Department Of Law News

As a result of an internal investigation prompted by concerns raised from employees and in follow-up to prior internal suspicions, the Canaveral Port Authority in May requested the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to probe improprieties in its parking operations. The internal investigation began nine months ago with anonymous tips from employees made to the Port CEO and management. Several actions immediately were taken, including implementation of improved oversight procedures and installation of new CCTV at cruise terminal parking booths. Construction also began on a new automated parking access and revenue collection system at cruise terminals that Port Commissioners approved last year. The new automated system becomes operational in August.

Offshore Inland Marine and Oilfield Services (OIMOS) today announced plans to expand operations at the Port of Pensacola thanks to shore-side improvements at the Port allowing more vessel service calls at Offshore Inland’s growing subsea support business base there. These plans include the installation of a 1200-amp shore power terminal, and a pier-side sewage discharge station to allow for additional service and support for Port of Pensacola customers. Seven warehouses with 265,000 square feet of available indoor storage area. Covered railcar loading and unloading.

Governor Sean Parnell has directed the Department of Law to ask the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for permission to intervene in the lawsuit by environmental groups challenging the U.S. Interior Department’s decision to approve an oil exploration plan for the Chukchi Sea. “OCS exploration and development will increase jobs and revenue for Alaskans and for all Americans,” Governor Parnell said. The state previously was granted intervention in a separate case brought by many of the same plaintiffs against an exploration plan for the Beaufort Sea. In both cases, the state has sought intervention due to the economic importance of offshore oil and gas production.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Florida state House and Senate leaders, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced a partnership designedto strengthen security at the State's seaports. The partnership, formalized in a Memorandum of Agreement signed in mid-February, will define requirements for background checks and state-of-the-art identification credentials for truck drivers, dockworkers and others who require unescorted access to the secure areas of the seaports. TSA will provide the infrastructure of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), which offers a giant leap in transportation security by balancing the needs of commerce and individual privacy with those of security.

Paul I. Perez, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Steven J Trent, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Frank Cioffi, Resident Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), Lance Newman, Special Agent-in-Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), today announced the unsealing of indictments and the arrest of 14 individuals on charges that include social security fraud, possession of counterfeit alien registration card, and unlawful re-entry following deportation. This has been a yearlong investigation that culminated early today as federal, state, and local law enforcement began rounding up those individuals indicted.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today announced the appointment of the following individuals to serve on the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee. "On behalf of Secretary Ridge, I am delighted to welcome these advisors to our team," said Admiral Thomas H. Collins, commandant of the Coast Guard. The advisory committee has been established to provide advice to the Department of Homeland Security via the U.S. Coast Guard on matters such as national maritime security strategy and policy, actions required to meet current and future security threats, international cooperation on security issues, and security concerns of the maritime transportation industry as mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. Joseph H. Thomas E. John C.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Gaines Huneycutt and his Coast Guard Station Destin, Fla., rescue boatcrew enforce a one-mile safety zone around the vessel seen on the horizon Wednesday, May 17, 2006. The vessel, formerly the USS Oriskany, an 888-foot Navy aircraft carrier, was rigged with explosives and sunk as an artificial reef about 23 miles southeast of Pensacola. Also involved in the safety zone enforcement, designed to ensure the safety of crews and spectators on scene, were boatcrews aboard the Coast Guard Cutters Cobia and Bonito, and patrol boats from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Alabama Marine Police, and local and county law enforcement agencies.