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Florida’s utility regulators have been grilling the states electric utilities and their biggest users over hurricane readiness for the last two days. The debate today, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, was over whether it was more cost effective to do a better job of trimming trees or bury lines underground to prevent outages.

Millions lost power when Hurricane Irma blanketed the entire state last fall. Now, both Duke Energy and FPL say they learned lessons from the storm.

Valerie Petterson is a Duke Energy Spokesperson.

“We’ve made some changes and upgrades and enhancements to our technology. We’re adding more people to respond to customers” Patterson told us during a break at the Public Service Commission. 

(We)“Modified our website. Improved it. rebuilt..reconfigured it in a way that’s going to be able to handle the traffic” said FPL’s Mark Bubriski.

The states major power users are asking regulators to make the utilities do more.

One of the questions raised at the commission, Are the utilities moving fast enough to replace old wooden poles with strong concrete structures?

Jon Moyle represents the Florida Industrial Power Users Group.

“Even though the wood is only twenty percent of the system, TECO, if I’m reading this correctly, had all the problems on the wooden transmission poles” Moyle told commissioners.

The Industrial users also want the companies to spend more trimming trees. But Duke Energy says tree trimming wasn’t the issue during Irma.

“A lot of the damage we saw from trees were from trees outside the rights of way” Duke’s Patterson told us.

Instead of trimming trees, Florida Retail Federation attorney Schef Wright says customers would be better off if power lines were underground.

“If we get a direct hit, they will more than pay for everything in one storm. And if you get two, you’ve rally saved a lot of money” says Wright.

Staff Recommendations to regulators are due by June 19th, nearly three weeks after hurricane season starts.

Because recommendations won’t be voted on until after Hurricane season starts, and big changes won’t be in place until sometime next year.

Wednesday we reported that no students at Montford Middle School participated in the scheduled walkout in support of the 2nd amendment.

Spending for political ads in Flordia has already topped thirteen million ($13,000,000.00) in the race to be Florida’s next Governor and U-S Senator. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, such early spending was used to be considered foolish, but not necessarily so in todays world of self funders.  

Rick Scott is already up with his third TV spot, including one in Spanish, in his race for the U-S Senate.

“I approve this message because it’s time to make Washington get to work” chimed Scott as he echoed a familiar theme from his term as Governor.

So far, Scott has spent five million on TV. The Republican Governor’s Association has dropped another 6 million to reserve time  through the election.

Democratic Consultant Kevin Cate says it is classic Scott.

“Rick Scott is spending because this is formula for winning. Even when he beat Charlie Crist, he had a higher un-favorability rating” says Cate.

At the end of the 2014 election, it looked like Rick Scott might actually lose to former Governor Charlie Crist…until he started spending two million dollars a day on TV.

“We have been all over the state of Florida.” The other big early spender is Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Philip Levine.

Between his political action committee and his campaign, Levine has spend more than 8 million introducing himself; including over four million from his own pocket. His latest ad is a collection of TV reports on the race.

”He’s running for Governor and has a plan on how to make that happen” said TV Anchor Evan Donovan of WFLA, Tampa, which was taken off air by the Levine Campaign.

GOP Consultant Mac Stipanovich says such early spending used to be a waste of money.

“You probably get twenty cents on the dollar in terms of value at the ballot box” says the GOP veteran.

But for self funders like Levine who have nearly unlimited resources…

‘But you raise a dollar, so now you have a dollar twenty” adds Stipanovich.

After TV, the biggest expense for campaigns so far..campaign consultants.

GOP Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who wants to be Governor has raised 20 million. His main opponent. Congressman Ron DeSantis has gotten so much free time on Fox news, Putnam was forced to begin spending over a half million on television commercials that began running just over a week ago.

House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is expected but has not yet entered the GOP Primary for Governor spent nearly three million this spring, with virtually no improvement in his name recognition, backing up the idea that early spending isn’t always a good idea.

A lawsuit accusing the Florida Legislature of failing to adequately fund Florida schools will get a new hearing.

Citizens for Strong Schools v. Florida State Board of Education was first filed 9 years ago.

Previous rulings have sided in favor of the state, but education advocates will now get a chance to take their arguments to the state’s highest court.

“What this particular case is about is what does high quality mean,” said Executive Director of the Florida School Boards Association Andrea Messina. “And equally as important, is the state delivering on that constitutional mandate?”

The suit argues the Florida Legislature has failed to provide a “high quality” public education system.

“This year’s Legislative session was a perfect example of that with only 47 cents being added per student. Not even enough for the cost of a postage stamp,” said Luke Flynt with the Florida Education Association.

They also say students have been negatively impacted by policies like requiring state testing and grading schools on an A to F scale.

“We know that no child should be judged on just one test given on one day,” said Flynt.

In the two previous rulings that sided with the state. Judges said the lawsuit dealt with “political questions” that should be left up to lawmakers to decide.

But education advocates say properly funding education is anything but political.

“We believe that there is some room for the court to determine what quality looks like and what quality should be expected by the citizens of Florida,” said Messina.

The lack of funding has been compounded by the new school safety Legislation, which requires districts to have at least one resource officer in every school.

Citizens for Strong Schools has until May 21st to file their initial brief, although no date has been set for oral arguments.

At least two counties are considering increasing sales taxes to help pay for the officers.

The Florida Department of Corrections is giving 33 substance abuse treatment providers throughout the state an ultimatum.

Accept drastic cuts ranging from 40 to 90% in their contracts or have their contracts terminated completely.

And providers have only been given 48 hours to make the decision.

The Department cited a $24.9 million budget cut in this year’s allocations as the reasoning for reducing the contracts, which provide substance abuse services to prisoners and parolees.

The Department says it needs to take the money that would have gone to providers and use it for other healthcare needs.

The Florida Drug and Alcohol Abuse Association says the cuts stand to impact more than 50,000 prisoners and parolees who receive treatment through the programs.

The cuts come as 16 Floridian are dying every day from opioid abuse.

“In the institutions we’re looking at somewhere between 30 and 60% of the substance abuse treatment will go away. Which means 70% of the people that come to prison have a substance abuse problem. It means 70% less will get treatment,” said Mark Fontaine with the Florida Drug and Alcohol Abuse Association.

Providers have to decide whether to accept the cuts by 5 pm Thursday or have their contract terminated.

State officials received a reprieve from a Federal Appellate court just hours before they were to begin re-writing the states rules for clemency after a lower Federal judge declared the system unconstitutional. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, organizers behind a felons rights amendment on the November ballot are happy to see the court suit on hold.

The appeals court decision sites the 14th amendment, which specifically says the right to vote can not be abridged or denied “except for participation in rebellion, or other crime.  Renowned civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump says the court overlooked the obvious.

“The fact the one out of five black men in the state of Florida can not vote” says Crump.

The last minute order effectively leaves the clemency process intact.

“Has he ever threatened you?” Asked Governor Rick Scott at one Clemency meeting.

At least until November, when voters could decide to restore voting rights to anyone who has completed their sentence. 

The organizers behind the felons rights amendment, Amendment Four, are pleased there’s not going to be a court battle, while they’re pushing the campaign.

A spokesperson told us they worried a competing court suit would confuse voters.

Clemency expert Mark Schlakman disagrees. 

“The opinion raises awareness about what’s in play in Florida today. Many people are unaware” says Schlakman.

The court ’s opinion did leave open the possibility of finding the state’s process discriminatory. One way or the other, Democratic Gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum says the policy has to change.

“If I’ve got the ability to be Governor of the State of Florida, we’re going to do it through executive order. However, I think the most sustainable solution is a constitutional amendment” says Gillum. 

Felons rights will likely be more of an issue in the GOP Gubernatorial primary that in the Democratic primary. 

It is unlikely the federal appellate court will hear the states appeal until after the November election, which means voters will have spoken on the felons rights amendment and elected a new Governor and Cabinet.