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Men and women who fought segregation and for equality may soon have a new home in the state capitol. Today Governor Charlie Crist held a ceremonial bill signing for the legislation that creates the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame. People of all races who stood up to civil injustice will have their pictures framed and placed on a wall on the first floor of the capitol. Representative Alan Williams sponsored the bill creating the hall of fame.

“It’s important to have justice in the state. That’s what we are honoring and that’s why we are honoring all of those whether they be African-Americans, whether they be whites, Hispanics, whatever the case may be. It’s important to know that folks before you fought for you to be here and for you to be able to walk through those doors,” said Williams.

The nomination and selection process is already underway.

Florida has one of the leanest and cheapest state government workforces in the country, but they’re facing a five percent cut. The news comes after several years without raises. Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda is asking Governor Charlie Crist to award state workers with an extra paid week of vacation between Christmas and New Year’s.

“State workers need to be stood up for. They are hardworking, dedicated and they got us out of the BP oil crisis. They were on the job seven days a week, 24 hours a day some of them. So we need to respect them. Honor what they do as public servants and realize that we need them as the backbone of the state if we are going to bring in more business,” said Rehwinkel Vasilinda.

Two years ago, Crist honored a similar requested from the representative.

The political careers of four Florida leaders are coming to an end… for now. Neither the governor nor the state cabinet members are planning another run at office, but as Whitney Ray, tells us, no one is ready to shut the door on their political future just yet.

For the last time, Governor Charlie Crist and the state cabinet took their seats and took on the state’s business. Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum, CFO Alex Sink and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson were thanked for their service.

“It has been a pleasure to work with each of you and I wish you success in your next endeavors,” said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.

All four will be jobless in January. The complete overhaul of the state cabinet wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for a risky decision. In May of 2009, Crist decided against a second term as governor for chance at US Senate.

“I can best serve the people of Florida if they are willing to allow me as their next US Senator,” said Crist in May of 2009.

Then Sink, McCollum and Bronson announced their intentions to replace him. Bronson dropped out. Sink and McCollum were defeated. Their political careers are over for now, but maybe not for good.

“I’m not going to close any doors,” said Sink.

“I never rule out anything,” said McCollum.

Crist is also leaving the door open, but first he may put his law degree to use.

“I have some nice opportunities that have been presented and I appreciate that,” said Crist.

Of the four, political experts agree that Crist is most politically motivated. There’s already speculation that he’s got his sites set on Congress. And the Congressional seat many believe Crist is eyeing belongs to Bill Young. Young is 79 and is the longest serving Republican in the House. Crist rents a condo in the district.

During the Governor and State Cabinet’s last meeting they gave approval to a multi-million dollar controversial energy project.

Opponents of a biomass plant in Gainesville say the plant would be more harmful to the environment than burning coal. Supporters say it’s less harmful and it’s a step in the right direction. Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe says consumers will also save money in the long run.

“This protects customers from rising cost since biomass is the most effective long term choice currently available in Florida. At a time when Florida faces 10 percent unemployment and communities see eroding tax bases due to declining property values, this project will create more than 500 jobs,” said Lowe.

Each side was give 25 minutes to present their case. The opposition went long, so the governor granted them close to 10 more minutes to make their case.

Attorney General Bill McCollum received extra praise today at his final state cabinet meeting.

The Florida Sheriff’s Association thanks the Governor and Members of the State Cabinet for their efforts to deter crime, but it was McCollum who received the FSA’s Presidential Proclamation for his work to put more gang members behind bars. Association President Harrell Reid says the leadership of the public servants has help Florida’s 67 sheriffs do their jobs better.

“Sheriffs have been given the tools they need to protect our children from sexual predators, fight the war on prescription drugs and methamphetamines and see the crime rate in our state fall to it’s lowest level in 36 years,” said Reid.

McCollum was singled out because in 2007 he created the statewide Gang Reduction Strategy group. The goal of the group is to keep kids from joining gangs. A study by the group also identified for the first time the nearly 49-thousand gang members living in Florida.

Florida’s high schools are performing better and more students are graduating, according to the state Department of Education.

DOE released high school grades today. 30 percent scored A’s, 40 percent B’s. Only 11 schools scored F’s. Education Secretary Eric Smith says some of those schools are in jeopardy of being shut down.

“We have a number of schools in the state that those conversations are being engaged in currently with the districts at this point. Again depending on where they end up at the end of this year, with this year’s round of FCATs will determine whether or not they have to go forward with that or not,” said Smith.

One reason overall scores are higher this year is there’s a new grading system. The new system takes into account preparation for not just college but also how prepared are students who want to enter the workforce after graduation.

http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/pdf/0910/HighSchoolGradesPressPacket.pdf

Capitol News Service Feed
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Morrison Pardon on Track
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The pardon of deceased Doors rock icon Jim Morrison has been officially put on the agenda for a Thursday morning Clemency  meeting in Tallahassee. James Douglas Morrison shows up as item 29 on a lengthy agenda. As Mike Vasilinda tells us one of the more interesting items in the file being reviewed is a 1970 letter from Morrison’s father to parole officials.

In 1962, Jim Morrison was a clean cut college student appearing in this film promoting investment in Florida State and the University system. “We regret to inform you that we are unable to accept your application,” said the voice in the film.

A year later he was arrested in Tallahassee for being drunk and disorderly at a football game and, for stealing an umbrella and a helmet from a patrol car. The most severe charges were dropped and he paid a small fine.  His only other Florida arrest was in Miami in 1969. He was convicted of indecent exposure and open profanity. His case comes before the Clemency board on Thursday.

This is just one of two reports that the governor and cabinet will consider in the clemency process. In the file is a 1970 letter from Morrison’s father, an admiral who commanded the Pacific Fleet, telling the parole commission that he discouraged the Doors front man from joining the band because he just didn’t have talent. The two were never close again.

Governor Charlie Crist will initiate the pardon. He was 13 when Morrison was arrested in Miami. “ And I was going to junior high school, trying to make good grades,” said Christ.

Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson is a yes vote.

CFO Alex Sink is still deciding, but she remembers the summer of 1969 very well. “At Columbia University, which had just been taken over by the students, the administration had,” CFO Sink said.

Attorney General Bill McCollum says he won’t reveal his intentions until Thursday.

Governor-Elect Rick Scott was in Pensacola and Melbourne today on the first of his five day “jobs” trip around the state. But, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, uncertainty reigns in Tallahassee where thousands of jobs are in Scott’s, and other newly elected officials’, hands.

When Bob Martinez was elected governor in 1986, Gene Adams’s job as a young lawyer for then outgoing Governor Bob Graham was on the line.

“I’m trying to think about setting up my own law firm,” Adams said then.

Opening his own law firm paid off for Adams. Today he is a successful lawyer for a large corporate law firm and says transitions have a way of making people push the envelope.

“Sometimes I think it forces you to go out and stretch your limits and do things you might not feel comfortable doing,” Adams said.

Even receptionists are subject to being replaced by new administrations.

There are almost 400 people alone who work for the governor and all of them are without job security.

Kevin Cate spent most of the last four years working for the CFO. He is one of hundreds of communications specialists whose jobs are on the line. Instead of waiting for someone to determine his fate though, Cate is branching out, just as Adams did more than two decades ago.

“A lot of us are looking for jobs right now, that is right,” Cate said. “I’m choosing to go to the private sector to start my own firm but there are a lot of folks looking to stay in government, to be a public servant. And right now that’s a tough position to be in.”

One upside of the upheaval is the real estate market, at least in Tallahassee.

“I think we will gain some,” realtor Penny Herman said. “However there are a lot of people who can’t sell their houses where they are coming from, so that might play into it.”

The Governor-elect campaigned on cutting 5 percent of the state workforce, which is adding even more uncertainty to state government.

In all 50 state capitals and hundreds of locations across America, a wreath was laid today in honor of service men and women who have given their lives. This year in Tallahassee, five women who lost sons or daughters were honored as “Gold Star Mothers.” A bell was rung for each of their children as their names were called and the words of 18-year-old Robert Wise were memorialized.

“Before he left, he told her if he was going to die, he was going to die honorably for his country, for her, for her children, his niece and nephew. And he did,” Blue Star Mother Pam Wilson said.

The Gold Star Mothers organization began in 1928 and is named after the gold star that families hung in their windows in honor of deceased veterans.

The national unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent for November. The labor statics released today show a 2 tenths of a percentage point climb from October. The news is worse in Florida where the rate is nearly 12 percent. As Whitney Ray tells us, while Congress bickers over whether or not to extend unemployment pay, the jobs forecast continues to worsen.

When we first caught up with Nsoyn Johnson in July he had just lost his job as a car mechanic. He was working on neighbors’ cars to make ends meet.

Today he still helps friends with car trouble, but his main gig is as a shipping manager for a charity. It’s not exactly the job he wanted, but he’s happy to have it.

“I’m just thankful that I have something, because I know that you can go from nothing to something in just the way you think,” said Nsoyn.

15 million Americans are out of work. The National Unemployment rate has risen to 9.8 percent.

And if the numbers seem bad on the national level, it’s even worse in Florida. The state unemployment rate is 11.9 percent, which means more than a million people are looking for jobs.

The news comes as unemployment benefits for 106-thousand Floridians are expiring. The Agency for Workforce Innovation continues to point job seekers to the Employflorida.com, where 230-thousand job openings are posted.

“Go out there and look, the listings change everyday and we encourage everyone who is looking for a job to continuously focus on this,” said AWI Spokesman Robby Cunningham.

Studies are finding the longer someone is unemployed the harder it becomes for them to find a job. Nsoyn is lucky he was only out of work for four months. He says people still looking should keep their head up.

“While you’re waiting you’ve got to do something whether it’s raking grass, mowing yards you go to do something, there’s something out there for everyone,” said Nsoyn.

The good news is jobs are being created but as more work becomes available, people who previously stopped looking have reentered the job hunt, which drives the unemployment rate up.

Some of the appointments to Governor Elect Rick Scott’s education transition team are raising eyebrows.

They include a controversial Washington DC school reformer, the chief backer of corporate scholarships, and the President of Jeb Bush’s educational foundation. But there are others, like USF President Judy Genshaft and Ed Moore, President of the Independent Colleges and Universities in Florida. Moore expects the transition team to look for ways to improve student performance as they move from middle to high school and high school to college.

“Being more innovative. Trying all types of education. More online, perhaps. More innovative approaches from all the way from Kindergarten through colleges and universities. Not being stuck in the same old silos that we’ve been in for a hundred years in education in this country. I think he’s going to be extremely innovative in his approach to education,” said Moore.

The transition team is expected to meet for the first time next week and iron out its goals and objectives.

Senate President Mike Haridoplolos pleaded guilty to leaving out details about his consulting company on his financial filings.

His lawyer Pete Dunbar entered the plea this morning in front of the Florida Ethics Commission. Dunbar says his client wasn’t being shady, he just made a mistake.

“I would imagine everyone on occasion does make a mistake. You man up to it. Correct it. What else can you ask, except for someone to step forward and do that. Senator Haridopolos is human like all of us, but he quickly admitted the mistake, corrected it,” said Dunbar.

The commission isn’t allowed to penalize legislators, so the matter has been turned over to the Senate Rules Committee. The head of that committee, John Thrasher, was appointed by Haridopolos who also happens to be the Republican Party Chairman. Thrasher is reaching out to the House for advice on how to move forward with the case.

Governor Charlie Crist will leave office on January 4th, just over a month from now. Today, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the Governor reflected on the last four years and looked ahead.

Governor Charlie Crist is about to become a private citizen. He won three statewide elections and lost two. The first loss was expected, the second unnecessary. Most believe he could have coasted to a second term.

“How about that. what about that. Well, I know people have speculated about that. I am not so sure,“ Crist said.

Crist says he has no regrets that he chose to run for the US Senate. He blames the economy more than anything for the dramatic change in political fortunes.

“It was a tsunami,” Crist said. “No question about it. I think the President put it well. What did he say–
We got shellacked. So did I. It happens.”

The Governor acknowledged his relationship with the man he appointed to the Senate seat he coveted is strained. He is quoted as saying, “You know he is someone that I talk to on occasion.”

The Governor will spend several nights here in the mansion next week, and then the moving begins. Crist says the everglades purchaseand protecting Florida are his proudest moments.

“Highest graduation rate ever in the history of Florida,” he said.

He will take little time off after leaving office and confirmed he is negotiating with the giant Morgan and Morgan law firm as well as others.

“And I love its slogan. For the people. Fortunately, I have received a lot of kind offers and I am grateful for that,“ Crist said.

Asked if he had any regrets, he says it was not marrying wife Carole sooner. Crist and his wife of two years will live in St. Petersburg.

There are concerns tonight over Florida’s 2.7 million septic tanks many of which are more than 30 years old. A law mandating inspections every five years at the owner’s expense has been delayed and as Whitney Ray tells us, it may be overturned over the objections of environmentalists who say there’s a serious threat to our water.

Septic tank cleaners say it’s common sense to pump and test a tank at least once every five years… But an inspection mandate written into law is causing backlash.

The law was slated to take hold January 1st, but in a one day special session last month, lawmakers pushed the start date to July. Now a repeal is in the works.

To pump a septic tank and test it costs between 200 and 500 dollars. Replacing a tank can run as high as 5-thousand dollars. The price tag isn’t being received well.

Environmentalists worry that if Florida doesn’t have a state law requiring inspections, sewage will leak into reservoirs and contaminate our drinking water.

Terry Ryan, Co-Founder of Clean Tap Water Now, has already seen evidence of sewage leaking into well water in rural communities. Terry is advocating a pilot program to asses the statewide risk, to determine if the mandatory inspections are warranted.

“There are a lot of questions out there of how septic tanks are affecting not only individual water wells, but also the aquifer,” said Ryan.

Anthony Guido is a retired septic tank worker turned waste water consultant. He says the mandate is needed.

“When they are spilling out into the environment then they cause a public health problem and a nutrient problem to lakes, rivers, streams and the aquifer,” said Guido.

There are no statewide studies of the effects of worn-out septic tanks on Florida’s waterways, and opponents of the mandate want to see proof before they’re willing to pay more.

What lawmakers do have is time. The committee process starts next week and they’ll have until the end of the legislative session in May to come up with a fix.

While Republicans were busy dominating the mid-term elections, the feds were delivering a subpoena to the RPOF headquarters in Tallahassee. The FBI, and IRS want more information about a half a million dollars in misused credit card charges. The charges date back to 2007 when former Chairman Jim Greer ran the state GOP. Greer has been indicted, so has former House Speaker Ray Sansom. Both former leaders had party issued credit card. Governor Charlie Crist, who left the partier early this year, didn’t have an party card. He says he’s in the clear.

RPOF isn’t commenting on the subpoena, but in the past the party has pointed out that the time period in of allegations is during Greer’s watch. Greer resigned early this year under pressure from party faithful, and state senator John Thrasher is now at the helm.