Seminar to be on employment law

Workforce Central Florida will host the seminar, Hot Topics in Employment Law 2011, on Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 7:45 a.m.

The workshop will be at Workforce Central Florida Administrative Office, 707 Mendham Blvd., Suite 250, Orlando. It is being presented by Jackson Lewis.

The new year of 2011 promises to be an interesting and challenging one for employers. When the 112th Congress begins its work in January, the fate of pending employment legislation is uncertain as control of the House of Representatives switches parties and, as a result, its legislative priorities change.

Meanwhile, the federal enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, DOL’s Wage and Hour Division and the National Labor Relations Board, intend to pursue their aggressive agendas largely unfettered by Congressional action or inaction. This seminar will look at the key legal developments of 2010 and what employers should expect in the coming year.

Susan McKenna, partner in the Orlando office of Jackson Lewis, will serve as presenter.

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

Freezes raise wildfire threat

The recent cold weather in Central Florida, with temperatures dipping below the freezing mark in many areas, has increased the potential for wildfires.

“These low temperatures create dead and dry vegetation that allow wildfires to start and burn easily,” Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Charles Bronson said.”A lack of the typical tropical moisture usually seen during hurricane season has left Florida drier than normal in spite of recent rainfall. These frosts and freezes will make a bad situation worse.”

Recently, Bronson stated that his Division of Forestry is expecting wildfire activity during 2011 to be higher than normal due to the strong La Niña weather conditions currently in place. Similar conditions in the past have been associated with Florida’s five most active wildfire years.

“This cold front could lead to increased wildfire activity sooner than expected,” Bronson said. “I would urge all residents to do everything possible to increase the probability that their home will survive a wildfire.”  

Bronson urges everyone to concentrate on the three most important areas of their home including:

• Roof and gutters – should be free of all vegetation and debris.

• Around the sides of the house – keep the area clean and landscape the area using plants with low flammability; keep organic mulch, especially pine straw, moist.

• Within 30 feet of the house – keep the area mowed, watered within current local water management guidelines, and keep all debris and brush picked up.

“It’s important for everyone to remember that almost 80 percent of all wildfires in Florida are caused by humans,” Bronson said. “Wildfires that don’t start can’t injure residents or damage structures. Be careful when using anything that involves fire or high heat, or that can cause a spark to ignite nearby brush. With your help, we can avoid a wildfire disaster in Florida.”

For more information on things you can do to lower the wildfire risk around your home and community or how to prevent wildfires, visit http://www.fl-dof.com.

Hunters may have to report deer harvests next season

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission directed its staff last week to advertise new rule proposals requiring all hunters to tag harvested white-tailed deer and report the harvest to the agency.

However, the commissioners directed staff to provide a menu of options regarding exempt hunters, showing how those hunters would report their harvest. Exempt hunters include individuals 65 and older and 16 and under.

Tagging and reporting game harvests is commonly done in many states, and agency staff reviewed several other states’ harvest-reporting systems to see what might work well in Florida.

The agency, along with its stakeholders, continues to craft a system where hunters would report their harvested deer, to better track where and how many deer are harvested in Florida.

Agency staff presented a draft proposal at five public meetings across the state and gathered input and feedback through an online poll.

The proposed harvest-reporting system would utilize a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week telephone and Internet system, and tags to attach to harvested deer.

Some of the information hunters would have to report includes their customer number, date of harvest, county, method of take, hunting with or without dogs, type of deer (antlered buck, button buck or doe) and number of antler points on bucks. All compiled statewide harvest data would be available to the public online and updated daily, but would not include hunters’ personal information.

The new rules could be approved for final adoption at the February commission meeting and would become effective July 1, and apply to the 2011-12 hunting season.

For more detailed information on the proposed harvest-reporting system, go to MyFWC.com/Deer.

Participating in federal food program

Heavenly Kids Preschool & Childcare Center, 711 N. Thacker Ave., Kissimmee, is now participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Child Care Food Program.

The Calvary Assembly of God operates the center. Participation in the program is by application.

The telephone number for the center is 407-870-7844; the fax number is 407-847-7530.

Utility office to be closed for holidays

Kissimmee Utility Authority’s customer service center and administrative offices will be closed in observance of Christmas on Thursday, Dec. 23, and Friday, Dec. 24. Regular utility business hours – 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. – will resume on Monday, Dec. 27.

Utility offices will also be closed for New Year’s Day on Friday, Dec. 31. Regular hours will resume on Monday, Jan. 3. Customers wishing to make a bill payment during the holiday weekends 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.

KUA’s 24-hour outage number is 407-933-9898. If power goes out, customers should notify KUA immediately.

City of Kissimmee announces holiday hours

The city of Kissimmee has announced that City Hall will be closed on Thursday and Friday in observance of Christmas.

Employees will return and resume regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 27.

City Hall also will close on Friday, Dec. 31, in observance of New Year’s Day. Employees will return and resume regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 3.

The city’s Sanitation Division will provide service on the following days to assist citizens with garbage collection during the holidays: Thursday and Friday of this coming week; and Friday, Dec. 31.

For more information, contact the Public Information Office at 407-518-2314.