LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK

Lori Berman, member, Florida Senate. The Florida Senate President and House Speaker recently announced a joint plan to reallocate two-thirds of the funds that would otherwise go toward affordable housing, also known as the Sadowski Trust Fund, into critical flooding and wastewater grant programs. While these issues are also vital, the funds should not be swept, even partially, amid the COVID crisis. Affordable housing and the many other programs the Sadowski Trust Fund supports are imperative for our economic vitality. These programs are currently helping people who may have lost jobs during the pandemic and help fund emergency repairs for low- to moderate-income families.

Paul Castronovo, host, Paul Castronovo Show on Big 105.9. This is an open letter to my good friend and everyone else who’s said, when asked if they’ve gotten the vaccine yet, “I’m not sure, man. I’m gonna wait to make sure I don’t grow a horn or something.” I’ve heard this weird “grow a horn” thing from a lot of people, and I am not sure that it’s based in science. In fact, in the history of vaccines, from polio, to the flu, to rabies and others — in the history of the world, there is no evidence of horn growth in humans. What there is evidence of is the COVID-19 vaccine working!

Howard Dvorkin, CPA, chairman, Debt.com. As a CPA, I know something most people don’t: The IRS is old school on purpose. It’s so retro, the IRS never emails you. Or texts you. Or even calls you. They only communicate through old-fashioned paper letters mailed through the United States Postal Service. This is the best time to remember that, because as Tax Day nears, tax scams appear. The IRS estimates it costs Americans $450 billion in fraud when scammers email or call you, pretending to be from the IRS and demanding payment. Don’t believe it. While the IRS won’t call you, you can always call the IRS. Its toll-free fraud hotline is 1-800-829-0433.

Chip LaMarca, member, Florida House of Representatives. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced that Florida experienced nine consecutive months of job growth! Florida has gained 1,700 private sector jobs since the beginning of the new year. In January 2021, Florida’s overall unemployment rate has dropped to 4.8%. In Fort Lauderdale, our unemployment rate was 17.2% at the beginning of March 2020. Today, Fort Lauderdale’s unemployment rate has dropped to 5.3%. I am very encouraged to see our economy is coming back, thanks to rational regulation and hardworking Floridians. As a result, Florida will come out of the pandemic as a national leader.

Philip Purcell, CEO/President, Marine Industries Association of South Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced the expansion and creation of the Get There Faster Initiative, a $75 million dollar investment toward two new initiatives to expand access and enrollment in Career and Technical Education courses and work-based training programs. The yacht service technician apprentice program at Atlantic Technical College is a stellar example of the success of work-based training, preparing students for jobs that pay 16% higher than the state average. A trained, skilled workforce is critical to Florida’s economy. As many businesses face the aging of their workforce, this initiative is a timely step in the right direction.

Larry Rein, CEO and President, ChildNet . April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, an annual opportunity to increase local awareness of and involvement in efforts to reduce child abuse. Hopefully, it will increase community awareness of the realities and complexities of local child abuse. Hopefully, it will make the community aware that most local child abuse cases involve the very adult challenges of substance abuse and domestic violence — challenges not easily resolved, challenges requiring innovative, appropriately funded interventions. Increased public awareness is important, but only increased and improved interventions that effectively engage and support families will ultimately prevent local child abuse.

Andy Thomson, member, Boca Raton City Council. The governor announced that, starting March 29, all adults 40 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. A week later, all adults — anyone 18 and over — will be eligible. This is wonderful news and is the result of tremendous effort and resources by our government and private sector. But now, it’s time for us, all of us, to do our part by getting the vaccine once we are eligible. By doing so, you are helping your community get past this terrible pandemic and

back on the road to recovery.

Thomas Wenski, archbishop, Archdiocese of Miami. The development of vaccines “at warp speed” signaled the beginning of the end of this global pandemic. But the vaccines need to be universally available, so that no person, no nation, is left behind. The United States and pharmaceutical companies need to assure greater equity for poorer nations. And anyone who can be should be vaccinated, even people who might not have much to fear from infection — if they are not high risk and if they are healthy or if their demographic is such that they would expect to recover easily. The fact that they would get vaccinated will be a benefit to others around them, because by being vaccinated they would not be responsible for others catching the virus.