Broadband Authority, the Obama Stimulus funded broadband
government consortium, which has squandered millions in
cost overruns and falsely claims it is a public utility,
was once 14 member counties strong. It has now dwindled
down to seven (see
map). After losing the trust of over half the
elected public officials in its consortium, the NFBA is
fighting back. Funded by the American People, the NFBA
has taken on the financially strapped Bradford County
School District.
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Posted May 13, 2013 08:53 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL – When it comes to the potential risk of
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome from a mother sharing her
bed with her baby, there is a push to change the message
from "just don't do it" to "here is how it's done most
safely." The shift is needed because co-sleeping will
never be eliminated and not all forms are equal,
according to Dr. James McKenna. For example, McKenna
said, associated risks are nearly eliminated by
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Posted May 10, 2013 07:25 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL – When a fertility clinic and
all else fails, adoption can seem like the
answer. Except it's not in many cases. Adoption
is an expensive and lengthy process. It can take
from $30-to-50,000 and two years or more.
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Posted
May 9, 2013 10:25 am | Public News Service
MIAMI - Workers at one of Florida's largest airports are
announcing federal complaints today, alleging unsafe
conditions, including exposure to sometimes-hazardous
bodily fluids. Wheelchair attendants at Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport are calling
on both the Department of Transportation and OSHA to
investigate what they call unsafe working conditions,
according to Eric Brakken, Florida District Director for
Service
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Posted April 30, 2013 07:24 am | Public News
Service
GAINESVILLE, FL - Across the state, Florida workers say
they are being denied pay or being asked to work off the
clock by their employers. Currently, state lawmakers are
considering a "wage-theft" bill, but it would require
that any cases be filed in court. ¶ Melissa Elliott is
one of an estimated 1800 victims of wage theft in
Alachua County alone. Last year she worked for tips
only, at the request of a downtown Gainesville
restaurant. She estimates losing at least $8000 in
income, in addition to the issues she had with filing
her taxes properly and being
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Posted April 29, 2013 08:40 am | Public New
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - People convicted of animal abuse in
Florida will face more charges and likely
tougher penalties if a new Animal Cruelty Bill
is signed into law. Late Friday the state Senate
voted unanimously to strengthen the current
animal cruelty law, including its animal
fighting provisions. The House had already
passed the bill unanimously.
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FL Legislature Sends Ethics Reform to Governor: Does
this give you more confidence?
Posted April 25, 2013 07:55 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL – After a 36 year drought, Florida's
legislators were all puffed up yesterday, smiling and
patting themselves on the back for a job well done.
After
leading America in federal indictments in what seems
like forever; given a C- in a national
State Integrity Investigation and with the nudging
of public interest groups like
Integrity Florida,
The
First Amendment Foundation,
Common Cause Florida and others; and with state and
national press coverage of their shenanigans
that goes back to the time of the Marx Brothers,
the folks in Tallahassee finally heard the music
and did something.
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Posted April 23, 2013 07:35 am
TAMPA, FL – On Friday, April 19, 2013, Rapid
Systems, Inc., a leader in the field of wireless
middle and last mile broadband internet
networks, filed a $25 million lawsuit against
the Florida Rural Broadband Alliance (FRBA) LLC.
Several alleged accomplices were also named in
the lawsuit. ¶ FRBA was one of the two winners
of the Obama Stimulus funded Broadband
Opportunities Grants awarded in Florida. The
other was the now infamous North Florida
Broadband Authority (NFBA). FRBA received a
grant award of $23,693,665. The NFBA grant award
was $30,142,676. While Rapid Systems was hired
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Proposed Deficit Cuts Target Seniors, Veterans, People
with Disabilities, Those on Social Security
Posted April 12, 2013
11:15 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Reducing the deficit is a top priority
in Washington and one option being considered
would cut benefits for veterans, people with
disabilities, and those receiving Social
Security.
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Posted April 12, 2013 08:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On December 1, 2011, the future
seemed bright for what was to become Florida Leaders
Organized for Water (FLOW). Reacting to the May 10, 2011
decision by the St. Johns River Water Management
District to award a 20 year, 155,000,000 gal per day
Consumptive Use Permit to the Jacksonville Electric
Authority (JEA), Columbia County organized the first
meetings of what was to become FLOW. As
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Posted April 11, 2013 10:25 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - As Washington, D.C., and state
capitols around the country were flooded with
immigration reform advocates Wednesday, some made sure
their lobbying, marching and rallying addressed the
possibility that gay and lesbian couples will be left
out of reform legislation expected to emerge in Congress
shortly.
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Posted
April 4, 2013 07:55 am |
Public News
Service
TAMPA, FL - Florida wildlife continues to feel the
impact of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion. More
than 1,700 sea turtles have been found injured or dead
in the past three years - more than three times the
annual rate before the BP spill. Dolphin deaths have
been at higher-than-normal levels every month since the
spill, with 650 found in
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Posted
April 3, 2013 08:25 am
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – Columbia County's County Commission heard
from Haven Hospice's Administrator Polly Tyler
last night where she delivered a very important
message to the County and all of North Florida.
She told the Commission, "I challenge all of you
to appoint a health care surrogate." Ms. Tyler
announced that April 16 is
National Healthcare Decisions Day. Haven
Hospice has facilities in 18 Florida counties
and cares for 700 to 800 patients at a time and
is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Waffle House Settles EEOC Retaliation Lawsuit:
Federal Agency Charged
Restaurant Fired Employee for Complaining About
Customer Harassment
Posted March 29, 2013 03:23 pm
TAMPA, FL - It was announced yesterday that East
Coast Waffles, Inc., an Atlanta-based company
which owns and operates more than 100 Waffle
House restaurants in Florida and Virginia,
agreed to settle a retaliation lawsuit filed by
the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
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Posted
March 29, 2013 08:30 am
LAKE CITY, FL - Last night to help celebrate the 500th birthday of
Florida, the North Central Florida Regional Planning
Council, with the help of the Florida Humanities
Council, welcomed Professor J. Michael Francis, one of
the nation’s leading experts on the Spanish colonial
experience in Florida to be its guest speaker at its
monthly meeting. Professor Francis captivated North
Central Florida's leaders with his discussion of the
discovery of Florida and
Florida's first fairytale, the discovery of the Fountain
of Youth.
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Posted
March 25, 2013 08:05 am |
Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - More than two million women
and teenaged girls in Florida lack access to
health care. It's a problem women's health
advocates say should be a priority for state
lawmakers. But in the House, lawmakers are
pushing ahead with a bill that would give a
non-viable embryo the same legal status as a
newborn child.
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Posted March 22, 2013 07:45 am | Part XL part 3 of
3
GILCHRIST COUNTY, FL – The North Florida
Broadband Authority/Fed road show moved to the
Gilchrist County seat for the 4:45 pm time
certain discussion of the NFBA. The seven member
Federal contingent was led by BTOP (Broadband
Technology Opportunity Program) Director Tony
Wilhelm. The seven member NFBA contingent was
led by NFBA Chairman Tommy Langford. The purpose
was to convince the Gilchrist County Commission
not to finalize their first vote to withdraw
from the NFBA.
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Posted March 21, 2013 04:55
am | Part XL part 2 of
3
FANNING SPRINGS, FL – Just before the gavel came down
to begin the joint North Florida Broadband
Authority/NTIA workshop the NFBA's top brass, along with
filmmaker and PR person J.W. Arnold took a final look at
the gathering and took their seats. ¶
The NTIA's Wilhelm held up a sheet of paper
showing a list of in-kind assets. He did not
announce that the grant had been extended to
September 30th, nor did he tell anyone how much
money was left in the grant.
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Posted March 20, 2013 01:20 pm | Part XL part 1 of
3
Fanning
Springs, FL – Reeling from a continuous stream
of defections at the North Florida Broadband
Authority (NFBA), the NFBA General Manager,
Richelle Sucara, secretly called in the Feds for
reinforcements to help stem the tide of member
counties pulling the plug on the organization.
At 1 o'clock Monday afternoon, Tony Wilhelm,
Director of the Obama stimulus funded $250mil
Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, the
organization that awarded $30 million to the
NFBA, arrived with a Federal contingent from
Washington. The contingent could not meet at the
NFBA offices because they were abandoned. The
NFBA couldn't afford the
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Posted March 18, 2013 08:15 am |
Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - It took more than three years, but the
federal EPA and Florida Department of Environmental
Protection have agreed on limits for the pollutants that
cause toxic algae outbreaks. But some environmentalists
say the deal is inadequate, filled with loopholes, and
it will do little to stop the green slime outbreaks that
have fouled beaches and harmed wildlife.
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Posted
March 15, 2013 07:15 am |
Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL
The Florida economy may be showing some signs of
improvement, but that recovery has yet to
trickle down to those who need it the most.
Florida ranks 12th on a list of states where
people say they didn't always have enough money
to put food on the table in the last year.
That's more than 21 percent of the
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Tallahassee, FL (Posted March 14, 2013 08:45 am)
Treating Members of Congress like Federal
Workers
Senator Nelson and Senator McCaskill filed
legislation (S.436) last week that would dock
the pay of members of Congress by the same
percentage faced by federal employees furloughed
due to the automatic budget cuts known as the
sequester.
|
Posted March 14, 2013 07:35 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – This past Monday night FLOW
(Florida Leaders Organized for Water) met for the 15th
time since its
first beginnings in December of 2011. Comprised of
various leaders from counties and cities across northern
Florida that draw their water from the Floridian
Aquifer, the seed for FLOW was planted in 2011 when the
St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD)
granted JEA a permit to draw up to 155 million gallons
of fresh clean drinking water a day from the
shrinking aquifer.
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Posted March 5, 2013 10:05 am | Part XXXIX
GILCHRIST
COUNTY, FL – At 4:30 pm yesterday afternoon,
Gilchrist County Commission Chairwoman Sharon
Langford announced that there was a “time
certain” item published on the agenda, “This is
the NFBA discussion... We’ve been talking about
this." Thirty minutes later, Gilchrist County
joined the seven North Central Florida Counties
and one City that have now taken exception to
both the Federal Government's oversight and the
home grown mismanagement of the NFBA and voted
with their feet to pull out, adding the cities
of Trenton
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Posted March
04, 2013 08:45 am | Public News Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- Florida youths in trouble are spending less
time in confinement and more time getting the
help they need to get back on their feet.
|
77% of high school students can't make the grade.
Posted March 01, 2013 10:40 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The keynote speaker at
the North Central Florida Regional Planning
Council last night was army veteran and West
Point graduate Lt. Col. Stephen J. Grabski,
who introduced himself to North Central
Florida's leaders this way, "You are looking
at someone who ten days out of high school
signed a 12 year contract with the Army, 4
years at West Point and then eight years to
serve in the military." Twenty two years
later, Lt. Col. Grabski was still serving as
he enlightened North Central Florida's
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Posted February 26, 2013 07:20 pm | Part XXXVIII |
(2 comments)
Tomorrow morning the congressional Subcommittee
on Communications and Technology will be holding
hearings at 10 am. Last week the staff of the
committee contacted the Observer and after a few
brief conversations regarding the North Florida
Broadband Authority, the following statement was
sent to the Committee Chairman, the Hon. Fred
Upton. The subject of the hearing is, "Is
the Broadband Stimulus Working?"
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Posted February 25, 2013 07:28 am |
Public News
Service
NEW ORLEANS -
Billions of dollars and the health of Florida's
Gulf Coast are on the line as the civil trial
against BP begins today in New Orleans. Based on
provisions in the Oil Pollution Act and the
Clean Water Act, the company could be ordered to
pay $40 billion in damages.
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Posted February 19, 2013 08:45 am | Part XXXVII
BAKER COUNTY, FL – Late yesterday afternoon,
Baker County became the 7th of the fourteen
original counties to pull out of the North
Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA). The
woebegotten Obama stimulus funded broadband
project has been plagued by charges of waste,
fraud and abuse; been accused by many of inept
and incompetent oversight by the NTIA and worse
local management; an investigatory cover-up by
the OIG and the FBI of
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Posted February 15, 2013 07:15 pm | Part XXXVI
MADISON COUNTY, FL – The stimulus funded North
Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA) met in
Madison County at high noon on Wednesday, the
home of the only directly connected customer of
the Authority. In order to allow the failing
Authority to draw down the remaining
$1,673,874.81 of the American People's money, on
January 31st, NOAA approved extending the
federal grant 60 days past the deadline.
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Posted February 14, 2013 07:10 pm
DENVER, CO / COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Air
Methods Corporation (NASDAQ: AIRM), the global
leader in air medical transportation, announced
today it has entered into agreements with HCA
MidAmerica and North Florida Divisions. Air
Methods will provide medical communication
services through its DirectCall Transfer Center
for the MidAmerica Division, and has established
a preferred provider agreement with the North
Florida Division for air medical transport
services.
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Posted February 12, 2013 07:35 pm
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night Florida Leaders
Organized for Water (FLOW) met in the Columbia
County School Board Administrative Complex
Auditorium. FLOW is represented by many
communities of North Central Florida and while
the rush of the public has dwindled to a
trickle, the group has come up with a draft
strategic plan and a draft position paper
called, "Florida's Water Future." Unfortunately,
none of this was available to the public before
the meeting, nor was it posted on the Columbia
County or the FLOW website. FLOW has a staff
|
Tax Refunds For Some Delayed: IRS Says It Was
the Fiscal Cliff
Posted February 11, 2013 04:55 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - Don't plan on spending your income tax
refund too quickly this year: refunds are
expected to be delayed for some taxpayers. The
IRS says that's a result of the last-minute
fiscal cliff debate in Washington, which delayed
the date returns could be accepted by about two
weeks.
|
Posted February 8, 2013 09:15 am |
Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A lawsuit filed Thursday against
Governor Rick Scott and his Cabinet charges them with
granting illegal farming leases to sugar and vegetable
plantations north of the Everglades.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Feb 7, 2013 04:30 am)
Cosponsoring Violence Against Women Act:
VAWA is a comprehensive
national effort to combat domestic violence,
dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The bill provides resources to state and local
law enforcement to investigate and prosecute
these crimes and to nonprofit organizations that
supply important services for victims including
crisis intervention, transitional housing,
supervised visitation, and legal assistance.
|
Rubio
Joins Seven Senators To Block Violence Against
Women Act
Washington, DC (Posted Feb 5, 2013 11:05 am)
Eight Senators on Monday voted not to consider
the reauthorization of the Violence Against
Women Act, a bill that protects victims of
domestic violence. The Senators who voted
against moving to debate on the bill were: Sens.
Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Tim Scott
(R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Johanns (R-NE),
Rand Paul (R-KY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and James
Risch (R-ID).
|
Posted
February 04, 2013 08:30 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - You may see more women in red this
month, for a good reason. February is Heart Month, and
women are encouraged to wear red for healthy hearts.
According to the American Heart Association, 90 percent
of women have one or more risk factors for developing
heart disease.
|
Posted February 1, 2013 07:40 am | Public News
Service
TAMPA, FL - Florida is one of three states in the
country that takes away the right to vote of a
person convicted of a felony. Civil rights
groups have been fighting the policy for more
than 10 years... The Voting Ban has been in
place for more than 130 years. It dates back to
the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Jan 30, 2013 02:20 pm)
In this report from U.S.
Senator Bill Nelson, the Senator covers the
recent Senate rule changes, Hurricane Sandy
relief, and the Russian adoption ban. No
matter your party affiliation, these reports are
always packed with valuable information about
what is going on in Washington and its
relationship to Florida.
|
Posted January 30, 2013 02:27 am | Part XXXV
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – The Obama stimulus funded
North Florida Broadband Authority received
another black eye on Friday, January 25th, when
former Board Clerk and Executive Assistant Faith
Doyle sued the NFBA for violating the Fair Labor
Standards Act; violating her constitutional
right to due process; and a breach of her
employment agreement.
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Posted January 29, 2013
09:45 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A bill filed
Monday in the Florida
Legislature would give local law
enforcement the tools to hold
accountable people who break
existing animal-fighting laws.
Florida has one of the strongest
animal-fighting laws in the
country, but a 2010 court ruling
requires law enforcement to
catch people in the act of
breaking the law rather than
accepting evidence as proof.
|
Posted January
25, 2013 10:55 am | Public News
Service
WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Development and human influence in
areas around Florida's Everglades continue to put
certain bird and fish populations at risk, according to
a report from Audubon Florida.
|
Posted January 25, 2013 09:55 am
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Last night's dinner meeting of
the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council
(NCFRPC) came up short without any definitive explanations
and statistics regarding job creation in the region or
the progress and future on what has repeatedly been
described as a primary engine of economic growth in the
North Central Florida region, the North Florida
Broadband Authority.
|
Posted January
22, 2013 09:40 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Supreme Court case that legalized
abortion in the United States, Roe versus Wade, turns 40
this week and a new
poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
finds most Americans - 63 percent - want to keep
abortions legal.
|
Posted January 18, 2013 11:45 am | Public News
Service
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Educators and physicians alike have
talked for years about how children learn better when
properly nourished. A new report takes a look inside
schools to see how school breakfast programs are serving
low-income students. The Food Research and Action Center
(FRAC) releases the School Breakfast Scorecard each
year.
|
Posted January 17, 2013 08:45 am | Public News
Service
TAMPA, FL - Protests are planned today in Tampa
in response to Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) enforcement of the Clean Water Act in
Florida. The federal government announced in
November it would uphold strict numeric limits
for 85 percent of Florida waters, after the
state state failed to do so.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Jan 12, 2013 12:30 pm)
In this first of the year report from U.S.
Senator Bill Nelson, the Senator covers issues
from the Fiscal Cliff, to Hurricane Sandy
relief, to the Dignified Burial of Veterans. No
matter your party affiliation, these reports are
always packed with valuable information about
what is going on in Washington and its
relationship to Florida.
|
Posted January 8, 2013 11:59 pm | Part XXXIII
(b)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Late yesterday afternoon,
January 7, 2013, North Florida Broadband Authority
General Counsel, Jennifer Springfield, who has run
roughshod over Florida's public record laws since her
secret procurement by NFBA Board Chairman Tommy Langford
in early 2012, emailed the Observer and took exception
to the Observer's recent article, North Florida
Broadband Authority: FL's Public Record Laws the latest
casualty. Attorney Springfield claimed that she had
never received the four public record requests which
were sent to her on December 17, 2012, and referenced
in the article.
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Posted January 6, 2013 06:45 pm | Part XXXIII
COLUMBIA
COUNTY, FL – The North Florida Broadband
Authority, the $30,000,000 Obama funded stimulus
broadband project, for all it woes during the
Chairmanship of Jefferson County's Stephen
Fulford and its management by Government
Services Group and the law firm of Nabors,
Giblin & Nickerson, always maintained the
highest standards when it came to complying with
Florida's open meetings and public records laws.
The departure of that "management team" and the
subsequent election of Gilchrist County's Tommy
Langford as Chairman, along with the hiring of
General Manager Richelle Sucara and three new
law firms (two remain) has drawn a dark cloud
over Florida's nationally recognized Sunshine
laws.
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Posted January 3, 2013 04:45 pm | Part XXXII
LIVE OAK, FL – Early
this afternoon, the Suwannee County Commission voted
unanimously to withdraw from the beleaguered North
Florida Broadband Authority, after the NFBA squandered
the final chance given to it during the December 18th
County Commission meeting. The NFBA was taken off the
day's agenda when it did not meet the deadline for
providing the information that Suwannee County had been
requesting for over a month.
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