Candidates file for St. Cloud races

Two last-minute filings have beefed up the race for what would have been an uncontested run for seat 2 on the St. Cloud City Council.

St. Cloud residents Edith “Edie” Sheehan and Donny Shroyer, who was defeated in his bid to win the Republican nomination for an Osceola County Commission seat in the August primary, have filed to run for seat 2 to face incumbent Tom Griffin Nov. 2. This race, if no one candidate earns a majority of votes, will go to a run-off Dec. 7.

Other St. Cloud races to be determined in the election are the mayor’s seat (seat 1), being sought by current seat 3 Councilman Jay Polachek and St. Cloud resident Rebecca Borders; Eric Dolhon and Russell Holmes are seeking the seat Polachek is vacating.

At presstime, all candidates were listed as qualified except Sheehan.

KUA offices closed for Labor Day

Kissimmee Utility Authority’s customer service center and administrative offices will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day.

Regular utility business hours – 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. – will resume Tuesday.

Customers wishing to make a bill payment over the holiday weekend can do so through the utility’s automated telephone system at 407-933-7777, online at www.kua.com or at any area Amscot Financial or 7-Eleven convenience store location.

Kissimmee City Hall closed Labor Day

The city of Kissimmee will close its offices in City Hall on Monday in observance of Labor Day.

City Hall employees will return and resume regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday.

City of St. Cloud offices to close

City of St. Cloud offices will close Monday, Sept. 6, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

City employees will return to work Tuesday, Sept. 7, and resume regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you need more information, call City Hall at 407-957-7300.

The city’s Solid Waste Division will provide regular curbside and commercial garbage collection services but no bulk clam truck pickups on the holiday. The Transfer Station drop-off area also will be open Labor Day with regular hours — from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Solid Waste Division provides garbage collection services throughout the year, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

For more information, contact the Solid Waste Division at 407-957-7289.

County offices, courthouse closed

In observance of Labor Day, Osceola County administration offices and the Courthouse will be closed on Monday. Offices will re-open Tuesday.

USO Motorcycle Benefit Ride Sept. 18

The sixth annual USO Motorcycle Benefit Ride Supporting Our Troops will be Saturday, Sept. 18.

The police-escorted motorcycle ride, which begins at 10:30 a.m. at Osceola Heritage Park and concludes at noon with a barbecue lunch at the Silver Spurs Arena, has a new 60-mile route through Osceola County. At Osceola Heritage Park, there will be entertainment, raffle giveaways and vendors onsite.

Cost is $25 per person to ride in the event. Each participant will receive an event T-shirt, raffle giveaways and a luncheon. All the money raised goes directly to the USO Jacksonville and will be used to supply care packages to the men and women of all branches of the U.S. military and to support the family members left behind.

Once again, the motorcycle ride is dedicated to the memory of Lance Cpl. Jason Burnett, United States Marine Corps, the first Osceola County resident killed in the Iraq war.

In addition, on Sept. 18-19 at Osceola Heritage Park, the Veterans Council and Osceola County Museum of Military History will be adding to the patriotic experience by hosting the Inaugural Osceola County Military Appreciation Weekend. Vendors, a military swap meet and re-enactors of historical battles from all eras of U.S. history will be on hand throughout the weekend. Doors open at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. This event is free and open to the public.

“As the awareness of what our families, friends and countrymen are sacrificing to maintain our freedom, people came together this year to recognize our veterans, military and families by organizing a weekend celebration in their honor.” Ron Burnett, USO and Military Appreciation Committee member, stated. “There is a special place in the hearts of myself and family for this weekend celebration. We have supported the ride since the beginning and are extremely honored to have it dedicated to our son, Jason. If Jason were here today, he would say this was a great event and grateful to everyone that made it a success.”

For more information on the USO Benefit Ride, contact Viola Pearce at 407-892-2246 or go to www.USO

BenefitRide.com. For more information on the Military Appreciation Weekend, contact Scott Carmean at 407-931-3133 or go to www.veteranstributemuseum.info.

Winn-Dixie offers flu vaccinations

Winn-Dixie is now offering flu vaccinations on a walk-in basis and through vaccine clinics at all of its in-store pharmacies.

Customers using their Winn-Dixie Customer Reward Card will receive a $5 discount off the $28 flu vaccine.

Winn-Dixie’s pharmacies also are offering a new, high-dosage flu vaccine for those 65 and older for $43 with the Customer Reward Card ($48 for non-cardholders) this year. Both the regular and high-dose flu vaccines provide protection against the H1N1 virus.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the most important step in protecting against the flu is to get vaccinated. The CDC recommends all people over the age of six months should be vaccinated each year.

Flu vaccines will be administered by certified pharmacists. No appointment is necessary. For a list of dates, times and locations where flu clinics will be available, go to http://winn-dixie.com

/Store_Locations/search.asp and type in your city and state or ZIP code.

Winn-Dixie also is providing an offsite clinic service for local businesses to increase vaccination rates this year.

Virtual job fair set for Sept. 20

Workforce Central Florida will host a virtual job fair, a 24-hour-a-day online recruiting event that showcases jobs from entry level to top management.

All job-seekers are invited to connect with employers looking to hire for a wide range of positions. The job fair will be Monday, Sept. 20, through Friday, Sept. 24, for 24-hours a day. Go to www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com/jobfair.

The job fair is easy to use. From the privacy and convenience of a computer with Internet access, job-seekers simply need to log on, review a wide variety of job listings and post their resumes using the resume format tool on the website. There is no cost to participate. Job-seekers will not be able to register until the first day of the fair.

Employers can participate in the WCF Virtual Job Fair by visiting www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com/jobfair.

The fee for the Virtual Job Fair package has been waived for this event. The basic package includes virtual booth with space for company logo, unlimited job postings, company profile and electronic copies of resumes collected.  

For $300, companies may purchase a featured booth. Featured booths include all of the benefits of the basic booth, plus being one of four featured employers, company logo on the Virtual Job Fair home page and throughout the site and a direct link from the home page to company job postings.

For more information, visit  the Workforce Central Florida website or e-mail jobfair@wcfla.com or call 407-531-1222.

Update on lawsuit

Florida Tea Party member John A. Ferentinos’ federal lawsuit against the Florida secretary of state over his exclusion from the ballot involves the candidate not filling in the name of a bank on the form disclosing the designated depository for campaign contributions.

Ferentinos was a candidate for state Senate, 26th district, running against Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, the only other candidate in the race.

According to a Tea Party press release, Ferentinos paid his filing fee and submitted candidacy forms as required, but was kept off the ballot because he forgot to fill in the name of his bank.

Ferentinos said Haridopolos also failed to complete a question on his form – he did not check a box that asks if the bank account designated was a primary account or a secondary account.

Ferentinos also stated his failure to put the name of his bank on the form did not cause election officials any harm because they had his filing fee check and the bank’s name was on the check.

The federal lawsuit was filed in the middle district, Orlando.

Ferentinos in a press release earlier this week stated that Haridopolos was under criminal investigation relating to Republican Party credit card use. On Thursday in an e-mail, Sarah Bascom, the senator’s spokesman, denied that accusation. She also stated there are other inaccuracies in Ferentinos’ claims.

"Our counsel is looking into this suit, but we are confident that it has no merit, as a preliminary glance at the suit has many inaccuracies,” Bascom stated.

Bascom also stated that Ferentinos’ claim that Haridopolos failed to complete a question on his form, specifically that he did not check a box that asks if the bank account is a primary account or a secondary account, just isn’t true either and that all needed boxes were checked.

Seminar on social media, workplace

Workforce Central Florida University at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Sep. 15, will host a seminar on social media and the workplace. Jackson Lewis LLP will present the program.

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social media outlets have created new opportunities and new challenges for employers. This session will explore the legal and practical implications of social media’s use by applicants, employees and employers.

The workshop will be at the Workforce Central Florida Administrative Office, 707 Mendham Blvd., Suite 250, Orlando.

For those unable to attend in person, follow @WCF_HR_Network on Twitter for live event tweets. The presenter will be Jessica A. DeBono, of Jackson Lewis.

Seating for the seminar is limited and advance registration is required. To register, call 407-531-1222 or visit www.WorkforceCentralFlorida.com

Putnam office to provide help

Caseworkers from Congressman Adam Putnam’s office will be available at two area locations Tuesday to provide assistance to constituents who have questions or need help from federal programs, such as Social Security or Medicare.

Constituents can speak in person with one of Putnam’s caseworkers at the meetings. Constituents should bring any documentation or written information that will help explain their cases.

Those who need assistance with a federal agency but cannot attend an outreach meeting can call Putnam’s Bartow office toll free at 866-534-3530.

The Tuesday meeting times and places are: 10:30-11 a.m., Haines City Community Center, 219 S. Fifth St., Haines City; and 11:30 a.m.-noon, Poinciana Community Center, 395 Marigold Ave., Poinciana.

Putnam represents Florida’s 12th Congressional District, which includes most of Polk County and portions of Hillsborough and Osceola counties.