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Legislation expected to be approved by the House later today will give thousands of parents an increase to send their kids to private school. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the debate also turned into a debate over lackluster funding for public schools this year.

The state’s voucher program paid for 98 thousand kids to attend private schools this year. The awards have not kept up with incases in private school tuition and legislation seeking an increase provoked a lengthy debate.

Sen. Jeff Brandes ( R-St.Petersburg) says the program is working.

“When we have parents who have choices on where to send their kids, the world gets better.”

“Freedom works” said Ocala’s Dennis Baxley.

Democrats used the debate to point out that per student public school funding is actually going down this coming year.

Sen. Bill Montford (D-Tallahassee) is a former School Superintendent.

“The basis student allocation this year, next year, will be twenty seven dollars less than it is this year.”

Sen. Gary Farmer (R-Broward County) compared state spending to the national average.

“We’re four thousand dollars below the national average on per student funding” says Farmer.

One reason school funding is so low is because the House refused to go along with using increased property values to fund schools.

Rick Scott had proposed using the increase to give schools five hundred million more.

The House called it a tax increase. Now schools will have less.

“It’s one of the worst I’ve seen.

when it comes to the budget says former public school lobbyist Marshall Ogletree. He worries about the long term trend.

“Once you lower taxes, it’s very difficult to get them back.  And that has been a source here school districts could get a little extra funding to make a difference.”

The legislation does benefit public schools in one aspect. Parents sending their kids cross district to stay in public schools will see a 250 dollar increase in money for transportation.

The 240 million additional cash going to schools this year was offset by 24 thousand new students expected next fall.

Homebuilders are pushing and the senate has approved legislation at the State Capitol that would severely weaken the state’s building codes. Insurance interests and disaster managers are calling foul, saying the change would open the door for more damage from a hurricane. Leslie Chapman- Henderson from the Alliance or Safe homes says it will also cost you more money.

“This is going to cost people safety, but more importantly is going to immediately start driving insurance rates and removing discounts for things like flood insurance over time that are going to be very difficult to get back” says Chapman-Henderson.

The House is expected to take up and pass the legislation before they quit tonight. Chapman Henderson says she is already writing the Governor, seeking a veto.”

The State Legislature is in the midst of coming to a final agreement on a major education bill.

The details of what a final bill will look like are still up in the air, but Senator Anitere Flores is pushing hard for fewer tests, mandatory recess and more local control.

Today is day 59 of the state legislature’s 60 day session, and it has brought chaos in the Capitol. Budget disagreements have already forced an extension through Monday, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, there is a growing suspicion among lawmakers that its going to be a long hot summer in Tallahassee.

Everywhere you looked on the Senate floor, somebody’s trying to cut a deal on something. Major legislation, including medical marijuana, workers compensation insurance and school testing was at a standstill. Rob Bradley is trying to shepherd the medical marijuana bill.

“We’re either going to finish it by Friday or we won’t finish it, but I[m confident we’re going to finish it” says Bradley.

Q:”What’s the biggest sticking point right now?”

“Caps on dispensaries.”

But a pot proponent, Jeff Brandes is unhappy over wholesale changes that are being dropped at the last minute,

“That nobody has read, that nobody really understands.  we’re making wholesale policy decisions at the end of the day that nobody truly, deeply understands the ramifications of” says a heated Brandes.

There’s more horse trading going on here than anytime over the last eight weeks, and that’s why all these lobbyists are here, trying to figure out what’s going on.

The budget deal was close, but not closed at midday said Senator Anitere Florida of Miami.

“The budget’s done. The budget’s not done. The budget’s almost done” said Flores.

That’s leaving Governor Rick Scott, who would hit five cities before the day was out, talking about a budget veto if there wasn’t more money for Visit Florida and some funding for Enterprise Florida.

“There supposed to vote on this budget on Monday. I have no earthly idea what’s in this budget” Scott told reporters.

And House Democratic leader Janet Cruz had this warning for Democrats.

“Don’t book any vacations that are after Monday that are out of the country. make sure you are within two days of getting here.”

All of which could lead to a long hot simmer this summer of budget and policy.

No Governor has vetoed an entire budget since Bob graham, unhappy over education funding, issued a veto in 1980.

Florida lawmakers failed to meet a midnight deadline agree on the state’s budget. they now plan to take a vote on Monday during a costly extended session. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, their work may no the over if Governor Rick Scott decides they should have done more for economic development.

House members were greeted Wednesday with critical words in their opening prayer from Rev. Andrew Miller of the Azalea Park Methodist Church in Castleberry

“Help us to see common ground in this putrid political mess we have created” lawmakers were told.

The admonition rubbed Representative Heather Fitzenhagen the wrong way.

“I wanted to an inspirational prayer. Not one that I found to be demeaning to the process”

Fitzenhagen says getting the budget right was more important than getting it on time.

“We strive to be on time. We strive to do the right thing.”

A fifty million dollar shift in hospital funding finally broke the log jam here.

At midday, House and Senate budget negotiators zeroed in on the remaining differences. A final vote is set for Monday.

House Speaker Ricard Corcoran says the one day of overtime is limited.

“And we will extend only for budget and budget related bills.” Corcoran told the House.

Senate budget chief Jack Latvala says Rick Scott isn’t likely to be sparing with his veto pen. That’s because there is no money for economic incentives.

“And he has the right and responsibility to review our work and then approve it or disapprove of it, and I expect to see some of both” says Latvala.

And to that end, Scott began a three day, ten city tour of the state to bash the legislative funding plan. Here’s what he said in Tampa. “If we don’t fund Enterprise Florida, we’re going to have fewer jobs. It’s as simple as that.”

Which means lawmakers could find themselves back again for a long and costly overrate session this summer if they don’t budge on economic incentives.

Scott also criticized lawmakers for conducting most of their budget negotiations behind closed doors, saying he didn’t know what lawmakers were spending on education other big ticket items.

Legislation setting up the framework for voter approved medical marijuana cleared the State House today and is getting closer to a compromise in the State Capitol. But as Mike Vasilinda  tells us, lawmakers also want to find out what few others are asking: How does pot affect the people using it.

As the House debated medical marijuana, the same question kept coming up. Where’s the science. Rep. Julio Gonzalez is a medical doctor from Venice.

“You will find no convincing scientific evidence” says Gonzalez.

Rep. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) was equally blunt.

“I have Significant concern about the science behind medical marijuana” Harrell told colleagues.

To help answer the science question, the legislation has a four hundred thousand dollar appropriation. it goes to one of the states leading Cancer Centers, Moffit, in Tampa.  Sen. Bill Galvano is the driving force behind the idea.

“I want to know the real effects. What are the negative effects, what are the down sides?

You can’t listen to a commercial on pharmaceuticals on the radio or tv without a whole litany of bad side effects, and right now, there’s just a rosy picture being painted for medical marijuana. I want the truth” says Galvano.

The money is solely for administrative costs. Who pays for what research and how much is still very much up in the air says Moffitt’s Jamie Wilson.

“There is very very little research if any that exists, and the people of Florida really need to know, and of the country need to know, what is the proper dosage. what is the efficacy when it comes to medical marijuana?”  says Wilson.

More money could come later. Galvano is in line to be Senate President in 2018.

While there are still some policy disagreements, nobody is arguing that research is a bad idea.

The voter approved marijuana amendment must be in place by the first of October. Any research findings will come much later than that.

The authors of Amendment two are still unhappy with the latest draft legislation. It still does not allow smoking medical marijuana, and it continues what is know as vertical integration, which means growers are also the distributors and retail outlets.

 

Florida lawmakers have approved a million dollar payment to a young woman sexually abused as a child while in state care. The Department of Children and Families knew the woman we’ll call LT was in the home of a sex offender when it closed her case.

By outward appearances, L .T. is a well adjusted married young mother of two. As a child, the Department of Children and Families placed her in her great aunt and uncles care.

The great uncle, Eddie Thomas, was convicted of a sex offense two years after LT arrived in the home. DCF did nothing.

“They closed my case after the sex offense” LT told us, just after the Senate approved her claims bill.

As a result, LT was physically and verbally abused from ages two to ten.

“Towards the end, I was sexually abused by my uncle. he was my blood uncle. I ran away from home.”

A decade ago, DCF didn’t go back into the home if someone had been convicted of a sex offense and check on the welfare of the child.

The policy changed after LT’s case came to light.

“I decided I didn’t want that to be who I am anymore. I didn’t want to be a victim. I wanted to be a survivor.”

Claims bills are few and far between. But State Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto pushed her million dollar claim.”

“She highlighted that inconsistency in our process and how wrong that was. She was a very courageous girl” says Benacquisto.

L. T. is now going to school. She hopes to stop what happened to her from happening to other young women.

“My experience has given me insight into some of the things children are going through and it has also given me a passion to protect children” says L.T.

And the experience she’s had is not something you can learn from a textbook.

A Special Master in the case concluded it was foreseeable that leaving LT in her Uncles that it was more than likely she would be sexually abused. The Department of Children and Families did not contest the payment.