​The Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance (PWDA) , a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, has awarded nearly $140,000.00 in grants during 2023-2024 to protect and preserve marine wildlife and coastal habitats across Florida. These grants advance critical scientific research, rescue operations, and educational initiatives supporting dolphins, sea turtles, shorebirds and will benefit all marine wildlife in Florida. All funding was generated from sales of the ‘Protect Marine Wildlife’ specialty license plate which was spearheaded by State Representative Jim Mooney (R-Florida Keys), sponsored by Rep Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee) and Senator Dennis Baxley (R-Lady Lake), approved by the Florida State Legislature and launched in 2023.

​Through strategic partnerships with leading research institutions, rescue organizations, and education providers, Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, Inc continues its mission to safeguard marine ecosystems for future generations. Florida's marine wildlife is vital to the ecosystem because it helps maintain the balance of the ocean's complex food web. The diverse marine life in Florida's coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests provides food, habitat, and other benefits. 

Other larger organizations, such as Hubbs Seaworld Research Institute (HSRI), are anticipating changes in federal spending that could significantly impact their ability to conduct critical conservation research. According to an appeal sent out by HSRI on February 10th, 2025, over 90% of their research budget is reliant upon competitive grants, and a reduction is a threat to their ability to plan and execute essential research projects.

​Grant awards from the 'Protect Marine Wildlife' specialty license plate include support for ongoing dolphin population and behavioral ecology program in the Upper Florida Keys through enhanced technologies for dolphin population studies; capacity building for marine mammal research in Florida Bay through Florida Bay small Cetacean remote biopsy sampling; and, comparative acoustic monitoring between wild dolphins and managed care environments through bioacoustics research analysis. 

​Grant recipients include Florida Institute of Technology, University of Florida - UF Animal Rescue, Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center, The Turtle Hospital, The Coastal Stewards, and Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder. Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance also supported Clearwater Marine Aquarium through a $25,000 hurricane relief and disaster recovery grant for emergency care support for threatened, endangered, and protected marine wildlife.

​These ongoing grants represent Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance commitment to supporting marine wildlife conservation through scientific research, rescue operations, educational outreach, and direct conservation efforts. Each project contributes to their mission of protecting marine wildlife and their habitats while promoting public awareness and scientific understanding.

For more information about the Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance grant program through the 'Protect Marine Wildlife' specialty license plate, or to learn about future funding opportunities, please contact the Program Manager at Protect Wild Dolphins Alliance, Inc. https://protectmarinewildlife.org

​Previous studies have found profound levels of plastics within dolphins' stomach contents, breath, and even their urine. Now researchers from the College of Charleston want to know just how severe the pollution crisis is by investigating rainfall and red tides.

​Growing concern among the scientific community over the impact of chemical contaminants derived from plastics upon marine life has prompted researchers in Florida to launch a bold new investigation into the concentration of plastic particles found within the local dolphin population following periods of excess rainfall and red tides.

​Since 2016, the College of Charleston and its partners at the Sarasota Dolphin Research Programme (SDRP) have been studying plastics pollution exposure in Sarasota Bay’s bottlenose dolphins.

​Among their most startling findings, these studies have previously uncovered profound levels of plastics within dolphin stomach contents and breath, while the chemicals used to make these plastics – known as phthalates – have been found in dolphin urine.

​With the aim of delving further and uncovering the extent of the issue, a new study is now looking into how climate-influenced events like major storms, rainfall, and red tides – periods of discolouration of the seawater caused by a bloom of toxic red algae (dinoflagellates) – impact phthalate exposure and the health of Sarasota Bay dolphins.

​Phthalates are the chemical compounds used to make plastics both flexible and durable and are used as both solvents and stabilisers in the plastic production process. Owing to their ubiquity and widespread occurrence in our everyday lives, they have, in recent years, earned themselves the nickname the ‘everywhere chemical’. 

​These chemicals are easily released as plastics deteriorate and are found in everything from PVC pipes, to food packaging and even cosmetics and perfumes. Exposure is so common that more than 95% of humans have detectable levels in their urine.

Original story by rob Hutchins. Click here for full story and images.

An arctic blast that brought a rare snowfall to northern Florida last week left green sea turtles suffering from a condition known as cold stunning. Seventeen sea turtles that were found stranded along Florida’s northeastern Atlantic Coast were brought to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, north of West Palm Beach, where they are recovering.

​“When it’s cold on land, it’s also cold in the ocean. And that led to a number of turtles being beached or very debilitated and just floating in the water,” said Dr Heather Barron, the chief science officer and veterinarian at the center.

The staff named the rescued turtles after beverages, and they painted their new names on the back of their shells. Vets are treating them with antibiotics, fluids and intravenous nutrition. While it snowed as far south as northern Florida, which is extremely rare, the frigid temperatures reached South Florida. That meant cold-stunned turtles were also found along Palm Beach County’s coastline. “It is quite unusual for this to happen in Florida. Sea turtles do migrate, and typically they’re migrating down to Florida for this time of year because of warmer water,” Dr Barron said.

​By Wednesday morning, Espresso, Pickle Juice and Ginger Beer were basking in the sunshine in the center’s “party tank”. The turtles arrived in Juno Beach on Friday from the Marine Science Center in Volusia County, Florida. They all suffered from cold stunning, which causes sea turtles to lose mobility and become lethargic.

Most of the 17 turtles are expected to be released back into the ocean in a few weeks. Last year, turtles from Massachusetts were brought to Florida to rehabilitate while suffering from cold stunning.

Original story by Cody Jackson and Freida Frisaro, Associated Press. For full story with images, click here.

The impacts of climate change are being felt worldwide, from the devastating wildfires out west to the more powerful hurricanes we saw ravage the Gulf Coast over the summer, but here at home a local tech startup has launched a powerful new weapon to help us become more resilient. Off the waters of Biscayne Bay, along the shoreline of a posh Miami Beach residential island, a brand new sea wall is being installed.

It’s not being built using ordinary concrete slabs though. This is the future.

“I think it’s a radical change,” said Anya Freeman, founder and CEO of Kind Designs. “I think this method of manufacturing makes much more sense for seawalls.”

Kind Designs is a brand new tech start up making waves with their ground breaking innovation.

​“This is one of our walls,” said Kind Designs project leader and environmental scientist Maddie Rieger. “You can see the mangrove roots that start at the top all the way down.”

They’re called Living Sea Walls, made out pH neutral sustainable concrete, which is produced way faster than traditional slabs by using state of the art 3-D printing robots.

“We print in one hour what used to take a day in precast,” said Freeman.

And the best part is they not only strengthen resiliency and protect property, but they’re also designed to be kind to the environment.

“So you get a greater amount of biodiversity that can live on and around this wall because of the design of the walls,” said Rieger.

​The walls are textured, using biomimicry to create features that imitate what would naturally appear in the ecosystem, like the one in Miami Beach designed with mangrove roots, providing habitat for marine life.

​“If a marine organism can grip onto this, it protects them from wave action and predators, and then you get these deep caves, so you can almost fit your entire arm in here, so we’ve seen juvenile fish species hiding in there,” said Rieger.

This is the brain child of Freeman, a Ukrainian-born University of Miami Law School graduate turned innovator, after witnessing climate change impact her adopted home of Miami Beach.

“I’ve been here 15 years, and there’s a very big difference from the day I arrived (to) today in the frequency of flooding,” she said. “The amount of flooding, that’s why cities are passing code to keep requiring higher and higher sea walls protect the coast.”

Traditionally, sea walls are typically made of concrete. They’re built parallel to the shore to protect against coastal erosion.

​They’re very expensive to produce, and usually only last 30 to 40 years before they biodegrade, leeching toxins like chloride into the water that are very harmful to the marine environment.

That’s where Freeman saw opportunity, researching a new, more eco-friendly and economical way to bring to market the next generation of seawalls, a living one.

“By utilizing 3-D printing technology, we can make sea walls more affordable and incorporate a biomimicry design, so it’s not a flat wall that’s leaching chemicals destroying marine habitats. The Living sea wall becomes, in itself, a marine habitat.

Using $6 million of investor seed money, within the year Freeman had acquired warehouse space, three robots, and a team of 20 employees.

For full story from Local 10 News and video, click here.

​Bordering three iconic national parks, Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is home to the third largest barrier reef in the world.

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Restoration Blueprint, a major step towards finalizing this long-awaited plan for the Sanctuary.

​Bordering three iconic national parks, Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is home to the third largest barrier reef in the world, and the only one in the continental United States. This national treasure is under threat from marine heat waves, coral bleaching and disease, overfishing, and many other stressors.

​The long-awaited action plan to address these threats is the Restoration Blueprint – a plan more than a decade in the making that will improve protections for corals, seagrasses, and mangroves that safeguard Florida from hurricanes, while also protecting wildlife, water quality, and the economy of the Keys.

​“The Restoration Blueprint is the result of comprehensive community engagement, compromise, and input from all the agencies involved in managing the Sanctuary’s one-of-a-kind water, wildlife, and habitats,” said Marisa Carrozzo, National Parks Conservation Association Senior Coastal & Wildlife Program Manager and FKNMS Advisory Council member. “We are calling for all hands on deck to put this plan into action, and protect the Keys and our connected national parks for generations to come.”

​“As a Keys fishing guide and Councilmember for the Village of Islamorada, I’m excited about this milestone for the Restoration Blueprint,” said Captain Steve Friedman. “Developed with strong input from the fishing community, this plan will help preserve our world-class fishing resources.”

For full National Parks Conservation Association Press Release, click here

Rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) are leading to ocean acidification, which poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems, especially coral reefs. Coral reefs support marine biodiversity and contribute to global food networks, protect coastal areas, and are crucial for regulating the planet’s climate. Researchers have deployed advanced sensors like the SeapHOx to monitor ocean acidity and dissolved oxygen levels, providing vital data to help combat the effects of climate change. ​Addressing ocean acidification and coral reef loss requires international partnerships to share data and implement scalable solutions for marine conservation.

​As the world continues to fight the dangers of climate change, the increasing acidification of the ocean is leading to the loss of coral reefs around the world. However, while scientists believe they understand the cause of the loss of reefs, having more data can never hurt, which is why a group of researchers have recently developed new sensors that will continue our understanding of this effect

​While it is true that an increase in CO2 and temperature can be beneficial for certain forms of life, fostering faster growth in some plant species, for example, it proves catastrophic for others. Particularly affected are the oceanic ecosystems, which are crucial not only due to their biodiversity but also because of their role in supporting global food networks and regulating climatic conditions.

One of the most alarming impacts of these environmental changes is on the world's coral reefs. Coral reefs are often likened to underwater rainforests due to their complex biodiversity and the intricate relationships that exist within these ecosystems. They are not just mere clusters of colorful coral, but vibrant communities teeming with life, offering shelter, breeding grounds, and hunting territory to countless marine species. Furthermore, coral reefs are integral to the nutrient cycles of the ocean and are crucial in the protection of coastal areas against erosion.

​The loss of coral reefs would herald a catastrophic collapse of marine environments. The intricate food webs and habitat structures that these reefs support would unravel, leading to declines in fish populations and other marine life forms. This collapse would not only impact species that are directly dependent on coral reefs but would also have a domino effect on global marine populations, affecting fishing industries and food supplies worldwide.

Moreover, the decline of marine biodiversity could disrupt the balance of marine biogeochemical cycles and diminish the oceans' ability to regulate atmospheric carbon, thereby accelerating climate change further. In a broader ecological context, the loss of coral reefs would signify a loss of genetic diversity critical for medical research, pharmaceutical developments, and the overall resilience of marine ecosystems.

Original story by Robin Mitchell, ElectroPages. For full story, click here

The Florida Highway Patrol has warned drivers about the growing number of citations around illegally wrapped license plates. Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) issued a warning to drivers with Florida license plates that have been airbrushed, vinyl-wrapped, or customized. Such alterations violate the legal tag requirements under Florida law for reflectivity and safety enhancements and can potentially impact the yellow validation stickers. Driving on a public roadway with these altered plates displayed is against the law and violates Section 320.061, Florida Statutes, which prohibits the unlawful altering of a Florida License Plate.

Violations regarding legal tag requirements have grown 98% since 2020, according to FHP. The citation is classified as a moving violation and includes a $60.00 state fine, three points on your license and an accompanying fee set by the county where the citation was issued.

Florida law states that you cannot apply or attach a substance, reflective matter, illuminated device, spray, coating, covering or any other material onto or around the license plate that interferes with the legibility, angular visibility or detectability of any feature or detail on the license plate, or interferes with the ability to record any feature or detail on the plate.

Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida offers over 100 different specialty license plates for various organizations in support of the causes they represent. New specialty license plates are frequently introduced, and any money raised from the sales of those plates goes directly to the organization.

​Here is a list of Florida’s most popular specialty license plates

1. Endless summer: 137,547 plates issued
2. Helping sea Turtles Survive: 109,624 plates issued
3. University of Florida: 92,662 plates issued
4. Miami Heat: 80,909 plates issued
5. Florida State University: 70,393 plates issued
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneer: 60,596 plates issued
7. Save the Manatee: 53,334 plates issued
8. Protect Wild Dolphins: 52,575 plates issued
9. Vets of the U.S. Armed Forces: 49,829 plates issued
10. Marine Corps: 49,747 plates issued

Source: https://www.flhsmv.gov/2024/08/07/florida-highway-patrol-warns-public-of-strict-enforcement-of-illegally-wrapped-license-plates/

The 2024 Florida state legislature voted passed a bill that would provide even more license plate options for state residents. According to the House Staff Analysis, currently, there are 113 specialty license plates available for sale and an additional 30 in presale. Specialty license plates are available to the owner or lessee of any motor vehicle who is willing to pay an annual use fee, in addition to the required license tax and fees. The collected fees are distributed by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) to statutorily-designated organizations in support of a particular
cause or charity. 

​The bill — HB 403 — passed through the Senate unanimously and the House by an overwhelming majority, with 6 legislators voting against it: Beltran, Fine, Gregory (as always), Killebrew, Overdorf and Sirois.and was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 27, 2024. From the effective date of October 1, 2024, the organization has 60 days to submit the proposed art design for the specialty license plate to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). Within 120 days of the specialty license plate becoming law, DHSMV must establish a method to issue presale vouchers for the specialty license plate. The applicant for a specialty license plate pays a $5 processing fee, a $2.50 service charge, a $.50 branch fee, and the annual use fee. All other applicable fees are paid at the time of issuance of the specialty license plate.

After the presale vouchers are established, the organization has 24 months to obtain a minimum of
3,000 voucher sales before manufacturing of the plate can begin. If the minimum sales requirement
has not been met by the end of the 24-month presale period, the specialty license plate is deauthorized,

The number of specialty license plates issued cannot exceed 135. If the Legislature approves more
than 135 specialty license plates, DHSMV cannot issue any new specialty license plates until a sufficient number of plates are discontinued in order to not exceed the limit.

That bill directs the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to proceed with the design and required presale of the plates.

The full list of license plates and changes approved in the bill are as follows:

Collegiate (themed around state and independent universities in Florida)
Funds will go toward corresponding universities as determined by the purchaser.

“Live the Dream”
The CEO/Executive Director of the Dream Foundation, and former lobbyist, Michael Dobson has been arrested and charged with embezzlement of over $250,000.00 and the state legislature has voted to cancel any funding to those organizations previously listed, including Sickle Cell Disease Association and instead award up to 5% of the funds to the Atlanta-based King Center as royalty fees for the use of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s image. The remaining funds will be placed into an account within the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund to support research for abandoned African-American cemeteries. According to the House Staff Analysis, On December 13, 2023, DHSMV issued a report which indicated that revenues associated with the 'Live The Dream' specialty license plate were being withheld as a result of unresolved audit findings. The report noted that the board of directors of the Dream Foundation, Inc., was non-operational, and, as of September 2023, the Dream Foundation, Inc., was listed as inactive with the Florida Division of Corporations. As of December 6, 2023, DHSMV was withholding $179,843, and there were 5,585 active 'Live The Dream' specialty license plates.
The House Staff Analysis stated that their would be a positive fiscal impact To the extent that if sales continue for the 'Live the Dream' License Plate, the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund within the DOS will see an increase of revenues for the purpose of supporting the Historic Cemeteries Program. 
“American Eagle” 
The annual use fees from the sale of the plate must be distributed to the American Eagle Foundation for deposit in the foundation’s national endowment fund.

Divine Nine
The legislators changed the existing law to only Divine Nine members or their immediate family members are eligible for this license plate.

“Universal Orlando Resort”
Funds will be given to the Give Kids The World nonprofit, which seeks to provide “week-long, cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families.”

Once the specialty license plate goes into production, organizations authorized for a distribution from the proceeds of the sale of the respective license plate will benefit. Therefore, the following organizations may see an increase in revenues:
 Various in-state colleges and universities
 Eligible grant entities under the Historic Cemeteries Program
 The American Eagle Foundation
 Nine Member Organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (Divine Nine)
 United Negro College Fund, Inc.
 Association to Preserve African American Society, History, and Tradition, Inc.
 Give Kids The World, Inc.
 SFC Charitable Foundation, Inc.
 Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Inc.
 Aerospace Center for Excellence
 The Villages Charter School, Inc.
 The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, Inc.
 JDRF International Incorporated
 The UF Foundation, Inc.
 Recycle Florida Today Foundation, Inc.
 Captain Sandy Yawn, Inc.
 Project Addiction: Reversing the Stigma, Inc.
 United Service Organizations, Inc

​Michael Dobson, the CEO of the Tallahassee-based Dream Foundation, Inc., which receives funding from the State of Florida through the Martin Luther King Jr. 'Live the Dream' specialty license plate, has been charged with stealing from the nonprofit organization. Michael Dobson, a longtime local political consultant and nonprofit manager, has allegedly stolen $153,146.00 between July 1, 2020, and April 1, 2023. The money came from Florida residents, who pay a $25 annual fee for the specialty license plate.

​Michael J. Dobson, 65, was arrested on a charge of resisting an officer without violence and was then rearrested on the grand theft charges. 

After weeks in jail, he was released from Leon County Detention Facility, the Sheriff's Office website shows, after Circuit Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper this week OK'd him to be on pre-trial release. According to state records, Dobson served multiple short stints in jail starting in 1990, and later served multiple years-long sentencings in prison starting in 2013. Most of the charges are clustered in the early 1990s and early 2010s. However, he continued to work with the Florida Legislature.

The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department's inspector general's office completed an audit in March 2023 of the Dream Foundation's "Live the Dream" license plate, featuring a likeness of Dr. King, and found that "money received by the foundation was illegally misappropriated" by Dobson. The audit is not complete for the subsequent year as he did not have to file the report.

​In the last legislative session, the 'Live the Dream' specialty license plate distribution of funds was amended and redirected (CS/CS/HB 403)to the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund to support the Historic Cemeteries Program. The funds are to be utilized to research, identify, and record abandoned African-American cemeteries and provide grants to eligible entities. 5% will still be paid to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., also known as The King Center, as a royalty for the use of the image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on the license plate.

Over the past 5 years, Dobson had crafted various bills which were subsequently approved by the state legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis, which redirected funds that could be used for his organization's own non-profit purposes. Separate bills saw the use of funds distribution amended from March of Dimes, Healthy Start Coalition and Sickle Cell to going directly to the nonprofit controlled by Dobson with 8% for "assisting inmates released from custody of a county jail in this state or a Department of Corrections facility in successfully reentering the community," and "at least 15%" for "as grants for programs and services throughout this state which assist inmates released from the custody of a county jail in this state or a Department of Corrections facility in successfully reentering the community."  With a further 20% for scholarships of graduating high school seniors in this state who have at least one parent or legal guardian who is incarcerated." A portion of these amendments were filed by Representative Dr James Bush, III, a retired teacher who served in the House from 1992-2000, 2008 and then 2018 and Senator Keith Perry, CEO of Perry Roofing Contractors, who served in the House from 2010-2016 and in the Senate from 2016.

In 2008, Dobson was reprimanded by the House of Representatives for "fraudulent representation before a House Committee." Michael Dobson agreed to pay back $20,000 to a client who hired him to win legislative passage of a new license plate.
​
Dobson was registered to lobby the Florida Legislature for 10 clients, including the Capitol City Chamber of Commerce and several bio-fuel and renewable energy groups, some of which he was the CEO and founder, including the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association.
Panama City Rep. Jimmy Patronis filed a complaint with the House that Dobson was lobbying for a client without registering the name with the Legislature. House General Counsel Jeremiah Hawkes determined the Panama City Marine Institute signed a $40,000 contract with Dobson's firm in July 2007 to win passage of the tag.

Dobson later testified for bills creating the "Horse Country" and an "I Believe" license plate in March without registering to lobby for PCMI, according to Hawkes' investigative report.
Hawkes' findings also suggested Dobson violated a House rule by fabricating information in a survey of the number of motorists likely to buy the tag that was submitted to the House Infrastructure Committee. Florida law requires backers of specialty tags to submit a "scientific sample survey" showing that at least 30,000 motorists are likely to buy the tag, which would devote a portion of the  revenues generated to special causes.

The committee's chairman, Tampa Bay Rep. Rich Glorioso, told Hawkes he had repeatedly told Dobson that the surveys for both tags "were defective." "These violations are not de minimus," Hawkes wrote to House Speaker Marco Rubio. "Mr. Dobson has been a registered lobbyist for years and is aware of the requirements to lobby. Dobson was given an opportunity to respond to this investigation, and failed to do so." The agreement called for a one-year ban from lobbying if he failed to repay the Institute the $20,000 by the following spring. He must also go back and file compensation reports reflecting the contract. According to the Lobbyist disclosure Reports, he did not.

​Dobson was previously arrested in 2013 for financial fraud from 2010-2012 for credit card fraud, depositing a check with intent to defraud, grand theft and defrauding a financial business and was sentenced to 5 years.
He was released in September 2016.
​His known aliases at that time were Michael J Dobson, Michael Jaray Dobson, Michael Jarray Dobson and Michael Jaray Dobson-Foster.

​In 2020, the Florida Elections Commission filed a Notice of Probable Cause and set a hearing date for matters involving the Florida Voters Campaign PAC, who operated from the 4005 Brandon Hill Drive address. The Dream Foundation, Inc. was administratively dissolved on 9/22/23 by the state for failing to file the 2023 annual report. At the time, Dobson, Craig and associates was listed as the resident agent and the officers were Kimberlyn Elliott, Doyle Smith, Reverend Martin Tooley, Mylah Kate Robinson, Sharon Fagans and Michael J Dobson was listed as President and CEO. Michael Dobson had previously reinstated the corporation and taken over on August 29, 2017 and registered both the Dream Foundation and Dobson, Craig & Associates principal business address at 4005 Brandon Hill Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32309, a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2,321 sq ft single family home built in 1976, which, according to Leon County Property Appraiser is owned by Michael Jaray Dobson after it was quitclaimed to him from his wife Cynthia L. Craig on April 18, 2020. 

​According to the Tallahassee Democrat, John Lynch, Dobson's assigned public defender, said his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty and declined further comment: "I'm really not at liberty to discuss any sort of defense strategy at this point," Lynch said.

The Tallahassee Democrat was made aware of the case by a political candidate that Dobson has been advising. That person, who asked to be unnamed, said Dobson told her he thinks that he is being pursued criminally now because of his affiliation with the Democratic Party and for the diversity, equity and inclusion conferences he organizes. He also told her he missed his court date because of mail service issues and he didn't get the summons on time. He did not comment on the allegedly stolen funds.

Law enforcement got a warrant for Dobson's arrest in September, but took until December to locate him and take him into custody. According to a probable cause affidavit, Dobson was spotted by police walking between the Golden Corral and Masa restaurants on North Monroe Street.

"I exited my patrol car in full uniform and called out 'Mr. Dobson!' as he was ahead of me," the report says. "I then called out 'Mr. Dobson, I need you to stop!' and as I was telling him to stop several times, he began to pick up his pace."
Dobson allegedly darted into traffic where he ran across the busy roadway to the Cottages at Lake Ella. Officers finally caught him inside the kitchen of the American Legion hall, the report said.

Over the last 34 years, Michael Dobson has been charged with various misdemeanors, such as passing worthless bank checks, as well as felony charges of fraudulent use of credit cards, bank fraud and grand theft, court dockets show.

He had a case management hearing on Feb. 6, court dockets show.
​

​Additional Source: Tallahassee Democrat, Elena Barrera [email protected]. Follow her on X @elenabarreraaa.

​The Lee County Tax Collector is expanding its online service by offering Florida’s specialty license plates on its site.

With causes ranging from education to environment, sports to health, Florida offers more than 100 different specialty plates on behalf of various organizations. The money raised from their sale goes directly to the organization. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, since inception, 800 million dollars has been raised.

​With the launch of online sales at www.LeeTC.com, buying these specialty plates has never been easier. The platform allows customers to view the designs and select their preferred option, paying by credit card, debit card or e-check. Once the order is placed, the plate is mailed directly to them. Customers can even purchase them as gifts for others.

“We know time is precious,” says Tax Collector Noelle Branning. “This new platform provides convenience for our customers, allowing us to deliver 5-star service quickly and efficiently, which is our mission.”

THE NEW PROTECT MARINE WILDLIFE SPECIALTY PLATE CAN BE ORDERED BY CLICKING HERE.