Content about Social Issues

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.

County Manager David Heath has filled a key leadership position within the county government. Cynthia Lynn Nason, who has a robust background as an animal welfare professional, will start Monday, May 13 as the new manager of Lake County Animal Services, which is part of the county’s Conservation & Compliance Department.

The Lake County Health Department is reminding residents about healthy and safe swimming behaviors which should be practiced year-round.  Every year, thousands of Americans get sick with recreational water illnesses (RWIs), which are caused by germs found in places where we swim. The goal of RWII Prevention Week is to raise awareness about healthy and safe swimming.

Lake County Sheriff’s detectives have arrested a Groveland woman for filing a false report that she was abducted and sexually assaulted in March.

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.

Every 20 seconds, a child dies from a disease that could be prevented with a safe and effective vaccine. Millions more children survive, but are left severely disabled. Vaccines have the power not only to save, but also transform lives by protecting against disease – giving children a chance to grow up healthy, go to school, and improve their lives.  Vaccination campaigns sometimes provide the only contact with health care services that children receive in their early years of life.

Marion County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Detectives arrested 46-year-old Mac Vernel Sessler, charging him with two felonies. Deputies contacted Major Crimes around midnight Tuesday, April 16, 2013, in reference to ongoing sex crimes.

The Internal Revenue Service today issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.

We are currently mired in a frantic debate about the rights of gun owners. One example should suffice to prove that the debate has become hysterical: Second Amendment supporters, one prominent but less than articulate member of Congress alleges, have become “enablers of mass murder.”

In response to the recent director vacancy in the Lake County Conservation & Compliance Department, Lake County Manager David Heath has selected Jim Stivender, Public Works Director to oversee the operations of the Conservation & Compliance Department on an interim basis. Stivender will take on the new responsibility immediately, in addition to continuing to oversee the Public Works Department.

This week, we’ve got the details from the Senate.  To keep it simple, let’s just say it’s a pretty starkly different vision for where we can go over the next ten years.

The FDA is warning the public that azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax) can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead to a potentially fatal irregular heart rhythm. Patients at particular risk for developing this condition include those with known risk factors such as existing QT interval prolongation, low blood levels of potassium or magnesium, a slower than normal heart rate, or use of certain drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias.