As legislators prepare to return to Tallahassee May 23-27, 2022 for Special Session D regarding property insurance, Governor Ron DeSantis continues to travel the state and sign legislation into law. Last week, Governor DeSantis signed 13 bills related to criminal justice, water treatment, first responder support and public records into law. On Thursday, Governor DeSantis received eight bills from the Legislature and has until May 27 to act on them.
As summer approaches, Florida's tourism industry continues to grow and outpace the rest of the nation. According to data from VISIT FLORIDA, 36 million visitors came to Florida during Q1 of 2022. From January through March, 34.1 million domestic tourists, 1.3 million international tourists and 578,000 Canadian tourists traveled to our state. This data shows that Florida is on track to set tourism records and that Florida is the ultimate tourist destination.
IN STATEWIDE NEWS:
Following Secretary of State Laurel Lee's resignation, Governor DeSantis appointed Representative Cord Byrd to serve as Florida's new Secretary of State. Rep. Byrd has served in the Florida House since 2016 and has been a staunch supporter of election security, immigration reform and law enforcement. At the Department of State, he will oversee the state's elections, libraries and cultural and historical resources.
Governor DeSantis made several additional appointments last week, including appointments to the Board of Control for Southern Regional Education, Board of Directors of Florida Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) and the Baker County Court.
Additionally, Governor DeSantis highlighted $23 million for Gilchrist County and $6.5 million for Lafayette County in the state's FY 2022-23 budget.
IN CLIENT NEWS:
On Tuesday night, Liberty Partners of Tallahassee President Jennifer Green and Vice President Tim Parson traveled to the City of Chipley to provide the City Council with a legislative update. Tim briefed the Council on bills that have been signed into law by Governor DeSantis and the upcoming Special Session. Jennifer discussed programs that can benefit the City, such as the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Homeowner Assistance Fund and the Community Development Block Grant Program. She also discussed how funds from the Opioid settlement will be distributed throughout the state.
On Tuesday, DeFuniak Springs City Councilman Todd Bierbaum discussed the DeFuniak Springs Municipal Airport during the Walton County Board of County Commissioners meeting. Following Councilman Bierbaum's presentation, the Commission approved the City's request of $5.5 million for the airport's runway expansion. These funds will come from the County's American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) allocation and assist the City in their transformational airport project.
IN FIRM NEWS:
During the Capital Tiger Bay Club luncheon on Tuesday, Liberty Partners of Tallahassee President Jennifer Green was selected as the Club's newest Board member. Guests at the luncheon were also treated to a keynote address from legendary Florida State University (FSU) football and basketball announcer Gene Deckerhoff. As the "Voice of the Seminoles" for more than 40 years, Gene has called three FSU football National Championship games and two Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl victories. In his speech, Gene discussed his historic career and reflected on a few special memories.
Please read below to catch up on all of last week's key developments, events and client actions.
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Photo courtesy of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee. |
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36 MILLION TOURISTS VISITED FLORIDA DURING FIRST QUARTER OF 2022 |
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Florida reported strong tourism numbers during the first quarter of 2022, according to data released on Friday. Between January and March, 36 million tourists visited our state - a 14% increase from the final quarter of 2021. This is the third consecutive quarter that tourism has outpaced pre-pandemic levels, as 34.1 million domestic tourists traveled to Florida during the first quarter of 2022. Domestic tourism has consistently grown over the last 12 months and is expected to increase during the summer months.
International tourism also increase in the first quarter of 2022, as 1.3 million international tourists visited Florida. This statistic is significant, as it is nearly a 169% increase from the first quarter of 2021. Additionally, 578,000 Canadians traveled to Florida during Q1 2022 - more than a 955% increase from Q1 2021.
VISIT FLORIDA has played an instrumental role in Florida's rebound from the pandemic. The tourism marketing organization has advertised to domestic and international travelers and has led the state's tourism industry back to pre-pandemic levels. Read more here.
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Photo courtesy of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee. |
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GOVERNOR DESANTIS APPOINTS REPRESENTATIVE CORD BYRD AS SECRETARY OF STATE
On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Representative Cord Byrd (R-Jacksonville) will replace outgoing Secretary of State Laurel Lee. Rep. Byrd has served in the House since 2016 and has sponsored legislation related to illegal immigration, law enforcement support, cybersecurity and the Parents' Bill of Rights.
In his new role, Rep. Byrd will manage Florida's elections, corporations, libraries and cultural and historical resources. The Governor's appointment of Rep. Byrd comes on the heels of Secretary Laurel Lee stepping down for a potential Congressional campaign. Read more here.
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Liberty Partners of Tallahassee President Jennifer Green discussed several state programs that can benefit the City. (Photo courtesy of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee) |
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LIBERTY PARTNERS PROVIDES LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TO CHIPLEY CITY COUNCIL
Liberty Partners of Tallahassee President Jennifer Green and Vice President Tim Parson attended the City of Chipley Council meeting Tuesday night and provided members with a legislative update. Tim discussed a few of the bills the Governor has taken action on, as well as pieces of legislation passed during the 2022 Legislative Session that have not made it to the Governor's desk. He also provided a preview of the 2022 Legislative Special Session D scheduled for the week of May 23-27.
Jennifer offered information to the Council regarding multiple state programs the City could benefit from, including the Emergency Rental Assistance Program within the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Homeowner Assistance Fund and Community Development Block Grant Program, both within the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). She also discussed the Opioid settlement and described how the funds will be available to counties in Florida for abatement and mitigation.
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The new 2022 DeFuniak Springs and Walton County Youth Ambassadors were introduced to the City of DeFuniak Springs City Council on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee) |
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Councilman Todd Bierbaum speaks to the Walton County Commission about the DeFuniak Springs Airport. (Photo courtesy of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee) |
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CITY OF DEFUNIAK SPRINGS RECEIVES
$5.5 MILLION FROM WALTON COUNTY
`FOR AIRPORT RUNWAY EXPANSION
DeFuniak Springs Councilman Todd Bierbaum and Mayor Bob Campbell attended the Walton County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday to discuss progress at the DeFuniak Springs Municipal Airport. The City recently held a groundbreaking for their new terminal project - estimated to cost over $6.9 million - and also recently voted to allocate a majority of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to go towards the estimated $10.5 million runway expansion project.
On behalf of the City Council, Councilman Bierbaum requested the County make a $5.5 million match of the funds committed by the City to expand the main runway from its current length of just over 4,000 feet to slightly more than 5,000 feet, with some widening included. After a brief discussion, the County agreed to approve the City's request bringing the total raised for the runway expansion program at $11 million.
The runway expansion will allow the airport to have a larger variety of aircraft and serve as an alternative site from other regional airports that are experiencing flight congestion. As the only airport in Walton County, the City would like to see the airport become the premier general aviation airport on the Emerald Coast and a gateway to the beaches of South Walton.
We look forward to the completion of these projects, along with many others the City is currently undertaking. These projects will lead to continued growth and development in the area.
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Liberty Partners of Tallahassee President Jennifer Green (left) pictured with legendary FSU announcer Gene Deckerhoff (second from left) on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee) |
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LIBERTY PARTNERS PRESIDENT
JENNIFER GREEN JOINS BOARD OF
CAPITAL TIGER BAY CLUB
Liberty Partners of Tallahassee President Jennifer Green was selected to serve on the Board of the Capital Tiger Bay Club during their monthly meeting on Thursday. The Club was established in 1971 to provide a non-partisan forum on current political issues and serve as an opportunity to listen to the views of newsmakers and opinion leaders. Local and state leaders, Governors, U.S. Senators and Congressional members have all attended Capital Tiger Bay Club events over the last 50 years and provided their perspectives on current events.
Tuesday’s luncheon was a special treat for all in attendance, as the guest speaker was the “Voice of the Seminoles” Gene Deckerhoff. Gene served as play-by-play announcer of Florida State University football and basketball for more than 40 years until his retirement this year. During his remarks, Gene reminisced on the many great calls made during his distinguished career and described some of the relationships he made, including legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden. One fascinating story was how the coach provided his support of Gene to begin providing play-by-play announcements for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1989. Since then, he has called two Super Bowl victories, and on Thursday, showed off one of the Championship rings in his possession to all those in attendance. It was a very memorable experience to hear from a legend tell a few stories from his historic career.
For more information about the Capital Tiger Bay Club, click: HERE.
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TEAM LPOT - HERE FOR YOU
The team at Liberty Partners remains vigilant in gathering information for our clients. Whether it is related to state, local or Federal government, feel free to send your questions Here or visit our website at: libertypartnersfl.com.
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City of Freeport employees getting 15% raise by
Oct. 1
-My Panhandle
Freeport city employees are receiving a two-tiered raise in the coming months. Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Four to the Board of Control for Southern Regional Education
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Megan Crombie, Arthur Keiser, Representative Alex Rizo, and G. “Devin” Stephenson to the Board of Control for Southern Regional Education. Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Patrick Hogan to the Board of Directors of Florida Achieving a Better Life Experience
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Patrick Hogan to the Board of Directors of Florida Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE). Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Receives Eight Bills from the Florida Legislature
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis received the following bills from the Florida Legislature. Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Thirteen Bills
-FL Gov.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights $23 Million For Gilchrist County
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced his intent to approve more than $23.3 million in budget allocations for Gilchrist County projects, highlighting the administration’s strong commitment to growing rural economies. Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights $6.5 Million for Lafayette County
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted more than $6.5 million in budget allocations for projects throughout Lafayette County for the upcoming 2022-2023 Fiscal Year. Full story here.
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Governor DeSantis Honors Florida's Police Force and Their Families During National Police Week
-FL Gov.
Beginning Wednesday, May 11, 2022 – Tuesday, May 17, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis will honor the men and women of Florida’s police force by lighting the Florida Historic Capitol blue in recognition of National Police Week. Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Makes a Judicial Appointment
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced a judicial appointment to the Baker County Court. Full story here.
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Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation to Honor Victims of Communism and Preserve History of the Freedom Tower
-FL Gov.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill (HB) 395, establishing November 7 as “Victims of Communism Day” to honor the hundreds of millions of people who have suffered under communist regimes across the world. Full story here.
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Secretary of State Laurel Lee steps down
-The Capitolist
Secretary of State Laurel Lee, a former circuit judge who helped steer Florida through the 2020 elections, is stepping down after a little more than three years in her post. Full story here.
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@LibertyPartners: Our President and newest #CapitalTigerBay Board member @JenniferJGreen had a great time with the legendary Gene Deckerhoff at lunch today! So many unbelievable stories! #flapol
@Expedia: I always have one thing on my mind and that is vacation.
@FICPA: The FICPA is excited to introduce Carrie Summerlin as our Chief Growth and Innovation Officer! She will start in her new role on May 16, working closely with President & CEO Shelly Weir and the FICPA Council. Learn more about Carrie here: https://bit.ly/3wCuXzR
@FLSheriffs: K9 Maggie gets a treat for being the best girl! #OffTheLeash @SheriffLeeFL #WoofOutWednesday #K9
@GovRonDeSantis: Tonight, Florida’s capitol is illuminated in blue light to recognize the sacrifice and commitment law enforcement make to keep Floridians safe. In Florida we back the blue, and we say thank you to those who serve us every day.
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FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE LINKS |
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Please click on the links above to visit the official Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives websites or visit Online Sunshine.
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Contact:
Liberty Partners of Tallahassee, LLC
113 E. College Avenue, Suite 400
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(Mailing Address)
P.O. Box 390, Tallahassee, FL, 32302
P 850.841.1726
F 850.841.7097
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