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State lawmakers have until a week from today to come up with a final budget in order to avoid costly overtime, and until today, there has been little real discussion about the two billion dollar difference between the House and Senate.

The State House has been promoting its version of the budget ideas with an in-house video guide.

“The House will not raise taxes” chimes the video.

But the problem is that the Senate doesn’t like a lot of the ideas. Like this one:

“We also added twenty five thousand dollars to the homestead exemption.”

With no agreement in sight,  Tuesday began with a worst case scenario.

“The one thing we’re not going to do is kick the can down the road” says House Budget Chair Carlos Trujillo

The House Appropriations Committee passed last years budget minus money for members projects.

“Could we get a budget done in the next ten days? Possibly. But if we don’t, if we don’t, this is our safety valve” Trujillo told committee members.

Democrats on the Committee are up in arms. Minority Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa was downright angry.

“We all just need to grow up. we need to sit at a table together and we need to do what the citizens of Florida and the fricking taxpayers have asked us to come here to do” says Cruz.

With Two billion dollars separates the chambers, the Speaker and Senate President finally began meeting face to face. Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano remains optimistic.

“And so there’s continuing offers between the chambers, and we’ll take it from there” says galvano.

A decade ago, Special Sessions cost forty thousand dollars a day. Now there are new estimates from Cruz.

“It is seventy two thousand dollars a day.”

Q:”Is that the new number?”

“That’s my number.”

Q:”Okay, ho’d you come up with that?”

“Ah, we just tried to kinda figure out what lodging costs, what folks per diem is, and what it costs for staff.”

Passing a budget is the legislators only constitutional responsibility…but the constitutions says nothing about doing it on time.

Negotiations are occurring on two levels, total dollar amounts, and spending for policy items like charter schools, tax breaks, education funding and the environment, particularly building a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.

Hundreds of police officers from across the state were in the State Capitol today to pay tribute to the officers who were lost last year. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, pay tribute to those who survived.

Hundreds of officers paraded a half dozen blocks to the Capitol to show respect for their fallen brothers and sisters.

The families of those being remembered filled a hundred seats or more. FDLE Deputy Commission Don Lardner promised the state would remember their fallen hero and those they left behind.

“To the families we also promise to you that we will never forget you. You are out hero. your sacrifice continues day in and day out” Lardner told the audience.

Ten new names were added to the memorial, Seven who dies this year, and three that were previously unknown.

Massachusetts State Trooper John Kotfila Sr. came to remember his son John, a  Hillsborough deputy who blocked a wrong way driver from killing two others wth his car. He died in a fiery crash.

“My son was a special individual and we didn’t know how many lives of pople he that he touched. I’ve had people come up to me, involving cases he’s been involved in three or four years ago, and tell me what a wonderful person he was and how caring he was” the Senior officer told us.

Stephen Oliver was near tears recalling his older brother Eric, a Nassau County Deputy, killed while chasing an illegal immigrant on foot.

“He was always looking out for everybody else, except for himself. You know, he wanted to do what was right.” says Stephen.

A 21 gun salute ended the ceremony.

2 florida officers have already died in the line of duty since the beginning of the year.  Both from Orlando.

A showdown over school funding, property taxes, and economic development are just a few of the items keeping lawmakers from agreeing on a new state budget. The legislature has until a week from tomorrow to agree on an 80 billion dollar plus plan or face costly overtime. Today, negotiations collapse after House Speaker Richard Corcoran offered a continuing resolution to spend at least years level. It was quickly rejected by Senate Appropriations Chair Jack Latvala.

“Why do we want to model Florida after Washington D.C.? they haven’t had anything anything but a continuation budget in Washington DC in eight or ten years. And we want to copy that? Does the Speaker want to copy Washington D.C.  I don’t think the vast number of people I represent have much confidence in Washington D.C.” says Latvala.

A special session of the legislature will cost upwards of 40 thousand dollars a day. But Latvala says there is still a good change the budget will get worked out on time.

A House Committee held a work shop on tougher texting laws today, but took no vote. The legislation has been stalled because of opposition of the incoming Speaker, but that is no solace to Demetrius Branca, who lost his son Anthony to a distracted driver last year.

Sot: Demetrius Branca

Father

“There is always a back door to file legislation and gets things passed. I just don’t know if that’s going to happen. I think there is still too much resistance from Leadership” says the grieving father.

Q: “Next Year, the year after?”

“Next year we’re coming in hard and hot. we’re gonna try everything we can to make

this happen. People are dying everyday and we can’t wait. We can’t wait until next year, but we have to” says Branca.

The legislation Branca and others are seeking would allow police to stop texting offenders without some other offense. Currently enforcement is a secondary offense, and tickets can only be issued when the office stops a motorist for something else,

A State Senator who made vulgar and racist remarks about other State Senators and the Senate leadership resigned today, a scant 86 hours after losing his temper in a Tallahassee watering hole. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Frank Artilles would likely have become the first State Senator to be expelled from office in modern times if he had not left  on his own.

The resignation letter was delivered to the Senate Presidents office before noon Friday. In it Frank Artilles says  “My actions and my presence in government is now a distraction to my colleagues, the legislative process and and the citizens of our great state.”

Artiles had apologized for the Monday night remarks on Wednesday.

“As you can see, my harsh words have reflected more on methane they could ever have on anyone else” Artiles said on the Senate Floor.

The resignation was expected. Wednesdays apology rang hollow for many of Artilles Colleagues. Sen. Perry Thurston filed the complaint seeking Artiles expulsion, and it was moving quickly to conclusion.

“Did someone go to him and say you’ll get thrown out if you don’t resign?”

“Well, I don’t know that but I would think that was the case because several people have come to us in the meantime and saying is there way for a soft landing?” says Thurston.

“Is this a soft landing?”

“I don’t know if this is a soft landing. To end someone’s political career. to have to resign. to have to put your family thought this. It’s unfortunate.”

In a hastily arranged news conference, the Senate President called the resignation appropriate.

“All of us are accountable for our actions and comments. So I think it’s an appropriate resolution” said Senator Joe Negron.

It’s now up to the Governor to set a date for a special election.

The resignation was an abrupt turnaround for the brash, defiant, former Marine. On Wednesday he vowed he would stay.

“I’m also going to file for 2018 and win my election. thank You.

A prediction which is now very unlikely to be fulfilled. In his letter Artiles also said “It’s clear there are consequences to every action, and in this area, I will need the for personal reflection and growth.

Calls for a State Senator who made what some are calling racist remarks to step down are increasing. A formal complaint seeking the expulsion off Senator Frank Artiles has been found to have probable cause, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us. with just over two weeks left in the legislative session, the issue could come to a head next week.

Sen. Frank Artiles was nowhere to be found at the Capitol the day after apologizing for improper and racist statements.

“I realize that my position does not allow me for the looseness of words, or slang” Artiles said on the Senate Floor on Wednesday.

The Complaint alleging racist comments and seeking his expulsion from the legislature is already being investigated by a Special Master. Rules Chairman Lizbeth Benacquisto will get a report on Tuesday.

“And we’re giving the respect the complaint deserves, and certainly protecting everyone’s rights within that process, we believe” says Benacquisto.

Artiles confronted Sen. Audrey Gibson at at private club Monday night and berated her for opposing his legislation. By Thursday she just wanted to get back to work.

“Well, I’m very focused. that’s why the people sent me here. You know how I work. I take my analysis home at night. i read them and that’s been my focus” says the Jacksonville Senator.

Records dating back to the 1880’s show no Senator has ever been expelled.

Representative Bert Riddle was the last person expelled from the legislature.  He sent an obscene note to a page. Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon believes Artiles conduct is just as bad.

“I think this of that level” Braynon told us. “I mean, referring to colleague, a female colleague as the B word is reprehensible. Using racial slurs I think is also reprehensible.”

If lawmakers choose not to expel Artiles, he could be reprimanded or censured, which could include the loss of all of his committee assignments.

The National Organization for Women today called for Artiles to resign or be removed from office. So did Baptist ministers in both Tallahassee and Miami.