{"id":162293,"date":"2026-02-20T07:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T07:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/162293\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T07:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T07:26:09","slug":"storm-prep-and-education-reforms-top-rep-gerwigs-agenda-in-tallahassee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/162293\/","title":{"rendered":"Storm Prep And Education Reforms Top Rep. Gerwig\u2019s Agenda In Tallahassee"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>State Rep. Anne Gerwig speaks on the House floor in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n

By Fiona Slusarev<\/p>\n

It has been nearly a year-and-a-half since the damage inflicted by Hurricane Milton, and State Rep. Anne Gerwig (R-District 93) is working to pass a measure she hopes will better prepare the state for similar storms in the future.<\/p>\n

Gerwig is working to pass HB 457 regarding \u201cAlternative Sources of Weather Information.\u201d The bill has so far had its first reading in the legislative session currently underway in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n

This bill requires the Florida Division of Emergency Management to integrate, evaluate and promote supplemental weather data and forecasting products. This would pave the way for the data gathered by Climavision to be used and paid for by the state. Climavision is a privately owned weather forecasting company that primarily uses ground radar to track and predict weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey [Climavision] provide high-resolution radar from the ground that the government is no longer investing in,\u201d Gerwig explained.<\/p>\n

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The government now largely predicts weather only through satellites. Climavision operates its own ground radar network, giving the data to local emergency operations centers for free and selling the data to local weather prediction and TV services. The bill allows for the data to be purchased by the state and considered in emergency plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is funding available for them to procure the sources of data, and if they want to use the funds for this, then they will have the option,\u201d Gerwig said.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Milton devastated the west coast of Florida in 2024. While the tropical cyclone hit far from Palm Beach County, it threw off a powerful EF3 tornado, which cut a path of devastation from western Wellington, through Loxahatchee Groves, the Acreage\/Loxahatchee area and western Palm Beach Gardens, bringing a scale of damage unlike most tornadoes to have hit Palm Beach County before.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tornado was not predicted very accurately, and if we had this radar in place, we would have known exactly where that tornado was going to form,\u201d Gerwig noted.<\/p>\n

According to Gerwig, as developments move further inland and away from the coast, the government relies more on satellite radars because of the lack of ground radars. The responsibility for finding a location and gaining permissions for the high-resolution radars will still be on Climavision. The state will simply have access to the resulting data.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it will really make a difference and protect particularly Wellington and the western communities in my district,\u201d Gerwig said.<\/p>\n

Gerwig is also focusing on education as a member of the Student Academic Success Subcommittee. An educational bill particularly important to her is HB 561 on \u201cEducator Preparation and Certification.\u201d Through the bill, Gerwig is attempting to revise the provision of temporary educator status and reinstatement of professional educator certificates. In effect, it would change the timeline for the teacher recertification process.<\/p>\n

As it currently stands, teachers who were once certified in Florida are able to obtain a temporary certificate and be employed as an educator. Teachers must complete 120 hours of continuing education, and HB 561 lays out a plan that teachers can follow at no cost to them through the David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching at the University of South Florida and the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still have a teacher shortage, and this is one of the things that this bill addresses,\u201d Gerwig explained.<\/p>\n

It also waives the requirement to retake the subject matter exam, allowing teachers to use their previous score on the exam. \u201cTalking to teachers and people who are in this industry, they said [the exam] has nothing to do with your ability to teach in the classroom. Once you have already passed it, it should be sufficient,\u201d Gerwig said.<\/p>\n

The House also voted in favor of Gerwig\u2019s HB 4033 on Feb. 11. This bill was brought by Palm Beach County and revises the legal number of children a daycare can provide for, allowing certain daycare facilities to take on more children.<\/p>\n

Palm Beach County originally defined the criteria for the number of children in a family daycare. However, this bill realigns the parameters with the definition from the Department of Children and Families. \u201cThe county and I don\u2019t feel that this is a detriment; it\u2019s a better description,\u201d Gerwig said. \u201cIt\u2019s also what 63 other counties are already doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gerwig is additionally co-sponsoring HB 615 with State Rep. Deborah Tendrich (D-District 89). This bill largely focuses on keeping parents of students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) informed about the school\u2019s adherence to the IEP. Gerwig is happy to partner with Tendrich, who represents a neighboring district.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not changing anything from the federal requirements. It\u2019s just requiring that parents to be notified when something doesn\u2019t happen, that according to the child\u2019s IEP, is supposed to happen,\u201d Gerwig explained.<\/p>\n

The bill specifies a timeline for contacting the students\u2019 caregivers and additionally speeds up the timeline for exceptional students to be evaluated. Schools are required to have standardized service logs to account for specified IEP services. \u201cOutcomes are quite different based on when they get that [IEP accommodation], and if they\u2019re not getting it, the parent is to be notified,\u201d Gerwig said.<\/p>\n

Gerwig, who previously served as Wellington\u2019s mayor, is now in her second year representing the area in Tallahassee. She is eager to sing the praises of her team, which includes Kathy Adler, Reid Ragsdale and Isabella Schiappacasse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely feel like I am being much more successful this year,\u201d Gerwig said. \u201cI have a great team at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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