CITRUS INDUSTRY Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Vice President Michael Sparks says the industry, which employs about 50,000 people, is improving. He warns, however, that while Florida is producing more citrus, growers are competing against citrus being brought in by processors from Brazil and Mexico. These multi-year arrangements with other countries were drafted as a result Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
DUI DIVERSION Judiciary Chair and Senate President Pro Tempore David Simmons (R-Longwood) is proposing a diversion program for drivers who are caught driving while impaired. If passed, the bill would create a one-year pilot program for first-time offenders. Once they successfully complete the program, the judge would withhold adjudication on a DUI charge. NALOXONE IN Read more about Legislative Issues[…]
VAPE DETECTORS The Indian County School Board is considering installing vape detectors in school bathrooms. The sensors would be placed in bathrooms and can detect vape smoke. HOME DNA TESTS Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis advised Floridians who may be using a direct-to-consumer DNA test to trace their ancestry that their privacy may be compromised. Read more about Issues of Interest[…]
Florida Commission on the Status of Women Reappointed by CFO Patronis was Sophia E. Eccleston. Eccleston is the external affairs manager for Florida Power & Light Company in Palm Beach County. Florida Department of Environmental Protection Adam Blalock will serve as deputy secretary for ecosystem restoration, replacing Drew Bartlett who left to become the executive Read more about Movers and Shakers[…]
STAND YOUR GROUND Florida’s Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s 2017 controversial burden of proof requirement switch from the defense side to the prosecutor side is not retroactive. The ruling paves the way for a number of cases that had been awaiting the ruling. FLORIDA SUPREME COURT With two anticipated vacancies on Florida’s Supreme Read more about Legal Updates[…]