Cocoa High JROTC's cadet-led camp trip canceled in wake of Department of Defense funds freeze
Due to the federal freeze on the Department of Defense's travel spending, JROTC cadets from Cocoa High School were told just two days before they were set to leave for an annual leadership that the event was canceled.
Following President Donald Trump’s executive order to make federal spending more transparent, the Department of Defense issued a memo saying that, the use of all government-issued travel cards by civilian employees of DOD was suspended.
While the cadets' trip had already been paid for, the March 11th DOGE announcement that it canceled more than 200,000 government credit cards, would have paid for bus fare for JROTC cadets.
Matt Dailey, a test coordinator at Cocoa High and a chaperone for the trip said "Camp can help a lot with being able to gain leadership skills and learning how to work together with people as a team.”
Citizens Initiative
Governor Ron DeSantis wants to change the rules for how voters can amend the state constitution.
This means stricter rules and increased requirements for citizen-led initiatives.
One of the proposed rules would block third party groups from gathering signatures during the petition process.
Those groups collect any completed or otherwise non-blank voter registration applications or petition signatures from voters and submit it for them.
Douglas Soule [SOUL], the state government reporter for W-U-S-F, spoke on what this blockage could mean.
“Now you need nearly a million signatures to get a measure on the ballot, so not having access to those groups would significantly stymie many amendment campaigns.”
Some activists are concerned that the proposed changes violate voters rights.
Insurance Commissioners Never Finished Report
Florida lawmakers want to know why a 2022 report critical of home insurance companies was concealed.
A journalist uncovered the report that shows insurers claimed financial losses...while they moved Billions of dollars to affiliate companies.
State Insurance commissioner Michael Yaworsky [yuh-WOR-skee] said in a hearing Friday that the report was never finished.
"It was in draft, and we don't make a business of providing information that we believe to be inaccurate or imperfect to the Legislature."
Yaworsky and the former insurance commissioner could not explain why the report was incomplete. Republican Representative Mike Caruso wants a new report.
"I find as a legislator that's outrageous, that we're getting something so antiquated and so full of flaws."
Legislators say more hearings are expected.
Remove bat infestations
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 13 native species of bats are protected by state law in Florida. During mating season, April 16 thru Aug. 14th, it is illegal to prevent them from returning to their roosts to avoid keeping flightless young bats from getting trapped inside structures.
Bats are a beneficial part of the local ecology. Some native Florida species, such as the Florida bonneted bat, are endangered. Bats eat insects and serve as pollinators and seed dispersers, and their guano can be a valuable fertilizer.
"A single bat can eat hundreds of insects, including mosquitoes and other garden and agricultural pests, each night," the FWC said.
The FWC strongly recommends checking your home and other buildings for bats before maternity season starts. Keep your house sealed and offer alternative housing.
- trees with cavities or peeling bark, dead fronds on palm trees provide roosting spots for bats
- Add native plants to attract native pollinators and benefit bats
- Install a bat house on your property
More: www.floridatoday.com
