Latest news with #DiCeglie
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
INVESTIGATES: Florida's $5,000 police recruiting bonuses likely seeing a major funding cut this year
Action News Jax is investigating how a recruitment tool touted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to help get more cops on the street could be at risk. Lawmakers appear poised to slash funding for the $5,000 recruitment bonuses nearly in half, despite statistics obtained by Action News Jax showing they appear to have had a major impact in recent years. DeSantis has been touring the state since 2022, handing the checks to new law enforcement officers who join the force. More than 7,800 of those bonuses have been awarded to date. The bonus program got $17 million last year. This year, DeSantis asked for $20 million, but budget negotiations between the House and Senate don't seem to be coming close to that ask. 'I feel very strongly about making sure that we continue this program,' State Senator Nick DiCeglie (R-St. Petersburg) said. DiCeglie is tasked with negotiating the funding in the Senate. Initially, neither the House or Senate budget included funding for the bonus program. Now, the Senate and House are both pitching funding the program at $10 million, half of what DeSantis sought and $7 million below last year's funding level. 'And hopefully we can, you know, kind of put some of the politics to the side here and really focus on making sure our communities are safe,' DiCeglie said. DiCeglie credits the bonuses with helping attract and recruit new officers to Florida from other states. Statistics from the Florida Department of Commerce seem to back that up. According to those statistics, Florida has added more than 9,200 patrol officers statewide since 2019, which is the largest raw increase in the country. Florida's increase was three times larger than the state that added the second highest number of new officers, Texas, which added just shy of 3,400 officers. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum, California lost more than 7,200 officers between 2019 and 2024. DiCeglie argued Florida increasing its police force by nearly 24 percent since 2019 officers has helped bring crime down across the state. In Jacksonville, the city saw the fewest number of murders in three decades last year. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'Other parts of this country, it's well documented, when they talk about defunding the police and slashing budgets when it comes to law enforcement, those crime levels go up,' DiCeglie said. Lawmakers are still deep in budget negotiations. At this point, the hope is to vote on a final budget on June 18. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Florida bill aims to prepare local governments for better hurricane response
The Brief A new bill moving through the Florida Legislature aims to better prepare local governments for hurricane response. The bill follows Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, which caused widespread damage to the Bay Area in 2024. Debris cleanup, post-storm damage assessments and the training of local government's emergency management teams are all addressed in the bill. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A bill led by a Pinellas County state senator now heads to the Florida House, focusing on hurricane preparedness and response. Its goal is to make sure each county has a post-storm plan following the devastating impacts of last year's hurricane season. The 2024 hurricane season packed a punch in the Bay Area, bringing Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. Senate Bill 180 was approved Wednesday on the floor, and the House version of the bill, HB 1535, was also approved in a subcommittee this week. "It has been personal for me. I live in Indian Rocks Beach. My wife and I have lived here since 1997," said State Senator Nick DiCeglie (R-Pinellas County). "This bill really goes a long way in identifying those lessons that we learned, incorporating that into public policy and lessening that level of frustration. Be more planned, and more prepared." The backstory The bill outlines developing a post-storm permitting plan, debris cleanup and collection plans, and training all local governments, big and small, on emergency management. READ: Florida man allegedly hid dead body inside hotel room closet, next guest didn't notice: officials "It wasn't required. I found that the larger the municipality, the more resources they have. They have a large staff, and those individuals go, and they do that training on their own because, again, they had those resources," said DiCeglie. DiCeglie said the bill also eliminates the lookback period related to FEMA's 50% rule, a topic Bay Area communities have heard a lot about over the past six months. "We want our communities to be resilient, but at the same time, we also don't want a situation where so many individuals are displaced," said DiCeglie. What they're saying Earlier this week, Pinellas County Commissioners heard about the latest impacts of the rule as 1,100 mobile homeowners need substantial damage assessments. The 50% rule speaks to substantial improvement and substantial damage. In Pinellas County, the standard is slightly higher at 49%. "There's been a lot of stress, there's been a lot of emotion," said Kevin McAndrew, director of building and development review services in Pinellas County, as he updated commissioners during a meeting this week. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube McAndrew said the county has changed what's included in its lookback period to help homeowners as they rebuild. "So, for those that are over that percentage, the idea is that when they build back, whether it be a reconstruction, they build new, they're not going to be subject to that same type of damage and trauma and an emotional setback that so many of our residents have endured," said McAndrew. Big picture view On a statewide level, making a painful process less painful is the overall goal. "Having that proactive planning is really going to go a long way in setting that expectation, not only for local governments, but also for the residents themselves," said DiCeglie. As for what happens next, the bill is in the Florida House of Representatives. DiCeglie said he will fine-tune components of the House bill with its sponsor, Rep. Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota), before it goes to a committee or a floor vote. The Source FOX 13's Briona Arradondo collected the information in this story. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS LIVE: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills renaming the Gulf of Mexico as ‘Gulf of America' go to the governor's desk
President Donald Trump recently changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. People visiting the gulf beach at Grand Isle State Park endorsed the switch. (Photo by Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator) The Florida Senate passed two bills on Wednesday that replace all references in state statutes to the Gulf of Mexico with the 'Gulf of America,' and those measures will now soon go to the governor's office for his likely signature. That's despite the fact that public opinion polls consistently show that the name change isn't popular with the public. One measure (SB 1058), sponsored by Sarasota Republican Joe Gruters, requires state agencies to update geographical materials to reflect the new federal designation of the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' Public school and charter school instructional materials and library center collections adopted or acquired on or after July 1 of this year must reflect the new federal designation. The other proposal (HB 575) calls for all state and local references to the Gulf of Mexico to be changed to the 'Gulf of America,' and was sponsored in the Senate by Pinellas County Republican Nick DiCeglie. While Pinellas County Democrat Darryl Rouson make a joking reference when he asked whether DiCeglie would consider renaming the measure the 'Gulf of Americas' that would include North America, South America, Central America, and actress America Ferrera, South Florida Democrat Lori Berman didn't think it was a laughing matter at all. She called the legislation a 'waste of time,' saying that it 'would not improve the lives of our constituents, nor will it advance our state's economic, educational, or environmental policies.' 'We are spending taxpayer dollars and legislative time on a symbolic gesture, and offers no tangible benefits,' she said. 'We are prioritizing a superficial display of nationalism over the pressing needs of the district we represent.' DiCeglie responded by calling it a 'patriotic bill,' and a nod to American exceptionalism. The passage of these two bills follow President Donald Trump's an executive order in February replacing all federal references to the 'Gulf of Mexico' with the 'Gulf of America.' A Fox News survey of nearly 1,000 voters conducted last month showed that 67% opposed renaming the body of water located on the southeastern periphery of the North American continent. Other polls similarly show that the name change isn't popular. A majority of Florida respondents — 58% — said that they also oppose the idea strongly or somewhat, and only 31% expressed support for the renaming, according to a public opinion survey of 871 registered voters from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab conducted in February. DeSantis began using the term 'Gulf of America' going back to an executive order he signed back in January. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Florida lawmakers advance proposal to rename Gulf of Mexico as "Gulf of America"
Florida lawmakers took the first steps Tuesday to wipe away the Gulf of Mexico from state laws and educational materials. Three Republican-controlled House and Senate panels gave initial approvals to bills aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump 's move to rename the Gulf of Mexico, which first appeared on Spanish maps in the mid-1500s, as the " Gulf of America." Sen. Nick DiCeglie, an Indian Rocks Beach Republican who sponsored one of the bills (SB 608), called the gulf's name change "patriotic." Days after Trump issued a Jan. 20 executive order titled "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness," Gov. Ron DeSantis used the Gulf of America name in a state executive order about a winter storm. But state laws and numerous other government materials use the Gulf of Mexico, leading to the legislative proposals. Supporters call it patriotic; opponents call it a waste of time "This is just changing the name Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in Florida statutes," DiCeglie said. "It's consistent with the executive order coming from the federal government. And it's as simple as that." But Rep. Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami, said she opposed the change as "the Gulf of Mexico was assigned that name at birth." Matthew Grocholske, who called himself a Floridian with "a lot of time on my hands to waste," said lawmakers should be focused on insurance and affordable housing rather than "wasting time" on the name of the gulf and pointed to Republican lawmakers' focus on Trump. "Right now our government is in a very weird time period," Grocholske told the House Government Operations Subcommittee. "This is not normal. This is a state that has enabled one person, one person, and has focused its whole legislative session so far on empowering that one person to try to pick up any sense of power. And that's not what the government should be." But Rep. Judson Sapp, R-Green Cove Springs, called the change "brave" and said it announces "that America is great. And it tells the world that we believe that." DiCeglie's bill was approved in a 4-2 vote by the Senate Community Affairs Committee after a similar measure (HB 575) was approved 13-4 by the House Government Operations Subcommittee. Impact on state laws and educational materials The proposal would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in 52 sections of state laws. If approved by the Legislature and signed by DeSantis, the changes would take effect July 1. Separately, the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee backed a measure (SB 1058) by Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, that would require state agencies to update geographic materials to reflect the name change. Also, county school boards and charter school governing boards would have to begin acquiring instructional and library materials that reflect the Gulf of America name. "We want our kids to have the correct names of everything moving forward, and this is just a way to do that," Gruters said. In opposing the bill, Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said presidents shouldn't unilaterally change the names of bodies of water or land. "It just bothers me that we're even making this change, that we're wasting our time dealing with this," Polsky said. Before the vote, Gruters removed part of the bill that sought to rename Tamiami Trail, which is U.S. 41 from Miami-Dade County to Hillsborough County, the "Gulf of America Trail." Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami, has filed the House version of Gruters' bill (HB 575).
