Family Initiative fights for school choice

Family Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and families with autism, recently participated in the introduction of Florida House Bill 1, which would provide access to education savings accounts and expand eligibility to children with unique abilities.

Filed by House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee Chair Kaylee Tuck, R–Lake Placid, and endorsed by Republican Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, HB 1 increases access to innovative educational resources, allowing parents of students with disabilities to customize their child’s education.

In addition to a variety of public options, Florida offers scholarship programs for students with disabilities to attend private schools. These programs currently include the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students attending private school and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with disabilities. HB 1 would eliminate eligibility requirements and expand opportunities to all eligible students, although families below www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

PUBLISHER

Karen P. Moore

PRINT EDITOR & ASSOCIATE WEB EDITOR

Jacob Ogles

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jennifer Ogles

PHOTO REVIEWER

Scott Toner

PRINT AD DESIGNER

Jennifer Ogles

DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER & EDITOR

Michelle L. Hudson

WEBSITE ASSISTANT

Elyssa Morataya

P.O. Box 152299

Cape Coral, FL 33915-2299

News: 239-573-9731

All other: 239-573-9732

News email: editor@swfloridabusinesstoday.com

All other information requests: publisher@ swfloridabusinesstoday.com

The contents of Southwest Florida Business

Today® are copyright 2023 by Southwest Florida Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced without the express written consent of Southwest Florida Newspapers, Inc. The publication of any advertisement or article does not necessarily reflect the view of the publisher of Southwest Florida Business

Today®. For more information about any article or column appearing in Southwest Florida Business Today®, for advertising rates or subscription information please call 239-573-9732 or email: publisher@ swfloridabusinesstoday.com

OUR MISSION the federal poverty level would maintain priority status for receiving the scholarships.

Southwest Florida Business Today® is to provide the best business-to-business marketplace where business executives operating in Southwest Florida buy and sell goods and services via the exchange of news, advertising and information.

“As an organization that advocates in the best interest of students and families with autism spectrum disorder, Family Initiative supports HB 1 as a win-win as it greatly increases the number of students with disabilities served

Human resources from the heart

...is what keeps you and by these programs, helps eliminate the current waitlist and empowers parents with more options for their child,” said David Brown, Family Initiative president and co-founder. “I cannot emphasize how important this legislation is to providing families a choice to assess and decide which educational option is best for their child.”

If you have a start-up or a business with one or more employees, you need HR by Karen, a human resources consulting company in Southwest and one to watch in 2023. Karen Shepherd, owner of HR by Karen, outsources expert human resources services to help businesses save money, stay out of trouble and in compliance with state and federal applicable laws and regulations.

BY KAREN SHEPHERD Guest Columnist

Shepherd feels no business, large or small, should be without HR services. Her approach to human resources is to remember “human” is first and foremost, and being the “resource” for businesses and the community follows closely behind. When a business leads with compassion, empathy and heart, it will create a foundation for a happy, engaged and high-performing culture.

HR by Karen has the solutions to fit your business needs, serving as an organization’s partner and an employee’s advocate. Have HR or employee issues that keep you up at night? HR by Karen provides onsite, remote or interim services, such as HR Consulting to reduce the risk of non-compliance; recruitment to increase a business retention rate with quality hiring practices; employee handbooks to help defend your business from employee lawsuits; and training and presentations to achieve business growth with leadership development and inspiration.

Be “In the Know” with HR by Karen on the last Thursday of each month for a free virtual one-hour HR Seminar at 8 a.m.. Register for the upcoming March 30 event on Mental Health in the Workplace at hrbykaren.com. Also, be on the lookout for Karen’s forthcoming book, Do This, Not That, a Heart Approach to Human Resources.

You can’t spell HeaRt without HR.

Contact Karen Shepherd at (239) 7765919 or Karen@HRbyKaren.com.

Florida Realtors hosts scholarship program

Florida Realtors Education Foundation announced the application deadline for this year’s Student Scholarship Program is March 9 at noon. Since it the program began 13 years ago, Florida Realtors has awarded a total of $2,246,200 in scholarship funding, which has helped 1,593 students go to a college or university.

This student scholarship program is open and available to students whose parents are Realtors or licensed real estate practitioners, or whose parents are employed by any local Realtor board/ association or by Florida Realtors, as well as any Florida student currently enrolled at a school (including homeschooled students or those attending a charter school.) It is based on an online application form.

Scholarships start at $1,000; the number of scholarships and dollar amounts awarded may vary each year.