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People with landline telephones may be paying more if legislation to deregulate telephone companies gets final approval. The bill received unanimous approval from a key Senate Committee this morning. As Whitney Ray tells us, AARP fears it would increase costs but the president of AT&T Florida says deregulation would bring rates down.

No one knows for sure if rates will go up, or if eventually they would drop as many supports of the bill claim, but opponents were able to kill a similar bill last year by claiming rates would go up as much as 20 percent.

As the world cuts the cord and goes wireless… some older Floridians are finding it harder to make the switch.

There are more than 165-thousand landlines still in use in Florida, but the communications industry says strict regulations are making it hard for them to operate.

While cell phones and other wireless devices are thriving with little government interference, landline companies claim they’re getting tangled up in state regulations.

Marshall Criser, the President of AT&T Florida, made his case to state lawmakers Monday. AT&T supports a bill that would allow companies to set rates without state approval.

“When customers have choices they’re going to be able to make decisions about what they want to pay, what kind of features they want. They control the market,” said Criser.

But AARP disagrees. The group conducted a study, claiming four out of every 10 Florida seniors struggle to pay their bills. They say deregulation would spell financial doom for some of their members.

“The telecommunication companies can raise the rates as much as they like, as often as they like, whenever they like,” said Jack McRay, an AARP Lobbyist.

AARP also fears, the bill would allow landline companies to stop the service… forcing some seniors with arthritis and memory loss to use smaller, easy to lose cell phones.

The trial that promises to expose the inner workings and sometimes backroom dealings of the Florida State legislature began today. It centers on Former House Speaker Ray Sansom and his roll in trying to secure six million state dollars to benefit political contributors. As Whitney Ray tells us, the prosecution says the money would have built an airplane hanger, the defense says classrooms.

From the pinnacle of legislative power… to a defendant in a grand theft trial… the fall from grace for Former House Speaker Ray Sansom has been a long one. Sansom is in court for the way he tried to spend six million tax dollars while in power.

In 2007, Sansom funneled the money to Northwest Florida State College in Okaloosa County for construction…. but to construct what is still in question.

The six million dollars came from state education funds, and the defense says the money would have been used to build classrooms and to store emergency vehicles if a hurricane hit, but the prosecution says that’s just the cover story… and the secret purpose of the building was to house jets for a political contributor.

That contributor Jay Odom is on trial with Sansom. At the off-set of the case there were three co-defendants, but college president Bob Richburg struck a plea deal and will testify against Sansom and Odom.

In the opening statements Monday morning Leon County Prosecutor Willie Meggs told jurors they’d hear testimony proving the project was an airplane hanger.

“You’re going to see as this project developed and as it moved through the process, evidence of fraud and deception and false pretense and misappropriation,” said Meggs.

The defense says those plans were scrapped once the legislature was told the state had no money for special projects….

“You’ll see an email from Bob Richburg to Ray Sansom saying, ‘Jay understands he has to build his own FBO with his own money,” said Sansom.

Former Governor Charlie Crist is on the witness list. He’s expected to testify late in the week. Sansom’s time as speaker was short lived. He took the leadership roll in November of 2009 and resigned under pressure from his own party in February of 2010.

A potential union-busting measure was approved today in Tallahassee. The bill prohibits automatic payroll deduction of union dues from government workers’ paychecks. Police officers and firefighters from around the state came to speak against the bill. Labor union spokesman Rich Templin says the bill would create more hassle for organized labor.

“This is about making the process of people joining of their freewill a union in the state of Florida much more difficult, much more difficult, much more difficult, much harder,” said Templin.

Union members also complained the bill would take money away from charitable organizations to which they donate.

Florida Commissioner of Education Eric Smith is resigning. Smith was appointed to the position in 2007 by former Governor Charlie Crist. Smith butted heads with Crist last year when Crist vetoed the teacher merit pay legislation. A similar bill was approved by both chambers earlier this month. Smith helped secured 700-million federal dollars in the Race to the Top competition to help usher in the merit pay system. Smith said in a statement he’s stepping down to give Governor Rick Scott a change to appoint his own leader to the position.

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.

Legislation is moving in the state House against red light cameras.

Members who passed a red light camera repeal bill out of committee yesterday say the devices are an invasion of privacy. Representative Carlos Trujillo says if the state uses cameras to enforce traffic laws… it may encourage video enforcement of other crimes.

“If cameras in high crime areas would deter crime should we just start putting cameras on the street in a high crime areas? Where do we start drawing the line and where do we start protecting peoples’ privacy,” said Trujillo.

The cameras were approved on state roads just last year, but opposition to the devices has been quick and angry.

The trial for former House Speaker Ray Sansom begins Monday. Sansom faces charges stemming from 2008 when he used his leadership position to put six million dollars in the state budget to build an airplane hanger for a political contributor. The hanger was scheduled to be built on Northwest Florida State College. The former president of that school also faced charges, but he reached a deal and will now testify against Sansom. Also on the list of witnesses is former Governor Charlie Crist who signed the 2008 budget.

A last ditch effort to revive high speed rail in Florida has failed. An effort spearheaded by US Senator Bill Nelson to bring Orlando and Tampa transportation officials together with Amtrak executes will just miss the station with all conceding today there just isn’t enough time to meet the April 4th deadline.

“This is a huge disappointment because Florida’s project was going to be a model from the entire rest of the country it was going to be online on 2015,” said Nelson.

Nelson says Florida can reapply for the money next year, but warns the plan will still not pass muster unless the governor or state legislature acts to secure the right-of-way to build the rail.

Three thousand inmates received federal tax returns from the IRS while locked up in Florida prisons. In most cases the prisoners simply filed a return making up an income and claiming they qualified for a tax credit but never sent documentation. US Senator Bill Nelson is working with the IRS to stop inmate tax fraud.

“We’ve even had some that would file fraudulent claims were they would receive a homebuyers tax credit,” said Nelson.

Nationwide nearly 300-million dollars in fraudulent claims were paid to inmates.

A battle between the nation’s largest cigarette makers and a Florida company is heating up at the state Capitol. Price is the issue. Dosal Tobacco was left out of the states settlement with cigarette makers and is able to sell more cheaply, which has given them market share and upset traditional tobacco companies.

Florida made 305 brand cigarettes are popular. Chris Askey smokes them because the are as much as three dollars a pack cheaper than some of the traditional brands.

“ Five dollars a pack….Six dollars a pack….that is just too high for me,” he said.

One reason 305’s are so much cheaper is because their maker, Dosal, isn’t part of the settlement between Florida and major cigarette makers that drove other brands up by 50 cents a pack.

With almost 20% of the market, these low cost cigarettes have gotten the attention of the big name brands. Altria, the maker of Marlboro and other brands ran this full page ad in the Tallahassee Democrat to get lawmakers attention. Rep. John Tobia says its only fair to make the off brands pay the state at least 50 cents a pack for the health care costs they create.

“ People don’t smoke their cigarettes because of quality, they smoke them because of price. They still will be cheaper than the other ones,” replied Rep. John Tobia.

But Dosal, which has 31 lobbyists listed, has fought off higher fees for almost a decade, the company argues its done nothing wrong and hundreds of well paying jobs will be lost.

“Dosal didn’t advertise to minors. Dosal did not lie before congress. Dosal did not engage in a ledge acts of racketeering like big tobacco did,” Christian Ulvert said.

Lawmakers are caught in the middle. On one side, Florida is facing huge budget cuts and on the other, a Tea Party that is demanding no new fees or taxes.

Legislation allowing local law enforcement officers to check immigration status is drawing hundreds of opponents to the state capitol. As Whitney Ray tells us, many minorities fear the changes would encourage racial profiling.

A hundred people of different faiths and ancestry lifted their voices and their prayers in a church just blocks from the state capitol Thursday morning.

22 year old Evelyn Rivera came to Florida from Columbia when she was a child. Four years ago her mother was deported. She’s praying that lawmakers don’t pass a bill that would allow local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration law.

“I just pray that all the Congressmen and legislators really, really listen to what we have to say,” said Rivera.

From prayers to protests, the number of activists quickly grew as busloads of angry protestors arrived at the state capitol to bash the bill.

Even within the legislature, there’s debate over how severe new legislation should be. The Senate scaled back its version. The House is speeding ahead.

For more than an hour the protests chanted and waved signs. A dozen students delivered a petition to house sponsor Bill Snyder. One student told Snyder he had no choice when his parent moved from South American to Florida when he was five. Snyder stuck to his guns.

“We are not creating new law. If someone is hear illegally, they have no documentation, they are already breaking the law,” said Snyder.

Florida’s plan doesn’t go as far as Arizona’s… it would only allow police officers to check the legal status of people under criminal investigations… but to the crowd gathered it signifies the beginning of racial profiling and harassment.

Most Republicans support the bill, although right now there’s an in party fight over a provision that would require businesses to use the federal e-verify system to check the legal status of their employees.

A plan to cap state spending, start a budget saving account, and lower property taxes is fueling a partisan debate. Republicans say the measure would hold government accountable. Democrats say it would force deep budget cuts for schools and health care. As Whitney Ray tells us, voters will likely have the final say.

With the tea party at their backs and a budget crisis on their hands Republicans lawmakers are wasting no time pushing a state spending cap. The plan would keep the budget at the 2013-2014 level and tie increases to inflation and population growth.

Any money collected above that level will be put into a savings account to protect the state when times are tough, or used to lower property taxes. The idea is a top priority for a Senate President who wants to go to Washington.

“It’s about stability. People will know that the government spending will not increase faster than their ability to do paperwork,” said Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff ushered the plan through the state senate Tuesday.

“Less money in government means more money in the pockets of citizens and that’s a good thing,” said Bogdanoff.

But every reduction has its price. Advocates for the poor and sick say children and seniors will pay. Colorado passed a similar plan in 1992, but after it forced severe cuts to social services, lawmakers there limited part of the plan.

“There’s only certain areas that you can squeeze state general revenue out of the budget and those fall most heavily in the areas of health care and education,” said Karen Woodall, the Executive Director for the Florida Center for Economic and Fiscal Policy.

The plan now moves to the House, if it passes there, voters will be asked to decide in 2012.

Every year in Florida 11 billion plastic containers and cans end up in landfills where it takes decades and sometimes centuries for them to waste away.

State lawmakers want consumers to pay a deposit on recyclable goods they buy in an attempt to reduce waste. Legislation requiring a five cent per container is being drafted in Tallahassee. State Jack Latvala says the deposit program would help create green jobs by creating recycling centers throughout Florida.

“Environmental advantages, we’ve got some economic advantages to the state and the under-deemed deposits and we’ve got a big potential job creator here,” said Latvala.

Customers would get their money back if they recycle the materials. The deposit program is projected to raise between 100 and 200 million dollars a year.

The State House is debating the merits of ending teacher tenure and tying pay raises to student performance.

The debate began at one (est) and is scheduled for six hours. Before the debate began Democrats gathered with teachers and community activists to protest the bill. Representative Geraldine Thompson says given the Republican super majorities in the House and Senate the outcome is a forgone conclusion, but that won’t keep her quiet.

“We are not going to be silenced. We know that the numbers are not with us, but we have to make the chase for the citizens of the state of Florida,” said Thompson.

Last year Former Governor Charlie Crist vetoed similar legislation. Governor Rick Scott says he’ll sign the bill.

Today in Tallahassee, representatives from Florida’s space industry are celebrating Space Day to raise awareness of the financial challenges they’re facing.

The federal government has cut the space budget. The industry has an estimated economic impact in Florida of 40 billion dollars a year. The industry is looking for ways to stay afloat. Space Florida Co-Chair Frank DiBello says adventure tourism, opening space up to people who want to take an adventure ride to the edge of space— maybe a one way to move forward.

“They’re paying a fortune to do this, and as more capability opens up in space, we will see the transit system grow,” said DiBello.

Florida’s space industry could see a loss of up to 21 thousand jobs by the end of this year based on the federal cuts. Their message to state lawmaker… even a little bit helps.