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Note to Readers
Posts resume tomorrow.
"Political Black Hole" ...
in central Florida:Even as the leading contenders to succeed Gov. Jeb Bush began to crisscross the state earlier this year, Orlando remained something of a political black hole.
Though long considered a pivotal swing region, Central Florida also is the political base of Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings. She represented the community in the Florida Legislature for 24 years and was expected to command a loyal army of local supporters in her own campaign for governor.
Jennings, a Republican, has yet to rule out running for Florida's top job next year. But allies are convinced she will not be a candidate, putting the vote-rich region that Jennings calls home up for grabs.
And now each of the four remaining major candidates, none of whom has any significant ties to the area, is scrambling to establish a foothold. "Governor's race draws 4 to region seeking cash, votes".
Navarro
"Florida Democrats are trailing Republicans in fundraising, but their executive director sees many reasons for optimism." "Will new chief be savior or fall guy?"
"Jeb!" Shortchanges Public Schools
From our "education governor":When Gov. Bush senses a threat to the education budget, he rushes to counter it — as long as the threat is to the education budget of voucher schools. For the public schools that serve most of Florida's children, Gov. Bush often is the threat to the education budget. ...
As The Post reported Nov. 16, the governor's office secretly has developed a plan to skirt such a ruling by switching the way the state pays for vouchers that go to disabled students. Rather than take the money directly from the treasury, the state would give corporations that contributed to a private voucher fund a dollar-for-dollar tax break. Whether the courts would let the state get away with such a flimsy technicality is unknown.
In fact, so-called corporate vouchers already use the tax-break dodge. The Post has reported regularly on abuses that riddle the system, which has almost no financial or academic oversight. An Ocala businessman was convicted of taking nearly $270,000 in corporate voucher money while providing vouchers to zero students. The governor's office has resisted meaningful reform and now is plotting to set up a similarly unaccountable system for another voucher program. We say "plotting" because Gov. Bush's top education aide, Patricia Levesque, for two weeks denied that there was a plan to get around a court ruling.
Compare the governor's convoluted efforts to protect private voucher schools with his willingness to shortchange regular public schools. The state's share of the education budget has fallen, with local taxpayers forced to kick in more. Even though voters in 2002 approved a class-size amendment that required the state to pay to lower the number of students in each class, Gov. Bush and the Legislature instead have shifted money from other programs, which has led districts to cut or crowd electives and cut aides in the classroom. "Help the public schools, not the voucher schools".
Let's Not Forget ...
that Florida's own Mario Diaz-Balart joined fellow GOoPer chickenhawk Jean Schmidt of Ohio in insulting decorated former Marine Democratic Rep. John Murtha:Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Miami Republican, called Murtha a "good patriot" before labeling him "a tool of left-wing fringe groups" whose statements "only embolden our enemies and weaken morale." "Harsh debate on Iraq hitting home" ("Florida members wondered if the institution can handle the issue").
Mike Fasano In Action
Okay, Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, is not one of Florida's brighter lights:The proposal before the Legislature is so rich in shameless violations, both ethical and constitutional, that it's difficult not to think of it as a computer glitch -- say, a bill from the Afghan assembly that somehow got e-mailed into Tallahassee's servers.
But no. Fasano's proposal is all too real. Consider the source. This is the senator who flag-waved a law through the Legislature last year requiring all publicly funded classrooms to display a big American flag, and the senator who's trying to make a lack of patriotism in public schools an offense: His other proposal before the Legislature this fall is a constitutional amendment to make the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance mandatory. He seems not to grasp the contradiction in a proposal making the honoring of freedom a mandatory act.
When civil liberties are of little concern, anything goes. "Offensive shame" ("No to license-plate branding of drunken drivers").
Dream On
"Of course, charging Florida customers for Citizens shortfalls wouldn't be necessary if the Legislature were to act responsibly." "Insurance".
Could It Possibly Be ...
that the whims of developers override the safety of Florida residents?Florida's Department of Community Affairs failed to live up to its responsibility when it approved Homestead's plans to build 2,600 more homes smack in the evacuation path of the Florida Keys and South Miami-Dade County, despite serious objections by regional planners. Overbuilding at the southern tip of Florida spells disaster for residents who may have to flee from a killer hurricane via inadequate roads. "Make South Florida evacuation a priority".
Talk Politics
today over at FLA Politics.
New Q Poll Results
After nearly four years of all "Jeb!" all the time, Florida voters thing he is well ... a big 'nuthin:Things in Florida got better since Bush became Governor, 31 percent of voters say, while 22 percent say they got worse and 39 percent say they stayed the same.
Since Bush became Governor:
- Education got better, 29 percent of Florida voters say, while 27 percent say it got worse and 34 percent say it stayed the same;
- The economy got better, 30 percent of voters say, while 28 percent say it got worse and 36 percent say it stayed the same;
- The tax situation got better, 9 percent of voters say, as 33 percent say it got worse and 52 percent say it stayed the same. ... And so sad about big brother:Florida voters disapprove 61 – 37 percent of the job President George W. Bush is doing. "Little change in Florida on Gov. Bush's watch, voters tell Quinnipiac poll; President Bush was little or no help to the state" Complete Poll Results ("From November 8 - 13, Quinnipiac University surveyed 855 Florida registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points").Bush has boasted of cutting taxes by $14-billion, but apparently most people living in Florida didn't get the memo. Either that, or they are too busy coping with rising property tax bills, homeowners' and health insurance bills, utility bills, gas prices, etc.
The poll said that only 9 percent of voters believe the tax situation in Florida has improved since he took office. Wait -- there's more. Sixty percent of Republicans in the Quinnipiac survey said the tax situation in Florida has stayed the same since Bush arrived, and another 16 percent of Republicans said it has worsened.
"Where the hell is Quinni-pac?" Bush replied when reporters asked about the poll Wednesday. (Note: It's in Connecticut, Governor, where your grandfather, Prescott Bush, was once a United States senator). "I'm not going to comment on polls. Next question." "Jeb Hates Polls, and No Wonder!"
"Jeb!"'s Judges
You really need to read this article about a Florida Supreme Court case - in which "Jeb!"'s appointees Kenneth Bell and Raoul Cantero dissented - to get a sense of what Florida GOoPers mean when they talk about "conservative judges":The Florida Supreme Court scolded the state's Unemployment Appeals Commission for ignoring appellate court decisions as part of a 5-2 ruling that restored a jobless worker's benefits Wednesday. ...
"We caution the commission and its counsel that it too is bound by the rule of law, and we express dismay that an official agency of the state of Florida and its counsel would show so little regard for the controlling holding of an appellate court," Justice Harry Lee Anstead wrote in the majority opinion. "Panel chided for defying judges".
Crist Seizes PSC Issue
"Calling the Public Service Commission 'a rubber stamp' for utilities' proposals, Attorney General Charlie Crist announced Wednesday he will lead an effort to have the public elect PSC members." "An election to oversee FPL?" See also "Attorney General backing elected utility regulatory panel".
The story goes that Gov. Jeb Bush was invited, but has refused, to attend a campaign fund-raiser next month for the Sarasota congresswoman who wants to unseat Democrat Bill Nelson.
Well, it's true, but Bush's refusal to go to a Dec. 5 Harris event requires context. The governor told reporters the Tallahassee event falls on the first day of a week-long special legislative session, and Bush is a long-standing critic of legislators using those weeks to raise money. ...
Will he campaign with Harris later on? "Yeah, sure," Bush said, without further elaboration. It didn't sound like a ringing endorsement, but Harris surely will take it. In a Happy Thanksgiving memo to supporters Wednesday, Harris said of her rocky start: "There have been some bumps on the road, but we have turned a new corner." "For Harris, a Case of Bad Timing".
Libby Looks South
"Mel Sembler of St. Petersburg, a Republican fundraiser and former ambassador, is chairman of the legal defense fund for I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney." "St. Petersburg Republican Takes Charge Of 'Scooter' Libby's Legal Defense Fund".
In The News
" Attorney General Charlie Crist asked the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday to review an appeals court ruling allowing the media to review sealed crime-scene photos and video in Carlie Brucia's slaying." "Crist tries to block release release of murder photos".
Faith Based Prison
"No state money is involved, but critics say the prison system shouldn't be running such a program." "Another prison focuses on faith". See also "State's third faith-based prison opens amid fanfare, questions", "Bush opens largest faith-based prison", "Faithful Drive Prisons' System" and "Wakulla prison now faith-based" ("Correctional institution becomes the largest of its kind in the U.S.")
Yet Another Scandal
"The scope of the investigation is unclear, but includes "possible criminal violations" by those with current or past relationships with the state-backed insurer." "Citizens draws federal scrutiny".
Bitter Pill
"The class-size amendment voters approved in 2002 remains a bitter pill to swallow." "Stick with the program".
Heartless
"House Republicans started the holiday season by voting to make life harder for some of the poorest Americans. Reps. Mark Foley, R-Jupiter, and Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, each missed a chance to keep it from happening." "Heartless vote in House".
Nelson on Iraq
"Although opposed to an immediate pullout, F;orida's Democratic senator said the president has done a poor job selling the Iraq war to the American people." "Nelson opposed to quick military pullout from Iraq".
Oliphant
Noreasonable person can deny that Oliphant has suffered enough and been punished enough. She never did get her job back, from either the state Senate or the voters, and remains unemployed. Her attorneys say she would have trouble paying the $2,000 fine recommended by an administrative law judge in August -- let alone the $10,000 fine the Florida Elections Commission slapped her with last week.
That's five times the amount the judge recommended. A reasonable person might look at such a draconian penalty as an act of malice. "Miriam Oliphant".
A Little Hypocrisy ...
don't you think?Bush has never been a fan of gambling. But that isn't stopping the state's tax-supported tourism-promotion agency from touting a casino ship as a spectacular reason to visit the Sunshine State. ...
That's hardly consistent with the views of Bush, who appoints the members of the board that runs Visit Florida.
Bush has often said that state lottery games should be played in moderation. Bringing Vegas-style slot machines to Broward County, he has warned, is a dangerous proposition.
Inquiries to the Governor's Office led Vanessa Welter, director of communications for Visit Florida, to say Tuesday that the state's promotion of Sterling Casino Lines isn't a reflection of Bush's policies.
"It has nothing to do with anything other than that we try to expose a variety of partners [businesses that subscribe as members to the promotion agency] to media coverage throughout the year," she said. "State agency touts gambling on ship".
Jennings
"For sure, Democrat Christine Jennings is excited about bringing U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., to town to help promote her bid for Congress. But she isn't the only one pleased to see Boxer come to town." "Bring on Boxer, GOP says".
What Is Going on In Hillsborough?
"Predatory Politics Hurts County".
Whatever
"He wants to make it harder to camouflage trips like one lawmakers took to Canada." "Lee renews push to close loophole lobbyists used".
The Saints At Tax Watch Get Slammed
It is a rare thing to see the hacks at Tax Watch - who have been shills for big business since day on, yet are so often portrayed as saintly guardians of the average taxpayer - take it on the chin:A business-backed budget watchdog group stepped up criticism of three sales tax overhaul initiatives Tuesday. A petition drive leader responded by accusing special interests of trying to save their unfair tax breaks.
Florida TaxWatch president Dominic Calabro argued that the proposed state constitutional amendments could raise sales taxes by millions or billions of dollars, have dangerous unintended consequences and hurt Florida's competitive stance with other states.
"It basically takes the rule of law and turns it upside down and turns it against the taxpayers and the voters," Calabro said at a news conference.
Floridians Against Inequities in Rates, or FAIR, contends the amendments, if adopted next November, would force the Legislature to review and close loopholes that allow a broad range of items and services to go untaxed. Those include professional sports stadium skyboxes, for-profit legal services, haircuts, advertising and land development. Here's the short and sweet response, by a GOoPer no less:"TaxWatch is simply doing the bidding of those special interests that benefit from the sales tax exemptions that most Floridians do not enjoy," McKay said in a telephone interview. "Budget group attacks proposed sales tax overhaul amendments".
Delightful
Selling Florida to the private sector:Jeb Bush and the Cabinet approved a settlement Tuesday allowing owners of a marina in Cocoa to convert most of its boat slips into private leases. ...
Developers across Florida are converting public marinas and docks into private yacht clubs and condo association perks. In May, the governor and other executive officers tried to amend the state's policy for protecting such public waterfronts. "Governor OKs private use for Cocoa marina".
Note to Readers
No posts this morning. Maybe later today.
More From the Values Crowd
"Faced with a looming $8 million shortfall of money to care for former foster children, Florida child welfare administrators proposed this solution: They asked Miami-Dade's private foster care agency to 'get rid of kids' who are eligible for financial aid." "Agency refuses to cut back".
Still More From the Values Crowd
"Thousands of poor children in Florida are being subjected to 'needless infliction of pain' because three of Gov. Jeb Bush's top agencies violated federal law by ignoring their healthcare needs, associations for the state's pediatric doctors and dentists alleged Monday in a class-action lawsuit filed in Miami." "Doctors sue state over care for poor kids".
As "Jeb!" Crows ...
about job growth, the sad fact is that the jobs actually created are by and large terrible:The state's unemployment rate fell to 3.4 percent, the lowest in 29 years and well below the national average of 5 percent. Gov. Bush said the report "highlights Florida's commitment to economic diversification and building a strong business climate." In fact, Florida continues to create low-paying jobs with no benefits that appeal mostly to undocumented immigrants.
One recent study by University of Massachusetts economists rates Florida 49th in job quality. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the state ranks 47th for its percentage of residents with health coverage and 49th in pension coverage. Those low-paying jobs are dangerous, too. Only California had more workers die on the job last year.
Florida's job growth rate of 3.3 percent is more than double the national average but it also reflects Florida's status as a haven for cheap labor and employers who exploit workers .... "Better jobs, not just more".
GOoPer From Hell
"A congressman [Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif.] who wants to drill in the gulf and weaken the Endangered Species Act offers another bill that puts treasured land at risk of development." "Land-grab trifecta".
Class Size Calculations
"Florida's school districts Monday threatened to sue the state unless they are allowed to use the practice of having two classes sharing a single room count toward implementation of the class-size amendment." "Schools may sue over rule against classroom sharing".
Mark Your Calendar
"Debates on successive nights the week of Aug. 21 are expected to feature the four currently leading candidates for governor: Republicans Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher and Democrats Jim Davis and Rod Smith. After the primary, the nominees are to debate each other the week of Oct. 23, and the U.S. Senate candidates, expected to be Harris and Nelson, are to debate the week of Oct. 16." "Candidate debates set for 2006".
New Jersey Politics
"A vacancy for a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey is having political reverberations in South Florida." "S. Fla. pushes for Latin senator".
FPL
"With Florida Power & Light Co.'s storm restoration effort complete, it's time to assess FPL's storm damage and response." "Utilities".
Lobbyist Loophole
"The Florida Legislature should close a loophole in state law that allows lobbyists to speak to county constitutional officers without first registering the names of their clients. "Close this loophole".
Good Luck
"The Coalition of Immokalee Workers on Monday urged consumers across the country to pressure McDonald's Corp. to support the wage campaign for the Florida pickers, who provide the vast majority of the nation's fresh winter tomatoes." "Coalition backs higher pay".
Smith Goes South
"Farmer, small-town labor lawyer, former prosecutor, senator and Democratic candidate for governor Rod Smith is in a roomful of South Florida retirees trying to convince them he's got the right stuff to win statewide." "Seeking to widen his appeal".
"Jeb!" and "Jim Crow"
A national embarassment:Certainly, there will be no help from Gov. Bush. For seven years, he has spent millions of taxpayers' dollars to preserve the bureaucracy needed to sustain an unfair and archaic law the state passed shortly after the Civil War to disenfranchise former slaves. Florida is the largest of the three states - including Kentucky and Virginia - that still require felons who have completed their sentences to petition the governor and a clemency board to have their civil rights restored. With the overwhelming majority of states, restoration is automatic. House Democratic Leader Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale correctly calls it "one of the last vestiges of Jim Crowism." The law unfairly prevents about 600,000 Floridians - more than a third of them African-American - from voting and getting occupational licenses to work. "Let Florida voters remove vestige from Confederacy". See also "Civil Rights" ("The law is a vestige of a shameful past. It's illogical and unfair, and should be repealed.")
Oops!
"Two months after the state promised to keep children safer by banning sex offenders from working on school grounds, a new law passed to do just that is creating more headaches than help, school officials contend." "Schools find flaws in vendor database".
"Political Bickering"
"With political bickering stalling efforts in South Florida, hundreds of Wilma victims are still living shelter to shelter." "As weeks drag on, frustrations rise".
Dem Convention
"Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address at the Dec. 10 dinner at Walt Disney World." AndThe conference comes as Florida Democrats are downright giddy about the results of a recent poll that suggests the beleaguered minority party may have a shot at the governor's mansion in 2006. The Quinnipiac University poll showed Davis of Tampa in a dead heat with two Republican candidates, Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher.
Democrats suggest Floridians are beginning to chafe at Republican rule and are exasperated by the war in Iraq.
"Just for a minute we need to stop and thank the Republican Party," gubernatorial candidate Smith said Saturday at a Miami Beach fundraiser for the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee. "The Republican leadership in Tallahassee and Washington has brought back the Democratic party faster than anything." "Political Beat".
Loophole
"The lack of disclosure requirements for lobbyists who represent clients before elected sheriffs, court clerks, property appraisers, election supervisors, tax assessors, state attorneys and public defenders is not widely known." "Loophole allows lobbyists access to top local officials".
Boxer Backs Jennings
"Add U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer to the list of high-profile national Democrats who are trying to help Christine Jennings win a seat in Congress":Political insiders say the message is quite clear. Democrats see a chance to pick up a seat in Southwest Florida and are going to do what they can to help Jennings, said Larry Sabato, the director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Jennings is running against Jan Schneider and Mike LaFevers for the nomination. Schneider has twice before won the Democratic nomination for the seat, but lost both general elections to Katherine Harris, R-Longboat Key. Harris is seeking a Senate seat instead of running for re-election to the House. "California senator to help Jennings".
Nice of 'Em
"From the American crocodile to the wide-leaf warea, Florida is home to dozens of species protected by the federal government as threatened or endangered, which can lead to restrictions on development. Now, a conservative legal group representing the Florida Home Builders Association is suing to force a status review of about 100 of those plants and animals." "Conservative law firm challenges endangered species designations".
About Sheri
McInvale:State Rep. Sheri McInvale of Orlando trusts Democratic Party leaders about as far as she can throw them.
The party, after all, went after McInvale harder than just about any other local lawmaker during last year's elections. The Orange County Democratic Executive Committee even wrote her opponent a $15,000 check a week before Election Day.
And McInvale is a Democrat.
"After you've been burned, it's hard," said McInvale, a moderate who occasionally alienates the left, as when she voted in 2003 to keep brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive, despite Schiavo's husband's wishes.
McInvale ultimately survived, though barely. She was re-elected by just 50 votes out of more than 6,000 cast in a district that stretches from Orlando to Eatonville.
Now county and state party leaders are trying to mend fences. "Lawmaker may be a Democrat -- but she doesn't trust party leaders".
One-size-fits-all
"Backed nationally by a group called First Class Education, the so-called "65 Percent Solution" is being pushed by Republican lawmakers who hope to have a proposed constitutional amendment before Florida voters next year." "Avoid one-size-fits-all".
Those Courageous "Entrepreneurs"
"FPL customers are shouldering virtually all of the business risks of FPL, a utility owned by private investors." "Wanted: Better scrutiny of utility".
Crist Passes
"Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist on Friday turned down a Democratic lawmaker's request to investigate why the press office of fellow Republican Gov. Jeb Bush incorrectly claimed it did not possess a school-voucher proposal requested by The Palm Beach Post." "Voucher document query raises questions".
Note: A more accurate phrasing would have been "incorrectlyfalsely claimed".
Deep Thinker at Work
"Florida counties are so desperate for money to build new schools they have turned to local sales taxes and eye-popping impact fees. But the education governor is unmoved. Against all evidence to the contrary, Gov. Jeb Bush suggests the districts are being extravagant." "Hard to imagine, indeed" ("Florida counties are charging impact fees and raising taxes to try to pay for new schools while the governor boasts $14-billion in tax relief.")
"Graduation rate dispute is political"
This editorial only scratches the surface:If there is anything that Floridians have grown tired of it is the use and abuse of educational data to justify political agendas. ...
The Jeb Bush administration is only the most recent culprit. "Diversionary".
Storm Relief
"Several proposals are on tap in Congress to help relieve the financial burdens caused by recent hurricanes." "Congress prepares financial relief for storm-hit areas".
Jackson Out?
"Andrew Jackson might be ousted from the Leon County Democratic Party's annual fund-raising dinner. The party's statewide gala will still be known as the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, but the local party may soon be looking for another name for its gathering." "Jackson may be uninvited to dinner".
Whatever
A couplaSouth Florida elections officials will be fined at least $10,000 each for elections law violations, the Florida Elections Commission decided Friday.
Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson, agreed to a $12,500 fine for five violations associated with a $25,000 campaign loan from his wife in his 2004 election campaign to unseat Theresa LePore.
The commission also decided to fine Miriam Oliphant, a former Broward County elections supervisor, $10,000 for probable violations of elections laws because dozens of precincts opened late or closed early in the 2002 election. Gov. Jeb Bush removed her from office following the botched election. "Two South Fla. elections officials fined".
House District 52
"Chris Eaton, a St. Petersburg Democrat who looked like a strong contender in the race to succeed Republican state Rep. Frank Farkas in state House district 52, is dropping out. That leaves Democrat Liz McCallum, who ran for the seat in 2004, still in the race, though Eaton is encouraging other Democrats to jump in." "Eaton's Out".
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