Welcome to

Legislation to eliminate fraud from personal injury protection or PIP insurance was voted through its first committee today. Its passage came over protests about how the legislation would impact emergency rooms throughout the state. As Whitney Ray tells us, if the bill passes, opponents say ER wait times will lengthen.

To legally drive a car in Florida you need personal injury protection insurance, also known as PIP. PIP covers 10-thousand dollars in medical costs no matter who caused the wreck. Fraudsters know this and stage wrecks to receive huge payouts.

At a House Committee meeting Wednesday a bill to eliminate the estimated one billion dollars of yearly PIP fraud quickly filled with lobbyists. The bill requires all crash victims to visit an emergency room within 72 hours of their accident in order to be eligible for PIP. That’s down from 14 days.

Opponents of the change, including some doctors and lawyers, stepped to the lectern to oppose the 72 hour limit.

“By forcing people to go to the emergency room for a sprained knee or headache you are going to flood emergency room,” said Jason Lamoureux, a Hillsborough County Attorney.

There’s also a provision in the bill to require ER doctors to give testimony in PIP fraud cases. Representative John Julien says emergency room waits would lengthen under the plan.

�In essence what you are doing to your constituents, you are saying to them go compete for service against heart attack victims, stroke victims,� said Julien.

Julien voted no, but the bill still passed. Reforming PIP is a priority of the governor and legislative leader, but how it�s reformed will be the subject of debate for most of the legislative session.

Some of the people who testified before the committee today told lawmakers to leave PIP fraud up to law enforcement officers. The bill�s sponsor says if something isn�t done insurance rates will go up 30 percent next year.

Florida�s Secretary of State is leaving his post, he says, to spend more time with his family.

Secretary Kurt Browning gave his letter or resignation to the governor just before noon today. Browning will stay through the January 31st Presidential Primary, and leave his position February 17th.

�Certainly my desire is to have good elections. We proved that in �08. We proved it again in �10 and �12 should be no exception,� said Browning.

Rumors are Browning will run for Pasco County Superintendent next fall. He wouldn�t confirm those rumors when we spoke with him today, but he didn�t rule it out.

A delegation of community leaders and elected officials were at the state capitol today to lobby state lawmakers and the governor.

Today is Palm Beach County Days, and the group wanted to let the governor know they want more protections for the Everglades and Medicaid. Scott says he�s looking into those issues and would like for the federal government to give Florida a block grant for Medicaid.

�We�ve got to figure out a way that we have the right safety net for people because that is what we want, but we have got to figure out a way to pay for it,� said Scott.

The Palm Beach delegation is also asking the state legislature to overturn a new law that prohibits local governments from passing more stringent gun regulations than the state already has on the books.

The Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture and Chief Financial Officer joined the Florida Chamber of Commerce today and declared gaming a bad bet for Florida.

They say a gaming expansion would ruin Florida’s family friendly environment and hurt business. Chamber of Commerce President Mark Wilson says the focus should be on climbing out of the recession, not resort casinos.

“Lets put this massive distraction aside. Lets focus on growing the private sector, continuing to grow the jobs in Florida and lets put this conversation off,� said Wilson.

The senate bill passed its first committee last night. Pro-gaming commercials featuring Ben Stein are beginning to air statewide promising 100-thousand permanent jobs.

Protesters are promising to keep a watchful eye on the state capital this legislative session. Dozens of Tea Party, Occupy and Awake the State protestors traveled from all over Florida to Tallahassee today to voice their displeasure with lawmakers. As Whitney Ray tells us, no political party is safe from their scrutiny.

The 2012 Legislative Session was gaveled in over the voices of protestors. Just outside the House chamber, Occupy Tallahassee protestors lined the entry way handing out flyers and shouting at lawmakers entering the chamber.

The governor took a short cut around the protestors. Once the governor was inside the House Chamber, the occupiers joined with the Awake the State group.
The two groups of protestors have similar messages.

Awake the State has more union backing and identifies more with Democrats. Occupiers say no party is meeting their needs.

“Democrats and Republicans are nearly the same. They are just different on a few social issues that get blown up by the media,� said Shelby Radcliffe and Occupier from Orlando.

The Tea Party folks are also having a tough time finding lawmakers who hear their concerns and follow through with their promises.

“We put some of these officials in office right now and we expect them to perform. If they don�t perform, we are going to eliminate them,� said Mary Lynn Geisler a Tea Partier from Ocala.

Tea Party members want to see lawmakers improve schools, repeal redlight cameras and cut spending. All the groups say they’ll hold legislators accountable at the ballot box. All the groups are planning to have members at the capitol throughout the 60 day session.

Advertising could soon be coming to a school bus near year. A divided State Senate Committee in Tallahassee narrowly approved a measure allowing some advertising on school buses today, As Mike Vasilinda tells us, even the bills sponsor considers the move a drastic response to a sour economy.

Traditional yellow school buses could become rolling billboards under legislation that has cleared a State Senate Committee. The bills sponsor acknowledges the move is drastic.

�I like yellow school buses, but I also like other programs,� Sen. Bill Montford (D-Tallahassee) said. �I like teacher aides in schools.�

The committee was deeply divided.

�The push of consumerism on our children is, in this context, a step I�m not willing to take,� Sen. Lizbeth Benaquisto said.

A retired first grade teacher made the trip to try and let the air out of the idea.

�It�s hauling our most precious cargo…We�re going to degrade the bus, and it�s going to cause accidents and it�s going to cause heartache,� Donna Sanford said.

The bill was doomed to failure until one opponent switched to a yes vote to keep the idea alive.

Critics worry that this safety message might get replaced by a corporate ad. And that drivers may pay more attention to that add then the flashing red light.

The market would determine how much ads might sell for, but one estimate is that medium to large districts could make two million a year. And while the sponsor concedes the idea is drastic, he says with declining funding, schools need options.

�We�re in a desperate situation,� Montford said. �We�re in a situation where we either cut programs, cut personnel, or we find other sources of revenue.�

Restrictions on who could advertise are contained in the legislation, but they are somewhat vague.

The same committee that approved the school bus advertising bill also agreed to allow two hundred fifty million dollars be used to send under privileged kids to private schools using money that would otherwise be paid into the state treasury.

A young woman who was abused by her family’s nanny for six years will begin a fifteen hundred mile walk across Florida on Saturday to raise awareness of child sexual abuse. Lauren Book is also pushing legislation that would require public and private universities to report abuses like those that occurred at Penn State and other schools or face penalties. She says education is also important because, when asked, children draw unrealistic pictures of dangerous people.

�The stranger is somebody with a knife, a gun, who�s robbing them, with a mask on, who�s dirty, and will hurt them,� Book said. �The reality is, we all know, 90 percent of the time, children are abused by someone they know, love, and trust. And that�s why this curriculum is so important.�

This is the third year Book has walked the state to increase awareness of child sexual abuse.

Governor Rick Scott will deliver his second State of the State speech at eleven a.m. Tuesday morning. The speech is a chance for the Governor to lay out his agenda to lawmakers. This morning, the Governor said his agenda was more scaled back than his first year.

�I continue to want to make sure that my jobs agenda gets passed,� Scott said. �I want to make sure that we fix PIP insurance. But the biggest thing, as you know, is that even though we had a lot of success this last year on job creation and people moving into the state, we�ve got a lot of work to do.�

Scott says he will not seek major pension reform again this year, despite not getting everything he wanted. He will seek health insurance concessions from state employees but he may also offer bonuses to up to a third of the state workforce.

Governor Rick Scott and Legislative leaders took a lot of heat from National GOP leaders and the leadership of other states when they took the dramatic step of moving the presidential preference primary to January 31st. But today, the Governor said the move was the right thing to do and is paying benefits.

�Clearly everybody knows that most likely the Republican nominee will be chosen in Florida. You can see the importance now. However many survive out of New Hampshire and South Carolina are going to descend on Florida. So, yeah, absolutely the right thing happened.�

Reporter: Do you plan on endorsing anyone? Have you thought about it anymore?

�Oh, yeah, I�ve thought about it. I get calls all the time,� he said. �But I haven�t made a decision yet.�

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are already on TV in Florida and Ron Paul has billboards going up, while most of the candidates have already started direct mail. Florida will have only half of its allotted delegates because of the early date.

On the eve of the 2012 legislative session, lawmakers are betting on a gaming expansion; stacking the deck with some major changes to the bill.

The old draft called for three resort casinos in South Florida. Senate Sponsor Ellyn Bogdanoff amended the bill to allow voters to decide on a county by county basis if they want a mega casino.

�There were a lot of people who shared concerns about some of the issues, specifically to allow the voters to have the last say before any type of change in gaming takes place in their community. We�ve added that provision to the bill which I think is a critical component,� said Bogdanoff.

Under the new plan, dog tracks and other pari-mutuel betting businesses would also be allowed to add Vegas-style games if voters approve. Still supporters of the bill, insist it�s not about expanding gaming, it�s about regulating it and creating jobs.

�I think it�s the one bill that the legislature will address that does create 100-thousand jobs. The potential for 100-thousand permanent high paying jobs,� said Senator Dennis Jones.

The senate president has promised a vote on the issue in his chamber. The gaming bill faces a tougher battle in the House. House Sponsor Erik Fresen says the changes will help.

�For me the most important thing was the creation of the gaming commission which has not changed and in matter of fact I think it got more beefed up as a result of some of her changes,� said Fresen.

For House members the bill offers tougher scrutiny of internet cafes and prevents any new pari-mutuel facilities from opening.

A claims bill to compensate the family of a FSU student killed in a botched drug sting is expected to get some traction this session.

Rachel Hoffman was killed in 2009 while working undercover for Tallahassee Police. Hoffman�s family sued the city and was awarded 2.6 million dollars. The settlement still needs legislative approval. State Senator Mike Fasano is sponsoring the Hoffman claims bill.

�It is a better picture, not just in getting this bill passed, but for the Hoffman family, getting this behind them, a wonderful family who lost a wonderful daughter,� said Fasano.

Since the bill has no fiscal impact on the state, Fasano thinks it has a good chance of passing.

When lawmakers return to Tallahassee next week for the 2012 legislative session, the budget and redrawing legislative districts will get the most attention. But as Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers are expected to make time to take on casinos, taxes and unemployment.

After speaking to a commission to find jobs for disabled Floridians, Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll made it clear the budget would be a big issue this session.

�The governor is committed to putting the dollars in to education,� said Carroll.

The state is facing a two billion dollar budget shortfall and the governor wants an extra billion for schools. But the budget may not be the biggest session issue. Lawmakers are expected to spend a lot of time redrawing legislative and congressional districts.

While those two tall tasks are being tackled, the legislature will also be asked to consider a bill to expand gaming. The original plan called for resort casinos in Miami. A new draft may open the gate to resorts in Palm Beach and Tampa.

Friday the National Federation of Independent Business released a poll showing their members support the expansion by a 49 to 40 percent margin.

�We have rigid bylaws by which we take policy positions and we would need a much stronger result than that to become advocates of this issue,� said NFIB President Bill Herrle.

A more important issue to NFIB and other business organizations is the unemployment tax increases. The tax has risen 100 dollars per employee. The Florida Retail Federation is one of many groups calling for a reduction.

�Unemployment comp is a big deal. It�s 100 million dollars in taxes,� said Retail Federation President.

The Retail Federation is also supporting a bill to require online retailer to collect sales taxes. The issue is expected to get more traction this year than ever before. Session starts Tuesday, but the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries is expected to vote on the new gaming bill Monday so the committee can focus on other members� bills.

A commission formed to find jobs for disabled Floridians held its first meeting today.

Yesterday Governor Rick Scott appointed 25 year old David Darm to executive director of the commission. Lt Governor Jennifer Carroll spoke to Darm and the commission today and says when the governor talks about creating jobs� he means for ALL Floridians.

�So that�s what we need to do, find out what their misconceptions are, what are the barriers, what policies and procedures can we put into place to encourage employment and move forward that way,� said Carroll.

The commission is investigation the causes of high unemployment among disabled workers and will report its finds to the governor. They�ll also suggest policy changes to create a more level playing field.

The debate is underway over how many jobs would be created if lawmakers vote to expand gaming when they meet next week for the 2012 legislative session. Construction workers, limousine drivers and restaurant owners were in Tallahassee today saying expanded gaming would create jobs. But As Whitney Ray tells us, opponents of the bill say the casinos are a jobs killer in the long run.

Inside an unemployment office in Tallahassee supporters of a bill to bring three resort casinos to South Florida told reporters gaming would create jobs. Builders say the bill could create as many as 75-thousand construction jobs and help unemployed workers get off the state�s dime.

�The hope is that this would create enough of a development and enough of a boom that they could get hired back,� said Carol Browen with Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida.

Outside Gary Reifert, owner of Hollywood Limosine, showed off one of his cars. He says if the bill passes he might buy 10 more cars and hire 10 more drivers.

�I would say this business would probably double, if not triple,� said Reifert.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce isn�t buying it. They agree adding resort casinos would create new jobs, but at the expense of established businesses. .

�When you put a casino into an area like South Florida it actually takes money away from the existing businesses that are already there,� said Mark Wilson, President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

There are also concerns from the Chamber, religious groups and Disney that expanding gaming would hurt Florida�s family friendly image.

The situation just keeps getting more complicated. Now New York is looking expanded gaming to create jobs in the Empire State, which means if lawmakers here approve gaming, there would be competition for Florida.

The original bill lacked enough support to make it through the Senate. A new draft will greet lawmakers when they come back to Tallahassee next week for the 2012 Legislative Session. The Senate President has promised a vote in his chamber before the end of session. The bill will be a harder sell in the House.

Six bills have been filed to try to get online retailers to collect state sales tax.

Bills have been filed in the past but never passed. This year there�s more support. The Florida Retail Federation is backing the efforts. Rick McAllister, the Federation�s President, says not collecting sales taxes gives online companies a price advantage, plus it makes criminals of online shoppers who still owe the tax and may not know it.

�They are really doing a huge disservice to the Florida customer by not collecting that tax for them. It�s owed and it�s due. For them not to collect it again is a real disservice,� said McAllister.

The Federation says passing a bill to require online stores to collect the tax could bring in 450 million dollars in revenue this year.