"Will you continue to pay me when I'm 100? I'm scared," said Julie Tate, 80, of Delray Beach. "I need a raise, too." Those sentiments exactly for nearly 100 seniors and independent home health care workers at an 80th anniversary party for the signing of the Social Security Act. U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch and Lois Frankel fielded questions from a responsive audience at The Volen Center in Boca Raton on Aug. 13, the day before the act was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Aug. 1... Read more

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, teamed up with local tourism officials on Tuesday to warn travelers against scammers running fake hotel websites. The group gathered at Grandview Gardens Bed and Breakfast in West Palm Beach to raise awareness about consumer warnings issued by the Federal Trade Commission last week. The Federal Trade Commission warns consumers to be careful when booking directly with a hotel’s website, because some consumers have unknowingly done business with a scammer... Read more

There's more progress on long-touted plans to deepen the channel at Broward County's seaport to host larger ships, boost business and create jobs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has set aside $1.2 million this budget year to help fund the next phase of the dredging project, Port Everglades chief Steve Cernak announced Tuesday. Nearly 20 years in the works, Port Everglades just earned approval from the Army Corps to dredge its channel to 48 feet deep to better compete for cargo. The authorizati... Read more

Florida lawmakers have requested the Federal Trade Commission launch an immediate investigation into fraudulent online hotel booking sites. A recent RetailMeNot.com and Omnibus survey found that due to the convenience of around-the-clock booking and the ability to easily shop for travel deals, close to 3 in 5 Americans use travel websites to book their travel. While consumers are trying to score a deal, travel experts tell Local 10 News that scammers are piggy-backing off the popularity of onlin... Read more

The latest deadline on the Western powers and Iran’s negotiations over that Middle Eastern nation’s nuclear program came on Tuesday and the talks in Vienna are expected to extend into July. In the meantime, members of the Florida congressional delegation continue to offer warnings about the threat Iran poses. From her perch as chairwoman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., insisted Iran was stalling for time and trying to get... Read more

A plan to deepen and widen Port Everglades won a key federal approval Friday, clearing the way for the port to seek Congressional funding for a project that would generate thousands of jobs and maintain the region's leading position in international trade. The Army Corps of Engineers approved the plan to deepen the port's main channels from 42 to 48 feet, as well as deepen and widen part of the Intracoastal Waterway, to accommodate the larger cargo ships that now navigate the world's trade route... Read more

West Palm Beach Fire Rescue has won a $1.38 million federal grant for equipment and training to improve emergency service to local residents and enhance firefighter safety. U.S. Rep Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, said the Assistance To Firefighters grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for maritime firefighting training, over 100 new breathing packs and 22 firefighter handheld locators to more quickly find lost or trapped firefighters in emergencies. Frankel and three oth... Read more

A $1.3 million FEMA grant will help the city of West Palm Beach pay for more than 100 breathing packs, 22 lost-firefighter locators as well as training in marine firefighting, fire survival, injury prevention and fire investigation. The FEMA funds were awarded last week and will be a huge help for the city’s older equipment. U.S. Congresswoman Lois Frankel speaks with West Palm Beach firefighter Ashley Schnitzler Friday morning about firefighters’ breathing apparatus or “air packs.” West Palm Be... Read more

All 27 U.S. House members from Florida urged the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to launch an investigation into fraudulent online hotel bookings. Led by Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami, the Florida delegation said this form of fraud has hurt consumers and hotels for several years while pinching local economies that depend on tourist dollars. They said consumers are misled into making reservations through call centers and websites falsely purporting to be ope... Read more

Members of Congress including U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, have asked the Federal Trade Commission to launch an immediate investigation into what they call fraudulent online hotel booking sites that have have hurt consumers and hotels. “We write to urge the Federal Trade Commission to immediately open an investigation into companies deceptively targeting consumers with fake online hotel websites,” a June 5 letter signed by 27 Florida delegation members says. “According to the Ameri... Read more