TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- The Florida Auditor General released the following operational audit (No. 2025-019) on Sept. 23, 2024, involving Hardee County District School Board. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY This operational audit of the Hardee County School District (District) focused on selected District processes and administrative activities and included a follow-up on findings noted in our report No. 2022-013. Our operational audit disclosed the following: Finding 1: District   more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on Sept. 25, 2024: PLANT CITY, Fla.--Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis spoke at the Central Florida Leadership Prayer Breakfast about the DeSantis administration's commitment to faith, family, and life. They highlighted the success of Hope Florida in connecting the faith community with Floridians looking for help, including families and mothers. The prayer breakfast was org  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release on Sept. 25, 2024: Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie in Tampa to meet with power and utility linemen staged and ready to respond to power outages caused by Hurricane Helene, and to provide updates on state preparedness efforts before the storm's landfall. Following Governor DeSantis' request, FEMA approved th  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- The Florida Public Service Commission issued the following news release on Sept. 25, 2024: The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approved recovery of transmission and distribution storm protection plan costs by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL); Duke Energy Florida, LLC (DEF); Tampa Electric Company (TECO); and Florida Public Utilities Company (FPUC). Established by the legislature in 2019, the annual storm protection plan cost recovery clause (SPPCRC)  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- The Florida Public Service Commission issued the following order (Docket No. 20240068-WS; Order No. PSC-2024-0435-PCO-WS) on Sept. 25, 2024: * * * In re: Application for increase in water and wastewater rates in Charlotte, Highlands, Lake, Lee, Marion, Orange, Pasco, Pinell as, Polk, and Seminole Counties, by Sunshine Water Services Company. ORDER ACKNOWLEDGING INTERVENTION BY THE COMMISSION: On September 19, 2024, the Office of Public Counsel filed its No  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Florida State University issued the following news: By Amy Farnum-Patronis Florida State University is again ranked as one of the Top 25 public universities in the country, earning recognition for its innovative approach and providing outstanding first-year experiences for students in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges 2025" guidebook released Sept. 24. In the publication's First-Year Experiences category, FSU achieved a No. 7 ranking among public ins  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, Sept. 26 -- Gov. Brian P. Kemp, R-Georgia, issued the following news release on Sept. 25, 2024: Governor Brian P. Kemp directed the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) to activate the State Operations Center (SOC) in preparation for Hurricane Helene, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Thursday. He declared a State of Emergency yesterday for all 159 counties, enabling emergency management teams t  more

MIAMI, Florida, Sept. 25 (TNSres) -- Florida International University, a component of the public university system in Florida, issued the following news: By JoAnn Adkins A hammerhead shark species discovered by FIU scientists finally has a name and its namesake is the late Paul G. Allen, philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft. The existence of the new species, Sphyrna alleni, was hidden because it looks so similar to another species, the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo, according to Cind  more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, Sept. 26 -- Nova Southeastern University issued the following news release: FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, FLA. - The H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship will present its 35th Annual Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Rick Case Arena in the Don Taft University Center at Nova Southeastern University, SW 75th Avenue, Davie, Fla. The Hall of Fame continues to celebrate the stellar achievements and co  more

TULSA, Oklahoma, Sept. 26 -- Public Service Company of Oklahoma, a unit of American Electric Power, issued the following news release: Approximately 85 Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) workers are on their way to assist Florida Power and Light (FPL) as Hurricane Helene continues moving towards Florida. The teams from PSO's Tulsa, Lawton and McAlester Districts will arrive on Thursday, then receive their work assignments and locations. The contingent includes line crews, servicers, asses  more

HOUSTON, Texas, Sept. 25 -- Rice University issued the following news release: Recent projections show that Tropical Storm Helene, the latest storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, is heading for Florida and tracking toward the state's panhandle. An interactive map developed by Rice University's Center for Coastal Futures and Adaptive Resilience (CFAR) identifies the top hazardous polluters in the storm's projected path. Tropical Storm Helene. Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adm  more

SONOMA, California, Sept. 26 (TNSres) -- Sonoma State University issued the following news: Sonoma State Biology Professor Brent Hughes and his otter research are featured in a newly released episode of the documentary series "Changing Seas," produced by Florida PBS. Hughes was filmed in March for "California Sea Otters: Life on the Edge," which has this program description: "The threatened southern sea otter is a voracious predator that needs to eat 25% of its body weight a day to survive. De  more

COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Sept. 26 (TNSres) -- Texas A&M University issued the following news: * * * Suicide is a leading cause of death across the five U.S. states along the Gulf Coast -- Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. * * * By Dorian Martin A team of researchers from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health is examining potential protective factors and corresponding policy interventions that could reduce the risk of suicide in communities across the five U.S. st  more

MIAMI, Florida, Sept. 26 (TNSres) -- The University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine issued the following news: * * * The 3rd Annual Sylvester Cancer Survivorship Symposium, taking place Oct. 18 in Coconut Grove, Fla., will have several new features and keynote speakers. * * * By Monica Smith There's an undeniable, rearview-mirror quality to cancer in the beginning as a patient's history, genetics and lifestyle habits of old are reviewed. A cancer diagnosis will snap this point of view  more

MIAMI, Florida, Sept. 26 -- The University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine issued the following news: By Mark Gaige A new short film draws poignant attention to the cancer survivorship and supportive care program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth -- University of Miami Health System. Featuring breast cancer survivor Donna Scott and her family, the film casts an inspiring light on the comprehensive services available to post-cancer treatment patients at Sylvester.   more

CORAL GABLES, Florida, Sept. 26 -- The University of Miami issued the following news: * * * Linde Barrett, whose University of Miami degrees spurred a successful career in education, is heading to North Africa for a U.S. Department of State post as a cultural ambassador. * * * By Michael R. Malone One of Linde Barrett's favorite perks as a Miami high school reading and language specialist these past two decades has been having her summers free. An itinerant traveler, Barrett spends the su  more