Week In Review

Two years ago, this week, we launched our Dose of Reality Florida website. It is designed to be a one-stop shop for Floridians to find information and resources about fighting back against opioid abuse and addiction. We created the comprehensive resource to help Floridians who may be affected by…

This week, I filed a brief in support of a suit filed by 200 City of Gainesville employees, including police officers, against the local government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The mandate requires every city employee to be vaccinated or risk losing their job. I joined Governor Ron DeSantis at a…

This week, I joined Governor Ron DeSantis in support of our great law enforcement officers, sending a clear message to the rest of the nation that Florida is the most law-enforcement-friendly state in the nation. As the wife of a law enforcement officer, I have seen firsthand what it means to…

This week, I announced Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin as the keynote speaker for the virtual 2021 Human Trafficking Summit. Chris will be joined by his wife, Mariah, to kick off the launch of this year’s summit—which will include more than 15 hours of presentations by speakers…

This week, I met with attorneys general from across the nation, along with members of my Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, in separate meetings to discuss current trends in human trafficking and how we can work together to combat this abhorrent crime. That is what the upcoming 2021 Human…

As kids across Florida head back to school, and others are completing classwork online, it’s important to prepare them for success and safety—not just in the classroom, but in extracurricular activities, social settings and on the internet. As a parent myself, I know firsthand the challenges of…

This week, we announced a new partnership and tools to help solve crime. My office, along with the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and the Florida Association of Crime Stoppers are joining together to distribute new promotional material for the statewide crime reporting tip line, **TIPS…

Florida students go back to school next week and as a mother, I know firsthand that sending your kids back to school is an exciting, yet stressful event. It takes a lot of planning and shopping to make sure your student has the supplies they need to succeed in the classroom. The good news is the…

This week, we celebrated two years of increasing law enforcement participation in the Bigs in Blue mentorship program. In 2019, we launched an intra-agency partnership with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to encourage…

This week, I continued our Thin Line Tribute with a stop at the Bay County Sheriff’s Office. Thin Line Tribute is an opportunity to thank our great local law enforcement officers by encouraging and supporting their dedicated service. Florida law enforcement serves as the backbone of stability in…

This week, we all carefully watched the projected track of Elsa as it approached the Florida coast. The first named storm to make landfall in our state this hurricane season, it brought heavy rain and wind to much of Florida’s peninsula. While the storm has passed, we should all remember to stay…

Unimaginable tragedy struck Florida last week as a high-rise condo in Surfside collapsed in the middle of the night. My heart breaks for all of those impacted by this unfathomable disaster, and my prayers are with their families and our first responders working around the clock to locate the…

This week has been absolutely tragic. My heart breaks for those struck by the devastation in Surfside and all of those impacted by this unfathomable disaster. Several tenants of the building have already passed, and many more are still unaccounted for at this time. Within minutes after the…

This week, I continued my Thin Line Tribute initiative in Perry to encourage and support the Perry Police Department. Our new initiative honors and recognizes the men and women who serve on the frontlines of law enforcement and often do not receive recognition for all they do to keep us safe. My…

As more and more Floridians receive their COVID-19 vaccination, it is important to be on the lookout for an emerging scam in our state: vaccine survey scams. The Better Business Bureau has received reports of scammers contacting Floridians by email, text message and phone call offering…

Florida’s real estate market is red hot, and this week I issued a Consumer Alert to encourage Floridians who are looking to purchase a new home to watch out for real estate scams. One of the most common real estate scams is escrow wire fraud. This fraud occurs when scammers pose as…

The 2021 Hurricane Season starts next week, and with a possibly active season approaching, now is the time to make sure preparations are in place. Earlier this week, my office released the 2021 Hurricane Preparedness Guide—full of information about storms and tips to help Floridians get ready.…

This week, I was honored to present a Back the Blue Award to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office for making a special little boy’s dream come true. Jeremiah, who was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma before his fourth birthday, loves police officers and dreams of becoming a law enforcement…

This week, I was honored to present a Back the Blue Award to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office for making a special little boy’s dream come true. Jeremiah, who was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma before his fourth birthday, loves police officers and dreams of becoming a law enforcement…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Florida last year, I have made it my mission to protect Floridians from scams and fraud related to the health crisis. Our Rapid Response Team mobilized and began taking reports from Floridians about outrageously priced essential commodities and scams. Through…