Gov. Rick Scott called the corporate tax break “a huge victory” for Floridians that would help businesses create more jobs, though there is little evidence that such tax breaks spur job creation, and some evidence that the tax breaks are closer to corporate welfare.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Scott’s Prison Privatization Scheme Dies
In a rebuke to Gov. Rick Scott, a bipartisan coalition of senators bucked the chamber’s Republican leadership Tuesday and rejected a proposal to privatize several prisons on a 19-21 vote.
Burden To Prove Medical Malpractice Gets Heavier, But ER Doctors Get No Immunity
Florida lawmakers are making it more difficult for lawyers to prove medical malpractice in broad gains against lawsuits for health care providers, but a proposal to make ER doctors immune to lawsuits was dropped.
Clapping Palm Coast’s Tony Capela, Santorum on Steroids, Dustin Hoffman on Sex: The Live Wire
The News-Journal finally makes good on its story on Tony Capela’s Russell Crowe impersonations in Palm Coast’s street department, Special Forces and Rick Santorum want to go rogue, culture wars return, and more.
Rick Santorum: Facts, Legends and Phobias
Rick Santorum’s win in Iowa and his three wins in Missouri, Colorado and Minnesota have vaulted him from obscurity to presidential contender. So who is this darling of the evangelical movement?
“He Looks Like He Just Came Out of Auschwitz,” But DCF Blames the Child Anyway
Florida’s Department of Children and Families rewards workers who stage photo-ops and punishes workers more interested in “getting it right” than “getting it done.” Corners will continue to be cut and children will continue to pay the price, argues Florence Snyder.
The Pill, the President, the Policy: a Primer
The Obama administration is revising contraceptive-pill insurance regulations so that religious-affiliated groups don’t have to pay for the coverage. A primer on the controversy and the policy.
Lady Liberty at Flagler Palm Coast High School: When Veterans Get Patriotism All Wrong
Veterans complained to the Flagler County School Board that student portrayals of Lady Liberty they say at FPC “desecrated” her and the flag and should be removed. The veterans were wrong, and were themselves desecrating American values.
Ice Cream Truck 1, Jane Mealy 0: Mobile Vendor Restrictions Fail in Flagler Beach
A proposed ordinance to restrict mobile vendors and favored by Commissioner Mealy had no support and was tabled indefinitely as a popular rally on behalf of an ice cream truck owner Sandy Kinney proved successful.
Florida House Approves $69.2 Billion Budget Heavy on Cuts on 79-38, Party-Line Vote
The $69.2 billion budget plows an addition $1 billion to education, but slashes other services to plug a nearly $2 billion shortfall, such as lowering the age at which the state ends a subsidy for former foster children from 23 to 21.
Flagler Loses John Mica; Costello and Miller Vie to Replace Him; Beaven Is Undecided
Republican John Mica is opting to battle against Sandy Adams in another congressional district, opening the way for what’s likely to be a contested race for Flagler’s new Congressional District 6.
K-12 Education Would Get a $1.2 Billion Boost, Higher Ed Would Be Slashed By $400 Million
The proposed increase–and higher ed decrease–comes as Gov. Scott has vowed to veto any budget that does not significantly increase education spending, even though lawmakers are trying to close a nearly $2 billion shortfall without raising taxes.
Public Censure and $5,000 Fine Sought Against Ex-Juvenile Justice Secretary Frank Peterman
A round-up of 32 cases brought before the Florida Commission on Ethics, including a $5,000 penalty against Frank Peterman, former secretary of the Florida Department of Justice, and probable cause findings against former Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman.
Bill Requiring Property Tax Revenue to Pay For Charter School Construction Advances
Supporters say the measure creates more parity between charter schools and other public schools. Opponents slammed the measure as corporate welfare that would provide tax dollars to the private operators of charter schools — despite the fact that supporters of charter legislation said years ago that they would not ask for capital outlay dollars.
Sheriff Embroiled in Questionable Calls, Complicating Case of Walker’s Death; Suit Filed
As the investigation continues in the death of Francoise Pequeur, 76, after she was struck by the card driven by School Board member John Fischer’s wife, Sheriff Don Fleming is finding himself in a thorny situation after exchanging six calls with John Fischer.
In a Break, College Presidents Draw a Line Against Universities Over Tuition Increases
Breaking with their counterparts at the state’s universities, presidents at a handful of Florida colleges urged lawmakers to be cautious about any moves that could push tuition upward again.
Fox’s Islamist Gene, 9/11 Conspiracies, Planned Parenthood Reborn: The Live Wire
What Fox News’s right-wingers have in common with Sharia-loving Islamists, stem-cell hype, 10 best Super Bowl ads, deadly sugar substitutes, the war on Planned Parenthood, and more.
English-Only Laws: The Hispanic Poll Tax
The court-ordered testing of a Hispanic political candidate’s English-language skills is reminiscent of the “literacy tests” once used by southern whites to prevent black Americans from voting and gaining political power.
Florida’s Casino Bill “Dead for This Year”
A controversial bill to allow mega-resort casinos in Florida appears dead this year, after the House sponsor scrapped a vote Friday by a subcommittee that likely would have rejected the idea.
Mission Stumbles: How Fannie and Freddie Put Homeowners and Taxpayers at Odds
Here’s a primer on Fannie and Freddie’s role in the housing market, why their actions often go against the interests of homeowners and are even at odds with their own mission, and what to expect from here on.
Komen and the Smear on Planned Parenthood: Swiftboating Tactics From Abortion Zealots
The Susan J. Komen foundation had a choice with Planned Parenthood: Stick with rational neutrality or surrender to the political contamination of reactionaries’ echo chambers and the bogus war on abortion. Komen surrendered. The war on cancer–the only war worth fighting–and women will suffer.
US Economy Adds 243,000 Jobs in January, Unemployment Rate Falls to 8.3%
The economy’s recovery continued to solidify as employers added 243,000 jobs in January, the third-best total in three years, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent.
Florida Senate Approves School Prayer Bill, 31-8
The school prayer bill’s approval overrides objections of senators who said the measure will lead to prayers at school events that students can’t get out of, including possibly in classes, and that some students will have to listen to prayers or risk being ostracized because they come from a different religious tradition.
Shifting More Burden To Students, Lawmakers OK 15% Tuition Hike at Florida Universities
The Florida House approved an 8 percent increase and each state university is allowed to add an additional 7 percent, as universities have for the past several years. Gov. Rick Scott is opposed to the tuition hike.
Whether It’s Romney or Obama, Democracy Is Losing Big
No wonder so many people don’t see the point in voting. While the rest of us play one man, one vote in democracy’s delusional sandbox, a bunch of donors who add up to a cocktail party’s guest list are sealing the campaign’s fate.
Bunnell Takes Tallahassee; Bill to Ban Internet Cafes Clears Florida House Committee: The Live Wire
4:35 p.m.Bunnell’s Daisy Henry turns ambassador at League of Cities; the proposed ban on internet cafes cleared the House Economic Affairs Committee 12-6 Wednesday. Opponents of the bill call it a job killer, but proponents look to curb a proliferation of low-stakes gambling halls. Also, Fox Business takes on the Muppets, and they snark back; St. Johns County schools, best in the state, face a $9 million deficit, when adolescent girls need exorcism, and the bogus supremacy of Stradivarius violins.
U.S. Citizen, Floridian, But Denied In-State Tuition Over Parents’ Status: Senate Kills Fix
A measure that would grant in-state tuition to Florida high school students who are U.S. citizens but whose parents are in the country illegally was voted down Tuesday by a Senate committee.
For Flagler’s Republican Leaders, Romney-Gingrich Anxieties Frame an Unenthused GOP
Nearly a dozen prominent Flagler County Republicans spoke of their choices or hesitance in the Florida primary and beyond, illustrating a lack of excitement in the GOP, and nervous predictions about November.
Florida Small-Government GOP to Food Stamp Recipients: No Pretzels, Pastries or Cupcakes
The list of foods proposed law would prohibit food stamp recipients from buying is much longer, drawing opposition that may convince its sponsor to moderate some of the restrictions. No state dollars are at stake, though food retailers health is.
House Close to Approving Redistricting Maps as Coalition Charges “One-Party State”
The maps the House panels approved would change Flagler’s place in the congressional district, which would no longer include portions of Orange County, where John Mica is based. If Flagler loses Mica, it would mean losing Mica’s seniority and the benefits of his chairmanship of the powerful House Transportation Committee.
Deaf District as Flagler Students Are Cheated Out of Dozens of Hours of Test Preparation
As high schools prepare students for the FCAT writing test in a few weeks and end-of course exams in May, Matanzas High School’s Jo Ann Nahirny explains how the district’s abbreviated schedule is hurting student preparation and will likely hurt results. Yet administrators seem deaf to alternatives.
The Live Profile:
Who The Hell Is Saul Alinsky?
Saul Alinsky: a profile of the author of “Rules for Radicals,” dead since 1972, whom Newt Gingrich names as the reason to oppose Barack Obama. But the Saul Alinsky Gingrich creates never existed. The invention is more revealing of Gingrich than it is of Alinsky. A corrective to both.
Florida’s Disgraceful New Limits on Voting
The upcoming election is about to be stolen – or, at the very least, rigged – and thousands of your neighbors and, in some cases, your children, are about to be disenfranchised, argues Martin Merzer.
House Releases $69.2 Billion Budget, Including 9.5% Increase in Pre-K-12 Funding
House budget builders on Friday released their $69.2 billion spending blueprint that includes more than $1 billion in additional funding for K-12 education and more than $2.5 billion in reserves.
Gingrich Momentum in Florida Has Vanished, Romney Win Expected
4:36 p.m….Flip-flop again: the Gingrich lead in Florida was short-lived and, as it turns out, not so sweet. Romney is back ahead, comfortably, and expecting a solid win on Tuesday. In a rare victory for the 4th Amendment, the US Supreme Court rules unanimously against police “intrusion” by way of GPS tracking, when it’s physically tacked onto private property, including vehicles on public roads.
Bloodied Candidates Stumble Toward Florida Finish as Gingrich Wilts and Romney Adjusts
Newt Gingrich was under fire from all sides at the 19th GOP primary debate in Jacksonville Thursday, looking weaker and less sure-footed than he had in South Carolina, and ceding the advantage to Mitt Romney ahead of Tuesday’s vote in Florida.
Florida’s Plan to Privatize 30 Prisons Fast-Tracks to the Dismay of Guards and Others
A legislative proposal to privatize about 30 prisons in most of the southern part of Florida is headed for the Senate floor after a vote in the Budget Committee that angered prison guards who feel they’re not being heard.
Alzheimer’s Disease Research:
Florida’s Inexcusable Indifference to Funding
Florida, the state with the largest per-capita population over age 65, invests zero dollars in Alzheimer’s research, though one in 40 Floridian has the disease–and half do over age 85. Nancy Smith argues the indifference is short-sighted on many levels.
Gingrich Surge Wipes Out Romney Advantage in Florida While Improving Obama’s Numbers
The latest Quinnipiac polls have Gingrich tied with Romney ion Florida, but losing badly to Obama in a head-to-head race, while Romney’s slight advantage over Obama two weeks ago has also vanished.
Full Text of Proposed Uniform Policy for Flagler County Schools
The full text of the proposed “uniform dress code” policy the Flagler County School board agreed to on Jan. 25, and is scheduled to vote on adopting, at its Jan. 31 meeting.
Roe Back: Florida Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks and Require 24-Hr Waiting Periods
A Republican-dominated House subcommittee approved three anti-abortion bills in party-line votes Tuesday, after testimony and debate that reflected the country’s deep divide over abortion.
In Another Move To Charters, Florida Would Give Parents More Say Over Failing Schools
Parents of children in chronically failing schools would get greater power to force the schools to change, including the possibility they could make the school into a charter school or contract its management out, under a Jeb Bush-inspired bill that advanced Tuesday in the Florida House.
The Live Poll:
Gingrich, Paul, Romney, Santorum?
We believe in open primaries, so cast your vote, whatever your party affiliation, for the four contenders in the GOP presidential primary.
Don’t Ban Internet Cafés. Regulate Them.
Internet cafés may be a pest, and their proponents make laughable arguments when they claim they’re not about gambling. But it’s not government’s business to ban them while swinging from the lottery’s levers. Regulation is the key.
Florida Virtual School Students’ AP Results Beat Brick and Mortar Peers’, at Less Cost
Online students at Florida Virtual School, the state’s virtual extension of the public school system, outperformed their traditional-school peers on Advanced Placement tests in 2011 for $2,159 less per student.
Co-Pay Interruptus: Catholic Bishops Will Sue Feds Over Contraception and Insurance Rules
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is promising a legal challenge to federal rules requiring health insurers to provide women with a range of preventive health services, including birth control, without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or deductible.
Florida Redistricting: More Transparent Than Fair
Floridians truly have a meaningful voice in the actions taken by the Florida Senate? Paula Dockery, in her last term as a Republican Senator, thinks not, particularly when it comes to redistricting.
Jacques Brel, Alive and Well and Living At Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre
Starting Friday, the City Repertory Theatre will stage six performances of “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” the Eric Blau and Mort Schuman revue of the great Belgian troubadour, under the direction of John Sbordone.
When Profit-Raking Disney and the Daytona Speedway Beg Florida for Corporate Welfare
Disney is asking the state for an array of tax breaks that could cost Floridians as much as $100 million over 20 years. International Speedway Corp., owner of Daytona International Speedway, is in on the deal.
Live Wire: Newt Gingrich, Open Marriage Man
Newt Gingrich’s second ex-wife says he lacks the moral character to be president and describes how he wanted a wife and a mistress. Scott opposes Internet cafes; Wikipedia and other big websites go dark to protest the invasive Stop Online Piracy Act, states look to online gambling to plug their deficits, Diego Rivera ignites the Museum of Modern Art, a short history of atheism, and more.