Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 8-18-17

Local
Minority Contractors File Petition For Set-Aside
Paul Curtis, a U. S. Army veteran, in his recent official act, has filed a petition before the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) asking the agency to request the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Highway Adminis- tration (FHWA) to invoke a sel- dom used waiver provision in Federal law to allow Florida to implement race conscious Set Asides for African American- owned businesses conducting business with FDOT and per- haps elsewhere.
Curtis says, in his opinion, based on his review of research it is warranted.
A Florida businessman, Curtis is a twelve-time politi- cal appointee. He is also Presi- dent of the fledgling Suncoast Minority Construction Al- liance, Inc., a Statewide politi- cal advocacy, governmental relations and training organi- zation.
Curtis is also a principal re- searcher for the Transportation Research Board www.trb.org) Disadvantaged Business Enter- prise Committee (DBE). The DBE Committee provides ex- pertise to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities.
The committee makes rec- ommendations to U. S. DOT and Federal Highway Adminis- tration on issues relating to State DBE programs.
“Some of our research may
PAUL CURTIS
impact not only Transportation Agencies, but may have far- reaching impact over prefer- ence programs used by every level of governmental agency,” he said.
Adding, “Some State agen- cies have recently been suc- cessful at obtaining this same waiver. You must submit a pe- tition and provide a rationale basis. When successful, these agencies have programs with the ability to target groups who have been historically under- utilized. In many cases this turns out to be African Ameri- cans.”
This is the 800-pound Go- rilla sitting in the living room. “America needs to take a look in the mirror. Such uniform ex- clusion of African American businesses is not likely by chance when it happens all across the land.”
Curtis says he may ask TRB to conduct national research exploring why this is happen- ing.
First Harriet L. Scott Scholarship Recipients Honored
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
High school graduates who are college-bound have a long to-do list. And, in most cases, one of those things at the top of the list is to secure enough funding to survive.
Two recent graduates will be able to concentrate more on their education because of the generosity of a local organiza- tion.
The young ladies became the recipients to $2,000 scholar- ships to help them pursue their educational endeavors. The scholarships were awarded to them by members of Positive SPIN, Inc.
Positive SPIN, (Support for Parents in Neighbor- hoods,), Inc., selected Ms. Zoya Whitehead and Ms. Victoria Jackman as the first two recipients of the Har- riet L. Scott Scholarship Pro- gram.
Ms. Whitehead graduated with Honors from Strawberry Crest High School with a 4.0 grade point average. She will begin the fall term at Florida A & M University with a focus in Pediatric Nursing.
The young lady is a member of Greater Bethel M. B. Church, where she is an active youth leader.
Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Charles (Allison) Whitehead and her grand- parents are Mr. and Mrs. Kelvin (Veronica) Parker and Mrs. Annie White- head.
Ms. Jackman is cur- rently a second-year student at Hillsborough Community Col- lege, where she has a 3.088 grade point average. After graduating next year, Ms. Jackman plans to continue
Ms. Victoria Jackman, left, and Ms. Zoya Whitehead became the first two recipients of the Positive SPIN, Inc., scholarships re- cently.
her education and focus on the field of Veterinary Medicine.
She attends Greater Bethel M. B. Church and volunteers in the community. The daughter of Mrs. Harriet Brown, Ms. Jackman is setting an exam- ple for her younger siblings to follow.
Mrs. Willie Brown is her maternal grandmother.
The Harriet L. Scott Schol- arship is named in honor of Ms. Scott who retired from Vistra Communications, Inc., in 2010.
Ms. Scott said the organi- zation waited to present schol- arships because she wanted the scholarships to make a signifi- cant difference in the lives of its recipients. Since its cre-
ation, members of Positive SPIN have worked to increase the revenue and that resulted in the recipients receiving the allocated amount.
She further said the recipi- ents were required to meet a certain criteria that included making an oral presentation to be considered for the scholar- ships.
Rev. Ronnie Murray is the President of the Board of Positive SPIN, Inc.
Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the scholarship fund can visit www.posi- tivespinfl.org., or mail dona- tions to 5118 N. 56th Street, Suite 224, Tampa, FL 33610. For additional information call (813) 977-7677.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A