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Former House Speaker Ray Sansom has resigned from the Florida House of Representatives rather than face disciplinary proceedings that were scheduled to begin today. Attached is his letter of resignation. sansom-resignation-letter

Florida lawmakers are worried students arriving from Haiti could bankrupt local school districts. 23-hundred have already enrolled, and more are coming. As Whitney Ray tells us, even if the feds chip in, they probably won’t give enough to help schools meet strict class size requirements.

The final phase of the class size requirements goes into effect next school year, but principals fear they won’t have the money to meet the mandate.

“We’re up against some serious financial challenges,” said Rocky Hanna, Principal of Leon High School.

Adding to the financial fiasco, hundreds of new Haitian students fleeing their earthquake ravaged land. 23-hundred are already here, with an estimated 200 arriving daily.

“We are having to dip into our reserves right now to pay for those additional students,” said Wayne Blanton, President of the Florida School Boards Association.

Most of the new students are enrolling in South Florida schools, but once commercial fights to Haiti pick back up other areas are likely to see a larger increase.

Lawmakers began discussing the problem this week. No one knows how many new students will be enrolled next August when stricter class size requirements go into effect.

“There is no money in our districts to build new schools, so if we need now new class rooms I think it is a federal issue,” said State Senator Nan Rich.

State officials are expecting federal help in May to cover the cost of teaching the new students, but there’s no word on whether Washington will send money to build new classrooms.

State lawmakers are pushing a constitutional amendment that would allow schools to meeting class size requirements based on school wide averages, but voters will have to sign off on the deal in November, three months after the stricter rules go into effect.

Experts from the Centers for Disease Control visited the Florida Department of Health today to discuss an action plan for the Acreage Cancer Cluster.

Women and children in the Palm Beach County community are experiencing higher than normal levels of brain cancer. State inspectors are in Acreage trying to find the source. Michael McGeehin, the CDC’s Director of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, says the source may never be discovered.

“The cause of these cancer clusters is virtually never found and part of that is that cancer has a large latency. Cancer clusters can variably have small numbers. They seem very large. Cancer clusters are difficult because of so many different exposures that might be association with cancer cluster, so when you are doing these investigations so many factors come into play,” said McGeehin.

McGeehin says as the state searches for answers the public needs to be kept up to date on the state’s progress.

Beginning Monday, a select group of Florida lawmakers will take on the
rare responsibility of disciplining one of their own members. Former
House Speaker Ray Sansom will be on trial before a political tribunal
accused of violating House ethics rules. As Mike Vasilinda tells us the
charges revolve around Sansom’s job as chief budget writer.

Ray Sansom’s troubles began the November 2008 day he was elected speaker
amid a throng of applause. It was the same day he took an unadvertised
six figure part time job at his home town college. Details surfaced that he
had sent more than 35 million dollars to the schools…more than any
other college. 6 million was allegedly destined for an airport hanger for a close
political supporter.

The five member select committee begins calling witnesses Monday. Sansom
himself isn’t talking. Neither will the former college president or the
political supporter. All three are also facing criminal charges.

Bill Galvano will lead the probe.

“What it ultimately boils down to is actions or a series of actions,” Galvano said.

Sansom could face expulsion from the house but that is not likely. E. Bert
Riddle, shown here cleaning out his desk in 1961, is the only person ever expelled from the legislature. He was convicted of propositioning a young female page.

The legislative hearings are political, not judicicial. That means the five member panel can give the evidence whatever weight it wishes.

Four days of hearing are scheduled, with a fifth set aside
if necessary.

Denise Amber Lee was kidnapped and murdered in 2008. Her death is considered largely preventable if more than one 9-1-1 operator had followed through on tips about the killer. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, for the second time this week, the family is in Tallahassee working to make nobody else dies because someone was untrained.

Denise Amber Lee left behind a husband and two young sons when 9-1-1 operators ignored a call from the kidnapped frantic woman herself.

“Please let me go.”

And another call from a suspicious motorist.

“Something’s going on.”

Widower Nathan Lee and his family have spent the last two years working on the legislature to pass mandatory training for 9-1-1 operators in Florida.

“My wife was murdered and a 911 call that could have saved her life was not dispatched properly and that definitely would have saved her life,” Lee said.

Lee got one step closer on Thursday when a Senate committee gave a thumbs-up after tearful testimony.

“911 communicators are the true first-responders to a citizen’s plea for help,” Nathan Lee said. “They cannot be the weakest link.”

The issue of cost continues to come up, but it’s getting less and less traction

Senate Sponsor Nancy Detert says most of the training is already taking place.

“What I’m saying is, the public is already paying for safety, they’re just not getting it,” Detert said.

The pain of for father of two has not gone away, and even if he is successful in Florida, he says he will push for national 9-1-1- training standards.

“A call to 911 that didn’t get dispatched, it’s just really hard to swallow,” Lee said. “Even now that it’s been two years, it’s still really hard to deal with.”

Nathan is continuing to walk the halls of the Capitol. Not taking his current momentum for granted and not resting until the legislation is on the governor’s desk.

The bill still has to go through two more committees in the Senate and two more committees in the House.

Fifteen bills to ban drivers from texting or talking on the phone have been filed in Tallahassee. There are more than 30 sponsors and co-sponsors for the different pieces of legislation. A ban has failed three years running, but as Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers aren’t worried about getting a ban passed this year; they’re just curious about whose bill will be signed by the governor.

Lawmakers are waging war on texting while driving. (Nat) 15 pieces of legislation to ban the practice have been filed. Several outlaw all cell phone use from behind the wheel. Some just focus on texting.

“I think the texting is what’s causing the greatest problem right now,” said texting ban co-sponsor Evelyn Lynn.

One bill would only ban teen drivers from texting. Another school bus drivers.

“When they’re not riding with us they are likely riding with a school bus driver,” said Bill Sponsor Alan Williams.

Senator Carey Baker has two texting while driving bills.

“It’s such an incredible dangerous activity that at this point we have to address it,” said Baker.

A report released this year claims one in four wrecks is caused by texting or talking on the phone, which may be cause enough for Florida lawmakers set up sanctions for offenders.

The penalties could range from points on your drivers license to a 500 dollar fine for repeat offenders, of course it depends on which bill winds up on the governor’s desk.

“I don’t care which bill gets it. I just hope we are able to close this very dangerous gap,” said cell phone ban bill sponsor Nan Rich.

And closing the safety gap could help lawmakers close the budget gap. Cash incentives are being discussed in Washington for state’s that pass texting bans.

Governor Charlie Crist says if lawmakers pass a texting while driving ban he’ll sign it.

State officials are asking Floridians to be on the lookout for census scammers.

The official count begins next month. Census workers will be mailing out forms asking your age, race, and whether you rent or own, but not personal information like your social security number or bank account. Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charlie Bronson says people asking for those numbers are trying to rip you off.

“If people are asking anybody for their social security number or any of those things, you don’t want to give them that information that can lead people to steal your identity. If they want to know what your name is, if they come and say they’re with the census, you are going to get mailed a lot of things you can fill out and send back. Just make sure it’s an official mailing and not some scam artist,” said Bronson.

Mailers will go out in mid-March. If you don’t send the mailer back, a census worker will stop by your house. All workers are required to wear a badge with the US Department of Commerce Bureau of Census Seal on it. So look for the seal.

A plan to phase out the FCAT exam and replace it with end of the year tests is gaining ground in Tallahassee. The FCAT is catching flack from parents, students and teachers concerned too much emphasis is being put on passing the test and not on learning. As Whitney Ray tells us, changes could come as soon as next year.

From the first day of class, high school students in Florida begin preparing for the FCAT. The standardized test determines who graduates and school rankings, but that could soon change.

“Any steps we take to eliminating the FCAT is a step in the right direction,” said Representative Bill Heller.

For years Democrats have been calling for an end to the FCAT, saying it puts too much emphasis on testing and takes away from learning.

FSU Freshman Taylor Rink remembers the pressure she faced from teachers.

“They really pushed it,” said Taylor.

FCAT testing dates are also causing concern.

Former Governor Jeb Bush, a big FCAT advocate, used to be fond of saying, ‘we’ll test a year’s worth of knowledge in a year’s worth of time.’ The only problem, The FCAT is over in March.

Florida School Boards Association President Wayne Blanton says the test creates lethargic students by year’s end.

“Students sort of give up then. They say, especially seniors, well you know schools over the FCAT’s over, what you really have to look at is having a year end exam so you don’t have any wasted time out there,” said Blanton.

If the legislation passes, next year math would be taken off the FCAT exam, with the other subjects being phased out over the next four years.

Consumer advocates and Democratic lawmakers are filing several pieces of legislation that would protect renters, borrowers and the unemployed.

State Senator Dan Gelber and Representative Ronald Brise announced the legislative plans today at the state Capitol. The plans would give renters whose landlords were being foreclosed upon more time to find a new place. They would also expand unemployment benefits to more Floridians. Gelber says the economy is creating more opportunities for predators to take advantage of the suffering.

“This is a moment when there are people who are exploiting and preying on everyday Floridians, and if you don’t step up your efforts to protect them and become even more vigilant then you are doing them a disservice,” said Gelber.

One piece of legislation announced today would provided stricter penalties to debt collects who harass and lie to borrowers.

Two cancer research facilities in Florida will lose their funding next year unless legislators act.

The American Cancer Society joined with patients and survivors today at the Capitol to fight to save the programs. Mary Edith Thomas was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago. She survived. Mary says if the programs go away fewer people will be able to share her success story.

“Our ultimate goal is to make cancer a thing of the past. I look forward to future generations saying to me ‘what was that thing called cancer,’” said Mary.

A House and Senate bill would give 50 million dollars to the research programs each year. The money would come from the dollar-a-pack cigarette tax enacted last year.

9-1-1 Emergency operators will have to undergo increased training under legislation approved by a State House Committee this morning in Tallahassee. The legislation was inspired by the preventable death, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, of Denise Amber Lee, a Sarasota woman kidnapped and murdered in 2008.

The young mother was abducted in January 2008. Surprisingly she was able to use her kidnapper’s cell phone to call 911.

A second 9-1-1 call came from a motorist who saw Denise stressed out in the back of a car.

The hitch came when the calls were not relayed to police by an untrained operator. By some accounts, the kidnapper drove past at least three police cars who could have saved Denise.

Denise’s mother-in-law teared as a House committee debated a bill to require training. Police and sheriffs question the cost of additional training. So do some lawmakers.

“I want to be assured that there is no cost, that it is financially neutral,” Rep. Bill Proctor (R-St. Augustine) said.

Sponsors say what is not acceptable is calling 9-1-1 and getting a different response, depending on what part of the state you’re calling from.

15 other states already have similar laws on the books.

“Florida is certainly lagging behind in that regard,” Richard Pinsky with the Emergency Operators Association.

And there were more tears when the bill passed.

“This is about saving future lives and we just don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” Peggy Lee, Denise Amber Lee’s mother-in-law said.

“When you hear about the costs, you know, we all know what the cost is, it’s a lost life,” Mark Lee said.

Michael King has been sentenced to death in the case.

A Senate Committee hears similar legislation Thursday….but in tight budget times, passage is not a sure thing.

Hundreds of nurses have begun arriving in Tallahassee for a two day meeting and rally to protest hospital workloads.

The nurses say they are sometimes caring for as many as 8 or 9 patients when studies show 4 patients per nurse is the optimal ratio. Mary Beth Harrod of Miami says hiring more nurses will actually drive down the cost of health care.

“There is even further research showing that the costs of adding another nurse to the staff is far less than the cost of managing the negative outcomes when the patients get secondary infections, or complications, or even die, because of something they obtained in the hospital,” Harrod said.

More than a thousand nurses are expected for a noon Rally on Wednesday.

The state could save 300 million dollars by eliminating the middle man. There is an average of one manager for every four employees in state government. As Whitney Ray tells us, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer says 4,600 could be weeded out over the next year and a half.

120-thousand Floridians are employed by the state. Their salaries and benefits, like health insurance and retirement, cost taxpayers 7.4 billion dollars a year. Lawmakers are considering pay reductions and layoffs to save money. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink says there’s a better way. She’s cutting middle management.

“We don’t need to be micromanaging those state employees who are serving customers,” said Sink.

There’s an average of one manager for every four employees in state government. Sink says lowering the ratio to 1 in 7 would save the state 300 million dollars.

With that much money you could build three of these arenas where Florida State plays basketball, film Avatar, the most expensive movie ever, or buy 100 million Whoppers. But lawmakers would likely use the money for schools, roads, and prisons. Department of Financial Services Chief of Staff Tammy Teston says the plan could be carried out quickly and without layoffs.

“We would be able to accomplish the CFO’s vision within 12 to 18 months without any problems just based on the amount of turnover we have seen every year,” said Teston.

We spoke with several state employees, who didn’t want to go on camera in fear of losing their jobs. One worker said there are six employees in his office and three managers.

The move to fewer managers is already underway in the CFO’s office and is expected to save 10 million dollars a year. The move to a statewide reduction could be left up to lawmakers in charge of writing next year’s budget.

Environmentalists and nature lovers want more protection for the state’s more than 200 natural springs. A group of relay runners sprinted 16 miles from Wakulla Springs to the state capitol today to support higher standards. Legislation to enact tougher regulations on septic tanks, reduce runoff and decrease the amount of fertilizer used on farms is in the works in Tallahassee. State Representative Alan Williams says if lawmakers don’t raise the standards now future generations won’t be able to enjoy the springs.

‘We must protect our fresh water springs. We must protect our natural resources across the sunshine state in order for our children, and our children’s children, and our children’s children’s children to enjoy the beauty that is Florida,” said Williams.

The springs legislation comes as public hearings on new federal standards are being held. Many business owners and farmers are against the federal standards, they say it will cost the average household an extra 60 dollars a month on their water bill.

It has been just over a year since former House Speaker Ray Sansom
resigned under a cloud of suspicion. Since then, his House colleagues
have spent almost a quarter million dollars investigating whether he
violated House rules by taking a job at his hometown college after
sending millions to the NW Florida State College. As Mike Vasilinda
tells us, one of the perk’s of being House Speakers is funding for
schools in the district.

Former House Speaker TK Wetherell sent 40 million dollars to build classrooms
around FSU’s football stadium. Lee Moffit created a renowned cancer
center at the University of South Florida. Other speakers have had Civic
Centers named in their honor. But none of the House speakers did what Ray Sansom
did…take a job funded by the largess he sent his hometown college.

Since Sansom resigned a year ago, state lawmakers have spent a quarter million dollars in the legal fees. An official hearing is set for February 22

There is a very real possibility that the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate and two or three other past or present officials, could be forced to raise their hands and tell the truth. That’s creating a lot of pressure for a settlement.

The most damaging testimony could involve former House Speaker MarcoRubio. Sansom was his budget chief when the money for the school was appropriated. State Representative Bill Galvano acknowledges that negotiations are taking place that could result in a settlement. Democrats are crying foul.

“The Republicans just want to whitewash this and it’s clear that anything short of expulsion is just a whitewash,” Florida Democratic Party Spokesperson Eric Jotkoff said.

But any negotiated settlement would likely allow Sansom to remain in the House until his term expires in November. Otherwise, he’s got nothing to lose by rolling the dice.