Consular Call Center: Americans who have reason to believe that a relative or friend has been affected by the attacks in Mumbai, India should call: 1-888-407-4747.

Last Friday Gus attended the public unveiling of the first in a series of 'Freedom Homes' in St. Petersburg.

The Freedom Home has been developed to offer enhanced living in a “Freedomized” environment for those with disabilities as well as those who are able bodied.

On Friday, Gus attended the change of central Command ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Lt. General Martin Dempsey relinquished command to General David H. Petraeus, formerly commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq.

Gus, who is a Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee’s Task Force on Veterans’ Affairs, met with local VA officials and toured the new off-site VA Dental Clinic in New Port Richey which is expected to open sometime in the new year.

Today, Gus joined with over 30 of his House in calling for opening the books at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the public, allowing Americans to see inside the decisions made by the leadership of the two mortgage giants at the heart of the crisis gripping our financial markets.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has the story...

 "South Florida's first "Silver Alert" ended happily Wednesday when an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer's disease was found safe in Miami-Dade County.

The new alert system, which helps find missing and endangered people generally over the age of 60, has now been used twice successfully in Florida in its first week. A third alert was issued in North Florida Wednesday night.

By GUS BILIRAKIS

Marked by the ubiquitous color pink, October represents the month of the year during which we collectively direct our attention towards breast cancer. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month provides an annual opportunity to raise both awareness and hope for millions of America’s women and men affected by breast cancer.

On Tuesday, the Largo Police Department held a press conference announcing that Pinellas county will institute a new Silver Alert program. On Oct. 8, Gov. Charlie Christ will sign an executive order putting the new system into effect in Florida. There are 501,480 people with Alzheimer's in the state and 34,334 in Pinellas County, according to the Florida Department of Elder Affairs.

By GUS BILIRAKIS

As Floridians, we know all too well the devastation encountered when a major hurricane strikes.  The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, exposed the citizens of the United States to a whole new spectrum of emergency preparedness response.  Never before had we realized that an unforeseen enemy could come onto our soil and wreak so much havoc on innocent an unsuspecting citizens.  Since September is National Preparedness Month, it is an excellent opportunity to ensure that we have survival supplies and a plan in place should we face a national disaster-be it natural or man-made.

Yesterday the Miami Herald ran an article highlighting how identity theft has once again toped the list of all consumer complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commision for the eighth consecutive year.