Mayfield Minute - October 27, 2019
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This past week President Bill Galvano convened the Senate in Special Session for the consideration of the removal or reinstatement of Mr. Scott Israel as Sheriff of Broward County.
Earlier this year Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 19-14, formally suspending Mr. Israel for his repeated failures and poor leadership as Broward County Sheriff. Per the Florida Constitution, the Senate ultimately has the final word on whether a suspended official is removed from office or reinstated. I joined the Senate Rules Committee for more than ten hours in reviewing the report from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Commission and hearing testimony from Special Master Dudley Goodlette on his findings and recommendations, as well as the recommendations for removal by the Governor.
After considering all of the evidence, I support the Governor's decision to suspend Mr. Israel, and I supported the decision to not reinstate him as Broward County Sheriff. Mr. Israel clearly lacks the leadership skills and the ability to faithfully perform the duties that he was tasked with when he was elected.
The Senate voted 25-15 to approve the report and remove Israel. You may watch my comments on the floor at 2:23:00 on
The Florida Channel
.
I consider it a great honor to represent all of the citizens and visitors of District 17. Please share
this link
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Mayfield Minute
.
If you or someone you know needs my assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. My staff and I are here to serve you!
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This past week I joined Governor Ron DeSantis, along with Representative Chip LaMarca, House Minority Leader McGhee and Florida State University football legend Corey Simon to announce the filing of
Senate Bill (SB) 646
, the Student Athlete Achievement Act. This bill will allow student athletes the right to benefit from their own name, image or likeness, just like every other student on their college campus. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation in support of Florida's 11,000 student athletes in their efforts to participate in the free market.
I also filed
SB 630: Smoking Regulation
which would allow municipalities and counties the ability to designate smoking areas within the boundaries of their own public parks.
I co-sponsored
SB 404: Parental Consent
which prohibits a physician from performing an abortion on a minor without parental consent. The bill does provide an exception for medical emergency situations.
The Senate
Health Policy
Committee
met to hear a presentation from Dr. Scott Rivkees, Florida Surgeon General, on the health risks related to vaping. E-cigarettes and vape products produce an aerosol, often mistaken for water vapor, which actually consists of fine particles containing varying amounts of toxic chemicals that have been linked to cancer, respiratory and heart disease. There has been a recent outbreak of vaping-related lung disease and deaths, 68 reported cases and 1 death in Florida. In 2018, the CDC reported that there were more than 3.6 million middle and high school students vaping. In Florida 25.6% of high school students currently vape.
Dr. Rivkees also provided an update on the Hepatitis A outbreak in Florida. He highlighted that increased vaccinations among those considered "high risk" have decreased the number of Hepatitis A cases in 11 of the 17 impacted counties. Brevard County cases have been reduced by more than 50% due to increased vaccination efforts.
Members also considered the following bills:
SB 218
updates the osteopathic internship and residency accrediting agencies to include the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
SB 226
requires an athletic trainer to work within their scope of practice as defined by the Board of Athletic Trainers and revises internship requirements for licensure. All bills were reported out of committee favorably.
The
Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee
met to consider the following bills:
SB 7000: Report Abuse, Abandonment and Neglect
Current law requires any person who knows or suspects a child is abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, legal custodian, or caregiver is required to report that suspicion to the Department of Children and Families central abuse hotline. This bill will add penalties for those who fail to report suspected abuse, and requires the hotline to keep statistical reports.
SB 68: Homelessness
creates a dedicated revenue source for challenge grants provided to the State Office on Homelessness and local homeless Continuums of Care, which are dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness throughout the state.
SB 160: Support for First Responders
creates privileged exception for peer-to-peer communication between first responders.
SB 192: Sales Tax Exemption Independent Living
exempts the purchase of certain items that assist individuals in living and aging independently in their homes (like bed rails, grab bars, and shower seats) from sales and use tax. All bills were reported out of committee favorably.
I will be home in my district this week and am looking forward to attending various events and meeting with constituents. Florida Senate Committees will reconvene the week of November 4, 2019.
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Indian River State College President to Retire
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For the past forty-six years Dr. Ed Massey's name has been synonymous with Indian River State College (IRSC). Starting in 1973 as a biology professor, Dr. Massey has held numerous positions at the college, most notably serving as President for the past 31 years.
During his tenure, all five of IRSC campuses have expanded and earlier this year IRSC was awarded the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The award is the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges, positioning the school as one of the top colleges in the nation.
IRSC now offers 17 bachelor degrees designed to provide students with skills to fill high-demand jobs in the region. Under Dr. Massey's leadership, IRSC has not increased its tuition in six years, which helped the campus earn the Department of Education's distinction as the third most affordable college in the United States.
Dr. Massey released a message this week announcing his plans to retire at the end of August 2020.
"
For the past 46 years, I've enjoyed serving the extraordinary people of this community
," said Dr. Massey. "
Throughout this journey, I have been fortunate to have an expansive support network of good friends, professional colleagues, and my wonderful family. I can't thank them enough, especially my family. I feel it is now time to give back to them, spending more of my days with my wife, our children, and our grandchildren.
"
I greatly appreciate Dr. Massey for his many years of service, and his dedication to expanding educational opportunities along the Treasure Coast.
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Kennedy Space Center's Salute to Brevard
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Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is hosting its annual "Salute to Brevard", providing Brevard County residents with discounted admission to the Visitors Complex. Daily admission costs only $19 for adults and $14 for children ages 3-11. You can also share this discount with up to 6 people per party.
In order to receive this discount, KSC requires that you bring your driver’s license or utility bill from Brevard County. Tickets must be purchased at the visitor complex ticket plaza on the date of entry, and only the purchaser needs to be a Brevard County resident.
During Salute to Brevard, KSC is also encouraging guests to bring canned foods and other non-perishable items to the visitor complex to donate to Brevard County Sharing Centers. The Sharing Centers are in need of canned goods like soups, canned fruits and vegetables, and tuna. Other non-perishable foods like pasta, oatmeal, sauces, baby formula, and hygiene products are also needed.
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Osprey Acres Stormwater & Nature Preserve
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On October 30th, my office will join Indian River County officials for the grand opening of the Osprey Acres Stormwater Park and Nature Preserve.
Over the last several years, Indian River County has invested over $29 million on four infrastructure projects aimed at improving the health of the Indian River Lagoon: Spoonbill Marsh, Egret Marsh, the PC Main and Osprey Marsh. These projects have removed over 128,000 pounds of Nitrogen and 29,000 pounds of Phosphorus from reaching the Lagoon.
Osprey Marsh is a passively-managed aquatic plant system that treats stormwater from a drainage canal and the effluent from the County's Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant. The Marsh removes approximately 50% of pollutants before it discharges into the Lagoon.
Osprey Acres is located on 83 acres and serves as a secondary pollutant removal system that will remove residual pollutants, like nitrogen and phosphorus, from the Osprey Marsh's outflow water. This facility is expected to remove an additional 315 pounds of phosphorus per year and 3,707 pounds of nitrogen per year from entering the Indian River Lagoon. Osprey Acres will also preserve over 60 acres of uplands and create approximately 17 acres of aquatic habitat for fish and waterfowl.
During the 2017 Legislative Session, I am proud that the Florida Legislature invested more than $1.2 million to support this project. The Indian River Lagoon is a unique and precious resource and I am committed to improving the health of the Indian River Lagoon with the right policies in place to support a comprehensive restoration plan with long-term funding sources. The completion of the Osprey Acres Stormwater Park & Nature Preserve marks another major step forward in restoring our treasured waterway.
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Melbourne Chamber Women on the Rise
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The Melbourne Regional Chamber hosted their 2nd Annual Women on the Rise Awards this past week to celebrate women of excellence in Brevard County. The ceremony recognized women who have demonstrated excellence in their career, displayed generosity of spirit, commitment to integrity and genuine collaboration with others in our community.
The 2019 Awardees include:
- Collective Impact Award - Dr. Linda Miedema, Eastern Florida State College
- Trailblazer Award - Susan Glasgow, Kegman Inc.
- Woman of Courage Award - Tanya Greene, Destiny Life Church
- Woman to Watch Award - Dr. Christine Salinas, Neuropsychology Concierge
Congratulations to these amazing woman and thank you for the great work you do in our community!
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Melbourne Office
900 E. Strawbridge Ave.
Melbourne, FL 32901
(321) 409-2025
Tallahassee Office
322 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
(850) 487-5017
Vero Beach Office
Administration Building B
1801 27th Street
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772) 226-1970
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