Florida Department

Bijou Ikli named new CEO by Florida Assisted Living Association

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, June 3, 2023

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 2, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Florida Assisted Living Association (FALA) has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Ms. Bijou Ikli, a veteran executive in the Florida healthcare and senior living field. Ms. Ikli succeeds Veronica Catoe, FALA's CEO from 2019-2023, who moved on to become Executive Director at Medicaid Management Services, Inc., and interim FALA CEO Shad Haston, who preceded Ms. Catoe as FALA CEO and stepped in to serve as Interim CEO with Ms. Catoe's departure until the hiring of Ms. Ikli.

Key Points: 
  • The Florida Assisted Living Association (FALA) has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Ms. Bijou Ikli, a veteran executive in the Florida healthcare and senior living field.
  • TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 2, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Florida Assisted Living Association (FALA) has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Ms. Bijou Ikli, a veteran executive in the Florida healthcare and senior living field.
  • Ms. Ikli succeeds Veronica Catoe, FALA's CEO from 2019-2023, who moved on to become Executive Director at Medicaid Management Services, Inc., and interim FALA CEO Shad Haston, who preceded Ms. Catoe as FALA CEO and stepped in to serve as Interim CEO with Ms. Catoe's departure until the hiring of Ms. Ikli.
  • Ms. Ikli has a long history of senior executive roles in the Florida healthcare and senior living arena.

Florida 'freakishness': why the sunshine state might have lost its appeal

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 2, 2023

The state has been rocked by political controversies, bitter debates and fatal shootings at odds with its previously laid back holiday destination image.

Key Points: 
  • The state has been rocked by political controversies, bitter debates and fatal shootings at odds with its previously laid back holiday destination image.
  • In his 1947 book, Inside USA, writer John Gunther described Florida’s “freakishness in everything from architecture to social behaviour unmatched in any American state”.
  • The state has witnessed heated debates and legislative battles on issues including abortion, gun control, education, LGBTQ+ rights and voting rights.

Importance of international image

    • In 2022, more than 1.1 million people visited Florida from the UK, the second largest group of international visitors on an annual basis.
    • The UK is also Florida’s eighth largest trade partner with bilateral trade reaching $5.8 billion (£4.6 billion) in 2022.
    • So state leaders might worry about tarnishing its image abroad.
    • Business leaders are already fretting about a fall in international visitor numbers linked to COVID and negative media coverage of the state.

School shootings and gun laws

    • It was controversial because it did not place restrictions on gun ownership or introduce background checks before gun purchases, but allowed schools to employ armed “guardians”.
    • Critics argued that it fell short of addressing the root causes of gun violence in Florida.
    • Florida’s partisan divide has been exacerbated by the introduction and passage of several laws that discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community.
    • Its deeply partisan divide, controversial policies and gun laws have created a toxic political climate, which has the ability to significantly damage the sunshine state’s appeal.

Phillip W. Stevens Named Transportation Business Line Director at CHA Consulting, Inc.

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 1, 2023

ATLANTA, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA), an innovative engineering design, consulting and project management firm, is pleased to announce Phillip (Phil) W. Stevens, Ph.D., PE, P.Eng., F. ASCE, has joined the firm as Senior Vice President and Transportation Business Line Director.

Key Points: 
  • ATLANTA, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CHA Consulting, Inc. (CHA), an innovative engineering design, consulting and project management firm, is pleased to announce Phillip (Phil) W. Stevens, Ph.D., PE, P.Eng., F. ASCE, has joined the firm as Senior Vice President and Transportation Business Line Director.
  • Phil will provide strategic and operational leadership to CHA's growing transportation business line, which has seen a surge in recent years to more than four hundred employees tackling some of the most complex highway, bridge and traffic infrastructure projects around the country.
  • He is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in several states, a P.Eng.
  • in British Columbia, Canada, and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (F. ASCE).

Ruvos is G R O W I N G. Strengthens corporate operations to support thriving business in health data modernization

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 24, 2023

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when many companies are striving to stay viable, Ruvos is thriving.

Key Points: 
  • TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when many companies are striving to stay viable, Ruvos is thriving.
  • Since the start of 2020, Ruvos has more than doubled in size, nearing 100 employees across 21 states and in South Africa.
  • This growth has necessitated investment in strengthening our corporate operations to position Ruvos for continued growth and diversification in the coming years.
  • Ruvos continues to lead in public health data and infrastructure modernization that will bolster systems and communities beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

InVita Healthcare Technologies, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Launch Statewide Tracking Software for Sexual Assault Kits

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 17, 2023

BALTIMORE, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- InVita Healthcare Technologies, a leading provider of software solutions for forensic DNA crime labs, agencies, hospitals, and survivors of sexual assault, is pleased to announce the statewide adoption of Track-Kit by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). InVita's Track-Kit is the only complete SAK and inventory tracking solution that delivers accountability, transparency, and information-sharing among all stakeholders.

Key Points: 
  • BALTIMORE, May 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- InVita Healthcare Technologies, a leading provider of software solutions for forensic DNA crime labs, agencies, hospitals, and survivors of sexual assault, is pleased to announce the statewide adoption of Track-Kit by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
  • Sexual assault survivor, advocate, and Director of Not Just Me Foundation , Julie Weil noted, "I am so excited about the SAK tracking here in Florida.
  • "We are equally passionate about supporting sexual assault survivors and keeping them informed about the progress of their SAK kits.
  • We commend the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for all they do for sexual assault survivors in the state."

Guess What? Mem Fox’s children's book has been banned in Florida as 'pornography' – but bathing is not a sexual act

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Australian author Mem Fox’s 1988 picture book Guess What?, illustrated by Vivienne Goodman, has been banned in Duval County, Florida over allegations of “pornography”.

Key Points: 
  • Australian author Mem Fox’s 1988 picture book Guess What?, illustrated by Vivienne Goodman, has been banned in Duval County, Florida over allegations of “pornography”.
  • Because one illustration depicts the main character, “old witch” Daisy O'Grady, taking a bath.
  • Failure to comply is a third-degree felony, which can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.
  • Read more:
    Teacher sacked for reading bum book to students: the latest conservative book ban

Bodies are not ‘inherently sexual’

    • In one illustration, Daisy sits across a double bowl sink (that she is comically too big to fit in) wearing a scuba mask.
    • The bowls are filled with water, and she sits sideways in one with her feet splashing in the other.
    • The irony, of course, is that by trying to shelter children from sex – and from material that “sexualises students” – the law itself is sexualising children’s bodies.
    • By implying that nudity in a non-sexual context is “pornographic”, the Florida government and Department of Education is teaching children that their bodies are inherently sexual.

Australian attempted book bans haven’t worked

    • In the US, Gender Queer was 2021’s “most banned book in the country” and topped the American Library Association’s “Most Challenged” list in 2022 for “sexually explicit” content.
    • However, after review here by the Australian Classification Board, the book was given an “unrestricted classification” and consumer advice that it is “not recommended for readers under 15 years”.
    • While Australian legislation still allows books to be banned – and it does occur – book banning is much rarer here, and more likely to be focused on topics like euthanasia and terrorism.

Book banning as a presidential tactic

    • The surge of book banning in Florida appears to be political.
    • As The New Yorker has noted, the Florida law changes – and subsequent mass book removals in schools – have come in the wake of Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s bid for the US presidency.
    • In order to comply with government requirements spearheaded by DeSantis, the Florida Department of Education has put together strict, somewhat “confusing” criteria for book selection that all schools must follow.

Prison for violating book removal law

    • – and countless other banned books – do not actually fit the requirements for removal, but they are removed regardless.
    • This is because the law is vague and the penalty for violating it – a potential prison sentence – is severe.
    • Understandably, the ambiguity over what is and isn’t okay has led to mass book removals across Florida schools.

I'm an educator and grandson of Holocaust survivors, and I see public schools failing to give students the historical knowledge they need to keep our democracy strong

Retrieved on: 
Monday, May 15, 2023

The move was based on a determination the books contain references to social justice issues “and other information” not aligned with Florida Law.

Key Points: 
  • The move was based on a determination the books contain references to social justice issues “and other information” not aligned with Florida Law.
  • At least 36 states have halted or are seeking the legal means to stop teachers from examining racism in their classrooms.
  • School districts around the country have banned books about issues ranging from racism to the Holocaust to the LGBTQ community.
  • Shaking their heads, the students stressed they’d “never heard about any of this.” They were talking about the Holocaust.
  • As an educator, I wondered if we’re failing to give students the knowledge and insight they need to sustain and thrive in a 21st-century democracy.

Costly ignorance

    • About two-thirds of respondents grossly underestimated the number of Hitler’s Jewish victims and knew little to nothing about the world’s largest-ever death camp, Auschwitz.
    • Ignorance plagues other difficult topics, as well.
    • In May 2023, the National Center for Education Statistics released a report showing eighth graders’ grasp of U.S. history and civics has reached a historic low.
    • They recurrently told my colleagues and me they need intensive training and strong support to teach sensitive subjects effectively.

Book bans right and left

    • Although book banning may seem like a product of our polarized period, it dates back to Colonial days.
    • These bans were last popular in the early 1980s, when Ronald Reagan was president.

Classroom constraints

    • Efforts to restrict what’s taught in the classroom also include bills blocking or restricting the instruction of certain sensitive issues.
    • Florida’s 2022 Parental Rights in Education law, for example, cautions educators to avoid teaching K-3 students about racism and sexual orientation or risk imprisonment.


    History has demonstrated – and, in recent years, so have citizens themselves – that democracy suffers when they are uninformed. We need look no further than the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. People who lacked an understanding of the American electoral process participated in such acts as riots, seditious conspiracy and more while attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Alico, Inc. Announces Financial Results for the Second Quarter and Six Months Ended March 31, 2023

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 4, 2023

The Company’s average realized/blended price per pound solids for the six months ended March 31, 2023 increased by approximately 3.1%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year.

Key Points: 
  • The Company’s average realized/blended price per pound solids for the six months ended March 31, 2023 increased by approximately 3.1%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year.
  • Income from operations for the Land Management and Other Operations Division decreased for the six months ended March 31, 2023 by $0.4 million, compared to the six months ended March 31, 2022.
  • Other income (expense), net for the six months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was approximately $2.4 million and approximately $33.3 million, respectively.
  • On April 14, 2023 the Company paid a second quarter cash dividend of $0.05 per share on its outstanding common stock to stockholders of record as of March 31, 2023.

Get There: Commissioner Diaz Announces the Adoption of 13 New Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 3, 2023

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. announced the adoption of 13 new career and technical education (CTE) curriculum programs for the 2023-24 school year, which will expand access to high-wage, in-demand jobs for Florida's high school and Florida College System students.

Key Points: 
  • TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. announced the adoption of 13 new career and technical education (CTE) curriculum programs for the 2023-24 school year, which will expand access to high-wage, in-demand jobs for Florida's high school and Florida College System students.
  • In 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis set a goal of making Florida the number one state in the nation for workforce education by 2030.
  • The adoption of these first-of-their-kind programs further supports Florida's nation-leading status while assisting students with wide-ranging backgrounds to prepare for high-paying occupations crucial to continued economic development.
  • The approved curriculum frameworks consist of seven college credit certificates, three secondary programs, one career certificate, one associate in science degree and one adult education program.

Blue Bird Delivers Largest Electric School Bus Fleet in its History to Broward County Public Schools in Florida

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 27, 2023

Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD), the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, is supplying 60 electric school buses to Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida.

Key Points: 
  • Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD), the leader in electric and low-emission school buses, is supplying 60 electric school buses to Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida.
  • The delivery represents the largest electric school bus fleet purchase in Blue Bird’s history.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230427005739/en/
    Blue Bird is delivering 60 electric school buses to Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida to help the school district accelerate its transition to clean student transportation.
  • (Image provided by Broward County Public Schools)
    Blue Bird will provide its most advanced Vision electric school buses to BCPS.