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Despite a budget that proposes record cuts in school funding and laying off probation officers, the Governor continues to push his plan for a gas tax holiday. Crist wants to eliminate 10 cents of the state’s gas tax for two weeks in July. Crist says the people need a break.

“The people in our state deserve to have a break. We’re going to keep trying for them and fighting for them, and we never give up around here. The people of Florida deserve our best effort and we’re going to finish strong,” Crist said.

The gas tax was cut by eight cents for three weeks in 2004. On average families saved about two bucks a tank. The state lost 60 million dollars.

The Governor says a bill meant to make Florida the nation’s environmental leader will be signed into law, but we’ll have to wait. Governor Charlie Crist told reporters he’s excited the legislature passed a bill to lower greenhouse gasses and mandate that new government buildings be energy efficient. Crist says while he can’t wait to sign the bill into law, he will wait.

“I’m really enthusiastic about the clean energy bill passing yesterday. It’s very exciting. They made it clear that Florida will be at the forefront of making a difference in climate change… I hope to be able to sign it at the climate change summit that we’ll have in June down in Miami. I’m very, very proud of the House and Senate in these difficult times they continue to move Florida forward and keep Florida green and make it even better,” Crist said.

Governor Crist announced earlier this week that Florida will host an international climate change summit on June 25th and 26th.

Condo associations statewide will now face tougher regulations. With the stroke of a pen Governor Charlie Crist signed a bill into law mandating more transparency in the business transactions of condo boards. There’s been increasing frustration among unit owners over unexplained fee hikes and embezzlement scams. Governor Charlie Crist, who rents a condo in St. Petersburg, says this law is about accountability.

“People who live in communities where they’re multifamily, that are frustrated with some of the rules and regulations or sometimes a very challenging rule, what they’ve done is given power back to the people,” Crist said.

Under the new law condo owners will be able to request official documents from their association’s board of directors.

State lawmakers are debating and on the verge of passing the first budget in more than 30 years that shifts the majority of school funding from the state to local property taxes. Schools are likely to face layoffs, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us the state’s already poor ranking is likely to slip.

Gone in the budget: 140 dollars for every student in the state. A billion dollars. Also cut, money for school buses at a time when the cost of diesel fuel is increasing.

It is the first budget in recent memory to cut school funding from the previous year.

“We’re one of the wealthiest states in the nation, we shouldn’t be number 49 when it comes to funding public education,” Rep. Martin Kiar said. “If we pass this budget, we’ll be number 50.”

There is another historic shift in the budget.

For the first time in more than 3 decades, local school boards will provide more funding for schools than the state

It may violate the constitution.

“The constitution of the state of Florida, says it is the paramount duty of the state to fund public schools in the state,” Wayne Blanton with the Fl. School Boards Association. “Yes, I think it violates the constitution.”

Teachers call the cuts irresponsible.

“The politicians here are more interested being able to say they didn’t raise taxes than closing schools,” Andy Ford with the Florida Education Association.

We asked Charlie Crist about the funding shift to local governments. He says it is all the peoples money.

“The right way to go about funding education is through the people of Florida,” Crist said.

The dire funding is almost certain to produce lay offs. The question is whether the job losses will come from the classroom.

A final vote on the budget is expected tomorrow.

State employees are getting a cold shoulder from state lawmakers for the second year in a row. No one but state troopers are going to see a pay increase. The goose egg on their pay increase comes a year after there was just a thousand dollar bonus in the budget. It is causing some lawmakers, including Lorrane Ausley of Tallahassee to cast a no vote.

“The people who carry out those priorities are state employees and we cannot continue to disrespect them by not paying them,” Ausley said. “There is no corporation or business in the state or in this country that asks the people who carry out its mission to do so without respect and without pay. That is what we are doing with this budget.

Layoffs are likely in some departments. Those who stay have been encouraged to apply for promotions in lieu of a raise.

Legislation sent to the governor at 11:25 Wednesday night will set up a system for 911 operators to be better trained. The certification is voluntary because of a budget crunch, but could become mandatory in future years. The bill is a reaction to the violent death of North Port mother Denise Amber Lee. She was kidnaped and seen pounding on the window of her killers car by a motorist who called 911. The call was ignored. Representative Carl Domino says he hopes the new legislation will protect others in the future.

“You never know a specific example. But certainly the confidence in the dispatchers isn’t helped by what happened to Amber Lee,” Rep. Carl Domino said. “With this kind of training, hopefully it wouldn’t have happened and hopefully the professional recognition. These are jobs that are heavily pressure oriented. There’s a lot of stress in them. To the extent people have trained and to the extent that people have done things over and over, they perform better, the stress level goes down. So this should go a long way to preventing the reoccurrence of that situation.”

The legislation has been named for the slain woman and is a testament to her husband and family which pursued the bill relentlessly.

It will soon be easier to donate your organs and tissue after you are gone. Legislation on its way to the governor will let you sign up to be an organ donor over the internet instead of at the Drivers License office. The idea was inspired by Gainesville State Senator Steve Oelrich, who lost his son 13 years ago.

“I lost my 18-year-old son in Gainesville and it was a very dark time in my life,” Olerich said. “The silver lining of that was that he got to be an organ and tissue donor and at this point 102 people have received something from my son, Nick. So this really had both a personal and a regional impact, but the thing about it is that it’s going to have a statewide impact. We probably have about four times as many donors as we had at this time last year.”

The legislation also puts the database in the hands of transplant professionals instead of bureaucrats and the hope is that it will speed up the delivery or organs to those in need.

The way your child’s high school is graded could soon change. Lawmakers passed a bill that would lessen the FCAT’s importance and shift some of the focus back on classroom performance. As Whitney Ray tells us, principles say it’s about time.

With pressure from parents and a different Governor at the helm, lawmakers took the reigns and unanimously approved a new grading system for high schools. For the past 10 years, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or the FCAT, has been the sole decider of a school’s grade. Principal Rocky Hanna said the focus will return to the classroom.

“I think this could certainly relieve some of the pressure that we’re given that our school grade was based on one test,” said Hanna.

While half of a high school’s grade will still come from the FCAT, the other half will come from graduation rates, college admission tests, and classroom performance. Lawmakers say it’s a fairer system.

“We feel like that is going to give us a much more balanced indication as to how well the school is doing,” said House Representative Anitere Flores.

The bill also pushes the test date back. If signed into law, the FCAT would be held in April. Teachers Union Spokesman Mark Pudlow says pushing the date back and lessening the FCAT’s power would give teachers a little more time to focus on other things.

“It still carries an awful lot of weight, it just doesn’t carry all the weight,” said Pudlow.

Still most of the weight will be carried by the students who will still have to perform well on the test, and maybe even better in the classroom. The bill’s headed back to the Senate for a vote on changes added by the House.

Lawmakers have sent a precedent setting green bill to the Governor. Today the state Senate approved legislation aimed at cutting greenhouse gases and increasing ethanol use. The bill would also require new state, city and county buildings to be more energy efficient. Senator Burt Saunders says the bill will make Florida the nation’s clean energy leader.

“We’re going to make sure that all our public buildings are green buildings to the greatest extent that we can. We’re going to start making sure that the vehicles that we use at the state level are energy efficient,” said Saunders. “We’re going to, as the Governor said, lead by example. And I think over the next several years, you’ll see green technologies moving into the state, you’ll see universities doing more research and I think you’ll see a great movement toward greener buildings and greener homes.”

The bill will also set up incentives and education for businesses to go green.

Condo owners could soon have more control over their property. Some condo association members have squandering dues and fees paid to the board. As Whitney Ray tells us, a bill to help owners hold board members accountable could soon become Florida law.

Condo owners pay thousands of dollars for services like lawn care and trash pick up. The money goes to condo association boards. Lawmakers said some board members are stealing the money.

“There are normally kickbacks which seem to be the status quo when a board doesn’t have integrity,” said Julio Robaina.

Earlier this year a condo owner, mad about fees, took two board members hostage. Police shot the man.

“One of the frustrations that individual had was that he couldn’t get information about why these special assessments were being placed, why the raise in maintenance fees,” said Robaina.

Legislation passed by both Chambers would give more power to condo owners. The bill would give condo owners access to official documents so they could see how the board was spending their money. Travis Moore, a lobbyist for Florida’s Condo Associations, said the bill will help clean up the boards’ image.

“We think this will get rid of a lot of the stories you do hear about in the press, where you hear, oh my God do not live in a condo association,” Moore says.

Mike Mastry is the primary realtor for the Adams Street Lofts near the Capitol.

“Anything that helps protect people’s investments is a good idea,” said Mastry.

Before the bill can begin to offer protection it will have to be signed by the Governor. In Florida eight condo board members have been arrested for embezzling dues and fees.

About a dozen teachers and school board members crowded into the Governor’s office Tuesday. The final budget proposal calls for major cuts to education. Some schools will lose more than a hundred and forty dollars per student compared to last year. Education leaders say teachers will be laid off and schools will be shut down. Governor Charlie Crist promised to hold education harmless while campaigning for a property tax cut approved in January. Kindergarten teacher Chris Ott said he doesn’t expect the Governor to keep his promise.

“I think the governor says ‘I’ll veto this bill unless it holds education harmless’ but he’ll probably just wash his hands and say, ‘we’ll it’s the legislature,” said Ott.

Lawmakers will vote on the budget on Thursday and send it to the Governor.

Despite a budget shortfall of more than three billion dollars lawmakers are still considering two tax break holidays. The Governor continues to support a gas tax reduction. House representative Marti Coley is pushing for a back to school tax break that would cut sales tax on items like notebooks and pencils. Coley said the tax break will stimulate the economy.

“The whole budget is challenging. Once again let me emphasis the relief for our families. The relief for our economy will far outweigh any loss that we take,” Coley said.

Early estimates show the week long tax break would cost the state about 23 million dollars.

Florida will host an international summit on climate change. Governor Charlie Crist made the announcement today in Tallahassee. The summit will be held in Miami. People from across the U.S. and around the world are expected to attend. Crist wants Florida to be at the forefront when it comes to the use of environmentally friendly technology. One of the topics of the summit will be the Governor’s energy bill. Part of the bill calls for more ethanol stations.

“There are some of these stations starting to creep up. In this energy package we talk about, which I believe will pass this week, we talk about E-10 inching forward. It’s very good for the people, very good for fuel efficiency and very good for low prices,” said Crist.

The Governor’s energy bill passed the House. It’s expected to be heard in the Senate before Friday. The summit will be held on June 25th.

Soon your child could have more protection against the school bully. A bill requiring schools to set up standards to spot and report bullying passed the House. As Whitney Ray tells us, gay and lesbian groups want the bill amended to offer more protection for homosexual students.

Monday Ryan Skipper would have been 27. His parents were at the Capitol to celebrate his birthday and morn the son they lost to a hate crime.

“You get up everyday and you say, I’m going to take another day. And you do something that day to make a difference,” said Pat Mulder.

Ryan was openly gay. Last year he was stabbed to death in Polk County. His parents say the bullying started in school long before he was murdered.

“He endured name calling, throwing stones and sticks at his vehicle as he left the school parking lot, assaulted after school,” Ryan’s Stepfather Lynn Mulder said.

An anti-bullying bill passed the House. Gay and Lesbian groups want the Senate’s version to specially address bullies who pick on homosexuals. Gays and lesbians are the victims on one out of every three hate crimes. House sponsor Ellyn Bogdanoff said amending the bill to specifically address any group would take the focus off the legislation’s true intent.

“Whether or no the child belongs to a particular category or not, there’s a behavioral issue with that bully. They’d bully anybody and for what every reason because they have a need to bully people and that’s were we need to focus,” said Bogdanoff.

Right now the focus for lawmakers is on getting the bill passed before the end of session, but amending the bill this late in the game could postpone a vote for another year. The anti-bullying bill is expected to be taken up before session ends on Friday.

He served almost 30 years in the Florida legislature but his name won’t leave the Capitol when he’s term limited out this year. Monday lawmakers voted to name a committee room after Senator Dan Webster. Webster became the first Republican Speaker of the House in more than a hundred years.

“Be pressed with this one thought that every member is important. The process is far more important than any other bill you’ll take up. Than any other bill you’ll hear and so make the process good and let the results be what they are,” said Webster.

The committee room will officially be called the “Dan Webster Hall” starting in November.