Chairman’s Message 

Great vaccination news!

Governor DeSantis announced today that beginning Monday, March 29, he is dropping the eligibility guidelines for COVID-19 vaccinations in Florida to all individuals age 40 and older. And beginning the following Monday, April 5, all individuals age 18 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.

Floridians are encouraged to pre-register at www.myvaccine.fl.gov. Once pre-registered, they’ll be contacted when the vaccine is available in their area. Floridians can also call the vaccine pre-registration phone number for their county, listed here.

Vaccines are also available at 150 CVS locations, 125 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations, more than 70 Winn Dixie locations, soon-to-be over 600 Walgreens pharmacies, and every single one of the 730 Publix pharmacies across the state.

Watch the Governor’s announcement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkeegOCwlPE

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Republicans understand the reality of market needs — that employees and future employees need to fit the job market demands. We’ve too often struggled with a workforce gap, where some people who want jobs can’t find any they are qualified for while at the same time companies have unfilled vacancies because they cannot find people with the appropriate training and skills.

Governor DeSantis fully understands this dynamic and is leading the way in closing that gap in Florida, giving workers more career opportunities, and giving companies the employees they need to thrive.

The Governor announced this week the creation of the Get There Faster Initiative, a $75 million dollar investment toward two new initiatives to expand access to quality, in-demand Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, postsecondary credentials and work-based learning programs. These initiatives will speed up training for students that result in valuable certifications that will drive their careers and Florida’s economic recovery.

“The Get There Faster innovative workforce initiatives will accelerate Florida’s efforts to be the best state in the nation for workforce development by 2030,” Governor DeSantis said. “The $75 million in federal funds will provide high school and adult students access to the resources they need to expedite the completion of their degrees or certifications.”

Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said: “We know that a postsecondary educated workforce is the backbone of a thriving economy. Right now, more than ever, we need to do everything we can to help Floridians gain access to higher education and training.”

Read more here: https://www.flgov.com/2021/03/22/governor-desantis-announces-a-proposed-75-million-to-invest-in-two-new-get-there-faster-initiatives/

And here: https://www.mysuncoast.com/2021/03/22/gov-desantis-announces-proposed-m-get-there-faster-initiatives/

You can read more about the Get There Faster Initiative here: https://gettherefl.com/

COVID-19 Update

Governor DeSantis highlighted Florida’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts during a discussion with Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Director Jared Moskowitz.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine first arrived in Florida, the state has led the way nationally to prioritize the vaccine for those who need it most. Below are some of the top initiatives Florida has taken to date: 

• Florida was the first state in the nation to put seniors first by prioritizing the vaccine for those 65 and older.
  
  
• Governor DeSantis made the decision to put Seniors First because more than 80 percent of COVID-19 related deaths occurred for individuals 65 and older, and more than 50 percent of Florida’s hospitalizations occurred for individuals 65 or older. Since vaccine distribution began, more than 3 million seniors over the age of 65 have been vaccinated — more than 67 percent of the 65 and older population in Florida.
  
  
• On January 5, Florida partnered with Publix to become the first state in the nation to work with a retail pharmacy partner to administer the vaccine. Since then, every Publix in the state has provided access to the vaccine, and Florida has worked with additional pharmacy partners, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Winn-Dixie to open nearly 900 locations across the state.
  
  
• Florida was the first state in the nation to send state strike teams into long-term care facilities, using the state’s initial allotments of the vaccine to vaccinate residents and staff in these facilities. Since then, state strike teams have administered more than 111,000 doses across all types of long-term care facilities, including Assisted Living Facilities, Nursing Homes, Independent Living Facilities, HUD Section 202 Facilities, Adult Day Cares and APD Group Homes.
  
  
• Florida was one of the first states in the nation to partner with the faith-based community to administer the vaccine in underserved areas. The state has hosted more than 70 one-day vaccination clinics in partnership with the faith-based community to administer more than 71,000 doses of the vaccine.

Watch their discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtJ850LIxc8

Florida Update

Blue to Red? Yet another major company, JetBlue Airlines, is looking to flee high-tax, big-government, shutdown New York for the low taxes, small government, well-run free state of Florida — where Republican policies have placed government spending per person at half of New York. 

It’s not a done deal, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is begging them not to leave, but JetBlue officials confirmed they are looking at leaving Queens and considering Florida. When a company whose motto is “New York’s hometown airline” is looking at fleeing the Democrat-run state for the friendly Sunshine State, you know that Florida is doing it right. 

Read more here: https://nypost.com/2021/03/16/jetblue-weighs-moving-some-nyc-jobs-to-florida/

And here: https://thecapitolist.com/jetblue-considers-move-to-florida/

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Republican leadership in Florida has resulted in Florida providing the second-best return on their tax dollar investment in the nation, according to a new study conducted by WalletHub. The study found that Floridians pay the lowest taxes per capita of any state in the nation, yet still provide respectable services. New York was 44th on the list and California was 49th.

Read more here: https://thecapitolist.com/study-florida-ranks-2nd-in-taxpayer-return-on-investment/

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The Florida Senate passed Senate Bill 88, Farming Operations, by State Senator Jason Brodeur, expanding protections available under Florida’s Right to Farm Act.

“Every single state has a ‘Right to Farm’ law that protects farmers and ranchers from nuisance lawsuits filed by people who move into a rural area where normal farming operations exist and then use our court system to try to interfere,” said Senate President Simpson, a lifelong farmer. “Farmers work hard every day so the grocery store shelves are full for everyone else. They don’t have the time or the money to spend months tied up in court because the new subdivision down the road doesn’t like the farming operations that have been in place on that land for generations.”

Read more here: https://www.flsenate.gov/Media/PressReleases/Show/3937

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Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls announced a plan to reduce maternal mortality rates and improve health outcomes for new mothers and infants by extending maternal Medicaid benefits from the two months in current law to a full year following delivery. The $240 million coverage-period extension will be part of the House’s Medicaid conforming bill that will be heard in the Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee.

“I believe that every baby should have the opportunity to be born healthy,” said Speaker Sprowls. “And for that baby to thrive, every mother needs appropriate care. We believe that providing access to postnatal coverage of up to a year after birth can significantly boost the health of the mother. And we know that healthy moms are better positioned to raise healthy babies. I am proud to commit to this vital step to help Florida’s mothers during and after pregnancy and set them up on a path for long-term success.”

Read more here: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?DocumentType=Press%20Release&FileName=746

Social Media Highlights

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