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Time is running out for parents who want to lock in today’s college tuition rates. The deadline to enroll in a Florida Prepaid College Plan is a week from Sunday, January 31st. As Whitney Ray tells us, plan prices have skyrocketed, still, more people are buying in this year than last.

Allie Fleming just opened a gym. While she’s gambling with her career, she’s not taking any risks on her son’s future. She bought a Florida Prepaid College Plan.

“It is the responsible thing to do, with the raids on the education funding, with the changes with the Bright Futures Scholarships, there’s no telling what college is going to be like in 18 years when he goes,” said Allie.

The price of a prepaid plan has almost doubled since Allie bought in two years ago, that’s because the legislature gave state universities the authority to raise tuition up to 15 percent a year. The rising cost has led to a three percent spike in prepaid enrollment.

“When there’s been significant price jumps it does get a lot of people off the fence who may have been putting it. It wasn’t their priority, but now people are really focusing on this as part of their savings plans,” said Susan James a spokeswoman with Florida Prepaid College Board

Candy Strand did the math and decided to buy a plan for her granddaughter Sophia.

“What college would cost when she’s old enough to go to college was enough to scare the pants off of me,” said Strand.

Families who bought into a plan 18 years ago will save an average of 8-thousand dollars by the time their kid graduates. There are several different plans available with a variety of payment options. For more information on go to www.myfloridaprepaid.com.

Florida’s unemployment rate is now 11.8%, a full one point eight percent higher than the nation rate. Florida lost 232,400 jobs over the last year, and December’s unemployment rate is the highest since May 1975 when it was 11.9 percent.

If there is a bright spot in the numbers, it is that job losses have slowed, from a negative five point four percent in March 2009 to a negative three point one percent in December 2009.

There are now 1,087,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,180,000, but what the numbers do not take into account is the tens of thousands of people who have stopped looking for work.

A rising unemployment rate is leading to higher taxes for employers. Small business owners are now calling on lawmakers to put a hold on the March increase. As Whitney Ray tells us, if they don’t act soon, more layoffs could be in the works.

Arun Kundra owns a travel center and hotel. He’s maintained a staff of 30 people through the recession but business is still slow.

“We are just on life-support. We are just maintaining on reserves,” said Arun.

A drastic increase in the state’s unemployment tax will cost Arun 18,000 more this year than last.

“Any increases, anymore expenses hurts business. It is difficult for small business,” said Arun.

Thousands of Florida businesses are in the same predicament. The tax is increasing between 500 and a thousand percent.

Tuesday hotel owners from across Florida rallied against the tax at the State Capitol and it seems their voices are being heard.

The governor and legislative leaders are considering postponing the increase. State Senator Mike Haridopolos says if the increase isn’t stopped more layoffs will follow.

“It’s going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy if you allow this tax increase to take place because those very people who are keeping people hired are going to have to let people go to pay the tax,” said Haridopolos.

Lawmakers will have to act soon. The first payments are due March 31st. If the increase is deferred the state will have to find another way to pay back money barrowed from the federal government to pay unemployment claims. Right now the state is barrowing about 300 million dollars a month to pay claims.

State legislation requiring tattoo artists to take classes on good hygiene and blood diseases is being discussed in Tallahassee.

The bill would also ban kids 16 and younger from getting a tattoo. 17 and 18 year olds would need parental consent before they could get ink done. The bills sponsor, Representative Mary Brandenburg says her legislation is about health safety.

“One fella down in my community who operates in a flea market, I’m guessing he never even washes his hands between customers. People like that need to be operating in a way that protects the public health and that’s why we are here,” said Brandenburg.

Florida Blood Services is supporting the legislation saying the stricter regulations would allow people with new tattoos to give blood, expanding the donor pool.

Rain is wrecking havoc in North Florida.

Some roadways are flooded and have been deemed impassable. Flash floods covered cars and threatened homes. Panhandle resident Anthony Jackson rushed home from work this morning when his wife called in a panic. She was trapped inside the house.

“I came home as quick as I could. When I got home, I mean you can see now the water is up to the door, my wife couldn’t get out. They had a boat to get her out. That’s my wife’s car over there, that’s my car right there and my mother-in-law car and my brother-in-law truck. I mean the water just came up so quick,” said Jackson.

Jackson is checking with his insurance company to see if the damages will be covered. The rain is expected to subside tonight.

Tuesday’s upset vote in Massachusetts special election to replace Ted Kennedy is causing shock waves in Florida. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the GOP victory in a historically Democratic seat shows how angry voters can be and has politicians struggling to understand that anger.

There was one word on Florida politicians’ minds Wednesday.

“Massachusetts.”

State Representative Joseph Abruzzo says the upset shows how angry people have become.

“The people of the nation, and of course Florida, want to see us working together, rather than fighting all the time,” Abruzzo said.

GOP gubernatorial hopeful Paula Dockery thinks the unrest validates her long shot candidacy.

“People are very angry and they want change,” Dockery said. “They’re hurting and they don’t think anyone is looking out for them.”

Attorney General candidate Dan Gelber thinks the anger in Massachusetts may not transfer to Florida voters, but…

“It took us a decade to get into this hole, and we’re not going to get out of it overnight,” Gelber said.

And Governor Charlie Crist says the vote shows people want what he has already been giving them.

“People want people in government to understand that they’re the boss, to work for them everyday,” Crist said. “That’s what Scott Brown talked about in his campaign, that’s what we’ve done as governor.”

The Democrats’ best shot at winning the Governor’s mansion is with Alex Sink. She says it’s clear people don’t want politicians running things.

“People are looking, I believe, for a new and different kind of leadership,” Sink said. “Somebody who understands business, who can talk to business people, who can figure out how we can turn our economy around.”

Democrats in Massachusetts learned they can no longer count on independent voters. But that is something Florida Democrats learned a long time ago.

One the election is certified Democrats no longer have supermajority in the Senate, forecasting problem with the health care reform bill.

35 thousand new jobs are coming to Florida. The US Census Bureau is hiring Floridians to help with the population count. The count will provide temporary relief to jobless Floridians and as Whitney Ray tells us, could help the state secure more federal dollars for schools, roads, and health care.

The US Census Bureau will spend millions to count Florida’s population, hiring people to go door to door, mail-out surveys and advertise the count. Dan Krasner, the Florida of Chamber of Commerce representative on the governor’s census committee says thousands of unemployed Floridians will be hired.

“Having more than 35-thousand census jobs and an opportunity to get some part time work or some full times positions out there is a good thing for Florida,” said Krassner.

There will be about 12-hundred positions available at each of Florida’s 32 census offices. The jobs will be temporary with an average wage of 12 dollars an hour, but it’s an uphill climb for census workers who will be fighting a battle against apathy and fear.”

In 2000, only 63 percent of Floridians responded to the survey. College students, the homeless and minorities had the lowest response. Members of The Florida Legislative Black Caucus will host census rallies to spread the word.

“We need to lead the effort to make sure that people are not afraid to fill out the form. To make sure they count every single person in their household,” said Representative Audrey Gibson.

Language barriers and a fear of government keep many people from responding.

“There are cultural barriers because maybe the country they can from where the government was not so trustworthy in terms of giving information to the government, so we have to overcome all those obstacles and make sure that people know that it is safe secure and important to be counted,” said Representative David Rivera.

Florida receives 2-thousand dollars for every person counted, with 400 billion federal dollars up for grabs.

For more information on employment with the census bureau visit http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/ or www.census.gov/roatl/www/emply.html You can also call 866-861-2010

An increase in the state’s tax credit for the entertainment industry could leave fewer Floridians looking for jobs.

The credit is intended to attract TV shows, movies, and other digital media to Florida in an effort to create jobs. If it passes, the existing credit will go up from 15 to 20 percent. State Representative Steve Precourt says the industry will also have opportunities to make that deal even sweeter.

“Now you can even increase that by 5% by filming during hurricane season and another 5% by being a family-friendly production. We want to be the family friendly capitol of moviemaking and digital media products. That gets us a potential 30% match,” said Precourt.

The tax credit wouldn’t be available until 2012, because it can’t be claimed until after the production is finished. Legislators say that means the bill won’t cost taxpayers a penny.

A bipartisan effort to clean up the legislative process is underway in Tallahassee.

State Senator Paula Dockery and Representative Adam Fetterman filed legislation to ban lawmakers from voting on or lobbying for any bill that would directly benefit them financially. Dockery says the dozens of scandals among state leaders and politicians is pushing voters to the breaking point.

“People are very angry. In 1996, when the budget was in better position, when I was first elected, people where cynical toward government but, they weren’t angry. When they are cynical they tune out. Now people are tuning in and they are demanding change. They want their elected officials to look out for them. They don’t feel that we are,” said Dockery.

The legislation has been filed three years in a row. Legislative leaders have never assigned it to a committee.

Members of the Florida Black Legislative Caucus are raising money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Today the Hispanic Caucus donated 5-thousand dollars to the cause. State Senator Gary Siplin says the donation will go into an account until enough money is raise to send members of the caucus to Haiti.

“The black caucus will be setting up an account and we will be raising further money to get to Haiti for expedient resources,” said Siplin.

Members of the black caucus plan to make the trip once relief efforts slow and it’s easier to get a flight into the country.

The state is opening its ports to expatriates and orphans and is prepared to send refugees back to Haiti. More than 5-thousand US citizens caught in last Tuesday’s earthquake have returned to the states. As Whitney Ray tells us, dozens of orphans have also landed in Orlando and Miami.

The state is sending plane loads of food and supplies to Haiti. The planes are bring back people. More than 5-thousand US citizens have already returned. So have dozens of orphans. Social workers from the Department of Children and Families are greeting the displaced.

“They haven’t slept in days. They are hungry, so the food banks have stepped up. The Red Cross is offering meals as they arrive,” said DCF Secretary George Sheldon.

The battered and bruised are also landing in Orlando and Miami. More than 100 people injured in the Haiti earthquake are being treated in Florida hospitals.

During a tour of the state’s emergency operations center Florida’s Surgeon General reached out to Haitians in their native tongue.

Governor Charlie Crist is offering up hurricanes supplies to assist in the relief effort.

“We have a lot of supplies and resources as a state because of our preparations for hurricanes. Those recourses are still available. Some of them have already been transferred over,” said Crist.

The private sector is also chipping in. JetBlue Airlines is offering free flights to qualified volunteers seeking to help the Haitians.

About a hundred small business owners are protesting a new fee increase on the blue highway exit signs.

Some of fees for businesses advertising on the Florida Department of Transportation signs have increased 400 percent, costing some business owners as much as 5-thousand dollars more. The Asian American Hotel Owners Association hosted a sit-in at the state capitol Tuesday to protest the increase. The Association’s former chairman Nash Patel says the new fees could lead to layoffs.

“We want to employ people in this country. We want to employ people in the state of Florida. It makes it difficult for us to do that, so where do we cut cost? We ultimately have to let people go because we are going to end up doing our own work,” said Patel.

The business owners are also asking for the legislature to reverse the unemployment tax increase. The tax has increased 12 fold and will cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars.

The state is offering free food, shelter, and counseling to Haitian-Americans fleeing the devastated country. An estimated 45-thousand US Citizens were in Haiti when the earthquake struck. As Whitney Ray tells us, they are flying into Florida by the hundreds.

Haitian-born Olivier Guerrier joined his fraternity brothers in a Martin Luther King Rally Monday, but his mind was on Haiti.

“I’m still in shock right now, because I can never go back, its never going to be the same,” said Olivier.

Olivier’s grandmother was one of 24-hundred Haitian-Americans flown into Florida after the earthquake struck. The state is providing food, shelter and counseling for the victims. The aid will cost millions.

The state is fronting the money with the promise that the federal government will write a reimbursement check. Although a state holiday, the Department of Children and Families has staff at airports in Orlando and Miami to help the displaced. As of noon Monday, 2,400 people were receiving aid.

“The intensity of these flights are picking up. We have at least ten flights coming in to Sanford today. These planes are carrying 100, 200 people each flight,” said Joe Follick, a DCF spokesman.

In Tallahassee, emergency workers were on the job using the latest technology to keep track of the rescue efforts. Satellite images show pictures before and after the disaster.

“This is allowing us to get a feel of what our guys are up against down there,” said Richard Butgereit, a Division of Emergency Management worker.

So far Florida first responders have joined forces with other search and rescue teams to help save 35 Haitians buried in the rubble. The majority of people flying into Florida are Haitian-Americans, although aid isn’t being denied to anyone in need regardless of legal standing.

Refugees

The direr living conditions in Haiti could spark a mass exodus to Florida. The Department of Homeland Security is asking the more than three million Haitians affected by the earthquake to stay put. The US Navy has ships in the waters surrounding Haiti to help the victims, but they’ll also keep an eye out for people fleeing the country. Interim Director of the Division of Emergency Management David Halstead says any refugee found in Florida will be feed and given medical treatment, but they will go to be sent back to Haiti.

“I think those interdicted at sea would go to Guantanamo Bay, then they would go to other federal facilities to be processed back to Haiti. I think Secretary Napolitano was very clear on that, but from a humanitarian standpoint, with our large Haitian community, we stand ready to offer what ever assistance we can,” said Halstead.

It takes three days by boat to get from Haiti to Florida, but it’s a dangerous trip and hundreds of people have died trying to make it to the US.

Young and old made the march to the state Capitol this morning to honor Martin Luther King.

People sang and carried signs honoring the civil rights leader. The march was peaceful, but Shirley-Johnson-Delgado can remember a time when demonstrators were beat for standing up for equal rights. Shirley was living in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1960’s. She says it’s important to teach kids about Dr. King’s courage.

“That’s what young people need to know that you’re not just guaranteed something, you have to work for it or someone else has to work for it for you,” said Shirley.

Speakers at today’s rally applauded the progress made in the civil rights struggle but say more needs to be done to assure equality for all Americans.

State workers could be laid off to help fill an estimated three billion dollar budget gap. There are 150-thousand state workers in Florida costing taxpayers more than seven billion dollars in salaries and benefits. State workers beat a two percent pay cut last year, but as Capital Correspondent Whitney Ray tells us, making it past the legislature’s budget ax this year will be a tougher task.

Facing a two percent pay cut in last year’s budget state workers joined forces, and convinced Governor Charlie Crist to veto the pay reduction. State workers may have won the battle, but the war rages on.

The state is facing a three billion dollar budget hole and legislative leaders are already discussing laying off state workers to help fill the gap.

Senator Dave Aronberg says layoffs aren’t the answer.

“We’ve had pay freezes for state workers for years. We’ve had furloughs for years, so to keep piling on state workers is not going to balance our budget and really it’s not fair considering they have bore a lot of the brunt from our recent budget cuts,“ said Aronberg.

State employee unions say layoffs would force more people onto the state’s unemployment rolls and cause a slow down in government assistance programs.

“We would urge our leaders not to take steps that while may seem politically popular or seem like a simplistic solution would actually do more economic damage,” said Doug Martin, with AFSCME Council 79.

But even if jobs are saved benefits like health insurance and retirement for state workers may be scaled back. Democrats and State employee unions says the state could easily find the money needed to safe the jobs by eliminating tax loopholes for luxury items like yachts, skybox tickets to sports games, and limo rentals.