Content about Florida

Florida Senate President Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) released the following statement regarding Florida TaxWatch releasing their 2013 Turkey Watch Report.

“The TaxWatch list is built on the unconstitutional perversion that if an appropriation isn't recommended by unelected agency officials it shouldn't be considered in conference by elected legislators.  This is an arrogance of the elite who spend too much time in Tallahassee and Washington listening to the echoes of their own invented wisdom and thinking they're hearing the voice of God.

Governor Rick Scott today announced Florida’s statewide unemployment rate for April 2013 was 7.2 percent, the lowest rate since September 2008. Down 0.3 percentage points from March’s rate of 7.5 percent, Florida’s unemployment rate continues to fall below the national average of 7.5 percent for April. Over the month, Florida added 16,700 private sectors jobs throughout the state.

Manatee, County authorities are looking for public assistance in locating Maritza Vasquez, a 15 year old Female, who was reported missing nearly a month ago.

“Saturday in the Garden” is a new speaker series offered by UF/IFAS Extension, Lake County on the first Saturday of each month. The speaker series will feature an hour-long class on “Florida-Friendly Landscaping,” and will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 1 at the Lake County Agricultural Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares.

Have A Heart For Companion Animals, Inc. is pleased to announce it’s first seminar of 2013. It will host a FREE Animal Law Seminar on Saturday, June 1^st, 2013 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Marion County Main Library off hwy 40 (Silver Springs Blvd) in Ocala FL.

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the murder of an unidentified female whose body was discovered in a wooded area near S.R. 44 and Interstate 75 in Wildwood. Sheriff’s Detectives have released a composite of the murder victim prepared at the University of South Florida where the victim’s remains are being examined.

Despite economic uncertainty and concerns about government regulation impacting small business growth, economic optimism is growing among Florida’s small businesses, according to the latest Florida Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index Survey.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY is being redefined in America, or at least many would like it to be. Our secular establishment wants to reduce the autonomy of religious institutions and limit the influence of faith in the public square. The reason is not hard to grasp. In America, “religion” largely means Christianity, and today our secular culture views orthodox Christian churches as troublesome, retrograde, and reactionary forces. They’re seen as anti-science, anti-gay, and anti-women—which is to say anti-progress as the Left defines progress. Not surprisingly, then, the Left believes society will be best served if Christians are limited in their influence on public life.

This Saturday, April 27th, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Ocala Police Department and in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), will participate in the National Pill Take Back Day. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a uniformed officer will be stationed at the following “no questions asked” collection sites:

Attorney General Pam Bondi today filed a lawsuit against BP and Halliburton over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The lawsuit was filed in the Panama City Division of the Northern District of Florida.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office, in conjunction with the Florida Sheriff's Task Force, has concluded a five week operation aimed at protecting youth in Florida. The operation focused on preventing underage youth from purchasing and using alcohol, tobacco and various forms of synthetic drugs, especially during the spring break season.

According to Workforce Central Florida, a state agency, the unemployment rate in Lake County dropped from 8.3 percent in January 2013 to 7.6 percent in February. The county’s unemployment rate has dropped 2.2 percent since February 2012, when it was 9.7 percent.