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The U.S. Supreme Court stopped the execution of convicted child killer Mark Dean Schwab, hours before he was to die by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison.  Schwab was convicted in the 1991 raping and killing of 11-year-old Juny Rios Martinez.  Schwab was the first death row inmate scheduled to die in the state since a botched execution last year.  Governor Charlie Crist reacted to the latest ruling.

“When you realize the horrible nature of the crime that was committed, this young boy was kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered,” the governor said.  “There’s nothing.  It’s horrible.  It’s tragic.  And if you believe in the death penalty as I do, then I think it’s important to have justice done.  There are consequences to actions like that.”

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering the appeals of two Kentucky inmates challenging the same lethal three-drug combination used in Florida.  The issue likely won’t be resolved until next summer.

The Allstate Insurance Company appeared before state regulators Thursday.  The company wants to increase some property and fire insurance premiums by a quarter to more than a third.  Allstate says it is losing money in Florida, despite posting near record profits companywide.  Allstate says it is committed to doing business in Florida.

“We are committed to the Florida property market and I wouldn’t want to speculate about on what may or may not happen with this particular rate hearing,” said Allstate spokesman Adam Shores.  “But we are committed to our customers here.  We’ve made a commitment to be there for them, to meet the promise we’ve made to them. And we’re going to stand by that commitment.”

Allstate is one of several companies that will have to answer to regulators next month about possible collusion.

The federal government still has to sign off on a 25-year agreement between the Seminole tribe and the state, but that step is a formality.  In return, the Seminoles will have card games like blackjack, slot machines, but not roulette or craps, at 7 Indian casinos.  The state gets a $50-million dollar payment upfront and a cut of the tribe’s gaming revenue going forward.  The deal could be worth $1 billion over the first 5 years, but horse and dog track owners worry that it will mean fewer customers for them.  Governor Charlie Crist says he did not want to risk the state getting nothing.

“The same thing would have been made available to the Seminole tribe and no money would have come to the taxpayers of Florida that we could hopefully utilize to pay teachers,” Gov. Crist said.  “So given that circumstance, I don’t really feel like I had a choice.”

If lawmakers ever approve an expansion of gambling in Florida, the state gets nothing from the tribe.

The numbers from state economists show bad news for Florida.  Lawmakers already cut more than $1 billion dollars from the state budget.  Now, new estimates show that Florida is facing a $2.5 billion shortfall heading into next year, meaning lawmakers will have to cut an additional $1.4 billion.  Governor Charlie Crist says voters can do their part by cutting property taxes on January 29th.
 
Sales tax revenue has declined in Florida for 12 straight months, for the longest period since 1992.

Governor Charlie Crist is pledging to do all he can to help the Tampa Bay Rays build a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg on the waterfront.  The governor hopes it will be similar to AT&T Park, the Giants stadium that overlooks the San Francisco Bay.

“I view as a significant part of economic development what sports does for Florida, whether it’s at the college level or at the professional level,” Crist said. “It provides jobs, jobs for a lot of people.  It’s not just about the owners and the players.  It’s about the people in those communities.  This one happens to be my community.  But I also would be supportive of one in Miami.”

The governor offered few specifics on funding.  The state is facing a $2.5 billion dollar budget shortfall into next year.

The University of Florida and Florida State University have received $5 million each to help train more math and science teachers. The money is coming from a combination of grants from ExxonMobil’s National Math and Science Institute and the Helios Foundation and state matching funds. FSU and UF and 10 other universities beat out 40 other universities for the NMSI money. The money will help with degree programs and scholarships.

“We see science and math education as critical to our national competitiveness,” said University of Florida Provost Janie Fouke. “And our competitiveness of our high school graduates, compared to those of other industrialized nations, has been falling for several years. I think this is one of the most urgent in the United States right now

At Florida State, the new initiative will be called FSU Teach. At the University of Florida, it will be known as Florida Teach.

Representatives from all three branches of Florida government attended a mental health summit at the Florida Supreme Court. A 200-page report was released. It recommends that the state spend more money on community based mental health programs for prisoners, rather than keep them in the criminal justice system. Judge Steven Leifman helped author the report. The special advisor the Florida Supreme Court says the move will save the state money in the long run.

“We’re going to have a much larger deficit over the next few years if they don’t address these problems,” Leifman said. “We’ve come up a way for them, and with them, really, that will helps them save hundreds of millions in general revenue dollars by using this federal money and by earmarking the money we’ve already put out there.”

Leifman says Florida can serve as a model for other states in moving the mentally ill out of prisons and into community-based programs.

Governor Charlie Crist today gave the Seminole Tribe of Florida the rights to offer high stakes Black Jack and Poker at their casinos in exchange for a cut of the take. The deal comes one day before the Federal government threatened give the Indians more gambling with nothing for the state. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the deal has state lawmakers seeing red.

Hear it here: Governor Signs Gambling Pact

With the stroke of his pen, Governor Charlie Crist ended 16 years of negotiations with the Seminole tribe of Florida over gambling on reservations.

The tribe gets blackjack backgammon, full blown slots and card games for 25 years at 7 locations. In return the Governor says the state gets anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of their revenue. “It is likely for the first five years of this compact, it is expected to generate over a billion dollars, and as much as a half a billion dollars every year after”
Tribal Chairman Mitchell Cypress says everyone wins “It is a good for everybody…in our neighborhood as well.”

Barry Richard, the attorney who negotiated on behalf of the Seminoles says the only reason they are willing to share at all, is that they are getting something they would otherwise not have gotten “There will be no gaming outside of these particular areas…Miami and Broward; Miami Dade and Broward. That’s what is being paid for.”

The deal is already generating friction with the House Speaker who doesn’t think the governor has the authority to cut the deal without lawmakers. The questions is..will he go to court to try and stop it.”

George Lemieux, the chief negotiator for the governor, says the deal is crafted to avoid any need for legislative approval “there is no provision in our constitution for ratification of this compact.”

But should lawmakers, or voters, expand gambling in the state over the life of the deal, the Seminoles won’t have to pay the state a dime.

The Governor talked about everything but gambling, and dodged questions on state revenue. He did talk about Brazil, the Apalachicola water flow, a Rays stadium and the Everglades. The audio clip is here: 

charliecristrawcabinetaudio1114.mp3

It has been five months since James Ammons took over the presidency at troubled Florida A&M University, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the school appears to be on the road to recovery.

 Hear it here: FAMU’s Fiscal House in Order?

For three years, Florida A&M University was embroiled in controversy. Financial aid payments and paychecks were late, the books didn’t balance. In the middle of it all, Jeremie Johnson made the decision to go to FAMU anyway, and has never looked back.

“Here it’s not like you’re a number,” Johnson said. “It’s more like you’re part of the family so they want to ensure that you’re successful and you graduate.”

On Tuesday, officials cut a ribbon celebrating the opening of a tutoring center at FAMU’s nationally acclaimed School of Pharmacy. Provost Barbara Barnes says the expansion is a signal FAMU is back on track.

“We have the people in place. The morale is up. The positive thinking is up,” Barnes said.

Last spring, FAMU nearly lost control of the engineering school it shares with Florida State.

Now, State Senator Al Lawson says rumors of the schools demise were greatly exaggerated.

“With a permanent president, I’ve been able to see the university accomplish some of the financial goals within 60 days where before it took about 3 ½ years,” Lawson said.

FAMU must still prove to lawmakers and outside auditors that it can manage its own affairs, but 5 months into a new administration the historically black college is making progress.

More than 11,000 students attend Florida A&M University. The school is the state’s only public historically black college or university.

The state attorney general says his office cannot bring any more criminal or civil charges in the case of 7 boot camp guards and nurse in the death of a 14-year-old at the now-closed Bay County Boot Camp.  Last month, a jury acquitted all 8 defendants in the January 2006 death of Martin Lee Anderson.  But Bill McCollum says he’s committed to helping Anderson’s family.  In a statement, the attorney general said he’ll help the family go after the professional licenses of the former guards and nurse.

“The individuals who killed their child just go back to their normal lives as law enforcement officers and medical professionals and there’s nothing happening to them, said Ben Crump,” the Anderson family’s attorney.  “They wiped the death off their shoulders as you saw in the videotape.  It’s business as usual.  They’re saying that we want to try to make sure that they’re affected in a way that it would be a situation where you’re not allowed to be a law enforcement officer to go and do something like this again.”

Thousands of students are expected to march in Washington D.C. on Friday to put pressure on the U.S. Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against the former guards and nurse in the Anderson case.

Veterans Day has a special meaning for an Iraqi man.  Ahmed worked as an interpreter for American soldiers in Baghdad.  He arrived in Florida last month on a special immigrant visa from the Pentagon.  As Chris Casquejo tells us, Ahmed and his young family never plan to go back to Iraq.

Hear it here: Iraqi Interpreter Shares Story

6 month old Dhia’a will never remember his time in Iraq.  His father Ahmed’s stories, pictures and letters will serve as his only links to his birthplace.  Nicknamed Jimmy by U.S troops, Ahmed worked as an interpreter for the U.S. from the fall of Baghdad until this summer.

“We have to be ready when something bad could happen,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed survived 7 improvised explosive device attacks.  He suffered only minor injuries.  Helping Americans made him a target.

“You can’t even talk to your relative or cousin about your job,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen to you in the future.”

Ahmed and his wife No’or decided to leave their parents behind.  He doesn’t reveal much about them for fear they’ll be targeted.

With all the things Ahmed had to adjust to coming to America, one of his biggest adjustments might surprise you.

“It’s kind of like heaven,” Ahmed said.  “there are a lot of trees around here.  And I would never see green trees in Baghdad.”

Ahmed hopes to work for the U.S. government as an interpreter, or maybe go to graduate school.  If he returns home, it will be as a visitor.

“I don’t want to go as an Iraqi, but as an American,” he said.

Ahmed will no doubt tell his son about the soldiers serving in Iraq, men and women to whom he’ll be forever indebted.

Florida has a doctor shortage.  Previous estimates pegged the number of doctors practicing in the state at 50-thousand.  But the number is actually closer to 34-thousand, according to a new study.  As Chris Casquejo tells us, medical professionals point to high malpractice insurance one reason why Florida isn’t doctor-friendly.

Hear it here: Florida’s Doctor Shortage

Grace Williams divides her time among California, Washington state and Florida.  She sees a doctor every other month, but she often has to wait longer in Florida for test results.

“If you have to get a CAT scan or a PET scan.  Those are the doctors you don’t get to communicate with.  The special doctors,” Williams said.

A study from Florida State University found 16,000 fewer doctors practicing medicine than previously thought.  The average age of a Florida doctor is 51, and a quarter of physicians are older than 60.

Doctors consider medical malpractice insurance rates when deciding where to practice.  For most specialties, Florida physicians pay higher premiums than the national average.

But Florida State’s Dr. Robert Brooks points to medical schools planned in Orlando and Miami as one positive sign.

“Actually training students here in the state of Florida, such as at FSU College of Medicine, is likely to increase the number of doctors,” Dr. Brooks said.

The medical schools are a long-term solution, because students won’t be practicing medicine for about a decade.  In the short-term, the Florida Hospital Association says the state can’t just find more doctors, nurses and other care provider, it needs to keep them working instead of retiring.

“We’ve relied on our weather to attract them after they’ve been trained in other states,” said Bill Bell, of the Florida Hospital Association.

The doctor shortage will get worse before it gets better.  Florida has more than 18 million people and the population is growing by 300,000 each year.

The Florida State University study also found that 13 percent of Florida’s doctors plan to leave or significantly reduce their practice within the next five years.

Rides and amusements at Florida fairs and festivals are in the spotlight again with fall underway.  Nearly one in four ride failures are mechanical in nature, but the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the majority of accidents happen because riders don’t follow the rules.

“Follow the rules.  They’re posted in front of all of the rides,” said Liz Compton with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  “You’ve got height restrictions, too short and too tall for kiddie rides.  You also have rules that say keep your arms in.  Don’t stand up when you’re not supposed to.  Rules like that, that are very obvious.”

Each ride is inspected before it is set up and opened to the public.  The state has 15 ride inspectors.

Florida retailers are expecting a 3 percent increase in holiday sales this year.  But that number isn’t good news.  The forecast is down from the 6 percent increase last year.  As Chris Casquejo tells us, shoppers are seeing deals now that they wouldn’t normally see until after Thanksgiving.

Hear it here: Holiday Shopping Forecast

Florida shoppers will spend an average of 13-hundred dollars this holiday season.
But the state has seen a decrease in the amount of sales tax collected for 12 straight months.  So retailers are offering early deals to get shoppers in the door.  Cathy McCarty has almost completed her list.

“I just watch for sales, early sales and things that I like for people,” McCarty said.  “So if I see something I like, I’ll go ahead and buy it.”

Stores know that you’ll usually buy everything on your holiday shopping list and maybe pick up something for yourself.  But their real concern this year is that you’ll just stick to your list.

The Florida Retail Federation says a tough real estate market has consumers spending less on home furnishing and repairs.  The tough times are making shoppers like Brittany Morhne more cautious this year.

“Have a budget. Stick to it.  That’s it,” Mohrne said.

Clothing store manager Bill Abeln is urging shoppers to buy early.   One reason, more choices.

“Whether it’s a size, whether it’s a color, whether it’s just something very specific,” Abeln said.  “Closer to the holiday, each and every person’s, I guess, pickiness goes down because we’re usually running out of a few things.”

Retailers won’t be the only ones watching the bottom line.  State lawmakers have already cut the budget once.  A slow holiday shopping season could have them sharpening the budget ax again.

The Florida Retail Federation says the number one item to give and receive is a gift card.