The Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday that undocumented immigrants cannot be admitted to The Florida Bar, calling on the Legislature to change state law to allow so-called “Dreamers” to become attorneys.
Florida
Life Without Parole for Juveniles: Florida Struggles to Comply With Supreme Court Ruling
Florida sentences more juveniles to life in prison without parole than any other state, but the pressure is on the Legislature this year to comply with restrictive U.S. Supreme Court rulings because without sentencing guidelines, the Florida judiciary is filling the gap one case at a time.
Speed Limit of 75 Advances Against AAA Opposition as House Panel Endorses Measure
The House Transportation & Highway Safety Subcommittee voted 13-1 to support the measure (HB 761), which would direct the state Department of Transportation to determine the safe minimum and maximum speed limits on all divided highways that have least four lanes.
With His Job in Mind, Gov. Scott Campaigns to “Keep Working” in State of the State Address
The half-hour speech, delivered before a joint meeting of the Legislature, plowed little to no new ground on the policies the governor will tout during the 60-day session that opened Tuesday. But Scott used the speech to connect his family’s financial troubles when he was young to his quest to bring more jobs to the state.
Angel’s Diner in Palatka: Radiant Relay
Angel’s Diner in Palatka is reported to be the oldest diner in Florida, across the street from the stately Larimer Arts Center and a toast’s throw from the St. Johns River. It’s also proving to be the ideal relay on the way to a nuking.
Moral Monday Comes to Florida as NAACP Leads Capitol Protest, and Right-Wingers Respond
“Moral Monday” included an array of left-leaning groups calling for lawmakers to expand Medicaid, stop the state’s voter purge and roll back the “stand your ground” self-defense law, while a right-wing group later held its own event to oppose expanding Medicaid and support overhauling the state’s pension system, cut taxes and expand school vouchers.
Gov. Scott’s Secret Travels, Boy Scout Bigotry Loses Disney, Here Come Hillary and Jeb: The Live Wire
Gov. Scott travels secretly on his private jet, claiming a dubious security exemption, the Boy Scouts deservedly lose Disney grants for insisting on remaining homophobes, a town in Nebraska enshrines anti-immigrant racism in its ordinances, Israel invites tourist target-practice against Palestinians, and a farewell to Paco de Lucia.
Enterprise Florida’s Version of Economic Development: Lavish Perks at Steakhouses, Hotels and Yankee Stadium
Enterprise Florida, The state’s economic development agency, is under fire again. This time, a recent report highlighted lavish spending by its staff, which prompted a watchdog group to ask the governor to launch an investigation.
From Child Protection to Early learning, Advocates Aim For More Serious Funding From 2014 Legislature
With Florida’s coffers filling again and state leaders focusing on child protection, advocates are hopeful the 2014 legislative session will bring both policy and funding gains for children’s services as high-profile issues include a massive crackdown on sexually violent predators and an overhaul of the child-welfare system.
Lock and Load: NRA-Willing, Florida Legislature Takes On Slew of New Gun Legislation
Bills dealing with toaster pastries and insurance policies are just two of more than a dozen gun-related measures lined up for the 2014 legislative session that starts Tuesday. As in previous years, many of them will go nowhere, especially if Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Association’s powerful Florida lobbyist, doesn’t like them.
Ten Issues to Watch as Florida’s Legislative Session Starts
Florida lawmakers will start the 2014 session Tuesday with a budget surplus and an eye on the November elections. But they still will have to address some tough questions before the session ends May 2. Among the questions: How can Florida better protect vulnerable children? Is it time to overhaul the state pension system? And should the state allow resort casinos to set up shop? Here are 10 issues to watch during the next two months.
Lawmaker Files Bill Favoring Trauma Centers Run by HCA, Gov. Scott’s Former Company
The proposal, opposed by numerous Florida hospitals, would help the HCA health-care chain keep trauma centers open and could short-circuit a debate about how the Florida Department of Health determines where new trauma centers should be allowed to open.
Convicted in Trooper’s Murder, Paul Howell Is Executed, Gov. Scott’s 15th
Howell was convicted in 1994 in the 1992 murder of Florida Highway Patrol trooper Jimmy Fulford in 1992 when a bomb Howell manufactured exploded in the trooper’s hands after a traffic stop.
A Matanzas High Teacher Reveals Her Evaluation Scores, and the Absurdity of Florida’s “VAM” Scam
What do my almighty “VAM” scores reveal about me, my students, the quality of my instruction or what goes on in my classroom? Absolutely nothing, writes JoAnn Nahirny, who deconstructs Florida’s new teacher-evaluation scores, hers among them, and shows why they have little basis in reality, though they may well define a teacher’s fate.
Senate President Says No to More Authority and Prescription Power For Nurse Practitioners
A House bill would give advanced-practice nurses more authority, including prescribing of controlled substances, and set up a pathway to independent practice, not supervised by physicians. But Senate President Don Gaetz opposes it.
Florida Lawmakers Reeling Up Billion-Dollar Tax Breaks For Film and TV Industries
Less than a week after a measure was introduced in the House to provide $1 billion in tax credit to film and television production efforts in Florida, the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee released a proposal that offers $300 million in tax credits.
Politicians’ Pot Dilemma: Whether To Inhale Florida’s Medical Marijuana Joint
The elevation of medical marijuana to a theological level is not unique to Florida. Many legislators from Georgia to Kentucky to Iowa have invoked conversations with God as they came to embrace medical pot.
Bitter Criticism and Some Caution from Flagler School Officials on State’s Teacher Rankings
The Flagler and Florida Education Association, the state’s teachers union, is criticizing the state’s so-called “value-added model” that presumes to rate teachers’ effectiveness, calling the data “flawed.” Many teachers and a Flagler County School Board member are also critical of the data, but for varying reasons, while Flagler’s superintendent cautions against making too much of the numbers.
Forget Vegas: Florida Senate Wants
You to Gamble in State’s Backyards
The Florida Senate has released an ambitious gambling proposal that would authorize two Las Vegas-style casinos in South Florida, create a gambling commission and allow voters to decide if they want to control future gambling expansions.
State Pensions, Tuition for Immigrants and Common Core Revisionism: Tallahassee Week in Review
Before lawmakers returned to their districts for the last week before the 2014 legislative session begins, they capped off a week of discussions about living arrangements and homecomings.
Memo to Florida Legislature: Quit Bashing Public-Employee Pensions
A determined cohort of elected officials in our Legislature is trying to turn working and retired people against each other, to better the odds of a dangerous bill becoming destructive law. If ever there were a legislative wolf disguised in sheep’s clothing of “fiscal responsibility,” this would be that perpetually hungry beast, argues Daniel Tilson.
“Massive Expansion” of School Vouchers Would Fund Private Education at Public Expense
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.
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.