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After weeks of protest from county and city leaders a controversial plan to cap Government spending has failed. The Tax Payer Bill of Rights would have limited how much taxes could be raised, but as Whitney Ray tells us while the plan sounded good opponents say it would have ruined the economy.

A powerful commission has voted against a so called Taxpayer Bill of Rights, after opponents argued the plan would cut money for police, fire, roads and schools.

“It sounds very nice TABOR, the problem is what it really can do to our state,” said John Ratliff with SEIU Local 1991.

The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission meets every 20 years. It’s made up of 25 appointed commissioners and has the authority to put tax issues on the November ballot. When opponents thought the vote would go against them, they attacked the commissioners. Opponents of the plan are furious commissioners, not elected lawmakers, have the final say.

“This isn’t about Florida; this is about the unelected millionaires. They don’t care about anybody, but about their money and it’s disgusting,” said Doug Martin, the communication director for AFSCME Florida Council 79.

Commissioner Mike Hogan sponsored the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

“Even the ones that are against it, they struggled with what they saw, how the government spent unrestrained,” said Hogan.

Ultimately he wasn’t able to convince enough commissioners to have his plan put on Novembers Ballot, which has local and even some state officials breathing easier. A similar plan was passed in Colorado in 1992. People there voted to postpone the plan after city and county officials complained about failing schools and deteriorating roads.

It was all boots and leather Monday around the Capitol. Hundreds of bikers rode right up to the Capitol courtyard to talk about issue facing them. Their lobbying has already paid off. Earlier this month a bill to allow authorities to confiscate speeders’ bikes lost a lot of its bite after bikers addressed several committees. Now bikers want stiffer penalties for drivers that hit motorcycles.

“We just want to be citizens like everybody else. We pay our taxes, we raise our families. There’s no right for you to run over us and kill us and then get an 82 dollar fine. And the difference between a car and a motorcycle on fines is just ridiculous. If a car hits someone and kills them, they get them for manslaughter. If they hit us, they charge them 82 dollars, pat them on their back, and send them on their way,” said Doc Reichenbach.

Bikers held a press conference and read a list of fellow bikers killed on Florida roads.

State Senator Steve Oelrich used biker day at the Capitol to talk about motorcycle laws that aren’t being enforced. Oelrich took reporters on a tour to spot bikes without mufflers. It’s illegal in Florida to remove a motorcycles’ muffler. Removing the muffler makes the bike very loud. Only 10 citations were issued to bikers last year for breaking noise laws. Oelrich, a former sheriff, wants officers to start enforcing the laws.

“My thing is why even have laws on the books if we’re not going to enforce them and this is a perfect example,” said Oelrich.

While only 10 citations were written to bikers who broke noise laws, about 750 people were ticketed for playing their car stereos too loud.

The evolution debate continues at the Capitol. In February, the Board of Education voted to include the theory of evolution in state science curriculums. Since then lawmakers have filed a bill aimed at protecting teachers who want to teach the holes in Darwin’s theory. Citizens for Science held a press conference Monday to rally support against the bill. Members of Citizens for Science said the bill would provide a loophole for teachers who want to push religion.

“Scientists actually have evidence without certainty. Those who propose Intelligent Design have certainty without evidence, and that’s an important difference,” said Dr. Harold Kroto a Nobel Prize Winner.

Citizens for Science will hold a discussion panel on Evolution tonight in Tallahassee.

Three bills moving in Tallahassee could drastically change the way you drive. As Whiney Ray tells us, new restrictions, new requirements, and new ways of catching violators could soon be the law of Florida.

Hear it here: Moving Violation Bills Moving In Tallahassee

Motorcycle wheelies would be a no-no under proposed legislation. Bikers who are serial speeders are being targeted for tough penalties.

“Before it gets to the floor we may put a stronger monetary penalty on the third offense, somewhere in the range of five and ten thousand dollars,” said bill sponsor Carlos Lopez-Cantera.

One bill would strengthen the state’s seatbelt law by allowing officers to pull you over if you’re not buckled up.”

Seatbelts are already required in Florida, but police can’t ticket you unless you’ve done something wrong.

With pictures in hand to prove seat belts save lives, sponsor Rich Glorioso wants police to be able to write tickets for not wearing seatbelts, even if everything else is okay.

“This will save about 200 lives a year, 2,700 serious injuries, and disabling injuries, about 600 million dollars in economic damages and 12 million dollars in medical,” said Glorioso.

A third bill would let local governments put cameras on state roads to catch people running red lights. A handful of cities already use the cameras…but not on a state right of way. Police officers say this idea is also about saving lives.

“We want to reduce the number of red-light crashes in Florida and ultimately reduce the number of deaths,” said Tallahassee Police Captain David Folsom

The message from lawmakers this year: Buckle up, watch your speed, and stop for red lights or face the consequences. Another bill making waves at the Capitol would keep people under 18 from getting their licenses until they passed a drivers education class.

A bill allowing the state to buy a commuter rail rolled through a House council in Tallahassee today. The bill would allocate more than 600 million dollars to buy a 61 mile stretch of the CSX rail line going through Orlando. Opponents of the bill lined up to tell lawmakers their concerns about the project. Labor Lobbyist Rich Templin read a letter from a union member against the legislation.

“She wrote and I quote ‘I think it’s unconscionable that they’re even considering giving this company all this money when the budget is as bad as it is. It is wrong for them to even consider this deal when they are debating whether my neighbors living on social security will be able to denture or eyeglasses and whether or not to take money away from kids’ schools,’” said Templin.

Supporters of the bill said it will cut down on vehicle pollution and provide better public transportation.

Lawmakers want to stop school bullying. An anti-bullying bill heading to the House floor requires schools to take a more aggressive approach to bullies and as Whitney Ray tells us, the bill also takes the bully battle to cyberspace.

Hear to here: Lawmakers Battle Bullying

For some kids going to school is a nightmare. Bullies roam the halls intimidating students. Some kids feel they have no where to turn. Assistant Principal Doug Cook said it’s not hard to spot a student whose been bullied.

“You can definitely see it in their expression. You can see it in a lot of emotions in certain incidents students will refuse to come to school,” said Cook.

Representative Nick Thompson is sponsoring a bill requiring schools to set up guidelines to deal with bullies and their victims.

“If an incident of bullying occurs, the bill requires that they notify the parents of the bully and the parents of the child being bullied,” said Thompson.

Parents say keeping them involved would cut down on bullying.

“If somebody’s picking on my child I would want to know and if they’re picking on somebody else I’d want to know that so I could take care of that issue,” said Tabitha Hart.

But sometimes bullying happens online. The bill is named after a Florida Teen who killed himself after two years of being picked on over the internet. Principals say it isn’t easy to control what students do in cyberspace.

“The cyber is something schools are feeling powerless about, we’ll if it happened off campus how can we do something about it,” said Cook.

The bill allows teachers to intervene if bullies use school computers to pick on kids. If the bill passes every school district in the state would have to set up its own anti-bullying policy.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce joined lawmakers at the Capitol today to announce a plan aimed at jumpstarting the state’s economy. Lawmakers are sponsoring a bill that would allow the state to reinvest 2 billion dollars from the retirement fund. The bill urges the state’s financial leaders to invest the money in Biotech or other cutting edge businesses. Representative Frank Attkisson says by investing in high-tech companies the state would get more high paying jobs.

“We have an economic crisis worse than we’ve ever seen. The only way to get taxpayers to pay more money is to give them more dollars, so they can take the great American dream and invest and go explore,” said Attkisson.

The bill would also award small business owners grants if they met certain criteria.

Governor Charlie Crist continues to receive a favorable rating from a majority of Floridians.  The latest Quinnipiac Poll says 59 percent approve of the job he is doing. The rating is down, but pollster Peter Brown says that to be expected.

“There’s very little partisan difference in how voters perceive Charlie Crist. By and large, they all like him and that’s unusual,” Peter Brown, a Quinnipiac University Pollster said.  “Again, he used to be in the 70’s but that kind of drop is not unexpected and frankly, again, given the state budget system, the general worries about the economy, the fact that he has such a positive job approval rating is highly unusual in a two-party state.”

The poll also found that a majority, 55% to 40% approve of using gambling revenue to off set school budget cuts. Floridians also say, by a margin of 69 to 29 percent, that it’s a good idea to raise the tax on cigarettes by a dollar and use the money for health care.

A St. Petersburg man who spent 24 years in prison is now 1 million 250 thousand dollars richer. Governor Charlie Crist signed the legislation proving compensation for those years behind bars, But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, Alan crotzer says no amount of money can repay him for the years lost.

The document that set Alan Crotzer free hangs prominently on his living room wall. He knows exactly how long he was behind bars.

“24 years, 6 months, 13 days, and 4 hours– wrongfully convicted,” Crotzer said.

Since his release after DNA proved Alan Crotzer innocent, he has been working as a land scape artist in Tallahassee. His freedom is something his mother never got to see. She died in 2001.

“From the beginning, she asked me ‘son, do you know anything about it?’ And I said no,” Crotzer said. After that, she began to talk to me confidently, saying ‘Please don’t worry about it. God’s gonna fix it.”

2 years 2 months 18 days and 5 hours after his release, the state did it’s best to make up for the mistake.

“Without further adieu, I want to sign this into law,” Governor Crist said.

Governor Charlie Crist’s signature makes Alan 1.25 million dollars richer.

The settlement works out to about 50 thousand dollars a year. But Crotzer says it can’t make up for what he lost.

“I was thinking about being in the Coast Guard,” Crotzer said.  “I was thinking about a lot of things. I wanted to travel, I wanted an education. Nothing can give you back 25 years of your life.”

For now, Alan is keeping his job, but the claims bill also provides tuition for Alan at a state university.  And that is likely next on his agenda.

Pressure on lawmakers is mounting under grim reports of a dwindling budget. Finger pointing in Tallahassee is creating tensions between Democrats and Republicans. As Whitney Ray tells us, Democrats blame Republicans for cuts targeting the needy, but Republicans say Democrats had their turn.

Hear it here: Tensions Mount Over Budget Cuts

The mood was jovial outside the Capitol Wednesday, as the governor served an oversized paella to all comers. But everyone’s mind was on the debate inside.

“Doing more with less, that’s what this is all about,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “We don’t have a choice.”

With a starving budget, there are grim predictions of elderly (dying) without Hospice, criminals being released from prison, and children who can’t compete because schools are getting less money than last year. House Democrats say cutting sales tax exemptions like those on bottled water would save programs that help the needy. Democrats blame Republicans for protecting tax exemptions while cutting health care funding, schools, and prisons. An editorial in a respected newspaper called lawmakers heartless.

“You tell me whose being cold hearted when we have a Republican leadership saying these are the cuts that we will make,” said House Democrat Joyce Cusack.

Republicans say Democrats had their chance.

“A lot of the issues we have today probably were created before the Republicans were in leadership,” said Eduardo Gonzalez, a Republican Representative.

While education and health care fought a losing battle in the chambers, an optimistic Governor continued to serve paella. Wednesday, lawmakers adopted amendments to the budget proposals. Both the House and the Senate will vote on the plans later this week.

The gun battle is almost over and when the smoke clears the Governor will declare the NRA the winner. A bill allowing people to keep guns in their cars while at work passed through the Senate Wednesday. For three years, the NRA fought with the Florida Chamber of Commerce over the issue. The Florida Chamber said business owners should have the final say so about what to allow in their parking lots. The NRA said people need to keep guns in their cars for protection.

“The importance of the bill is it maintains the right of protection no matter where you park your car,” said Marion Hammer, Former NRA President.

“I’ll probably sign it. The second amendment is very important, I understand there are competing interests, there always are in this process, but people being protected is most important to me,” said Governor Charlie Crist

The Governor has a week to sign the bill. If signed into law, it will go into effect July 1st of this year.

Politicians and the powerful from Miami Dade County turned the Capitol plaza into a fiesta Wednesday. Paella for 3,000 was the dish of choice. Hundreds of people stood in a line that wrapped around the courtyard, just to get a taste. The people’s governor rolled up his sleeves and proclaimed the spicy concoction “The People’s Paella.” Firefighter Manny Gelabert helped serve up the dish and said it had everything anyone could want.

“There’s chicken, there’s green peppers, red peppers, few hundred, about 500 pounds of rice, just a ton of stuff of seafood in here everything that everybody wants,” said Gelabert.

Billed as the world’s largest Paella, Miami Dade Days is one of the favorites for Capitol insiders. The event was cancelled last year for fear of violating the gift ban, but after lawyers said it was okay, this year’s event was back on the schedule.

Allstate has until Monday to ask a court to let it keep selling new policies. The company remains at odds with state regulators over what documents it is required to turn over. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the companies 1100 independent agents feel like they are caught in the middle.

Hear it here: Allstate Agents Meet with State

Their faces grim, a handful of Allstate agents and their association executives came to the Capitol to plead their case to state insurance regulators.

“We’re here to just urge the parties to work it out,” Tim Meehan with the Fl. Assn. Of Insurance and Financial Advisors said. “Allstate agents are small business men and women, getting caught in the middle.”

An hour later no one was smiling. No one was claiming a truce was on the horizon.

“Having the agents not be able to produce business, actually bankrupt some of our members,” Dan Brown, president of the FAIFA said.

Agent Carolyn Hersh from Pasco County says her customers are calling with questions.

“My Customers, thankfully I have a personal relationship with most of them, that they can come to me and say ‘ok, what is going on? Is my current policy in jeopardy?’ And I can say no, your current policy is not in jeopardy and I am happy to continue to service you,” Hersh said.

Still at issue is whether the company can claim lawyer-client privilege on a 196 page list of documents the state wants to see.

Allstate has until Monday to ask the appellate court for a rehearing. And every day of delay gives the company time to write new policies

The agents got no sympathy from the governor.

“They oughta work for a better company, that’s more ethical and more honest and not so damn greedy,” Crist said. “No, I’m not happy at all. Bad Hands.”

In a statement, the state says the Allstate agents should express their concerns to the Allstate corporate office.

Two bills in Tallahassee would require online dating services to tell subscribers whether or not they’ve screened other members. As Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers say the legislation is about safety, but others say it’s an advertising ploy by sites that already do background checks.

Hear if here: Dating Services Under Fire, Lawmakers Push For Disclosure

Online dating sites may be the newest pickup hot spot, but they’re not for everyone. Some people are afraid of who they might meet online.

“People can change who they are and you don’t really see who they are. They’re just behind the computer screen,” said Lesley Lynn from Orlando, FL.

Senator Ronda Storms fears predators are using dating sites to find victims. Storms is sponsoring a bill requiring sites like Match.com and EHarmony to tell subscribers they don’t run background checks.

“Either you do it or you don’t do it. That’s all. It’s transparency. Interesting it’s so opposed by the industry. And it is vigorously opposed by the industry,” said Stoms.

True.com claims it’s the only online dating site running background checks. Opponents of the bill say it’s simply about one site wanting its competitors to admit they’re not as good. Opponents said if sites start claiming they run background checks, the disclaimer could give users false hope.

“My concern is that if you have something on there that says ‘we do back ground checks’ we don’t know what that means and it might give people who use the thing a false sense of security,” said Senator Charlie Justice.

While the bill targets online dating, it does nothing to regulate social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook. Still proponents say you’ve got to start somewhere. The bill would allow the state to sue any dating service that didn’t let its users know its members hadn’t been subjected to background checks.

Governor Pushes Insurance Plan for Florida’s 4 Million Uninsured

Governor Crist says he’s not a fan of big insurance companies, so he’s offering up his own plan. In a sit down meeting with Floridians who have run into obstacles trying to get insurance, Crist vented his frustration. Crist wants the legislature to approve his plan to provide Florida’s 4 million uninsured the option of buying insurance for about a hundred bucks a month.

“By sharing your stories you create urgency and the reason that this is so damn important, pardon my French,” said Crist.

Crist’s plan is moving through the Senate. It’s facing heavier opposition in the House.

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