Fellow Floridian:

Today, after months of negotiations, the Florida Legislature passed legislation reforming Florida's 30-year-old Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law.

As many of you may be aware, I have been vocal in my support of the idea behind the No-Fault Law - the protection of Floridians and their assets, which is the centerpiece of my role as your Chief Financial Officer.

The passage of today's legislation is a win for Florida's consumers and businesses. The reform bill will help protect Florida drivers, institute cost controls and allow us to better combat insurance fraud.

While today brought good news for Floridians, drivers should still take heed. The new law does not go into effect until January 1, 2008 and until that time consumers must contact their insurance agents to ensure they have adequate insurance coverage to protect themselves and their assets.

I encourage Florida drivers with questions about their automobile insurance to contact the Department of Financial Services consumer helpline at 1-800-342-2762 or visit our No-Fault Web site at http://www.MyFloridaCFO.com/NoFault/.

Alex Sink

CFO SINK KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT FDLE SPECIAL AGENT GRADUATION 

CFO Sink was the keynote speaker at the 28^th Special Agent Training Class graduation ceremonies held today at the FDLE Headquarters in Tallahassee.  A total of 19 dedicated men and women completed a rigorous nine-week training regiment that culminated with Friday’s graduation ceremony, which included each graduate taking an Oath of Office before being recognized as the newest FDLE Special Agents.   

As a member of the Florida Cabinet, one of CFO Sink’s responsibilities is to oversee the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which just recently celebrated its 40^th year of service to the state of Florida.  FDLE is recognized nationally for its progressive efforts and programs that include the country’s first Missing Children Information Clearinghouse as well as the nation’s first statewide Amber Alert Plan. 
  

During her comments to the new agents, CFO Sink thanked each recruit for answering the call to protect our citizens and making Florida a safer place.  “Public safety is the building block for everything else that matters to our citizens – jobs, schools, and neighborhoods -- these dedicated law enforcement agents will continue FDLE’s legacy of greatness,” said CFO Sink.   

CFO SINK URGES FLORIDIANS TO FOCUS ON SAFETY DURING FIRE PREVENTION WEEK, OCTOBER 7-13

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who serves as Florida’s State Fire Marshal, is urging Floridians to take steps to protect themselves and their families from fire and to learn more about fire safety during Fire Prevention Week, which begins Sunday, October 7, and continues through October 13.

 

The Division of State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire Prevention, will host a variety of activities throughout the week to draw attention to Fire Prevention Week, which the Governor and Cabinet designated Tuesday following a resolution presented by CFO Sink. A schedule of activities and the resolution are available at www.MyFloridaCFO.com. As part of the week’s activities, the annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service will be held on Friday, October 12, at the Florida State Fire College in Ocala to commemorate 137 firefighters who  have died over the years in the line of duty in Florida. CONTINUED

 
Jane Johnson, Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, addresses the Cabinet meeting.

GOVERNOR AND CABINET RECOGNIZE OCTOBER AS DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS WEEK

Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet adopted a resolution in support of providing employment opportunities to Floridians with disabilities. The resolution, introduced by Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, recognizes October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and October 1 through 15 as Disability History and Awareness Weeks in Florida.

During Tuesday's cabinet meeting, Jane Johnson, director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD), spoke to the Governor and Cabinet about the importance of employment in the lives of people with disabilities. She was joined by Bill Palmer, director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR); Sharon Griffin, executive director of the Able Trust; and Renee Llewellyn, who has a developmental disability.

Johnson stressed that people with disabilities make very dependable employees---a fact underscored by Llewellyn's remarks. Llewellyn has been employed at the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office for over 15 years. CONTINUED

After speaking in Tampa, she headed to the Florida AFL-CIO convention in St. Petersburg where she spoke with 250 delegates on property taxes and affordable health care.

On Monday, October 1, 2007, CFO Sink addressed about 40 members of the Tampa Jewish Community Center and Federation about the insurance discounts available through the My Safe Florida Home program.

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Before heading back to Tallahassee, the CFO stopped by the opening of the North Star Bank in Tampa. The bank, located at Rivergate Tower in downtown Tampa, used to house the Bank of America offices

Now, Floridians can now go online and enter two emergency contacts on their Florida driver licenses electronically and the information can be retrieved by law enforcement in an emergency. This vital service was instituted after a teenage girl was killed in a car accident and it took over 5 hours to locate her mother. 

After the contacts are entered, and in the event of an accident, the police or highway patrol officer can run the driver license number through the system and access the emergency information immediately.

The Department of Highway Safety Web site for this service is:
https://www6.hsmv.state.fl.us/dlcheck/findcustomer

CONTINUED