Gulf1-E-Evers

Greg Ever's Weekly Update

Earlier this week, Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties joined counties across the state in a lawsuit against the new state Medicaid law (House Bill 5301) that would withhold millions of dollars from counties that may owe the state for health-care facility costs for residents who are Medicaid beneficiaries. I voted against the bill in the Senate this past Legislative Session because of the economic impact it would have on our counties, and because of the many concerns over possible flaws in the Medicaid billing system that may be accounting for exaggerated and undue costs to our counties.

As I have stated before, I look forward to working with our county officials and the Agency for Health Care Administration to make sure that any and all disputes over the Medicaid billing practices are resolved. In case you missed it, I encourage you to read the below article on the current situation and steps to follow as the case moves through the judicial process.

Escambia, Santa Rosa and 45 Other Counties Sue Over Medicaid Law NorthEscambia

As you may already know, the Supreme Court has upheld the new Senate District maps that were submitted by the Legislature after returning to Tallahassee for an Extraordinary Session to resolve the Court’s concerns over some of the district lines that were originally drawn. Now that the maps have been approved, I look forward to seeing you all on the campaign trail as we set eyes on the November 2012 elections and the opportunity to, once again, serve and represent the people of Senate District 2 in Tallahassee. If you are interested in reviewing the maps that have been approved by the Supreme Court, you can do so by visiting http://flsenate.gov/session/redistricting/.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email me directly at greg@gregevers.com or call my district office at (850) 689-0556.

Warmly,
Greg

Greg Evers update - april 22, 2012

This past Friday, April 20, marked the 2-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which caused extensive damage to the coastlines, marine wildlife, and tourism and trade industries of the Gulf Coast. However, earlier this week we heard from the Department of Environmental Protection on the encouraging progress of the restoration projects that have begun, and will begin, along the Gulf Coast to compensate for the resources lost due to the oil spill. I have included the press release sent out by the Department below, as these projects are immensely important to the Florida Panhandle, our economy and our communities, and this should be great news for us all. I want to reiterate that I am committed to continuing to work hard and make sure that we achieve complete restoration and recovery.

Also this past week, Governor Scott approved $2 million to go to the Port of Pensacola for much-needed upgrades and renovations to make the port more environmentally friendly, efficient and better-suited to attract business and industry opportunities. I recently toured the Port of Pensacola and I understand how necessary and important these funds will be to creating jobs and helping the port reach its potential as an economic driver for our counties and state.
 
In other updates from the district, I had a wonderful time speaking to the fine students of the 7th grade class at Holley-Navarre Middle School in Santa Rosa County this past Friday, about civics and Florida Government. I want to thank them for their interest and warm welcome. Later on that day, I had the honor of being a judge of the 2012 Miss Northwest Florida Senior pageant. Congratulations to our winner of the evening, Sally Kenney from Uni-Health of Santa Rosa, and to all of the incredible women who participated! It was a pleasure meeting all of you!
 
As always, do not hesitate to email me directly at greg@gregevers.com or call my district office at (850) 689-0556 if you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance.
 
Warmly,
Greg

Greg Evers weekly update - april 15, 2012

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Easter holiday last weekend with friends and family!

On legislative news this week, Governor Scott has received the bill to repeal the statewide septic tank inspection program that passed out of the Legislature this past session. I hope you will join me in encouraging him to sign this good bill into law, which was one of the biggest accomplishments for our communities and our state this year.

Looking ahead to next week, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) will hold a meeting with Escambia County on Wednesday, April 18, to address some of the county’s major concerns regarding the economic impact of House Bill 5301. First and foremost, I hope we can work together to make sure that any underlying problems with AHCA’s billing system, including duplicative billing, lack of documentation and billing for non-residents, are addressed and corrected. I voted against this bill this past session because of the significant impact this would have on the counties I represent, and I intend to continue to work with key folks from Escambia County and AHCA until the integrity in the billing process is restored.

On another note, I would like to give my sincere congratulations once again to Bagdad’s own Bubba Watson for his well-deserved and inspiring Masters’ victory last weekend. He is a man of faith and a proud new father who carries himself with dignity and makes all of Northwest Florida proud!

In case you missed it this week, I wanted to bring your attention to the below article, published in USA Today, regarding the unfortunate rise in accidental poisonings due to continued use of synthetic drugs and “bath salts.” As I have said before, this has been, and will continue to be, an uphill battle against scheming chemists and sellers who are constantly changing the formulas for these drugs in order to bypass current law. We were able to pass a necessary amendment to outlaw most of these synthetic drugs in Florida this past session, but I look forward to tackling this issue again next year and coming up with a better-fitted and more permanent solution to this problem.

'Bath salt' poisonings rise as legislative ban tied up – States Take Action
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-04-11/synthetic-drugs-bath-salts/54187138/1

Also this past week, I had the opportunity to tour the Gulf Power Crist Plant with Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard and Representative Clay Ingram. Many thanks to the folks at Plant Crist for opening their doors and giving us first-hand look into their operations.

           

Gulf Power Crist Plant - Pensacola, FL.

As always, feel free to email me at greg@gregevers.com or call my district office at (850) 689-0556 if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Greg

Happy Easter

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a happy and blessed Easter holiday. I hope this will be a time of great joy as we celebrate and give thanks for the greatest gift ever given to any of us. I hope you have a wonderful time with your families and loved ones, particularly with the children in your lives.

Please join me and my family in also giving thanks for the many blessings we enjoy as citizens of this great nation and state. Pray a special prayer for our military and their families as they serve and sacrifice for all of us.

In the spirit of the Easter Season, pray also for our elected leaders at all levels of government, so that we may exercise the wisdom, discernment and courage to do what is right for the people we represent by acting as servant leaders, who will fight and sacrifice for our constituents. Such prayers, when answered, will be what leads our great country and its citizens to regain the leadership they so deserve and can be proud of.

Please also be assured that, as always, I will be giving thanks for the opportunity you have given me to represent and serve you.

Happy and Blessed Easter!
Warmly,
Greg