Loading...
2020-05-19 News ArticleLake Okeechobee News – merger of Okeechobee News, Clewiston News, Glades County Democrat and The Sun May 27, 2020 'City Council moves forward with fire service contract By Cathy Womble Lake Okeechobee News I OKEECHOBEE — Despite assurances to the contrary, it appears the Okeechobee City Council has made a decision regarding the fate of the city fire department. Back in February, the council assured the city fire department that theintention in asking the county for a contract did not mean they had made a decision. At the time they said they would look at Capt. talo Rodriguez's proposal and the contract side by side and compare the two. At that earlier meeting, Councilman Bobby Keefe said he thought having the two options ide by side was the only logical way to assess K-9 help Special to the Lake Okeechobee News TALLAHASSEE — Supporting the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis to keep older Floridians "Saf- er at Home," the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) is partnering with Scent Evidence K9 to distribute 2,000 Scent Preservation Kits to caregivers of those living with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). As Florida seniors stay at home to limit their risk of exposure to COVID-I9, those older adults with ADRD may have an increased tendency to wander and become lost. If that happens, pro- active family safety measures, such as the Scent Reservation Kit, are providing effective response systems to locate missing persons and return them to safety. "Governor DeSantis is ensuring Florida's older adults stay safe during COVID-19, and this s their options, but at the meeting on May 19, there was no comparison of the two options at a0. The only mention of Captain Rodriguez's proposal was when he brought it up himself during public comments and was told by Councilman Keefe that there were more costs involved than his proposal had covered. Capt. Rodriguez was told they would not be consider- ing his proposal and would instead be "merg- ing" with the county. Mayor Dowling Watford said he did not agree with the council's decision, but he is only one man. If it were up to him, he would give Capt. Rodriguez's proposal a chance, but it is not up to him. He believes most city residents enjoy the services provided by the fire department and the vulnera partnership furthers that directive, especially for those living with ADRD," said Elder Affairs Secretary Richard Prudom. "These Scent Preser- vation Kits will assist families and help prevent at -risk individuals from becoming a'missing person. They allow families and caregivers to be prepared before an at -risk individual goes missing, and the kits improve the response time if someone does go wandering.", "We call our kits,'Peace of Mind in a Jar'," said Founder and CEO of Scent Evidence K9 Paul Coley. "As a former FBI forensic canine operations specialist and canine handler, I was constantly faced with the challenge of finding an effective scent article during active searches. My solution was to develop the scientifically tested and proven Scent Reservation Kit. These kits provide K9 responders with uncontaminated will miss them when they are gone. He said he hopes the police department will not suffer the same fate one day. The only questions seem to lie within the contract itself. The county sent over a draft of a contract, and the council discussed the details during the meeting. Some of the points discussed were the amount of time it takes to approve pemdts, preference in hiring city firefighters, the length of the contract and what to do with the city fire equipment. Changes were made to the draft, and it will be sent back to the county. If they agree to the changes, the deal will be made. Another interesting discussion came up when Councilwoman Monica Clark said the city ble stay safer scent articles that significantly reduce the time it takes to locate someone." Scent Evidence K9 has created special packaging for the kits, which will be distributed by DOEA and include a letter from Secretary Prudom providing further assistance. DOEA is working with Memory Disorder Clinics, the Alzheimer's Disease initiative and all Florida Area Agencies on Aging to identify recipients for the kits and ensure those with the highest risk of wandering are protected. About the Florida Department of Elder Affairs The Florida Department of Elder Affairs helps Florida's elders to remain healthy, safe,and independent. The department provides most direct services through its Division of Statewide Community -Based Services, which council wanted to let the citizens vote on the fire issue, but the county refused. City Attorney John Fumero asked if anyone had ever formally asked to put a referendum on the ballot, and Councilman Bob Jarriel said it was brought up at the joint workshop they held to discuss the fire departments. Interestingly, the only mention of voting at that meeting came from County Commissioner Brad Goodbread, and he said he thought it should be left up to the Okeechobee voters and should be put on the ballot. When it came time for public comments, a petition with almost 500 signatures in support of the city fire department was read into the record, but that seemed to have no effect on the council. at home --p works through the state's eleven Area Agencies on Aging and local service providers to deliver essential services to a vital segment of the population. For more information,go online to elderaffairs.org. About Scent Evidence K9 Scent Evidence K9 is a Tallahassee -based international provider of effective scent -discrim- inant systems and services that enable respond- ers to find missing persons and bring them home safely. The company has partnered with several organizations including the Department of Elder Affairs, the Alzheimer's Association, the Dementia Care and Cure Initiative Task Force, and law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and internationally to raise awareness and provide proactive public safety solutions for populations at high risk for wandering. School board approves resolution for stimulus funding Special to the lake Okeechobee News WEST PALM BEACH — The Palm Beach County School Board unanimously approved during its virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 20, a resolution calling on the federal govern- ment to allocate adequate stimulus funding to public education. The school district is joining efforts with the Council of Great City Schools as a member district to urge Congress to allocate at least $200 billion in relief for our nation's public schools. The school board felt the resolution was necessary to bring greater attention to the anticipated financial impact of COVID-19 as well as formally call on the Palm Beach County congressional delegation to advocate for and approve additional federal education funding for American public schools. "The unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19 will persist and likely grow as the pandemic continues to affect our national, state and local economies," Superintendent Donald E. Fennoy 11 said. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated $13.3 billion for education stabilization funding in March. However, school districts in Florida have yet to receive any CARES Act funding. And, while the school board supports the recent passage of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emer- gency Solutions (HEROES) Act (HB 6800) by the U.S. House of Representatives, the $58 billion earmarked for public schools wig not be enough to fully mitigate any future financial destabiliza- tion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Employee retention credit available for businesses affected by COVID-19 Special to the Lake Okeechobee News The employee retention credit is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees on their payroll. The amount of the credit is 50% of qualified wages paid up to an annual limit of $10,000, which equals a maximum credit amount of $5,000 for each employee for the year. Eligible employers are employers who op- erate a trade or business and have experienced one of these: • Fully or partially suspended operations because of a government order due to COVID-19 • A significant decline in gross receipts in a calendar quarter when compared to 2019 How is the credit figured? • The amount of the credit is half of quali- fying wages paid up to $10,000 for all calendar quarters. The maximum credit for any employee is $500 for the year. • Wages paid between March 12, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2021, are eligible. • Wages are not limited to cash payments. on their federal employment tax returns, usually They also include a portion of employer-provid- Form 991, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax ed health care costs. Return Which wages qualify? Qualified wages are based on the business's average number of full-time employees in 2019. • Small employers, those that had 100 or fewer employees, may receive the credit for wages paid to employees whether or not they are providing services to the employer. • Large employers, those that had more than 100 employees, may only receive the credit for wages paid to employees for time the employ- ees are not providing services to the employer. If an employer is eligible due to a full or partial suspension of operations, only wages paid while operations are suspended count as qualified wages. How do eligible employers get the credit? Employers must report their qualified wages They can reduce their required deposits of payroll taxes withheld from employees' wages by the amount of the credit. They can also request an advance of the employee retention credit by submitting Form 7200. Eligible employ- ers may use the employee retention credit with other relief such as payroll tax deferral, which may affect deposits and advances. Local students named to TCC Spring 2020 Dean's List Special to the lake Okeechobee News TALLAHASSEE — Over 1,300 students were named to the Spring 2020 Dean's List at Tallahassee Community College (TCC). The following local students were named to the Dean's List: • Ciara Iglesias, of Clewiston; • Cristina Maria, of Moore Haven; • Kailee Hernandez, of LaBelle; • Kassie Weldon, of Okeechobee; • Lauryn Fliehs, of Belle Glade. Tallahassee Community College is consis- tently ranked as one of the top community col- leges in the nation. Every semester, thousands of students choose TCC as the next step in their education journey. Offering an associate in arts degree for transfer to a state university in multiple tracks, as well as over 70 different degree and certificate programs that encom- pass a variety of fields, TCC has a wide range of educational pathways for students from all walks of lite. .5/l9/,?,o cc - 0c, C t,4 c 0c,Ct,4