Latest news with #Truenow
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: For Florida's working poor, a very rare victory in Tallahassee
The moral of this editorial is simple: Never stop fighting for what you believe in, especially in Tallahassee. Despite the odds, keep speaking up. A rare and surprising thing happened at the state Capitol on Thursday, as a Senate committee suddenly shelved a bill that could do serious harm to the people near the bottom of the economic ladder in Florida. They are day laborers who struggle to find work through labor pools and temporary employment agencies, showing up as early as 3 a.m. to seek low-wage work such as removing construction debris in hopes of earning $70 or $80 a day. Florida workers have been abused by the Legislature for too long. It has continued this session, in which lawmakers want to allow employers to avoid paying the $13-an-hour minimum wage, make it easier to exploit young teens in the workplace and make it harder for jobless people to seek relief when Florida already has the nation's stingiest unemployment benefits. It appears as if the prolonged political assault on the working poor in this state has finally gone too far — even for otherwise anti-worker Republicans. At issue in that Thursday committee hearing was Senate Bill 1672, which would repeal Florida's Labor Pool Act, a law with bare-bones legal safeguards for those who rely on day labor to make ends meet. A Senate staff report said the 1995 law 'provides for the health, safety and well-being of day laborers throughout the state and outlines uniform standards of conduct and practice for labor pools.' For example, the law requires employers to meet minimum work standards such as safety helmets, to provide drinking water and restrooms at job sites, and seating for workers who may wait for hours to be hired. The law also requires employers to give day laborers itemized pay stubs and bars employers from charging exorbitant fees to transport workers. Sen. Keith Truenow, a first-term Republican from suburban Orlando, filed the repeal bill. For the second time this session, he gave a disingenuously vague explanation of it to the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Thursday. 'The bill seeks to remove provisions of Florida law that are duplicative,' Truenow told senators in a flat monotone. Somebody was paying attention, and attentive senators are all too familiar with such political shenanigans. But only when opponents spoke up did the true effects of the bill begin to emerge. Republican Sen. Blaise Ingoglia of Spring Hill, who has a decidedly pro-business voting record and a history of opposing labor unions, asked that SB 1672 be postponed — a sign of big trouble with only two weeks left in the regular session. 'I think all of us have some questions,' Ingoglia said. The bill was set aside with no vote, or temporarily postponed in the jargon of the Legislature. The Fiscal Policy Committee may not meet again this session, which would make that temporary postponement permanent — unless the bill is filed again next year. The House version, HB 6033, has passed two House committees. A leading opponent of the bill, lawyer Maya Ragsdale of Hallandale Beach, is a co-director of Beyond the Bars, a worker center in Miami that helps released inmates find work. 'If repealed, most protections in the Labor Pool Act would be lost entirely,' Ragsdale testified. She told senators they are getting 'incomplete and inaccurate information' about the impact of its repeal, and that it is wrong that similar federal protections also exist. Ragsdale and other critics say the force behind the law's repeal is a Houston-based company, Pacesetter Personnel Services, which has a big presence in South Florida. The firm retained lawyer-lobbyist Ron Book and two associates of his Hollywood firm. Campaign finance records show that Book's firm gave $5,000 to Truenow's political committee, Growing Florida's Leadership, and the lobbyist contributed $3,000 more to Truenow's campaign last year. Besides Beyond the Bars, the Florida AFL-CIO is fighting the bill. The union's chief lobbyist, Rich Templin, railed against the Legislature's anti-worker agenda in a news conference Wednesday with Sen. Tina Polsky, a Democrat from Boca Raton, and Beyond the Bars members. The 2025 session is far from over and the repeal could be fished out of the discard pile and passed through a waiver of the rules. But for once, the collective voices of Florida's working poor were heeded. They spoke up — and it mattered. The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board includes Executive Editor Roger Simmons, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant, Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman. Send letters to insight@
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida farm bill that bans fluoride in water moves to House, Senate floors
A big agriculture omnibus bill in the Florida Legislature would ban water fluoridation and tinker with gun background checks. A comprehensive farm bill being pushed by the Florida Department of Agriculture cleared its fourth and final committee in the Florida House on Tuesday and now goes before the full chamber for a vote. Meanwhile, in the Florida Senate, that chamber's version (SB 700) was debated on Tuesday and will go for a floor vote later this week, as well. The omnibus proposal contains a multitude of provisions, including preventing public water systems from using additives like fluoride. At least 22 Florida communities have stopped fluoridating drinking water since November, after state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued guidance against the dental health practice. In the House Commerce Committee on Tuesday to debate the measure (HB 651), Bailey Kuykendoll, operations director for Stand for Health Freedom, told the committee that her organization strongly supports the legislation because of the fluoride provision. 'Water fluoridation is a form of medical treatment,' she said. 'It's recognized as such by the FDA for addressing tooth decay. Most city commissioners and councilors are not doctors and should not be in a position to be prescribing treatment, especially when there's no way to opt out.' Miami-Dade County was one of the latest (and biggest) counties to attempt to ban fluoride in the past week, but Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed the measure on Friday. In the Florida Senate, Democrats filed amendments regarding the fluoride provision. One by South Florida Democrat Lori Berman would have given the power to regulate fluoride back to local governments — contradicting what the bill calls for. Fellow South Florida Democrat Tina Polsky said there was no reason to do anything on fluoride, and questioned what was motivating the bill sponsor, Central Florida Sen. Keith Truenow? 'What has happened, besides it being the conspiracy theory du jour?' she said. 'It's time to stick with the science. Stick with what's been working and not upend our whole health system based on unproven theories.' Another amendment by Polsky would have required the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to study the effects of water fluoridation in communities that have elected to fluoridate their water system and send that report to the governor, House speaker and Senate president. Both amendments failed. The measure would also bar plant-based products from using 'milk' and 'meat' and 'egg' labels. That prompted Orlando Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith to pose questions to Truenow. 'Are we saying that by labeling 'oat milk' that the manufacturers of that product are being untruthful and suggesting that this is milk that comes from a cow and not from oats?' he asked Truenow. 'I didn't know that you could milk oats,' Truenow replied, making Smith laugh. 'If you're going to call that beverage or that material milk, then it should be coming from a cow or a goat or some other lactating animal.' Another provision would change the number of extra days to issue a permit to carry a concealed gun if a background check reveals a potentially disqualifying criminal history The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) now has 90 days to issue or deny concealed carry permits and can suspend the process if a law enforcement agency or court notifies the department that the applicant has been arrested or charged with crimes relating to domestic violence, drugs, and other violence. If the screening identifies information related to a crime that may disqualify the applicant, but does not contain the final disposition of the crime or lacks sufficient information to make an eligibility determination, the House bill says that FDACS would have an additional 45 days to review. The bill originally called for an additional 90 days, but the compromise brought along Second Amendment supporters who had earlier criticized the measure. Another part of the extensive legislation would establish that financial institutions 'may not discriminate in the provision of financial services to an agriculture producer based, in whole or in part, upon an ESG factor.' 'ESG' stands for environmental, social, and governance. It's a framework used to assess a company's non-financial performance and sustainability practices, but the Florida Legislature has already passed a major bill in the 2023 session that prohibits and seeks to punish any consideration of these factors in the state's investment decisions. In the House committee, the Florida Bankers Association's Anthony DiMarco said that with that legislation already enacted, there is no reason to include this provision. He said that the measure would encourage more lawsuits in the state. 'We haven't been told any real reason why this needs to be changed,' he said. Seminole County Republican Rep. David Smith said that while he supported the House bill, he didn't like that 'there's aspects of the bill that I don't like. I know I hear from my constituents that they don't like these bills which have been so jam-packed and so off-topic.' 'If you live in Florida, there's no way that you can't support agriculture,' added Broward County Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky. 'Unfortunately, this bill isn't just about agriculture.' The measure passed easily in the committee, with only Hunschofsky and fellow Democrats Felicia Robinson from South Florida and Leonard Spencer from Central Florida voting no. The measure now goes to the full House for a vote. The Senate will also vote on its final version of the bill later this week. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate committee backs bill to ban fluoride in local water supplies
A Senate committee Tuesday approved a wide-ranging bill that includes preventing local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies. The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously supported the bill (HB 700), which involves a series of issues related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Local governments in Florida and across the country recently have debated — and, in some cases, stopped — the longstanding practice of adding fluoride to water supplies. The bill, sponsored by committee Chairman Keith Truenow, R-Tavares, would prevent in public water systems 'The use of any additive included primarily for health-related purposes.' Truenow said Floridians can get fluoride in other ways. 'We want to make sure that we give those choices to the parents and the people receiving the fluoride,' Truenow said. 'So if someone doesn't want to use the fluoride in the water system, you can't really opt out.' But health organizations have long said fluoride in water helps prevent cavities and dental problems. Brandon Edmonston, a lobbyist for the Florida Dental Association, urged lawmakers to leave decisions about fluoride in water to local governments. 'Community water fluoridation is regarded as one of the greatest scientific achievements of the 20th Century,' Edmonston said. 'While there are other sources of fluoride such as toothpaste and mouthwash that can be applied to the surface of the teeth, fluoride works best systemically and strengthening the enamel from the inside out.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Florida bill moves to ban fluoride in local water supplies
A Florida Senate committee Tuesday approved a wide-ranging bill that includes preventing local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies. The Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously supported the bill (HB 700), which involves a series of issues related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Local governments in Florida and across the country recently have debated—and, in some cases, stopped—the longstanding practice of adding fluoride to water supplies. The bill, sponsored by committee Chairman Keith Truenow, R-Tavares, would prevent in public water systems "the use of any additive included primarily for health-related purposes." Truenow said Floridians can get fluoride in other ways. "We want to make sure that we give those choices to the parents and the people receiving the fluoride," Truenow said. "So if someone doesn't want to use the fluoride in the water system, you can't really opt out." But health organizations have long said fluoride in water helps prevent cavities and dental problems. Brandon Edmonston, a lobbyist for the Florida Dental Association, urged lawmakers to leave decisions about fluoride in water to local governments. "Community water fluoridation is regarded as one of the greatest scientific achievements of the 20th Century," Edmonston said. "While there are other sources of fluoride such as toothpaste and mouthwash, that can be applied to the surface of the teeth, fluoride works best systemically and strengthening the enamel from the inside out."
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmaker wants to boost manufacturing with a 'Fresh from Florida' flavor
A Florida lawmaker has a plan that could dramatically raise the average pay for Florida workers. Sen. Keith Truenow, R-Tavares, seeks to boost the manufacturing sector with a 'Fresh from Florida' approach, referring the 30-year-old state managed entity that partners with farmers and growers in advertising and to promote agriculture at retail trade shows and to export markets. The average wage of workers in manufacturing was $28.55 in January, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. finds the average hourly wage in Florida is about $15.55. Truenow's bills (SB 600, SB 602) would create an Office of Manufacturing within the Department of Commerce to support workforce development through grants, and a state managed promotional campaign for manufacturers. The number of Florida manufacturing jobs has boomed in the past decade, increasing by 23% since 2014 with the state emerging as a leader in making metals, aerospace components and furniture, along with computer and electronic products. According to Florida Makes, a federal mechanical extension program, there are 72,000 manufacturing companies in Florida, with two-thirds employing 20 people or less. Chris Dawson, who lobbies for the group, said Truenow's proposal seeks to boost the market exposure for those small companies. 'We want to maintain and home grow Florida's massive manufacturing businesses of tomorrow, and we're starting with the small folks,' Dawson said Tuesday during a Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development. The bill creates the Florida Manufacturers' Workforce Development Grant Program to provide workforce training, subject to appropriation by the Legislature. And for a fee, manufacturers would be included in a Florida Manufacturing Promotional Campaign. Those funds would be used to develop a logo and other materials to promote products and Florida manufacturing in media campaigns, trade shows and in export markets. Florida currently has more than 400,000 workers in the manufacturing sector but that represents a small fraction of the state's job opportunities. Manufacturing makes up just 4% of Florida jobs, far behind the nation's leader, Indiana with 17%, less than half of Texas at 8.2%, and below the U.S. as a whole at 7.7%, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. 'With the number of people living here it just makes sense to be manufacturing here,' Truenow told the USA TODAY Network – Florida during a break in a committee meeting. Truenow later amended the bill to establish a $100 registration and renewal fee to participate in the promotional campaign. The committee approved the measure unanimously. Its next and final committee stop is the Appropriations Committee; the House companion has yet to be heard in committee. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ and is on X as @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Plan to boost manufacturing could transform Florida's workforce
