MIAMI, Florida, March 23 -- Miami Dade College issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: Today, the Miami Film Festival, produced by Miami Dade College, announced it will honor Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph and director, writer and producer Michael Showalter during the 2024 festival taking place from April 5-14. Ralph will receive the Precious Gem Award on Saturday, April 13, following a conversation about her career. Showalter will receive the Art of Light Award on Mon  more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued the following news release on March 21, 2024: Today, Anna Paulina Luna's Republican Study Committee held a press conference to introduce its extreme MAGA budget that would have a devastating impact on Florida seniors. Despite seniors comprising nearly 30% of her district, chief among Luna's disastrous policies is cutting Social Security and privatizing Medicare. Additionally, Luna's budget calls for passing the Li  more

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida, March 23 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University issued the following news: Embry Riddle Aeronautical University senior Emily Diegel arrived on the Daytona Beach Campus nearly four years ago determined to become an aerospace engineer. She soon found that engineering wasn't the right fit, however, and switched to math, which offered new and interesting ways to apply her talents. "Originally, changing my mind was a scary thing," said Diegel, who is from the Boston, Massac  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following attestation examination (No. 2024-162) on March 20, 2024, involving Gilchrist County District School Board - Florida Education Finance Program. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY OF ATTESTATION EXAMINATION Except for the material noncompliance described below involving reporting errors or records that were not properly or accurately prepared or were not available at the time of our examination and could not be  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following financial audit (No. 2024-163) on March 20, 2024, involving Hillsborough Community College. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY OF REPORT ON THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Our audit disclosed that the basic financial statements of Hillsborough Community College (a component unit of the State of Florida) were presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with prescribed financial reporting sta  more

LIVE OAK, Florida, March 23 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: First Lady Casey DeSantis awarded five Suwannee, Madison, and Columbia County nonprofit organizations with $10,000 each through the Hope Florida Fund. Recipients recognized by the First Lady were: Pregnancy Care Center, First Baptist Church of Live Oak, Love in the Name of Christ of Suwannee County, Christian Service Center of Columbia County, and Forgotten Coast K9. First Lady Cas  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 22 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 21, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the first rescue mission from Haiti with evacuees who were otherwise unable to return home due to the ongoing political crisis in Haiti. Florida brought 14 Floridians home from Haiti to Orlando Sanford International Airport via emergency flights coordinated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Watch Governor DeSantis' remarks her  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis awarded $9.5 million through Florida's Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery Initiative to bolster academic and private partnerships to safeguard Florida's Coral Reef, which extends over 350 nautical miles from the Dry Tortugas to the St. Lucie Inlet. This funding will enhance coral recovery, including propagation and outplanting capacities critical to   more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 22 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 20, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Daniel Epstein and Jon Harrison to the Palm Beach State College District Board of Trustees. Daniel Epstein, PhD Epstein is an Assistant Professor of Law at St. Thomas University. Previously, he worked in the White House and in Congress. Epstein earned his bachelor's degree in political philosophy from Kenyon College, his  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis nominated Chris Spencer to become the next Executive Director of the State Board of Administration (SBA). Spencer is currently the Director of Policy and Budget for the Executive Office of the Governor. Spencer's nomination will be brought before Governor DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, sitting as t  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 22 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 21, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis received the following bills from the Florida Legislature. The Governor has until April 5, 2024, to act on these bills. SB 1512 - Controlled Substances SB 1720 - Marine Encroachment on Military Operations CS/HB 1415 - Peer Support for First Responders CS/CS/HB 1113 - Use of Lights and Sirens on Emergency Vehicles CS/HB 801 - Alzheimer's Disease a  more

BONITA SPRINGS, Florida, March 22 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 21, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed components of the 2024 'Live Healthy' legislation package, which bolsters Florida's health care workforce, broadens access to quality health care, and fosters innovation in the industry. Spearheaded by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, 'Live Healthy' will enhance health care across Florida by offering new training opportunities, improving  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the following bills: CS/SB 7006 - A Review under the Open Government Sunset Review Act CS/SB 1746 - Public Employees CS/SB 1526 - Local Regulation of Nonconforming and Unsafe Structures SB 818 - Military Leave CS/SB 474 - Public Records CS/CS/SB 224 - Citizen Volunteer Advisory Committees SB 1720 - Marine Encroachment on Military Operati  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- The Florida Public Service Commission issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will hold a Fuel Cost Recovery Clause (FCRC) hearing to determine issues deferred from the 2023 FCRC proceeding. Outstanding issues are associated with nuclear power plant outages at Florida Power & Light Company's St. Lucie Units 1 & 2 and Turkey Point Units 3 & 4 between 2020-2022. * * * The Fuel   more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued the following weekly briefing (Vol. 6, Issue 12): This week, standing with Daytona Beach first responders, we warned spring breakers to never use illicit drugs, as just one pill can kill. Every year, millions of visitors come to enjoy our beautiful beaches during spring break. While this is an exciting time of year for students, law enforcement and first responders are on heightened alert due to the national drug ov  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- The Florida Democratic Party issued the following statement on March 22, 2024: * * * Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Parkland, Florida on Saturday to meet with families and visit Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In response, the Florida Democratic Party issued the following statement: "Earlier this month, the Biden-Harris campaign launched their month-long blitz across battleground states. Tomorrow, we welcome the return of Vice President Kam  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- Florida State University issued the following news: By McKenzie Harris Florida State University's Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS) will host a joint National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conference next week, an opportunity to welcome climate scientists from around the world to Tallahassee. FSU will host NOAA's joint 48th Climate Diagnostics & Prediction Workshop and 21st Climate Prediction Applications Science Worksh  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 (TNSres) -- Florida State University issued the following news: By Emily Stewart Florida State University's Center of Population Sciences for Health Equity (CPSHE) is partnering with the Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology of Panama (INDICASAT-AIP), a biomedical research institute in the Republic of Panama's City of Knowledge, marking a significant step toward advancing global health research. The City of Knowledge, a government-sponsored hotspo  more

BARNESVILLE, Georgia, March 22 -- The Gordon State College issued the following news: By Karolina Philmon In early March, two Gordon State College students represented Highlander Nation at the 101st annual meeting of the Georgia Academy of Sciences (GAS) located on the campus of Kennesaw State University. Kiara Mitchell and Kara Hendrix were assigned to the Biological Sciences category of the conference with their poster presentation on "Myoglobin Concentration in Florida Manatee Muscle Tissu  more

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- George Washington University issued the following news: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a measure prohibiting homeless individuals from sleeping overnight on streets, sidewalks, and in parks. The law, characterized as a "law-and-order" step by DeSantis, aims to increase public safety and provide resources to homeless individuals to help them "get back on their feet." Critics argue that the law fails to address the root causes of homelessness and may not  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 23 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 22, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a milestone in Florida's continuing economic success: Florida's statewide unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate for 40 consecutive months. The national unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent for February 2024; Florida's rate did not rise and outperforms the national rate by 0.8 percentage point. And while Florida's private s  more

LAKE WORTH, Florida, March 22 -- Palm Beach State College issued the following news on March 21, 2024: By Joyce Edelstein The Dental Health Services Clinic on Palm Beach State College's Lake Worth campus was full of smiles on March 21 when children from the Wellington Boys and Girls Club received free preventive dental treatment at the Give Kids a Smile event hosted by PBSC's Dental Hygiene program. Thirty-four children received a dental cleaning, x-rays (if needed), fluoride treatment, seala  more

LAKE WORTH, Florida, March 22 -- Palm Beach State College issued the following news: Student Government Association leaders from Palm Beach State College's Palm Beach Gardens campus were elected to the Florida College System SGA Region 4 board during the FCSSGA Leadership Retreat held last month at the College of Central Florida's Ocala campus. The students are: Marjelie Pierre Etienne who was elected Secretary; Deshaunte Tribble, elected as assistant coordinator; Marlon Morin as Jurisprudence  more

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida, March 23 (TNSres) -- Flagler College issued the following news: By Lauren Piskothy Flagler College alum Abigale Kreinheder was awarded a grant from the Pulitzer Center to research the production of Kopi Luwak coffee in Indonesia, a research trip that soon became a formative life experience. Kreinheder graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Political Science, Economics, and English in May 2023. She said she was more than a little shocked when sh  more

SARASOTA, Florida, March 22 -- The University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus issued the following news: By Matt Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing Known for years as one of the top universities in the nation for veterans, USF has now earned a state designation for its continued commitment to supporting military families. The Collegiate Purple Star Campuses Program was established in 2023 by the state of Florida. It recognizes higher education institutions that provi  more

TAMPA, Florida, March 23 -- The University of Tampa issued the following news: Over spring break, two UT instructors and a student traveled to Mexico to present lectures on the topics of missing persons and human trafficking. They were invited by the University of San Luis Potosi, and an international faculty travel grant made the trip possible for Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Anthony LaRose and cybersecurity Lecturer Angela Ramos. Ramos was asked by the director of  more