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Do you know a student interested in a real estate career? Then you’ll want to find out more about the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) Education and Research Scholarships. But get ready: The online application process opens Sept. 21, 2015, and ends Nov. 2 at noon

The Lake County Solid Waste Division, in partnership with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, is encouraging Lake County residents to dispose of unwanted household hazardous materials and medications in a safe and environmentally conscious way at an upcoming collection event.

When it comes to generating jobs and rebuilding the American economy, no single factor is more important than access to reliable, low-cost electricity. It is the fundamental building block of high-tech industry and the competitive advantage that many U.S. firms have used to hold steady against foreign competition

The Florida Division of State Fire Marshal (SFM), which operates under the direction of Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and the Department of Financial Services, today announced the arrest of Delmar Dice, 50, for allegedly attempting to burn down his own home and causing nearly $200,000 in damage.

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The Lake County Solid Waste Division is encouraging Lake County residents to dispose of toxic materials in a safe and environmentally sensitive way at an upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Collection event. The county’s Household Hazardous Waste Mobile Unit will be available from 9 a.m. - noon on Thursday, Sept. 10 in the parking lot adjacent to the Umatilla Fire Department, located at 1 Cassidy St., Umatilla.

Northbound and southbound lanes of North 22nd Street will be closed between East Henry and East Hanna avenues beginning at 9 a.m. tomorrow while the Tampa Water Department repairs a water main break. Barricades and signs will be located in the area to assist with traffic flow. Please use caution when traveling in the area.

Two southbound travel lanes on Tampa Street between Laurel and Fortune streets are closed while the Tampa Water Department repairs a service line break. One southbound lane remains open for traffic. Barricades and signs will be located in the area to assist with traffic flow. Please use caution when traveling in the area.

The Lake County Solid Waste Division is encouraging Lake County residents to dispose of toxic materials in a safe and environmentally sensitive way at an upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Collection event

“Martin County Single Family Home sales continued to outpace last year’s sales figures. The number of Closed Sales were up 13.7%, Supply went down 31.2%, and the Average Sale Price rose 11.7%. The sustained high demand for homes and the diminished supply continued to push prices up to where the Median Sale Price now comfortably sits at $306,500. Buyers must be aware that we are firmly in a Seller’s market with 4.5 months’ supply of inventory. Realtors®’ services, now more than ever, are in demand to find folks homes on the Treasure Coast.

Florida’s housing market reported more closed sales, higher median prices, more pending sales and tightening inventory in July, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Closed sales of existing single-family homes statewide totaled 26,916 last month, up 21.8 percent over July 2014

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced that a $15.5 million settlement has been secured as a result of a contract investigation involving U.S. Foods, Inc. The investigation conducted by the Department of Financial Services’ Office of Fiscal Integrity concluded that U.S. Foods falsely inflated its prices for supply food services to the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) between 2008 and 2014. Through this deceitful billing practice, U.S. Foods wrongly collected millions in state dollars.

Florida Realtor, the Business Magazine of Florida Real Estate and monthly trade publication of Florida Realtors®, recently won nine awards in the 2015 Florida Magazine Association’s (FMA) competition.

The Council of the District of Columbia has passed resolutions confirming the appointments of Mr. Buwa Binitie, Mr. Stephen M. Green and Mr. Bryan “Scottie” Irving to the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA). “The new board members possess a range of expertise in development and housing in the District of Columbia.

Late yesterday, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi joined 14 other state attorneys general seeking to block the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Finalized earlier this month by our Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Power Plan will reduce carbon pollution from power plants.

The National Congress of Black Women, Inc. (NCBW) supports the efforts of the Consumers for Smart Solar. As stated in our Amicus Brief filed at the Florida Supreme Court on June 10, 2015, the NCBW opposes the Floridians for Solar Choice (FSC) Solar Ballot Initiative because the proposed amendment, if approved, will have a recurring detrimental financial impact on Black women, their families and communities in particular, as well as generally upon members of the public dependent upon electric utility service

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is leading 16 other attorneys general in a legal action against the United States Environmental Protection Agency for illegally invalidating the individual air quality protection plans in those states. In June, the EPA issued a final rule requiring 35 states, including Florida, to revise their individual State Implementation Plans governing carbon emissions during power plant Startup, Shutdown or Malfunction.

With the release of year-over-year market statistics for the 2nd quarter, we saw trends of consumer confidence in the single family homes sector. Closed sales increased 13.2 percent to 5,383 transactions, and median sale price increased 5.6 percent to $299,900. Meanwhile, median days on market dropped 20.8 percent to 42 days. Also, inventory decreased 7.4 percent to 6,726 active listings, and months’ supply decreased 21.9 percent to 4.5 months

Lake County’s Building Services Division is hosting two public workshops in August seeking to inform builders and contractors about the state’s new building codes. The “Stucco Failure Workshop” will be held from 8-10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 14 at the Lake County Agricultural Center, 1951 Woodlea Road, Tavares.

As flood waters in the Tampa area slowly begin to recede, many residents now face a multitude of insurance-related issues as they survey damages to their homes and vehicles. CFO Jeff Atwater is offering assistance to area residents as they navigate the insurance claims process.