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The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida stepped down today under mounting pressure from GOP leaders. Chairman Jim Greer’s resignation  comes after scrutiny over early endorsements and reckless spending. As Whitney Ray tells us, an hour before Greer’s announcement a paper shredding truck was parked outside of party headquarters.

It was a quiet and somber day outside the Republican Party of Florida headquarters, the only noise was traffic, and the sound of a paper shredding truck.

The driver came out wheeling an empty cart and a blue bag, one hour before embattled chairman Jim Greer made this announcement, on a conference call with reporters

“Effective in six weeks, approximately February 20th, I will step down as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida,” said Greer.

Later Greer agreed to go on camera.

“There are people who want to tear the fabric of the Republican party apart and I’m not going to be a part of that,” he added.

The move comes a day after nine former House Republicans called for his resignation.

“I think you could say mission accomplished,” said former House Republican Ron Richmond.

Nine State Senators were organizing a similar call. Greer upset party faithful by endorsing candidates before voters had a chance to cast primary ballots.

“Jumping into these and trying to control I think was offensive to a lot of long time Republicans,” said Former State Senator Ken Plante.

The next more is appointing a new chairman. The search is well underway. Governor Charlie Crist, as well as the incoming Senate President and House Speaker are supporting State Senator John Thrasher as the next party chairman. As for the paper shredding truck, Greer says it’s just a coincidence.

Two new Public Service Commissioner were sworn in today and a new chairwoman was appointed as the utility watchdog hopes to reshape its image.

Two former commissioners were denied reappointment in October after reports of secret communications between PSC staffers and utility executives began to surface. The secret communications were uncovered as Florida Power and Light asked the commission for a 1.3 billion dollar rate increase. New Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano says its time to revamp the commission’s image.

“The public felt that the Public Service Commission was not maybe doing a fair job or the perception was bad. There are a lot of good commissioners who served in the past and there are some that maybe shouldn’t have served, but what it comes down to is that we now hopefully will move in a direction where the public can regain some trust,” said Argenziano.

The shake up in the make up of the five member commission comes just weeks before the vote is due on FPL’s rate hike request. The vote is scheduled for January 29th.

There are new calls tonight for Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer to step down over party finances and his premature endorsement of the Charlie Crist campaign. Nine former Republican leaders in the state House now say Greer must go, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the chairman has the support of one key individual who could keep him in the job.

Ray Sansom, the indicted former House Speaker, ran up 173 thousand dollars on a GOP credit card.  Party chairman Jim Greer, who allowed the spending spree, bought limo rides and expensive dinners. Now nine former House Republican leaders say it is time for Greer to go.

“A lot of people are not giving because Greer is the Chairman,” Former House Republican Leader Ron Richmond said.

And they think he misspent money?

“They really believe that he misspent money,” Richmond said.

Greer has personally endorsed Charlie Crist’s bid for the US Senate, angering many in the party. Political Scientist Bob Crew says the noise level inside the party is unusually high.

“It’s indicative that there is more than the average level problems in the party, it seems to me,” Crew said.

At state Republican headquarters, bumper stickers for GOP candidates sit on the front desk. Missing, though, is one for Crist opponent, Marco Rubio.

We are told that Governor Charlie Crist views this fight as a personal attack, and for that reason has been the embattled chairman’s most ardent supporter.

Greer was in the GOP office Monday but refused comment via a spokeswoman. Former GOP leader Richmond says the call for Greer to resign has nothing to do with the US Senate race.

“Forget about Rubio-Crist.” Richmond said. “There are Rubio supporters and Crist supporters, and then some of us who haven’t decided between the two in our group.

A group of former state senate leaders is also expected to join the call for Greer’s ouster on Tuesday.

Greer faces a bitter debate about his leadership at a GOP meeting in Orlando on Saturday.

The prosecutor who charged former House Speaker Ray Sansom with official misconduct is not giving up.

The charge was dismissed by a circuit judge. The state appealed, and was told last week there was no basis for the appeal. Now, State Attorney Willie Meggs says he has an undisclosed plan to bring Sansom to justice, but has not says what he has in mind.

“The bottom line is the former Speaker of the House was building an aircraft hangar for Jay Odom to use over in the Destin airport, and he was using mine and your money to do that with,” Meggs said. “And there’s just something inherently wrong with that. I’m not going to rest until I either get kicked out of court or he gets convicted of that wrong conduct.”

Sansom is accused of improperly steering six million dollars for a Destin aircraft hangar that developer and GOP contributor Jay Odom wanted to use for a corporate jet business. Sansom has claimed innocence and said the money was for an emergency operations and training center for Northwest Florida State College.

Florida drivers trying to renew their licenses are running into some new road blocks.
Today was the first day the state began requiring extra identification in order to renew a license or ID card. As Whitney Ray tells us, drivers unfamiliar with the new requirements are being sent home to get more identification.

Renewing a drivers license just became more demanding. Florida is one of the first states to enact Real ID regulations. Real ID is a federal program passed after 9/11 to make it harder for people to lie about who they are.

Kimani Franklin wasn’t aware of the new requirements and was sent home to get more information.

“It’s getting to the point where you have to have a filing cabinet in your car,” said Kimani.

To get a Real ID you need four forms of Identification; a passport, social security card, or birth certificate will verify who you are, bills or a W2 form will verify where you live, but what will no longer work is an old Florida drivers license

Brenda Green showed up at the DMV worried she didn’t have enough documentation. After rummaging through her purse she found an old utility bill, and got her Real ID.
She calls the new process taxing, but understands why the government is asking for more.

“I think it’s really crap, but I understand too that there are so many things going on now in the world so you don’t really know,” said Brenda.

After Kimani returned, he qualified for the new ID, but didn’t leave with it. The DMV doesn’t take VISA.

“One word, frustrating,” said Kimani.

A pain in the neck for drivers, but comfort to national security workers who says the new standards could help keep terrorists off planes and out of the country. For a more detailed list of what you need to get a Real ID, go to www.gathergoget.com

Parts of Florida are already experiencing below freezing temperatures and some experts are predicting snow. Farmers are preparing for the freeze and praying it won’t last long. Strawberries, Oranges and tropical fish may be most at risk. Department of Agriculture spokesman Terry McElroy says a short freeze shouldn’t make a big impact on orange growers.

“Citrus guys are doing what they can with their crops and they are hoping that it doesn’t get below 28 degrees for an extended period of time which is what it takes to damage citrus. They are a bit more cold-hearty than tender vegetation in the ground,” said McElroy.

Floridians may see the effects of the freeze well into February. Valentine’s Day flowers could be killed if gardeners don’t take the proper precautions or if it gets too cold.

It’s been a rollercoaster year for Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Double digit unemployment, a housing crisis and opposition from his own party helped bring the seemingly untouchable politician down a few notches. But the biggest blow to Crist’s popularity, as Whitney Ray explains, may have come in the form of a handshake and an embrace.

2009 started off with a bang for Florida Governor Charlie Crist. He became a familiar face on cable news. A go to guy to discuss reforming the right wing. By the end of January Crist’s job approval rating was at 67 percent.

Then in February, Crist appeared on stage with the President in Fort Myers to rally support for stimulus spending. The two embraced, giving the spending plan momentum and creating attack ad gold for any Republican looking to challenge Crist’s conservative credentials.

Crist announced his plans to leave Florida in May, claiming he could do more good from Washington.

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio who had already entered the race for US Senate quickly became the underdog. In June, Rubio trailed Crist by more than 30 points in the polls, victory seemed out of reach. A more recent poll suggests a tie.

Besides time, Crist also has plenty of money to get his message to voters. Crist is leading the dash for campaign cash and has smashed Florida fundraising records.

The FSU faithful are saying goodbye to the father of Florida State football. Coach Bobby Bowden’s last game will be played in Jacksonville tomorrow. Bowden has been the head ‘Nole since 1979. He won two NCAA national championships and taught thousands of young men how to win, but as Whitney Ray tells us, coach Bowden didn’t just inspire players, millions of fans say he helped shape their lives.

He inspired teams to be great, players to achieve on and off the field and turned a former women’s college into one of the greatest football school of all time.

When lifelong Florida State Football fan Dr. Joe Beckham heard Bobby Bowden would be coaching his last game, Joe took some chances… buying tickets to the Gator Bowl, days before FSU was asked to play.

“We just felt like there was no way they could turn down Coach Bowden in his last game,” said Dr. Joe Beckham, a co-owner of Dynamic Rehab in Tallahassee.

Joe was smart to buy early. Once news of FSU’s Gator Bowl bid broke, the game sold out in two hours. Six-thousand seats were added. They too went fast.

On Friday when the Noles take on West Virginia, 83-thousand fans will be in the stands. And Joe will be one of only a handful who can say he was there from the beginning.

“I was eight years old when Bobby Bowden came to town so I was a big fan as a kid growing up and so I got to go actually to his first game and now I get to go to his last. I’ve never met the man but I kind of feel like he’s a member of my family. That’s the kind of coach and person that he is,” said Beckham.

A sentiment shared by fans, players, and coaches around the country.

Florida’s worst drivers will soon be heading back to class. A new law going into effect January 1st requires people who cause three wrecks in three years to take an intensive driving course. As Whitney Ray tells us, they’ll also have to pay hundreds of dollars for the class.

If you rack up wrecks faster than birthdays grab your book bag, you’re heading back to class. Starting Friday, Florida drivers who cause three wrecks in a three year period will be forced to take an intensive driving course.

“We believe that with the class, that does say you have to take some time behind the wheel, that we will help these drivers become better on the road,” said Ann Nucatola, a spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles

Since 2006, more than 3,200 Florida drivers have each caused three or more wrecks. The wrecks are costing taxpayers millions for first responders, clean up crews, and road repairs. It’s also costing lives. An estimated 3,000 people die on Florida’s roadways every year.

Celeste Stroh, became a more cautious drivers once she became a mom. She says everyone could benefit from a driver’s course.

“I think education is good at anytime, and for a lot of people you know, if you took driver’s education it was a long time ago,” said Celeste.

Retired police officer Sandra Baker says bad drivers should be taken off the road long before they cause their third wreck.

“If you have had two wrecks you have no business driving. You are not looking out for yourself or anyone else around you,” said Baker.

While bad drivers won’t lose their license they will pay plenty in fines and insurance premiums, also the class they’ll be required to take will cost them around five hundred dollars.

The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles estimates one thousand Florida drivers will cause their third wreck in 2010 and be forced to take the class.

Florida Highway Patrolmen will be hunting for drunk drivers this holiday weekend in packs.

They’re asking people who ring in 2010 with alcohol to designate a driver or find a cab. For those who don’t the patrolmen will be traveling in “DUI Wolf Packs” blanketing areas know to have intoxicated drivers. FHP Captain Mark Welch says the risk isn’t worth it.

“There’s an awful lot at risk. If you get involved in a crash people can be hurt, people can be killed by your bad decision to drive a car while under the influence of alcohol. At a minimum you can be arrested, you car gets towed, you have to pay court costs, you have to pay reinstatement fees for your drivers license. It’s just not worth it,” said Welch.

Patrolmen won’t just be out on New Years. They plan to have an increased presents all weekend long.

Floridians facing foreclosure will ring in the New Year with a better shot at saving their homes. An estimated 500-thousand Floridians will be in some stage of foreclosure when the ball drops signaling the start of 2010. As Whitney Ray tells us, help from the banks, the courts, and the state could help more people keep calling home, home.

The New Year will bring new tools for borrowers looking to renegotiate their loans. Attorney General Bill McCollum talked Bank of American into being more accessible.

“We will see a sizeable number of people come the first of the year, in this state, on the ground, trying to meet face to face with people,” said McCollum.

At the stroke of midnight on December 31st, no longer will loan modifying businesses be able to practice without a state licenses. The Office of Financial Regulation is already screening thousands of applicants.

“There was some complaints and it’s yet another portion of the industry that we are tightening up on,” said Bill Spann, the Chief of Staff for the Office of Financial Regulation.

Borrowers in danger of losing their homes will have more opportunities to work it out with lenders.

The state’s highest court is mandating mediation for people who want to stay in their homes.

Negotiations between lenders and borrowers will have to begin soon after foreclosure proceedings have been filed.

Marc Taps represents 450 people trying to save their homes. Taps says face to face meetings work.

“Every time I’ve gone to mediation and there’s been a lender rep there we’ve walked away with a deal,” said Taps.

And more deals being made, means more families get to stay in their homes.

Holiday sales rose 3.6 percent overall this year with online sales seeing the largest increase in traffic. Online sales jumped 15 percent according to data collected by MasterCard. As Whitney Ray tells us, the news is good for Florida retailers but bad for the state, which has a hard time collecting online sales taxes.

The presents have been opened, the Christmas ornaments stowed away, now Santa has started a new naughty or nice list for 2010. Millions of Floridians will unknowingly make the naughty list by not paying sales tax on things bought online this Christmas.

Kyla Nettles searched the web for an antique Coca-Cola collectable for her grandma.

“It took all day but I ended up finding it on EBay. I paid nine dollars for it shipping and all,” said Kyla.

Grandma got the gift while the state got stiffed. Online stores with offices in Florida add the state sales tax into the price total.

Stores like Ebay and Amazon.com place the tax burden on their shoppers.

Rob Weissert with Florida TaxWatch says, by not collecting the tax, online stores are making criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens.

“We are turning average Floridians into tax dodgers. Most people don’t even know they owe it, much less how to pay it,” said Weissert.

Online companies that don’t collect sales tax are often able to undercut instate stores. The Florida Retail Federation says its best to shop close to home.

“Our request is you shop with those who support you; Those who pay property taxes. Those who employ people in your hometown,” said Rick McAllister.

But for people who do buy over the web from out-of-state vendors, staying on Santa’s good side, or more importantly the law’s, means making your own sales tax list and checking it twice.

Floridians who buy from online stores that haven’t already collected the tax can download a form on the Department of Revenue’s website. The link to the DR15MO form is http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/forms/2009/dr15mo.pdf

Staff at many of the state’s 67 Elections officers spent part of Christmas Eve dealing with an avalanche of petition forms from Fair Districts Florida.Org. The organization is circulating two petitions and to change the way legislative and congressional boundaries are drawn. Supervisors have until February 1st to verify almost 7 hundred thousand signatures.

Few argue that Florida’s congressional and legislative districts are fair. The boundaries are drawn to give the party in power a better shot winning elections. The practice is called gerrymandering and it’s been going on for decades. As Whitney Ray tells us, if the measures reach the ballot and are approved by at least 3 out of 5 voters in November, state lawmakers will have to draw district lines with fewer political considerations.

Senate District 3 is shaped like a huge claw. It covers parts of 13 counties, from Leon all the way down to Citrus. Senator Charlie Dean represents District 3. He’s also on a committee charged with redrawing the district maps.

“I’m spread from Northeast Florida all the way to the steps of the Capitol, all the way to central south Florida,” Dean said. “Where’s my continuity?”

Senate District 3 isn’t the only odd shape on Florida’s senate map. 27 is cut in half by Lake Okeechobee and runs from the East coast to the gulf. Congressional District 3 runs from Jacksonville to Orlando.

The maps are drawn to ensure the majority of the voters in most districts are registered in the part in power’s favor.

It’s called gerrymandering and State Senator Al Lawson says it makes for predictable elections.

“The reason why so many races are not very competitive is because you have the districts that are so gerrymandered,” Lawson said. “Pretty much they know that Republicans are going to win a seat or a Democrat is going to win a seat.”

Next November, voters may get a chance to vote on two ideas to make the process more fair. Those in control are hoping to knock the amendments off the ballot.

While Republicans are trying to block the change this time, Democrats didn’t want any changes when they were in power.

Florida retailers are happy this Christmas season. Despite dire predictions, Mike Vasilinda tells us most retailers are going to be pleasantly surprised.

Shoppers are walking out the door with bags of merchandise. Few though will admit to spending more.

“[I’m spending] less. Don’t have as much to spend,” shopper Walt Maige said.

Cyril Gillion says he could spend more, but…

“The recession starts to make you realize the true value of Christmas,” Gillion said. “It’s not about gifts.”

But the Florida Retail Federation says this is going to be a greener Christmas than  most store owners had expected.

“It’s not going to be a world record breaker, but it’s certainly going to be better than most retailers expected and in some cases, much higher than most retailers expected,” Rick McAllister, with the Florida Retail Federation, said.

The evidence is showing up in the state treasury.

State tax collections have been consistently exceeding expectations. In November alone, sales taxes were 18 million dollars over the estimate.

Many retail organizations reduced inventories this year. And that could make after Christmas deals hard to come by.

“Boy, if there’s anything left next week it’s going to be sold. So there will be tremendous discounts. Whatever inventory that’s left after Christmas eve will be at a real bargain rate,” McAllister said.

So despite being a year most would like to forget, 2009 is closing the decade with more jingle than expected.

Retailers had originally expected about a two percent increase over last years dismal Christmas sales. They believe the final figure will be in the four to five percent range

Citizens, the state-run property insurance company, is under fire for awarding a contract worth up to 60 million dollars without a bid. The contract is for home inspections that, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, could end saving taxpayers money in the event of a storm.

Citizens gives discounts to 400 thousand homes with hurricane shutters and other things that make the home safer. The cost of the discounts: 700 million a year.

The problem is that many homeowners aren’t entitled to the discounts they are getting.

“There’s up to an 80 percent error rate in the mitigation credits they have on file,” Christine Ashburn with Citizens Insurance said. “If even half, if 40 percent of those folks are getting credits they don’t deserve, we’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars.”

To fix the problem, and by calling the situation an emergency, Citizens entered into a no-bid contract that could be worth up to 60 million dollars.

Competitors are crying foul.

“These facts and circumstances clearly indicate that this is not an emergency and it’s simply Citizens, doing what it has done on numerous occasions, thumbing their nose at the statutes,” attorney Rick Bateman said.

A law suit has been filed to have the contract bid out.

What everyone does seem to agree on is that 8 out of 10 Citizens customers with mitigation discounts aren’t paying enough and the inspections will fix that.

Why taxpayers should care is because every dollar Citizens takes in is one less dollar that will be assessed to everyone in the event of a big storm.

The question isn’t whether the inspections are a good idea, but whether the no-bid contract rises to an actual emergency. And now that is apparently going to be determined by a judge.

Citizens Insurance says it is going to start with just 500 inspections to see if it is finding mistakes, and if so, what kind of mistakes in the discounts it is giving. Citizens says it will contact policy holders before an inspector shows up at their doorstep.