TALLAHASSEE – Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez announced Nov. 11 the second annual ‘Holiday Letters to Heroes’ to encourage Florida’s K–8 students to write holiday letters to the men and women who are deployed or on state active duty in the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard this holiday season. Through her initiative, LG on Mission, the Lieutenant Governor is partnering with the Florida Department of Education to collect and send letters to support our military service members. Letters will be accepted through Dec. 11, 2024.
Each student will submit a handwritten letter to the Florida Department of Education with a message of support and appreciation for our active duty military men and women. Students are also encouraged to include drawings that share the holiday spirit in their letter.
Holiday Letters to Heroes
325 W Gaines Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
 Kudos to participants of the 2024 Women Veterans’ Health and Wellness Summit in Stuart, Nov. 2. Leaders from FDVA, VISN 8 and the West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System discussed earned services and benefits. For more on Florida’s 168,000 Women Veterans, click here.
 Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. James S. Hartsell participates in pre-game ceremonies at the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Philadelphia Flyers game for Military Appreciation Night at Amalie Arena, Nov. 7. Hartsell is the Executive Director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
 The Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans' Nursing Home in Port Charlotte recently earned the Florida Tax Watch Government Productivity Award for its "Weekend Warrior" program. The program focuses on recruiting employees to fill weekend, evening, and night shifts, during which the facility typically uses the greatest number of staffing agency personnel. Part-time workers are hired to fill weekend shifts with the incentive of having greater flexibility in their work schedules and a shift differential for non-day shifts. Developed by Jacobson RN James Todd (pictured right center), the innovative program has assisted with the home's recruitment and retention of direct care workers and a reduction of staffing agency usage. The program is now being used in all nine of State Veterans’ Homes.
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FDVA Executive Director James S. Hartsell and FDVA Administrator Larry Militello hold a proclamation from Pembroke Pines Mayor Angelo Castill, designating Nov. 11, 2024, as Alexander "Sandy" Nininger State Veterans' Nursing Home Day in the City of Pembroke Pines.
 FDVA Executive Director James S. Hartsell sings the National Anthem at the first Veterans Day ceremony of a new military themed restaurant in Pasco County, Nov. 11.
 The Florida Health Care Association partnered Nov. 8 with Dream Flights in Tallahassee to honor area Veterans with free flights of a lifetime in a restored World War II-era biplane used to train aviators during the war. Dream Flights’ mission is to give back to those who gave. During each 20-minute flight, Dream Flyers experienced the freedom and exhilaration of soaring 1,000 feet in the air in an iconic, open-cockpit-biplane. Prior to the takeoff, the Dream Flyers were presented with FHCA challenge coins and received medals from the Florida Veterans Foundation.
State Veterans’ Service Officer Ashley Armour and FDVA Hope Navigator Rachel Hall speak with a Veteran at the 12th Annual Paychecks for Patriots Career Fair at Tamarac Community Center in Broward County, Nov. 14. More than 1,000 Veterans and their spouses attended the event, underscoring our State's commitment to supporting Florida Veterans and their families.
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 Veterans, service members, and military spouses attended the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at NAS Pensacola, Nov. 1-2. Veterans Florida, a non-profit organization created by the State of Florida to help military members transition to civilian life, was a sponsor of the annual air show.
 FDVA Executive Director James S. Hartsell delivers remarks during the opening ceremonies of the 4th annual Florida Veterans Workforce Summit in Orlando, Oct. 22. The Summit, sponsored by the Florida Department of Commerce, brought together state workforce partners, businesses, and industry professionals to equip one another with the tools to best serve Florida’s Veteran population.
 FDVA Communications and External Affairs Director Steve Murray, left, joins state and local leaders at Veterans Memorial Park, Nov. 1, for the launch ceremony of a new no-cost mental health clinic in Pensacola for military members and Veterans, run by the national non-profit Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program. For more information, click here.
 Nominations for the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame Class of 2025 are now open through March 1, 2025. If you know a Veteran who has made a significant civic, business, or public service contribution to the state of Florida, nominate them today. For more information on guidelines and nomination forms, click here.
 To contact FDVA from anywhere in the State, call (727) 319-7440 or send an email to FDVA.VSO@FDVA.FL.GOV. A reminder that all services provided by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs are free to the client.
 Hope Florida brings together the vast resources of our community to create a seamless network of support. When you call (833) GET HOPE, you’ll be connected to a caring Hope Navigator, ready to guide you on an individualized pathway to achieve prosperity, economic self-sufficiency and hope. Hope Florida serves our state’s Veterans among many others.
 Serving our nation’s heroes in one of Florida’s nine state veterans’ homes can be very rewarding. Click on the graphic above to visit specific position openings in health care or support services or visit bit.ly/48g5lLy.
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