Our Lady of Fatima Church thanks Summit Nutritionals International ® for their generous donation to cover the cost of the annual Pig-Nic.
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Honorary Consulate of Portugal Opens Palm Coast Office
The Consulate of Portugal has been open in Palm Coast for a little more than a month and the news is being greeted warmly.
Mario Carmo, president of the Portuguese Cultural Center, said the reaction of members of the area’s Portuguese community, estimated to be about 1,000, is one of excitement and pride.
“Most people I know are dealing with estate issues in Portugal as elderly parents pass away,” Carmo said. “This process often requires obtaining and certifying documents, which only the Consulate can provide.
“We see the Consulate as a potential source of growth for the Portuguese community of Palm Coast.”
Gretchen Smith of the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce said the opening also may bring new business opportunities for the county.
“The Portuguese Consulate’s coming to Palm Coast was great news,” Smith said. “We welcome the consulate, especially because one of its missions is attracting new businesses to Flagler County, which will fit nicely with, and augment, the Chamber’s focus on working with small businesses and startups, while at the same time supporting economic growth and investment in both countries.”
Honorary Consul Caesar DePaço recently took time to offer his perspective on the consulate’s mission, its services, how it came to relocate to Palm Coast and its plan for business development.
What are the consulate’s general mission and services?
The mission of the Consulate is to assure the defense of the rights and legitimate Interests of the State and the citizens in this jurisdiction along with coordination with Portugal’s Embassy in Washington, DC.
This consulate extends its jurisdiction efficiently providing services such as Civil registration; Notary services; identification and travel enrollment; voter registration; certificates of residency and citizenship enrollment. We need to give the necessary support for our 100,000 Portuguese residents throughout Florida.
What attracted the Consulate’s relocation to Palm Coast?
Opening a Consulate in Palm Coast was a decision of the Portuguese Government, referred by the Secretary State for the Portuguese Communities. This decision was based on the fact that Orlando had a limited response to the needs of such an extensive Portuguese Community in the state of Florida. On the other hand, Palm Coast is showing significant demographic growth. There are more than 5,000 Portuguese citizens in Palm Coast.
In the meantime, we are working on offering Consulate services to other areas of Florida in hopes of creating more convenient locations for Portuguese citizens to obtain such services.
Will the Honorary Consul be responsible for attracting new business to Flagler County and Florida in general?
In addition to all the responsibilities inherent to the Consulate, the Consul is the institutional representative of the Country in his territory. Obviously, this representation promotes Portugal in the United States while supporting business and investments in both countries.
It is necessary to remember that Portugal recently went through a difficult recession from which it is beginning to recover its independency, sovereignty and confidence of the investing community.
Currently, several sectors of Portugal are becoming more attractive to external investors.
As Portugal successfully recovers, American investors are taking notice, for example: recently an American company, Lone Star, acquired a substantial tourism development in Vilamoura.
Recent results from prestigious institutions, for example the Worldwide Global Economic Forum, shows the Portuguese economy has become more competitive and is capable of attracting foreign investors. Out of 144 economies, Portugal now ranks 36th. This is a 15-point improvement. Portugal has surpassed Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Malta and Turkey.
Portugal has also achieved 4th place in school management, 5th place in news business-startups, 8th place in quality science and engineering and 12th place in infrastructure. Portugal has been recognized for the fifth year, by Gartner Corporation, the world’s foremost information technology research and advisory firm, as a leader in developing technological services.
As a result, many international companies look to Portugal for outsourcing, independent contracting or starting their own businesses. This has impacted and motivated investors.
In conclusion, our mission is to support international expansion for Portuguese companies and to particularly encourage Portuguese businesses to come to Florida. Naturally, my intentions are to support investment for the benefit of both countries and to pursue whatever is necessary to see our mutual ventures become successful.
Duo’s Contributions to Police Work Bark and Bite
MORRISTOWN 
— A Bernardsville couple who have donated K-9 police dogs to agencies around the United States were honored Wednesday by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office for donating dogs to two departments in New Jersey.
Dr. Caesar DePaço and his wife, Deanne Padovani-DePaço, were awarded a plaque and named honorary deputy sheriff by Morris County Sheriff Edward V. Rochford at the county’s K-9 facility for their contributions to the Deal Police Department and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit.
“The K-9 unit is spectacular,” Rochford said in front of a small gathering of officers from the sheriff’s office, Deal and Hillsborough, among others. “I admire them. They know I support them tremendously.”
Prior to presenting the DePaço family with a plaque, Sgt. Aaron Tomasini, who conducts hands on training with the K-9 dogs, expressed his gratitude.
“From deep down, (I am) very much appreciative,” he said, “to get these K-9 officers and help get them out in the public.”
Dr. Caesar DePaço is the founder and CEO of Branchburg-based Summit Nutritionals International ®, a manufacturer of raw nutritional supplements. Deanne Padovani-DePaço is the President of the company. Together, they have both donated more than 13 dogs to agencies around the country, from Maryland to Oklahoma City.
In an interview earlier this year, Padovani-DePaço said she and her husband donated their first dog to the Hillsborough Police Department in 2013. After that, Padovani-DePaço said the feelings of gratitude and fulfillment became addicting.
“It feels super great to see the emotion and the reaction of the recipients of the dogs,” Padovani-DePaço said. “They are always so humble and grateful.”
On Wednesday morning, Padovani-DePaço echoed a similar sentiment.
“This is the least of the honor,” she said, as she held the plaque (Dr. Caesar DePaço was not present because he was in Florida, where he serves as the Honorary Consul of Portugal in Palm Coast, Florida). “The honor is to assist the K-9 unit not only in this county but also in the nation…we’re so grateful to be a part of your team.”
Along with the plaque, the DePaço’s were also named Honorary Deputy Sheriffs by Rochford, who quipped about the two using the title to their advantage when traveling across the country.
“When you’re doing 90 miles an hour in Arizona and you get stopped, tell them you’re with us,” he said.
Following the brief awards ceremony, Tomasini led a demonstration of how officers train and deploy K-9 units in the field. He said Morris County has 14 K-9 dogs in service with seven handlers. In all, K-9 units can be deployed to all 39 municipalities in Morris County, Tomasini said.
He said obedience is key with training the dogs.
“It’s just like a child,” he said. “If a child can (be taught to) listen, so can our dogs.”
Tomasini said the dogs in Morris County can handle an array of tasks in the field, from chasing down fleeing subjects to sniffing for explosives and narcotics.
He also touted the dogs’ abilities to go above and beyond what a human officer is capable of. Tomasini said K-9 dogs instill feelings of fear in a subject that a human cannot, and that their speed and agility is unparalleled to humans.
“Every time I come do an apprehension (with a K-9 dog), I win,” Tomasini said.