News & Press

BioFlorida joins with other LifeScience Industry stakeholders to advocate on behalf of innovation

Thu, 9 Apr 2026 17:49:00 GMT

ProChile and BioFlorida Announce Strategic Partnership

Mon, 5 Jan 2026 18:08:00 GMT

Public-Private Alliance to Advance International Collaboration Between Chile and Florida's Life Sciences Ecosystems

MIAMI and SANTIAGO, Chile, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ProChile, the Chilean government agency responsible for promoting the country's exports of goods and services, and BioFlorida, Florida's preeminent life sciences association, are proud to announce the signing of a strategic partnership designed to strengthen international ties and advance mutual opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and growth within the life sciences sector.

Recognizing the global nature of the life sciences industry and the transformative potential of cross-border collaboration, both organizations have established a public-private alliance focused on fostering connections between Chile's emerging life sciences companies and Florida's world-class innovation ecosystem. This agreement creates a platform for knowledge transfer, business development, and strategic networking that will benefit members of both organizations while promoting economic growth in both regions.

"This agreement marks an important step in strengthening collaboration between Chile and Florida's life sciences ecosystems," said Claudia Serrer Urrutia, Trade Commissioner of ProChile in Miami. "By partnering with BioFlorida, we are building a bridge for the exchange of best practices, institutional cooperation, and meaningful connections between our organizations and our companies, placing innovation at the center of this shared agenda. Our goal is to create the foundations that allow Chilean and U.S. companies to learn from one another, explore future opportunities, and contribute to the long-term, sustainable growth of both ecosystems."

"We're excited to partner with ProChile to expand international opportunities for Florida's life sciences community," said Mark Glickman, President and CEO of BioFlorida. "This partnership with ProChile opens new doors for our members to connect with Chile's growing life sciences ecosystem and expands opportunities for knowledge sharing, business development, and strategic collaboration. By building bridges between Florida and Chile, we're strengthening both regions' positions as global leaders in health innovation and creating pathways for companies to access new markets, resources, and partnerships that drive meaningful impact."

The Collaboration Agreement outlines a comprehensive framework for cooperation across multiple areas. ProChile and BioFlorida will facilitate knowledge transfer opportunities by promoting the exchange of best practices between trade associations and industry groups from both Chile and the United States. Chilean companies will gain access to key BioFlorida events, including the organization's Annual Conference, providing critical exposure and integration opportunities within Florida's life sciences ecosystem.

Through this partnership, Chilean startups and scaleups will have access to investor panels, pitch sessions, and curated introductions to relevant U.S. stakeholders, helping accelerate market entry and visibility in the American life sciences sector. The agreement also positions ProChile as a key partner in international innovation collaboration, enhancing Chile's presence in Florida's life sciences ecosystem while strengthening BioFlorida's role as a convener of global partnerships.

Through coordinated efforts and shared objectives, ProChile and BioFlorida will work together to support companies at all stages of development, from early-stage startups to established industry leaders, in building connections that drive commercialization and economic impact.

About ProChile
ProChile is the Chilean government agency responsible for promoting the country's exports of goods and services, contributing to economic growth through internationalization and trade diversification. Through its extensive network of regional and international offices, ProChile supports inclusive foreign trade initiatives, gender-inclusive economic participation, foreign investment, and tourism, all aimed at strengthening Chile's global presence.

For more information, visit: https://www.prochile.gob.cl

About BioFlorida
From Concept to Consumer, BioFlorida is the premier source for supporting Florida's life sciences industry, representing a diverse range of sectors including BioPharma, MedTech, Digital Health, Health Systems, and supporting organizations. We provide comprehensive resources and advocacy while fostering a thriving community that leads in innovation, delivering groundbreaking solutions that benefit patients.

BioFlorida's value-driven membership supports the life sciences ecosystem through increased Visibility, Industry Insights, Education & Information, Networking & Events, Cost Savings, Policy & Advocacy, and Capital & Growth Opportunities.

By connecting Florida's life sciences industry with local, national, and global opportunities, BioFlorida plays a vital role in driving innovation and growth, positioning the state as a leader in the field.

Buchanan, Tonko Introduce Legislation to Expand Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:03:00 GMT

November 19, 2025
Delivers Life-Changing Early Detection for 580,000 Floridians Living with Alzheimer’s

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the Health Subcommittee, announced the introduction of the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act alongside Congressman Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.). Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would ensure that seniors have timely access to innovative diagnostic tests that can detect Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in their earliest stages.

Under current law, Medicare can only cover preventive services that Congress has specifically authorized or that are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF). This process can delay coverage for years after screening tests receive FDA approval. The ASAP Act modernizes that process by authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Medicare coverage for FDA-approved or cleared blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

“Early detection is the key to giving families more time, more options and more hope,” said Buchanan. “Having served as a caretaker to an elderly parent and with nearly 200,000 seniors in my district, this issue is deeply personal to me. With 7.2 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s nationwide and more than 580,000 Floridians facing this disease, expanding access to early detection means giving more families the chance to plan ahead, seek care sooner and preserve their quality of life. My Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention Act will make sure every American can benefit from these life-saving innovations as science continues to advance.”

“Many pioneering and potentially lifechanging advancements are being made in Alzheimer’s diagnoses, treatment, and care; but they will mean little unless patients are able to access and afford them,” said Congressman Tonko. “This is where Congress can and must act. I’m proud to join Congressman Buchanan to introduce the ASAP Act, which builds a pathway for Medicare coverage of FDA approved blood biomarker screening tests that help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. I urge my colleagues to join us in advancing this bipartisan legislation that keeps Congress at pace with these exciting new innovations and ensures they are accessible to those who need them.”

Alzheimer’s disease begins years before symptoms appear, creating a critical window for early intervention. Earlier diagnosis allows patients and caregivers to plan for the future, pursue available treatments and explore participation in clinical trials.

In Florida alone, caring for people living with Alzheimer’s costs the state’s Medicaid program $3.7 billion each year. More than 870,000 family caregivers in Florida provide approximately 1.3 billion hours of unpaid care annually for people living with Alzheimer’s, valued at $28.4 billion. Buchanan’s ASAP Act aims to ease the financial burdens on unpaid family caregivers by expanding access to preventive care that saves money and improves quality of life.

Buchanan penned an op-ed in RealClearHealth highlighting the personal impact of Alzheimer’s on his family and district, the importance of giving families the tools they need to detect and prevent the disease, and the need to pass the ASAP Act.

“Alzheimer’s is not a partisan issue but a human one that affects families in every community across the nation,” writes Buchanan in the op-ed. “By expanding access to early detection, we can bring hope to millions, ease the burden on caregivers and help seniors live longer, healthier lives. As science advances, Congress must act to ensure our health policies evolve alongside the breakthroughs shaping modern medicine.”

The legislation is supported by the Alzheimer’s Association, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation and the Alliance for Aging Research, as well as leading innovators in diagnostics and biopharmaceutical research, including Eli Lilly, Biogen and Eisai.

“With new blood-based biomarker tests for Alzheimer’s on the horizon, we must act now to ensure individuals will be able to access them. The ASAP Act will remove barriers so that individuals can benefit without delay—giving them the best chance to access interventions, enhance care, and slow disease progression,” said Robert Egge, Chief Public Policy Officer of the Alzheimer’s Association and President of the Alzheimer’ s Impact Movement. “Thank you to Reps. Vern Buchanan and Paul Tonko for taking bold action and introducing this transformative legislation. We look forward to working together to make this bipartisan bill a reality for families nationwide.”

“The ASAP Act is an important step toward giving concerned families the answers and options they need as quickly as possible,” said Russ Paulsen, Chief Operating Officer of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “Breakthroughs like blood-based biomarker tests, and other innovations still to come, must be available to all—not just to people who can pay out of their own pockets—when they are approved by the FDA. We strongly support this bipartisan bill and urge Congress to act without delay.”

Buchanan has been a leading advocate in Congress for strengthening preventive care and improving access to innovative health solutions. Buchanan recently introduced the FORCE-FIT Act (H.R. 3750), which would establish a pilot program in the Department of Defense to provide access to Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGMs) for servicemembers with certain health conditions to track metabolic health data. In March 2025, Buchanan’s Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act (H.R. 919), which expands treatment options provided through employers’ healthcare coverage for Americans living with chronic diseases, passed the House with a unanimous bipartisan vote. In February 2025, Buchanan introduced two bills to promote preventive health: the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) to help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer.

Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis Announce $60 Million Cancer Research Funding

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 21:31:00 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis visited the University of South Florida to attend the Department of Health’s World Cancer Research Day symposium to announce the third-year funding opportunity of the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund, which will make $60 million available to fund high-impact research, with a focus on nutrition practices for cancer prevention or treatment. The Governor and First Lady also highlighted Florida’s historic investments in cancer resource and treatment initiatives.

“I was proud to announce that applications are opening this week for the next round of cancer research projects through the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These competitive grants are open to a wide range of institutions and researchers, with a focus on preventative nutrition as well as emerging medical treatment options for cancer patients. Investing in innovation today means saving lives tomorrow—and that’s why we will continue working to make Florida a beacon of hope in cancer research.”

“This year’s funding opportunity for the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund is strengthening our fight against cancer and supporting patients and their families across our state,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “This focus on nutrition research and preventative strategies directly aligns with the work of the Florida MAHA Commission and puts Florida at the forefront of discovering how what we eat can help beat disease.”

The Florida Cancer Innovation Fund, established through the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, seeks to accelerate breakthrough research, enhance treatment models, and eliminate barriers to life-saving medical advances. Since its inception, the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund has provided $80 million to support 95 researchers and institutions across the state, demonstrating Florida’s commitment to cancer innovation. This year’s funding will bring the total investment to $140 million since the Fund began.

Florida Cancer Innovation Fund projects have already demonstrated the program's impact, with grants supporting new monitoring technology for early disease detection, clinical trial expansion in rural areas, and data-driven precision medicine platforms. These initiatives showcase Florida's commitment to leveraging technology and scientific advancements to improve patient outcomes and establish new standards of care.

In the first year of the initiative, support was provided to 30 researchers with $20 million. That investment was tripled in the second year, funding 65 researchers with $60 million.

"As we recognize World Cancer Research Day, Florida also celebrates the third year of continuing its commitment to cancer research, dedicating $60 million toward an approach which focuses on quick results and measurable outcomes for Florida’s patients," said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo. "Through the steadfast leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis, Florida has built a strong foundation for cancer research. The Cancer Innovation Fund represents Florida’s continuous dedication to advancing cutting-edge cancer research that will benefit Floridians and serve as a model for innovation nationwide."

The funding opportunity was announced at a World Cancer Research Day symposium event at the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine. The event provided a platform for experts in cutting-edge cancer prevention research to explore innovative approaches to reducing cancer risk through nutrition and food regulation reform, highlighting the intersection of science, policy, and prevention. Recent Florida Cancer Innovation Fund awarded projects were also showcased, including promising research in fasting, diet, and exercise interventions for cancer patients.

The funding opportunity is designed to strengthen Florida's position as a leader in cancer biomedical research while directly addressing the health needs of its citizens. Applications will be evaluated based on scientific merit, innovation potential, collaborative strength, and ability to improve patient outcomes for all Floridians. Priority will be given to translational research, 12-month clinical trials, direct interventions with measurable outcomes, and projects serving rural and medically underserved areas throughout Florida. Further, priority will be given to projects that focus on nutrition, and the repurposing of generic drugs such as ivermectin for cancer treatment. Collaborative projects that bring together oncologists, researchers, and cancer treatment centers to break down traditional silos and foster rapid advancements in cancer care are also prioritized.

Interested researchers and institutions can access the Funding Opportunity Announcement and application materials on the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund page on the Department’s website. The Department encourages applications from multidisciplinary teams representing the full spectrum of cancer research and care delivery.

About the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund

The Florida Cancer Innovation Fund, established through the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, section 381.915 Florida Statutes, transforms cancer care in Florida by accelerating research, improving treatment models, and breaking down systemic barriers to innovation. For more information about funding opportunities, visit the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund.

FloridaCommerce Announces an Additional $167 Million Available For Florida Small Business through th

Mon, 6 Jan 2025 12:38:00 GMT

For Immediate Release: January 6, 2025

FloridaCommerce Announces an Additional $167 Million Available For Florida Small Business through the State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0
~ Since January 2023, Florida has provided more than $202 Million in loans and venture capital investments to Florida small businesses ~

Tallahassee, FL – Today, FloridaCommerce has announced an additional $167 million is available for Florida small business through the State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 (SSBCI). Since January 2023, Florida has provided more than $202 million in loans and venture capital investments to 149 small businesses, stimulating more than $769 million in private capital that has created or retained nearly 4,967 jobs for Floridians.

“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership small business has become FloridaCommerce’s new benchmark, and the rapid deployment of capital and other supports to small, emerging businesses is critical to meeting that benchmark,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly . “Governor DeSantis has made Florida the most financially ready state in the nation, with a leading 3.3 million businesses formed since 2019, 99% of which are small businesses, and FloridaCommerce will continue to work with partners like Florida’s Small Business Development Center network and incubators and accelerators throughout the state to continue supporting the Governor’s focus Florida being the #1 state for small and emerging businesses.”

Florida’s SSBCI capital programs facilitate and expand access to funds for small businesses who would otherwise not be able to receive funding and provides businesses with additional resources to facilitate growth and economic development. Program funds can be used for:

Start-up costs and working capital
Franchise fees
Upgrading equipment
Expanding inventory
Business acquisition
Refinancing
The purchase, construction, renovation, or tenant improvements of an eligible place of business

To be eligible for Florida’s SSBCI capital programs, businesses must be Florida-based and have less than 500 employees for the Capital Access Program, the Loan Guarantee Program and the Loan Participation Program. Additionally, businesses must be Florida-based for the Collateral Support Program and have less than 750 employees. If you are interested in participating in the program, contact one of our participating lenders.

Last year, FloridaCommerce announced the availability of $142 million in new capital for small businesses and startups through Florida’s SSBCI program. In September 2022, FloridaCommerce announced the approval of the state’s SSBCI 2.0 application by the United States Department of the Treasury (U.S. Treasury) for $488 million in funding. Funding is available from U.S. Treasury in three tranches, and the first tranche of funding – $142 million – was received in December 2022 and FloridaCommerce just received the second tranche of $167 million. SSBCI is administered by FloridaCommerce in partnership with the Florida Opportunity Fund, FloridaCommerce’s venture capital partner. The Florida Opportunity Fund generates $7 dollars of private investments for every $1 of SSBCI funds invested.

Since 2019, more than 3.3 million businesses of all sizes have been formed in Florida, more than any other state in the nation. More than 99 percent of businesses in Florida are small businesses, supporting their local economies and bringing jobs and innovative ideas to every corner of our state. According to the Florida Small Business Development Center’s 2023 survey, access to capital is among the top challenges faced by small business owners. Since August 2024, FloridaCommerce, in partnership with the Florida SBDC Network, CareerSource Florida and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, has approved nearly $93 million in funding to more than 2,340 small business impacted by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program.

For more information about the SSBCI program and eligibility requirements based on the program type, please visit //www.FloridaJobs.org/SSBCI .

About FloridaCommerce

FloridaCommerce combines the state’s economic, workforce, and community development efforts, expediting economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities and promote economic resiliency. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visitwww.FloridaJobs.org.

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Fixing a Federal Medication Access Crisis

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 20:02:00 GMT

Fixing a Federal Medication Access Crisis

In a time when Americans were facing a critical affordable health care crisis, Congress created a program – the 340B Drug Pricing Program – as a remedy. It was life-changing for our low-income and uninsured neighbors — allowing certain hospitals to purchase drugs at steep discounts, with the expectation that these savings would be passed on to patients who needed it most. But nearly 30 years later, patients across the country are still in the midst of that affordable healthcare crisis, and the program isn’t providing nearly the amount of relief it was supposed to.

Over time, what was originally created to be a lifeline for patients in need has been diverted from its original purpose, with some participants focusing more on financial benefits rather than ensuring savings reach the patients.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows hospitals and other healthcare centers to purchase medications at significantly reduced prices, but, somewhere in the process, misses the step of enforcing that savings be extended to patients. A 2022 study revealed that less than 2% of patients received discounts on 340B drugs at drug providers contracted with 340B-covered entities.

Further, many 340B care centers are often located in wealthier areas, not the low-income neighborhoods the program was intended to serve. The disconnect between the program's original intent and its current operation is not just a financial concern but also an ethical one.

As the President and CEO of BioFlorida, I know the 340B Drug Pricing Program operating as designed is essential to advancing health outcomes through innovation — ensuring affordability of medications and spurring the creation of more life-saving drugs. In order to maintain the integrity of our life science industry, we must ensure that a 340B program created to save our most in-need neighbors serves its original purpose.

Now more than ever, we must prioritize returning the program back to its original intent, working to prioritize the health of patients. The recently introduced 340B ACCESS Act — H.R. 8574 — aims to realign the program with its original mission. This bill would require savings be passed directly to the patients it was originally intended to serve.

I urge Congress to prioritize a solution by supporting the 340B Access Act — sending a message to all Americans that we will not allow our low-income neighbors to be overlooked or disadvantaged for the financial benefit of those who seek to exploit the system. It’s time we bring the program back to its purpose and ensure the right to relief for all.

Mark A. Glickman is the CEO and President of BioFlorida.

Governor Press Conference - Signs Cancer Funding and Biomarker Coverage

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 18:21:00 GMT

This afternoon, Gov. DeSantis signed three bills into law, which take effect July 1, 2024. The press conference was held at the Jack Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

The Governor noted that the budget contains $232 million in funding for cancer initiatives, including $60 million for the Cancer Innovation Fund and $127.5 million for the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program. In his remarks, the Governor said the state should divert more funding to places like the Nicklaus Center which is the purpose of the Cancer Innovation Fund. DeSantis also noted that they may “tweak the Casey DeSantis Fund” to allow those funds to flow to other institutions. The summary of the bills signed into law today are below:

Also note that the Governor appointed AHCA Secretary Weida to the Cancer Connect Collaborative.

Department of Health | SB 1582 by Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-Doral) is a Department of Health (DOH) legislative proposal that contains many health-related provisions. Of particular interest to BioFlorida members are the following provisions:

Creates the Andrew John Anderson Pediatric Rare Disease Grant Program to advance research and cures for rare pediatric diseases by awarding grants through a competitive process. (30 applications for this funding have already been submitted.)
Allows parents or guardians of newborns who have been identified as having sickle cell disease or carrying the sickle cell trait to opt out of the state’s sickle cell registry.
Adds a representative of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to the Florida Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council.

Cancer Funding | SB 7072 by Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) expands the role of the Casey DeSantis Program to include promoting high-quality, innovative health care for cancer patients in Florida. The bills require the Department of Health (DOH) to make cancer innovation grant funding available through the Cancer Connect Collaborative (Collaborative) to healthcare providers and facilities demonstrating excellence in patient-centered cancer treatment or research. The bill also:

Codifies the Collaborative in statute and charges it with advising the DOH and the Legislature on developing a holistic approach to efforts to fund cancer research, cancer facilities, and treatments for cancer patients. The Collaborative also is:

Charged with recommending to the DOH grant awards to support innovative cancer research and treatment models, including emerging research and treatment trends and promising treatments.
Authorized to make recommendations on proposed legislation, rules, best practices, data collection and reporting, and grant fund issuance.
Required to develop a long-range comprehensive plan for the Casey DeSantis Program by soliciting input from cancer centers, research institutions, biomedical education institutions, hospitals, and medical providers.
Directed to prioritize applications seeking to expand innovative cancer treatment models into underserved areas of the state.

Requires the Collaborative to develop a long-range comprehensive plan for the Casey DeSantis Program. The Collaborative must solicit input from cancer centers, research institutions, biomedical education institutions, hospitals, and medical providers. The plan must be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature no later than December 1, 2024. The plan must include, but need not be limited to, the following components:
- Expansion of grant funding opportunities to include a broader pool of Florida-based cancer centers, research institutions, biomedical education institutions, hospitals, and medical providers to receive funding through the Cancer Innovation Fund.
- An evaluation to determine metrics that focus on patient outcomes, quality of care, and efficacy of treatment.
- A compilation of best practices relating to cancer research or treatment.

Beginning July 1, 2024, increases requirements on the DOH allocation agreements for cancer payment to cancer centers to include:

A line-item budget narrative documenting the annual fund allocation to a cancer center.

A cap of administrative expenses at 15% of the annual award.

Quarterly reports of all expenditures made by cancer centers with funds received through the Casey DeSantis Program.

DOH audit authority of all financial records and any other documents pertinent to the allocation agreement.

Annually report on outcome data and protocols used in achieving outcomes.

The Governor made three appointments to the Cancer Connect Collaborative, including AHCA Secretary Jason Weida

Biomarker Testing Coverage | HB 885 by Rep. Karen Gonzalez-Pittman (R-Tampa) requires the state group health insurance program and the Medicaid program to cover biomarker testing when evidence supports its clinical use for enrollees. The bill also establishes criteria for supporting evidence, such as FDA approvals, national coverage determinations, and nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines. The bill also:

Requires recipients or insureds and healthcare providers to have access to a process for requesting testing authorization through an insurer or plan’s website;
Specifies that coverage is not required for biomarker testing used for screening purposes.
Allows the Agency for Health Care Administration to seek federal approval to implement biomarker testing coverage under Medicaid.
Requires managed care plans to provide biomarker testing coverage at par with other medically necessary treatments under Medicaid.
Directs the inclusion of rate impacts due to biomarker testing coverage in Medicaid program rates.

The Governor signed the bill on 6/18/24 and will take effect on 7/1/24.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced his Focus on Florida's Future budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2

Tue, 5 Dec 2023 16:55:00 GMT

Governor Ron DeSantis announced his Focus on Florida's Future budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024–2025. Below is the announcement and links to the detailed budget. Brief reminder that the 2024 Legislative Session commences on Tuesday, January 9th and is scheduled to end of Friday, March 8th.

BioFlorida Day at the Capitol is our opportunity to meet with legislators and advocate for policies and funding to support the growth of the industry. It is scheduled for January 22-23, 2024 in Tallahassee. Registration is now open.

For Immediate Release: December 5, 2023

Contact: Governor's Press Office, (850) 717-9282, media@eog.myflorida.com

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —Governor Ron DeSantis announced his Focus on Florida's Future budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024–2025. The Focus on Florida's Future Budget totals $114.4 billion, more than $4.6 billion less than the current year budget, with $16.3 billion in reserves, leaving ample resources for any unforeseen economic issues. Florida has experienced record success over the last five years, ranking #1 in education, net in-migration, entrepreneurship, and new business formations, with 2.7 million new businesses formed since 2019. The Governor's Budget also continues Florida's record as the nation-leading example of success through fiscal conservatism by paying down an additional $455 million in debt and providing $1.1 billion in tax relief.

"Success is not something that is handed to a state as large as Florida, it requires a steadfast commitment to supporting families at every step,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. "By expanding workforce education for high-demand jobs, providing family-first tax relief, ensuring that Florida's students can access a quality education that fits their needs, investing in resilient infrastructure and putting conservative principles at the forefront of every decision, we have delivered time and again for our residents. Florida’s success is proof positive that when you establish a foundation of governing on conservative principles and protect the freedom of your residents, success will follow. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish over the next year."

To read the budget highlights, click HERE.

To read the transmittal letter, click HERE.

To read the budget FAQs, click HERE .

Family Focused Tax Relief

The Governor's Budget recommends more than $1.1 billion in tax relief for Florida families for Fiscal Year 2024–2025. The tax relief package focuses on reducing the cost of homeowners insurance in addition to sales tax holidays for items that families need throughout the year. The tax package for the Focus on Florida's Future Budget includes:

A one-year exemption on taxes, fees and assessments for Homeowners Insurance Policies, saving taxpayers $409 million and decreasing the average insurance premium by up to 5%.
A permanent exemption on Flood Insurance Policies, saving taxpayers $22 million over the year.
A permanent sales tax exemption on over-the-counter pet medications, saving Florida families $37 million and helping keep our family pets healthy.
A tax credit for businesses that employ Floridians with unique abilities, saving these businesses $5 million annually.
Two Back-to-School sales tax holidays, one in the fall and one in the spring. This will save Florida families $169 million on school supplies, clothing and computers.
Two Disaster Preparedness sales tax holidays, saving Floridians $49 million on supplies needed during disasters.
A three-month Freedom Summer sales tax holiday, saving Florida families more than $241 million on outdoor recreation items to entertain the kids during the summer.
A 7-day Tool Time sales tax holiday, saving skilled workers more than $16 million on tools they need for work.
An increase of the sales tax collection allowance to save small businesses $165 million.

Investing in Florida's Property Insurance Market

Since passing record reforms to improve Florida’s property insurance market, conditions continue to make promising improvements. In addition to providing tax relief to reduce the cost of homeowners insurance, the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget invests over $109 million to support residential home mitigation programs and additional oversight of the property insurance market, including:

$107 million in annual funding to make the My Safe Florida Home Grant Program permanent and continue assisting Florida homeowners through home inspections and cost sharing for approved home hardening and wind mitigation programs to reduce premiums and make properties less vulnerable to hurricane damage. This investment follows additional funding provided during the recent Special Session and is especially important as Floridians are recovering following hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Idalia.
$1.1 million in funding to bolster the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s (OIR) ability to curate data related to Florida’s property insurance market.
$675,000 to contract for independent reinsurance and mitigation research experts to bolster OIR’s ability to review filings and recommend new tools to mitigate properties from hurricanes.

Educating Florida’s K–12 Students

Florida is the education state, ranking #1 in a variety of different educational categories, including overall education and education freedom. Florida has prioritized providing our students with a high-quality education that fits their individual needs. The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget builds on Florida’s record investments in education, providing a historic $27.8 billion in funding for the K–12 public school system. This will include the highest per student investment ever, providing $8,842 per student, an increase of $175 over last year. This investment will also cover the costs of the more than 274,000 students who are projected to participate in Florida’s school choice program, the Family Empowerment Scholarship.

Additional funding highlights for Florida's K12 students include:

$1.25 billion to provide salary increases for teachers and other instructional personnel, an increase of $200.6 million over FY 2023-2024.
$1.6 billion for early childhood education, including $450 million for voluntary pre-kindergarten programs.
$290 million for the Safe Schools Initiatives, an increase of $40 million over FY 2023-2024.
$52.8 million to support civics engagement programs, including $45 million for the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence Program.

Florida is also continuing to prioritize the safety of our Jewish Day Schools in the midst of rising antisemitism. The Governor's Budget recommends $10 million for enhanced security measures at Jewish Day Schools across the state. To continue educating Florida’s students on the atrocities of the Holocaust, the Governor’s Budget recommends $1.35 million for the Florida Holocaust Museum.

Florida Leads the Nation for Higher Education

Florida has ranked #1 for Higher Education for seven years in a row, while also holding the line on tuition to provide a quality education at an affordable price. The Governor's Budget builds on Florida's success and ensures that Florida will continue to have the top education system in the country.

For colleges and universities, the Governor's Budget recommends:

$1.7 billion for the Florida College System.
$3.7 billion for the State University System.
$150 million for recruitment and retention of quality faculty at our state colleges and universities.
$152 million for Florida's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including $10 million for HBCU facility hardening to prevent anyone from targeting HBCUs with violence.

Providing a quality education that leads to quality jobs is an important part of ensuring that Florida’s workforce can continue to meet the demand of the job market. When the Governor took office, he set a goal of being the best state in the nation for workforce education by the year 2030, and Florida is well on its way to meeting this goal, investing more than $8 billion in workforce education since 2019. The Governor's Budget continues this progress by investing a historic $853 million for workforce education programs, ensuring that Floridians can continue to access workforce education opportunities that lead to high-demand, high-wage jobs. This investment includes:

$125 million for nursing education programs to help address nursing vacancies.
$35 million for the Open-Door Grant Program to support workforce education programs operated by school districts and state colleges.
$20 million for the Governor's Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program to support pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for high school and college students.

The Governor's Budget also includes $35 million for the Florida Semiconductor Institute at the University of Florida to support workforce development for semiconductor manufacturing and research and development.

Supporting Florida's Economic Development

Florida is the fastest growing state in the nation because Governor DeSantis has championed freedom first policies and continued investments that create opportunities for Florida families to thrive. The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget continues to make smart investments to support Florida’s infrastructure, workforce and economy to ensure they can continue to meet the demand of our growing state.

Rather than sit idly by as the federal government continues to politicize infastructure investments, the Focus on Florida's Future Budget prioritizes investments that reduce congestion and expedite the movement of goods through the state's supply chain.

To support Florida’s transportation network and infrastructure, the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget invests:

$14.5 billion for the state transportation work program to construct and maintain Florida’s transportation network.
$630 million for the 2nd phase of the Moving Florida Forward Initiative, expediting 20 projects to relieve traffic congestion.
$75 million for Florida’s ports, logistics centers and fuel pipelines, including vertiport development.
$25 million to expand the Truck Parking Improvement Program to increase the number of parking spots available in Florida to cargo- hauling large trucks.

To help create new jobs and support business development throughout the state, the Governor’s Budget invests:

$100 million for the Job Growth Grant Fund to support local infrastructure and workforce training projects.
$105 million to continue marketing efforts through VISIT FLORIDA.
$175.2 million for the State Small Business Credit Initiative, providing small businesses with access to capital to grow their business.

Florida's rural communities are an important part of the success of our state and the Governor’s Budget continues to provide our rural communities with the resources they need to thrive. This includes:

$25 million for the Rural Infrastructure Fund to support local infrastructure projects that help attract jobs.
$100 million to expand broadband internet access in rural communities.
$88.1 million for the Small County Outreach Program to assist small county governments in repairing infrastructure.

As Florida continues to grow and attract new workers, it is important to ensure that they can access housing in the communities in which they work. To support workforce housing, the Governor's Budget includes:

$208.6 million for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program.
$89.5 million for the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) program.
$100 million for the third year of the Hometown Heroes Housing program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance for first time homebuyers.

Economic Support for Law Enforcement and the Military

Governor DeSantis has always recognized the invaluable contributions made to Florida by its law enforcement and military communities. To support Florida’s law enforcement and military communities, the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget includes:

$20 million for the third year of the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program, which provides a signing bonus of up to $5,000 for those hired as first-time law enforcement officers in Florida.
$7 million for the Defense Infrastructure Grant Program, which provides funding for infrastructure projects that make a positive impact on the military value of installations within the state.
$3 million of increased funding for the Florida Defense Support Task Force, which supports the Florida defense industry by awarding grants and guiding the future of military installation operations in the state.
$2.2 million of increased funding for the Military Base Protection Program, which helps secure non-conservation lands to serve as a buffer protecting military installations from encroachment and supports local community efforts to engage in service partnerships with military installations.

Everglades Restoration and Water Quality

Florida’s natural resources are directly tied to the economic resilience of the state and provide important defenses against natural disasters such as hurricanes. Florida has made record investments in protecting our natural resources and conserving the Florida way of life and Governor DeSantis continues this commitment in the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget.

During Governor DeSantis’ first term as Governor, he signed record investments to protect Florida’s Everglades and support water quality, investing a record $3.3 billion. At the start of his second term, he called for a historic $3.5 billion investment over the next four years. The Governor’s Budget recommends $1.1 billion for Everglades restoration and water quality, bringing the total investment during the Governor’s second term to $2.8 billion. This investment includes $745 million for Everglades restoration projects:

$550 million for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).
$64 million for the EAA Reservoir to continue the momentum of this critical project to reduce harmful discharges and help send more clean water south of the Everglades.
$50 million is included for specific project components designed to achieve the greatest reductions in harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries.
$81.5 million is included for the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program.
$3 million for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove pythons from the Everglades.

To continue protecting Florida’s water quality and supply, the Governor is recommending $330 million for targeted water quality improvements to achieve significant, meaningful and measurable nutrient reductions in key waterbodies. This includes:

$135 million for the expanded Water Quality Improvement Grant Program for projects to construct, upgrade or expand wastewater facilities, including septic to sewer conversions, stormwater management projects and agricultural nutrient reduction projects.
$100 million for the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Protection Program for priority projects to improve water quality in the IRL, as called for in Executive Order 23-06.
$50 million to accelerate projects to meet scientific nutrient reduction goals, called Total Maximum Daily Loads.
$20 million for critical infrastructure including wastewater and stormwater projects that address water quality impairments and coral reef restoration in Biscayne Bay.
$25 million for water quality improvements in the Caloosahatchee River watershed.

Additional water quality investments include $50 million to restore Florida’s world-renowned springs and for land acquisition to protect springsheds as well as more than $55 million to improve water quality and combat the impacts of harmful algal blooms, including blue-green algae and red tide. The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget includes $80 million for the Alternative Water Supply Grant Program to help communities plan for and implement vital conservation, reuse and other alternative water supply projects.

To support conservation lands and to protect the great outdoors for generations of Floridians to enjoy, the Governor’s Budget invests $50 million in Florida’s State Parks for infrastructure improvements and resource management with the goal of maintaining Florida’s world class parks which have won the National Gold Medial a record four times. The Governor’s Budget also includes more than $125 million to protect Florida’s conservation lands and waterways to ensure Florida’s prized properties are accessible for future generations of Florida families. This funding includes $100 million for the Florida Forever Program, the state’s blueprint for conserving Florida’s natural and recreation lands, including those located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Florida is home to 1,300 miles of coastline which plays an important role in Florida’s economy and quality of life, attracting visitors from across the world and providing an invaluable defense against hurricanes. The Governor’s Budget includes $50 million in beach nourishment funding to bolster our shorelines. Additionally, the Governor is recommending $22.8 million for coral reef protection and restoration, including $11.3 million to continue Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery Initiative established in Executive Order 23-06, to restore 25 percent of Florida’s Coral Reef by 2050.

The Governor's Budget also prioritizes the protection of Florida’s working agricultural lands and family farms, providing an annual appropriation of $100 million to the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program to enter into perpetual conservation easements. In order to preserve Florida’s iconic citrus industry, the budget invests more than $20 million for citrus research and the Citrus Health Response Program. This includes $5 million for research and additional advertising by the Department of Citrus.

To further protect Florida’s rural areas and communities surrounded by Florida’s beautiful forests, the Governor’s Budget provides $4 million to support the replanting of trees and timber impacted by hurricanes and natural disasters, in addition to investing over $30 million in Florida’s efforts to effectively combat wildfires including equipment, road and bridge maintenance and Wildfire Protection and State Forest operations.

The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget also includes $211 million for the cleanup of contaminated sites with a focus on promoting redevelopment of these areas once cleanup has been completed.

Supporting Disaster Response, Recovery and Mitigation

In 2023, Governor DeSantis, the Division of Emergency Management, state agencies and local partners rose to the significant challenges imposed by disasters including hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Idalia. The Governor’s Budget provides $1.3 billion in state and federal funding for disaster recovery, mitigation and emergency management to continue helping Floridians impacted by a disaster while preparing for future disasters.

This includes $199.9 million in state match provided for the state cost share associated with authorized federal funding to eligible local and state recipients for reimbursement of the response and recovery cost, as well as state management costs relating to federally declared disasters.

Additionally, the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget includes $396 million in additional federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for local hurricane recovery and hardening efforts throughout the state, including the CDBG Disaster Recovery Program and the CDBG Mitigation Program.

Investing in a Healthier Florida

Governor DeSantis has been steadfast in his commitment to supporting the healthy lives of Floridians. This includes providing support for those struggling with mental health and substance abuse and victims of human trafficking in addition to supporting Florida’s seniors, Floridians with unique abilities, veterans, and Florida's mothers and children. The Governor has also prioritized critical cancer research and innovative treatments.

To support mental health resiliency and those suffering from substance abuse, the Governor’s Budget recommends:

More than $294 million to support behavioral health services, including enhanced mobile response services, collaboration between primary care and behavioral health providers to support crisis diversion and avoid high-cost acute care and additional support for mental health treatment facilities, competency restoration services, and enhancements to the suicide hotline services.
More than $150 million from the nationwide opioid settlement to continue support for the Office of Opioid Recovery, an accredited Graduate Medical Education program to increase the number of psychiatric residents, and for other initiatives that support education, treatment, and prevention for individuals with substance use disorders.
$31.8 million to continue expansion of the CORE Network across the state, which has already served thousands of Floridians.

To support important cancer research, the Governor’s Budget includes:

More than $232 million in funding for cancer research, including $60 million, a 200% increase over FY 2023-2024, for the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund that supports groundbreaking cancer research stemming from emerging ideas, trends, and promising practices that can be replicated and expanded upon in Florida.
$127.5 million for the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.

To support Florida’s mothers, their children, and the children in the child welfare system, the Governor’s Budget invests:

Increased funding of $447 million to support the care of pregnant women and children. This will help to improve access to obstetric care for pregnant women and to support care for seriously ill children and babies.
More than $103 million to support those served by the child welfare system. Funding will support foster parents and caregivers, community-based services, local prevention grants, and additional family navigators to connect high risk families and children to resources and supports through collaboration with front line child protective investigators.
An increase of $13.5 million, for adoption subsidies to provide continued support to those who have adopted children from the child welfare system.
$9.8 million to expand the existing program that provides adoption incentives to groups that include state employees, school district personnel, and law enforcement officers.
$6 million to provide additional services for victims of human trafficking. The funds will support housing for additional survivors to support their recovery.

To support Florida’s seniors, the Governor’s Budget recommends:

$6 million to serve additional seniors as part of the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative.
More than $2 million in additional funding for the Florida Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence.
$15 million is provided to increase services through the Community Care for the Elderly Program and the Home Care for the Elderly Program. Funding will provide additional support for seniors at risk for out of home placement.

To support Floridians with unique abilities, the Focus on Florida's Future Budget invests more than $127 million in funding to allow additional individuals with disabilities to be provided necessary services through the Home and Community Based Services Waiver. The budget also provides for the expansion of the pilot project aimed at supporting individuals who have both a developmental disability and mental health diagnosis to receive evaluation and treatment in the most appropriate setting. Funding is also provided to support the planning of implementation of a new waiver aimed at providing targeted services for adults with unique abilities who are entering adulthood.

The Governor’s Budget invests an additional $8.9 million to support additional equipment and capital improvements for the State Veterans’ Nursing Homes. The budget also includes $102 million to begin the construction of the ninth State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Collier County upon federal grant approval. Additionally, $2 million is recommended to assist veterans in securing meaningful skills-based employment, provide employers with a skilled talent pipeline, and assist veterans in creating and operating a small business.

###

Parkinson's Foundation Requesting Applications for 2024 Community Grants

Thu, 9 Nov 2023 14:22:00 GMT

Parkinson's Foundation Requesting Applications for 2024 Community Grants

NEW YORK and MIAMI, Nov. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Parkinson's Foundation has announced it is accepting applications for $1 million in community grant funding. The 2024 community grants cycle will support health, wellness and educational programs that address unmet needs in local Parkinson's disease (PD) communities. Since 2011, the Foundation has invested more than $10.4 million to support impactful, sustainable and measurable community-based programs that improve life for people living with PD.

"Last year, the Parkinson's Foundation Community Grant program supported 71 programs in 35 states that provide services for people living in areas underserved by existing care programs and resources," said John L. Lehr, President and CEO of the Parkinson's Foundation. "With this funding, we are proud to continue showcasing our commitment to making an impact in local Parkinson's disease communities."

The 2024 grant cycle will focus on programs that:

Educate and deliver exercise programs specifically designed for people with PD
Address the intersection of mental health and PD
Reach and support care partners of individuals with PD

"As someone who has had the opportunity to participate in several Parkinson's Foundation-backed community programs, I am keenly aware of the difference this funding has on a local and individual level," said Ken Thurman, who lives with PD and serves as a member of the Foundation's People with Parkinson's Advisory Council and 2024 Community Grant Committee. "I am grateful to the Foundation for better meeting the needs of an array of Parkinson's communities by providing funds to local organizations."

Community grants range from $10,000 to $25,000 per application, and the funding period will occur from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. Organizations must operate locally, and applications are limited to healthcare facilities, nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations. All funded organizations and institutions also must demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Applications are due Jan. 31, 2024, and recipients will be announced in July 2024. To apply electronically for a Parkinson's Foundation community grant or view 2023 recipients, visit Parkinson.org/CommunityGrants. Stories highlighting the impact of community grants, written by recipients, can also be found at Parkinson.org/GranteeStories.

About the Parkinson's Foundation

The Parkinson's Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson's disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson's community. Since 1957, the Parkinson's Foundation has invested more than $425 million in Parkinson's research and clinical care. Connect with us on Parkinson.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or call 1-800-4PD-INFO (1-800-473-4636).

About Parkinson's Disease

Affecting an estimated one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the U.S. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson's and 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Marissa Cruz

Parkinson's Foundation

mcruz@parkinson.org

305-537-9926

Parkinson.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/parkinsons-foundation-requesting-applications-for-2024-community-grants-301983325.html

SOURCE Parkinson's Foundation

Governor Ron DeSantis Unveils Comprehensive Legislation to Increase Big Pharma Transparency and Acco

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 15:42:00 GMT

Governor Ron DeSantis Unveils Comprehensive Legislation to Increase Big Pharma Transparency and Accountability and Lower Prescription Drug Prices

On January 12, 2023, in News Releases, by Staff

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a legislative proposal to reign in unchecked Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and drive transparency among prescription drug prices influenced by Big Pharma. This proposal furthers the Administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices and reaffirms the state’s commitment to assist Floridians in making more informed health care decisions. Many states have enacted comprehensive reforms to PBMs and it is time for Florida to take action to protect consumers and small businesses. To read the full proposal, click here.

“These reforms will enhance transparency and reduce the influence of pharmacy middlemen, which will help consumers as well as our small pharmacies,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I look forward to these reforms becoming law.”

“The American people have been led to believe that drug costs are high so that pharmaceutical companies can continue to perform research,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “But this claim ignores the fact that pharmaceutical research and innovation tends to begin in universities, mostly through NIH funding. That’s our tax dollars. The American people deserve affordable prescriptions, not unnecessary mark-ups that continue to line the pockets of Big Pharma.”

Consumer choice remains a top priority for the Governor when it comes to prescription drugs. Today’s proposal includes key steps towards lowering prescription drug prices and increasing accountability, including: prohibiting spread pricing, prohibiting reimbursement clawbacks, and tackling issues with steering.

The proposal also increases the registration requirements of PBMs to ensure a more comprehensive evaluation is conducted prior to doing business here in Florida. Today, PBMs pay a mere five dollar registration fee, disclose limited details about themselves to the state and are subject to little to no accountability. The legislative proposal takes the following steps for accountability:

Requires PBMs to disclose all organizations affiliated with the applicant, including any affiliated pharmacies or companies within their corporate umbrella.
Requires PBMs to disclose any complaints or settlement agreements they’ve been party to prior to operating in Florida.
Directs the Office of Insurance Regulation to take action against PBMs which violate state law and hold them accountable, as is consistent with all insurers.

Governor DeSantis is also holding manufacturers accountable by:

Proposing a public disclosure requirement of all proposed drug price increases.
Requiring all manufacturers to submit an annual report outlining and justifying any increases over the past year.

Right now, Floridians can get billed months after a prescription is filled. This proposal requires PBMs to work in accordance with a basic standard of due care, skill, and professionalism. This legislation makes PBMs provide information on complaints and settlements they have been involved in when applying for a state license, imposing accountability standards that have not existed before.

In July, Governor DeSantis signed EO 22-164, directing all executive agencies to include provisions in all contracts to prohibit spread pricing and clawbacks and review all relationships with pharmacies, insurers, and manufacturers. All provisions of EO 22-164 are included in the legislative proposal and expanded to include the commercial market.

Nearly 9 in 10 adults 65 and older are currently taking prescription medicine, and one fourth say it is difficult to afford their prescription drugs — Florida is tackling this issue head on. Nearly 800 days ago, Florida submitted its landmark Canadian Drug Importation Program to the federal government. This program could save Floridians $150 million annually, yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has refused to act on this proposal. In response to federal government inaction, Florida is finding innovative ways to drive transparency and accountability among health care services.

Florida’s prescription drug price transparency portal, MyFloridaRX.com, offers a Prescription Drug Price Locator that combines prescription drug data to shed light on pharmaceutical costs among individuals covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurance to ensure a uniform system of price transparency.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Announces Availability of $142 Million to Fuel Small

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 14:48:00 GMT

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Announces Availability of $142 Million to Fuel Small Business Growth

~ Five Programs Available to Expand Business Development and Continue Florida’s Economic Growth ~

Tallahassee, FL –Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced that $142 million in new capital is available for small businesses and startups through Florida’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). SSBCI, administered by DEO in partnership with Enterprise Florida, Inc., has five programs to serve small businesses that may not otherwise have access to the capital needed to grow their businesses, including very small businesses and sole proprietors. This multi-year initiative is part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ large-scale effort to prioritize workforce development, cultivate a business-friendly environment, and stimulate aggressive economic growth.

To be eligible, businesses must be Florida-based and have 750 employees or less. Funding through Florida’s SSBCI programs may be used to fund start-up costs, business procurement, franchise fees, equipment, inventory, and the purchase, construction, renovation, or tenant improvements of an eligible place of business. DEO encourages Florida-based small businesses tosign up for updateson funding opportunities through SSBCI.

“Florida’s SSBCI program connects Florida’s small businesses with opportunities for new capital that they may not otherwise be able to access,”saidDEO Acting Secretary Meredith Ivey. “DEO is proud to support the Governor’s mission by enabling local lenders to put funds into the hands of deserving small business owners in underserved communities and stimulate their local economies.”

“Enterprise Florida is proud to partner with DEO to provide Florida’s small businesses with the resources they need to succeed,” saidFlorida Deputy Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella. “Florida’s small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and are crucial to our state’s success, and we are honored to continue supporting them through Florida’s SSBCI program.”

In September 2022, DEOannouncedthe approval of the state SSBCI application by the United States Department of the Treasury (U.S. Treasury) for $488 million in funding. Funding is available from U.S. Treasury in three tranches, and the first tranche of funding - $142 million – is ready for deployment.

Funding through the SSBCI program can be used serve small businesses of all sizes and stages of development. Available programs include:

- Collateral Support Program– Enables financing that might otherwise be unavailable due to a collateral shortfall. This credit enhancement uses public resources to encourage private lenders to lend money to businesses by providing a cash deposit as collateral for a business loan or credit facility.
- Venture Capital Program– Targeted investment strategy implemented on an appropriate scale that can attract capable investment managers to support Florida small businesses and create value. DEO will work with Enterprise Florida to secure partnerships with public entities and investment managers.
- Loan ParticipationProgram– SSBCI funds are used alongside private funds to support a loan to a borrower. The SSBCI funds may be used as a companion loan, or the funds may purchase a portion of the loan made by the private lender.
- Loan Guarantee Program– Provides a private lender with a short-term, partial guarantee to support a loan or line-of-credit for eligible small businesses.
- Capital Access Program– A pooled loan insurance program where a private lender originates a loan, and the borrower and lender contribute a percentage of the loan per eligible small business, which is then matched by SSBCI funding.

To provide lenders and statewide partners with more information on SSBCI programs, DEO will host a series of roundtable discussions. To receive updates on upcoming roundtables and SSBCI programs,sign up for updates.

Lenders and investment managers interested in partnering with the SSBCI program to serve local businesses can emailSSBCI@deo.myflorida.comor reach Enterprise Florida atvvaldez@enterpriseflorida.com.

About EFI

Enterprise Florida (EFI), the state’s lead commerce agency, serves as a catalyst for economic development by promoting Florida as a premier business destination and expanding the state’s economy through private-sector job creation. At the forefront of economic development in Florida, EFI is responsible for rolling out the red carpet to business and industry and supporting industry clusters by serving as a lead partner connecting businesses with state and local resources. As a public-private partnership of Florida’s business and government leaders, EFI facilitates job growth through recruitment and retention, business growth through international trade and exporting programs, promotion of the sports industry, promotion and protection of Florida’s military bases, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses. EFI works closely with a statewide network of economic development partners, including DEO, to showcase Florida as the leading state for business.

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Initiative to Make Protections from COVID Mandates Permanent, Enact

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:39:00 GMT

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Initiative to Make Protections from COVID Mandates Permanent, Enact New Protections for Free Speech for Medical Practitioners

On January 17, 2023, in News Releases, by Staff

Permanently Protecting Floridians from the “Biomedical Security State”

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a common-sense legislative proposal to make permanent COVID-19 freedoms in Florida. This strong pro-freedom, anti-mandate action will permanently protect Floridians from losing their jobs due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, protects parents’ rights, and institutes additional protections that prevent discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccine status. To read the full proposal, click here.

“When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These measures will ensure Florida remains this way and will provide landmark protections for free speech for medical practitioners.”

“As a health sciences researcher and physician, I have personally witnessed accomplished scientists receive threats due to their unorthodox positions,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “However, many of these positions have proven to be correct, as we’ve all seen over the past few years. All medical professionals should be encouraged to engage in scientific discourse without fearing for their livelihoods or their careers.”

In 2021, Governor DeSantis signed legislation to protect Florida jobs and parents’ rights to make health care decisions for their students, banning private employer vaccine mandates and mask mandates across the state. Governor DeSantis continues to safeguard Floridians’ freedoms and ensure no one is discriminated against based on their COVID-19 vaccine status or is subject to a two-tiered test and mask discrimination policy from employers.

The proposal includes the permanent prohibition of mandates that are continuously proven ineffective, including:

Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine passports in Florida;
Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine and mask requirements in all Florida schools;
Permanently prohibiting COVID-19 masking requirements at businesses; and
Permanently prohibiting employers from hiring or firing based on mRNA jabs.

Included in Governor DeSantis’ proposal are first amendment rights guarantees for medical professionals, ensuring no one loses their job or medical license for voicing their professional opinions in Florida. The legislation will safeguard medical professionals from discrimination based on their personal religious views.

Governor DeSantis remains committed to ensuring COVID freedoms are upheld in Florida and will fight against local governments, businesses, and corporations that attempt to impose authoritarian policies surrounding COVID.

MHDNews | Florida House Speaker Releases Committee Assignments and Leadership Team

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 14:00:00 GMT

MHDNews | Florida House Speaker Releases Committee Assignments and Leadership Team

House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Harbor) has released his committee assignments. The Republican and Democratic leadership team and committee assignments are listed below:

Republican Leadership Team

Speaker Pro Tempore Chuck Clemons (R-Jonesville)

Majority Leader Michael Grant (R-Port Charlotte)

Deputy Majority Leader John Snyder (R-Palm City)

Majority Whip Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs)

Democratic Leadership Team

Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa)

Minority Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami)

Minority Whip Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Minority Policy Chair Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

Appropriations Committee

Tom Leek, Chair (R-Daytona Beach)

Lawrence McClure, Vice Chair (R-Plant City)

Jim Mooney (R-Key Largo)

Thad Altman (R-Indian Harbour Beach)

Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola)

Melony Bell (R-Ft. Meade)

Christopher Benjamin (D-Miami Gardens)

Chuck Brannon III (R-Lake City) III

Demi Busatta Cabrera (R-Coral Gables)

Linda Chaney (R-St. Petersburg)

Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa)

Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay)

Sam Garrison (R-Orange Park)

Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie)

Michael Grant (R-Port Charlotte)

Tommy Gregory (R-Bradenton)

Joe Harding (R-Ocala)

Fred Hawkins (R-Orlando)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami)

Ralph Massullo (R-Beverly Hills)

Bobby Payne (R-Palatka)

Daniel Perez (R-Miami)

Bob Rommel (R-Naples)

Michelle Salzman (R-Pensacola)

Jason Shoaf (R-Blountstown)

David Silvers (D-West Palm Beach)

Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

Cyndi Stevenson (R-St. Augustine)

Josie Tomkow (R-Auburndale)

Patricia Williams (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee

Thad Altman, Chair (R-Indian Harbour Beach)

Melony Bell. Vice Chair (R-Ft. Meade)

Shane Abbott (R-Defuniak Springs)

Dean Black (R-Jacksonville)

Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs)

James Buchanan (R-North Port)

Hillary Cassel (D-Dania Beach)

Kevin Chambliss (D-Miami)

Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg)

Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton)

Dianne Hart (D-Tampa)

Sam Killebrew (R-Winter Haven)

Johanna Lopez (D-Orlando)

Toby Overdorf (R-Stuart)

Keith Truenow (R-Tavares)

Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee

Sam Garrison, Chair (R-Orange Park)

Michelle Salzman, Vice Chair (R-Pensacola)

Shane Abbott (R-Defuniak Springs)

Carolina Amesty (R-Windemere)

Bruce Antone (D-Orlando)

Robin Bartleman (D-Weston)

Dean Black (R-Jacksonville)

Daryl Campbell (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland)

Traci Koster (R-Safety Harbor)

Lauren Melo (R-Naples)

Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

Kevin Steele (R-Dade City)

Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce)

Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines)

Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee

Jason Shoaf, Chair (R-Blountstown)

Fred Hawkins, Vice Chair (R-Orlando)

Adam Anderson (R-Clearwater)

Jessica Baker (R-Jacksonville)

Christopher Benjamin (D-Miami Gardens)

Mike Caruso (R-Boca Raton)

Kevin Chambliss (D-Miami)

Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg)

Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville)

Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

Alina Garcia (R-Miami)

Phillip ‘‘Griff’’ Griffitts (R-Panama City)

Randy Maggard (R-Zephyrhills)

Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami)

Joel Rudman (R-Navarre)

Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee

Rep. Alex Andrade, Chair (R-Pensacola)

Linda Chaney, Vice Chair (R-St. Petersburg)

Bruce Antone (D-Orlando)

Kim Berfield (R-Largo)

Robert Brackett (R-Vero Beach)

Dan Daley (D-Sunrise)

Tiffany Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)

Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral)

Rita Harris (D-Orlando)

Chip LaMarca (R-Lighthouse Point)

Vicki Lopez (R-Miami)

Susan Plasencia (R-Orlando)

Felicia Robinson (D-Miami Gardens)

David Silvers (D-West Palm Beach)

Brad Yeager (R-New Port Richey)

Justice Appropriations Subcommittee

Chuck Brannon, Chair (R-Lake City)

David Smith, Vice Chair (R-Winter Springs)

Mike Beltran (R-Valrico)

LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando)

Daryl Campbell (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville)

Tom Fabricio (R-Hialeah)

Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R-Miami)

Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie)

Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater)

Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island)

John Snyder (R-Palm City)

Paula Stark (R-St. Cloud)

Susan Valdes (D-Tampa)

Katherine Waldron (D-Wellington)

PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee

Josie Tomkow, Chair (R-Auburndale)

Joe Harding, Vice Chair (R-Ocala)

Danny Alvarez (R-Riverview)

LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando)

Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland)

Dan Daley (D-Sunrise)

Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville)

Lisa Dunkley (D-Sunrise)

Alina Garcia (R-Miami)

Karen Gonzalez-Pittman (R-Tampa)

Kiyan Michael (R-Jacksonville Beach)

Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah)

John Paul Temple (R-Wildwood)

Kaylee Tuck (R-Sebring)

Patricia Williams (D-Fort Lauderdale)

State Administration & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee

Demi Busatta Cabrera, Chair (R-Coral Gables)

Jim Mooney, Vice Chair (R-Key Largo)

Kirsten Arrington (D-Kissimmee)

Fabian Basabe (D-Miami Beach)

David Borrero (R-Doral)

Tae Edmonds (D-West Palm Beach)

Rita Harris (D-Orlando)

Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill)

Randy Maggard (R-Zephyrhills)

Patt Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach)

Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville)

Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers)

Felicia Robinson (D-Miami Gardens)

Kevin Steele (R-Dade City)

Cyndi Stevenson (R-St. Augustine)

Commerce Committee

Bob Rommel, Chair (R-Naples)

Patt Maney, Vice Chair (R-Fort Walton Beach)

David Borrero (R-Doral)

Bruce Antone (D-Orlando)

Kirsten Arrington (D-Kissimmee)

Webster Barnaby (R-Deland)

Christopher Benjamin (D-Miami Gardens)

Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville)

Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville)

Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral)

Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami)

Chip LaMarca (R-Lighthouse Point)

Tom Leek (R-Daytona Beach)

Lauren Melo (R-Naples)

Toby Overdorf (R-Stuart)

Joel Rudman (R-Navarre)

Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island)

Kevin Steele (R-Dade City)

Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee)

Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange)

Brad Yeager (R-New Port Richey)

Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity Subcommittee

Mike Giallombardo, Chair (R-Cape Coral)

Chip LaMarca, Vice Chair (R-Lighthouse Point)

Danny Alvarez (R-Riverview)

Bruce Antone (D-Orlando)

Daryl Campbell (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland)

Mike Caruso (R-Boca Raton)

Hillary Cassel (D-Dania Beach)

Kevin Chambliss (D-Miami)

Chuck Clemons (R-Jonesville)

Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville)

Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R-Miami)

Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton)

Phillip ‘‘Griff’’ Griffitts (R-Panama City)

Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami)

Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota)

Will Robinson (R-Bradenton)

Brad Yeager (R-New Port Richey)

Insurance & Banking Subcommittee

Wyman Duggan, Chair (R-Jacksonville)

Tom Fabricio, Vice Chair (R-Hialeah)

Adam Anderson (R-Clearwater)

Christopher Benjamin (D-Miami Gardens)

David Borrero (R-Doral)

Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs)

Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland)

Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

Phillip ‘‘Griff’’ Griffitts (R-Panama City)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Rachel Plakon (R-Longwood)

Joel Rudman (R-Navarre)

Kevin Steele (R-Dade City)

Cyndi Stevenson (R-St. Augustine)

Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee)

John Paul Temple (R- Wildwood)

Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange)

Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines)

Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee

Tyler Sirois, Chair (R-Merritt Island)

Lauren Melo, Vice Chair (R-Naples)

Carolina Amesty (R-Windemere)

Joe Casello (D-Boynton Beach)

Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton)

Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill)

Randy Maggard (R-Zephyrhills)

Patt Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach)

Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota)

Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville)

Will Robinson (R-Bradenton)

Jason Shoaf (R-Blountstown)

David Silvers (D-West Palm Beach)

Susan Valdes (D-Tampa)

Brad Yeager (R-New Port Richey)

Education & Employment Committee

Ralph Massullo, Chair (R-Beverly Hills)

Melony Bell, Vice Chair (R-Ft. Meade)

Fred Hawkins (R-Orlando)

Danny Alvarez (R-Riverview)

Doug Bankson (R-Apopka)

Fabian Basabe (D-Miami Beach)

Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland)

Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville)

Tiffany Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)

Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay)

Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

Karen Gonzalez-Pittman (R-Tampa)

Traci Koster (R-Safety Harbor)

Stan McClain (R-Ocala)

Lauren Melo (R-Naples)

Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce)

Kaylee Tuck (R-Sebring)

Susan Valdes (D-Tampa)

Katherine Waldron (D-Wellington)

Patricia Williams (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines)

Choice & Innovation Subcommittee

Kaylee Tuck, Chair (R-Sebring)

Traci Koster, Vice Chair (R-Safety Harbor)

Thad Altman (R-Indian Harbour Beach)

Carolina Amesty (R-Windemere)

Jessica Baker (R-Jacksonville)

Doug Bankson (R-Apopka)

Fabian Basabe (D-Miami Beach)

Kevin Chambliss (D-Miami)

Lisa Dunkley (D-Sunrise)

Alina Garcia (R-Miami)

Stan McClain (R-Ocala)

Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville)

Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers)

Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami)

Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers)

Paula Stark (R-St. Cloud)

Susan Valdes (D-Tampa)

Katherine Waldron (D-Wellington)

Education Quality Subcommittee

Dana Trabulsy, Chair (R-Fort Pierce)

Alex Rizo, Vice Chair (R-Hialeah)

Danny Alvarez (R-Riverview)

Jessica Baker (R-Jacksonville)

Mike Beltran (R-Valrico)

Christopher Benjamin (D-Miami Gardens)

Kim Berfield (R-Largo)

Jennifer Canady (R-Lakeland)

Joe Casello (D-Boynton Beach)

Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville)

Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay)

Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

Ashley Gantt (D-Miami)

Alina Garcia (R-Miami)

Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral)

Karen Gonzalez-Pittman (R-Tampa)

Josie Tomkow (R-Auburndale)

Brad Yeager (R-New Port Richey)

Postsecondary Education & Workforce Subcommittee

Lauren Melo, Chair (R-Naples)

Mike Beltran, Vice Chair (R-Valrico)

Carolina Amesty (R-Windemere)

Melony Bell (R-Ft. Meade)

Kim Berfield (R-Largo)

Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg)

Lisa Dunkley (D-Sunrise)

Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando)

Tiffany Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)

Karen Gonzalez-Pittman (R-Tampa)

Fred Hawkins (R-Orlando)

Yvonne Hayes Hinson (D-Gainesville)

Vicki Lopez (R-Miami)

Susan Plasencia (R-Orlando)

Joel Rudman (R-Navarre)

Jason Shoaf (R-Blountstown)

Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee)

John Paul Temple (R-Wildwood)

Infrastructure Strategies Committee

Bobby Payne, Chair (R-Palatka)

Sam Garrison, Vice Chair (R-Orange Park)

David Smith (R-Winter Springs)

Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola)

Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs)

Robert Brackett (R-Vero Beach)

James Buchanan (R-North Port)

Hillary Cassel (D-Dania Beach)

Linda Chaney (R-St. Petersburg)

Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando)

Tom Fabricio (R-Hialeah)

Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Sam Killebrew (R-Winter Haven)

Johanna Lopez (D-Orlando)

Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota)

Jim Mooney (R-Key Largo)

Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville)

Susan Plasencia (R-Orlando)

Felicia Robinson (D-Miami Gardens)

Jason Shoaf (R-Blountstown)

Cyndi Stevenson (R-St. Augustine)

Josie Tomkow R-Auburndale)

Keith Truenow (R-Tavares)

Agriculture, Conservation & Resiliency Subcommittee

James Buchanan, Chair (R-North Port)

Rick Roth, Vice Chair (R-Palm Beach Gardens)

Shane Abbott (R-Defuniak Springs)

Danny Alvarez (R-Riverview)

Bruce Antone (D-Orlando)

Robin Bartleman (D-Weston)

Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs)

Robert Brackett (R-Vero Beach)

Demi Busatta Cabrera (R-Coral Gables)

Hillary Cassel (D-Dania Beach)

Linda Chaney (R-St. Petersburg)

Tiffany Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Jim Mooney (R-Key Largo)

Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

Kevin Steele (R-Dade City)

Keith Truenow (R-Tavares)

Kaylee Tuck (R-Sebring)

Transportation & Modals Subcommittee

Fiona McFarland, Chair (R-Sarasota)

Tom Fabricio, Vice Chair (R-Hialeah)

Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola)

Kirsten Arrington (D-Kissimmee)

Doug Bankson (R-Apopka)

Fabian Basabe (D-Miami Beach)

Tae Edmonds (D-West Palm Beach)

Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando)

Tiffany Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)

Rita Harris (D-Orlando)

Yvonne Hayes Hinson (D-Gainesville)

Vicki Lopez (R-Miami)

Lauren Melo (R-Naples)

Kiyan Michael (R-Jacksonville Beach)

Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville)

Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami)

David Smith (R-Winter Springs)

Paula Stark (R-St. Cloud)

Water Quality, Supply & Treatment Subcommittee

Cyndi Stevenson, Chair (R-St. Augustine)

Randy Maggard, Vice Chair (R-Zephyrhills)

Thad Altman (R-Indian Harbour Beach)

Fabian Basabe (D-Miami Beach)

Melony Bell (R-Ft. Meade)

Robert Brackett (R-Vero Beach)

Hillary Cassel (D-Dania Beach)

Lisa Dunkley (D-Sunrise)

Karen Gonzalez-Pittman (R-Tampa)

Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton)

Dianne Hart (D-Tampa)

Yvonne Hayes Hinson (D-Gainesville)

Toby Overdorf (R-Stuart)

Will Robinson (R-Bradenton)

John Snyder (R-Palm City)

John Paul Temple (R-Wildwood)

Katherine Waldron (D-Wellington)

Brad Yeager (R-New Port Richey)

Health & Human Services Committee

Randy Fine, Chair (R-Palm Bay)

Joe Harding, Vice Chair (R-Ocala)

Michelle Salzman (R-Pensacola)

Carolina Amesty (R-Windemere)

Adam Anderson (R-Clearwater)

Jessica Baker (R-Jacksonville)

Chuck Clemons (R-Jonesville)

Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg)

Lisa Dunkley (D-Sunrise)

Tae Edmonds (D-West Palm Beach)

Ashley Gantt (D-Miami)

Michael Grant (R-Port Charlotte)

Traci Koster (R-Safety Harbor)

Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers)

Rachel Plakon (R-Longwood)

Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah)

Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

John Snyder (R-Palm City)

Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce)

Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines)

Taylor Yarkosky (R-Montverde)

Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee

Traci Koster, Chair (R-Safety Harbor)

Patt Maney, Vice Chair (R-Fort Walton Beach)

Fabian Basabe (D-Miami Beach)

Kim Berfield (R-Largo)

Dean Black (R-Jacksonville)

David Borrero (R-Doral)

Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Boca Raton)

Rita Harris (D-Orlando)

Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami)

Vicki Lopez (R-Miami)

Kiyan Michael (R-Jacksonville Beach)

Susan Plasencia (R-Orlando)

Michele Rayner-Goolsby (D-St. Petersburg)

Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers)

Felicia Robinson (D-Miami Gardens)

Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange)

Patricia Williams (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines)

Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee

Chuck Clemons, Chair (R-Jonesville)

David Borrero, Vice Chair (R-Doral)

Shane Abbott (R-Defuniak Springs)

Adam Anderson (R-Clearwater)

Jessica Baker (R-Jacksonville)

Robin Bartleman (D-Weston)

Melony Bell (R-Ft. Meade)

Dean Black (R-Jacksonville)

Linda Chaney (R-St. Petersburg)

Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers)

Joel Rudman (R-Navarre)

Michelle Salzman (R-Pensacola)

Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

John Snyder (R-Palm City)

Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee)

Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce)

Judiciary Committee

Tommy Gregory, Chair (R-Bradenton)

Toby Overdorf, Vice Chair (R-Stuart)

Randy Maggard (R-Zephyrhills)

Kirsten Arrington (D-Kissimmee)

Webster Barnaby (R-Deland)

LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando)

Chuck Brannon (R-Lake City)

Kevin Chambliss (D-Miami)

Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa)

Tom Fabricio (R-Hialeah)

Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral)

Joe Harding (R-Ocala)

Dianne Hart (D-Tampa)

Yvonne Hayes Hinson (D-Gainesville)

Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater)

Tom Leek (R-Daytona Beach)

Johanna Lopez (D-Orlando)

Patt Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach)

Bobby Payne (R-Palatka)

Will Robinson (R-Bradenton)

John Snyder (R-Palm City)

Paula Stark (R-St. Cloud)

Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange)

Keith Truenow (R-Tavares)

Civil Justice Subcommittee

Will Robinson, Chair (R-Bradenton)

John Snyder, Vice Chair (R-Palm City)

Kirsten Arrington (D-Kissimmee)

Mike Beltran (R-Valrico)

Dean Black (R-Jacksonville)

Daryl Campbell (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville)

Ashley Gantt (D-Miami)

Joe Harding (R-Ocala)

Johanna Lopez (D-Orlando)

Randy Maggard (R-Zephyrhills)

Patt Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach)

Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota)

Kiyan Michael (R-Jacksonville Beach)

Toby Overdorf (R-Stuart)

Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah)

Rick Roth (R-Palm Beach Gardens)

Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island)

Criminal Justice Subcommittee

Keith Truenow, Chair (R-Tavares)

Webster Barnaby, Vice Chair (R-Deland)

Shane Abbott (R-Defuniak Springs)

Jessica Baker (R-Jacksonville)

Robert Brackett (R-Vero Beach)

LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando)

Chuck Brannon (R-Lake City)

Joe Casello (D-Boynton Beach)

Alina Garcia (R-Miami)

Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie)

Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater)

Kiyan Michael (R-Jacksonville Beach)

Rachel Plakon (R-Longwood)

Michele Rayner-Goolsby (D-St. Petersburg)

David Silvers (D-West Palm Beach)

Paula Stark (R-St. Cloud)

Kaylee Tuck (R-Sebring)

Taylor Yarkosky (R-Montverde)

Rules Committee

Daniel Perez, Chair (R-Miami)

Linda Chaney, Vice Chair (R-St. Petersburg)

Thad Altman (R-Indian Harbour Beach)

Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola)

Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs)

Dan Daley (D-Sunrise)

Sam Garrison (R-Orange Park)

Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie)

Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek)

Sam Killebrew (R-Winter Haven)

Chip LaMarca (R-Lighthouse Point)

Stan McClain (R-Ocala)

Michelle Salzman (R-Pensacola)

Jason Shoaf (R-Blountstown)

Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton)

David Smith (R-Winter Springs)

Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee)

Patricia Williams (D-Fort Lauderdale)

Select Committee on Hurricane Resiliency & Recovery

Michael Grant, Chair (R-Port Charlotte)

Adam Botana, Vice Chair (R-Bonita Springs)

Demi Busatta Cabrera (R-Coral Gables)

Hillary Cassel (D-Dania Beach)

Kevin Chambliss (D-Miami)

Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa)

Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando)

Tiffany Esposito (R-Ft. Myers)

Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee)

Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral)

Jim Mooney (R-Key Largo)

Susan Plasencia (R-Orlando)

Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers)

Jason Shoaf (R-Blountstown)

Cyndi Stevenson (R-St. Augustine)

State Affairs Committee

Lawrence McClure, Chair (R-Plant City)

Mike Caruso, Vice Chair (R-Boca Raton)

Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah)

Robin Bartleman (D-Weston)

Dean Black (R-Jacksonville)

James Buchanan (R-North Port)

Demi Busatta Cabrera (R-Coral Gables)

Joe Casello (D-Boynton Beach)

Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando)

Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R-Miami)

Ashley Gantt (D-Miami)

Phillip ‘‘Griff’’ Griffitts (R-Panama City)

Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill)

Jim Mooney (R-Key Largo)

Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers)

Juan Porras (R-Miami)

Michele Rayner-Goolsby (D-St. Petersburg)

Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers)

Felicia Robinson (D-Miami Gardens)

Rick Roth (R-Palm Beach Gardens)

John Paul Temple (R-Wildwood)

Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee

Spencer Roach, Chair (R-North Fort Myers)

Webster Barnaby, Vice Chair (R-Deland)

Doug Bankson (R-Apopka)

Robert Brackett (R-Vero Beach)

Chuck Brannon (R-Lake City)

Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg)

Tae Edmonds (D-West Palm Beach)

Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater)

Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami)

Johanna Lopez (D-Orlando) (J)

Rachel Plakon (R-Longwood)

Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami)

Keith Truenow (R-Tavares)

Katherine Waldron (D-Wellington)

Taylor Yarkosky (R-Montverde)

Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee

Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Chair (R-Miami)

Rick Roth, Vice Chair (R-Palm Beach Gardens)

Kirsten Arrington (D-Kissimmee)

Mike Beltran (R-Valrico)

LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando)

Mike Caruso (R-Boca Raton)

Ashley Gantt (D-Miami)

Phillip ‘‘Griff’’ Griffitts (R-Panama City)

Rita Harris (D-Orlando)

Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill)

Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater)

Sam Killebrew (R-Winter Haven)

Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami)

Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah)

Felicia Robinson (D-Miami Gardens)

Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island)

Chase Tramont (R-Port Orange)

Taylor Yarkosky (R-Montverde)

Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee

Jenna Persons-Mulicka, Chair (R-Fort Myers)

Kaylee Tuck, Vice Chair (R-Sebring)

Carolina Amesty (R-Windemere)

Adam Anderson (R-Clearwater)

Robin Bartleman (D-Weston)

David Borrero (R-Doral)

Dan Daley (D-Sunrise)

Lisa Dunkley (D-Sunrise)

Mike Gottlieb (D-Davie)

Joe Harding (R-Ocala)

Fred Hawkins (R-Orlando)

Jeff Holcomb (R-Spring Hill)

Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater)

Stan McClain (R-Ocala)

Rachel Plakon (R-Longwood)

John Paul Temple (R- Wildwood)

Marie Woodson (D-Pembroke Pines)

Taylor Yarkosky (R-Montverde)

Ways & Means Committee

Stan McClain, Chair (R-Ocala)

James Buchanan, Vice Chair (R-North Port)

Chip LaMarca (R-Lighthouse Point)

Doug Bankson (R-Apopka)

Webster Barnaby (R-Deland)

Kim Berfield (R-Largo)

Daryl Campbell (R-Fort Lauderdale)

Mike Caruso (R-Boca Raton)

Joe Casello (D-Boynton Beach)

Dan Daley (D-Sunrise)

Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville)

Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando)

Tom Fabricio (R-Hialeah)

Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R-Miami)

Dianne Hart (D-Tampa)

Sam Killebrew (R-Winter Haven)

Michele Rayner-Goolsby (D-St. Petersburg)

Spencer Roach (R-North Fort Myers)

Will Robinson (R-Bradenton)

Rick Roth (R-Palm Beach Gardens)

Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island)

David Smith (R-Winter Springs)

Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee)

Susan Valdes (D-Tampa)

MHDNews | Florida Legislative Leaders Set Dates for December Special Session

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 13:54:00 GMT

MHDNews | Florida Legislative Leaders Set Dates for December Special Session

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) and House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) released a joint proclamation to hold a Special Session from Monday, December 12^th to Friday, December 16^th.

The proclamation limits the Special Session call to considering legislation to:

Reduce the cost of litigation regarding property insurance claims.
Foster the availability of reinsurance for property insurance.
Improve claims handlings practices in property insurance.
Modify deadlines for notices of property insurance losses and limit the assignment of benefits under property insurance policies.
Prescribe property insurance requirements regarding alternative dispute processes, coverage options and agent practices.
Increase oversight of property insurance market participants.
Improve the financial stability of the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, reduce potential for assessments related to Citizens and foster the transition of Citizens policies to the private property insurance market.
Provide tax relief and other financial assistance related to damages resulting from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.
Provide additional mechanisms to support the Division of Emergency Management for natural disaster response, recovery, and relief efforts.
Establish a statewide toll credit program for frequent Florida commuters.

The Special Session coincides with scheduled interim legislative committee meetings in preparation for the 2023 Regular Session which convenes on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, and is scheduled to end on Friday, May 5^th.

Florida General Election Unofficial Results

Wed, 9 Nov 2022 18:09:00 GMT

MHDNews | Florida Primary Election Unofficial Results

November 8, 2022 – 10:08 p.m.

The busy 2022 election cycle ended tonight with few surprises. Weeks before the general election, political insiders predicted gains by the Republican party across the state, citing increased voter registrations, higher early voting turnout, and the popularity of Governor Ron DeSantis. When the votes were tallied, Republicans gained numbers in Florida’s Congressional Delegation, the Cabinet and both chambers of the Legislature.

Historically, Democrats led Republicans in Florida voter registrations. However, an influx of new voters over the last few years has given Republicans the registration lead by nearly 300,000 voters. Midterm elections typically have a lower voter turnout than those where the President is on the ballot and tonight was no different. Heading into election night, over 2.5 million Vote by Mail ballots were returned – 43% by Democrats, 36% by Republicans and 19% by voters with no party affiliation. More than 2.3 million voters took advantage of early voting – 51% Republicans, 30% Democrats and 1% No Party Affiliation voters. Republicans appear to have turned out in higher numbers to vote today which, in part, led to their gains across the state.

As of 10:00 pm, the majority of the results were tallied and winners in most races were declared. Below are highlights of the general election results. You may access the latest results reported by the Florida Department of State here.

Florida U.S. Senate & Congressional Delegation

The 2020 United States Census resulted in the gain of one seat (for a total of 28) in Florida’s Congressional Delegation. All 28 seats were subject to election as well as one of the two U.S. Senate seats.

U.S. Senate

Republican Senator Marco Rubio faced Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings from Central Florida in a hotly contested race. More than $56 million was spent on this race by both candidates. Ultimately, Rubio garnered approximately 57% of the vote securing another term in the Senate.

U.S House of Representatives

Outlined below were the most competitive races for the U.S. House:

District 2 -Changes to this district through the reapportionment process drew much debate when Democrat Congressman Al Lawson’s hometown of Tallahassee was drawn into the district held by Republican Panama City Congressman Neal Dunn. A lawsuit was filed to preserve the Lawson seat; however, an appeals court blocked the decision. When the votes were tallied, Congressman Dunn won handily with more than 60% of the vote.
District 7 - This Orlando-based seat became more competitive for Republicans following the reapportionment process which spurred the Democratic incumbent to not seek re-election. Republican defense contractor Cory Mills ultimately won the race with 58% of the vote against Democratic businesswoman Karen Green, giving the seat to the Republican party.

District 13 - Republican veteran Anna Paulina Luna lost the 2020 race for this seat to Democrat Charlie Crist however, the reapportionment process made the district more favorable for a Republican. Two weeks before the election, Luna and Democrat Eric Lynn were in a dead heat. Ultimately Luna changed the seat to Republican winning with 54% of the vote.

District 27 - This newly created Republican performing seat near Tampa resulted in crowded primaries in both parties. Former Secretary of State Laurel Lee won the seat with nearly 59% of the vote to defeat journalist Alan Cohn.

Below are the six new members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation:

District 4 – Aaron Bean (R)
District 7 - Cory Mills (R)
District 10 - Maxwell Frost (D
District 13 - Anna Paulina Luna (R)
District 15 - Laurel Lee (R)
District 23 - Jared Moskowitz (D)

Florida Governor & Cabinet

As predicted throughout the election cycle, Governor DeSantis won re-election handily over Democratic U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist. Overall, nearly $73 million was spent on this race and DeSantis garnered 59% of the vote.

Republicans Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis also won re-election after drawing only nominal opposition in the general election. General Moody garnered 60% of the vote over Democrat Aramis Ayala. CFO Patronis earned 59% of the vote over Democrat Adam Hattersley.

Joining the Cabinet as the new Agriculture Commissioner is former Republican Senate President Wilton Simpson who garnered 59% of the vote. He replaces Democratic Commissioner Nikki Fried which gives Republicans full control of the Florida Cabinet.

Florida Senate

There were 11 open seats in the Senate due to members reaching their eight-year term limit, running for another office, or leaving office altogether. Six Senators were re-elected when they did not draw opposition at the end of the qualifying period.

Further, two House members - Republicans Erin Grall (Vero Beach) and Bryan Avila (Miami) were elected to the Senate when they did not draw opposition.

Heading into the election cycle, the breakdown of Republicans to Democrats in the Senate was 24 to 17. When the votes were tallied, Republicans appear to have secured a supermajority with a total of 27 seats. The most hotly contested general election races were as follows:

Senate District 3 | The race for this historically Democratic North Florida seat became highly contentious between incumbent Democrat Senator Loranne Ausley and former College and NFL football star Corey Simon. Redistricting during the 2022 Session made the seat more competitive for Republicans. Simon garnered approximately 52% of the vote, delivering the seat to the Republican Party for this first time.
Senate District 10 | This district became more welcoming to a Democratic candidate due to reapportionment during the 2022 Session. However, Republican Senator Jason Brodeur benefited from a strong Republican turnout on election night to fight off Democratic Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil by gathering more than 54% of the vote to keep this central Florida district.
Senate District 14 | This Tampa Bay-based race became one of the most hotly contested this cycle. Republican Army veteran Jay Collins, endorsed by Governor DeSantis, challenged incumbent Democratic Senator Janet Cruz for this typically Democratic performing seat. Ultimately, Collins bested Cruz with almost 55% of the vote.
Senate District 36 | Republican Senator Ileana Garcia won in 2020 by only 32 votes which made this seat a target for the Democratic party. However, former Democratic Miami Beach Commissioner Raquel Pacheco could not outpace the Republican turnout in South Florida. Garcia collected 59% of the vote to win re-election.
Senate District 38 | Democratic Senator Annette Taddeo vacated this South Florida seat to run for Congress. The Senate race pit two first time candidates against each other for this district where voter registration slightly favors the Democrat. When the votes were tallied, Republican Department of Education director Alexis Calatayud garnered 54% of the vote to hold off Democrat health care executive Janelle Perez and pick up this seat for the Republicans

Below are the 13 new members of the 2023-24 Senate (by district):

District 2 - Rep. Jay Trumbull (R)

District 3 - Corey Simon (R)

District 4 - Rep. Clay Yarborough (R)

District 5 - Rep. Tracie Davis (D)

District 11 - Rep. Blaise Ingoglia (R)

District 12 - Rep. Colleen Burton (R)

District 14 - Jay Collins (R)

District 15 - Rep. Geraldine Thompson (D)

District 18 - Rep. Nick DiCeglie (R)

District 29 - Rep. Erin Grall (R)

District 33 - Jonathan Martin (R)

District 38 - Alexis Calatayud (R)

District 39 - Rep. Bryan Avila (R)

Florida House

A total of 28 incumbents Representatives (and one new member) were elected in June when they did not draw an opponent during the candidate qualifying period. Further, 22 members were effectively re-elected following the August primary election. Below were the most closely watched primary races:

House District 37 | Democratic incumbent Carlos Guillermo Smith drew a tough opponent for this seat when portions of Seminole county were added to the district during the redistricting process. The change made the district more competitive for a Republican which led to the win tonight by first time candidate, Susan Plasencia with 52% of the vote.
House District 38 | Following the redistricting process, many speculated that this Central Florida seat held by Republican veteran David Smith could be won by a Democrat. However, strong Republican turnout and an endorsement by the Governor ended with Smith winning re-election with approximately 52% of the vote.
House District 45 | The race to represent the open House seat encompassing portions of Orange and Osceola counties was one of the most hotly contested this cycle. Republican university vice president Carolina Amesty and businessman Allie Braswell were the contenders. While both candidates gathered impressive endorsements from their respective party leaders, Amesty won with 53% of the vote.

House District 60 | This historically Democratic district was not originally expected to be a contested race. However, the late entrance of the well-funded Republican Audrey Henson against Democrat Lindsey Cross changed the dynamics. Ultimately, Lindsey Cross garnered more than 53% of the vote keeping this seat for the Democratic party.

House District 65 | This Tampa-based seat, vacated by Rep. Jackie Toledo to run for Congress, was made more competitive for a Democratic candidate during the reapportionment process. The race was expensive with Republican Karen Pittman spending over $320,000 and Democratic Jen McDonald raising slightly below that amount. When the votes were tallied, Pittman garnered 54% of the vote to keep the seat Republican.
House District 91 | The reapportionment process lowered the Democratic performance of this seat making it more competitive for Republicans. Democrat Andy Thomson was well-funded and was endorsed by local elected Democrats, including Rep. Emily Slosberg-King, who previously held the seat. Republican Peggy Gossett-Seidman benefitted from high Republican voter turnout and is expected to win.
House District 113 | Even though Democrat Rep. Nick Duran held this seat the last eight years, the voter performance has trended more Republican. Democratic attorney A.J. D’Amico gained Rep. Duran’s endorsement but trailed in fundraising. Republican Vicki Lopez amassed nearly $450,000 for the race and ultimately changed the seat to Republican winning 51% of the vote

Outlined below are the new members of the House:

District 3 - Joel Rudman (R)

District 5 - Shane Abbott (R)

District 6 - Griff Grifitts (R)

District 8 - Franklin Gallop (D)

District 14 - Kimberly Daniels (D)

District 15 - Dean Black (R)

District 16 - Kiyan Michael (R)

District 17 - Jessica Baker (R)

District 25 - Taylor Yarkosky (R)

District 30 - Chase Tramont (R)

District 34 - Robert Brackett (R)

District 36 - Rachel Plakon (R)

District 37 - Susan Plasencia (R)

District 39 - Doug Bankson (R)

District 40 - Lavon Bracy Davis (D)

District 41 - Bruce Antone (D)

District 43 – Johanna Lopez (D)

District 44 - Rita Harris (D)

District 45 - Carolina Amesty

District 47 - Paula Stark (R)

District 50 - Jennifer Canady (R)

District 52 - John Temple (R)

District 53 - Jeff Holcomb (R)

District 55 - Kevin Steele (R)

District 56 - Brad Yaeger (R)

District 57 - Adam Anderson (R)

Districts 58 - Kim Berfield (R)

District 59 - Berny Jacques (R)

District 60 - Lindsey Cross (D)

District 65 - Karen Pittman (R)

District 69 - Daniel Alvarez (R)

District 77 - Tiffany Esposito (R)

District 91 - Gossett Seidman(R)

District 93 - Katherine Waldron (D)

District 97 - Lisa Dunkley (D)

District 101 - Hillary Cassel (D)

District 106 – Leonard (D)/Basabe (R)**

District 109 - Ashley Gantt (D)

District 113 - Vicki Lopez (R)

District 115 - Alina Garcia (R)

District 119 - Juan Porras (R)

**Too Close to Call

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Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe,

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 13:20:00 GMT

Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy

September 12, 2022 • Presidential Actions

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security. Central to this policy and its outcomes are principles of equity, ethics, safety, and security that enable access to technologies, processes, and products in a manner that benefits all Americans and the global community and that maintains United States technological leadership and economic competitiveness.

Biotechnology harnesses the power of biology to create new services and products, which provide opportunities to grow the United States economy and workforce and improve the quality of our lives and the environment. The economic activity derived from biotechnology and biomanufacturing is referred to as “the bioeconomy.” The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the vital role of biotechnology and biomanufacturing in developing and producing life-saving diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that protect Americans and the world. Although the power of these technologies is most vivid at the moment in the context of human health, biotechnology and biomanufacturing can also be used to achieve our climate and energy goals, improve food security and sustainability, secure our supply chains, and grow the economy across all of America.

For biotechnology and biomanufacturing to help us achieve our societal goals, the United States needs to invest in foundational scientific capabilities. We need to develop genetic engineering technologies and techniques to be able to write circuitry for cells and predictably program biology in the same way in which we write software and program computers; unlock the power of biological data, including through computing tools and artificial intelligence; and advance the science of scale‑up production while reducing the obstacles for commercialization so that innovative technologies and products can reach markets faster.

Simultaneously, we must take concrete steps to reduce biological risks associated with advances in biotechnology. We need to invest in and promote biosafety and biosecurity to ensure that biotechnology is developed and deployed in ways that align with United States principles and values and international best practices, and not in ways that lead to accidental or deliberate harm to people, animals, or the environment. In addition, we must safeguard the United States bioeconomy, as foreign adversaries and strategic competitors alike use legal and illegal means to acquire United States technologies and data, including biological data, and proprietary or precompetitive information, which threatens United States economic competitiveness and national security.

We also must ensure that uses of biotechnology and biomanufacturing are ethical and responsible; are centered on a foundation of equity and public good, consistent with Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021 (Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government); and are consistent with respect for human rights. Resources should be invested justly and equitably so that biotechnology and biomanufacturing technologies benefit all Americans, especially those in underserved communities, as well as the broader global community.

To achieve these objectives, it is the policy of my Administration to:

(a) bolster and coordinate Federal investment in key research and development (R&D) areas of biotechnology and biomanufacturing in order to further societal goals;

(b) foster a biological data ecosystem that advances biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation, while adhering to principles of security, privacy, and responsible conduct of research;

(c) improve and expand domestic biomanufacturing production capacity and processes, while also increasing piloting and prototyping efforts in biotechnology and biomanufacturing to accelerate the translation of basic research results into practice;

(d) boost sustainable biomass production and create climate-smart incentives for American agricultural producers and forest landowners;

(e) expand market opportunities for bioenergy and biobased products and services;

(f) train and support a diverse, skilled workforce and a next generation of leaders from diverse groups to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing;

(g) clarify and streamline regulations in service of a science- and risk-based, predictable, efficient, and transparent system to support the safe use of products of biotechnology;

(h) elevate biological risk management as a cornerstone of the life cycle of biotechnology and biomanufacturing R&D, including by providing for research and investment in applied biosafety and biosecurity innovation;

(i) promote standards, establish metrics, and develop systems to grow and assess the state of the bioeconomy; to better inform policy, decision-making, and investments in the bioeconomy; and to ensure equitable and ethical development of the bioeconomy;

(j) secure and protect the United States bioeconomy by adopting a forward‑looking, proactive approach to assessing and anticipating threats, risks, and potential vulnerabilities (including digital intrusion, manipulation, and exfiltration efforts by foreign adversaries), and by partnering with the private sector and other relevant stakeholders to jointly mitigate risks to protect technology leadership and economic competitiveness; and

(k) engage the international community to enhance biotechnology R&D cooperation in a way that is consistent with United States principles and values and that promotes best practices for safe and secure biotechnology and biomanufacturing research, innovation, and product development and use.

The efforts undertaken pursuant to this order to further these policies shall be referred to collectively as the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative.

Sec. 2. Coordination. The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy (APEP) and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), shall coordinate the executive branch actions necessary to implement this order through the interagency process described in National Security Memorandum 2 of February 4, 2021 (Renewing the National Security Council System) (NSM-2 process). In implementing this order, heads of agencies (as defined in section 13 of this order) shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, consult outside stakeholders, such as those in industry; academia; nongovernmental organizations; communities; labor unions; and State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to advance the policies described in section 1 of this order.

Sec. 3. Harnessing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing R&D to Further Societal Goals. (a) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the heads of agencies specified in subsections (a)(i)-(v) of this section shall submit the following reports on biotechnology and biomanufacturing to further societal goals related to health, climate change and energy, food and agricultural innovation, resilient supply chains, and cross-cutting scientific advances. The reports shall be submitted to the President through the APNSA, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the APEP, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy (APDP), and the Director of OSTP.

(i) The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Secretary, shall submit a report assessing how to use biotechnology and biomanufacturing to achieve medical breakthroughs, reduce the overall burden of disease, and improve health outcomes.

(ii) The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Secretary, shall submit a report assessing how to use biotechnology, biomanufacturing, bioenergy, and biobased products to address the causes and adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, including by sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

(iii) The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Secretary, shall submit a report assessing how to use biotechnology and biomanufacturing for food and agriculture innovation, including by improving sustainability and land conservation; increasing food quality and nutrition; increasing and protecting agricultural yields; protecting against plant and animal pests and diseases; and cultivating alternative food sources.

(iv) The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of HHS, and the heads of other appropriate agencies as determined by the Secretary of Commerce, shall submit a report assessing how to use biotechnology and biomanufacturing to strengthen the resilience of United States supply chains.

(v) The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Director, shall submit a report identifying high-priority fundamental and use‑inspired basic research goals to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing and to address the societal goals identified in this section.

(b) Each report specified in subsection (a) of this section shall identify high-priority basic research and technology development needs to achieve the overall objectives described in subsection (a) of this section, as well as opportunities for public-private collaboration. Each of these reports shall also include recommendations for actions to enhance biosafety and biosecurity to reduce risk throughout the biotechnology R&D and biomanufacturing lifecycles.

(c) Within 100 days of receiving the reports required under subsection (a) of this section, the Director of OSTP, in coordination with the Director of OMB, the APNSA, the APEP, the APDP, and the heads of appropriate agencies as determined through the NSM-2 process, shall develop a plan (implementation plan) to implement the recommendations in the reports. The development of this implementation plan shall also include the solicitation of input from external experts regarding potential ethical implications or other societal impacts, including environmental sustainability and environmental justice, of the recommendations contained in the reports required under subsection (a) of this section. The implementation plan shall include assessments and make recommendations regarding any such implications or impacts.

(d) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Director of OMB, in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined through the NSM-2 process, shall perform a budget crosscut to identify existing levels of agency spending on biotechnology- and biomanufacturing-related activities to inform the development of the implementation plan described in subsection (c) of this section.

(e) The APNSA, in coordination with the Director of OMB, the APEP, the APDP, and the Director of OSTP, shall review the reports required under subsection (a) of this section and shall submit the reports to the President in an unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

(f) The APNSA, in coordination with the Director of OMB, the APEP, the APDP, and the Director of OSTP, shall include a cover memorandum for the reports submitted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, along with the implementation plan required under subsection (c) of this section, in which they make any additional overall recommendations for advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing.

(g) Within 2 years of the date of this order, agencies at which recommendations are directed in the implementation plan required under subsection (c) of this section shall report to the Director of OMB, the APNSA, the APEP, the APDP, and the Director of OSTP on measures taken and resources allocated to enhance biotechnology and biomanufacturing, consistent with the implementation plan described in subsection (c) of this section.

(h) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology shall submit to the President and make publicly available a report on the bioeconomy that provides recommendations on how to maintain United States competitiveness in the global bioeconomy.

Sec. 4. Data for the Bioeconomy. (a) In order to facilitate development of the United States bioeconomy, my Administration shall establish a Data for the Bioeconomy Initiative (Data Initiative) that will ensure that high-quality, wide-ranging, easily accessible, and secure biological data sets can drive breakthroughs for the United States bioeconomy. To assist in the development of the Data Initiative, the Director of OSTP, in coordination with the Director of OMB and the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Director of OSTP, and in consultation with external stakeholders, shall issue a report within 240 days of the date of this order that:

(i) identifies the data types and sources, to include genomic and multiomic information, that are most critical to drive advances in health, climate, energy, food, agriculture, and biomanufacturing, as well as other bioeconomy-related R&D, along with any data gaps;

(ii) sets forth a plan to fill any data gaps and make new and existing public data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable in ways that are equitable, standardized, secure, and transparent, and that are integrated with platforms that enable the use of advanced computing tools;

(iii) identifies — based on the data types and sources described in subsection (a)(i) of this section — security, privacy, and other risks (such as malicious misuses, manipulation, exfiltration, and deletion), and provides a data-protection plan to mitigate these risks; and

(iv) outlines the Federal resources, legal authorities, and actions needed to support the Data Initiative and achieve the goals outlined in this subsection, with a timeline for action.

(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce (acting through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)), the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Energy, and the Director of OMB, shall identify and recommend relevant cybersecurity best practices for biological data stored on Federal Government information systems, consistent with applicable law and Executive Order 14028 of May 12, 2021 (Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity).

(c) The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of NIST and in coordination with the Secretary of HHS, shall consider bio-related software, including software for laboratory equipment, instrumentation, and data management, in establishing baseline security standards for the development of software sold to the United States Government, consistent with section 4 of Executive Order 14028.

Sec. 5. Building a Vibrant Domestic Biomanufacturing Ecosystem. (a) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the APNSA and the APEP, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Energy, the Director of NSF, and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), shall develop a strategy that identifies policy recommendations to expand domestic biomanufacturing capacity for products spanning the health, energy, agriculture, and industrial sectors, with a focus on advancing equity, improving biomanufacturing processes, and connecting relevant infrastructure. Additionally, this strategy shall identify actions to mitigate risks posed by foreign adversary involvement in the biomanufacturing supply chain and to enhance biosafety, biosecurity, and cybersecurity in new and existing infrastructure.

(b) Agencies identified in subsections (b)(i)-(iv) of this section shall direct resources, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, towards the creation or expansion of programs that support a vibrant domestic biomanufacturing ecosystem, as informed by the strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section:

(i) the NSF shall expand its existing Regional Innovation Engine program to advance emerging technologies, including biotechnology;

(ii) the Department of Commerce shall address challenges in biomanufacturing supply chains and related biotechnology development infrastructure;

(iii) the Department of Defense shall incentivize the expansion of domestic, flexible industrial biomanufacturing capacity for a wide range of materials that can be used to make a diversity of products for the defense supply chain; and

(iv) the Department of Energy shall support research to accelerate bioenergy and bioproduct science advances, to accelerate biotechnology and bioinformatics tool development, and to reduce the hurdles to commercialization, including through incentivizing the engineering scale-up of promising biotechnologies and the expansion of biomanufacturing capacity.

(c) Within 1 year of the date of this order, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Secretary, shall submit a plan to the President, through the APNSA and the APEP, to support the resilience of the United States biomass supply chain for domestic biomanufacturing and biobased product manufacturing, while also advancing food security, environmental sustainability, and the needs of underserved communities. This plan shall include programs to encourage climate-smart production and use of domestic biomass, along with budget estimates, including accounting for funds appropriated for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and proposed in the President’s FY 2023 Budget.

(d) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the heads of appropriate agencies as determined by the Secretary, shall:

(i) provide the APNSA with vulnerability assessments of the critical infrastructure and national critical functions associated with the bioeconomy, including cyber, physical, and systemic risks, and recommendations to secure and make resilient these components of our infrastructure and economy; and

(ii) enhance coordination with industry on threat information sharing, vulnerability disclosure, and risk mitigation for cybersecurity and infrastructure risks to the United States bioeconomy, including risks to biological data and related physical and digital infrastructure and devices. This coordination shall be informed in part by the assessments described in subsection (d)(i) of this section.

Sec. 6. Biobased Products Procurement. (a) Consistent with the requirements of 7 U.S.C. 8102, within 1 year of the date of this order, procuring agencies as defined in 7 U.S.C. 8102(a)(1)(A) that have not yet established a biobased procurement program as described in 7 U.S.C. 8102(a)(2) shall establish such a program.

(b) Procuring agencies shall require that, within 2 years of the date of this order, all appropriate staff (including contracting officers, purchase card managers, and purchase card holders) complete training on biobased product purchasing. The Office of Federal Procurement Policy, within OMB, in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall provide training materials for procuring agencies.

(c) Within 180 days of the date of this order and annually thereafter, procuring agencies shall report previous fiscal year spending to the Director of OMB on the following:

(i) the number and dollar value of contracts entered into during the previous fiscal year that include the direct procurement of biobased products;

(ii) the number of service and construction (including renovations) contracts entered into during the previous fiscal year that include language on the use of biobased products; and

(iii) the types and dollar values of biobased products actually used by contractors in carrying out service and construction (including renovations) contracts during the previous fiscal year.

(d) The requirements in subsection (c) of this section shall not apply to purchase card transactions and other “[a]ctions not reported” to the Federal Procurement Data System pursuant to 48 CFR 4.606(c).

(e) Within 1 year of the date of this order and annually thereafter, the Director of OMB shall publish information on biobased procurement resulting from the data collected under subsection (c) of this section and information reported under 7 U.S.C. 8102, along with other related information, and shall use scorecards or similar systems to encourage increased biobased purchasing.

(f) Within 1 year of the date of this order and annually thereafter, procuring agencies shall report to the Secretary of Agriculture specific categories of biobased products that are unavailable to meet their procurement needs, along with desired performance standards for currently unavailable products and other relevant specifications. The Secretary of Agriculture shall publish this information annually. When new categories of biobased products become commercially available, the Secretary of Agriculture shall designate new product categories for preferred Federal procurement, as prescribed by 7 U.S.C. 8102.

(g) Procuring agencies shall strive to increase by 2025 the amount of biobased product obligations or the number or dollar value of biobased-only contracts, as reflected in the information described in subsection (c) of this section, and as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.

Sec. 7. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Workforce. (a) The United States Government shall expand training and education opportunities for all Americans in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. To support this objective, within 200 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Education, the APDP, the Director of OSTP, and the Director of NSF shall produce and make publicly available a plan to coordinate and use relevant Federal education and training programs, while also recommending new efforts to promote multi-disciplinary education programs. This plan shall promote the implementation of formal and informal education and training (such as opportunities at technical schools and certificate programs), career and technical education, and expanded career pathways into existing degree programs for biotechnology and biomanufacturing. This plan shall also include a focused discussion of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions and the extent to which agencies can use existing statutory authorities to promote racial and gender equity and support underserved communities, consistent with the policy established in Executive Order 13985. Finally, this plan shall account for funds appropriated for FY 2022 and proposed in the President’s FY 2023 Budget.

(b) Within 2 years of the date of this order, agencies that support relevant Federal education and training programs as described in subsection (a) of this section shall report to the President through the APNSA, in coordination with the Director of OMB, the ADPD, and the Director of OSTP, on measures taken and resources allocated to enhance workforce development pursuant to the plan described in subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 8. Biotechnology Regulation Clarity and Efficiency. Advances in biotechnology are rapidly altering the product landscape. The complexity of the current regulatory system for biotechnology products can be confusing and create challenges for businesses to navigate. To improve the clarity and efficiency of the regulatory process for biotechnology products, and to enable products that further the societal goals identified in section 3 of this order, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, in coordination with the Director of OMB, the ADPD, and the Director of OSTP, shall:

(a) within 180 days of the date of this order, identify areas of ambiguity, gaps, or uncertainties in the January 2017 Update to the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology or in the policy changes made pursuant to Executive Order 13874 of June 11, 2019 (Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products), including by engaging with developers and external stakeholders, and through horizon scanning for novel products of biotechnology;

(b) within 100 days of completing the task in subsection (a) of this section, provide to the general public plain-language information regarding the regulatory roles, responsibilities, and processes of each agency, including which agency or agencies are responsible for oversight of different types of products developed with biotechnology, with case studies, as appropriate;

(c) within 280 days of the date of this order, provide a plan to the Director of OMB, the ADPD, and the Director of OSTP with processes and timelines to implement regulatory reform, including identification of the regulations and guidance documents that can be updated, streamlined, or clarified; and identification of potential new guidance or regulations, where needed;

(d) within 1 year of the date of this order, build on the Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation developed pursuant to Executive Order 13874 by including on the website the information developed under subsection (b) of this section, and by enabling developers of biotechnology products to submit inquiries about a particular product and promptly receive a single, coordinated response that provides, to the extent practicable, information and, when appropriate, informal guidance regarding the process that the developers must follow for Federal regulatory review; and

(e) within 1 year of the date of this order, and annually thereafter for a period of 3 years, provide an update regarding progress in implementing this section to the Director of OMB, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the APNSA, the ADPD, and the Director of OSTP. Each 1-year update shall identify any gaps in statutory authority that should be addressed to improve the clarity and efficiency of the regulatory process for biotechnology products, and shall recommend additional executive actions and legislative proposals to achieve such goals.

Sec. 9. Reducing Risk by Advancing Biosafety and Biosecurity. (a) The United States Government shall launch a Biosafety and Biosecurity Innovation Initiative, which shall seek to reduce biological risks associated with advances in biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and the bioeconomy. Through the Biosafety and Biosecurity Innovation Initiative — which shall be established by the Secretary of HHS, in coordination with the heads of other relevant agencies as determined by the Secretary — agencies that fund, conduct, or sponsor life sciences research shall implement the following actions, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law:

(i) support, as a priority, investments in applied biosafety research and innovations in biosecurity to reduce biological risk throughout the biotechnology R&D and biomanufacturing lifecycles; and

(ii) use Federal investments in biotechnology and biomanufacturing to incentivize and enhance biosafety and biosecurity practices and best practices throughout the United States and international research enterprises.

(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of HHS and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with agencies that fund, conduct, or sponsor life sciences research, shall produce a plan for biosafety and biosecurity for the bioeconomy, including recommendations to:

(i) enhance applied biosafety research and bolster innovations in biosecurity to reduce risk throughout the biotechnology R&D and biomanufacturing lifecycles; and

(ii) use Federal investments in biological sciences, biotechnology, and biomanufacturing to enhance biosafety and biosecurity best practices throughout the bioeconomy R&D enterprise.

(c) Within 1 year of the date of this order, agencies that fund, conduct, or sponsor life sciences research shall report to the APNSA, through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor, on efforts to achieve the objectives described in subsection (a) of this section.

Sec. 10. Measuring the Bioeconomy. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of NIST, shall, in consultation with other agencies as determined by the Director, industry, and other stakeholders, as appropriate, create and make publicly available a lexicon for the bioeconomy, with consideration of relevant domestic and international definitions and with the goal of assisting in the development of measurements and measurement methods for the bioeconomy that support uses such as economic measurement, risk assessments, and the application of machine learning and other artificial intelligence tools.

(b) The Chief Statistician of the United States, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Director of NSF, and the heads of other appropriate agencies as determined by the Chief Statistician, shall improve and enhance Federal statistical data collection designed to characterize the economic value of the United States bioeconomy, with a focus on the contribution of biotechnology to the bioeconomy. This effort shall include:

(i) within 180 days of the date of this order, assessing, through the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, the feasibility, scope, and costs of developing a national measurement of the economic contributions of the bioeconomy, and, in particular, the contributions of biotechnology to the bioeconomy, including recommendations and a plan for next steps regarding whether development of such a measurement should be pursued; and

(ii) within 120 days of the date of this order, establishing an Interagency Technical Working Group (ITWG), chaired by the Chief Statistician of the United States, which shall include representatives of the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, OSTP, the NSF, and other appropriate agencies as determined by the Chief Statistician of the United States.

(A) Within 1 year of the date of this order, the ITWG shall recommend bioeconomy-related revisions to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) to the Economic Classification Policy Committee. In 2026, the ITWG shall initiate a review process of the 2023 recommendations and update the recommendations, as appropriate, to provide input to the 2027 NAICS and NAPCS revision processes.

(B) Within 18 months of the date of this order, the ITWG shall provide a report to the Chief Statistician of the United States describing the Federal statistical collections of information that take advantage of bioeconomy-related NAICS and NAPCS codes, and shall include recommendations to implement any bioeconomy-related changes as part of the 2022 revisions of the NAICS and NAPCS. As part of its work, the ITWG shall consult with external stakeholders.

Sec. 11. Assessing Threats to the United States Bioeconomy. (a) The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) shall lead a comprehensive interagency assessment of ongoing, emerging, and future threats to United States national security from foreign adversaries against the bioeconomy and from foreign adversary development and application of biotechnology and biomanufacturing, including acquisition of United States capabilities, technologies, and biological data. As part of this effort, the DNI shall work closely with the Department of Defense to assess technical applications of biotechnology and biomanufacturing that could be misused by a foreign adversary for military purposes or that could otherwise pose a risk to the United States. In support of these objectives, the DNI shall identify elements of the bioeconomy of highest concern and establish processes to support ongoing threat identification and impact assessments.

(b) Within 240 days of the date of this order, the DNI shall provide classified assessments to the APNSA related to:

(i) threats to United States national and economic security posed by foreign adversary development and application of biomanufacturing; and

(ii) foreign adversary means of, and intended usages related to, acquisition of United States biotechnologies, biological data, and proprietary or precompetitive information.

(c) Within 120 days of receiving the DNI’s assessments, the APNSA shall coordinate with the heads of relevant agencies as determined through the NSM-2 process to develop and finalize a plan to mitigate risks to the United States bioeconomy, based upon the threat identification and impact assessments described in subsection (a) of this section, the vulnerability assessments described in section 5(d) of this order, and other relevant assessments or information. The plan shall identify where executive action, regulatory action, technology protection, or statutory authorities are needed to mitigate these risks in order to support the technology leadership and economic competitiveness of the United States bioeconomy.

(d) The United States Government contracts with a variety of providers to support its functioning, including by contracting for services related to the bioeconomy. It is important that these contracts are awarded according to full and open competition, as consistent with the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-369, 98 Stat. 1175). In accordance with these objectives, and within 1 year of the date of this order, the Director of OSTP, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of HHS, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the DNI, the Administrator of NASA, and the Administrator of General Services, shall review the national security implications of existing requirements related to Federal procurement — including requirements contained in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement — and shall recommend updates to those requirements to the FAR Council, the Director of OMB, and the heads of other appropriate agencies as determined through the NSM-2 process. The recommendations shall aim to standardize pre-award data collection to enable due diligence review of conflict of interest; conflict of commitment; foreign ownership, control, or influence; or other potential national security concerns. The recommendations shall also include legislative proposals, as relevant.

(e) The Director of OMB shall issue a management memorandum to agencies, or take other appropriate action, to provide generalized guidance based on the recommendations received pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.

Sec. 12. International Engagement. (a) The Department of State and other agencies that engage with international partners as part of their missions shall undertake the following actions with foreign partners, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law — with a specific focus on developing countries, international organizations, and nongovernmental entities — to promote and protect both the United States and global bioeconomies:

(i) enhance cooperation, including joint research projects and expert exchanges, on biotechnology R&D, especially in genomics;

(ii) encourage regulatory cooperation and the adoption of best practices to evaluate and promote innovative products, with an emphasis on those practices and products that support sustainability and climate objectives;

(iii) develop joint training arrangements and initiatives to support bioeconomy jobs in the United States;

(iv) work to promote the open sharing of scientific data, including genetic sequence data, to the greatest extent possible in accordance with applicable law and policy, while seeking to ensure that any applicable access and benefit-sharing mechanisms do not hinder the rapid and sustainable development of innovative products and biotechnologies;

(v) conduct horizon scanning to anticipate threats to the global bioeconomy, including national security threats from foreign adversaries acquiring sensitive technologies or data, or disrupting essential bio-related supply chains, and to identify opportunities to address those threats;

(vi) engage allies and partners to address shared national security threats;

(vii) develop, and work to promote and implement, biosafety and biosecurity best practices, tools, and resources bilaterally and multilaterally to facilitate appropriate oversight for life sciences, dual-use research of concern, and research involving potentially pandemic and other high-consequence pathogens, and to enhance sound risk management of biotechnology- and biomanufacturing-related R&D globally; and

(viii) explore how to align international classifications of biomanufactured products, as appropriate, to measure the value of those products to both the United States and global bioeconomies.

(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the USTR and the heads of other agencies as determined by the Secretary, as appropriate, shall submit to the APNSA a plan to support the objectives described in subsection (a) of this section with foreign partners, international organizations, and nongovernmental entities.

Sec. 13. Definitions. For purposes of this order:

(a) The term “agency” has the meaning given that term by 44 U.S.C. 3502(1).

(b) The term “biotechnology” means technology that applies to or is enabled by life sciences innovation or product development.

(c) The term “biomanufacturing” means the use of biological systems to develop products, tools, and processes at commercial scale.

(d) The term “bioeconomy” means economic activity derived from the life sciences, particularly in the areas of biotechnology and biomanufacturing, and includes industries, products, services, and the workforce.

(e) The term “biological data” means the information, including associated descriptors, derived from the structure, function, or process of a biological system(s) that is measured, collected, or aggregated for analysis.

(f) The term “biomass” means any material of biological origin that is available on a renewable or recurring basis. Examples of biomass include plants, trees, algae, and waste material such as crop residue, wood waste, animal waste and byproducts, food waste, and yard waste.

(g) The term “biobased product” has the meaning given that term in 7 U.S.C. 8101(4).

(h) The term “bioenergy” means energy derived in whole or in significant part from biomass.

(i) The term “multiomic information” refers to combined information derived from data, analysis, and interpretation of multiple omics measurement technologies to identify or analyze the roles, relationships, and functions of biomolecules (including nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites) that make up a cell or cellular system. Omics are disciplines in biology that include genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics.

(j) The term “key R&D areas” includes fundamental R&D of emerging biotechnologies, including engineering biology; predictive engineering of complex biological systems, including the designing, building, testing, and modeling of entire living cells, cell components, or cellular systems; quantitative and theory-driven multi-disciplinary research to maximize convergence with other enabling technologies; and regulatory science, including the development of new information, criteria, tools, models, and approaches to inform and assist regulatory decision-making. These R&D priorities should be coupled with advances in predictive modeling, data analytics, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, high-performance and other advanced computing systems, metrology and data-driven standards, and other non-life science enabling technologies.

(k) The terms “equity” and “underserved communities” have the meanings given those terms by sections 2(a) and 2(b) of Executive Order 13985.

(l) The term “Tribal Colleges and Universities” has the meaning given that term by section 5(e) of Executive Order 14049 of October 11, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities).

(m) The term “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” has the meaning given that term by section 4(b) of Executive Order 14041 of September 3, 2021 (White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

(n) The term “minority serving institution” has the meaning given that term by 38 U.S.C. 3698(f)(4).

(o) The term “foreign adversary” has the meaning given that term by section 3(b) of Executive Order 14034 of June 9, 2021 (Protecting Americans’ Sensitive Data From Foreign Adversaries).

(p) The term “life sciences” means all sciences that study or use living organisms, viruses, or their products, including all disciplines of biology and all applications of the biological sciences (including biotechnology, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and pharmaceutical and biomedical research and techniques), but excluding scientific studies associated with radioactive materials or toxic chemicals that are not of biological origin or synthetic analogues of toxins.

Sec. 14. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 12, 2022.

Florida Primary Election Results

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 21:39:00 GMT

Florida Primary Election Results

As ofAugust 23, 2022 – 10:30 pm

Prepared by: Metz, Husband & Daughton, P.A.

The 2022 campaign cycle is an active one, mostly due to the once in a decade reapportionment process which altered all of Florida’s Congressional and legislative districts. As a result, one U.S. Senate seat, all 27 congressional, 40 Florida Senate and 120 Florida House seats were subject to election.

Voter turnout is typically lower in midterm elections (when the U.S. President is not on the ballot). The trend continued with a turnout tonight of 25.48% compared to 27% in the 2018 primary. Vote by mail (VBM) grew during the pandemic and has continued to increase this cycle. In 2018, over 1.3 million Floridians (15.4%) voted by mail. For this cycle, over 1.52 million voters cast their ballots by mail.

While not on the ballot, Governor Ron DeSantis still had a meaningful effect on tonight’s results. Throughout the summer, the Governor bestowed his coveted endorsement in Republican primaries across the state. The Governor also endorsed and contributed to both incumbents and new candidates running for school board seats which are historically nonpartisan races. In the end, DeSantis’ seal of approval pushed his favored candidates over the top in tonight’s primary.

As of 10:00 p.m. most results were tallied, and winners were declared. However, a few House primaries were too close to call at this time. Below are highlights of the primary election results. You may access the latest results reported by the Florida Department of State here.

Florida U.S. Senate & Congressional Delegation

The 2020 United States Census resulted in the gain of one seat (for a total of 28) in Florida’s Congressional Delegation. All 28 seats are subject to election as well as one of the two U.S. Senate seats.

U.S. Senate

Republican Senator Marco Rubio did not draw a primary opponent and advances to the general election. Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings defeated three primary opponents to secure her place on the November ballot against Senator Rubio.

U.S House of Representatives

District 7 – Following the announcement by Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy that she would not run for re-election, the Florida Legislature reconfigured this Orlando-based seat to make it more Republican. The eight-way Republican primary was won by Cory Mills, a defense contractor. He will now face Democrat businesswoman Karen Green and a write in candidate.

District 13 – Republican veteran Anna Paulina Luna, who lost to Democrat Charlie Crist for this seat in 2020, won the tonight’s primary. She will face two write-in candidates and a Libertarian candidate in November.

District 15 – This newly-created Republican performing seat near Tampa resulted in a five-way race in both the Republican and Democratic primaries. Former Secretary of State Laurel Lee handily beat her opponents, including former state Representative Jackie Toledo and former state Senator Kelli Stargel in tonight’s Republican primary. She will face journalist Alan Cohn, winner of the crowded Democratic primary in the general election.

Florida Governor & Cabinet

Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis did not have primary opponents.

However, the contest for the Democratic nominee for Governor was decided early this evening when U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist topped Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried by a comfortable margin. In the bid to replace Fried as Agriculture Commissioner, former Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Tribly) easily won the Republican primary. The well-funded Simpson will face Democratic James Shaw in November.

Florida Senate

Eight were re-elected when they did not draw an opponent at the end of the qualifying period. Of the 12 Senate primary election contests, all but one candidate effectively won their Senate seat tonight, as they face only token opposition or no general election challenger in November.

The most hotly contested primaries were in the Democratic primaries which are outlined below:

Senate District 5 | Current Democratic Representative Tracie Davis beat Jacksonville City Councilman Reggie Gaffney for this Northeast Florida seat. Davis will face a Republican and a write-in candidate in November for this historically Democratic seat.

Senate District 15 | Two Orlando-based Democratic House members – Kamia Brown and Geraldine Thompson – faced off in the primary for this West Orange County seat. Thompson won the primary and since she does not have opposition in the general election, she is elected to the Senate.

Senate District 35 | Senate Democratic leader Lauren Book fought off former Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief. With this win, Sen. Book is re-elected since a Republican did not qualify for the race.

Florida House

A total 28 incumbents Representatives (and one new member) were elected in June when they did not draw an opponent during the candidate qualifying period. Further, 22 of tonight’s primary contest winners are effectively elected due to having only nominal or no opposition in the general election. Below were the most closely watched primary races:

House District 3 | Prominent Republicans in this Northwest Florida district weighed in on both sides of the race between local physician Joel Rudman and Mariya Calkins, a former legislative aide and wife of Santa Rosa County Commissioner. Ultimately, Rudman won the primary and faces only a write-in candidate in the general election.

House District 8 | A four-way Democratic primary ensued when House Democratic leader Ramon Alexander chose not to run for re-election. Gallup Franklin, a pharmacist, secured the nomination and will face a Republican in the general election for this strong Democratic seat.

House District 16 | Three Republicans – former state Representative Lake Ray, Jacksonville Beach City Councilman Chet Stokes, and retired credit manager Kiyan Michael - sought to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Cord Byrd. Byrd was recently appointed Secretary of State by Gov. DeSantis. Newcomer Michael secured the Governor’s endorsement which boosted her win of the primary. She faces two write-in candidates in the November.

House District 29 | The reapportionment of legislative districts resulted in two incumbents being drawn into the same seat. Republican Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff (Deland) and Rep. Webster Barnaby (Deltona) vied for the Volusia County seat. As of 10:00pm, Rep. Barnaby leads Fetterhoff by 31 votes. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Rick Karl in the general election.

House District 35 | Republican Rep. Fred Hawkins faced two opponents in the primary for the seat spanning Orange and Osceola counties. With Gov. DeSantis’ endorsement, he secured the nomination and will face Navy veteran Tom Keen who won the three-way Democratic primary.

House District 41 | Democratic Rep. Tavaris McCurdy lost narrowly to former Rep. Bruce Antone for this Orange County seat. Antone faces a Green party candidate in November.

House District 44 | Democratic Rep. Daisy Morales lost her bid for re-election to this Orange County seat to advocate Rita Harris. Since a major party candidate did not qualify to run, Harris is effectively elected to the House.

House District 45 | Significant funds were raised and spent in the five-way Republican primary for this Central Florida seat. Carolina Amesty, a Christian University vice president defeated four opponents in the primary. She will now face Democrat credit union employee Allie Braswell in the general election.

House District 58 | The Republican primary race between former Representative Kim Berfield and consultant and former legislative aide Jason Holloway garnered competing endorsements from area elected Republicans. Berfield was victorious and meets Bernie Fensterwald in November.

House District 93 | The heated race to replace Wellington Democrat Rep. Matt Willhite saw competing candidates in a four-way primary. Rep. Willhite and several legislators endorsed his aide, Tom Valeo while others supported Port of Palm Beach Commissioner Katherine Waldron. When the votes were tallied, Waldron won the primary and will now face Republican Saulis Banjonis in the general election.

House District 101 | The three-way Democratic primary cast former Broward assistant state attorney Hillary Cassel against Clay Miller, legislative director for a Broward County Commissioner, and LGBTQ advocate Todd Delmay. Ultimately, Cassel won the primary and faces Republican Guy Sila in November.

House District 109 | Miami Democratic Rep. James Bush drew a primary opponent after he supported several Republican-sponsored bills during the 2022 Legislative Session. As a result, attorney Ashley Gantt won the endorsement of several Democratic House and Senate members. As of 10:30 p.m., Rep. Bush is down by 445 votes.

House District 120 – Republican Rep. Jim Mooney is holding his Key West House seat late this evening. As of 10:30pm, Rep. Mooney was ahead by 90 votes. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Dan Horton-Diaz.

Metz, Husband & Daughton, P.A.

A full service law firm, representing and advising clients in the areas of Legislative and Governmental Affairs, Federal and State Litigation, Administrative Law, Public Contracting, General Business and Corporate Law and Affordable Housing Development.

______________________________________________________

119 South Monroe Street – Suite 200 – Tallahassee, Florida 32301

Office: (850) 205-9000Fax: (850) 205-9001www.MHDFirm.com

Industry Leaders Weigh In on the Inflation Reduction Act

Mon, 8 Aug 2022 15:19:00 GMT

Industry Leaders Weigh In on the

Inflation Reduction Act

On Sunday, August 7, 2022, the United States Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in a party line vote with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie breaking vote.The legislation now moves back to the House of Representatives.Speaker Pelosi stated, “The House will return and move swiftly to send this bill to the President’s desk ….”

The 755 page legislation will continue to garner significant public debate and analysis in the coming days.

The following are statements from national business organizations:

Final reconciliation package a “disservice to patients and researchers”

Washington, DC (August 7, 2022) – Senate lawmakers today passed asweeping, $740 billion reconciliation package after an all-night session. Following the vote, Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), made the following statement:

“Nothing we heard from the lengthy floor debate on the Senate floor over the past two days can take away from the fact that every credible analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act comes to the same conclusion: fewer cures for patients.For that reason, we remain in staunch opposition to the government price control schemes included in the final reconciliation package passed today.

“While we have frequently voiced our support for the Part D out-of-pocket cap included in the bill, we have also repeatedly warned of the policy’s drastic and unnecessary blow tocures and therapies. Its passage today has built new barriers to battling current and future deadly pandemics, health inequality, and finding treatments for rare and hard-to-treat diseases.

“Concerningly, small biotech companies, which are responsible for the lion’s share of medical innovation, will bear the brunt of these consequences;these companies rely on a healthy investment environment to stay afloat and bring lifesaving therapies to patients.We applaud those Senators who attempted toexempt the work of these pioneering companies – and the millions of Americans who work within the innovation ecosystem.

“By choking off critical private investment in future R&D for companies of all sizes, the bill will set back the next generation of lifesaving cures and treatments patients are relying on — and cost hundreds of thousands of Americans their livelihoods in the process.

“It also marks a missed opportunity by this Congress to address the true cause of rising out-of-pocket costs for patients. We greatly appreciate the attempt to include reforms to the PBM rebate system that would have helped patients at the pharmacy counter, but unfortunatelythe bill at final passage remains bereft of any provisions that systematically and holistically tackle the biggest drivers of out-of-pocket costs in our system.

“The price controls passed today are a major disservice to patients and researchers. Looking forward, BIO has and will continue to advocate for pro-science policies that increase patient access to life-enhancing and life-saving treatments while also pushing the boundaries of medical innovation.”

PhRMA’s Ubl Calls Senate Passage of Partisan Drug Pricing Plan a “Tragic Loss for Patients”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 7, 2022)– The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed a reconciliation spending bill, which includes a proposal that would allow the government to set prices for prescription medicines:

“Today’s vote may feel like a political win for Democrats, but it’s really a tragic loss for patients. This drug pricing plan is based on a litany of false promises. They say they’re fighting inflation, but the Biden administration’s own data show that prescription medicines are not fueling inflation. They say this is “negotiation,” but the bill gives the government unchecked authority to set the price of medicines. And they say the bill won’t harm innovation, but various experts, biotech investors and patient advocates agree that this bill will lead to fewer new cures and treatments for patients battling cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

“They’re also misleading the American people when they say this bill fixes the affordability challenges patients face. This bill provides almost no relief to millions of individuals trapped in an insurance system that discriminates against sick patients. Under this bill, patients will still be forced to pay more for medicine than their insurance company pays. Democratic leaders seized every opportunity to make this bill worse for patients, including giving insurers the green light to raise premiums by six percent and delaying a rebate rule that would provide immediate relief to millions of seniors. When given the choice to stand with patients or insurers and middlemen, Senate Democrats stood by insurers and middlemen.

“Once the government can set prices for life saving medicines, it will demand even more control over the health care of American patients and the collateral damage from this bill will only grow. There is still time to reject this partisan bill and work on bipartisan reforms that lower costs at the pharmacy and protect the hope patients have for new treatments. We urge the House to do what’s needed to stop this dangerous bill and deliver the kind of meaningful patient-centered reforms the American people are counting on.”

Manufacturers Remain Staunchly Opposed to the Inflation Reduction Act

Washington, D.C. (August 6, 2022) –Following the release of the text of the Inflation Reduction Act, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement:

“The NAM remains staunchly opposed to the IRA. It increases taxes on manufacturers in America, undermining our competitiveness while we are facing harsh economic headwinds such as supply chain disruptions and the highest rate of inflation in decades.

“We appreciate that the ‘book tax’ has been revised to reflect the importance of job-creating investments in machinery and equipment. But that is insufficient. These new taxes will still deliver a blow to our industry’s ability to raise wages, hire workers and invest in our communities. In addition, the proposed direct negotiations over prescription drugs are a form of price setting and antithetical to the open marketplace of the Medicare Part D program. Pursuing price control policies could threaten future innovation and cures.

“Any desirable elements of this bill can and should be pursued as standalone legislation. As a whole, the bill simply does not position our industry or our country for future growth or global economic leadership and competitiveness, so we urge all lawmakers to stand with us and reject it.”

Coalition Letter on the Inflation Reduction Act

This Coalition letter was sent to the Members of the United States Senate, with 253 state and local chambers of commerce and national trade associations, opposing the Inflation Reduction Act.

Signatories included:Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, Englewood Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Chamber of Commerce, North Tampa Bay Chamber and The Osceola Chamber.

To the Members of the United States Congress:

The undersigned chambers of commerce and business organizations from across the United States urge you to oppose the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This legislation includes taxes that would discourage investment and undermine economic growth and price controls that would limit American innovation. Despite the name of the bill, independent analysis confirms that it would have little to no impact on inflation and may in fact increase inflationary pressure in the near-term.

While we understand that various elements of the legislation are being updated, we continue to believe that the following provisions make this legislation unworkable:

Enacting the proposed Corporate Book Minimum Tax would be the antithesis of sound tax policy and administration. Its introduction would be neither simple nor administrable and would pose a competitive disadvantage to U.S.-headquartered businesses while increasing the incidence of unrelieved double taxation. It would also have a detrimental effect on the quality of financial reporting.
The excise tax on stock buybacks would only distort the efficient movement of capital to where it can be put to best use and diminish the value of Americans’ retirement savings.
New price controls on pharmaceuticals would significantly reduce private sector investment in new research. Not only would this provision reduce jobs and hurt the economy, but the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that it will stifle the introduction of 15 new drugs over the next 30 years.

This is the absolute wrong time to increase taxes on American job creators or implement price controls on American innovators. We urge Congress to reject this misguided legislative package.

View List of Signatories

First Lady Casey DeSantis Launches Florida Cancer Connect

Wed, 3 Aug 2022 15:24:00 GMT

First Lady Casey DeSantis Launches Florida Cancer Connect

A Statewide Initiative to Provide Cancer Information and Survivor Stories

From the Office of Governor DeSantis

Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., August 3, 2022 – Today, First Lady Casey DeSantis unveiled Florida Cancer Connect, an initiative that focuses on providing information on cancer treatment, caregiver tools, and stories from brave Floridians who have fought this disease on one centralized website. First Lady DeSantis was joined by Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller, Dr. Scot Ackerman, MD, and Floridian cancer survivors to launch this initiative. The website is located at flcancerconnect.com.

“When I was going through my cancer fight, I saw the need for a centralized hub that housed everything patients and caretakers could need while dealing with this disease,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “Florida Cancer Connect arms Floridians with valuable knowledge while instilling hope into the lives of those facing cancer by sharing positive survivor stories. Our mission with this website is simple – make the cancer battle easier and instill hope in those fighting.”

Florida is second in the nation for newly diagnosed cancer cases. First Lady DeSantis is committed to supporting those facing cancer and promoting the world-class care Florida offers cancer patients. No matter how cancer is affecting someone, support is available for them and can be found at the Florida Cancer Connect webpage.

The Florida Cancer Connect website, which is continuing to grow, offers current tools that help Floridians:

Understandcancer research and prevention programs,
Locate a health care providerspecializing in cancer care,
Navigate the complexities ofcancer related insurance coverage,
Obtaincaregiver resources, and
Hear from thebrave Floridianswho have fought this disease.

“Floridians across our state have been impacted by cancer in some way, whether it be from their own battle or that of a loved one. Florida Cancer Connect will serve as an excellent resource for all Florida families to find the knowledge, help, and support they need no matter where they are in their cancer journey,” said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Simone Marstiller. “I applaud First Lady Casey DeSantis for embracing her own personal battle and using that experience to improve the life of every Floridian.”

"For over 30 years I have had the opportunity to serve our community by treating cancer patients and I am joined here today by our incredible staff and former patients who are really resilient cancer survivors," saidDr. Scot Ackerman, MD. "Cancer screening plays a crucial role in preventing cancer and diagnosing cancer early. Diagnosing cancer early makes it easier to treat and gives us as a better chance to cure our patients. Today we heard about improvements in access to cancer treatment options and access to cancer resources and these will lead to better outcomes for all Floridians."

Survivor stories will be added to the website’s “Letters of Strength” section over time to continue to provide hope to Floridians battling the disease.Floridians interested in sharing their survivor story can reach out via email to:survivor@flcancerconnect.com.

Florida Cancer Connect provides Floridians with information on cancer care, detection, prevention, research, and treatment. This hub highlights various tools to fight this battle including nation-wide statistics, prevention materials, and event opportunities to bring greater awareness to cancer in the state of Florida and beyond.

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Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Record Breaking Alzheimer’s Funding and Innovative Florida Alzheimer

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 19:44:00 GMT

For Immediate Release: June 23, 2022

Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Record Breaking Alzheimer’s Funding and Innovative Florida Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted record funding for Alzheimer’s and related dementias and signed Senate Bill 806, to establish the Ramping up Education of Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia for You (READY) Act. Additionally, the Governor announced that the final pillar of the five-part Dementia Action Plan, created in 2019, has been fulfilled with the establishment of the Florida Alzheimer’s Center for Excellence. The Freedom First Budget signed this month by the Governor included record funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia care, marking a nearly 60% increase in funding since the Governor took office in 2019.

“Supporting Floridians suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia is an important part of supporting our seniors,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We are working to make sure that any Floridian suffering from this terrible disease can access resources while also supporting innovative technologies that will open up doors for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients in the future.”

“From day one, Governor DeSantis has been dedicated to ensuring Florida is a place where citizens can live well and age well. This record funding and the establishment of the Florida Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence (FACE) show the administration’s continued support for investing in a better tomorrow for all Floridians,” said Department of Elder Affairs Secretary Michelle Branham. “I am especially grateful for the positive impact FACE will have on seniors and their families with early detection, early diagnosis, critical care planning, support, and resources.”

“We are going to bring more hope to this generation. There has not been a lot of success in this area before,” said Shane Strum, President/CEO, Broward Health. “We are going to explore new boundaries and medical innovation and create new best practices in the care for Alzheimer’s patients. This is only possible due to the tremendous leadership of the Governor and the other state leaders here who saw the need in our state and sought after a solution.”

“The urgency to meaningfully accelerate the pace of medical innovation in this area is clear,” said Maurice R. Ferre M.D., CEO and Chairman, INSIGHTEC. “Improving the lives of patient’s is core to our mission. I am confident that together, we will meaningfully advance the landscape for patients both now and into the future.”

“I want to thank Governor DeSantis and Secretary Branham for their continued support for those living with Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders,” said Tanya Miller, Volunteer/Caregiver, Alzheimer’s Association. “My loved ones cannot speak for themselves or perform activities of daily living on their own. They need someone by their sides at all times. Funding Alzheimer’s research provides the opportunity to improve treatments, plans and quality of life and one day, a cure. I am thankful to live in a state that is working to lead the nation for Alzheimer’s care and research.”

The Freedom First budget includes $52.3 million for the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Program, an increase of $12 million over the previous year. Additionally, $91.7 million is included for the Community Care for the Elderly Program, an increase of $9 million over the previous year. This program assists functionally impaired seniors to remain in the least restrictive, most suitable environment for their needs.

Further, Florida has established the Florida Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence (FACE) under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis. This program focuses on enhancing the infrastructure available to support impacted seniors, families and caregivers. FACE includes innovative partnerships like the one between INSIGHTEC and a consortium of Florida universities that identify patients for the Blood Brain Barrier clinical trials for more effective treatment of Alzheimer’s.

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Governor Ron DeSantis Signs the Freedom First Budget Providing Historic Investments to Support Our C

Thu, 2 Jun 2022 19:08:00 GMT

Yesterday afternoon Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the FY 2022-23 budget into law. The budget totals $109.9 billion and includes a record $1.24 billion in tax relief for Floridians. Below is the press release issued by the Governor’s office which includes budget highlights and information on vetos.

Click Here to view the Governor's final budget actions, as they apply to the BioFlorida funding priorities identified by the Government Affairs Committee. Contact Us if you have questions about individual line items.

Governor Ron DeSantis Signs the Freedom First Budget Providing Historic Investments to Support Our Communities, Promote Education, and Protect the Environment

For Immediate Release: June 2, 2022

Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com

THE VILLAGES, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Freedom First budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 which prioritizes the freedoms of Floridians to live, work, and have successful businesses in the state. The budget totals $109.9 billion and includes a record $1.24 billion in tax relief for Floridians. Florida will have historic reserves at the end of Fiscal Year 2021-2022, totaling more than $20 billion, and reserves for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 are estimated to begin the year at more than $16 billion. Florida has record levels of reserves while continuing to make historic investments in education, infrastructure, and other programs. To maintain Florida’s sound fiscal standing in the face of negative economic headwinds due to ill-conceived federal policies, Governor DeSantis vetoed $3.1 billion in spending, setting a new state record by a wide margin.

“Florida has preserved freedom and kept the economy open, which has enabled the state to outperform the nation in jobs, growth, and business formations,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Our commitment to freedom has paid off. Our responsible fiscal policies have put the state in a strong position to make the record investments needed to support growth and opportunity in spite of the reckless fiscal and monetary policies of the Biden administration.”

To read the budget highlights, click HERE .

To read the transmittal letters, click HERE, HERE and HERE.

To read the veto List, click HERE.

To read the veto messages click HERE,HERE andHERE.

To read the Directive from Governor Ron DeSantis to Education Commissioner Manny Diaz regarding the Florida School Recognition Program, click HERE.

“Despite the pandemic and reckless spending in Washington, Florida is fiscally stronger than ever because of Governor DeSantis’ leadership,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “Our historic investments in the Freedom First budget reaffirm our steadfast commitment to infrastructure, law enforcement, the environment, and education while putting Floridians and their tax dollars first.”

FLORIDA PUTS ECONOMIC FREEDOM FIRST

The Freedom First budget gives Floridians the freedom to use their incomes to support their families, instead of supporting more government. Florida has continued to see economic growth, job growth, and labor force expansion because of meaningful investments in Florida’s communities. To build on this progress and provide relief from the Biden administration’s policies, the Freedom First budget provides $1.24 billion in tax relief to Floridians, including a gas tax holiday that lowers the price of gas in Florida by 25.3 cents and will save Floridians $200 million and a sales tax holiday on diapers and baby clothes for one year, providing $120 million in tax relief.

Florida has supported economic growth directly impacting communities – resulting in 24 consecutive months of job growth and a state unemployment rate lower than the national rate for 17 months. The Freedom First budget supports economic development by investing $30 million for the Rural Infrastructure Fund, an increase of $25 million over the current year’s budget, and $50 million for the Job Growth Grant Fund for projects that support workforce training opportunities and infrastructure improvements. The budget also invests $400 million to expand broadband, with a focus on rural communities.

Investing in highways, bridges, and ports gives Floridians the freedom to easily access work opportunities and aid in new business development. The Freedom First budget includes more than $11.7 billion for the State Transportation Work Program to support access to economic opportunities - the highest in state history.

The Freedom First budget provides $25 million for the restoration and maintenance of the Freedom Tower, to ensure that this landmark continues to be a beacon of freedom and serve as a symbol of the democratic values we hold dear.

FLORIDA PROMOTES FREEDOM THROUGH HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION

Florida continues to lead the nation in empowering students and families through educational opportunities. The Freedom First budget provides tools for schools to employ high quality educators and ensure the success of Florida’s students. These investments include $800 million for teacher pay increases, the largest increase in state history. To support student success, the budget provides the highest per student investment of $8,143 in the Florida Education Finance Program, an increase of $385 per student over FY 2021-2022. A historic nearly $400 million for safe school initiatives and mental health initiatives in Florida schools is included to ensure a safe learning environment for students.

For the economic freedom of Floridians, the Freedom First budget includes over $579 million to support workforce education programs to help Floridians fill high-demand, high-paying jobs and meet the state’s goal of becoming the best state for workforce education by 2030. More than $125 million is included for nursing education programs to assist with the nursing shortage through rewarding performance and incentivizing collaboration between nursing programs and healthcare partners.

SUPPORTING FIRST RESPONDERS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WHO PROTECT OUR FREEDOM

Florida continues to make necessary investments in our public safety and prioritize the freedom of law-abiding Floridians. Florida has seen 50 consecutive years of decreasing state crime rate due to policies that promote public safety and back law enforcement and first responders. The Freedom First budget provides local government first responders with $1,000 bonus payments, totaling $125 million, and the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program will issue signing bonuses of up to $5,000 for new recruits and out-of-state officers moving to Florida. The budget also includes $5 million for scholarships to help students complete the required training to become a law enforcement officer.

The Freedom First budget supports Florida’s National Guard and military families and reinforces the Governor’s commitment to being the most military friendly state in the nation. Florida continues to invest in programs and resources for military members and their families with a $13.5 million investment towards scholarships for children and spouses of deceased and disabled veterans to welcome military presence in our state. $7.9 million will support our National Guard and emergency response capabilities including a new headquarters for the National Guard Counter Drug Program and support for Florida Guardsmen seeking higher education degrees.

To ensure that Florida is prepared to respond during an emergency, the Freedom First budget provides $10 million to re-establish the Florida State Guard, a civilian volunteer force, to support 400 recruits to aid in Florida’s emergency preparedness for hurricanes and other disasters.

ENVIRONMENT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

Florida’s natural resources are the foundation of our state’s communities and are central to our quality of life, tourism, and economy. The Freedom First budget will bring the four-year total investment in Everglades restoration and the protection of water resources to more than $3 billion, doubling the investment of the previous four years and surpassing the goal set four years ago. This includes $500 million for Everglades restoration projects and more than $558 million for targeted water quality improvements to achieve significant nutrient reductions in key waterbodies across the state. $75 million is included in the budget to restore Florida’s world-renowned springs.

To support conservation of Florida’s natural lands, the Freedom First budget includes $733.3 million to protect our waters and prized properties while ensuring that Floridians can access to enjoy our state-owned lands. $468 million will go to the Florida Forever Program, and $264 million in record funding is included for infrastructure improvements and resource management of Florida’s award-winning state park system.

The budget includes a $35 million investment to improve water quality and combat the effects and impacts of harmful algal blooms, including blue-green algae and red tide.

The budget also includes $30 million for the care and management of manatees, including $20 million to enhance and expand the number of manatee acute care facilities and to restore spring access and habitat restoration in manatee concentrated areas.

Florida’s environment has been affected by invasive, non-native species like the Burmese Python that disrupt the natural food-chain and further threaten endangered species. The Freedom First budget provides up to $3 million for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to remove pythons from the Everglades, an increase of $2 million over the current year.

FLORIDA SUPPORT FOR HEALTH CARE FREEDOM

Florida has placed the freedom of Floridians to make their own health care choices above what the federal government wishes to force upon people. The Governor has prioritized the health of Floridians by supporting our state’s health care force, putting Seniors First, helping combat the opioid epidemic, and ensuring that veterans and disabled Floridians can receive the care they need. More than $1 billion is included in the budget for providers who serve our aging population, individuals with disabilities, high risk pregnant women and children and who perform organ transplants.

The Governor has prioritized the needs of children who are served by the child welfare system in Florida. The Freedom First budget includes nearly $361 million to provide services for foster parent support, adoption services, and the modernization of the Florida Safe Families Network System. The Freedom First budget includes nearly $70 million for mentorship programs and support to encourage responsible and involved fatherhood. To support foster parents and those who wish to adopt, the budget includes an increase of $15 million over last year’s budget to support adoption benefits for state employees and maintenance adoption subsidies and $24.8 million, an increase of $200 per month, to assist foster parents and relative or non-relative caregivers with covering the cost of childcare.

The Freedom First budget supports Florida’s most vulnerable by dedicating $100 million to support Florida’s National Cancer Institute Program to enhance Florida’s competitiveness in cancer research and care. Additionally, more than $55 million will support equipment updates and medical costs for State Veterans’ nursing homes and an additional $2 million will assist veterans in the transition to civilian life.

To continue putting Seniors First, a $21 million increase is included for care and assistance for seniors through the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative and the Community Care for the Elderly Program which will allow more than 2,000 seniors the freedom to receive services in their homes.

The need for behavioral and mental health services has increased across the state and is a priority of both the Governor and First Lady Casey DeSantis. The Freedom First budget includes nearly $294 million for community based behavioral health services and operations of state mental health treatment facilities including treatment services to address mental health issues like reducing overdoses, suicides and helping break the cycle of hospitalization and homelessness.

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Governor DeSantis Approves Historic $100 Million for Cancer Care and Research at NCI Facilities

Tue, 17 May 2022 18:07:00 GMT

For Immediate Release: May 17, 2022

Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Communications@eog.myflorida.com

Governor DeSantis Approves Historic $100 Million for Cancer Care and Research at NCI Facilities

MIAMI — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the approval of $100 million for cancer research and care in the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget, a $37 million increase over the current budget. Last year, the First Lady held a roundtable to announce the Governor’s proposal of this historic funding for Florida’s top cancer centers to continue providing world-class care to cancer patients.

“Cancer remains a leading cause of death in Florida, and we will continue to support those fighting this deadly disease,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “With this funding, cancer centers will continue their cutting-edge research and provide high quality care to patients. Our family is grateful for the care that the First Lady received during her cancer treatment this past year, and we want to make quality care available for all Floridians.”

“I am incredibly proud to see this record funding secured for cancer patients, their families, and the facilities that serve them,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “Early detection is a game changer in the cancer fight. I encourage anyone reading this to be proactive about your health — it might just save your life.”

“As a physician, my patients with cancer were the most courageous, and showed optimism in the face of their difficult battle,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “This funding is a wonderful thing. The research will identify places of discovery to make change. These discoveries are going to be how we prevent and treat cancer around the world.”

“I used to run marathons and do triathlons, but in 2011 my doctors found that I had stage 4 kidney cancer, which spread to my lungs,” said Raquel E. Kaufler, Kidney Cancer Survivor. “I went through many harsh tests and treatments with horrible side effects, but I wasn’t going to let cancer take my life. Thankfully I had a great support system, and thanks to Sylvester giving me the help I needed, I am here. I want to thank the Governor and Legislature for your commitment to cancer research.”

“My daughter Bella battled an aggressive childhood cancer valiantly for 6 years, walking, running, and jumping when doctors never thought possible,” said Raymond Rodriguez-Torres, Bella’s Father and Chairman, Live Like Bella® Childhood Cancer Foundation Board of Directors. “With support from around the world we founded Live Like Bella to assist families affected by childhood cancer. Since then, $26 million has been made possible through our foundation for pediatric cancer research in Florida. This brings hope for children and families. Today we know that Bella smiles from heaven, and we remain charged until we know that childhood cancer no longer threatens our kids.”

Cancer has been the second leading cause of death in Florida since 2014, which is why the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute (NCI) Centers Program was created. The $100 million for this program is nearly a 60% increase from previous years, and will go to Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Florida Health Cancer Center.

Florida’s three NCI-designated and NCI-seeking centers provide world-class care to residents in different regions of our state. These centers use this funding for enhanced research projects and care to support their patients.

Florida is dedicated to supporting every individual in this fight. The state also provides funding for initiatives that support pediatric cancer research and grants for cancer research at centers that are not NCI designated.

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Moffitt Cancer Center is Engaging the Community Against Cancer

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 22:50:00 GMT

Moffitt Cancer Center is Engaging the Community Against Cancer

April 22, 2022 16:26 ET | Source: Moffitt Cancer Center

TAMPA, Fla., April 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To close the disparity gap in health care, it is critical that medical centers and community organizations work collaboratively to ensure that scientific advancements address the needs of and ultimately reach those in the communities they serve.

Nationally renowned as a model example, bringing together providers, researchers and the community partners is the mission of Office of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity.

Established in 2019, the Office of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity (COEE) places health equity at the forefront of research by ensuring that work is informed by an ongoing and bidirectional exchange of information and ideas with community stakeholders.

Providing outreach, education, and clinical care across more than 23 West and Central Florida counties and beyond, Moffitt’s Office of Community Outreach, Engagement, and Equity helps ensure that all aspects of the cancer center place specific emphasis on addressing the health disparities of those who are underserved and underrepresented.

As part of the COEE Research Integration Committee, Kosj Yamoah, MD, PhD explains how, “As an African American physician-scientist actively involved in the management of patients with prostate cancer, I have witnessed the disproportionate severity of this disease burden among men of African origin, and I truly appreciate the importance of engaging with the community through the committee to inform additional research in this field with the goal of improving outcomes in this population.”

At Moffitt, our patient outcomes often exceed the national average, in part because of our ongoing research efforts and our robust portfolio of clinical trials. We are focused on translating our research discoveries into new therapies, diagnostics, and supportive care for our patients.

Moffitt Cancer Center encourages minority communities, specifically the Black and African American community, to participate in clinical trials for cancer treatments. The only way to ensure therapies work just as effectively on different populations is if we have diversity among those choosing to participate in clinical trials.

“The goal of the COEE is to maximize the impact of Moffitt’s clinical care, research, and outreach for our community,” said Susan Vadaparampil, PhD, MPH, Associate Center Director of the Office of COEE. “Everything we do is driven by the perspectives and needs of the diverse communities we serve.”

To learn more about how you can get involved or to request community outreach services from Moffitt Cancer Center, visit Moffitt.org/COEE.

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About Moffitt Cancer Center

Moffitt Cancer Center is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt is a Top 10 cancer hospital and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 7,000 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.4 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit Moffitt.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

First Lady Casey DeSantis Announces $100 Million Proposal for Cancer Research and Care in Florida

Wed, 8 Dec 2021 22:36:10 GMT

First Lady Casey DeSantis Announces $100 Million Proposal for Cancer Research and Care in Florida

The proposal will be included in Governor DeSantis’ budget recommendation for 2022-2023, and is a $37 million (59%) increase over prior year funding

December 8, 2021

TAMPA, Fla. – First Lady Casey DeSantis announced Governor DeSantis is recommending $100 million for cancer research and care in his 2022-2023 budget, an increase of $37 million, or nearly 60%, over prior year funding. The funding will be used to forward cancer care and research at three cancer institutes in Florida—Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and University of Florida Health Cancer Center. View the full roundtableHERE.

“Florida offers some of the best cancer care and research in the nation, and I’m proud that we are proposing historic investments in our leading cancer centers,”said First Lady Casey DeSantis. “The Governor and I are committed to helping every cancer patient that we can through innovative research and high-quality care. While we increase this important funding, I also urge Floridians to go through appropriate cancer screenings. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in our state and now is not the time to delay care. I was honored to join experts in the cancer field today to discuss the urgency of cancer screening and to hear about the incredible innovative solutions our institutes are putting forward.”

First Lady DeSantis made the announcement during a roundtable at Moffitt Cancer Center with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo and representatives from the center.

“The Florida Department of Health fully supports the First Lady and Governor in their request for comprehensive funding to support the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program,”said Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “Florida’s cancer institutes are critical in providing treatment that saves the lives of patients with cancer. This funding will also continue supporting advancements in cancer research and treatments that can potentially lead to new cures. Thank you for your continued dedication to protecting Floridians now and into the future.”

“The funding announced today will greatly benefit our three homegrown Florida cancer centers — Moffitt, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami and UF Health Cancer Center — enabling these institutions to recruit the best and brightest from around the globe. It will allow us to bring teams and grant dollars to Florida to better support cutting edge discoveries, research and patient care, and make progress in the prevention and cure of cancer,”said Dr. Patrick Hwu, President and CEO of Moffitt. “We can’t thank the governor and of course the first lady enough for all their support in the fight against cancer.”

In 2014, the Florida Legislature established the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program to enhance the quality and competitiveness of cancer care in the state. The initiative funds three cancer institutes in Florida that are or are seeking to become National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated.

Moffitt Cancer Center (designated National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center)
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (designated National Cancer Institute)
University of Florida Health Cancer Center (applying for National Cancer Institute designation)

Over the last three years, the Consortium has provided treatment to more than 67,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients, educated nearly 32,000 current and future clinicians and scientists on the latest advancements for cancer diagnosis and treatments, and shared research findings through 75 distinct collaborative publications. Florida also provides funding for separate initiatives that support pediatric cancer research, and grants that support cancer research at other institutes that are not NCI designated.

Funding for Cancer research and treatment programs has become even more important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to astudy releasedin May by the University of Kansas Medical Center, nearly 9.4 million screenings for breast, colon, and prostate cancers did not occur in the U.S. over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption in cancer screenings highlights the importance of increased funding for treatment and research in the FY2022-2023 budget.

Since 2014, cancer has been the second leading cause of death in the state of Florida, behind heart disease. In 2021, theAmerican Cancer Societyestimates there have been over 47,000 deaths attributed to cancer in Florida. Florida also has the second highest cancer burden in the United States.

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Contact:Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282,Media@eog.myflorida.com

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Expanded Monoclonal Antibody Access in Florida with New Monoclonal A

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 01:34:32 GMT

For Immediate Release: August 12, 2021

Contact: Governor’s Press Office, (850) 717-9282, Media@eog.myflorida.com

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Expanded Monoclonal Antibody Access in Florida with New Monoclonal Antibody Centers

~ Monoclonal antibody strike teams will deploy directly to long-term care facilities ~

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is increasing the availability of monoclonal antibody therapies by opening a rapid response unit to administer this lifesaving treatment in Jacksonville. In the coming days, the state will be exploring an additional long-term location at the Jacksonville Public Library, as well as other locations throughout the state.

“I am proud to announce the opening of this rapid response unit to offer lifesaving monoclonal antibody therapies for Floridians,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We also look forward to setting up a long-term site at the Jacksonville Public Library and additional long-term sites across the state. These treatments have been proven successful, with clinical trials resulting in a 70% reduction in hospitalization and death for COVID patients.”

To find locations to receive monoclonal antibody treatments around the entire state, please visit floridahealthcovid19.gov.

To see the full video from the event, please click HERE.

Additionally, monoclonal antibody strike teams are being developed to bring treatment directly to Florida's vulnerable populations in long-term care facilities. Rather than having nursing home residents leave the facility to receive monoclonal antibody therapy, these teams will deploy to them to provide treatment.

“The Division of Emergency Management is proud to join Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Health to secure access to the monoclonal antibody treatment throughout the state for Floridians,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Director Kevin Guthrie. “Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, we are committed to working alongside DOH as we continue to identify and deploy all available resources for the treatment of COVID-19 to local governments and hospitals.”

"These monoclonal antibody therapy sites will expand access to proven effective COVID-19 treatment,” said FDEM Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kenneth Scheppke. “The treatment reduces severe illness, hospitalization and death risk by 70%, and reduces the odds of household contacts developing COVID-19 by 82%. Monoclonal antibody therapy helps prevent the COVID-19 virus from attaching to human cells, and is effective against variants of concern, including the Delta variant. Thank you to Governor DeSantis for his continued dedication to innovative and multi-faceted solutions as we have responded to COVID-19."

Monoclonal antibody treatments can be prescribed by health care providers to individuals 12 years of age and older who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are at high risk for severe illness and hospitalization. The antibodies help the immune system recognize and respond effectively to the virus.

According to the treatment guidelines, they should be administered as soon as possible after diagnosis, and within 10 days of symptom onset. By providing access to these treatments at these new sites, Governor DeSantis is alleviating demand on hospital resources and further making sure that Floridians have access to all potential treatments that can help them recover from COVID-19.

Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Health continue to encourage Floridians to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Find out where the vaccine is offered HERE.

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