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Governor Rick Scott’s final budget is asking for a two hundred dollar per student increase. Nearly six hundred million of the increase would come from local taxpayers in what is know as the Required Local Effort, or RLE. The plan doesn’t’t increase property owners milage rates, but it does use the growth in property values to fund schools. Senate Budget Chair Rob Bradley says that doesn’t qualify as a tax increase.

“We’re very committed in the Senate to K 12 education. A very important part of that commitment is making sure we have the RLE. And so, it’s not a tax increase. We agree with the Governor” Bradley told reporters after his first meeting as budget chair.

Whether or not paying more is a tax increase or not has been a point of contention between lawmakers last year and the year before.

A woman who has filed a sworn complaint against Clearwater Senator Jack Latvala continues to work for the Florida Senate. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the woman’s attorney is concerned about retaliation against her client.

Senate Committee rooms were empty and locked Tuesday morning. One Senator called it unusual with a legislative session starting in seven weeks. The slowdown comes as Senators grapple with a now formal sexual harassment allegations against Clearwater Senator Jack Latvala.

“I believe you called him a  “bombastic bully?” We asked.

“ I did say that.”

Tiffany Cruz is the attorney representing the woman who filed the complaint. The woman continues to work for the Senate.

“She’s going to do her work as long as she can do her work without any retaliation coming to her. She’s a strong woman” says Cruz.

Latvala denies the allegations, The Senate has hired the Tampa law firm Jackson Lewis, which specializes in representing employers. Lawyer Cruz says an action against the Senate hasn’t been ruled out.

“That’s certainly a right that she has. Its available to her, and she enjoys her work and she serves the people of Florida and that’s what she likes to do” Continued Cruz.

Latvala was behind closed doors. His attorney has asked that  the Senate Rules Chairman Lisbeth Benacquisto be disqualified from the investigation based on our interview with her last week.

“Have you received a sworn complaint?”

“I have” she told us.

Latvala’s lawyer argues Benacquisto violated Senate rules by verifying that a complaint had eve been filed.

And the Senate President Presidents office says the rules Chariman won’t have to disqualify herself.

The woman who filed the complaint has yet to be interviewed by the Senates Law firm.

The attorney is also worried lawmakers are fast tracking the investigation to get it over with before the session starts in early January. She believes that will keep witnesses and victims from coming forward if they believe Latvala could regain his powerful chairmanship.

The Florida Chamber listed 41 priorities for lawmakers this coming year. The wishlist is topped by ending insurance abuses,  worker compensation insurance costs. Chamber President Mark Wilson says dealing with the future growth of the state is a must.

“We’re gonna grow by five and a half more people. We’re going to add fifty million more visitors. And we’re going to add five million more drivers, and so when we look at infrastructure, when we look at water, when we look at the environment. when we look at energy, the bottom line is that we need twenty percent more water by the year 2030, and the focus of the Florida Chamber is to work with the legislature to cocoa on what the science says we should do” wilson told reporters.

The Chambers list for 2018 is ambitious. It was asked whether the ongoing sex scandals would make it hard to get anything done. Their reply. The Governor, Speaker, and  Senate President can agree on anything and get it done.

Greek organizations at Florida State University remain unable to participate as a group in this weekends homecoming events. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, there is also one fewer fraternity on the FSU campus.

20 year old Andrew Coffey was at least the 136th person who has died in the US as a result of hazing. The deaths date back to 1838. Coffey died a mile from Campus after a night of drinking.

The Greek letters at the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity have been removed. The Fraternity’s charter was revoked Frida by it’s national organization. It sited violations of social event policies the day Coffey died.

The death led FSU President John Thrasher to cancel all greek activities indefinitely.

“Have you spoken with the family?” we asked.

“I talked to the mom Friday night the day the young man passed away.. And I had a very…a conversation that was private and serious. I’ll just leave it at that” said Thrasher.

Trouble is not new to the fraternity. Last year, the chapter at the University of South Florida was suspended after a 16 year old girl was raped.

9 Pi Kappa Phi chapters remain active in Florida.

The remaining 54 Fraternities and Sororities here at FSU remain banned from taking part in any homecoming activities this coming weekend.
Asked for how long the suspension of Greek activities will last, FSU President John Thrasher said it was up to the Greek organizations to come up with what he’s calling the new normal.

“Not long. I hope really no long. A lot of things can happen in a very short time, if we get the cooperation of everybody, and I think we will” says President Thrasher.

Coffey’s death remains under investigation.

While Pi Kappa Phi has had its troubles, it has also produced two former Supreme Court justices in Florida, as well as the former CEO of Public, M. Clayton Hollis. University of Florida Alum Ben Hill Griffin, for whom the football stadium at UF is named, was also a member of Pi Kappa Phi.

On November first, we reported on a case at the Supreme Court that could reshape the court itself, depending on who gets to appoint three justices in early January. Now as Mike Vasilinda tells us, a conversation on the bench after the case was over is creating a Supreme controversy.

As lawyers were leaving the Supreme court after arguing about the Governors power to appoint future justices.  Chief Justice Gorge Labarga leaned over to Justice Barbara Pariente, not knowing his microphone was still open.

“He can’t be there. Panuccio.” Larbarga is heard to say.

The audio then tape goes silent, and comes back, as Labarga is again heard saying:

“Izzy Reyes is on there. He’ll listen to me.”

While the audio is not clear, the two appear to be discussing a list on nominees to the Judicial Nominating Commission… That’s the commission that will name potential replacements for the judges retiring in January.

“He can’t be there. Panuccio.”

The reference to Panuccio is to Jesse Panuccio, a former lawyer for the Governor.

“Izzy Reyes on there. He’ll listen to me.”

Izzy Reyes is a member of the nominating commission.

The Governor this week asked for the documents and the audio recording.

“Lets find out what was going on. We expect our judges to be impartial, we expect simply do their job.  And we’ve done a records request to see what document were they talking about, what were they talking about, so its incumbent everybody to understand what was being discussed” Scott told reporters.

Q:”What do you think happened?”

“We’ll find out once we see the documents.”

We asked several high ranking lawmakers for their opinion, but nobody wanted to touch this supreme controversy.

The Governor could ask the judges to disqualify themselves from the case. A spokesman for Rick Scott said “Our office is evaluating the best path forward and all available options.” .

All of the material the Governor requested has been provided to his office according to an email from the Supreme Courts Public Information Officer.

A lawyer for embattled State Senator Jack Latvala today released results of a polygraph which purports to show Latvala answered truthfully when he denied sexually harassing employees in the State Senate. At least on formal complaint has been filed. Lawyer Steve Andrews has yet to receive the complaint, which he says puts his client at a disadvantage.

“So I don’t know what else the Senator can do. He’s denied it. He’s voluntarily taken a polygraph. And everything we could identify from the Politico article  he was polygraphed on at his insistence. So, I don’t what else we can really do. I would hope the Senate, in the rules procedure, say any complaint witness should be recommended to give a polygraph” says Andrews.

Q:”So you’d like who ever is complaining to also take one?”

“It would seem to be fair.”

The Senate today, also selected selected Jackson Lewis, a nationwide employment law firm, to conduct the investigation.

A formal complaint has now been filed, charging embattled State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Jack Latvala with sexual harassment. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the Clearwater Senator has hired a law firm.

The Andrews Law firm is know for it’s scorched earth, win at any cost policies. Attorney Steve Andrews has written the Senate President, asking for retired law enforcement to investigate claims of sexual harassment and a retired judge to determine probable.

“I’m concerned about a fair shake for anybody because this is a spear thrown at the heart of our electoral process. Because if you can influence a campaign without some accountability or investigation, its a sinister thing” says Andrews.

Andrews first questioned the Senate’s opening an investigation over the weekend based on  a report by the political website Politico. That issue is now irrelevant.

Q:”Have you received a sworn complaint.”

“Yes, yes I have” Senate Rules Chairman Lisbeth Benacquisto told us.

We asked for a redacted copy of the complaint. We were told it could only be made public at this stage under Senate rules if Latvala were to ask for its release.

Earlier this spring, state lawmakers passed a bill exempting personal information about state employees who come forward with sexual harassment  complaints. the idea was to make sure more people would come forward.

With the complaint, Latvala’s lawyers say they now know who they are fighting.

“We can confront an accuser” says Andrews.

We asked Rules Chairman Lizbeth Benacquisto about a timetable.

“Can it be wrapped up before the start of session. we asked.

“Certainly that is our desire so we can be singularity focused on the work that is before us” says the Senator.

Latvala was in his Senate office Wednesday, behind closed doors. The Senate expects to select a law firm by next week.