Seminar to benefit Miss Rodeo Florida and the American Cancer Society

Debra Fox, a national corporate trainer and professional public speaker, will speak at a seminar Saturday, June 11, at the Clarion Resort, 2261 E. U.S. Highway 192 in Kissimmee.

The event is a fundraiser for Sammy Roberts, Miss Rodeo Florida, and the American Cancer Society.

Fox brings business and life experience to her exceptionally popular training program. As past president of the American Modeling Association and a former Miss Rodeo Kansas, Fox’s personal flair, anecdotes and solid content – with a life-changing, skill building message – has motivated audiences around the country.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with seminar beginning promptly at 9 a.m. A donation of $99 per person includes the six-hour professional training seminar and a Miss Rodeo Florida Fun card valued at $25. One hundred percent of the profit from the event will benefit Roberts and the Cancer Society.

For additional information, visit www.MissRodeoFlorida.com or call Regina Roberts at 407-847-0909.

KUA earns national award for reliable electric operations

The American Public Power Association has awarded its Reliable Public Power Provider platinum award to the Kissimmee Utility Authority for its outstanding achievement in providing safe and reliable service to its customers.

KUA was one of 82 utilities honored nationwide.

The designation recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, training and system improvement. Criteria within each category are based on sound business practices and represent a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity.

The award was presented during the association’s recent Engineering & Operations Technical Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

KUA previously earned the designation in 2009 and 2007. The designation is active for two years, after which time a utility must reapply.

Gant tapped for KUA board

At a special meeting of the Kissimmee Utility Authority board of directors May 11, the board interviewed and selected George Gant to serve a five-year term on the utility’s governing board.

Gant’s name will go before the Kissimmee City Commission May 24 for confirmation. If confirmed, he will be sworn in at the board’s October meeting and serve until Sept. 30, 2016.

Gant, a retired doctor, is currently serving a partial term on the board left open by the death in 2008 of director William C. “Bill” Hart. That term expires Sept. 30.

Gant is former mayor of Kissimmee and retired medical director of the Osceola County Health Department. He holds a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine, and is a 51-year resident of Kissimmee.

The utility’s five-member board of directors sets policy direction for the utility. Specifically, the board approves annual budgets, sets rates and approves major purchases. The board also directs a general manager who is responsible for day-to-day operations of the utility.

Clerk of Courts Office raised more than $8,000 for benefit

Malcom Thompson, Osceola County clerk of courts, has announced that his staff collected more than $8,000 for the April 29-30 Relay For Life event at St. Cloud High School. The Clerk’s Office won the first place award for money raised by a team.

Beginning in January, the clerk’s staff divided into teams and engaged in friendly competition to see which team could raise the most funds to benefit the American Cancer Society. Fundraising involved a variety of activities, such as selling cancer-related novelties to food-related activities to chances to win donated gift baskets, artwork, gas cards, and gift cards.

“In these hard economic times, it is refreshing to see that clerk staff can give back such a significant amount to the community,” Thompson stated in a press release.  “I am proud of each and every one of them for their contribution.  They easily surpassed their original goal of raising $2,500 for this important cause.”

Thompson also stated that his staff volunteered their lunch hours, their time before and after work and their weekends to plan and execute the various fundraising activities. Seventeen walkers represented the Clerk’s Office during the two-day event.

Applicants sought for advisory boards

The Osceola County Commission is currently seeking volunteers to serve on several advisory boards/committees.

If you are interested in applying, visit www.osceola.org and click on “agency directory” near the top of the home page to select the “Agency Directory Website” portal. Select the advisory board for which you would like more information; this site will also guide you to the application. All candidates must live in Osceola County.

Board members are needed for:

• Code Enforcement, which conducts hearings in regard to code and ordinance violations and enforcement. Seeking one at large appointee.

• Library Advisory Board, which meets the needs of a growing and diverse community. Seeking one district 4 appointee.

• Parks and Recreation Committee, which reviews parks and recreation policies in order to improve services. Seeking one district 2 appointee.

For more information, contact the Osceola County Community Outreach/Public Information Office at 407-742-2382.

Flight training receives federal certification

Kissimmee Gateway Airport announced this week that its airport business, SunState Aviation Flight School, received Federal Aviation Administration certification on May 6.

SunState Aviation’s flight training program was awarded a Part 141 certification in accordance with FAA and industry training standards.

The certification proves that the SunState Aviation Training Course Outline provides a structured training program with a standardized training syllabus approved by the FAA. The process of certification started in 2006.

“It’s important to have this higher level of recognition to highlight all of the hard work we’ve done,” Steve Graham, of SunState Aviation Flight School, stated in a press release.

The Part 141 certificate was presented to Graham, owner of SunState Aviation, and David Blakney, chief flight instructor.

The flight school specializes in accelerated flight training in technically advanced aircraft.

For more information about SunState Aviation, visit www.SunStateAviation.com.

Lakes to benefit from herbicide treatments

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will treat about 350 acres of dense stands of aquatic plants in three Osceola County lakes to improve both foraging habitat for fish and wildlife and fishing access for anglers.

The targeted plants are cattails, pickerelweed, American lotus and knotweed and they will be treated via helicopter with the herbicides glyphosate and 2,4-D. Aerial treatments are an efficient and effective method for controlling certain types of aquatic plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves both herbicides for use in lakes.

The lake treatment, weather permitting, was to be applied by helicopter May 18 through May 20.

On Lake Hatchineha, approximately 120 acres of emergent plants, primarily cattail, will be treated to keep them from encroaching on desirable native submersed vegetation. About 80 acres of cattail and pickerelweed will be treated on Lake Cypress to maintain desirable densities of emergent plants for fish and wildlife and to promote native submersed vegetation.

Emergent plants are those that grow up out of the water; submersed plants are those growing below the water’s surface.

American lotus, a large, round-leaved plant that looks similar to lily pads and spatterdock, has covered approximately 60 percent of Lake Jackson. Although anglers have been doing very well fishing for bass on the lake, access to fishing areas has become difficult. Many areas that provided good fishing as recently as three months ago now are covered with lotus and unfishable.

To address this problem, approximately 130 acres of navigation trails and fishing lanes through the lotus will be created with herbicide treatments. The trails should be open about two weeks after treatments. In addition, 20 acres of knotweed will be treated to reduce plant densities to a level that improves fish and wildlife foraging habitat.