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Governor Ron Desantis Activates Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19
Professional Opticians of Florida
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
COVID-19 Message Florida’s optical community is the heart of everything we do at Professional Opticians of Florida. With growing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, we want you to know that the health and safety of the optical community, including our team, is our top priority. Our operations are running strong to support everyone during this time, with all of our employees now working remotely. As we monitor this rapidly evolving situation, we wanted to share an update on some of the ways we are protecting Florida Opticians. Listening to the Experts: We are closely monitoring the guidance from local and federal authorities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) to safeguard our employees and the optical community. We encourage you to do the same and stay informed. Supporting You: We work hard every day to keep our operations running smoothly for you, and we want to ensure you that we will not let you down. All Florida opticianry licenses expire on December 31, 2020. We will work diligently with Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Health, and the Board of Opticianry to ensure your licenses will not be at risk. We’ll share critical updates with you throughout this time, and we’ll continue to keep Florida Opticians front and center as we think about ways to make your education as safe as possible. Cancellations: Miami Dade College has closed its campus, therefore canceling the March 30 and April 4 Florida Laws & Rules and Hands-on Frame Fitting courses scheduled. We have contacted those enrolled and issued full refunds. As an overabundance of caution, the West Coast Chapter of Professional Opticians of Florida has canceled its March 18th education. Online Education: Florida Laws & Rules allow up to (5) five hours of continuing online education. As a member, this is at no charge to you. POF’s standard online CE rate of $14.97 will be reduced to $5.00 per hour nationwide beginning on March 23, 2020. Please click here for more info: https://www.pofce.org/ Upcoming Events: Following the CDC guideless, POF intends to move forward with the live ABO/NCLE Reviews in Safety Harbor May 2 & 3 with extended precautions for attendees. The class size will be limited to a much smaller group within CDC guidelines, along with a six-foot space per attendee, and plenty of hand sanitizer and water will be available. We have been in constant communication with the event hotel, and we have arranged extra deep sanitization in the education rooms before and after each course. The hotel is also following a heightened level of sanitation for the sleeping rooms between stays. West Coast Better Vision is scheduled for June 5-7, 2020. We currently plan on holding the event as expected, as it is premature at this point to say where COVID-19 will be at that time. Professional Opticians of Florida’s Optical Community extends beyond Florida. We know that the cancellation of Vision Expo East impacted many ECP’s/Opticians/Ophthalmic Dispensers. For those affected by the cancelation of VEE, please click https://pof.org/VEE-Special-Offer/ for more information on how to attend any of our 2020 events for a 50% reduction of registration fees. We empathize with what you have gone through and want to offer assistance. We ask that if you are feeling ill or have been in contact with someone who has been ill, please remember to be socially responsible and cancel your attendance to any event. Please keep in mind that Professional Opticians of Florida has always had a 100 percent refund policy. If you are unable to attend an event, simply call the office or send us an email and we will gladly refund your entire registration fee. The safety and welfare of our members and attendees always come first. There is nothing more powerful and resilient than our amazing optical community—we want to thank you for showing your love and being a part of Professional Opticians of Florida. See well & stay well. Jerry W. Campbell, LDO, ABOC, NCLEC Board Certified Optician President | 2020 Legislative Update
Friday, March 13th, 2020 marked the final adjournment of the 2020 Legislative Session, also known as, “Sine Die.” While House Bill 707 passed in its chamber, every effort was made to ensure that Senate Bill 1124 would not move forward without amending all healthcare professions from the bill. Opticians around the state and our allies in other states, sent over 10,000 emails to Florida Legislators stating their concerns. We are happy to report that both House Bill 707 and Senate Bill 1124 were indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration. Professional Opticians of Florida would like to thank each and every Optician, patient, doctor, family member and friend who took the time to make a positive impact on Opticianry in Florida. Professional Opticians of Florida will be reaching out soon with a plan to continue to protect Opticianry in the 2021 session with a local legislative outreach. Please continue to support Opticians for Better Vision, your Political Committee. Congratulations on your victory!
Steve Geller, Esq. Broward County Vice-Mayor Former Florida Senator Professional Opticians of Florida Lobbyist
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