Under the proposal, retailers could divert sales-tax payments to the system; middle-class families would qualify for partial scholarships; and each scholarship would cover more of the cost of attending a private school.
Florida
Grim Reaping: Gov. Rick Scott Now Florida’s Record Holder For Most 1st Term Executions
Juan Carlos Chavez’s execution last week was the 13th on Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s watch — a record among first-term Florida governors since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, and a record Scottt is smashing with yet more death warrants he is signing in his fourth year.
Florida Lawmakers Edging Toward Offering In-State Tuition for Some Undocumented Immigrants
A measure allowing some undocumented students to receive in-state tuition was easily approved Wednesday by a House subcommittee, but the bill still faces a steep climb in the Senate.
State Board of Education Approves Common Core Changes But Opposition Persists
The approval followed a raucous public hearing that seemed to indicate that passionate opposition to the benchmarks remains despite a concerted effort by Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Education to tamp down conservative anger over the standards.
Obamacare Enrollment Surging in Florida Despite Resistance from State Officials
By the end of January, nearly 300,000 Floridians had enrolled in a new health plan through Obamacare — a surge that left most other states in the dust, despite state officials’ opposition to the Affordable Care Act and the relative scarcity of helpers available.
Latest NRA Push: Let County Tax Collectors Issue Concealed-Weapons Permits
The Senate Agriculture Committee will consider a proposal that would allow county tax collectors to accept applications for concealed-weapon or firearms licenses. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services currently accepts the applications at regional locations, but supporters of the bill say it would address increasing demands. The proposal comes as lawmakers move forward with bills backed by the National Rifle Association. But it also comes as a verdict this weekend in a highly publicized Jacksonville shooting places renewed focus on Florida’s gun laws.
The Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochs’ Cash into Politics and Made Millions
Sean Noble was a former congressional aide just starting as a political consultant when he was recruited to help run the Kochtopus — Charles and David Koch’s multi-layered political network.
Busy Tallahassee as Red-Light Camera Ban, Pension Phase-Out and Pot Phase-In Animate Lawmakers
Lawmakers seemed to be drawing closer this week to giving a green light to a limited form of medical marijuana, while some of them complained that red-light cameras were spreading across the state like weeds.
Another Tax Cut for Business: Putnam Proposes Reducing Electricity Sales Levy By Half
By phasing in the reduction from 7 percent to 3.5 percent, the impact to state revenue should be a reduction of about $85 million the first year, and an additional $70 million in each of the two following years. Residential customers would see no tax cut.
State Employees Would Be Shifted to 401(k)-Like Plans, Ending Florida Retirement System for Almost All
The Senate proposal dramatically overhauling the pension plans for many future public employees sets off a highly anticipated election-year fight between unions and Republican legislative leaders. Only firefighters and cops would be allowed to stay in FRS.
5 Years After 7-year-old Gabriel Myers’s Suicide, Psychotropic Drugs Still Overprescribed in Foster Care
At the time, about 5 percent of all U.S. children were treated with psychotropic medications, but in Florida’s foster care system, 15.2 percent of children received at least one such medication. Of these, more than 16 percent were being medicated without the consent of a parent, guardian or judge. Not much has changed.
Stand Your Ground: Florida is Not My Castle. And It’s Not Yours, Either.
The right to stand one’s ground against aggression in one’s home is unquestioned, but, argues Julie Delegal, in public, spaces must be shared, peacefully. The castle doctrine cannot be extended to cover the entire state, as Florida’s Stand Your Ground law does.
State Study Skeptical of Red-Light Cameras’ Effectiveness Buoys Senator’s Push For Repeal
The report from theFlorida Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability found there were fewer fatalities but more crashes at electronically monitored intersections, and that fines issued due to the technology cost motorists nearly $119 million last year. The study cast doubt on cameras as safety-inducing devices.
ACLU May Challenge Elections Division Ruling Blocking UF Student Union as Voting Location
Democrats contend Gov. Rick Scott is “laying roadblocks to voting” because of a state Division of Elections opinion that the student union at the University of Florida can’t be used as an early voting location.
Russian Roulette: Gun Owners and Their Temperament
The decision to keep a gun handy makes you a bad risk—not only for insurance companies, but for those of us who feel we have a right to go to the movies, the mall, or sit in our own backyard without having to worry about a gun owner whose bursitis is acting up or who is simply having a bad day.
First Manatee Count in 3 Years Shows Healthier Number Despite 2013’s Record Deaths
Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported a preliminary count of 4,831 manatees in Florida during a statewide aerial survey conducted on Jan. 24 and Jan. 27. That’s the third-highest number of manatees recorded since such surveys began in 1991. No surveys were conducted in 2013 and 2012 because of unusually warm weather.
Florida Supreme Court Orders Review of Lethal Injection Cocktail Ahead of Feb. 26 Execution
Before the scheduled execution of inmate Paul Augustus Howell on Feb. 26, Justices have ordered a circuit court to hold an evidentiary hearing on whether substitution of the drug midazolam violates the constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment by the government.
NRA-Backed Bill Would End Zero-Tolerance Punishment of Students Play-Acting Guns at School
The NRA-backed measure by Florida House Judiciary Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, would prevent children from being disciplined for simulating a gun while playing or wearing clothes that depict firearms.
Florida Lawmakers Would Stiffen Penalties On Insurers Discriminating Against Gun Owners
Insurance companies could face tougher penalties if they impose higher rates, refuse to issue or cancel auto or homeowner policies due to gun ownership, under a measure backed by a House committee Tuesday.
Flagler’s Vacation Rental Reform Bill Advances Through 2 Committees, Buoying Chances
The proposed reform of a law that would return control of short-term rental regulations to counties and cities gained additional support at the Legislature Tuesday as it cleared a second Senate committee and its first House committee with solid backing.
FDLE Arrests Crime Lab Chemist Joseph Graves in Evidence-Theft Case Affecting 35 Counties
Former Pensacola crime laboratory chemist Joseph Graves was arrested Tuesday evening, three days after revealing that crime evidence at an FDLE crime lab may have compromised cases in up to 35 counties statewide. Flagler County is not among those counties.
With 132 Death Row Inmates Readied for Execution, Lawyers Contest Fast-Track Law Before Florida Justices
More than 150 lawyers and Death Row inmates are challenging the so-called Timely Justice Act, signed by Gov. Rick Scott in June, intended to speed up executions. Lawyers argue it violates the constitutionally protected separation of powers as well as inmates’ rights to due process.
Healthy Families and Other Children’s Programs Could Benefit From Scott’s Election-Year Budget
Scott’s proposed budget includes an additional $7 million for Healthy Families Florida, a program that reduces child abuse and neglect, and $3.6 million for Early Steps, which screens the youngest children for disabilities and delays, the better to catch them at the earliest and most correctable.
Judge J. Michael Traynor’s Alarming Equivalence Between an Attempted Murderer and His Victim
When Judge J. Michael Traynor sentenced Nathaniel Juratovac to four years in prison for the attempted murder of Flagler County firefighter Jared Parkey last week, the judge managed to blame both men for the violent incident that led them to the courtroom, a stunning and immoral leveling of blame in a state that too easily excuses gun violence.
Crist vs. Scott: A Study in Contrast Will Hinge On Who Will Make The Other Least Likeable
Crist has charm, charisma and a Bill Clintonesque-appeal. Scott couldn’t be more of a contrast. He appears awkward on camera and in person. But will Crist’s affability be enough to offset the $100 million Scott’s backers have pledged for the campaign, much of which will go to tear down Scott’s presumed challenger in the battle between two Florida chief executives?
Flagler Cases Not Among Those Affected By Extensive Drug-Evidence Theft at FDLE Crime Lab
A chemist who worked nearly 2,600 cases for 80 law enforcement agencies spanning 35 counties and 12 judicial circuits is on paid leave pending an investigation into pain-killer pills stolen from an FDLE evidence vault and replaced with over-the-counter drugs.
Florida GI Bill Seeks More ‘Military Friendly’ State, With Free Tuition For National Guardsmen
The hefty proposals include spending $14.5 million a year for an expansion of free tuition for members of the National Guard, would create a non-profit to market Florida to former members of the U.S. military. Also, they would upgrade state armories, ease professional licensing for veterans and offer a waiver for all honorably discharged veterans from having to pay out-of-state tuition charges at state colleges and universities.
Hillary Clinton Would Trounce Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and Rubio In Latest Florida Poll
The latest Quinnipiac poll shows Clinton beating Bush 49-43 and Rubio 51-41 in 2016, with no clear front-runner among Republicans, in contrast with Democrats, among whom Clinton is by far the front-runner. No Democrat or Republican in at least a generation has had as commanding a lead as Clinton so early in the process.
Charlie Crist Maintains Comfortable 46%-38% Lead Over Rick Scott in Latest Quinnipiac Poll
The poll indicates Crist has comfortable leads with closely watched groups such as independents and Hispanic voters. Also, it continues to show that voters have a generally negative view of Scott, with 54 percent of voters saying Scott does not deserve to be re-elected, while 38 percent saying he does.
Scott Proposes $74.2 Million Budget, Culminating Weeks of Tax-Cutting and Spending Pitches
The blueprint released Wednesday included at least two notable items: an increase in the exemption from the corporate income tax that would cost the state $21.6 million, and up to $70 million for land conservation efforts.
Florida Is Excluded From Congressional Fix of Voting Rights Act Supreme Court Nullified
Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, Congress is working to reinstate a similar provision that would require certain states to acquire federal “preclearance” for new voting laws. Unlike the provision enacted in 1965, though, Florida is no longer one of the state’s that would need oversight.
Scott Pitches Cut of Sales Tax on Rental Properties and $80 Million for Cancer Research
Scott will ask lawmakers to support a $100 million reduction in the commercial lease tax that now brings in about $1.4 billion a year, and $60 million to existing cancer centers as they seek National Cancer Institute designation.
FPL Posts Profits of $1.35 Billion in 2013, an 8.9% Increase Over 2012, as Rate Hikes Kick In
FPL serves virtually all residential and commercial customers in Flagler County. Late last year, the Florida Public Service Commission approved a 5 percent increase in FPL’s utility bills, and the company continues to charge customers for future nuclear power plant construction that may never take place.
Supreme Court Clears Medical Marijuana Pot Proposal; Floridians Vote On It November 4
In a significant victory for advocates of the initiative, a divided Florida Supreme Court on Monday ruled 4-3 that the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana passes legal muster and can now appear on the November election ballot, giving Floridians a direct say. Polls have shown a 3-to-1 majority of Floridians favoring legalization.
Scott Proposes Increasing Education Funding By $542 Million, Mostly For Public Schools
The bulk of the new spending — $542 million — would go to public schools. While that is far lower than the approximately $1 billion increases Scott sought in each of the last two years, his office touted the fact that it would bring spending on education to the highest level in state history in terms of raw dollars, though unadjusted for inflation.
Hendry County, With Highest Uninsured Rate in Florida, Sees Little Impact From Obamacare
Thirty-five percent of Hendry County’s 33,000 residents under 65 lack health insurance, but nearly a month after the health law’s expansion of coverage began, local health officials say little has changed for most uninsured residents.
Virulent Flu Season Aside, Potent RSV Bug Is Taking a Toll on Florida Children
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is serious and highly contagious. There’s no vaccination around to keep your little one from catching it. And its seasonal duration is longer in Florida than in any other state, stretching from mid-August to March.
Medical Marijuana Initiative Gets Needed Signature to Make November Ballot, Pending Court Clearance
With 710,508 validated signatures statewide in Florida— 27, 359 more than the required 683,149 — and reaching signature requirements in the bare minimum of 14 congressional districts, People United for Medical Marijuana beat a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting petitions to the state.
Crist Lead Over Scott Almost Erased in Latest Poll; Support for Gay Marriage and Pot Grows
The latest Public Policy Poll has Crist leading Scott by an insignificant 43 to 41 percent, well inside the 4 percent margin of error, as Scott’s attacks on Crist pay off. Also, 65 percent favor medical marijuana, and 47 percent said same-sex marriage should be allowed, with 44 percent opposed.
Fulfilling Pledge, Rep. Travis Hutson Files Animal Cruelty Bill Inspired By FPC Student
Animal abuse may cost abusers far more in penalties and punishment if a bi-partisan bill inspired by Flagler Palm Coast High School student Morgan Purtlebaugh and filed by Rep. Travis Hutson last week becomes law.
Florida Is 7th Worst State For Lax Highway Safety Laws, Including Teen Protection
Florida is “missing rear primary enforcement seat belt law, all-rider motorcycle helmet law, booster seat law, 4 of the 7 teen driving provisions, an ignition interlock law, and an all-driver text messaging restriction,” according to a new report.
Scott’s River of Green Swells as He Asks for $130 Million for Everglades and South Florida
The proposal comes a day after Scott announced he would recommend $55 million to restore and maintain the state’s natural springs, boosting money for the water bodies in Central and North Florida by $45 million from the current year.
State Plans to Rebrand Common Core to “Florida Standards,” But With Minor Changes
Stewart said the changes — which include 60 new standards, 37 clarifications and two deletions — and the inclusion of standards beyond the reach of Common Core, which only covers English and math courses, justifies the new name.
Six Gay Couples and Equality Florida File Lawsuit in State Court Seeking Freedom to Marry
The lawsuit argues that Florida’s laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the United States Constitution by denying them the legal protections and equal dignity that having the freedom to marry provides.
Obamacare’s Popularity Overwhelms Florida Blue as System Crashes, Costing Enrollees
Many who signed up and paid Florida Blue for their new plan between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 say the insurer has lost them in its computer system. Now, when they go to the doctor or try to get a prescription filled, they have to pay the bill themselves or cancel.
In Latest Re-Election Ploy, Scott Proposes 10-Day Sales Tax Holiday, Triple the Usual Length
Scott announced Friday he wants lawmakers to approve a 10-day sales tax holiday in August. The extended tax-free period is the latest of the budget proposals Scott has rolled out in advance of the 2014 legislative session.
Flagler a No-Show in Rep. Ron DeSantis’s Talk at Chamber’s “Think Flagler First” Event
Speaking before almost 100 people at a Chamber of Commerce lunch at Pine Lakes Country Club today, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, whose district includes all of Flagler, talked mostly critically about a series of national issues, but never touched on matters relating to Flagler County until a county commissioner elicited one general response about unemployment.
Stores May Host Tastings For Wine But Not Beer. Senate Bill Would Repeal Prohibition.
The Florida Senate Regulated Industries Committee on Thursday gave unanimous support to the bill (SB 470)–including the vote of Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine–but lawmakers, lobbyists and substance-abuse prevention advocates were quick to question the packaging of the proposal.
Florida’s Legislative Black Caucus To Gov. Rick Scott: Drop Dead
The Florida Legislative Black Caucus on Wednesday abruptly canceled its annual meeting with Gov. Rick Scott, a move the group said was meant to underscore its frustration with the governor.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera Is Florida’s First Latino Lt. Governor as He Fills an Office Vacant Almost a Year
Scott’s previous lieutenant governor, Jennifer Carroll, resigned early last year after getting caught up in a criminal investigation into a veteran’s charity that was tied to internet cafes hosting illegal gambling operations.