Impersonators of DCF investigators have the Sheriff’s offices in Santa Rosa and Bay counties on the look-out, and the Florida Department of Children and Families warning parents against engaging with individuals lacking proper credentials from DCF.
Florida
Florida Lawmaker Proposes Broader GPS Tracking of Juvenile Offenders
Florida’s Juvenile Justice system eliminated its ankle-monitoring system in 2004. GPS tracking would be cheaper, but also possibly more pervasive, and paid for out of local dollars set aside for various court initiatives.
Federal Judge Calls Florida’s Drug-Testing Of Welfare Recipients Unconstitutional
Judge Mary Scriven called Florida’s requirement that welfare recipients be drug-tested a violation of 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable searches, and dismissed claims that the law would save money.
Nuclear Socialism: FPL and Progress Energy Get $282 Million Rate Hike
Though FPL’s and Progress Energy’s nuclear plants may never be built, the Public Service Commission is set to approve billing utility customers now for those future costs.
Transformers: Public Schools Want to Be More Like Charter Schools
Florida public schools, envious of the flexibility enjoyed by charter schools–and fearing a migration to charters–are launching a lobbying campaign in the legislature to relax some public school regulations like class size and school hours.
Unemployment Largely Stalled: 14.6% in Flagler, 10.6% in Florida; Scott in Brazil
With Florida Gov. Rick Scott touting a recovery from a trip in Brazil with 180 politicians, pals and business interests, Florida’s and Flagler’s unemployment numbers remained more static, 20 percent of Floridians either out of work or under-employed.
Class-Action Lawsuit Calls Florida’s In-State College Tuition Restrictions Unconstitutional
American citizens who’ve lived in Florida for years and have all the documents to prove it are denied in-state tuition rights the moment they can’t prove that their parents are lawful Florida residents–an unconstitutional form of discrimination against citizens, the Southern Poverty Law Center charges in the lawsuit.
A Florida Bank’s Rise and Fall Spotlights Fast-and-Loose Culture Plaguing the Economy
The rise and fall of U.S. Century, whose leaders used it as their own corporate ATM, exemplifies the failure to regulate banking during the boom years and the slipshod approach to the bailout. Losers are taxpayers and Florida residents grappling with ill effects of sprawl.
Get Ready for a Thunderous Afternoon and Evening, with Possible “Isolated Tornadoes”
Get those weather radios, flashlights and emergency kits checked. Heavy, drenching, noisy storms with tropical postmarks are on their way to Flagler, with heaviest downpours between 3 and 11 p.m.
Florida Unions Looking to Reward Moderate Republicans for Support–and Influence
Following a brutal legislative session that brought them to the brink, Florida’s public employee unions are shifting strategy and rewarding moderate Republicans in hopes of re-amplifying their diminished influence in Tallahassee.
Flagler’s State Lawmakers Lend an Ear to Local Pleas in Annual Wish-Listing Ritual
Gambling regulations, state dollars for Flagler’s roads, warnings against the unintended consequences of state budget cuts and numerous more local concerns busied the nearly two-hour meeting between Flagler’s state lawmakers and local politicians, organizations and citizens.
Gov. Scott Proposes Corporate Tax Cuts Even As Florida Faces a Deficit of Up to $2 Billion
Gov. Rick Scott wants to double the corporate income tax exemption to $50,000 and eliminate the tangible tax for half of the state’s 300,000 businesses that now pay it. It’s part of his plan to eliminate all corporate taxes ins even years.
Hans Tanzler III is Scaled Back St. Johns Water Management District’s New Director
Hans Tanzler’s tenure will dovetail with Gov. Rick Scott’s directive to make the district a friend rather than a regulator of big water users and applicants, such as utilities, developers and large landowners.
Universities Defend Against Rick Scott’s Primitive War on Anthropologists
Not wanting tax dollars spent educating anthropologists, Rick Scott appeared unaware that the science is among the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) he himself is emphasizing to add jobs in Florida.
Bleak and Bleaker: State Revenue to Fall Another $2.5 Billion Over the Next 2 Years
The Legislature’s revenue estimating economists today announced a shortfall of about $1 billion for the coming year and $1.5 billion the following year. Rick Scott continues to rule out tax increases.
Rubio’s Rig: Florida’s Answer to Obama Health Law Leaving Small Businesses Cold
Florida’s Marco Rubio-created insurance exchanges aren’t open to individuals, provide no subsidies or tax credits, and no essential health benefits, as federal plans do. The exchanges have not been popular.
Florida Is No. 1–In Costs and Effects of Hunger
In the past 3 years, costs related to hunger rose 62 percent in Florida. In 2010, the state’s hunger bill was $11.7 billion, or six times more than the $1.75 billion in budget cuts Gov. Rick Scott proposed for public schools.
Occupy Jacksonville: Video and Reports of Saturday’s Occupy Wall Street-Inspired Protest
Occupy Jacksonville at hemming Plaza Saturday drew between 200 and 300 people, including participants from Palm Coast and Flagler County. Video of the protest, updates and pictures.
Florida Lawmakers Gloomily Expect $2 Billion Shortfall: The State Week in Review
As Florida Legislature budget committees met this week, gloom set in again. Medicaid costs are rising, schools need to find money, tax revenues are lagging. Gambling-industry lobbyists had a better week.
Gambling Florida: Court Says Legislature May Expand Slot Machines Around the State
In a ruling that may open the way for gambling in Florida resorts, the first District Court of Appeal said it’s up to lawmakers to decide where they allow casinos. Companies are pushing hard for the expansion of slot-machine resorts.
Occupy Wall Street Protests Spreading to Florida–Jacksonville, Gainesville and Ocala
Occupy Wall Street, the tea party’s growing flip-side movement, is organizing a series of protests across the nation and in a half dozen cities in Florida, from Jacksonville to Miami to Tampa.
Bogus Students, Fake Curriculums, Ghost Schools: Florida’s Voucher Fraud Is Probed
Florida House members grilled a Department of Education official Tuesday over reports of rampant fraud and lax oversight of private schools that receive state funds through a voucher program for students with disabilities.
School Construction Money Slashed By $267 Million; Charters and Universities Affected
Traditional public schools in Flagler County no longer receive Public Education Capital Outlay dollars, which now go to charter schools, including Imagine School at Town Center. Imagine is again applying for PECO dollars.
Report Shows How Far Florida and Other States Are Scuttling Voting Rights and Turnout
Reductions in early voting days, ending voting-day address changes for registered voters, clamping down on registration drives and other new rules could make it harder for 5 million people to vote in 2012, which may be just what GOP-led legislatures passing those laws aimed for.
This Week in Flagler and Tallahassee: Arts Galore, Taser Time and Creekside
The Flagler school board is set to approve Tasers on campus, the county commission talks sustainable farming, Palm Coast revisits the Palm Coast Park DRI (a major planned development) and three galleries have show openings Friday and Saturday.
Florida’s Plan to Privatize 29 Prisons Halted As Judge Rules Process Unconstitutional
Leon County Curcuit Judge Jackie Fulford ruled that lawmakers violated the Florida Constitution by approving prison privatization in the fine print of the state budget rather than by changing the law explicitly.
Guns, Teen Abortions, Sexting and Bestial Misdemeanors: 29 New Florida Laws Kick In
A slew of new laws go in effect Saturday, including the NRA-inspired restriction on local governments’ gun regulations, making it a crime to have sex with animals, reducing credit card fraud and reducing teens’ abortion rights.
Florida Aiming for Jan. 31 Presidential Primary, Setting Up State vs. National GOP Clash
State Republicans seemed headed for a showdown with the national party over the date for Florida’s GOP presidential preference primary, which breaks the Republican National Committee’s calendar rules by more than a month.
Two Crashes a Day on Flagler Roads: DMV’s Annual Report Adds Up Grim Miles
In Flagler, there were 716 crashes in 2010, about two crashes a day, 11 percent of them involving alcohol. There were a total of 23 fatalities on Flagler roads, up from 16 in 2009 and 2007. A complete report of local and state crashes.
Claude Kirk, Florida’s First 20th Century Republican Governor, Is Dead at 85
Gov. Claude Kirk–flamboyant, outspoken, quirky–gave rise to Florida’s Republican ascendance and ushered in an era of environmental stewardship and conservation as governor between 1966 and 1970.
Much Slimmer Water Management District Approves Lower Tax Rate Imposed From Above
The St. Johns River Water Management District’s 26 percent tax reduction resulted in lay-offs of 95 people and the elimination of more jobs through buyouts and vacancies, affecting various parts of the district’s mission.
Herman Cain? Seriously? He Wins Florida Straw Poll, Upending GOP Race
Herman Cain, a pizza magnate seen as a minor candidate in a crowded field for the GOP nomination, scored an upset victory Saturday in the Republican Party of Florida’s Presidency 5 straw poll, raising questions about the standing of the two front-runners and the bellwether status of the fundraising event.
Don’t Mess With Florida: Lawmakers Leery Of Texas-Like Assembly-Line Higher Ed
Florida Senators are willing to listen to Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal to adopt the Texas model of higher education, but they don’t like students treated as customers on a university assembly line.
Audrey Gibson Wins Special Senate Election for Tony Hill’s Seat
Audry Gibson, the former Florida House member, took 62 percent of the vote in the special election. The district includes a sliver of voters in Flagler County.
After Two Months of Charm Assaults, Gov. Rick Scott’s Approval Still a Freezing 37
The latest Quinnipiac Poll has Rick Scott improving by just two points but remaining one of America’s least popular governors as unemployment in Florida persists well above the national average.
Spank On: Florida Court Says One Smack Isn’t Child Abuse, But No Limit Set
An appeal court ruled that the spanking of a 14-year-old girl by her father did not amount to domestic violence because the disciplining was applied in a “reasonable manner.”
Following 10-Year-Old Nubia Barahona’s Murder, DCF Seeks More State Support
The Department of Children and Families is seeking $15.8 million to strengthen its investigative abilities, and hoping to shift millions more into the child-protection program to add investigators and case workers.
Stalled: Unemployment Remains at 10.7% in Florida, Ticks Up to 14.9% in Flagler
As in the rest of the nation, job creation in Florida and Flagler is close to a standstill, with just 9,900 jobs created in July, leaving almost 1 million Floridians out of work.
Florida Teachers Union Sues the State
Over Merit Pay, Calling It Unconstitutional
The Florida Education Association says tying the state’s merit pay provision to standardized tests is unlawful because it violates collective-bargaining rights embedded in the constitution.
Incomes at Their Worst Since 1996, Poverty At a 52-Year High, Inequality Deepening
Florida’s poverty rate rose to the highest level in 16 years, with 3 million residents—one in six—living under the poverty line in 2010. Nationally, most economic and health insurance indicators are worsening to historic levels.
Dim Futures: Florida’s Student-Loan Default Rate Rises to 10 Highest in the Nation
Students are defaulting on loans at higher rates, especially in Florida, because of a lousy job market, higher interest rates, and a rise in for-profit colleges that typically charge more than public colleges.
As Florida Teachers’ Salaries Stagnate or Fall, Superintendent Pay Is Rising
In nine Florida school districts, superintendent salaries increased by 5 percent or more in the last four years. It had gone up 3 percent in Flagler before this year’s pay cut, making it a wash.
Judge Throws Out Challenge to Fair District Amendment, Panicking Motley Incumbents
Federal District Judge Ursula Ungaro rejected the argument that the anti-gerrymandering amendment allows voters to meddle in legislative redistricting. Weird alliances between incumbent Democrats and Republicans have formed to keep fighting the voter-approved amendment.
When Cops Track Your Cell Calls and Location On Public Roads: No Expectation of Privacy
Florida’s 4th District Court of Appeals Wednesday ruled that tracking a drug dealer through his cell phone as he traveled across the state was legal as long as he did not go onto private property.
Federal Suit Filed Against Florida Law Requiring Drug Tests of Welfare Recipients
The new law requires recipients of temporary cash assistance to pay $35 to $45 for a drug test first. The ACLU charges the law stigmatizes low-income people and amounts to a suspicionless search.
Mandatory Virtual Classes for High School Students Bugging Cash-Strapped Districts
A new state law that requires Florida high school students to take a class online is causing cash-strapped school districts to spend millions on new computers and exacerbating the digital divide.
Snooping Security: “If You See Something, Say Something” Campaign Comes to Florida
Gov. Rick Scott is welcoming the “If You See Something, Say Something Campaign,” which encourages callers to use a statewide toll-free telephone number to report suspicious activity. The program raises spying, profiling and other civil liberties concerns.
Texas-Size Holes in Gov. Rick Scott’s Boast Of Florida Job Creation as 2nd to Texas
Rick Scott called the rest of the nation’s job numbers “pathetic” compared to Florida’s, yet Florida ranks near the bottom in the nation on Gallup’s index of job creation, while its 70,000 new jobs in the past year proportionally rank the state below the national average.
Banning Near-Shore Oil Drilling for Good in Florida: Proposed Constitutional Amendment Is Filed
The proposed amendment, filed Tuesday by Sen. Arthenia Joyner, matches a House version filed earlier this year by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg. It would ask voters to put into the constitution a ban on exploration, drilling, extraction or production of oil in Florida waters.
Despite Raises, Average Teacher Pay Is Eroding Significantly in Flagler and Florida
Average teacher pay at the end of last year in Flagler was $48,067. Adjusted for inflation, it represents an 8.5 percent decline compared with pay in 2006. Take-home pay declined further this fall.