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As state lawmakers get ready to cut more than a billion dollars from the state budget, some groups , like the developmentally disabled say cuts to their program are short sighted and will result in the state actually spending more in the long run.  Debra Dowds, Exec Director of the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council calls any cuts shortsighted.  “People are going to have to move to a more restrictive setting, and often that setting is outside the home, where they were getting very good care, and some of these people are worried about the care they are going to get in these other settings.”

Lawmakers begin their budget cutting session Wednesday in Tallahassee.

Today was the fist meeting of the Children’s Cabinet. The group crosses departmental lines and is charged with coming up with the best ways of implementing programs for children. DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth says the group will help cut down on red tape and improve services. “We have so many agencies and entities that deal with children and we just don’t talk to each other. So we hope will come out in a very sort period of time is a guideline of how we are going to deal with children in the state of Florida in a seamless fashion” says the DCF Secretary.

The Children’s Cabinet was created by State Lawmakers this past spring.

Many people will tell their hair dresser things they won’t tell anyone else, and because of that a Tampa hair dresser was honored by the Governor this afternoon at Domestic Violence Awareness ceremonies in Tallahassee.  Belinda Brown came up with the innovative idea to having her hair technicians and students talk with clients about abuse and encourage them to report it when it is happening. Brown hopes spreading the word will make a difference. “I believe that getting out there and getting a lot of people knowledge doing hair..like she said..we know everything and can recognize it, and a lot of the charge with the schools is going out..when we graduate they are going out to the businesses and see people just need to know” says the award winner.

Ms. Brown won an award for the most innovative ideas on preventing domestic violence.

AARP and its Divided We Fail group launched a television ad campaign today designed to educate AARP members on election issues such as health care. The spots  are designed to spur discussions among voters and those seeking office about health care and financial responsibility. Jeff Johnson of Divided We Fail hopes the spots will spark a conversation. “One of the problems is that it’s really easy, and every candidate running for President has a health care plan and they will all talk about Social Security, Voters are actually interested in candidates who can get something done. The initiative here is not to focus on any particular thing here and beat it into the ground, but instead, to build a concensus that we have to do something, we can’t just let this opportunity go by.”

Divided We Fail is a national campaign designed to amplify the voices of AARP members.

When the clock strikes midnight Sunday night, Florida will become one of three states that does not require medical coverage for motorists. The sunset of Personal Injury Protect marks the biggest change in 30 years for insurance customers, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the reprieve may be only temporary.

Hear it Here: PIP Goes Down to the Wire

Until now to get a tag for your car, you had to present proof of Personal Injury protection or PIP insurance; but with PIP no longer the law, after October 1st, some estimate as many as a million or more drivers will go without insurance. Florida hospitals have been pushing to keep the coverage on the books. Spokesman Rich Rasmussen says consumers should bdeware.  “Because if no fault is allowed to go away every automobile accident is going to have to be a determination of fault. In other words somebody will be responsible for that accident somebody will pay for the damages in that accident.”

House and Senate negotiators did strike a deal to salvage No Fault, but  it is not included in their call for a special session. The governor says he may add it on Monday.
“I have to see what the call is going to be but I am certainly willing to consider putting it in. If it is a part of the call I have said all along that making sure we have coverage for people is important to me.” Crist made the comment an hour before the session call was released.

The end of no fault is being pushed by big insurance companies, who say you will
save money. But other coverages are likely to go up as more lawsuits are needed to sort our who it at fault.

Insurance agents like former Insurance Commissioner Bill Gunter are telling their clients to protect themselves by increasing their uninsured motorist and other coverage limits.
“I think the consumers who have insurance in Florida are going to be the losers if the PIP coverage is sun setting” says Gunter.

Lawmakers do plan hearings on Tuesday. The day after No Fault expires.

The Senate is the apparent reluctant body in the no fault debate. House Speaker Marco Rubio wrote the governor this afternoon, asking him to add not only No Fault, but property tax relief as well to the call for the special session.

College students and their parents can expect to pay higher tuition come January…Or not. There is a battle on between the legislature and the board that governs the university system over who has the authority to raise tuition, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us students could get caught in a double whammy.

Hear it Here: Tuition Wars

College students can expect to pay 55 dollars more per semester starting in January.  Javier Ortega of Cape Coral says that’s not so bad. “It’s only 55 dollars. It were 200 that would be way too much!”

While not set in stone, the state legislature is moving to re-pass a 5 percent  tuition hike, to offset budget cuts. The governor vetoed a 5% hike in the spring, but State Senator Evelyn Lynn is hoping he’ll let this one become law. “And I hope he’ll be realistic in recognizing the needs. If  we’re going to have high quality education,  we’ve got to begin to fund it.”
Here’s where it gets complicated. After a voice vote, the University Board of Governors also passed a 5 percent tuition hike.  What’s unclear is whether the Board, which was created in 2002 has the authority to raise tuition…that’s being fought over in court.

University of Florida President Bernie Machen says the increase shouldn’t be too painful.

“The spring tuition we will get is about two and a half million dollars. The cut I am making in my budget is 34 million dollars.” says Machen.

The story gets even more complicated….because if the Board of Governors sets tuition, the increase likely won’t be covered by Bright Futures….but if the legislatures hike sticks….it will be.

State lawmakers were in Tallahassee today to begin cutting the state budget by a billion dollars. The actual session begins next week, but committees of the House and Senate began debating where to cut. The state’s 67 school systems dodged a bullet. The recommended cuts are coming in at less than 2 percent, which should not affect classroom instruction says Wayne Blanton of the Florida School Boards Association “We’re probably going to have a 1 point 2 to one point three percent cut. Most school districts have about a 2 or 3% reserve. And if we can stay below that 2% level and get down to about a 1.3..which is what they are going to do, we won’t lose any services at the local level.”
120 million is being cut from a general allocation to the school districts. Another 18 million is coming from money to reduce class size.

State universities will see their budgets cut a combined 68 million dollars when lawmakers meet next week. After moving around cash from one pot to another, the Senate Higher Education Committee settled on the cuts, which will be approved late next week. Chairperson Evelyn Lynn says lawmakers are trying to trim as little as possible from schools. ” I think most of the cuts came to about 2.9%, and you will see as you look at our charts that really we still have an increase over what they were funded last year, and that’s a very positive outlook” say s Lynn

Community Colleges will see the same 2.9 percent cuts.

As state lawmakers begin cutting a billion dollars from the state budget, one state lawmaker is suggesting college students begin paying a technology fee to help pay for computer upgrades and other things such as wireless networks on the state’s 11 college campuses. State Senator Jim King says most students would gladly pay for better technology Sen. Jim King of Jacksonbvile says if he can pass the legislation, he is offering a reprieve for a year. “You get a 5% discretionary the universities can do it if they want, they don’t have to do it if they don’t want. But kicking it in 2009 gives the students the opportunity if it is passed to know that in 2009 I am going to have to come up with more money for tuition because the fee is going to be increased for technology. But it is a win win situation.” say King.
The idea was considered by lawmakers this past spring and rejected.

Twenty three FSU student athletes are in hot water for academic irregularities that include receiving improper assistance from a staff tutor. After interviewing more than 130 student athletes and numerous staff, the university discovered that one tutor provided typing assistance. Another provided answers or directed the athletes to answers to online quizzes. FSU President T.K. Wetherell calls the situation embarrassing.

“I don’t like what we saw that bothered us obviously that athletic and staff would have done what they did, that’s a concern obviously, but my real concern is how I don’t know at this point more than what I do know. I am glad I know what I know, but I want to know what I don’t know.” say Wetherell.
Both the students and the university could be punished by the NCAA for providing the improper academic assistance.

The Board of Governors of the state university system is working on a plan to require all students living on campuses, and perhaps almost all students, to be vaccinated for meningitis. The rule will likely take effect in the fall, but the University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft says it will begin requiring proof of the vaccinations in the spring.

“We are going ahead in saying that all students that live in Residents Halls must have a vaccination or proof of the vaccination, this is too important of an issue, this is an infections disease which means that can spread everywhere and it’s so lethal so quickly and we are not going to tolerate it”
Requiring all students to be vaccinated to enter a Florida university would take an act of the legislature.

The death of a nineteen year old University of South Florida student from meningitis is raising awareness of the dangerous virus.
School policy requires, when students enroll they must be made aware of the dangers of meningitis and what they can do to protect themselves.
While a vaccination is recommended by school health official, students do not have to receive the injection.

School officials remind students there are situations in college settings that can lead to the spreading of the virus, so they recommend getting the vaccination.
“Crowded conditions, sharing utensils, sharing cigarettes, sharing glasses, these are all areas that can spread infection.” said
Florida State Student Health Center Director Lesley Sacher.

FSU student Candace Fitzgerald says she got the vaccine because it is the right thing to do. ” I think it’s silly if you don’t get it. I don’t remember how much it cost but I think it was covered by my insurances, so it’s worth not getting sick I think.”

Health officials also remind students, washing your hands frequently is also a good way to protect yourself from the spread of germs.

The on again off again efforts to keep no fault auto insurance may be confusing to some. Letters have gone out to every auto policy holder in the state, letting them know what the end of no fault may mean. The requirement to have Personal Injury Protection expires October first. A plan to keep it won’t be considered by the legislature before the fourth or fifth of October, if at all. Sam Miller of the Florida Insurance Council says if you have questions, call your company.  “If you have insurance now you will have insurance October 1st. Unless you don’t pay the premium or you make a conscience decision to cancel your coverage. It may be, personal injury protection to take care of you if you are injured in an accident. It could be an expanded, what we call med pay, every policy holder should have been notified by their by their company by now look at  that notice if you have any questions about it contact your company. The main thing to keep in mind is that you have insurance that may be PIP it may not be PIP.” says Miller.

State lawmakers will hold two workshops on Personal Injury Protection legislation next Tuesday.

Jury selection for 7 guards and a nurse charged with causing the death of 14 year old Martin Lee Anderson at the Bay County Boot Camp in January 2005 got under way today. The 8 are charged with criminal manslaughter of a child. As Mike Vasilinda tells us , a large number of potential jurors were called in the case because of pre trial publicity.

Hear it Here: Jury Selection Begins in Boot Camp Death

Military jets from nearby bases make frequent flights over the Panama City Civic Center…where 1450 jurors were summoned. The Jets are an indication of how conservative the area can be.

Inside, potential juror after potential juror shook their head no when asked if they had formed an opinion. Most had seen some part of this videotape, showing 14 year old Martin Lee Anderson being kneed in the back and having ammonia tablets shoved up his nose. One potential juror told the court he believed in the American system of justice. “In our justice system, you’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, and I think the whole state went crazy.” said the middle aged potential juror.

Several dozen FAMU and FSU students came to protest what they called justice denied…their shirts already convicting the 8 in the court of public opinion. FSU student Shamair Howard said one look at the tape should be enough. “To sit and see a yong child beaten on camera to death, is startling”.

Police presence was heavy. but a rumored counter demonstration didn’t materialize. One TV news photographer was detained briefly for crossing a police line.

The number of prospective jurors being called here is seven times the normal number
that would be called in a criminal case. Dianna Riddle made the first cut….even though she expressed an opinion… “That they were not guilty.” she said afterward.

But others who spoke their mind were sent home, including Steven Crase, who told the court he didn’t believe in violence”.

Despite pre trial publicity, experts believe a jury can be seated in this conservative panhandle town.

The tasering and arrest of Andrew Meyer at the University of Florida is quickly becoming the taser heard around the world. A state investigation is already underway, and as Mike Vasilinda reports, the incident is raising both civil rights and free speech issues.

Hear it Here: “Don’t Tase me, Bro”

The arrest and tasering of Andrew Meyer is quickly spreading around the world. The video sharing site You Tube shows over 4 hundred thousand views in just two days.

Florida Attorney General Bill Mc Collum is a staunch law and order kind of guy, and even he questions what happened on the UF campus. “I think most of us..presumably this was excessive force and needs to be investigated. Free speech is important in our country…free speech on a
campus, particularly is.” said the Attorney General.

The amount of chatter on the internet verges on the overwhelming, with the number of posts in the thousands. There are plenty of posts unfavorable to Meyer, saying he got what he deserves. But Adria Harper of the First Amendment Foundation thinks something is terribly wrong with what happened.

“We don’t want students to feel uncomfortable..or any citizen to feel uncomfortable exercising their first amendment rights. The thought of being tasered for saying something that may not be pleasing to somebody is certainly scary.” says Harper.

The Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident., and until finished, two of the officers involved remain on administrative leave. But it’s clear Tallahassee wants answers quickly.