October 29, 2023 - Mayfield Minute

Mayfield Minute - October 29, 2023 - Mayfield Minute_Happy Halloween

Good Morning!

Special Session Begins Monday, November 6th

Last week, Governor DeSantis called a Special Session of the Florida Legislature which coincides with the previously scheduled third Committee Week beginning November 6th thru November 9th.

The Special Session will address:

Governor’s proposal strengthening sanctions on Iran by prohibiting the State from doing business with companies aligned with Iran that could in turn fund terrorists groups including Hamas
Additional resources for Hurricane Idalia relief
Increasing access to school choice for students with unique abilities
Additional protections for Florida’s Jewish communities
Backlog in the My Safe Florida Home program

The proclamation calling for a Special Session can be viewed here.

Time to Fall Back, the Time Changes at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 5th

The twice-yearly event dates back to the 19th Century and is often credited to Benjamin Franklin for suggesting daylight saving time as a solution to “wasted mornings.”

In 1918, the Standard Time Act officially creating Daylight Saving Time (DST) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

Since 2007, it has taken place on the second Sunday of March, when clocks spring forward an hour, and the first Sunday of November, when clocks fall back an hour.

In March 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously voted for U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act to permanently end the annual “fall back” in November. The legislation was sent to the House of Representatives for action but has yet to brought up for a house vote despite broad support among lawmakers and the American people.

I'd also like to wish everyone participating in Halloween Trick-or-Treating or parties to have a fantastic evening, stay safe, and remember these important safety tips from the Department of Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

I consider it a great honor to represent District 19. Please share this link with your friends and family so they too, can sign up for the Mayfield Minute.

If you or someone you know needs my assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office. My staff and I are here to serve you!

Statewide Update

Florida Ranks #1 in the Nation for Entrepreneurship

Last week, Governor DeSantis announced that Florida has the highest percentage of the population that has started a business with 13,238 small businesses per 100,000 residents, according to researchers at The Digital Project Manager. Georgia followed in second place with just over 10,000 small businesses per 100,000 residents.

“Florida’s pro-business, freedom first policies make Florida the best state in the nation to do business,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I appreciate those Floridians who have taken a risk to start their own ventures.”

Florida’s start-up business also had the highest number of jobs created in the first year with 6.53 new jobs per 1,000 Floridians, and new business formations with more than 2.6 million new businesses formed over the last four years.

Additionally, the FloridaCommerce department announced the state's labor force is at an all-time high and continues to outpace the nation in labor force growth for the past 28 consecutive months and 30 consecutive months for the private sector.

Florida’s unemployment rate was 2.8 percent in September, lower than the national rate of 3.8, for the 35th consecutive month.

Florida's Attorney General Sues Meta to Protect Children from Social Media Harm

Last week Attorney General Moody announced she is taking legal action to protect children against Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram. AG Moody is alleging the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features that purposefully addict children and teens on their social media platforms. At the same time, Meta falsely assured the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users.

Attorney General Moody said, “Meta has gone unchecked for too long, and our children are suffering the consequences of these unlawful practices. I took action to stop Meta from targeting minors with addictive features to keep them online for hours, collecting their data, and other unlawful actions that harm teens’ mental health.”

The premise of the lawsuit asserts that Meta’s business practices violate Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. These practices continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens, and fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General deemed a “youth mental health crisis,” which has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people.

The federal complaint seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the harm caused by Meta's platforms. To view Florida’s civil action, click here.

Constituent of the Week

Mrs. Jeanna Merrifield

Our Constituent of the Week is Jeanna Merrifield.

Ms. Merrifield was born in California and subsequently lived throughout the United States and abroad, including the Marshall Islands, while her father served in the United States Army.

As her family relocated throughout the country, they spent the majority of their years in Florida with most of that time in Brevard County. She went on to study accounting at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and then spent the next 15 years working with consumers and businesses assisting them with their personal and corporate income tax filings.

She entered the seafood market and restaurant business when the owners of Dixie Crossroads, Rodney and Mary Jean Thompson, retired and left their legacy to their daughters Laurilee and Sherri. Ms. Merrifield and her husband became partners with Ms. Sherri Thompson-McCoy and shortly thereafter, they became owners in the Cape Canaveral Shrimp Co., d.b.a., Wild Ocean Market, located in Port Canaveral and Titusville.

The Wild Ocean Market’s mission is, “To provide high quality, fresh, local, sustainable seafood to our customers at the best price and to educate the public about their food choices, and the value of locally caught sustainable, fresh seafood.”

As an owner of a fresh seafood market and restaurant, Mrs. Merrifield is keenly focused on understanding, protecting, and promoting our nation’s seafood as a critical component of the overall food supply. Mrs. Merrifield travels to Washington, D.C. regularly to educate lawmakers on the vital importance of commercial fisherman and fisheries in preserving the public’s access to domestic seafood.

Additionally, she is a board member for the Southeastern Fisheries Association, which was founded in the 1950’s and represents 85-90% of all commercial fishing in Florida. As a staunch advocate for the industry at the state and federal levels, Mrs. Merrifield has gained expertise an all areas to help support small business owners dependent upon the fishing industry to successfully manage all aspects of their operation, from human resources to accounting, maintenance, marketing, inspections, and more.

In the little spare time she has, Mrs. Merrifield volunteers and is active with community groups including the Chambers of Commerce, city councils and committees, school fundraisers, and advisory panels. She is also involved with the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation and the Civilian Military Foundation.

Mrs. Merrifield resides in Titusville with her husband, Mike, and they have three sons.

For her, the domestic seafood supply and the commercial fishing industry are as imperative to the nation's food security as the agriculture industry is, and she and her team are working tirelessly to protect it for generations to come. SD-19 Is grateful for her efforts and appreciates her forward thinking for all those whose livelihood relies upon the commercial fishing industry.

District Highlights

2023 Brevard Delegation Meeting

Last week, the Brevard County Delegation meeting was held providing an opportunity for citizens, businesses, non-profits, community organizations, and government entities to address the delegation with matters of concern, funding requests, and future recommendations.

Nearly 80 speakers made presentations to my colleagues, Senator Tom Wright (Chair), Representatives Tyler Sirois (Vice Chair), Thad Altman, Robert Brackett, Randy Fine, and Chase Tramont and I, regarding their positions on matters affecting Brevard County residents, employers, and visitors.

To view the delegation meeting in full, click here.

District Visits in Brevard County and Indian River County

After spending two weeks in Tallahassee for the first two committee weeks, I welcomed the opportunity to visit and tour several organizations in our community including:

Indian River County School District's new Bill Wilson Track and Field at Jimmy Graves Sports and Community Complex where I presented an appropriation check with Representative Brackett for $3.42 million at their ground breaking ceremony.
The Indian Harbour Beach City Council meeting where I presented an appropriation check for $425,000 for their Gleason Park Lake Bank Stabilization Project and the Second Generation Baffle Box Water Quality Project
The Canaveral Port Authority board meeting where I presented an appropriation check in the amount of $1.2 million for the replacement of their Aerial Tower Fire truck which is critical in assuring the safety of our first responders
Cocoa Beach Junior and Senior High School's ground breaking ceremony for their new Aqua Science Dome and outdoor facilities where 112 students are enrolled in their industry certification preparation program. Representative Sirois and I previously presented an appropriation check in the amount of $850,000 to Brevard Public Schools in support of this program.
Tour of the Structural Composite facilities in Melbourne which provides innovative manufacturing for various industries including marine, aerospace, theme park, and defense industries, and road and rail transportation infrastructure.

Vero Beach Regional Airport Continues to be an Economic Driver

The Vero Beach Regional Airport continues to be a critical driver of the local economy. The Florida Department of Transportation recently released a 2023 Statewide Economic Impact Study indicating the airport's a total economic impact of $933 million and has helped to produce 5,914 direct and indirect jobs.

“In 2019, which is pre-pandemic, we were the 6th busiest airport in Florida,” said Todd Scher, airport director at Vero Beach Regional Airport, citing the number of takeoffs and landings an airport has relative to that statistic.

Mr. Scher envisions the airport to handle more corporate jets, private flights, recreational flights, flight training, and manufacturing in the near future.

He added, “If the airport had 200 acres of shovel-ready property and 50 hangars ready to rent out, we could rent them all by the end of the year.”

The airport currently has one airline, Breeze Airways, which flies to and from Vero Beach, West Chester County, NY and Hartford, CT with pending service to and from Long Island, NY.

To book your holiday flights on Breeze Airways, click here.

Upcoming Events

Military and Veteran Children's Safe Place to Trick-or-Treat

The Women's Veteran Outreach and Support Trunk-or-Treat event will take place at the Veterans Memorial Center (400 South Sykes Creek Parkway) in Merritt Island on Tuesday, October 31st from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the children of military service members and Veterans.

This is an alternative to traditional trick-or-treating where children can experience the same benefits and excitement of candy and treats in an environment with their peers. For more information, contact Dorothy Walsh by email here or at 321-877-1828.

20th Annual Sebastian Clambake “Lagoon Festival”

The 20th Annual Sebastian Clambake “Lagoon Festival” is set for Friday, November 3rd thru Sunday, November 5th at Riverview Park (US-1 and County Rd 512) in Sebastian.

Entry and parking are free of charge. T-shirts and tickets for food and drinks will be available for purchase with all proceeds from the Clambake benefiting local non-profit infrastructure projects.

Activities include seafood and vendor booths, live entertainment, historic re-enactments, a Kids Zone, and other demonstrations.

Festival hours are from:

Friday, November 3rd from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 4th from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 5th from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more information about the live entertainment and food menus available, click here.

Down Syndrome Association of Brevard Buddy Walk

The 21st Annual Down Syndrome Association of Brevard (DSAB) Buddy Walk will take place on Saturday, November 4th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Calvary Chapel of Viera (2852 Fellowship Place) in Viera.

The DSAB has been hosting the Brevard Buddy Walk since 2002 and the event remains the main fundraiser to support services for individuals and families with Down Syndrome in our community.

For more information and to register for the walk, click here.

The 15th Annual Native Rhythms Festival

The Indian River Flute Circle and Native Heritage Gathering, Inc. proudly present the 15th annual gathering of the Native Rhythms Festival. The three day festival coincides with Native American Heritage Month and honors the culture of the indigenous people of the Americas through music.

The event takes place at the Wickham Park Amphitheater (2500 Parkway Drive) in Melbourne, from Friday, November 10th thru Sunday, November 12th beginning at 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The festival is family friendly and admission is free. Activities include day and evening concerts, food, drinks arts and crafts vendors, flute and drum artists, educational workshops, and much more.

To view the daily schedules, click here.