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More than 500,000 voters have already cast a ballot for Tuesday’s primary. The Secretary of State’s office says that 361,000 people have taken advantage of early voting. Another 211,000 have already mailed in their absentee ballots. Secretary of State Kurt Browning is predicting a higher turnout for this election cycle compared to 2004.

“I think that it’s a convenience,” Browning said. “I think that’s really the only reason people vote is because they can vote on their time schedule and not some given date in a 12 hour period.  I don’t think it’s really been proven that it doesn’t do anything for voter turnout. These people that vote early are going to be the ones who voted on January 29th. But I do think that with the numbers we’re seeing that we will probably meet or exceed the 20 percent turnout that we had in 2004 for the presidential preference primary.”

Early voting ends Saturday.

Half of the states voters will be using electronic voting machines on Tuesday, even though the state has scrapped the devices for the fall. Remember the missing 18 thousand votes in Sarasota?  The state says the problem is perception and that everything will be fine come Tuesday night. Hear our interview with Kurt Browning here.

For the first time in state history Florida’s public universities could cut enrollment. The Board of Governors met today to discuss a proposed budget cut of 147 million dollars. Whitney Ray tells us how the cuts will affect current students and teens waiting to be accepted into any of Florida’s 11 public universities.

Hear it here: Universities Facing Cutbacks

Facing a second round of budget cuts in less than a year, an already struggling University System’s Governors met to discuss how to make ends meet.

“It’s very difficult to compete with the great systems of this country when we don’t have the financial backing to do that,” said Board of Governors Chairperson Carolyn Roberts.

Florida already has the worst student to faculty ratio in the nation, with one tenured professor to every 30 students. The proposed cuts would affect both. Faculty members would likely be laid off and fewer students would be accepted into Florida Universities. Governor Charlie Crist has already voiced his opposition to another tuition increase. University presidents think a tuition hike may be the only option.
University of Florida President Bernie Machen fears that if something isn’t done his school will have to cut programs.

“We are being squeezed to the point where we are going to have to stop doing things unless we find a way to get more money,” said Machen.

Despite the Governor’s opposition, the board voted to pursue an eight percent tuition increase next fall. The increase discourages FAMU Freshman Jazmine Bowman.

“I’m already in debt,” said Bowman. “Raising tuition even more would just cause more debt.”

Governor Charlie Crist remains on the most popular Governor’s of recent times, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us he is staking much of his political capital on the property tax vote that is on Tuesday’s ballot.

Here it here: Crist Popularity Riding on Election

By most accounts, Governor Charlie Crist works a room better than just about any politician. His approval ratings are astronomical….but he is betting much of his political capital against powerful foes on a vote to cut property taxes.

Crist is the lone spokesman for Yes on 1. Lawmakers who put it on the ballot have stayed in the background or walked away. The only Democrat elected to a state office quietly opposes the tax amendment. A spokesman for the Democratic party says Crist’s credibility is on the line.

“He could be in some trouble, I think,” Democratic party spokesman Mark Bubriski said.

Even Republican insiders are willing to admit the governor has staked a lot of his reputation on what happens Tuesday.

Two politically savvy voters split on what affect the governor will have on the tax vote. Republican Steve Seibert who worked for Bush, says Crist didn’’t sway him one way or another.

“No. Absolutely. But I respect Crist immensely,” Seibert said.

Mark Neimeiser lobbies for a union and believes Crist wins no matter the outcome of the vote.

“He’s out there pitching and he keeps pitching and people will like that,” Neimeiser said.

So we asked the governor what he thought.

“I have no idea,” Crist said. “I don’’t know. But what’s riding on Tuesday is…”

And he immediately pitched his pet cause. Win or lose, Wednesday will come and Crist will still be governor.

60 percent of voters have to approve Amendment 1.

Ten days after Allstate Insurance was ordered to stop selling insurance until it turned over documents, some of the documents are in state hands. The company went to court and was given the go ahead to keep selling new policies, but state regulators have appealed. The same day of the appeal, Allstate turned over between 10 and 12 thousand pages know as the McKinsey Documents. The Documents allegedly paint a sour picture of the company’’s business practices. State Insurance Spokesman Ed Domansky says for now, the documents will remain shielded from the public.

“The McKinsey documents right now are part of an ongoing investigation so they would not be public documents,” Domansky said. “And we’ve also been told that they most likely have labeled them as trade secret. So in that case, they would not be available at this point to the public.”

What do you hope to learn from them?

“We’re hoping to see what’s in there,” Domansky said. “I mean, one of the things to keep in mind is that the investigation is also looking at Allstate’s business practices. So, those documents may have things in there that are relevant to what the commissioner needs to see about how they are handling claims and how they are conducting business in Florida.”

Allstate already owes the state of Missouri 2.5 million for refusing to turn over the documents there. Florida regulators say it wasn’t until they took drastic action that the company started complying with their subpoena. The documents were due in state hands January 16^th.

A Clearwater woman who claims she was refused service in a bar may be the first test case of a new state law. In July, lawmakers made it a crime for bars to refuse to serve non alcoholic beverages to designated drivers. The one catch is that patrons must tell the bartender they are a designated driver. Cindy Hill is the chief of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages for the state, and says if true, the bar could be punished.

“Theoretically, if an administrative case were filled, which is what we’d be looking at against licensing, there are violations that could be sanctioned,” Hill said. “And in this particular case, if our investigation proved that this in fact did occur and was a violation of law, your looking at a first offense of a thousand dollars.”

The law was created after a bar in Pasco county threw out a designated driver and refused to serve non alcoholic drinks.

Top Florida Democrats are making a last-minute plea to the party’s presidential candidates with the primary just days away.  The leading contenders signed a pledge not to campaign in Florida and the state lost its Democratic delegates because the primary was moved to January 29th. As Chris Casquejo tells us, the state’s elected Democrats say two days of campaigning are better than none.

Hear it here: Top Florida Democrats Ask For Forgiveness

Democratic presidential hopefuls signed a pledge not to campaign here after the national party penalized the state for its early primary. But now the top elected Democrat in the state, CFO Alex Sink, is asking for forgiveness, and for the candidates to campaign here after the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

“They understand what’s at stake here in Florida,” Sink said.  “The power of the media, and the opportunity to get their message out about their agenda.”

National party rules allow 4 states to hold nominating contests before February 5th.  Florida is not one of them.  Voters say the ban on Democrats campaigning hurts the state.

“It’s not doing a lot of good to get the voters involved, let’s put it that way,” said voter Bob McGuire.  “If you feel like you’re vote doesn’t count now, it counts even less.  And that’s not a good message to send to voters.”

In this case, even the state’s top Republican agrees with Democrats.

“My preference for my fellow Floridians, regardless of party, is that they have the opportunity to see candidates up close,” said Gov. Charlie Crist.  “I think it’s a shame that they’ve made this ruling and I wish they were here.”

To punish the state for the early primary, Florida was stripped of its delegates at this summer’s Democratic national convention.  The GOP is losing half its delegates over the early primary date.

The Democrats will hold their nominating convention in Denver in August. The GOP will pick its candidate in Minneapolis in September.
 

Four powerful groups are now aligned against the property tax amendment on next Tuesdays ballot. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Florida’s police chiefs joined the fray today.

Hear it here: Police Chiefs Join Tax Battle

The firefighters and the cities were the first to say no to amendment one, when Bob Carver of the Professional Firefighters came out against the amendment January 8th.
“IF you can’t build a new fire station, your response to the emergency is going to be delayed.” Carver told a news conference.

The teachers union leader, Andy Ford, wasn’t far behind. “Programs will have to be curtailed. We’re looking at layoffs in some areas.” says Ford.

And now Florida’s police chiefs are asking you to say no. “The worst fear is that we cannot provide the level of service that we’re used to providing for the communities and that the citizens of the state are expecting.” says Gulf Breeze Police Chief Peter Paulding

Opponents say their polls are unreliable and all over the place. And the outcome may rest on who turns out at the polls. The governor says his tracking polls show support hovering right at 60 percent.

“Vote yes on one…” says the latest ad. With a new TV spot on the air, money is also becoming an issue in the final hours, with both sides lashing out against each other. Karen Woodall of Florida is Our Home took aim at the Governor “The proponents, led by the governor, have been bombarding the airwaves, running around the state in state planes.”

The governor’s chief booster, Senator Mike Fasano, is taking aim at the League of Cities. “They are advocating and asking people to vote against a tax cut. But they’re using, not their own money, but they’re using tax payer money and that’s wrong, ” Says Fasano.

Ironically, both sides also say no matter what happens Tuesday, the vote is only the beginning of tax reform. Both sides of the tax debate are counting on the Tax and Budget Reform Commission, whose report is due in May, to make recommendations on how to make the tax system more fair.

State prosecutors and law officials are warning that crime could rise if they are forced to cut their budgets because of falling state revenue.  Tampa alone could see a projected $1.2 million in cuts.  State Attorney Mark Ober and others are concerned that the shortage could mean layoffs for an already overburdened system.

“That’s trouble,” Ober said. “That means people are going to home and not work and that meansthat the caseloads are going to increase.  They’re already at a record high. And the only thing that can happen to public safety if that occurs, and I speak for the state attorney and the other circuits generically, the only thing that can happen if that occurs is bad.”
 
Mark Lunsford, the father of child murder victim Jessica Lunsford, says his daughter’s case, and the success he had passing the get tough on sex offender legislation is an example of how citizens can make a difference by speaking out.

“I do it because I’m mad,” Lunsford said.  “You pissed me off and so now I’m going to come at you and I’m going to fight with you. And I found a way to be a vigilante and it’s okay. You be a vigilante with the legislators and you can get away with it and you can say the things that need to be heard.”

State Attorney’s offices across Florida have already lost 2% in funding this year, or about $400,000.

An increasingly bleak revenue outlook for the state has legislators wary of any proposed bills that ask for money. But increasing gang violence may be cause for opening the state purse.

Gang violence would be considered organized crime under legislation introduced in Tallahassee on Wednesday. The expanded definition would allow more arrests, but up police costs. Sponsor William Snyder of Stuart says it would be money well spent.

“The infrastructure and public safety are one of the primary reasons government exists. We have to protect the citizens of Florida and my message will be as we work this bill that we really have no reasonable alternative but to commit the funds to fight this problem. That we just have to do.”

The bill proposes to increase penalties for s convicted gang member who fails to register with law enforcement once released from prison. It will also give life sentences to gang leaders. The hope is to reduce and stop the growth of gangs.

More than 20,000 people in Florida have signed up for the state’s discount drug card program.  Governor Charlie Crist rolled out the program a month ago.   He says users have had more than 3,000 prescriptions filled and saved more than $58,000.  More than half of the people who have signed up are older than 60.  The governor hinted that his administration is about to do more for the state’s 4 million people without health insurance.

“The uninsured in the state of Florida need help,” he said.  “This provides help.  And we want to continue to do that.  Hopefully, during the session we’ll be able to roll out some more initiatives in the health-care arena to do just that.”

To find out if you are eligible and sign up for the card, go to www.FloridaDiscountDrugCard.com.

Florida ranks second only to California in the number of homes in foreclosure.  This afternoon, the state attorney general filed a lawsuit against a South Florida based company, National Foreclosure Management, that is accused of defrauding 80 homeowners out of $1.7 million in equity.  As Chris Casquejo tells, lawmakers are promising to get tough on mortgage fraud.

Hear it here: Lawmakers Target Mortgage Fraud

Florida had 245,000 homes in foreclosure during 2007.  Attorney Marc Taps represents about 30 homeowners in mortgage fraud cases in North Florida.  He says dishonest companies charge sky-high consulting fees, then provide little or nothing in return to homeowners who turn to them as a last resort.  One 76-year-old man got scammed in a practice called equity skimming.

“They got an inflated appraisal of $180,000 in a home that no one would pay that much for,” Taps said.  “They closed this loan at McDonald’s.”

The FBI ranks Florida as one of the top 10 mortgage fraud hotspots in the nation.  State leaders say the problem is reaching crisis levels in the Miami and Tampa areas.

Two lawmakers are sponsoring legislation that would protect homeowners when they deal with foreclosure rescue companies.

Under the proposal, homeowners would have 5 days to cancel any agreements.  They have no grace period now.

“They get all their information over the phone, collect their money,” said Rep. Clay Ford, a Republican from Gulf Breeze.  “And then they’ll call the loan company, try to negotiate with them.  If they can’t, fine.  The homeowner’s still lost 25 hundred in consulting fees.”

14 states already have similar mortgage fraud laws in place, another 5 are considering legislation.

The state said today it is still working on an appeal of a judges decision to allow Allstate to continue to sell polices while it defies state regulators requests for information. The state had two choices when the company refused to comply with a subpoena..it could fine them ten thousand dollars, or stop them from doing business. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, key legislators says they are ready to give the regulators a bigger hammer over uncooperative companies.

Hear it here: State Looking for “Insurance Hammer”

Insurance rates were supposed to drop like a rock. They didn’t. Allstate was asked for documents. It stonewalled. The state told the good hands people to stop selling insurance. The company went to court, and won.

There’s virtually no chance the first district court of appeal is going to change its mind and stop Allstate from doing business again. And that leaves the state virtually nothing in its enforcement tool bag.

In preparation of legislative hearings, property and casualty insurers brought in experts to justify the claim that they are still losing money. “We have a loss of 6.7 billion dollars…” said Dr. Bob Hartwick.

We asked industry spokesman William Stander why they are thumbing their noses at regulators.

“Our companies are always willing and able to cooperate with the office of insurance regulation. It doesn’t appear that way because, I think insurance companies, just like any natural person, still enjoy the rights given to us by the constitution of the United States.”

State Senator Jeff Atwater says more power is on the way. “You’ve gotta have a hammer. I mean can you imagine ignoring the state supreme court in Missouri, now to the point of two million dollars and come to a subpoenaed hearing in Florida, fearful that you might get slapped with a ten thousand dollar fine. They have ignored it.” says Atwater.

But until new regulations are on the book, it is unclear what more the state can do ut use its bully pulpit to shine light on companies it accuses of being bad actors. which is exactly what Charlie Crist did when he said “In Allstate’s case, they’re bad hands..not good hands”.

Both the Senate banking and Insurance Committee and a select committee on insurance met briefly this afternoon, but the real fireworks come next week when top executives from 5 companies, including Allstate, are put under oath.

A major drug store chain is lending a helping hand to the state’s only public historically black university.  Walgreen’s is donating 250 thousand dollars to the Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy for scholarship programs.  University President James Ammons says the donation is sign that FAMU is back on track, even as lawmakers look at slashing more than 2 billion dollars from the state budget.

“Because of the tremendous relationship we’ve had with Walgreen’s over the past decade we are now able to continue the momentum in the college of pharmacy despite of all of the cuts that are going on,” Ammons said.

More than 400 FAMU College of Pharmacy graduates work for Walgreen’s.

Governor Charlie Crist says his tracking polls show Amendment one right around 60 percent approval…which it needs to win. He calls it a challenge in the face of city and county officials who are on the campaign trail talking about what services will be cut if the tax cutting amendment is approved next Tuesday.  Mailers are on their way to many voters saying out of state property owners will benefit. Crist says he’s not paying attention to the other side, but focusing on his message.

“I don’t want to involve myself in the assertion so much. I mean, my concern is to get the truth out about what this will do for people. That essentially it will double their homestead exemption, that it will create portability, so they don’t feel trapped in their homes anymore. Save Our Homes will be preserved if they vote yes on one. The three percent cap that protects us right now and is so cherished by our fellow Floridians. This is a good thing. It’s not the end, we’re gonna keep going. And we need people to go out and vote, to cut their own property taxes. That’s my plea.

Amendment One is the first ballot initiative required to win by a 60 percent margin. The change was approved by voters in 2006.