Volume 4 Number 26
June 29, 2007

Dear Floridian,

Our country has remained safe and strong, thanks to the sacrifices of our American heroes, our veterans and our troops, many of whom are serving far from home and will not be with their families and friends this Fourth of July. Please remember our brave military service men and women this week.

Also keep our first responders in mind as you celebrate. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, brought into clear focus the sacrifices they make and the risks they take every time they respond to a call. Further, during the past several years, Florida's first responders have been the first on the ground following eight hurricanes, numerous tornadoes and hundreds of wildfires.

Many of you may choose to celebrate with fireworks or sparklers this year, but remember that fireworks are illegal to use in Florida except with a permit or a specific exemption, and can be very dangerous both to people and property. Sparklers, hundreds of which are legal to use in Florida, can be equally dangerous. Firefighters responded to more than 300 incidents involving illegal fireworks and sparklers last year, the majority of those around the Fourth of July holiday.

Protect your family and loved ones and celebrate safely, and be extra cautious of starting a fire that could produce extra work for our first responders this holiday.

Sincerely,

Alex Sink



 

CFO SINK URGES FLORIDIANS TO CELEBRATE JULY 4th SAFELY
Hundreds of accidents reported every year from fireworks and sparklers

Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Alex Sink is urging Floridians to comply with fireworks laws as they make their Fourth of July plans, in light of the high risk of injury and the state’s recent wildfires.

Florida fire departments last year reported that they responded to 250 incidents involving sparklers and 90 incidents involving fireworks.

“Floridians must think about fire safety as they celebrate this Fourth of July,” said CFO Sink. “With the serious risk of injury and the danger of wildfires, we owe it to our families and our firefighters to be extra cautious.” CONTINUED

CFO SINK TO STATE EMPLOYEES: MAXIMIZE STATE BONUS BY INVESTING IN DEFERRED COMP 
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today unveiled a new initiative that gives state employees a way to maximize their annual bonus by investing it in the State of Florida Deferred Compensation Plan.  Administered by the Department of Financial Services, the Deferred Compensation plan is an individual tax-deferred retirement vehicle funded with employee contributions. 
State employees choosing to participate will be able to invest as much as $897 in their own personal retirement account as opposed to receiving their bonus as a lump sum payment of approximately $673.  
“As the state’s Chief Financial Officer, part of my job is to help promote smart financial moves for Floridians,” said CFO Sink, who runs the department.  “By investing their bonus in a retirement account, state employees have the opportunity to put an additional $200 to work for them instead of the government.”  CONTINUED
 

 

 FIRST MEETING OF THE FINANCIAL LITERACY COUNCIL

The state’s Financial Literacy Council met Monday in Tallahassee to outline their goals, strategies, and identify key issues of which they will focus over the next few years. Monday’s meeting established Obdulio Piedra of Miami-Dade as the council’s chairman and identified the council’s mission statement: to help all Floridians make informed financial decisions.

The next meetings of the council will be held via conference call on July 11, 2007 and in-person meeting in Tampa on August 11, 2007.

The council, authorized in 2006 by House Bill 825, was created to study the financial problems that affect consumers, particularly young persons, seniors, working adults and small business owners, which arise from a lack of basic knowledge of financial issues. The council will also develop recommendations to aid CFO Sink’s department-- the Department of Financial Services-- in developing programs and resources aimed at increasing financial literacy among Floridians.

For more information on the council visit www.myfloridamoney.com.

TASK FORCE ON CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE CLAIMS HANDLING AND RESOLUTION ISSUES FIRST REPORT

In an ongoing effort to improve Citizens’ policyholder and applicant services, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink convened the fifth meeting of the legislatively-created Task Force on Citizens Property Insurance Claims Handling and Resolution this past Thursday in Tallahassee.

The task force is directed to develop recommendations for Citizens to complete claims remaining from the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons and completed their first report at this meeting. The report has been sent to the Governor, Chief Financial Officer, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House.

The First Report is available on the Web site dedicated to the task force, its duties, appointments, and upcoming meetings. Floridians who would like to learn more about the task force may visit the Web site at http://www.taskforceoncitizensclaimshandling.org. CONTINUED

 

FORMER INSURANCE AGENT SERVED WARRANT IN JAIL ON ORGANIZED FRAUD CHARGES

A Lake County man, already in jail, was served a warrant on Thursday charging him with organized fraud stemming from allegations that he sold payroll and workers’ compensation insurance products that he was not licensed to sell.

Courtney Pleasant, 27, was served the warrant while incarcerated at the Lake County Jail on unrelated charges. Pleasant, whose license was revoked last September, formerly operated Legendary Insurance & Financial Services, located at 2222 W Main St. in Leesburg.

Pleasant had been licensed to sell life and health insurance products, but represented and promised to provide payroll services and provide workers' compensation insurance products that he was not licensed or authorized to provide. An investigation by the Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud, revealed that along with not providing workers' compensation coverage, Pleasant failed to forward the withheld taxes and kept the money for himself. CONTINUED