“Thankfully, we’ve been blessed with a mild hurricane season that spared our state from a devastating impact equal to those of seasons past. Now is a great time to review and update disaster plans and supplies.

“This holiday season, consider holiday gift baskets of preparedness items for families in need and donate non-expired goods to a local food bank or charitable community group. Items like a NOAA alert radio can become a lifesaving stocking stuffer.”

“Today I am proud to sign legislation that will strengthen Florida’s criminal justice system and make our state a safer place to live and visit,” said Governor Crist. “Nothing is more important to the quality of life of our people than to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods and provide our law enforcement officers the tools they need to continue protecting our people.”

Governor Crist was joined at today’s bill signing by Representative Marty Kiar, Senator Victor Crist, Representative Rachel Burgin, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Electra Bustle, Executive Director of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The bill signing followed a tour of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ headquarters that included visits to the Customer Service Call Center and the Motorist Services Office that provides driver license, identification card, title and registration services to the public.

“We appreciate the confidence placed in our department by the Legislature and the Governor, and as we recognize this milestone, we reflect upon our proud heritage and plan for the future ahead,” said Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles executive director Electra Theodorides-Bustle. “We are fortunate to have great people working together to be a positive influence on highway safety. We are committed to saving lives every day.”

Summaries of the new legislation are as follows:

Senate Bill 1100 – Relating to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Sponsored by Senator Andy Gardiner and Representative Rachel Burgin

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as an agency and the 70th anniversary of the Florida Highway Patrol, Senate Bill 1100 reenacts the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and completes the department’s sunset review process. The bill also requires commercial drivers to submit to testing when they are believed to be impaired by a controlled substance and establishes penalties for non-compliance.

Senate Bill 1312 – Related to Sexual Battery
Sponsored by Senator Mike Fasano and Representative Yolly Roberson

Senate Bill 1312 ensures that victims of sexual violence are notified of their rights and available crisis services by requiring law enforcement officers to inform them at the time of investigation. This allows law enforcement officers to better serve victims of sexual violence and as a result, victims will be more aware of their rights and improve their access to crisis intervention centers. Currently in Florida, there are 31 rape crisis centers certified by the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, a statewide nonprofit organization that developed the rape crisis center certification criteria.

Senate Bill 2276 – Relating to the DNA Database
Sponsored by Senator Steve Oelrich and Representative Bill Snyder

Senate Bill 2276, the DNA Database Act, expands DNA sample collection to include persons who are arrested for or charged with a felony. Current Florida law only requires persons convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors to submit a sample for the database. This bill will significantly expand the size of Florida’s current DNA database and assist law enforcement officers in fighting crime.

House Bill 57 – Related to Law Enforcement Explorers
Sponsored by Representative Betty Reed and Senator Tony Hill

House Bill 57 extends the law penalizing criminals who assault law enforcement officers and other first responders to include Law Enforcement Explorers who are accompanying police officers. The Law Enforcement Exploring program allows youth age 14 to 20 to work with a local law enforcement agency and assist sworn officers in patrol operations with relatively minimal risk.

House Bill 115 – Related to Sexual Offenders and Predators
Representative Marty Kiar and Senator Jeremy Ring

House Bill 115 increases registration reporting requirements for sexual predators and offenders to include home and cellular telephone numbers. Florida’s sex offender registration requirements will now also include persons convicted of traveling to meet a minor to engage in unlawful sexual behavior. The bill also expands Florida’s jurisdiction to prosecute sex offenders who transmit harmful material via computer or electronic devices to minors living outside the state and encourages public libraries to adopt an internet safety education program.

“The rescue and successful release of Patsy the Manatee is a credit to all of the hard-working organizations and volunteers involved in protecting Florida’s environment and wildlife year-round,” Governor Crist. “Today’s release is just another example of their dedication and commitment to saving the Florida manatee, one of Florida’s natural treasures.”

FWC biologists and volunteers from the Dolphin Research Center rescued Patsy on April 29, 2009, after discovering her flipper had become severely entangled in monofilament fishing line. Patsy was taken to the Miami Seaquarium where she was successfully treated.

During her treatment and rehabilitation, veterinarians determined Patsy was pregnant and likely to give birth this summer. The veterinarians cleared her for release so she can continue to heal on her own and deliver her calf in the wild. The United States Geological Survey will monitor Patsy with a Global Positioning System (GPS) tag as part of an ongoing study.
“The release of this manatee is a success story. Although it is not clear if human negligence was the cause of the entanglement, we strongly encourage anglers to properly dispose of fishing line,” said Rodney Barreto, FWC chairman. “It’s up to all of us to do our part to ensure the survival of manatees and other native species.”

Monofilament fishing line can cause serious injury or death for a variety of Florida wildlife. Florida’s Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program is a statewide effort to educate the public about the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment. The program encourages recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations and conducts volunteer fishing line cleanup events. For more information, visit www.fishinglinerecycling.org.

With Hiday and Ricke since 2006, Merrigan, 46, is the sole manager and senior attorney of the firm’s South Florida office. He is also a Lt. Colonel and judge advocate in the United States Army Reserves since 1994, serving in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Iraq in 2003 to 2004.

During his career, he has also practiced with Rinaman and Associates, McConnaughhay Duffy, Nations Bank/Bank of America, Barnett Bank, and Houston and Shahady. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, North Carolina, and graduated from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law, in Birmingham, Alabama.

He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1984 and earned a Master of Law from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1989.

Merrigan will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Robert Zack.

The following statements in support of the compact were released today:

Statement by Florida School Boards Association Dr. Wayne Blanton, Executive Director

“With Florida school districts facing devastating classroom cuts, our board has voted to endorse the state’s Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. We do not have a position on gambling one way or the other, but we agree with Governor Crist that the Seminole Compact is a critical source of immediate and ongoing revenue to protect the education of our children.”

Statement by Florida Association of District School Superintendents Chief Executive Officer William J. “Bill” Montford III

“Florida has a critical need for revenues to support public education, and the Seminole Compact is a tool that will help us meet that need. The first jobs this Compact will save will be those of the educators and school workers who help equip our children with the skills they and Florida will need to compete in the future. The Compact makes sense and deserves Florida’s support.”

Statement by Florida Education Association President Andy Ford

“At a time when our economy isn’t growing and recognizing the painful choices being made by Governor Crist and the leadership of the Florida Legislature, I believe that we must work together in order to secure the funding necessary for us to make our schools a priority. I’m confident that the gaming compact represents an area where all of us can agree that the funding stream provided will be put to good use in maintaining the programs that provide vital services and support to our state’s students, while also bolstering the funding that helps to protect the jobs of dedicated teachers and support professionals.”

“Floridians choosing Cover Florida Health Care are saving hundreds of dollars a month on their health care costs,” Governor Crist said. “People decide what works for them – for their health needs and for their wallet – and are then empowered to take control of their own health care.”

Four of the six Cover Florida plans available in Leon County have monthly premiums averaging $155 or less – and all of the preventive plans average less than $100. Applicants can choose between either statewide carrier Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida or United Healthcare. Each insurer offers at least two benefit options – one with catastrophic and hospital coverage, and one focusing on preventive care. Each plan has a wide-ranging set of benefit options that include coverage for preventive services, screenings, office visits, as well as office surgery, urgent care, hospital coverage, emergency care, prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, and diabetic supplies.

While at the hospital, Governor Crist emphasized how Cover Florida Health Care plans provide affordable access to health care for uninsured Floridians by highlighting the stories of two policyholders:

· Rebecca Rice, a 25-year-old single mother, lost her job because she could not get medical clearance to return to work after an accident. Unable to afford the cost of the necessary doctor’s visit, she lost her health insurance coverage when she became unemployed. Now working part-time, she is grateful that affordable health insurance is available through Cover Florida Health Care. Her child’s health care is covered by his father’s policy, and now she too has the coverage she needs.

· Carly Ramsey, 27, made the decision to pursue her education at Tallahassee Community College, which required leaving her job, as well as the health insurance available to her there. She researched many health insurance options and found them all unaffordable, especially for a single mother. When she learned about Cover Florida Health Care, she contacted an agent to enroll. For $92 a month, Cover Florida is allowing her to maintain the same the level of care she previously had while gaining a much needed monthly savings of hundreds of dollars.

Also joining Governor Crist for the tour of Capital Regional Medical Center’s emergency wing were Secretary Holly Benson of the Agency for Health Care Administration and several of the hospital’s leaders, including Bud Wethington, chief executive officer; Dale Neely, chief operating officer; and Marie Johnson, chief nursing officer.

Earlier this week, Governor Crist announced the initial results of the first two months of enrollment in Cover Florida Health Care plans. As of February 28, 2009, the health plans reported enrolling 952 Floridians – 82 percent of whom chose catastrophic coverage, and 18 percent chose preventive coverage. He also encouraged businesses, health care providers and other organizations to help increase awareness about the affordable, quality health insurance coverage made available to Florida’s nearly four million uninsured applicants age 19 to 64.

Governor Crist encouraged Floridians interested in Cover Florida Health Care plans to visit the www.CoverFloridaHealthCare.com Web site and compare the sample benefits and premium information from insurers. Each company operates a Cover Florida-specific toll-free telephone line and Web page making it possible for interested individuals to discuss their health care options with each insurer directly.

More About Cover Florida Health Care

Six health insurance providers have been authorized by the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Office of Insurance Regulation and the Executive Office of the Governor to offer Cover Florida Health Care plans. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and United Healthcare are available in all 67 Florida counties, with additional insurers available in Broward, Miami-Dade, Volusia and Flagler counties.

Consumers interested in purchasing Cover Florida benefits should contact the insurance carriers directly. The six companies have designed 25 creative health insurance products. Cover Florida plans contain no mandates for participation and are portable from one employer to another because they are individual policies. Voluntary for both employers and policyholders, employers also may voluntarily share in the cost of the plan with their employees or may assist employees with a payroll deduction, providing a pre-tax benefit for the employee and a payroll tax break for the employer.

The cost of plans varies, depending on the applicant’s age, gender and choice of preventive coverage or catastrophic and hospital coverage. Fourteen of the 25 Cover Florida plans have monthly premiums averaging $155 or less, with all of the preventive plans offering coverage for, on average, $155 or less.

The Cover Florida plan was unanimously approved by the 2008 Legislature, and no tax dollars are required to make the plans available to Floridians. Selected by the State of Florida through a competitive bidding process, the six private insurance carriers were chosen based on their proposed robust, innovative and affordable health insurance products.

Acting jointly on behalf of the State of Florida, the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Office of Insurance Regulation issued the competitive Invitation to Negotiate and reviewed insurers’ responses, along with representatives from the Executive Office of the Governor. Once the six providers were selected, the state agencies worked jointly with the insurance carriers to finalize the contracts. Throughout the competitive process, the state agencies worked to ensure that Cover Florida products would not only offer robust benefits but also be financially sound. Moving forward, the state agencies are monitoring the sale of the products and addressing consumer concerns.

For more information about Cover Florida benefit options, visit www.CoverFloridaHealthCare.com. To see sample benefits and costs, click on “Available Plans,” and select a county or compare all available Cover Florida Health Care plans.

“Now more than ever, as Florida faces historic economic challenges, the people of Florida need to know that state agencies are investing their hard-earned taxpayer dollars responsibly,” Governor Crist said. “The Sunshine Spending Web site is a great first step that will help citizens hold state government accountable.”

“For the last two years, I have worked to make Tallahassee more open and accountable to Florida’s taxpayers,” said CFO Sink. “I am pleased that Floridians will be able to know exactly who is spending and who is getting their tax dollars, and glad we were able to provide this transparent step at no extra cost to Floridians.”

Updated every night, the Sunshine Spending Web site is an important step toward increased fiscal accountability in state spending. The site allows citizens to conduct a basic search for vendors and other recipients of state funds by the first part of the vendor’s name. It was created using existing resources, with no additional tax dollars spent to create or maintain it.

The Sunshine Spending Web site was produced by the Department of Financial Services in conjunction with representatives from the Governor’s office, Americans for Tax Reform and the James Madison Institute.

Currently, most state agencies include a list of contracts of at least over $25,000 in the open government section of their Web site. In conjunction with this information, the Sunshine Spending Web site will allow citizens to access additional information about payments to vendors.

On Sunshine Spending, citizens can access the following information:

· Payment totals to a vendor for each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2004-05. Information for the current fiscal year is updated nightly.

· Detailed information about each payment, including the requesting state agency — the phone number for the agency’s finance and accounting contact person, and document numbers related to the payment to assist with further requests for public records.

For more information about the Sunshine Spending Web site, please visit: www.FLGov.com/sunshinespending or www.MyFloridaCFO.com/SunshineSpending.

About Governor Crist’s Commitment to Open Government

On March 13, 2009, Governor Crist issued “A Week of Sunshine” Proclamation recognizing March 15-21, 2009, as Sunshine Week for the citizens of Florida. The proclamation urges citizens to celebrate Florida’s dedication to making state and local government more accessible to the public.

Governor Crist made his commitment to Florida’s Sunshine Laws evident in his inaugural address. As Florida’s 44th Governor, he made open government a top priority. He quoted President Abraham Lincoln, pledging under his watch that Florida government would be “of the people, by the people and for the people.” The next day, in his first Executive Order, Governor Crist established the Office of Open Government and charged it with providing the Governor’s office and all state agencies the tools necessary to serve the people of Florida in a professional and efficient manner. The Governor created a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information from day one.

On June 19, 2007, the Governor appointed the Commission on Open Government Reform. He charged the nine-member Commission to review and evaluate the public’s right of access to government meetings and records. The commission held three public hearings throughout the state. The commission submitted its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives at the end of 2008.

The Office of Open Government has collaborated with 36 state agencies and 11 state universities to assist citizens seeking access to public records and the public servants who work for them. Additionally, Governor Crist changed the clemency process to make it more transparent for clemency applicants. Furthermore, he issued Executive Order 07-294, creating a Citizens Open Government Bill of Rights to support citizen access to Florida state agencies. Governor Crist also created a partnership with Google Inc. to make state agencies’ Web sites more accessible to the citizens of Florida.

For more information on Governor Crist’s commitment to open government, please visit: www.flgov.com/og_home.