Politics

Rick Scott bills target human trafficking, China

Published

7 hours ago

February 2, 2025

May Greene

The Naples Republican continues his work.

Florida’s senior Senator continues to pursue an aggressive legislative agenda, with new bills this week.

Sen. Rick Scott’s “Stopping Adversarial Tariff Evasion Act” is intended “to enhance enforcement mechanisms against tariff evasion by foreign entities, closing a loophole often used by Communist China to avoid paying tariffs” by “moving manufacturing to other countries, a practice known as ‘country hopping.’”

The bill amends the Trade Act of 1974 and the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to allow for tariffs on countries that exploit other countries for their favorable trade arrangements, while the capital is controlled by China.

“President Donald Trump is right to use tariffs as a strategic tool to protect American jobs and our best interests, and to hold our adversaries accountable when they’re taking advantage of the United States. This is especially true for Communist China, one of our nation’s biggest adversaries, that will do anything on the quest for global domination and that clearly includes lying, exploiting our laws, evading tariffs and taking full advantage of the former administration’s weaknesses to drive American manufacturers and businesses out of the global market,” Scott says.

Meanwhile, Scott is teaming up with Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson on the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act.

The goal, says the Naples Republican, is to “protect innocent children from being trafficked in our nation” as the former President facilitated.

“It is terrifying to think that over 300,000 young, innocent children have been brought into this nation, potentially forced into unsafe conditions and at risk for human trafficking. As a parent or grandparent, it’s unimaginable to think what might happen to these children, and that former president Joe Biden allowed this to happen by completely dismantling our immigration system and opening our southern border, completely ignoring the consequences or the tolls on human life,” Scott said.

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Politics

Tampa General Hospital adds TECO to name of prestigious Burn Center

Published

27 minutes ago

February 2, 2025

May Greene

TECO made the contribution to the TGH Burn Center after three decades of association with the hospital.

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is renaming its burn treatment center. The medical center held a ribbon cutting last week in honor of the new naming evolution which is now the TGH Burn Center: A TECO Partnership.

TECO is the acronym for Tampa Electric Co., which is an Emera Company operation. TGH officials said they changed the name of the Burn Center following a gift from TECO.

“TGH is at the forefront of innovative care for burn patients and this gift to name the TGH Burn Center: A TECO Partnership demonstrates Tampa Electric’s significant investment in the community and their health and wellbeing,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. “The new name of the Center is a signal of their faith in the impressive work of our teams and will inspire patients for years to come.”

A TGH news release said TECO has been a supporter of the hospital for more than 30 years. The electric company has been part of hospital initiatives that include the Tampa Medical & Research District to contributing to the TGH Foundation from TECO employees who are in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union.

“TGH’s Burn Center offers life-saving treatments and innovative therapies that make a profound difference in the lives of those affected by severe burns,” said Archie Collins, president and CEO of Tampa Electric. “TECO is honored to help give hope and a brighter future to patients.”

TGH’s Burn Center is one of only six burn units in Florida that’s been granted verification by the American Burn Association and American College of Surgeons. Those distinctions came after meeting several guidelines for procedures for patient care and staffing. The TGH Burn Center is a specialty center for victims who’ve suffered critical burns. The Center usually handles about 500 adult patients each year along with 300 pediatric patients.

“TECO’s partnership with the burn center will make significant contributions to advancing Tampa General Hospital’s position as leaders in the rapidly evolving field of burn care, helping patients achieve better outcomes and making new strides in treatment,” said Nicholas J. Panetta, chief of Tampa General Hospital Plastic Surgery and chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

TECO’s had a long association with TGH. The electric company is a founding member of the TGH Foundation’s Corporate Philanthropy Partners program.

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Gunster law firm hires tax specialist Andrew Nerney to join roster of attorneys

Published

2 hours ago

February 2, 2025

May Greene

Law firm with offices across Florida signs up Andrew Nerney to expand personal wealth offerings.

A prominent Florida law firm is expanding its offerings in the private wealth services sector with the addition of a new hire in that area of expertise.

Officials with Gunster law firm, which has several offices across Florida, say they’re beefing up their wealth services sector by hiring attorney Andrew Nerney. He’ll be working out of the Boca Raton office for Gunster.

Nerney has more than a decade of legal work. His areas of focus include estate, tax business succession and asset protection planning. He’s overseen work that includes drafting estate planning. He’s also well versed in handling tax-exempt organizations and trusts. He has additional experience in various other tax issues and has served as an advisor on estate and trust administration along with charitable giving and domicile planning.

Gunster has been expanding its private wealth services after the firm received high rankings in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide. The firm also has the most representations among Florida law firms in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a national legal organization for wills, trust, estate planning and tax laws.

Nerney achieved a master’s of law degree focusing on taxation from Georgetown University Law Center and he earned his law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law. He obtained his bachelor of arts degree from University of South Florida in the Tampa area.

Gunster was founded in 1925 and has grown to 12 offices across Florida. The firm has more than 300 attorneys on its staff and other 290 professional staff members. The firm is ranked in the top 500 largest law firms in the county by the National Law Journal and is also noted in the Top 100 Diverse Law Firms by Law360.

While the firm has offices throughout Florida, it’s still headquartered in West Palm Beach.

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Florida Chamber bullish on economic outlook for state in 2025

Published

3 hours ago

February 2, 2025

May Greene

Florida’s economic growth is outpacing other states in an upbeat forecast published by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

The business advocacy group published its 2025 Florida Economic Forecast recently and it found the Sunshine State is outpacing national growth trends. The report concluded Florida’s economy is bolstered by industries such as technology, health care, construction and others.

“As we look into late 2025 and beyond, Florida isn’t just growing, it’s showing the rest of the nation what stable and well-planned growth looks like,” said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce & Foundation. “The report notes that while challenges like inflation and housing affordability persist, Florida’s ability to adapt and innovate will drive its long-term success.”

There were several key factors the Florida Chamber cited as major contributors to the state’s robust economic outlook in the 16-page report. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was chief among them. The Chamber projected Florida’s GDP is expected to grow by 2.5% to 3% this year, above the national trend.

Florida’s workforce is also a significant keystone in the state’s economy. Chamber officials said job growth in the state is expected to hit 1% to 1.25% this year and unemployment rates hovering between 3.6% and 3.8%. The general monthly jobless rate in December came in at 3.4% and that’s held steady for the past three months, according to FloridaCommerce.

“Thoughtful strategies are needed to engage working-age adults who aren’t currently in the workforce, in order to increase our labor force participation rate. The Florida Chamber Foundation’s workforce development initiatives, such as the ‘Future of Work Florida’ program, are key to bridging the gap between education and high-demand careers,” the Chamber report advocated.

The report did indicate the state would have to see some changes in the housing market with median sales prices increasing and affordable homes becoming increasingly scarce. “Housing affordability remains a challenge for many Floridians,” the report stated.

Population trends will work in the state’s economic favor, though. The number of people residing in Florida is projected to tick up to 23.75 million people this year and that will keep the state first in the country for net income migration. That’s more than three times the rate of net income migration for Texas, which is the state with the second most income migration in the country.

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