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Budget cuts could force 5,700 children who have been removed from their families to face the court system alone. Lawmakers are considering massive cuts to the state’s Guardian Ad Litem program. As Whitney Ray tells us, the program gives foster kids a shoulder to lean on during some of life’s toughest moments.

17-Year old Samantha Rogers has been in and out of foster care since 2005. The state appointed a guardian to help Samantha though the legal process and to calm her fears.

“With everyone else you feel like a case and not a person, but you come to Guardian Ad Litem and they make you feel like you are a child still, not just a case being towed from courtroom to courtroom,” said Samantha.

The Guardian Ad Litem Program relies on 500 paid employees and 7,000 volunteers to represent 27,000 foster kids. House lawmakers want to cut the program’s budget by 23 percent.

Guardian Ad Litem Director Theresa Flury says a cut that large would force them to drop 5,700 kids from the program.

“It would directly impact the representation of children. It would directly impact the ability for us to recruit more volunteers,” said Flury.

Ashley Mayer is one of those volunteers.

“Without having a guardian to advocate in the best interest of the child you’re probably going to see a lot of social cost on the back end of kids who didn’t have someone taking care of them,” said Mayer.

As for Samantha, her guardian helped her move out on her own and enrolls in college. She credits her guardian for her success and fears the cuts will keep more foster kids from to share her story.

After five year old Rilya Wilson went missing from a foster care home in 2001, a blue ribbon panel recommended every foster kid be given a guardian.

Hundreds of motorcyclists converged on the state capitol today wearing bandanas and leather jackets. But despite their unorthodox appearance, Mike Vasilinda tells us as lobbyists they are unusually successful.

They may look a little rough, but these aren’t your typical hells angels.

Billed as a freedom rights rally, they bring their own version of pomp to the Capitol, but don’t be fooled. They have serious legislative business on their minds.

“The vice-president of our chapter was run down by a woman on her cell phone,” motorcyclist Stephen Vierra said. “ We want safer roads.”

This year the bikers want two things. Tougher penalties for people in cars who cause accidents with bikes. They also want to stop local governments from assessing a fee for showing up at an accident.

“Its bad enough that we’re getting run over,” Doc Reichenbach said. “And then they’re going to charge us for it.”

Despite being unorthodox, these lobbyists are highly successful.

Past successes include ending the mandatory helmet law, stripping punitive provisions from speeding legislation, and securing a half million dollars for motorcycle awareness campaigns. Doc Reichenbach can truly say “I did it my way”.

“We’re here as ourselves,” Reichenbach said. “This is us. We’re not going to dress up in a three piece suit and a tie. To try to impress you, because then, we’re really actually lying.”

Their Acronym is ABATE, American Bikers Aiming Toward Education.

Governor Charlie Crist is asking President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster in 26 north Florida counties. Hundreds of roads and bridges are closed, making travel difficult, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the major interstate through the panhandle should stay open to travelers this weekend.

Kayaks have replaced cars in the driveways of people stranded by the flood. The water has shut down 250 roads and 25 bridges.

Some parts of highway 90 and 41 have already been shut down and the department of transportation continues to monitor highway 10 for flooding.

A 71 year old man was swept away in the flood waters and is missing. Rescue workers are asking people to obey the road closed signs.

“If we catch anybody in these areas that’s not a property owners they are going to be arrested for trespassing and are going to go to our jail,” said Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart.

Kessler Gaston is having a tough time keeping his cattle fed. Flooding is cutting off people and animals in north Florida from the rest of the state.

“You got animals you got to take care of them,” said Kessler.

Experts are calling the rising waters a once in a 100 year event that could escalate into a 500 year flood. 77 year old Corrence Fields is bracing for the worst.

“My son lives next door and he can get out this afternoon on a four wheel drive pickup truck to get more food so we’ll have food to eat there,” said Fields.

But dozens of other families will be eating at emergency shelters because their homes remain underwater. If Florida receives the disaster declaration it is seeking, low interest loans will become available and local governments will be eligible to have overtime and cleanup expenses reimbursed.

It has been 18 months since an all white jury acquitted 7 boot camp guards and a nurse in the beating death of a 14-year-old African American. Activists have long sought intervention from the Federal government, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, there is now hope a new administration will take a new look at the case.

It is a tape that outraged the nation. 7 guards mishandling 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson as a nurse looked on. Martin died the next day.

All 8 stood trial in conservative Panama City, where an all white jury took virtually no time to make a decision.

The decision sparked civil disobedience in Tallahassee where college students closed down the main street. Two weeks later the NAACP brought several thousand people to the Capitol to push for a Federal investigation.

“What we want to know, is where our federal government holds police accountable for killing our children,” Ben Crump, attorney for the Anderson family, said.

Meetings were held but nothing happened.

Activists are quietly hoping a new US Attorney here in North Florida and new leadership in the Department of Justice in Washington will decide to reopen the case.

The NAACP is pushing Washington to put the guards and nurse on Trial, away from Panama City, for violating Anderson’s civil rights.

“The courts allowed them to go free for whatever reason and it was done in the same town where they committed the murder and we should have expected them to do it right,” Adora Obi Nweze NCAAP Florida president said. “There was too much covering up done.”

Had he lived, Martin Lee Anderson would have turned 17 this past January.

The NAACP wants a federal civil rights trial held in Tallahassee.

State lawmakers are turning to new online networking sites to get their message out to voters. Twitter is the newest site giving lawmakers a platform straight from their laptops or blackberries. As Whitney Ray tell us, it’s becoming more common to see lawmakers staring at their cell phone screens while state laws are being discussed.

Just minutes after Representative Scott Plakon passed legislation through a House committee he logged onto Twitter to let the world know.

“It’s just a wonderful way to communicate in real time,” said Plakon.

Twitter allows subscribers to send instant messages. The messages are called tweets, and they go out to people who choose to follow your account.

308 people are following State Senator Dave Aronberg. A recent tweet from the senator’s account compares the state’s budget deficit to a popular slasher movie.

“It is the best way to communicate directly to your constituents. They don’t have to fly to Tallahassee. They don’t even have to incur a long distance phone call. They can just turn on their computer or their phone and the direct information goes right to them,” said Aronberg.

The rush to get information out as fast as possible raises questions about etiquette. House leadership is asking members to pocket their blackberries during state business. It isn’t hard to find Representatives texting anyway. Standards are looser in the Senate.

“This is a people oriented business and I keep in touch with my constituents at all times. I want them to know what goes on up here,” said Aronberg.

Media consultants say Florida’s state government is at the forefront of online communicating. Training sessions are underway to teach lobbyists how to join the online discussion.

A recent poll shows people ages 45 to 55 are more like to send out twitter updates than any other age groups.

Governor Charlie Crist is teaming up with the Easter Bunny to make this holiday weekend a little brighter for foster kids. Crist welcomed kids to his mansion this week to hunt Easter eggs. Children as young as two searched the lawn for candy filled eggs. Florida’s First Lady Carole Crist joined in on the activities.

The state is going after a Florida company making money off of people’s good intentions.

Attorney General Bill McCollum is suing Jacksonville based company Showbiz Promotions. The company sold Caylee Anthony dolls and Michael Vick dog chew toys. The company said profits from the sale of the toys went to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and local animal shelters. McCollum says the company was pocketing the cash.

“Taking advantage of people who think they are helping wounded the dogs is bad enough but then to go and take advantage of the death of a child like Caylee Anthony by taking gross profits out of this and making people think they’re giving to some charitable cause to buy the doll. That’s even worse,” said McCollum.

The Attorney Generals Office has received hundreds of complaints about the toys. The company could be ordered to pay 10-thousand dollars for every toy sold.

When state lawmakers return to the Capitol after their Easter and Passover break, they’ll be voting on whether to let State Farm customers decide if they want to pay higher rates to keep the company in Florida. Thousands of customers have written state officials, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, two bills are quietly making it through the process.

More than two thousand State Farm customers have written the Governor complaining they can’t find homeowners insurance cheaper than they would be paying State Farm, even if the company got a 50 percent rate hike. One of them is Debra Roberts.

“I have [shopped] a little bit,” Roberts said. “I have not chosen a company because all the rates are so high and a lot of companies don’t offer insurance for rental properties.”

Agents have prepared thick books for lawmakers, with quotes from their home districts, proving the point.  Citizens and other options are often higher. Legislation that has cleared two committees and is up for a vote after Easter would let State Farm compete on price without state interference. Lobbyist Mark Delegal is pushing the bill.

“It gives the customer the choice, to decide for themselves, whether they are willing to pay the price that the company offers, the market price and accept it, buy it, pay for it. Or choose not to and go shop elsewhere,” Delegal said.

The bottom line is that the plan gives State Farm Customers a choice that they no longer have.

State regulators say they will carry out whatever the legislature decides, but they caution.

“This particular legislation could certainly lead to higher rates for everyone if the ability of the OIR to regulate the top-end of the process is taken away,” Ed Domansky with the Office of Insurance Regulation said.
   
Governor Charlie Crist has not weighed in on the legislative plan to keep State Farm, and some letters to his office do say good riddance.

Legislation to allow State Farm and other Insurance companies to bid on homeowners policies will be voted on next week. Two bills are moving through the legislature. The idea surfaced as many State Farm customers found they would be paying more for replacement insurance if State Farm leaves Florida as planned. The legislation has the apparent support of CFO Alex Sink.

“So the question that is coming up, and I think it’s a legitimate one, the state farm policy holders say, wait a minute, given the 50 percent rate increase, I’ll still be better off,” Sink said. “So I think those are all issues that ought to be addressed by the Insurance Commissioner and the Legislature as well.”

Thousands of State Farm customers have written the Governor and state lawmakers, asking to keep State Farm. Many of the customers say even if State Farm got a 50 percent rate hike, their bills would still be lower than any replacement they can find.

25 thousand people have called a Florida Bar Foundation hotline seeking foreclosure help since it was set up last June.  Volunteer attorneys have helped several thousand people, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, one of the biggest problems has been finding someone who can negotiate on behalf of the lender.

Daniel will be 83 in July is facing foreclosure, and doesn’t want to be identified.  He refinanced in 2006, got into an adjustable loan he didn’t understand and he couldn’t afford. His legal aid lawyer says he is a victim of predatory lending.

“I have always been able to take care of myself,” Daniel said. “I don’t know what it is to sit down and have people give me anything.”

When they started fighting back, Daniel and his lawyers found what thousands of others have discovered.

Because Daniel’s loan was sold and then turned into a security, figuring out who to talk to has been a nightmare for the lawyer.

The mortgage holder is so far removed from the originator, tracking down who can negotiate is almost impossible.  Jamie Ito is Daniel’s lawyer.

“It’s hard to find somebody there that has the authority to get a modification,” Ito said. “They request documentation, which we send. They say they didn’t receive it, we have to send it again.”

Florida Chief Financial Office Alex Sink is calling for a summit with lenders.

“So that we can sit down together and discuss the best way to keep Floridians in there homes,” Sink said.

For now Daniel is just hoping for the best.

“I’m not thinking about leaving,” Daniel said. “I don’t know where I’d go. I have nowhere to go.”

Banks have long said they are willing to talk with homeowners before going to court. But complicated financial transactions are making their promises near impossible to keep.

The state’s twelve largest lenders have been called to summit to work out contract problems. The summit is set for April 20th in Tampa.

A new Mason Dixon poll found most Floridians are willing to pay higher taxes if they know how the money is going to be spent. 63 percent agree that it is more important for lawmakers to fund schools and heath care than to remain faithful to a pledge not to raise taxes. Virginia Wetherell of the Florida Alliance of Concerned Taxpayers also says voters want the state to do business with Florida companies.

“People would obviously like to have no new taxes, but they think it’s more important to have a state that takes care of its vital needs, like education and healthcare,” Wetherell said. “They think its more important that policy makers look at the smartest way to spend their tax dollars rather than just stick to a pledge that maybe doesn’t make sense.”

The group says voters support a dollar hike in the cigarette tax, allowing the state to collect money from Indian gambling and would like to sales tax loopholes closed.

Florida CFO Alex Sink is calling the state’s twelve largest mortgage lenders to a summit in Tampa on April 20th. Sink and legal aid lawyers have found it impossible to negotiate with lenders because loans are often sold and resold. The CFO says the goal is to keep people in their homes.

“What we found in this initial process, is that even the lawyers are having a hard time finding who to talk to,” Sink said. “What we have asked each of the dozen lenders is to identify an ombudsman or point person who can be that one single point of contact for our lawyers. And to come together in this meeting in Tampa that we’re going to have in a couple weeks and discuss how we can work more cooperatively and better together so that we can achieve our goal, which is to help Florida families.”

Bankers have said they want to talk with people before going to foreclosure, but the sale and resale of mortgages is making the goal almost impossible. Sink hopes the summit will solve part of the problem.

Drivers in North Florida may find east-west travel difficult. Rising water from last weeks record rain is threatening to close Interstate 10 and US Highway 90, severing the panhandle from the rest of the state. As Whitney ray tells us, people traveling for Easter may want to prepare an alternate route or stay home.

Even though the rain has stopped, rising water could force Interstate 10 to be closed for the weekend. More than 250 roads and 25 bridges are already closed. The Department of Transportation is asking people not to drive in flooded areas.

“We are working with our local law enforcement partners and our emergency responders to look at alternative routes should the road or bridges have to be closed due to flood waters,” said Kevin Thibault the Deputy Secretary of DOT.

“At this point along Highway 90, the water is just 10 feet from the road. And it continues to rise. Emergency crews fear, by Thursday, parts of Highway 90 and Interstate 10 will be under water.”

Larry Kidd has lived near the Suwannee River thirty years and he’s never seen the water this high.

“I’ve never had waterfront property, so I hope I don’t,” joked Kidd.

Melinda Gray’s two kids are on spring break near Panama City. She planned to pick them up Saturday. Her plans have changed.

“We said we were going to do it Friday, and now the sheriff is coming saying it could be flooded by Friday; now we are going to have to do it tomorrow instead,” said Gray.

While Melinda wants her kids home, emergency mangers say it you don’t have to travel north Florida this weekend, don’t. The Governor has declared a state of emergency for 26 counties. Water flowing into the effected area is expected to continue for at least the next 10 days.

Parents, teachers and students have sent Governor Charlie Crist more than a thousand letters and emails. The message is clear: no more education cuts. As Whitney Ray tells us, the writers may soon be asked to put their money where their mouth is, as support for a penny sales tax increase to fund schools gains ground.

Education funding in Florida is down four billion dollars since 2007. The cuts are so deep Washington is withholding federal stimulus dollars. The Florida Education Association is pushing a temporary penny sales tax increase to solve the problem.

“This buys us some time so we can have true and meaningful tax reform, so that we can develop a fair tax system for all Floridians,” said FEA President Andy Ford.

The association released a poll claiming 72 percent of registered voters in the state support the increase. House Education Appropriations Chairwoman Anitere Flores says that’s not what she’s hearing in her district.

“My constituents are telling me, we are hurting and when we are hurting, don’t ask us for more money for something as general as a sales tax,” Flores said.

But supporters of the increase have written the governor. Crist’s office has received more than a thousand letters and five hundred emails.

Some of the letters are from students as young as nine. They tell the stories of school closings, honor programs being eliminated and teachers being let go.

Senator Dave Aronberg said the state can do better.

“We need to close some of the tax loopholes and we need to continue looking at the cigarette tax and those are the ways to fund education properly,” said Aronberg.

Budgets from both chambers rely on economic stimulus dollars to fund education with no money coming for the proposed penny increase.

While the Florida Education Association Poll shows 72 percent of voters support a penny sales tax increase, only one in two offer ‘strongly support’ for the measure. 56 percent of people polled rated their local schools as good or excellent.

Every member of the State Cabinet is considering running for Governor in 2010.

Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson announced his intentions Tuesday. Bronson says he’ll run if Governor Charlie Crist steps down to campaign for the US Senate. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and Attorney General both say they will wait and see what Crist does before they make any announcements. Bronson said he has the experience needed to lead the state.

“I’m handling the same issues the governor has, in most cases cabinet issues. I handled a lot of the issues he handled differently in the Florida Senate whether it is health care, education, those types of things so I’m very familiar with those issues and I think I bring something to the table and that is experience and a desire to make sure Florida remains one of the top state in the country and that means jobs, jobs, jobs,” said Bronson.

Crist says he’ll wait until the end of the legislative session before making any decisions about his political future.