Latest news with #FloridaDepartmentofAgricultureandConsumerServices
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Marion County is offering free meals to students this summer
Marion County Public Schools has announced it will continue its annual tradition of providing free breakfast and lunch to all students 18 and under, without any questions or paperwork required. Students are welcome to visit their nearest serving location and enjoy the delicious food offered by the district's Summer Feeding Program. Twenty-nine schools and 12 off-site/satellite locations will participate in the Ocala and Marion County food program. This summer program, supported by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, encourages sites to offer congregate feeding, which means that all meals are enjoyed on-site. Unfortunately, meals aren't available for takeout, but it's a great opportunity to gather and share a meal together! The program continues through July 28, depending on location. School sites are also closed on Fridays and July 4. Other dates and times vary by location. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Free meals for kids return to Bay County this summer
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Breakspot, funded by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, has returned for Summer 2025 in Bay County. Children will be able to get two free meals a day, Mondays through Fridays. 'We have four main school sites that will be serving here at Hiland Park Elementary School, Lynn Haven Elementary School, Tyndall Academy and Patronis Elementary School. We have two other schools that will be participating, Margaret K. Lewis and St. Andrew's School. Those will be open June 2,' BDS Director of Food Services Jennifer Lethem-Walters said. Children must be 18 years or younger to receive meals. 'Doesn't matter if you're registered to Bay District schools or not, you just come and we'll feed you under the age of 18. All meals must be consumed on site. You cannot take meals off of any campus or any community organization. Adults can bring them in, but adults cannot eat,' Lethem-Walters added. Breakspot runs from June 2 through August 5. Both meals meet nutritional needs. 'We are required for breakfast to serve three items it would be a grain, milk, and a fruit or vegetable. So they have to take all three, and then for lunch it's five items. So it would be a grain, a meat, meat alternate, two fruits and or vegetables and a milk,' Lethem-Walters continued. The program certainly fills a crucial need here in Bay County. 'Right now, out of our 32 schools, all but four of them are what we call community eligibility provision, meaning that there are 100% free schools. So every child at that school is eligible to eat a free breakfast and free lunch. So we just know from the data and the statistics that kids in those areas meet the qualification for free meals,' Lethem-Walters said. For more on eligibility requirements and to find the break-spot location near you, click . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DeSantis signs ban on adding fluoride
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that includes preventing local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies. The bill (SB 700), dubbed the 'Florida Farm Bill.' makes a series of changes related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 'Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that's fine, but forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people,' DeSantis said during a bill-signing event in Dade City. 'They don't have a choice. You're taking that away from them.' Cities and counties have added fluoride to drinking water for decades to bolster dental health but recently have debated whether to continue the practice. Florida joins Utah, which banned fluoride in March. Among other things, the bill will restrict plant-based foods from being labeled milk, meat, poultry or eggs. The bill also will prohibit most operations of drones over agricultural lands, wildlife management areas or sport shooting ranges. When DeSantis announced May 6 he would sign the bill, Florida Dental Association President Jeff Ottley issued a statement that said fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral already present in many water sources and is not a medication. 'Water fluoridation has been researched for more than 80 years, and overwhelming, credible scientific evidence consistently indicates that fluoridation of community water supplies is safe and effective at preventing and repairing tooth decay,' Ottley said. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Bamboozled': State investigating after customers claim moving companies held belongings hostage
Moving can be a hassle and picking the wrong mover can leave customers feeling boxed in. 'I was mortified. I felt stupid. I felt like I had gotten bamboozled,' said Victoria Henry after her most recent move. Complaints have been mounting against a man who appears to own and operate a number of moving companies across the state including some in central Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is investigating Shawn Thompson and his company Thompson Nation Holdings LLC. Thompson is connected to several moving companies. Some of them are registered businesses in Florida. The state alleges some of the others are fake entities that use fake addresses. Do you have a consumer complaint or need help from Jeff Deal and Action 9? Click the banner below to submit a tip. 'Right there you can see it was more damage. This actually like crushed a little bit,' Mackenzie Wiebe said as he showed the Action 9 team around his home. Wiebe was describing damage to his television that he claims was done by a company called Stellar Relocation. But Wiebe would feel lucky if that was the worst part of his experience with Stellar Relocation. Wiebe told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal, 'It's not really a company. It was like a racket.' His original quote from Stellar was $850 after he and his dad detailed what he had to move to his parents' house in Deland. The contract listed other possible costs, but it was only after all his belongings were on the moving truck did he find out the move would be nearly $3400, four times the original estimate. 'They said, okay, now it was like under their possession. They were going to go put it in a warehouse,' said Wiebe. To keep from that happening, he allowed the movers to follow him to his bank to withdrawal cash. He said the workers for Steller Relocation let him know he could pay in cash or money order only, but they wouldn't accept a money order from his bank. His mom said they demanded even more money on the other end when they arrived at her home, but would only take cash. Mackenzie Wiebe's mom, Raffaella Fenili Wiebe said, 'You're alone against the three of them, and these people are clearly trained not to be movers, but to be bullies.' When she couldn't provide enough cash, she claims they just dumped everything into a pile on the driveway. Stellar Relocation is a listed as a fictitious business name in state records that's owned by a company named One Man One Van LLC. The man behind that company is Shawn Thompson. Action 9 saw Thompson on an Instagram video talking about business. On the video he's heard saying, 'Let's get that energy going. Let's get that business going. Let's get that money flowing.' The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services launched its investigation after getting a number of complaints. It issued an administrative complaint against Thompson Nation Holdings LLC and found the companies it operated held goods hostage despite customers paying or offering to pay the original amount on the invoice. The state also alleges their moving trucks didn't have proper insurance. The business names listed in the state complaint are All Stars Moving and Storage LLC, Next Door Relocation LLC, One Man One Van Moving, Today's Move Movers LLC and Two Man One Truck Movers. Action 9's Jeff Deal tried to ask the companies about the consumer complaints and state allegations at addresses for two businesses in Orlando, but no one answered. The Action 9 team also travelled to south Florida and stopped at a couple of business addresses and a home owned by Shawn Thompson to give them a chance to address the complaints. At one business, a man in a green Mercedes said he didn't know Thompson and rolled up his window when Jeff Deal approached. There appeared to be a One Man One Van moving truck parked in the back. Even though someone peeked over the fence, no one answered the shop door. A short time later, the Action 9 team saw the same green car parked at the home owned by Thompson. An electronic voice from the doorbell camera said, 'Sorry, we're not interested. Have a great day.' Florida law requires moving companies to accept at least two forms of payment. Cash or cash equivalents like money orders are considered one form. Credit card is another option, and a personal check is a third option. The state alleges Thompson Nation Holdings LLC only gave the cash/cash equivalent option in many cases. The state also denied the company's attempt to renew its license to do moves within Florida. Raffaella Fenili Wiebe said, 'It was like the truck is locked, and we're not unlocking it, and you're not getting your stuff unless you give us more money.' Victoria Henry used a company called Green Go Movers to mover her belongings. 'I literally broke down in tears. I was devastated,' she told Action 9. The single mom thought her move would be around $600. Instead, it ballooned to nearly $2500 including a $444 transportation surcharge. The move was within her own apartment complex. Jeff Deal asked, 'When did they tell you it was going to cost more money?' Victoria Henry answered, 'Oh, when it was on the truck.' She claims the company also threatened to hold her belongings hostage if she didn't pay. Shawn Thompson is not listed as the owner of Green Go Movers, but that company is registered at the same Orlando address on Silver Star Road as Thompson Nation Holdings LLC. The invoices for Stellar Relocation and Green Go Movers also list the same person as the customer representative. Holly Salmons, the CEO of The Better Business Bureau said, 'Once your belongings are loaded up and the price tag changes, or the story changes that can be a very costly mistake.' Salmons told Action 9 there are eight companies connected to Shawn Thompson by business name or address that are 'F' Rated by the BBB primarily for unanswered complaints. During a civil lawsuit by a customer in Miami, a judge who ruled against Thompson wrote, 'Mr. Thompson admitted that he was a direct participant in this unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent scheme.' In that case, a college student claimed his company threatened to 'break her (expletive) if she didn't pay a higher amount.' In an Orange County lawsuit, a judge hit Thompson with a $60,000 judgment after the customer saw his moving bill nearly triple the original estimate. Holly Salmons said, 'If the price doubles or triples then if you don't have that money, you may not get your stuff back.' That's why Salmons recommends thoroughly researching companies, getting more than one bid, and reading contracts carefully before trusting anyone with your belongings. Getting more than one bid is important because it can tell you if something is way off about one of the bids. 'All of your worldly possessions are in their hands. So, you don't want to find out when it's too late that they're running this way,' Salmons said. When Action 9's Jeff Deal called the number listed for Thompson Nation Holdings in state records, he was told he had the wrong number and the company hasn't responded to his email. Deal also reached out to the person listed as the owner of Green Go Movers, but has not received a response from him either. The Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services says its investigation is ongoing. If anyone has reason to believe Thompson Nation Holdings LLC is doing business or attempting to do business, they are encouraged to report them to the state here:
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Bay County manager authorized to issue temporary burn bans
Panama City, FLA (WMBB) – Bay County Commissioners formally gave the County Manager, or their appointed designee, the ability to create a temporary burn ban when there is a high fire risk. Currently, burn bans are issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Bay County has issued burn bans in the past, but those require the vote of the County Commission. Tuesday's action allows for quicker action banning open fires when the need arises. Under the new ordinance, the ban would be implemented when one of four conditions are met. Those conditions are an average county-wide drought index of 500 or more, a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning, the Florida Forest Service suspending burn authorizations, or resources being depleted due to multiple days of fire activity. Once issued, the ban would stay in effect until the drought index 'no longer meets or exceeds 500 for 7 consecutive days, or when forecast weather conditions, in their opinion, will safely allow.' The ordinance does allow for exceptions, including permitted fires by the Florida Forest Service, fires authorized or supervised by County or City personnel and contained fires within a monitored charcoal or gas grill. Violators of the burn ban are subject to a fine not to exceed $500 or 60 days in the county jail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
