Sink orders review of plane use

"As questions continue about state-plane use by Cabinet officials, Alex Sink orders an internal review of her own plane use." "Alex Sink orders her office to review her state-plane use".

Meantime, this from the Orlando Sentinel editorial board:

Officer Alex Sink, the Democratic favorite for governor, has taken hundreds of flights on state planes — more than $400,000 worth — over her two and a half years in office. They include side trips to Tampa, near her home, sometimes to pick up or drop off family.

The investigation found that Attorney General Bill McCollum, the front-runner among Republican candidates for governor, had flown less on state planes, though still about $280,000 worth over the same period. His travel also included dispatching planes to pick him up or drop him off near his home. At least he didn't bring his family along.

AP "in the tank" for McCollum?

Steve Bousquet tips us to the politics of the plane use story:

Days before our front-page story appeared Thursday, supporters of McCollum began circulating details on Sink's questionable flights to reporters, including the Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau, on an off-the-record basis.

No one from Sink's side was doing the same[*]. Republicans are usually more aggressive in Tallahassee at shopping story angles.

But this involved public information that can be interpreted more than one way. We planned all along to research both officials' travel, but the people aligned with McCollum were rushing the timetable. A rule of thumb is that what's being pushed on us is being shopped to other reporters, and this was not a story we wanted to see elsewhere first.

When I asked a person who was pushing Sink's trips how long it might before another paper went with the story, the person said: "You're good for 48 hours."

The motives of the people circulating news of Sink's trips is not at issue here. Rather, it's how reporters avoid being manipulated for partisan advantage. My colleague Mary Ellen Klas and I quickly determined that while some Sink trips were questionable, it did not make sense to limit our review to her travel when her opponent also flies regularly and his travel data is in the same file as Sink's.

What the McCollum side wanted was a blast against Sink that would provide the essential underpinnings for a mail piece or TV ad hammering her for travel abuses.

To limit our reporting exclusively to Sink, we decided, would make us an accessory of the McCollum campaign, not to mention provide a poor service to our readers.

McCollum's people may have seen it as another case of liberal media "in the tank" for Sink. Justin Sayfie of the Sayfie Review, a prominent Republican activist and fundraiser, Twittered thusly: "Could be wrong, but suspect that Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Lucy Morgan would have written today's Times story differently."

When McCollum's people sensed that our reporting would not be a Sink-only expose, lo and behold, a story appeared on the statewide Associated Press wire Wednesday that focused almost exclusively on Sink's travel. AP beat us to the punch, all right, but with a story that made no mention of McCollum's use of state aircraft to and from his home.

The AP story [by Brendan Farrington] was less detailed than our Thursday report, but did include a quote from McCollum's campaign manager, Matt Williams, describing Sink using a state plane as "shocking … a pickup and dropoff service for family members.

Hardly a shocker

"In Florida's closely watched governor's race, EMILY's List aims to give Democrat Alex Sink a financial boost." "Sink wins backing from EMILY's List in Florida governor's race". See also "EMILY's List endorses Alex Sink for governor".

Boyd grows a pair

"House narrowly passes major energy-climate bill". See also "Obama praises Boyd for voting in favor of climate bill". Related: "Grayson vote traded to get storm center".

Court nixes "campaigns of deceit"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Whether one agrees with Hometown Democracy or not, giving anyone the power to bombard petition-signers with pleas to revoke their signatures opens the door to campaigns of deceit. That was the case with AIF's targeting of signatories to Hometown Democracy's petitions." "Undermining voters".

Bought and paid for

"Negron widens money lead in special Senate race to replace Pruitt".

Cretul apparently "hates" 170 House Republicans

"When Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul recently criticized U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson for opposing a war-funding bill, the Ocala Republican maintained the vote was not aligned with the values of the freshman Democrat's constituents."

Grayson, whose Orlando-based district includes much of eastern Marion County, stood by his vote. Voters, he retorted, knew he had been an antiwar candidate during the 2008 elections.

But overlooked in the exchange - Cretul is considering challenging Grayson in District 8 - was the fact that joining Grayson and 31 other Democrats in opposing the bill were 170 House Republicans, including Reps. Cliff Stearns of Ocala and Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville.

Now, one of Brown-Waite's Democratic challengers is trying to outflank the incumbent by accusing her of not supporting American troops in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq through her vote against the bill.

Meek in Port Orange

"Kendrick Meek, a congressman from Miami, brings his campaign for the U.S. Senate to a local Democratic event in Port Orange today. Meek is scheduled as the keynote speaker at the Volusia County Women's Democratic Club picnic at Cracker Creek Park, 1795 Taylor Road. The picnic begins at noon, and the political speeches are expected to be kicked off by Meek at 1 p.m." "Meek Senate campaign event set today in Port Orange".

"TriRail finds money to fill a budget gap"

The Miami Herald editorial board: "It's not the most satisfactory solution, but the plan TriRail's staff crafted to keep the trains running next year is probably the best response to the budget failures of the Legislature and the counties the train serves. The plan is to dip into TriRail's equipment reserves and federal stimulus money to keep all 50 trains running daily as well as to maintain the train's weekend schedule." "Staying on track".

Whoopee!

"It's not every day that civil rights watchdogs hold up Florida as a shining model of best election practices. But this month, the Brennan Center for Justice is urging other states to follow Florida's lead by allowing voters to update their addresses at the polls on Election Day. Ironically [not], it is a law that state lawmakers [to wit: 'leading House and Senate Republicans'] tried to weaken in the spring." "Florida voter law garners praise".

Florida film caucus

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "While Floridians struggle to recover from a 10-percent unemployment rate, foreclosures and the scourge of credit-card debt, welcome indeed are ideas for encouraging and expanding business development that will lead to new jobs — ones that are an especially good fit for Florida." "Florida film caucus a welcome idea".

Wingnuttery

This wisdom from the mind of a commercial real estate brokerage and development company owner: "Turtlebahn is hardly a priority".

Arrest somebody

"Florida Republicans have been zealously trying to cut into the voter-registration lead Democrats have amassed thanks to the Barack Obama campaign."

Maybe a little overzealously, it turns out.

The Republican Party of Florida hasn't registered with the state as a "third-party" voter-registration group, a requirement that went into effect in February after a court fight stemming from a 2007 elections-law amendment passed by GOP legislators. The Florida League of Women Voters sued but failed to block its implementation.

Under the law, any group collecting voter registrations -- other than official voter-registration agencies such as the state's drivers-license agency -- is required to fill out a form listing an agent and individuals responsible for "day-to-day operations." It was designed to try to restrict groups such as ACORN, which has been accused of voter-registration abuses around the country.

Now the law seems to have ensnared Republicans.

Privatization follies

"A judge slammed Florida's prison system during a hearing on a continuing dispute over prison medical services."

An ''appalled'' state judge said Thursday that Florida's prison system ''blatantly violated the public trust'' by secretly negotiating with a new firm to provide for inmates' mental health.

Leon County Circuit Judge Frank Sheffield said the actions of the Department of Corrections in its secret dealings with Correctional Medical Services of St. Louis were ``at best, offensive, and at worst, illegal.''

But the judge denied the request by MHM Correctional Services for a temporary injunction. MHM wanted to block the award of a five-year contract to CMS through a 120-day purchase order that starts July 1.

Federal handout please

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Protect military bases and state's economy".

"A flaw in a system"

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Wild statistical fluctuations are the first sign of a flaw in a system. The system, in this case, is the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test."

[D]ramatic fluctuations apply across Florida, where A-rated high schools dropped from 120 last year to 68 this year, and A schools overall (including middle and elementary schools) dropped by half, from 30.5 percent of the total to 16.7 percent.

Does any of this make sense? It shouldn't. For all the attrition and graduations in each school, the large staffs and larger student bodies that make up each high school don't suddenly go from excellent to dismal or vice-versa. From year to year, it's mostly the same teachers using the same methods to teach students whose relative collective brightness doesn't increase or decrease as dramatically as the grades suggest. The problem isn't teachers or schools or students.

The problem is the FCAT test, especially in high school, where the 10th grade class alone overwhelmingly defines an entire school's grade (after 10th grade, only 11th grade science factors into a school's overall score). So any school's grade is, essentially, the verdict on a single class.

Blue Boyd "uncommitted"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Congressman Allen Boyd, D-Monticello, has remained uncommitted on an important climate bill expected to be voted on in Washington immediately, perhaps today." "Vote 'yes' on climate bill". See also "Handful of Democrats will decide fate of climate bill". The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "Climate bill vital for Florida".

Thank 'ye Charlie

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Shortly before Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed the Consumer Choice Bill on Wednesday, state Rep. Bill Proctor finally obtained a list of the 40 companies the Department of Insurance brags it has attracted to Florida in the last three years to build a market for windstorm coverage." "Crist lets down property owners".

Charlie luv

Scott Maxwell: "As other stars dim, Charmed Charlie's gets brighter".

Good luck with that

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "Criminal-justice reform has long been a cause championed by civil libertarians. Now that business leaders, taxpayer watchdogs and law-enforcement veterans in Florida have joined in, Gov. Charlie Crist and legislators have no good excuse for ignoring this imperative." "Reform justice system".

NASA bucks

"Senate panel approves White House version of NASA budget".

FYI

"South Carolina governor grew up in Fort Lauderdale".

Time for a tax cut

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "It wasn't that long ago when the Florida Department of Children & Families was seen as a hapless bureaucracy. Whether it was their seeking to incarcerate an 8 year-old to ensure he received proper care, or simply losing youngsters supposedly under its care, it didn't take much for DCF to make a mockery of its role in child welfare." "Child's death exposes a big problem in foster-care reform".

Have another Oxy ...

"The national Democratic Party has come up with five ideas for needling Rush Limbaugh on a West Palm Beach billboard, and is asking Democrats to vote for their favorite."

Out of "tens of thousands of submissions," party leaders have picked these five top contenders, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Democratic National Committee executive director, said in an email sent today to supporters.

* "Americans didn't vote for a Rush to failure"
* "Hope and change cannot be Rush'd"
* "Failure is not an option for America's future"
* "We can fix America, just don't Rush it"
* "Rush: Say yes to America"

Votes can be cast through the DNC web site.

SunRail

"Just days before facing a potentially crushing deadline, the SunRail commuter train proposed for Central Florida might be chugging along again." "SunRail commuter train might be back from brink".

Duh?

"Visiting Tampa on Thursday, Gov. Charlie Crist revealed little about a possible replacement for Phyllis Busansky as Hillsborough County's supervisor of elections." "Crist mum on who might fill elections supervisor position".

"It's shaping up to be a royal mess"

Paul Flemming: "Without legislative action this spring, policyholders of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., faced a Jan. 1 end to their three-year rate freeze and the reckoning that the state-run insurer-of-last-resort would start charging 'actuarially sound' rates. There were doomsday predictions of rates doubling if the Legislature didn't do something." "Don't spend that rate cut Citizens owes you".

Raw political courage

"Senate budget chairman JD Alexander says it's time to unload one of the two remaining state airplanes, if only to eliminate the temptation to misuse them." "Lawmaker wants to eliminate 1 state plane".

Flight logs show that while Alex Sink and staff were traveling to the capital from West Palm Beach in January, the plane stopped in Tampa for 20 minutes. No one got off, and only Sink's husband, Bill McBride, got on the plane before taking off again.

Similarly, McBride was with Sink and staff members in Boca Raton in October 2008. On the way back to Tallahassee, the plane stopped in Tampa for five minutes, where McBride got off and the rest of the passengers continued to the capital, records show.

Sink's office didn't dispute the records, but would not comment on whether the Tampa stops were scheduled solely to pick up and drop off family members.

"The rare times a family member has been on the plane, the CFO proactively paid the state for the cost of travel," said her spokeswoman Kyra Jennings.

Jennings also pointed out that Sink pushed for more transparency in use of the state plane, leading to the flight logs being posted online by the Department of Management Services. ...

"It's shocking that the Chief Financial Officer who is the self-proclaimed watchdog of the taxpayers' money would use the taxpayers' money in such a manner, what appears to be a pickup and drop-off service for family members," said Matt Williams, McCollum's campaign manager.

On several occasions, McCollum dispatched an empty plane from Tallahassee to his home near Sanford [Longwood (a/k/a Wrongwood) to be precise] to take him to events around the state. Often the plane would return him to Central Florida and fly back to Tallahassee with no passengers.

One such example: On Feb. 3, 2007, a state plane went to Sanford to get McCollum, who attended funerals in the Panhandle for two murder victims: the wife of a sheriff and a sheriff's deputy. After the funerals, the plane flew McCollum back home to Sanford and the empty plane flew back to Tallahassee. The extra cost of flying from Tallahassee to Sanford and back for McCollum: $1,950, according to state flight records.

"Exotic invader"

"An exotic invader considered a serious threat to Florida's marine life was captured on a wreck in the waters of Biscayne National Park. " "Venomous lionfish captured off Miami".

Hometown Democracy

Mike Thomas: "Hometown Democracy: The Eve of Destruction?".

Yee Haw!

"Rubio gets backing from U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller".

'Glades

"The Obama administration will move to put Everglades National Park back on a United Nations list of endangered sites and reverse a controversial decision by the Bush administration." "U.S. seeks to put Everglades Park back on U.N. endangered list".

Crist vetoes AIF insurance bill

"Crist on Wednesday vetoed a hotly contested bill that would have deregulated rates on many insurance policies that protect Florida homeowners from hurricanes and other disasters."

Although its backers called the legislation (HB 1171) a "consumer choice" bill, it would have allowed about 40 of the largest property insurers to start charging virtually any price they wanted for policies with hurricane coverage — and to bypass regulations the state imposes on other companies.

"The bill actually gives the 'choice' to a select group of property insurance companies and allows them to decide who they are willing to sell a non-regulated policy," Crist wrote in a letter explaining his veto. "These select property insurance companies will be able to cherry-pick, or sell only to profitable policyholder[s] ..."

Supporters of the legislation, including the business lobby Associated Industries of Florida, had hoped it would prevent some big, well-financed national companies from leaving the state or dropping Florida policies.

Goin' down down ...

"Bottom for home prices? Not yet".

"Not necessarily right"

Joel Engelhardt: "It's easy to believe that the potential riches of an inland port - whose location is to be determined by the Port of Palm Beach - are destined for land owned by the Fanjul family-owned Florida Crystals. Easy, but not necessarily right." "New deal, same governor".

Petition drives salvaged

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of democracy last week by rejecting a state law designed to undercut petition drives for state constitutional amendments." "High court goes with voters". See also "Bill Cotterell: For better or worse, we love our petition initiatives".

Thanks, but no thanks

"Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the leading Democrat running for governor in 2010, on Wednesday removed ex-Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton as a cohost of an upcoming fundraiser."

Winton was suspended from office by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2006 after a drunken scuffle with police. He pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor battery and disorderly intoxication.

Winton also weathered ethical questions about partnering with Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and former City Manager Joe Arriola in a $3.1 million real estate deal. He paid a $750 fine and was reprimanded by the Florida Ethics Commission in 2007. He has since kept a low public profile, but his name was listed among 22 cohosts of a Sink fundraiser planned for Monday night at the Miami Beach home of developer Andi Greenwald.

After The Miami Herald asked about Winton, Sink campaign spokeswoman Tara Klimek said he would be removed as a cohost.

Curious

"Brevard officials curious about saltwater alligators, crocodiles".

No Hav-A-Tampa

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Tampa hasn't been the Cigar City for many decades."

The cigar-manufacturing plants that provided the community a national identity long before the Bucs, the Lightning or even MacDill Air Force Base have been closing or relocating from the area for more than a generation.

Still, it's sad to see the closing of Hav-A-Tampa's Seffner plant, which produced the product so closely associated with a community that once hosted the Cigar Bowl.

The company will continue to produce cigars in Puerto Rico. But close to 500 local jobs will be lost. Hillsborough's sole cigar operation now will be J.C. Newman, which, fortunately, still operates a plant in Ybor City.

"A test of loyalty to the party"

"Since the age of President Andrew Jackson, patronage has been a prized privilege that executives have used to maintain and reward the support of their most fervent followers."

And now many are watching to see whether Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the U.S. Senate next year, will follow or buck tradition when he chooses an interim supervisor of elections for Hillsborough County.

Either way, he risks alienating voters he will need in his Senate bid.

The supervisor's job came open Tuesday when Phyllis Busansky, a Democrat, was found dead of natural causes in a St. Augustine hotel room. Busansky was a popular and charismatic politician who had been in office just five months.

Political tradition says Crist, a Republican, will choose Busanky's successor from the ranks of the GOP. The governor has drawn a challenge from conservative Republican Marco Rubio, a former speaker of the state House, in the race for the U.S. Senate seat.

"The Republicans are going to look at this as a test of loyalty to the party," said Darryl Paulson, a former political science professor at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg. "Are you going to appoint one of your own? Certainly there's going to be some pressure on him to do what I think is the traditional thing."

Another failed Jebacy

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board:

Community-based care came about during the first term of then-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who combined his zeal for public private partnerships with the need to improve the state's largest government agency to create a largely successful policy initiative. Today, more people are involved in the critically important care of Florida's children.

Yet, cases like the death of 7-year-old Gabriel Myers continue to expose holes in what remains a major governmental reform.

Charles DuToit, 2009 Resource Manager of the Year

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "For too long, Floridians have attempted to drain, dredge and fill land that's meant to be swampy, with little regard for the impact on natural systems or humans. Looking to the past could provide vital clues for dealing with issues of flooding and pest control in the future." "Restoring Florida's past".

Global warming bill set for a vote Friday

The Miami Herald editorial board: "A bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would push the United States toward using cleaner energy and cap carbon emissions that cause global warming is set for a vote Friday. Florida's lawmakers should strongly support it."

When it comes to the ill effects of climate change, Florida is one of the nation's most vulnerable states. In a June report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlined what Florida would be in for if no significant action is taken soon to curb the emissions that contribute to global warming:

• Over time, sea-level rise will put 99.6 percent of Monroe County under water; in Miami-Dade, 70 percent would be awash, while 10-22 percent of land would be flooded in 14 other coastal counties. This would destroy real estate worth more than $130 billion.

• Florida's tourism industry will lose $9 billion by 2025 and $167 billion by the end of the century from the loss of beaches and other attractions.

• Sea-level rise will destroy some important infrastructure: two nuclear power plants (Turkey Point being one), three prisons, 68 hospitals, 74 airports, 334 public schools and nearly 20,000 historic structures.

• Gradual warming and rising of the seas will increase hurricanes' intensity, inflicting an estimated $25 billion in damages on Floridians by 2050.

Just another day at the office for Florida's firefighters

"Three firefighters responded within four minutes"

Officials this morning said the toddler pulled from a trailer fire in northeast Lake County died late Wednesday at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

His 18-month-old twin had died at the scene....

Shortly before 3:30 p.m., neighbors along Pine Tree Lane in rural Lake County heard a "boom," and the trailer burst into flames. Within minutes, firefighters knocked a hole in the rear wall to reach the people inside, including the toddlers.

Privatization follies

"Should Seminole libraries be run by private companies? Petitions say no".

"Less courage than expediency"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board:

To a small minority of conservatives, the Voting Rights Act's Section 5 is discriminatory. Activists drafted a small utility district in Texas that didn't exist in 1965, and used it to challenge the constitutionality of the law. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court where, in oral arguments on April 29, Chief Justice John Roberts, who argued against renewing the act in 1981 when he was working for President Reagan, ridiculed the law's open-ended provisions. Other conservative justices questioned the constitutionality of the law. The Voting Rights Act looked like it was heading for an ash heap.

It isn't. At least not yet. The court ruled 8-1 on Monday to exempt the Texas utility district from the act. But the court skirted the more important question of the validity of the Voting Rights Act by leaving it unanswered. "Whether conditions continue to justify such legislation is a difficult constitutional question we do not answer today," Roberts wrote for the majority. The justices' compromise avoided the fracturing effect of a decision that would have demolished a pillar of the civil rights era. But it left the door open to another challenge. There was less courage than expediency in the decision.

Reining in that good 'ole "entrepreneurship"

"Verizon cell phone customers in Florida can get refunds for charges for ringtones and other features that people did not order or did not know would add monthly fees from $9.99 to $49.99." "Florida Verizon cell phone customers can seek refunds for hidden charges".

Bear tales

"Cast out of Weston, black bear makes his way back east".

Diaz Virginia Key plan flop

The Miami Herald editorial board: "The Virginia Key Master Plan's debut was a complete flop. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz had no choice but to pull it from the City Commission's June 25 meeting agenda. Universally panned by the city's Waterfront and Planning and Advisory boards, the long-awaited blueprint for revamping the 82-acre barrier island didn't make many stakeholders happy." "Virginia Key plan is a dud".

Cuba

"President Barack Obama is praising five Cuban dissidents for their pro-democracy activities, and he's calling on the communist government to release all political prisoners." "Obama urges release of Cuban political prisoners".

Four months after the head of Associated Industries of Florida stunned lawmakers with his plea to slow prison growth, a who's-who of business, religious and political leaders are asking Gov. Charlie Crist to consider alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders, particularly drug addicts.

Huckabee mancrushes Rubio

"Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is endorsing Marco Rubio for Senate."

Huckabee said, "I'm in awe of him.

Scanner problems in 13 Florida counties

"A type of ballot scanner used in 13 counties, including Pasco and Pinellas, accounts for a disproportionate number of invalid votes cast in 2008, a report from an elections watchdog group reveals."

That may be true, said Secretary of State Kurt Browning, Florida's top elections official, but those overvotes are a reflection of voter intent, he said, not machine malfunction or poor design.

An overvote, which does not count, occurs when a person marks more than one choice in an election race or ballot question decision. The overvote rate rose from 0.05 percent in 2004 to 0.28 percent in 2008, which Browning attributed to the statewide switch in 2007 to all-paper ballot voting and optical scanners. ...

However, the Florida Fair Elections Center says it's not that simple. On Tuesday, the group reported that the IntElect DS200 scanner counted only 40 percent of Florida ballots, yet accounted for more than 80 percent of the overvotes statewide in the 2008 general election.

"It's a disproportionate effect," said Mary "Kitty" Garber, research director for the elections center, who wrote the report.

You gotta ploblem wit dat?

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Florida Power and Light, the state's biggest electricity provider, wants to give its shareholders a profit boost -- at the expense of customers." "For profits' sake".

From the "values" crowd

"394 Broward County teachers lose their jobs".

Hasner's political hackery

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Last week, Floridians learned that the state's unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent in May, the highest rate since 1975, after the Arab oil embargo damaged the construction and travel industries. It's double the unemployment rate of just a year ago."

The rising joblessness figures are a big surprise to nobody. But they underline how foolish the Legislature was, during this year's session, to turn down $444 million from the federal government that could have eased the impact on Floridians who can't find work. House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, called the money an "unfunded mandate." But it wasn't. Florida would have had to increase some benefits. But the increased costs were less per year than the feds would have provided. Though Rep. Hasner insisted that the increases would be permanent, federal guidance indicated that the increased payments could have been canceled once the economy improved.

Busansky passes

"Hillsborough elections supervisor Busansky dies at age 72". The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Unforgettable Phyllis Busansky". Steve Otto: "Busansky spoke for those who couldn't". Sue Carlton: "Busansky's legacy of courage". More: "A lifetime of public service".

The The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "Building on what Busansky started".

Crist raises ire of court clerks

"Crist approved a bill that will force court clerks statewide to cut millions of dollars from their budgets and layoff hundreds of workers. The legislation will change the way Florida funds its 67 clerks' offices, putting them on the same budget process as judges, public defenders and state attorneys. The bill takes effect July 1. Crist's approval late last week came after legislators, many who initially supported the bill, asked the governor to veto it.All clerk's offices in Central Florida will see cutbacks." "Crist signs bill that mandates court clerks to slash budgets".

"Ecopassage makes sense in many ways"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "If you're looking to criticize government spending, the words '$3.4 million' and 'turtles' offer a pretty easy target."

But when you get past nearly everyone's first reaction to the Lake Jackson ecopassage project, you find that it's a worthwhile project that fits our state's recent tradition of environmental stewardship and comes at a good moment in hard economic times. ...

[Republican] U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma got things stirred up when he included the ecopassage on a list of 100 projects he considered boondoggles in the national economic-stimulus package, and [wingnut] local tax tea party activists have their sights on killing the project.

But animals of all kinds — 60-some species, not just turtles — are being crushed on that stretch of U.S. 27. ...

It's not just about turtles. It's not taking jobs from police officers. It's a project that says a lot about what we value. It's being put out for bid in July and construction should begin in September, and we hope that local contractors will seek the work and that residents will welcome the ecopassage.

Retaliation?

"A Department of Education employee is suing the agency, claiming she is being laid off in retaliation for reporting exposure to tuberculosis in her offices. " "Suit claims worker laid off for reporting TB exposure at agency office".

Something has to give

"Bear spotted in South Florida eluding officials".

Our AWOL Governor

"Crist has spent the past two days fundraising, including an event in D.C. yesterday and one this evening in Atlanta. As for governing, his official schedule has shown no public events, just a few phone calls with staff."

The Washington event drew John McCain (Ariz.), John Cornyn (Texas), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Florida's Mel Martinez. Crist's former chief of staff, lawyer George LeMieux, tagged along at the D.C. event Tuesday night and declined to estimate how big a financial haul Crist's campaign received. "They did well," he said.

The Atlanta event (click image to enlarge) shows as invited guests Georgia Aerospace Systems' Thomas Mensah; both Georgia U.S. senators, Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss; Gov. Sonny Perdue; and attorney Willie Gary.

Breaking point

"South Florida community colleges face overload".

RPOFer at work

"Rep. Ray Sansom charged 'private' meeting to Republican Party American Express".

More Sansom: "Ex-Speaker Sansom's computer in hands of state investigators as legislative secrecy hampers probe".

Vern brings home the bacon

"A controversial plan to move mail processing and distribution operations from the U.S. Postal Service distribution center in Manatee to Tampa is going to get another look. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said Tuesday his office has secured an agreement with the USPS Office of Inspector General for a review of the postal service’s decision to cut 59 local positions and move processing operations to Tampa. " "Buchanan scores audit of post office plan".

More bacon

"Mayport wins latest carrier battle in Congress".

Second amendment follies

"Inmate pulls gun in escape attempt in central Fla.".

Limbaugh law

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Under the new law, doctors and pharmacists will be required to record patient prescription information in a state-controlled database. This way, doctors can detect if patients are going from one doctor to the next in search of pills -- to feed a habit or for resale. Regulators and police also would be able to check the database in certain situations. Pain clinics will face annual inspections." "Pill mills be gone".

Wrongwood gambling?

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "Like dice, gambling and controversy sometimes come in pairs, especially in Central Florida. So it's not surprising that a proposal to open a poker room in Longwood is running into some opposition in that Seminole County city." "Betting, but with limits".

Tuff guy

"McCollum in Boca: tough on terror, 'skeptic' on drilling". The wingnuts are coming out of the woodwork: "Jeb Bush raising money for Bill McCollum".

"Now it is a pair of Democrats"

"For years, anti-drilling forces turned to Congressional Democrats to beat back GOP-led efforts to drill off Florida's coast. But now it is a pair of Democrats behind what environmentalists consider one of the most threatening pieces of legislation in years. The proposal, led by Democratic Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, would allow drilling 45 miles from most of the Gulf Coast, and as close as 10 miles in the Florida Panhandle." "Democrats Behind Latest Drive For Drilling".

Florida, where everyone's above average

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Last Thursday's news release from the Florida Department of Education was ecstatic in tone: 'Florida schools experienced their most successful year to date, according to the 2009 school grades results released today. Driven by a significant increase in the number of 'A' grades, more than three quarters of all public schools are considered to be high-performing ... the largest number yet since the inception of school grades.' ... while 61.7 percent of all public schools in Florida got an A from the state and 78.4 percent of all schools received an A or B from the state, just 23.4 percent of Florida public schools made 'Adequate Yearly Progress" under the federal No Child Left Behind standards.'"Behind all those 'A' grades".

Teabagging dopes

"The state Department of Transportation's now-famous 'Tallahassee turtle tunnel' has become a rallying point for the next round of Independence Day taxpayer 'tea party' protests." "Tax protesters plan 'tea party' over eco-passage". Background "We don't care how you do it in Oklahoma" (scroll down)

DADT

"Congressmen Hastings, Grayson, others urge repeal of "don't ask, don't tell"".

"More caps to assure Florida's tax inequities continue"

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board:

Statewide, the median price [for existing homes] fell 31 percent from just one year ago, to $138,500. Sales are increasing -- real estate agents sold 610 houses in April, up 10 percent from last year. But Florida has a backlog of about 300,000 houses on the market. The nation has a backlog of 4 million. It's going to be a while, possibly many years, before the real estate market and prices recover.

So why are legislators still trying to rig the property tax system against now-ghostly high taxes?

In 2007, the Legislature passed a $15 billion property tax cut that forced local governments to scale back services from elderly transportation to school resource officers. Florida voters followed up in January 2008 by approving Amendment 1, which, they were told, would save them $10 billion over five years by doubling the homestead exemption to $50,000, allow property owners "portability" of their exemption when they move from one house to the next in Florida, and cap the year-over-year valuation increases at 10 percent for all non-homesteaded properties (including businesses and rentals).

The amendment had a fair starting point as it sought to address inequities in the tax system. But instead of doing away with the inequities, it depended them. The 10 percent cap on non-homesteaded properties was mostly symbolic, as valuations were unlikely to increase past double-digits for very long: bubbles burst. The last one did soon after voters passed the amendment, sending prices, and valuations, crashing.

Lesson not learned. The Legislature approved yet another property-tax amendment for the 2010 ballot. This one -- Amendment 3 -- would take the 10 percent cap on non-homesteaded properties and lower it to 5 percent. And it would grant first-time homebuyers, or home-buyers who haven't benefited from a homestead exemption in the previous eight years, a $100,000 homestead exemption (decreasing in 20 percent increments from the second to the sixth year of ownership). The amendment is neither needed nor wise. Legislators are selling it as a boon to the state's real estate industry. That industry, as the ongoing crisis reminds Floridians every day, doesn't need new subsidies. It needs a reality check.

VRA

"In a closely watched case, the [Supreme Court] ruled that a small Texas utility district could get out from under Justice Department oversight when making election-related changes. The ruling will allow political entities in 16 mostly Southern states to similarly escape federal control established by the 1965 Voting Rights Act."

Only the embarrassing "Justice Clarence Thomas urged that the law's requirements be struck down outright. Conservative groups such as the Pacific Legal Foundation likewise had urged the court to strike down the pre-clearance requirements as unconstitutional, but the court's majority rallied around a narrow decision." "Supreme Court loosens bonds of voting rights oversight".

Voucher maven pleads guilty

"A St. Petersburg [private school] educator and activist has pleaded guilty to charges that she stole more than $250,000 from state scholarship programs intended to help low-income and disabled students."

"Dennard, who operated Bishop Academy II, was accused of inflating student numbers, submitting scholarship applications that falsely indicated tuition at $3,500 or $7,500 when the actual tuition was $2,600, and of simultaneously collecting funds for students receiving both McKay and CTC scholarships. She was also accused of failing to provide the professional services prescribed by and paid for by the Department of Education." "Marva Dennard, a St. Petersburg educator who offered free scholarships to private schools, pleads guilty to charges she stole from state programs". Related: "Voucher complaints chase pair" ("Two entrepreneurs say questions about their use of voucher funds could drive them out of the private school business.").

A priority thing

"Florida's athletic budget proved to be recession proof, increasing $5.9 million for 2009-10. The budget, passed Monday, will total more than $89 million despite a 10 percent cut in nearly every sport. Football and men's basketball saw budget increases." "Florida's athletic budget tops $89 million".

We suspect Charlie will be busy that day

"Rubio challenges Crist to series of debates in Senate race".

Privatization follies

"First came allegations of illegal negotiations between Florida's prison system and a mental health care vendor. Then came a bid protest and a lawsuit charging violations of purchasing and public records laws. Now, this: the same vendor that brought the lawsuit, MHM Correctional Services, is raising the possibility that a top corrections official maneuvered to get a friend hired at the vendor being hired to replace MHM." "Explosive new charge in prison vendor lawsuit".

RPOFer pit-poodle goes after sink

"Fasano blasts Sink's Amendment 1 amnesia". The RPOF really needs to do better than the pathetic Fasano.

Florida's "solar disarray"

The Sarasota-Herald Tribune: "Solar disarray: Lawmakers bungle green push".

Editors argue that the accused must prove she is innocent

The Palm Beach Post editorial board is at it again:

Florida's police chiefs and sheriffs want the governor to veto Senate Bill 624, the misnamed Officers Bill of Rights. ...

[U]nder SB 624 an officer or deputy under investigation would get to see all "existing evidence" - including "GPS information" before even the first interrogation. As the police chiefs association points out, this part should read "known evidence." Otherwise, evidence that develops during an investigation would be inadmissible.

Another change would allow the officer to see the report, conclusion and recommendation before the department imposes any discipline. ...

But there are even more proposals, all designed to hamper investigations and shift the burden from accused to accuser. The union enjoys great influence in Tallahassee, and Gov. Crist no doubt wants the PBA endorsement for his Senate run. This bill, however, is not about good law enforcement. It's about protecting bad cops.

Another anti-worker hack

"A piece of legislation introduced last week by U.S. Rep Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, would eliminate minimum compensation provisions for construction workers on public works projects."

Mack is proposing the legislation would stimulate the economy by creating more jobs by repealing the Depression-era Davis-Bacon Act, which requires workers on large, federally-funded projects to be paid a “prevailing wage.”

Though the wages set by the government under the act are intended to represent the normal wages of an area, a statement from Mack’s office said they often fail to do so. The wage-minimums actually reflect the “inflated pay scale of union workers,” the statement said.

“Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements are wrong for our country,” Mack said. “Instead of pandering to big labor, Congress should be fostering a competitive environment for businesses to be able to hire more people for more jobs.”

Dan Telep Jr. disagreed with the conclusion that such a measure would stimulate the economy. A 16-year veteran federal contracting officer, Telep now works to assist local businesses in obtaining government contracts through Florida Gulf Coast University’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center office.

“I perceive that the Davis-Bacon Act started shortly after the Depression and the reason it started was to stimulate the economy,” Telep said, adding that today it is a way to curtail the use of undocumented workers.

“That’s going to be a venue for corruption in the construction business and industry,” Telep said of a possible result of the act’s repeal. “I think the reason the government has kept the wage determination has been because of that corruption possibility, and it allows people to keep a living wage in the industry.” ...

“The Department of Labor sets the wage determination based on the economic conditions in that area,” Telep said. “Wage determinations are not set by unions.”

No generics

"A Florida law banning the substitution of certain drugs must be followed even if a generic version gets federal approval, a state appellate court ruled Monday." "Fla. court rules against generic drug maker". See also "Fla. court rules against generic drug maker".

Coming to a Florida road near you?

The Miami Herald editorial board: "When a hate group wants to adopt a highway to keep it litter free, what's a state government to do? Say yes, after a Missouri court ruling, based on freedom of speech grounds, said the Ku Klux Klan could adopt a highway and have its name on the road sign announcing its clean up. Now a neo-Nazi group, the National Socialist Movement, wants to adopt a section of another Missouri road." "Countering hate".

Good news

"A boom in breeding by the rare wood stork has added fuel to developers' argument that the bird no longer belongs on the endangered list." "Wood stork population flying higher in Everglades".

Meek

"When Rep. Kendrick Meek talks about his Senate campaign, you’d never know he trails by 30 points and is being all but counted out by just about everyone who knows anything about Florida politics."

Facing the probability of a general-election match-up with a Republican governor whom 60 percent of Democrats like, Meek is working like few candidates before or after him. He got started early — to the surprise of many — and has quietly plodded his way to solid fundraising numbers and the endorsement of just about every major Democratic group that matters in politics. ...

Meek has both the Obamas and the Clintons on his side. And it could be a powerful alliance.

A close friend of the former president and early endorser of his wife’s presidential campaign, Meek has reaped the benefits of three fundraising assists from Bill Clinton. And he got a significant nod to his rising star from Obama when the president invited him, alongside much higher-ranking members of Congress, on a trip to the Summit of the Americas in April.

Obama is, for now, an asset in a state he won in November’s election. Clinton appears more of a mixed bag after his close political confidant, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, crashed and burned in Virginia’s Democratic primary for governor.

“I don’t consider myself the Clinton candidate in the race,” Meek said. “My campaign will not totally depend on Bill Clinton and his presence in the state of Florida.”

Despite the high-profile help, Meek is hardly Democrats’ best hope for winning a seat nationwide, and they aren’t overly excited about his prospects. Much of their focus seems to be on hoping former state House Speaker Marco Rubio can knock Crist off in a primary.

A Meek-Rubio match-up would pit two young and little-known minority candidates against each other in what would be a fair fight from day one.

Open them checkbooks

"If Crist relaxes rules, State Farm hints it may stay".

"Dropping like a rock"?

"Thousands of homeowners across Florida may wind up getting vastly different rate increases from the state's largest property insurance provider, and not the 10 percent increase that many may have been expecting. Such discrepancies threaten to spark a battle between Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and state regulators over what kind of rates homeowners should wind up paying." "State's insurer faces rate fight".

Laff riot

"Pruitt predicts Negron, Atwater victories, Haridopolos to the White House".

Party crasher?

"Michael Arth is an enigma -- at once driven and intellectual, hands-on, somewhat eccentric, a nomadic jack of all trades."

You might know him as the cocky yet earnest man who moved from California's Santa Barbara hills in 2001 to transform a decrepit DeLand neighborhood into the Garden District -- picturesque blocks of restored turn-of-the-century homes, quaint shops and pastel facades.

Or you might remember Arth two years ago as the vocal proponent of a pedestrian village for the mentally ill and homeless out near the Volusia County Branch Jail.

He's also an artist, self-taught green urban planner, author and futurist.

Now meet Arth the gubernatorial candidate.

His campaign strategy?

"To tell the truth, to speak up openly and honestly about what I believe about everything and not hide anything. ...

Eight years ago, he sold his California home and moved into a dilapidated house in a notoriously dangerous area of southeast DeLand known as "Cracktown." Arth -- who has lived from Texas to Paris, run a bed and breakfast in Colorado, worked as an animator in Los Angeles and built Hollywood houses from the ground up -- cobbled together financing, eventually buying 32 homes and businesses, and went about rebuilding until the drug gangs, dealers and neighborhood's unsavory rep were gone. He even created an award-winning documentary about the endeavor, "New Urban Cowboy: Toward A New Pedestrianism."

How soon before he's a candidate?

"Scarborough returns to roots for signing".

Campaign season

"U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, has castigated [potential challengers, Orange] County Mayor Rich Crotty and former state Sen. Dan Webster for failing to solve problems plaguing the region's toll agency and demanded that the agency rescind a 25-cent toll hike." "Grayson assails Crotty, Webster; demands repeal of expressway toll increase". See also "Letter U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, sent to the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.".

Easily accessible guns

"Police say a dispute over neighborhood parking turned violent, leaving two men in the hospital." "2 critically injured in Tampa shooting".

What would Marco say? See "Marco Rubio pulls the pin on the crazy grenade".

I feel safer

"In visit to Manatee, Lt. Gov. stresses storm preparation".

Double dipping head fake

Bill Cotterell: "The new law ending 'double dipping' in the Florida Retirement System and government payroll will save hundreds of millions of dollars if two things happen."

First, all employees who retire need to die on their last day at work — preferably after 5 p.m. — or, if they insist on living, they can voluntarily reject their pensions. And second, their employing agencies must agree to never hire replacements for retirees.

All right, that's a gross exaggeration. But so was the manufactured outrage over "double dipping" in the past two legislative sessions, culminating in the feel-good solution that Gov. Charlie Crist signed last week.

You could start with that misnomer, "double dipping." It's in Webster's, defined as having a pension and a paycheck "in a way regarded as unethical" — a prejudice that made House Bill 479 almost bulletproof in the past session.

Nobody is "dipping." You earn your pension like your salary or your parking place, and it belongs to you, whether you take it today, tomorrow or in the year 2525. The state couldn't not give it to you, just as it can't withhold any deferred-compensation payments or DROP money that you own.

Tampa stim

The Tampa Tribune editorial board channels FDR this morning: "The economy continues to lose jobs even as federal dollars begin to flow into stimulus projects in every state. One of the biggest local projects is an expressway connecting the Port of Tampa to Interstate 4. It is a model of what an effective stimulus project should be. Construction will begin soon, putting thousands of people to work or preventing them from being laid off. Benefits from the completed bridge will be felt throughout the urban area." "Link from port to I-4 is an ideal stimulus".

The good 'ole days

"A plan now under consideration would make Palm Beach's famed Worth Avenue look the way it did in the 1920s and 1930s." "Plan would restore Worth Ave.".

"Influential Republican businessman"

"Influential Republican businessman Ralph Hughes, whose name is on Hillsborough's Moral Courage Award, died owing more than $69.3 million in unpaid taxes, the Internal Revenue Service says. ... The IRS claim is one more postscript on the life of a man who spent much of his life advocating smaller government, lower taxes and less regulation. ... a leading backer of fiscally conservative politicians and their causes across the state, but particularly in Hillsborough County." "IRS pursues $69M in unpaid taxes".

Palm Coast

"Local residents running for two available City Council seats later this year will have to weigh in within the next two months, officials say." "Dates, rules set for Palm Coast elections".

DOJ investigates public corruption in Florida

"The U.S. Department of Justice has called on a tenacious veteran prosecutor to help handle a grand jury investigation into public corruption in Florida — a top-secret inquiry related to a Fort Lauderdale business that authorities suspect was a colossal fraud."

Accusations against current and former public officials presented to the grand jury are so explosive that careers could be ruined if they are made public before the investigation is complete, a federal judge said this month.

At least six past and present public officials have already been cleared of wrongdoing.

The federal grand jury's existence came to light in April when U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan, rejecting a request from the Sun Sentinel, ruled he was going to keep about 30 court filings in a criminal case involving Mutual Benefits Corp. hidden from public view.

RPOFer Speaker Sansom in a jam

"Prosecutors say a crucial document in the criminal case against former state House Speaker Ray Sansom shows that Sansom intended all along for a $6 million building to be built at Destin Airport." "Document refers to airport early on".

Haiti

"Five members of South Florida's congressional delegation [Kendrick Meek, Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Debbie Wasserman Schultz] will travel to Haiti to discuss hurricane preparation, immigration policy and security issues with Haitian President Rene Preval." "S. Fla. congressional delegation travels to Haiti".

Them lazy firefighters

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "To save dollars, St. Petersburg's Fire Department is operating some of its fire trucks with smaller crews than other Pinellas County fire departments and"

below the staffing level recommended in a national standard. Fire Chief Jim Large [the man who made the decision to cut staffing] insists public safety is not compromised by the smaller crews — a view not shared by some other firefighting experts. St. Petersburg's unusual approach to stretching its firefighting ranks in lean times should give city officials and St. Petersburg residents pause, because the budget situation is not going to get any brighter any time soon.

FFWCC does its job for a change

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Too many times in the past, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission failed to live up to its name, putting the wishes of those who exploit game and fish over good conservation practices. Last week, by banning the commercial harvest of freshwater turtles in state waters, the commission stayed true to its core mission. Individuals can still take one turtle per day." "Freshwater turtles can come back out in the sun". The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Proposed harvesting ban best way to save Florida's turtles".

FCAT follies

The Miami Herald editorial board loves the FCAT: "FCAT gains". The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "Poor grades not just schools' fault".

We don't care how you do it in Oklahoma

"A hearty national guffaw started early this week when Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., released a list of 100 items he called wasteful in President Obama's federal stimulus package."

The Lake Jackson "eco-passage," a few miles north of Florida's capitol, caught national media attention, from the Wall Street Journal to the Los Angeles Times.

But Kevin Thibault, assistant secretary for engineering and operations in the state Department of Transportation, said the "turtle tunnel" ridicule missed a couple of salient points. First, the money won't detract from Interstate highways or airports, but will come from a small "enhancement" pot that is set aside for just such work.

And second, the twin tunnels under a four-lane stretch of U.S. 27 north of Tallahassee will be big enough for a deer to scamper through — thus making the road a lot safer for motorists who don't want to hit one at 50 or 60 miles an hour. Even a major alligator or turtle can be a highly hazardous speed bump in the dark, said DOT spokesman Dick Kane.

"The Repugnant Party"

Leonard Pitts: "The modern GOP was created in 1965 with a stroke of Lyndon Johnson's pen."

If that is an exaggeration, it is not much of one. When Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, he made a prediction: In committing the unpardonable sin of guaranteeing the ballot to all citizens regardless of race, he said, he would cause his party to lose the South "for a generation."

And indeed Southern Democrats, who for a century had bombed schools, lynched innocents, perverted justice and terrorized millions in the name of intolerance, responded by leaving their ancestral party in droves. They formed the base of a new GOP, a reality acknowledged by Ronald Reagan when he opened his 1980 campaign at a segregationist fair in a town where three civil rights workers were infamously martyred, by declaring, "I believe in state's rights."

In embracing its new southern base, the Republican Party became the Repugnant Party on matters of race, a distinction it has done little to shed. ...

You may wish to let that one marinate for a moment.

And please, don't bother reminding me of Democrat Robert Byrd's onetime membership in the Ku Klux Klan; I make no argument that the Democrats are untainted by bigotry. Rather, my argument is that the GOP is consumed by it, riddled with it, that it has shown, sown, shaped and been shaped by it, to an abhorrent degree.

RPOFer tuff guy

"Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair [a 'conservative Republican who stressed family values'] was arrested early Sunday, accused of beating up his two sons on Father's Day." "Brian Blair arrested, accused of beating up his sons".

Dockery buzz continues

"State Sen. Dockery Known for Building Coalitions". Billy better keep looking over his shoulder.

Florida "retreating from its Southern Bible Belt roots"?

"That a Florida governor would openly praise gambling legislation in front of school children is a decisive signal that Florida is moving closer to Las Vegas in its tolerance for slot machines and blackjack and retreating from its Southern Bible Belt roots." "Gambling entering a new era in Florida".

Under water by 2099?

"It's the year 2099, the globe is warm, and coastal Florida could be under 3 feet of water."

It sounds like movie trailer hype. But it's what a plain-language climate report issued last week by the Obama administration means, scientists say.

The 158-page report, six pages of which focus on Florida and the Southeast, says global warming is "unequivocal," man-made and primarily due to emissions of heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

# The number of days with peak temperatures over 90 degrees will soar; North Florida, for example, will have 165 days of 90-degree heat per year by the turn of the century, up from 60 days in the 1970s.

# Higher temperatures will hurt human health, forests, crops and livestock.

# A rise in coastal water temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees will cause water to expand, and sea level will increase by 1 to 5 feet, possibly much more as polar ice melts.

# With Atlantic water temperatures up, hurricane strength likely will increase, with faster winds, more intense rain and stronger storm surge.

Zero-tolerance idiocy

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Amid the flurry of bills Gov. Crist has signed into law in recent weeks, one got the governor's John Hancock with little fanfare. It should have been publicly heralded as the return of common sense."

In fact, SB 1540, which requires school boards to revisit their zero-tolerance policies, was lauded by the governor as just that. With support from Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice and law-enforcement agencies throughout the state, the measure is touted as a means of reducing the number of juveniles who are needlessly thrust into the system because of minor infractions — most commonly, petty disobedience.

Consider cases from several headlines: In March, a Lakeland boy was suspended from school for intentionally passing gas on a school bus. In Hernando County, an 11-year-old girl was suspended for bringing a plastic butter knife to school. A student in Brandon was suspended because a calculator he brought to school was equipped with a "knife-like object."

In too many cases, it had become clear that the state-sanctioned zero-tolerance policy was being abused by school districts to dump children into the juvenile-justice system rather than finding acceptable ways to deal with minor cases of acting out or acting up.

"Deadbeats"

"The number of condo owners who aren't paying maintenance fees is on the rise, causing headaches for the other owners and, in some cases, animosity between neighbors." "Condo fee deadbeats cause problems for neighbors".

Key trail

"The Department of Environmental Protection will spend $19 million over the next two years on trails throughout the Florida Keys. Officials say the goal is to provide a continuous biking and running trail from Mile Marker 106 in Key Largo to Mile Marker 0 in Key West by 2013." "Fla. Keys to get new $19 million trail".

The drive threatens lawmakers because it would put an end to the blatant gerrymandering that protects incumbents and the political party in power at redistricting time.

The legislators suing to stop the petition lost -- deservedly so. The petition challengers were Republican. But there is little doubt that if the Democrats controlled the Legislature they would have tried to stop it, too. It's all about keeping political power.

Now voters have a chance to take democracy back and get a fair system of representation.

The goal of the drive, sponsored by the nonpartisan FairDistrictsFlorida.org, is to obtain 676,811 legitimate signatures by Feb. 1, 2010, to put two constitutional-amendment proposals on the ballot that year.

"What will Crist be remembered for?"


Jane Healy asks whether "Charlie Crist be remembered for anything?"

Nutball express

Mike Thomas wants other than Bill McCollum should carry the RPOFer torch; he writes that: "State Sen. Paula Dockery knocked commuter rail off the tracks. Now she is looking to derail the Bill McCollum Express." "Paula Dockery for governor?".

Hate to bust Mikey's bubble - the fellow who daily daydreams about FCATs, "throwing their asses out", indictments of Buddy Dyer, Schiavoesque constitutional crises, and privatization scandals - but the "State Republicans [are trying to] discourage Sen. Paula Dockery on McCollum gubernatorial challenge".

"Cap, trade, conserve, tax: Florida's way out of crisis"

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Ultimately, cap-and-trade is only one of the approaches to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. As the politically favored approach today, it's also an economically prudent one for a state like Florida. Its biggest obstacle is noise pollution by those who, not surprisingly, want to keep spewing the other kind of pollution unhindered." "Local warming".

Joe sneaking up on Floridians

"Joe Scarborough has been busy."

He's been cozied up to by the women on "The View," mercilessly roasted by comedian Jon Stewart and toasted as the "new face of the Republican Party" by conservative scion Christopher Buckley.

Scarborough, 46, has been a private attorney, a Republican congressman, a prime-time television host, even a guitar-slinging rocker.

But his star is brighter today than ever.

Not anytime soon, Scarborough said.

Charter school flops

"Students in Florida's charter schools are not making the same kind of academic gains as their counterparts in traditional schools, according to a report released from Stanford University."

The study, the first of its kind, looked at academic growth on the state achievement exams.

The authors of the report released Monday identified Florida as one of six states with the least-effective charter schools.

"What's going on in Miami?"

"During the final two years of his life, the typical senior in Miami sees doctors 106 times. He receives an astonishing array of lab tests, MRIs and medical procedures, and spends a month in hospital beds."

The bill for all that care adds up. Medicare, the federal health program for seniors, spends a staggering $16,351 a year per Miami patient, more than anywhere else in the nation, and roughly double the 2006 national average.

That distinction places Miami at the center of the nation's debate over health costs, and has people everywhere asking the same question: What's going on in Miami?

Maxwell inserts nose into Boss man Zell's derriere

Another gem from Scott Maxwell: "Firefighters have a duty to suck it up, make a deal".

See also "Orlando Sentinel embarrasses itself", "The 'Journalists' at the Zell Corporation ...", "The Orlando Sentinel editors are at it again" and best of all, this: "Exclusive: Sam Zell Says 'Fuck You' To His Journalist".

5000 Florida felonies in 2000

Randy Schultz excuses the commission of some 5000 Florida felonies in 2000, pointing out that

the only documented "irregularity" from Florida's 2000 election happened before Election Day. Elections supervisors in Martin and Seminole counties allowed Republican operatives to correct about 5,000 absentee ballot applications. Under state law, which you assume the two Republican supervisors knew, it was a felony for anyone but the voter, a direct family member or a guardian to intervene in the request for an absentee ballot.

The Seminole supervisor allowed Republicans to set up and work inside her office. The Martin supervisor let operatives take applications to GOP headquarters. Without those 5,000 votes, Mr. Bush would have lost Florida and the election.

Lawsuits attempted to have all 15,000 absentee ballots in those counties tossed out. But judges in Tallahassee ruled, correctly*, that the votes themselves were valid. Throwing out all ballots would have disenfranchised those who filled out the applications correctly. Still, the court noted the "irregularities" in Martin and Seminole counties.

FDLE offices closed

"Budget cuts have forced the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to close its Fort Lauderdale field office and transfer its 19 employees to the agency's Miami office." "Budget cuts lead to FDLE office closures".

Meek

"U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek met with supporters, including West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, Saturday to promote his bid to qualify for the 2010 U.S. Senate race using the signatures of registered voters." "Democrat Kendrick Meek makes his case for the 2010 U.S. Senate seat in West Palm Beach".

Whatever

"So long, stump speech. Hello, Twitter. Florida candidates are launching their campaigns using social-networking shorthand, in tweets and Facebook messages instantly beamed to their online networks of friends and supporters and beyond." "Florida candidates launch campaigns in cyberspace".

"Immigration and health-care policies"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Nine years ago, a drunken driver sent an illegal immigrant to Martin Memorial Medical Center, where he ran up more than $1 million in bills."

Today, Luis Jimenez, a former landscape worker who was left with the IQ of a 10-year-old, lives with his mother in a Guatemalan village. Meanwhile, doctors and lawyers in Florida are preparing for a three-week trial - set to begin Tuesday in Stuart - that will highlight holes in and raise questions about U.S. immigration and health-care policies.

Mr. Jimenez spent three years at Martin Memorial, far longer than he needed to, but the hospital had nowhere to send him. As an undocumented immigrant who had no insurance and was ineligible for Medicaid, he couldn't pay a rehabilitation facility. Martin Memorial, like all providers that receive Medicare and Medicaid payments, can, under federal guidelines, discharge patients only to a facility that will provide the next level of appropriate care.

So the hospital asked a circuit court judge for permission to move Mr. Jimenez to a hospital in Guatemala. In June 2003, the judge agreed. In May 2004, the 4th District Court of Appeal overturned that decision, ruling that the judge had no authority to order what amounted to a deportation. But Martin Memorial had sent Mr. Jimenez out of the country. Just as Mr. Montejo had predicted, that hospital kicked him out when he couldn't pay. As did the next hospital.

"FCAT is doing more damage than good"

Dan Gelber: "As a parent of three kids in public schools and as a legislator who has been fighting overreliance on the FCAT for almost a decade, I know overemphasis of the FCAT is doing more damage than good." "Too much emphasis on one test".

"Culture of denial"

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "First came the grand jury report in February that hammered the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority for its 'culture of corruption,' where from 2002 to 2006 the road building agency pressured its vendors to contribute to political candidates and causes. Then came the authority's culture of denial". "Beware this culture club".

"A $1 billion increase next year"

"A regulatory and public-relations fight is building about how much Florida Power & Light customers should pay for electricity -- and how much profit the utility should make. FPL wants state regulators to approve a plan that includes a $1 billion increase next year in part of the company's rates and heftier potential profits." "Sparks fly over FPL rate proposal".