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The 2014 Governor’s race is now officially underway.  Governor Rick Scott released his first campaign ad on Facebook this week.  The video shows Scott speaking to a group of factory workers… talking about how much the economy has improved since he’s been in office.

“There’s a stunning contrast between the economy I inherited and the economy today.  As you know the four years before I became governor the state had lost 832-thousand jobs.  Unemployment had tripled from 3.5 to 11.1 percent” says Scott, who met with reporters after attending a jobs announcement in Jacksonville.

The ad could be a direct shot at former Governor Charlie Crist, who is expected to enter the race as a Democrat. Scott was asked about the race on CNN Wedesday morning and said it wasn’t about 2014,, but about reminding Floridians how far the state has come. He repeated his mantra that he wants every family “to have a job”.

http://www.itsworkingflorida.com

Former Governor Charlie Crist is speaking out against the man who succeeded him. The issue is Governor Rick Scotts efforts to purge voters, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the former governor’s words are fueling speculation that Crist might seek the office of Governor again by running against Rick Scott in 2014.

Governor Charlie Crist’s smiling face greets visitor to the Capital City from this law firm billboard that overlooks the Governor’s mansion.

The governor’s mansion is right up this street, half a block, so every time Rick Scott heads for home coming from this direction, he’s looking at Charlie Crist.

Crist, who left office in 2011, did the unusual this past week. He wrote an op-ed piece criticizing the man who succeeded him, Governor Rick Scott. We reached Crist on his way to New York. He says he’s not being critical of Scott, but of his policy to remove voters from the rolls.

“What I find troubling is that there seems to be active suppression,” Crist said.

The writing is fueling speculation that Crist might seek to return to the Governor’ mansion as a Democrat. His op-ed even produced this tweet from the Republican party Chairman, and the GOP spokesperson calls Crist unpredictable.

“Well, as Charlie Crist has proven time and again, trying to guess what he’s going to do is pretty fruitless,” GOP Spokesperson Kristen McDonald said.

Public Relations expert Ron Sachs says the problem for Democrats is an empty bench.

“Well, I think Charlie Crist could be viable,” Sachs said. “Public opinion polls show he could be viable in a statewide race.”

And Democratic Strategist Screven Watson concedes Democrats don’t have many well known faces.

“We have a governor who’s got awful polling numbers, and there’s no other Democrats talking about running,” Watson said.

Despite Rick Scott’s sagging poll numbers, Democrats expect Scott to raise one hundred million dollars for his re-election.

Crist is currently registered to vote as an Independent. State law requires candidates to be a member of the party in which they are running for at least a year before qualifying begins, which means Crist would have to become a Democrat by next June to switch parties.

Three names are being added to the state’s list of correctional officers killed in the line of duty. As Whitney Ray tells us, officers mourning the loss of their coworkers are also bracing for massive state budget cuts.

Bag pipes played and family members of the fallen fought back tears, as hundreds of correctional officers mourned the loss of three of their own.

Colonel Greg Malloy, Sgt. Ruben Thomas, and behavioral specialist Kirk Cummings are being added to this monument honoring Florida correctional officers killed in the line of duty.

Colonel Malloy was mortally wounded on February 2nd, 2011, Sgt. Thomas was fatally injured after being stabbed by an inmate. Cummings died of an apparent heart attack while at work.

As the officers honor their fallen, they’re also bracing for more state budget cuts. Prisons are being closed and 1300 positions are being eliminated. The officers were given the option to take corrections jobs in others parts of the state. Many did. Others opted for early retirement.

Department of Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker thanked the victims’ families for their sacrifice. After the ceremony I asked him if the budget cuts are making Florida prisons less safe.

“Ultimately, my number one priority as we look at the budget is officer safety,” said Tucker.

But danger comes with the territory. It’s a fact these officers face every day, knowing that the next 21 gun salute could be in their honor.

And just yesterday an officer at the Okeechobee Correction Institute had a close call while trying to disarm an inmate. The office was cut on his arm wrestling with an inmate armed with a shank.

So far this year eight DOC facilities have closed due to budget cuts and dwindling inmate populations. Three more will shut down by year’s end.

The eight that have closed:
Caryville Work Camp, Gainesville Correctional Institution, Hillsborough Correctional Institution, Indian River Correctional Institution, Levy Forestry Camp, New River Correctional Institution, New River O Unit, River Junction Work Camp

The three to close before July 1st:
Broward Correctional Institution, Demilly Correctional Institution, Hendry Work Camp

State officials say state law forbids them from talking about Sanford Shooter George Zimmerman’s concealed weapons permit. Information about concealed weapons was taken out of the public domain in 2006, so we don’t know who has a concealed weapon, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, we do know a lot of people are carrying weapons in Florida.

One in every 20 Floridians has a valid concealed weapons permit. Sanford shooter George Zimmerman still has his. State law is very specific about when the permits can be suspended or revoked.

“If you’re charged with a felony crime, and the department is notified, we can certainly move to have the license suspended,” Sterling Ivey with the Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “Once a conviction takes place, we can revoke that individual’s license.”

This past year, state lawmakers lowered the cost of a concealed permit by fifteen dollars. They now cost 70 dollars. Applicants must also pass a gun safety course. The Brady Project to prevent gun violence says concealed carry permits are too easy to get in Florida.

“You know, this man George Zimmerman, is a living example of that,” Brady Project President Dan Gross said. “This is a guy who had an arrest record, this is a guy who had a violent past. This is a guy who in numerous other states would never be offered a permit to carry a loaded, hidden, handgun.”

The NRA declined to appear on camera for this story. But they argue that statistics show only law abiding citizens get and keep a permit. State figures show 98 percent of all applicants receive a carry permit.

Since 1987, more than 2 million concealed weapons permits have been issued in Florida, and of those permits just three of every thousand have been revoked.

The Brady project counters that just one concealed permit in the wrong hands is an injustice.

In addition to lowering the license fee, lawmakers also reduced the renewal fee by ten dollars. Concealed weapons permits now cost about eight and a half dollars a year.

If lawmakers don’t act by Friday, Florida’s unemployment tax will more than double. The tax is going from 71 dollars an employee to more than 170. As Whitney Ray tells us, efforts are underway to reduce the increase, but lawmakers will have to act fast or they’ll run out of time.

Good food and great services are the ingredients for success for Brian Rowe and his BBQ business. Piggy’s BBQ employees 35 workers. The restaurant has added catering and a food truck, but the rising price of food and fuel presents a huge challenge.

“It hurts our bottom-line. I’m not going to do a price increase to our customers,” said Rowe.

It could get worse. Piggy’s is about to be hit with a 35-hundred dollar increase in state unemployment taxes. The tax is skyrocketing from 71 dollars to more than 170 per employee.

“It’s kind of a double whammy there. When you have all these increases that are affecting us, ultimately you will have to increase the prices or drop your staff and have fewer staff,” said Rowe.

And if lawmakers don’t act by Friday there will be an 817 million dollar increase to all business owners statewide. Legislation to cut the increase in half is being heard late in session. State Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff says the bill will make it across the finish line.

“I don not anticipate Sine Dieing before this thing passes. This is a priority of the governor and we have been working diligently to get it through,” said Bogdanoff.

The increase is needed to pay back the federal government. In 2009, the state ran out of cash to pay unemployment claims. Florida borrowed 2.6 billion dollars from Uncle Sam to keep the money flowing and now the bill has come due with interest.

Critics of the bill say delaying the increase will only prolong payment to the federal government, and since they are charging interest, in the long run businesses will end up paying more.

Florida Democrats celebrated several big wins at their Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner over the weekend, including mayoral races in Tampa and Jacksonville. They also laid out plans for what they hope will be a 2012 Obama victory. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the most popular name bandied about at the convention wasn�t even a Democrat

On July 1st, � Alvin Brown becomes the first Democratic Mayor of Jacksonville in 20 years. His opponent had embraced Rick Scott.

In Miami, both Republicans running for mayor are running from Scott. His most recent favorable rating is at 29 percent, with 57 percent saying they disapprove of the job he is doing.

Democrats are beginning to believe Republican Governor Rick Scott will be their biggest asset in 2012 and beyond

�Rick Scott has become politically toxic for the Republican Party and all Republican candidates because theyshare his extreme, job-destroying agenda,� Florida Democratic Party Spokesman Eric Jotkoff said.

The problem for Democrats is a weak bench. Alex Sink looks poised for a comeback in 2014, and Democrats even floated former Republican Governor Charlie Crist as a potential candidate when they met over the weekend.

To be perfectly clear, former Governor Charlie Crist was not at the Democrats weekend. And when we reached him by phone, he told us he was perfectly happy enjoying the freedoms of the private sector.

Crist did not rule out a future run. And when we asked Scott about the bashing he took from Democrats, he chose the high road.

�Whoever wins in 2012 is going to win the same way I did,� Scott said. �Who�s got the right blueprint for job creation?�

But Democrats see blood in the water. And Rick Scott doesn�t appear to want to change course, even though his favorable numbers keep dropping.

Quinnipiac says Rick Scott is the most unpopular in the country based on their polling in six key states.

Mental health advocates and economists say spending cuts in the senate�s budget plan would cost the state more in the long run. The Florida Senate wants to cut 210-million dollars from mental health and substance abuse programs. As Whitney Ray tells us, economists say those cuts would force the state to spend more on prisons, hospitals and emergency services.

140-thousand Floridians suffering from addiction, anxiety and other mental illnesses would lose services under spending cuts in the Senate�s budget. The Senate wants to cut 210-million from mental health and substance abuse programs.

Bob Sharpe, the president of the Florida Council for Community Mental Health, says those cuts will force the state to spend more down the road.

�Spend more for corrections, jail admissions; health care the child welfare system, more people will be homeless,� said Sharpe.

Rob Weissert, the Vice President of Research at Florida TaxWatch, says cutting programs that help former felons beat addiction increases the chances those who are denied treatment will end up back in prison.

�Addressing these issues up front can not only save money, but really can reduce future crimes, so it�s a very positive way that the state can focus resources to actually reduce the overall costs and enhance public safety,� said Weissert.

The state house holds mental health and substance abuse programs harmless in its budget. For the next two weeks they�ll be negotiating with the senate to keep those cuts from going through and if the governor has his way, he�ll side with the house. Governor Rick Scott says funding the programs is a priority.

�We�ve got to make sure we spend the money as wisely as possible, so when we put our budget together, we tried to allocate the dollars because that�s part of your job as governor to try to allocate the dollars to the biggest issues you have,� said Scott.

Monday the House and Senate start the budget negotiations. If the Senate moves to restore the cuts, something else will have to go. Mental health and drug abuse advocates say along with the loss of services, there will be a loss of jobs. They estimate 5-thousand people will be laid off if the Senate gets its way.

One in five Floridians is Hispanic according to the 2010 census statistics released this week. The figure may not bode well for immigration reform legislation; opponents believe would encourage racial profiling. As Whitney Ray tells us, some Hispanic Republicans say they�ll vote Democrat if the GOP led legislature passes the immigration reform bill.

250 Latinos, some legal, some not, were at the state capitol Thursday, angry over an Arizona inspired immigration measure they say would encourage racial profiling.

The immigration debate rages as the latest census numbers show the Hispanic population soaring. Now 22 percent of Floridians are Hispanic; up from 16 percent after the last census. And as Hispanics register to vote, few are registering as Republicans.

With one in three Hispanics registering as an independent their vote is up for grabs, and they are using their support or opposition as leverage in the immigration debate. Opponents say lawmakers better take heed.

�The decisions they are making now are going to have serious ramifications for the future of the state and the future of their politics,� said Subash Patel, an organizer with We are Florida a group organized against the bill.

Filipe Matos, who delivered petitions to the Senate President running for Congress, sees the growing numbers of Hispanics as a political bargaining chip.

�If he doesn�t stand with the Latino community, we will not stand with him in 2012,� said Filipe.

But not all Florida Hispanics side with Filipe. The immigration reform bill is being sponsored by Senator Anitere Flores a Cuban-American� and many in the Hispanic caucus have her back.

Republicans lost Hispanic voters between 08 and 10� while 96-thousand Hispanics registered Democrat.

The battle to ban offshore oil drilling in Florida waters in raging on two fronts. A petition drive and legislation to create a constitutional ban on drilling were both announced today at the state capitol. As Whitney Ray tells us, some familiar faces are heading up the efforts.

Sand and sea oats laid way for former Governor Charlie Crist and CFO Alex Sink�s return to the state capitol. The two are joining forces to write an oil drilling ban into the state constitution.

�It�s important to not only protect the beach, but also an important industry called tourism,� said Crist.

Crist�s attempt at an oil ban in a July special session, drew a defiant gavel and go from lawmakers.

Now Crist and Sink are taking their case straight to the people; co-sponsoring a petition drive to put a ban on the 2012 ballot. The group is using the BP oil spill as its main argument for a constitutional ban.

The spill threatened the state�s 65 billion dollar tourism industry for five months last summer. It led legislative leaders to promise not to pass drilling, but if a case is made in the future that drilling is safe Governor Rick Scott may be onboard.

�Focus on everything, from all the alternative fuels, all those things, to the extent that they make sense, and also look at offshore drilling when we know we can do it safely,� said Scott.

But Scott�s former foe, Alex Sink, says drilling will never be safe enough for Florida.

�There�s always human error. We can�t afford any kind of human error within 10 miles of our beaches,� said Sink.

Crist was the first to sign the petition, and now the enormous task is underway to gather the nearly 700-thousand signatures needed to put the ban before voters. Democratic lawmakers are also trying to get a ban on the 2012 ballot. Legislation has been filed to allow voters to decide, but it�s not expected to make it out of committee.