Statewide Updates
Florida Takes Legal Action to Block President Biden’s Unlawful Head Start Mandate
Attorney General Ashley Moody is taking legal action challenging President Joe Biden’s unlawful mandates for Head Start staff, teachers and students. Attorney General Moody and attorneys general from 23 other states today filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana challenging the requirements. The unlawful requirements include mandatory masks on toddlers and COVID-19 vaccinations for staff and volunteers in Head Start programs.
The Head Start program provides much needed resources to underserved children and their families. The program provides early childhood education and resources, including diapers, to families. If left in place, teachers, contractors and volunteers in Florida Head Start programs will be forced to receive COVID-19 vaccinations by January 31st, 2022. This unlawful requirement will lead to job losses and potentially a reduction in programs for children in need.
Joining Attorney General Moody in taking legal action to stop the unlawful mandates are attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
New Preventative Monoclonal Antibody for Immunocompromised Patients
Governor DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced a new long-acting COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy from AstraZeneca that will be available for moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients, at numerous health care provider locations in Florida.
“This monoclonal is a new tool for some of our most vulnerable Floridians and we are happy to make this available throughout the state,” said Governor DeSantis. “Florida has been a leader in advocating for early treatment of COVID-19 and the availability of this new monoclonal is a continuation of the state’s efforts. Florida will continue to use a comprehensive approach to respond to COVID-19 and promote healthy living through Healthier You.”
To learn more about the treatment, click here.
Action Against Communist China and Woke Corporations
On December 20th, Governor DeSantis held a meeting with the State Board of Administration where he, CFO Jimmy Patronis, and Attorney General Ashley Moody moved to revoke all proxy voting authority that has been given to outside fund managers, to clarify the state’s expectation that all fund managers should act solely in the financial interest of the state’s funds, and to conduct a survey of all of the investments of the Florida Retirement System to determine how many assets the state has in Chinese companies.
By retaking control of the state pension fund’s proxy voting from outside fund managers who may pursue social ideologies inconsistent with the state’s values or the financial interests of the state’s investments, and by determining the state’s exposure to Chinese investments, the actions taken at the meeting further strengthen Florida’s fiscal footing and signal to those in corporate America who prop up a genocidal, authoritarian, imperialist regime that they will not do so with Floridians’ money.
DEP Launches New Green Stormwater Infrastructure Website
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Water Restoration Assistance Nonpoint Source Management program announced the launch of the new green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) website. The site is a resource where communities can learn what GSI is, why it matters, how to get started, and how to implement projects that deliver environmental, social and economic benefits to communities.
“I encourage our stakeholders to visit the new GSI website. This site complements our agency’s ongoing efforts to protect Florida’s water resources by providing case studies, technical guidance and information about funding offered by DEP for green stormwater infrastructure,” said DEP Deputy Secretary for Ecosystems Restoration Adam Blalock. “Information will be kept up to date with the latest research and technical guidance in coordination with our partners at the University of Florida, Florida State University, the water management districts and local municipalities.”
The new website showcases green stormwater infrastructure success stories along with technical resources to assist in project planning. These resources will assist communities in determining which stormwater best management practices are most appropriate for an area, evaluating costs and maintenance requirements, and estimating nutrient reduction effectiveness.
Examples of green stormwater infrastructure include:
- Bioswales – Vegetated, shallow, landscaped feature designed to capture, treat and infiltrate stormwater runoff.
- Tree boxes – Stormwater control measures around individual trees (usually in a downtown or main street streetscape) that collect and treat stormwater prior to discharge into the storm sewer system or subsoil.
- Permeable pavement – Porous urban surface that catches precipitation and surface runoff, allowing it to slowly infiltrate the soil below.
To view the GSI website, click here.
