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An Unusual Opinion

March 20th, 2008 by flanews

The Florida Supreme Court has ordered prison inmate Julio Mora to stop filing complaints with the court. His rants contain racy langauge not usually found in a Supreme Court opinion. You can read the opinion here: sc06-267.pdf

julio-mora.jpg

Posted in State News | No Comments »

Democrats Want to Split Delegates

March 19th, 2008 by Mike Vasilinda

Senate Democrats in Tallahassee have a new plan to have their delegates counted at the national convention. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the authors of this plan are calling on the two candidates to agree on something

The latest plan awards half the democratic delegates based on the January 29th vote turned out. Score one for Clinton. The other 105 delegates would be split between Clinton and Obama based on the national vote as of June. Co-author Jeremy Ring says the plan offers hope.

“We do believe strongly that the January 29th vote has to count for something,” Ring said.

Not all Florida Democrats are embracing the plan. It is open to change. But State Senator Steve Geller says the two candidates have to agree to something.

“Show everybody else your leadership, the leadership we know that each of these two fine candidates have and step up to the plate and do what the DNC has been unable to do and resolve this issue,” Geller said.

Based on where the race is today, the plan will produce a net gain for the Clinton campaign of about 18 delegates.

Speaking to The Capital Tiger Bay Club, Governor Charlie Crist called the dilemma disappointing. He has been calling for all of the delegates of both parties to be seated. Afterwards he called the latest plan something that could work.

“You know, we have to count the votes of the people and that’s awfully important,” Crist said. “At least half is better than none.”

In addition to losing Florida, democrats worry they will lose seats in the state legislature and congress if they don’t get the delegate dilemma behind them soon

Posted in Charlie Crist, Elections, Legislature, Politics, State News, Voting | No Comments »

Tax Trade Doesn’t Add Up

March 18th, 2008 by flanews

In November Floridians will have the chance to trade property taxes for a one cent increase in the sales tax. Early estimates predict the swap would create a budget short fall of more than 4 billion dollars. As Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers would have to try and make up the difference and nothing is off limits.

Hear it here: Tax Trade Doesn’t Add Up

Property taxes dedicated to school funding raise almost 8 billion dollars a year. A penny increase in the sales tax raises less than half that much. If a proposed swap is approved by voters, lawmakers will have to make up the difference. House Speaker Marco Rubio said eliminating sales tax exemptions won’t do it.

“If there’s something that’s ridiculous that’s on there we should look at it and talk about it. I just don’t think we should be obsessed with constantly looking for revenue sources, when in fact we have a structural spending problem in government and many of the sources they out line really wouldn’t generate enough money,” said Rubio.

Rubio says a stimulated economy will make up part of the difference. Because of term limits Marco Rubio won’t be the Speaker of the House when the proposed amendment would go into effect. The next Speaker, Ray Sansom, will inherit any deficit left by the tax swap plan. He declined to talk about the budget, but Representative Susan Bucher had plenty to say and believes sales tax exemptions, like those on bottled eater and dry cleaning would have to go.

“They shouldn’t be off limits. Some of the tax exemptions have been there for years and years and we need to continually go out and measure the public benefit of these tax exemptions,” said Bucher.

School lobbyist Marshall Ogletree said the plan raises major concerns for education workers.

“Teachers are citizens too. Bus drivers are citizens too, they have to buy their groceries as well,” said Ogletree.

Finding the cash is sure to be part of the campaign for and against the amendment. The tax swap plan is just one of several proposals the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission has reviewed. In November, several tax reform amendments could be on the ballot.

Posted in Amendments, Property Taxes, State Budget, State News | No Comments »

Unions Call For Exemption Cuts

March 18th, 2008 by flanews

Union groups say it’s time the legislature cut special interest hand-outs and corporate tax loopholes. State workers, lobbyist and union leaders were at the capitol today, begging the legislature to save education and health care funding, by cutting sales tax exemptions and corporate tax breaks. Florida’s facing billions of dollars in budget cuts. Union leaders say special interest groups have always received perks, but with a Florida’s failing economy, government needs to change.

“It’s just the nature of politics. I mean who funds campaigns? Working families with their vote or corporations with their vote and through millions of dollars in contributions? It’s just the nature of the beast,” said Rich Templin communication director with AFL–CIO United Labor Lobby.

One of Florida’s hundreds of sales tax exemptions is on bottled water. According to a report released by the group, taxing H2O would raise more than 40 million dollars a year.

Posted in Legislature, State Budget, State News | No Comments »

Bills Targets Teen Abortion

March 18th, 2008 by flanews

Florida’s is in the top ten in the United States, in teen pregnancy and abortions. Today in Tallahassee, democratic lawmakers, rallied support for two bills aimed at lowering teen pregnancy. One bill titled Prevention First would prohibit pharmacist from denying women birth control. The Healthy Teens Act would require schools to provide more information about abstinence and birth control effectiveness.

“Above all else it encourages family communication about sex. It teaches skills for making responsible decisions,” State Representative Dorothy Bendross-Mindingal said.

“When you get into smaller communities and smaller counties, where they have one or two pharmacies, and if that’s the policy that they have that woman is not going to be able to get her prescription filled,” said Senator Nan Rich.

The bill would also require pharmacist to sell emergency contraception to rape victims.

Posted in Politics, State News | No Comments »

Doctors Ask Lawmakers to Make Insures Cover Expensive Baby Formula

March 18th, 2008 by flanews

Babies with an allergy to milk protein need an expensive formula in order to stay well nourished. Insurers say formula is food and they should be required to pay for it. In Tallahassee Tuesday, doctors and concerned parents asked lawmakers to make insurance companies pay for the formula. Only parents on WIC and babies on feeding tubes can get the special formula at a reduced rate. Erica Kinsey bought 5,000 dollars worth of the formula for her son, after she found out her insurance wouldn’t pay.

“Other families that can’t speak. Other infants. They can’t send an email. They can’t be here to say hey, help me get this formula; I don’t need a feeding tube so please help me get this formula,” said Erica Kinsey.

More than 800 hundred babies in Florida are allergic to milk protein and need the special formula.

Posted in Health, Insurance, State News | No Comments »

Campaigns to Sort Out Delegate Mess

March 18th, 2008 by Mike Vasilinda

The Florida Democratic Party has given up on seating the states delegates to the national convention. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, party leaders say they have done all they can do.

Hear it here: Democrats Relying on Campaigns to Sort Out

The Florida Democrats website says thousands of people responded when asked their opinion about a mail in re vote. Party leaders have so far refused to make the correspondence available. But from the writings, Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman says the mail-in was doomed to fail.

“People we would count on to help us carry this out just think we should move on from this,” Thurman said.

The Democrats have no alternative plan in the works.

What Florida Democrats are doing is throwing their hands up in the air and saying this is up to the national party and the candidates to work out.

Democratic national committeeman and Obama supporter Alan Katz says the only acceptable alternative is to split the delegates.

“Senator Clinton and Senator Obama both agree that no delegates would be selected on the 29th of January,” Katz said. “This is nothing new.”

But splitting delegates is being rejected by party leaders because it does not reflect the vote on January 29th. Another committeeman has filed an appeal, trying to seat half the delegates.

“The rules and bylaws committee gave us the death penalty instead of actually applying their own rules the way that they were written,” committeeman Jon Ausman said.

A decision in a federal lawsuit is also pending and could result in delegates being seated or not. But as the clock ticks, options for Democrats are dwindling.

Posted in Elections, Politics, State News, Voting | 1 Comment »

IRS Scammers

March 18th, 2008 by Mike Vasilinda

Many people have gotten notices from the IRS that they may be receiving a tax rebate of up to 12 hundred dollars per family. The rebates were ordered by congress earlier this year and should arrive in May. But scammers are trying to take advantage of people according to the IRS. Spokesman Norm Meadows says don’t give your personal information to anyone who contacts you over the internet claiming to be from the IRS.

“But please, never respond to an original email from the IRS, allegedly from the IRS, that promises a refund, that threatens an audit, because it’s just a scammer, who again, is trying to get your personal ID information to sell via the internet for a multitude of other crimes,” Meadows said.

Meadows says the IRS will always contact you via mail, and likely certified mail before beginning an email communication with a taxpayer.

Posted in State News | No Comments »

Florida’s Civil Engineers Give the State a “C”

March 18th, 2008 by Mike Vasilinda

A new report by Florida’s Civil engineers says our quality of life is being diminished by a lack of state investment in roads, schools and other infrastructure. The report card gives Florida facilities an overall grade of “C”, but investment in schools and energy related structures were only a D+. State Representative Stephen Precourt, who is also an engineer, says the effects are showing up in our everyday lives.

“Every year it takes a little bit longer to get to and from work and school,” Precourt said. “Every year water pressure in your showers is going down and the quality of that water is potentially a problem and that could be a catastrophic problem as well. So every year you get less reliability out of your energy and that makes major employers look less and less at coming to Florida.”

The engineering society says Florida needs to invest a minimum of ten billion dollars a year over the next 20 years to bring critical infrastructure up to par.

Posted in State News | 2 Comments »

Tax Swap Plan Headed To November Ballot

March 17th, 2008 by flanews

In November, Floridians will have a chance to drastically change the state’s tax system. The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission approved a plan that would save property taxpayers eight billion dollars a year, but as Whitney Ray tells us it would leave lawmakers looking for ways to replace at least some of the money.

Hear it here: Tax Swap Plan Headed To November Ballot

Buying goods in Florida a year from now could cost more, while property taxes could go down. A plan, headed for November’s ballot and supported by Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, eliminates all school property taxes and replaces them with a one cent sales tax increase.

“Two years from now, if you pass something like this, you’re going to start to see positive economic indicators. That one cent will generate a lot more than it does right now.”

The amendment would change how Florida’s public Schools are funded. The plan would cut about eight billion dollars in property taxes a year, and replace it with less than half that amount with a sales tax increase. It would be up to lawmakers to decide how to raise the other four billion dollars. One idea is to eliminate hundreds of sales tax exemptions, like bottled water and dry cleaning. Budget cuts are also likely. State and county workers fear they’ll be part of those cuts.

“They keep raising health care, gasoline, food, everything rising that’s a fear, but no job at all after you put years of dedication into it, that’s a big fear,” said Linda Rued. Rued travel from Tampa to oppose the tax swap plan.

Commission member Les Miller said raising sales tax isn’t fair to low income families.

“It’s the every day things that you spend that not covered by tax exemptions, like medicines and food, that most people get hit by, and that’s the poor people the most,” said Miller.

The final decision will be left up to the people. The tax swap amendment will need approval by 60 percent of voters in November to pass.

Posted in Amendments, State Budget, State News, Taxes | 1 Comment »

Democrats Still in Limbo

March 17th, 2008 by Mike Vasilinda

Florida Democrats are worried that the battle over delegates will hamper candidates up and down the November Ballot. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, a promised decision on a mail in primary still has not been made.

Hear it here: Democrats Still in Limbo

In the 2000 election, just a handful of votes changed the outcome. Florida Democrats now  say if the state’s delegates are not seated and counted at the party convention this summer, the national party might as well give up on winning Florida in November.

“I don’t think that the DNC understands the growing anger here in the state of Florida,” Senator Steve Geller said.

Since a proposal for a mail in ballot was released on Friday, the national party, both presidential hopefuls, and all of Florida’s congressional Democrats have said it is a lousy idea.

By mid-afternoon Democrats were close, but still not ready to pull the plug on the mail-in vote.

Around the Capitol, there is concern that fewer democrats going to the polls could  hurt the party’s chances of picking up a half dozen legislative seats.

Frustration is the word that best describes Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller’s mood.

“One of the things I think we’re very close to doing, that I’m very close to doing, is to call upon all donors to the DNC to completely cut off all their donations, to redirect it to the state party instead,” Geller said.

While Democrats worry, Republicans continue to push the idea of seating all of the delegates, knowing full well the turmoil helps their party in the end.

Posted in Elections, Legislature, Politics, State News, Voting | No Comments »

Mail in Revote Raises More Questions Than Answers

March 14th, 2008 by flanews

State Democrats are waiting on a decision from their National Committee chairman and both presidential hopefuls on whether to proceed with a mail in election. But as Whitney Ray tells us, the plan for a mail in redo raises more question than it answers.

Never in Florida’s history has a statewide election been held through the mail. The US Postal service all but guarantees ballot security.

“We have the postal inspection service and inspectors uphold specific statues for covering aimed at securing the mail,” said Marlena Hopkins, US Postal Service.

The postal service has stricter regulations for political mail. It’s marked with a red or green tag and logged at almost every stop. One problem with a mail in redo would be finding all the registered voters. Election supervisors say at any given time 20 percent of registered votes haven’t updated their addresses.

Leon County Election Supervisor Ion Sancho says if a ballot is sent to the wrong address, whomever receives the mail could cast a vote, registered democrat or otherwise. Sancho supervised a 2005 citywide mail in election.

“It’s simply not an idea that can go forward this time. You don’t want to do an election at the last second without anticipating that there would be a myriad of problems,” said Sancho.

They would also need the Secretary of State’s office to verify voters’ signatures. The Secretary of State’s Office says they’re hands are tied.

“There’s no law that would give the secretary or the supervisors the authority to verify those signatures, so we would have to work through some legal hurdles,” said Sterling Ivey a Spokesperson with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Governor Charlie Crist wants the delegates seated based on the January 29th results, but he says if the mail-in redo is held, he would offer his support. State Democrats expect to have an answer from the Democratic Nation Committee Monday, about whether or not they would uphold a Mail in Redo to seat Florida’s delegates.

Posted in Charlie Crist, Elections, State News | No Comments »

Senate Panel Releases Insurance Recommendations

March 14th, 2008 by flanews

A senate committed organized to investigate insurance companies accused of overcharging customers released recommendations aimed at keeping the companies in check. The panel proposed 16 recommendations to the senate president. Some of the panel’s suggestions are already proposed in other bills being heard this legislative session. Some of the recommendations include making insurers use methods approved by the state to asses risk. The panel also wants regulator to set guidelines to keep companies from charging too much. Insurance Regulators say many Insurance companies are working with lawmakers.

“Anytime that we can get the support of the legislature and the people who represent the consumers it’s a very positive thing for commissioner McCarty and everyone at the office works hard to ensure rates remain adequate affordable and not discriminatory,” ED Domansky a spokesman with the Office of Insurance Regulation said.

One of the recommendations would require insurers to give money to state programs aimed at helping people harden their homes.

Posted in Insurance, Legislature, State News | No Comments »

Primary Redo Up to DNC and Democratic Presidential Candidates

March 13th, 2008 by flanews

Florida’s a few steps closer to hosting a mail in Democratic primary. But it is not a done deal. The State party’s chairwoman has released details but says a decision won’t be final until Monday. As Whitney Ray tells us, the party leadership is not optimistic the mail in will take place.

Hear it here: Primary Redo Up to DNC and Democratic Presidential Candidates

Senate Democratic leader Steve Geller took the democrats plan to the Governor’s office. With a hand shake, Governor Charlie Crist told Geller he would do what he could to grant the Democratic Party access to a state database to verify voter signatures.

“If you can find a way to make that plan work, certainly someone can be designated to help,” Crist said to Geller in a meeting in his office.

Democrats say signature verification is the key to a valid election. The clock is ticking. Right now the Democratic National Committee won’t seat Florida’s delegates because the state moved up its primary. Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman sent this proposal to both candidates and DNC Chairman Howard Dean. It lays out a plan for a Florida Do-over. Thurman avoided the media for more than a week. She broke her silence in a Thursday afternoon news conference, telling reporters the two presidential candidates must sign off on the plan.

“If this is not what the people of Florida and our candidates want, we’re not going to do it,” Thurman said.

The state party is less than optimistic the candidates or national party will sign off on the mail in do over. Thurman says putting the plan forward is a starting place

“What we’re doing here today is just putting the things out there. What ever people’s decisions are and if this becomes something we can’t do then we can’t do it,” Thurman said.

The cost of a mail in redo was first estimated at 6 million. It is now up to between 10 and 12 million dollars and state party leaders don’t know yet who will pony up the money. Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman says, if the DNC and the candidates don’t like the mail in election plan, the party will continue to ask that the candidates be seated based on the January 29th results.

Posted in Elections, Politics, State News, Voting | 1 Comment »

Bill Would Change How Floridians Pay Property Taxes

March 13th, 2008 by flanews

Right now people, who try to pay their property taxes in Florida and can’t pony up the entire amount, are penalized. Tax collectors will actually send the partial payment back, plus a penalty. State lawmakers want to change the rules and allow landowners to pay in installments.

“I you have a 2,000 dollar tax bill and you get down to the end of the road and the tax payer only has a thousand dollars in his pocket . We’re saying we would like to be fair to you and deposit that check instead of sending it back to you with a penalty and interest on the whole thing. We think that’s a more fair way to run government and we think it’s fair to the taxpayers particularly now when property taxes are higher than ever,” said State Representative Seth McKeel.

The bill passed several committees. It has one more stop before it reaches the chambers.

Posted in Legislature, Property Taxes, State News | No Comments »

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