Input needed on alligator hunting

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants to know what Floridians think about providing more daylight-hunting hours to alligator hunters and the public can comment on this via an online survey.

The commission is exploring the idea of additional daylight-hunting hours for the state’s recreational alligator hunting season, which runs Aug. 15 to Nov. 1 each year. Currently, legal hours for alligator hunting are from one hour before sunset to one hour after sunrise.

“We’ve received input from the alligator hunting community and are now looking for input from anyone who is interested in this issue,” Harry Dutton, the commission’s alligator-management program coordinator, said in a press release.

People can provide input by going to MyFWC.com/Alligator. The commission will take this input into consideration when deciding whether any change is warranted.

Anyone with additional questions regarding this issue may call Dutton at 850-488-3831.

Horner to head subcommittee

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon last week announced the chairman and vice-chairman subcommittee assignments for the 2011-12 Florida House of Representatives and state Rep. Mike Horner, R-Kissimmee, was appointed chairman of the influential Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.

“I am honored by this assignment and humbled by the task that lies ahead,” Horner said. “The $3 billion budget shortfall that awaits us in 2011 is going to be a real challenge. To that end, we will balance our state budget without raising taxes and provide the best possible atmosphere for Florida’s businesses as they lead us through our economic recovery.”

Horner represents Florida House District 79. He was elected to the Florida House in 2008 and subsequently re-elected in 2010. District 79 includes parts of Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties.

Cat not left unattended

On Dec. 1, Osceola County Animal Control received a call reporting a cat inside a vacant home in Poinciana.

An Animal Control officer was dispatched immediately to the location and observed the cat inside the home. After numerous failed attempts to determine if the cat’s owner was also inside the home, the officer left the premises and began the procedure to obtain a search warrant to legally enter the residence.

Once the search warrant was issued and after tracking down the owner of the property and obtaining assistance from the owner’s property manager to gain entrance to the residence, which took several days, the officer entered the home and found the cat deceased. While there, the officer observed food and water in the cat’s bowls and a full cat litter box, indicating that the cat had been eating.

The cat was then transported to a local animal lab in order to have a necropsy performed. The necropsy determined the cause of death of the 9-year-old cat was due to kidney failure and feline hepatitis, not starvation as originally feared. Osceola County Animal Control officials have now concluded their investigation on the incident.

Two parvovirus cases reported

Osceola County Animal Control has received reports of parvovirus disease in two dogs.

Parvo, as it is known, is a highly preventable disease through annual vaccinations. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, bloody stools and in severe cases, fever and lowered white blood cell count. The disease progresses rapidly and death can occur within a few days.

Osceola County Animal Control officials understand how important pets are to families and therefore strongly encourage owners to make sure their pets get annual vaccinations to ensure they do not contract preventable diseases, like Parvo.

For more information on this news release, contact Niki Whisler at 407-742-9017.

Incubator to host entrepreneur open house Jan. 26

The UCF Business Incubator in St. Cloud will host an Entrepreneur Open House from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the Corporate Campus building at Stevens Plantation, 3201 Budinger Ave., in St. Cloud. Jim Bowie, site manager at the UCF Business Incubator, said the Discovery Tour event is open to established business owners and potential entrepreneurs who are considering new business startups.

“The Discovery Tour is a brief overview of the services and facilities offered at the UCF Business Incubator to see whether a new business startup is the right fit for our program,” Bowie explained.

Bowie said recent studies show that 87 percent of entrepreneurs who launch their business startups in an incubator facility are still successful after five years.

“The UCF Business Incubator offers facilities, a network of community partners dedicated to the support of emerging enterprises and business coaching,” Bowie said. “Our goal is to help promising startup enterprises accelerate their growth and flourish,” Bowie said.

No RSVP is required, Bowie said.  For more information about the Discovery Tour Open House, contact the UCF Business Incubator in St. Cloud at 407-498-0432 or visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.