"The Republican governor likened the idea to the profit sharing in Major League Baseball."

“This would be similar to how large market baseball teams share revenues with small market baseball teams. With the hospital industry’s record-high profits, it does not make sense for the hospital industry to ask state taxpayers to backfill funding the Obama Administration has elected to terminate,” the letter states.

Some hospitals, such as Shands Jacksonville, have said they could close if federal funds for the Low Income Pool do not come through. Scott’s letter says that hospitals in the state made $3.7 billion in "recent" profits, a number that some hospitals have disputed.

Charter school madness

"Authorities say a Florida [Charter School] principal has been arrested after she was caught partially unclothed in a marijuana-smoke-filled car with a student." "Principal arrested partially unclothed with student in car."

Weekly Roundup

"Weekly Roundup: Seems Like Old Times."

Wingnuts of the World Unite

"Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi added clout in Florida's fight against the federal government's forced Medicaid expansion Friday, when the governors of Texas and Kansas filed an amici curiae brief in U.S. District Court in support of the plaintiffs." "Governors of Texas, Kansas: We Support You, Gov. Scott."

GOP Fantasy

The Miami Herald editors" "GOP spending plan calls for draconian cuts in benefit programs." "Fantasy budgeting."

That's our "Jeb!" . . . commencement speaker at Liberty University"

"Bush, a former Florida governor, will be the commencement speaker on Saturday at Liberty University, the institution in Lynchburg, Va., founded by the evangelical leader Jerry Falwell." "Rick Scott Reveals His Cards In Messy Fight Over Obamacare."

Ausley looking to get back

"Former Rep. Loranne Ausley is looking to get back to the Florida House. The Tallahassee Democrat filed her paperwork this week to run in 2016 for the House seat currently held by the term-limited Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee. Ausley is the first candidate to file for the seat which is solidly Democratic." "Loranne Ausley Hopes to Return to the Florida House."

Wingnut whinge

Ed Dean: "Ron DeSantis, John Legg Pass Easily; Not So Bill Nelson, SLC Commission."

"O’Malley makes quiet Miami pit stop"

"The former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor held a fundraiser hosted by his friend Manny Diaz, the ex-Miami mayor." "Potential Hillary Clinton challenger Martin O’Malley makes quiet Miami pit stop." Related: "Rick Perry Stumps Florida as He Looks at 2016 Presidential Bid."

And they expect pensions? The arrogance

"A 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of 30,000 firefighters showed they are diagnosed with cancer at a rate 9 percent higher than the general population and are 14 percent more likely to die of cancer."

Researchers do not know why firefighters have higher cancer rates. But they have found that the more time they spend responding to fires, the more likely they are to be diagnosed. . . .

Firefighters are twice as likely as the general population to die of mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lung lining associated with asbestos exposure, said Thomas Hales, a senior medical epidemiologist with the CDC.

The numbers in the study were adjusted for age, race and gender, as firefighters studied were mostly white males.

Their rates of esophageal cancer are 62 percent higher than average, and they are 39 percent more likely to die of it, Hales said. They also have higher instances of cancers in the oral cavities, intestines, kidneys and lungs.

"Watered-down prison reform plan"

"Gov. Rick Scott’s action directs DOC Secretary Julie Jones to implement many of the changes suggested by the Legislature as part of a watered-down prison reform plan agreed to by the House and Senate before the session melted down in disarray." "Gov. Rick Scott orders prison reforms similar to those proposed by lawmakers." See also "Gov. Rick Scott orders prison reforms similar to those proposed by lawmakers" and "Gov. Rick Scott issues executive order to reduce beatings, corruption."

House’s dysfunction part of FlaDem game plan in swing districts

"House Democrats’ are so far in the minority that they can’t use procedural challenges to slow Republican bills they oppose. In short, they are not even a policy speed bump."

Now, though, they are hoping to capture some momentum after House Speaker Steve Crisafull, R-Merritt Island, sent his members home on April 28 after a dispute with the Senate over Medicaid expansion that halted budget talks.

“Middle-class families and veterans don’t get to quit work when times get tough,” was part of a robo call that immediately went to the districts of 11 House Republicans after the shutdown.

The calls, and a later round of political mailers, were the work of the Florida Democratic Party and targeted districts in Orlando, Tampa and Miami that are seen as vulnerable in 2016. Those areas are not dominated by either party and can be fertile territory in a presidential election cycle when Democrats vote in much larger numbers than in off-year elections.

[Democratic Party Executive Director Scott] Arceneaux said he does not think the House’s dysfunction and early exit will prompt a wave of pickups, but he does say it will be part of his game plan in swing districts.

“I do think it will help us,” he said. “Anytime we can begin a process of defining the Republicans as dysfunctional and unable to govern, … it’s a good thing.”

The decision means Florida’s already acrimonious state budget process will likely become tenser. The standoff also has implications for eight other states, including Texas, which draw billions of dollars from the same pool of hospital funds. And like Florida, several are also refusing to expand Medicaid coverage. Republican leaders in those states are adamant about not expecting any federal money tied to Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

The snub from the Obama administration came Wednesday when Scott met with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell in Washington. The Republican governor wants the administration to extend $1 billion in low-income pool funds for hospitals, but the federal government wants Florida to expand Medicaid, arguing its more efficient to give people insurance than to pay hospitals for caring for the uninsured retroactively.

Special session games

"State lawmakers can expect to meet at the beginning of June to start a special legislative session, according to an email sent Wednesday from Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island." "Legislators Set Tentative Special Session Dates for June."

And how much to give wildfire firefighters a raise?

"Over the last four years, Lauren’s Kids, a non-profit founded by the daughter of top Tallahassee lobbyist Ron Book, has become one the Legislature’s favorite charities, raking in nearly $7 million in taxpayer funds. If and when legislators reconvene to pass a budget, that total is slated to rise to $10.8 million." "Politicians send millions to charity of lobbyist’s daughter."

Believe it or not

The Tampa Trib editors: "One of the few things the dysfunctional Legislature managed to get accomplished last week was the passage of a bill that would provide a simpler and more secure way for people to register to vote by creating an online registration process."

The move is supported by the state’s supervisors of election and follows the example set by the 20 states that have successfully implemented online voter registration. The measure drew bipartisan support in the state’s Senate and House, which appropriated $1.8 million to implement the online system.

Now it’s up to Gov. Rick Scott to sign the bill into law. Believe it or not, that might not happen.

There’s good reason to suspect Scott was behind Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner’s absurd appearance before a Senate committee several weeks ago to urge lawmakers to reject the online voter registration legislation.

Murphy goes after DeSantis

"Political organizations and potential rivals reacted to U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., entering the U.S. Senate race on Wednesday. DeSantis launched his bid on Wednesday morning, becoming the first major Republican candidate to officially get in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is running for the Republican presidential nomination."

Murphy’s team was . . . aggressive in going after DeSantis with Josh Wolf from the Democrat’s campaign sending out an email against their new “extreme Republican opponent: GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis.” “Ron DeSantis is the poster child for Washington's dysfunction,” Wolf wrote. “He's embraced a radical tea party agenda that has ties to the Koch Brothers’ dark money group Americans for Prosperity. He’s anti-choice, opposes same-sex marriage, and voted no on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. Florida deserves better from its next U.S. senator.”

Will unexplained departures weaken the environmental safeguards?

"Simultaneous and unexplained departures by four executives from the agency that protects Central Florida's wetlands, rivers and aquifer triggered complaints Wednesday that the moves were orchestrated to weaken the region's environmental safeguards." "Central Florida's water agency roils with resignations."

Campus Carry Bills

"NRA: Campus Carry Bills 'Will Be Back'."

Jeb Bush floundering in Iowa

Kevin Derby: "Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., is floundering in Iowa, home of the important first presidential caucus contest, while U.S Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is becoming a contender in the Hawkeye State, a new poll shows."

Qunnipiac University released a poll on Wednesday showing Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., leads the pack of Republican presidential candidates in Iowa with 21 percent followed by Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., with 13 percent each. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is in the mix with 12 percent followed by former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., the winner of the 2008 caucus who kicked off his presidential bid on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, "May 7, 2015 - What Trouble? Clinton Has Early Lock On Iowa Caucus, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Sanders, Biden Are Only Dems Over 3%."

Musical chairs

"In a move that could affect the sharp-elbowed House Speaker 2020 race, state Rep. Fred Costello, R-Ormond Beach, announced he would not run for Congress to replace U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis of Ponte Vedra Beach, who announced his bid for U.S. Senate earlier Wednesday." "Rep. Costello not running for open DeSantis seat."

Tampa, not Miami

"Many in this city with long-standing ties to Cuba believe it is the natural gateway to new business opportunities on the island, not Miami." "Tampa ramps up to be a leader in the new relationship with Cuba."

Funny how that works

"The same day Gov. Rick Scott announced the creation of a new hospital commission and a Washington trip to secure federal hospital money, the state’s largest hospital chain gave $100,000 to the governor’s political committee."

The money was from Hospital Corporation of America, a Tennessee-based company that would stand to gain millions if Scott’s federal negotiations are successful. On Tuesday, the company wrote three checks totaling $100,000 to Let’s Get to Work, a political committee controlled by Scott.

Grayson's girlfriend inquires about Congress?

"POLITICO Report: Grayson's girlfriend inquiring about Congress."

That is important because the FSA only introduced more turmoil into a system that already had been rife with controversy surrounding its predecessor, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Technical glitches bedeviled the program during statewide testing periods in March and again in April, heaping more stress on thousands of already emotionally taxed students in Alachua County and elsewhere.

Teachers and district-level administrators repeatedly pleaded with the governor to slow down, to give the FSA a year’s grace period in order to work out the kinks and let students and teachers adapt to its differences from the FCAT.

Neither they nor others who advocated a delay were demanding an end to testing, or to accountability. They only requested prudence in ensuring the test would work, especially since it is so heavily dependent on technology and had not been vetted thoroughly by anyone.

But this is Florida, where increasingly since 1999, when the current testing regimen first grabbed a foothold in the public school system, we must test first and ask questions later. And the untested FSA failed our pupils.

"Imagining 2 Floridas, South and North"

"The South Miami City Commission is urging the creation of a new state of "South Florida." It's a symbolic resolution, aimed at showing leaders in Florida's current capital of Tallahassee that they're not doing enough to address concerns about rising sea levels at the southern end of the Florida peninsula." "Juice would be spilled: Imagining 2 Floridas, South and North."

Rick Scott AWOL

"Gov. Rick Scott’s standing with legislators has never been great, but he clearly lost ground this spring. He was rarely visible. When he was desperately needed to break a budget stalemate, Scott was far from the action — attending political fund-raisers, casting for jobs in California and dedicating a new amusement park ride in Orlando." "Where’s Gov. Rick Scott amid state budget crisis?"

Jeb Bush leads GOPer field

"WSJ/NBC Poll: Marco Rubio Most Broadly Acceptable Candidate for GOP Voters." See also "Jeb Bush leads 2016 GOP field."

Wingers will rise again

"Florida Chamber: Special Session Gives Us Another Bite of the Apple."

Scott reappoints 16 agency heads

"Gov. Rick Scott wasted little time in reappointing 16 agency heads, including the leaders of two health-care agencies and the state's elections chief, after the Senate did not confirm them before the end of the regular legislative session."

"I think there are some of our senators that have had concerns about some of the responses from secretaries," Gardiner told reporters after an April 23 floor session. "By no means would we be playing games or threatening or anything like that."

Gardiner's comment came a day after Scott threatened to veto a number of Senate bills if the chamber didn't move his requested $673 million tax-cut package. Scott's tax cuts remain in limbo, awaiting a special session on the budget.

Fate of Low Income Pool hospital funding uncertain

"After the third of three public hearings, the fate of the Low Income Pool hospital funding program remains uncertain." "Without bills to vote on, state lawmakers attend public hearing on hospital funding."

Scott's PSC takes it in the shorts

"In a rebuke to the Public Service Commission, a state appellate court ruled Monday that the utility regulator hurt utility customers when it refused to explain why it banned the public’s lawyers from asking questions in certain rate cases. The ruling by the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee ordered the PSC to explain why it refuses to allow the Office of Public Counsel to conduct discovery in pending rate cases as had previously been the tradition." "Court rebukes Public Service Commissioners for 'ill serving' rate payers."

What's wrong with Hillsborough?

"Hillsborough County is among the worst places in the country in terms of poor children’s ability to climb out of poverty, researchers from Harvard University have concluded. A study on upward mobility highlighted on the front page of Monday’s New York Times ranks Hillsborough 98th out of the nation’s biggest 100 counties in terms of potential earning power for low-income people. Every extra year spent in Hillsborough reduces a child’s earnings by 0.67 percent, the study found." "Growing up poor in Hillsborough? It’s going to cost you."

"No doubt"

The Sarasota Herald Tribune editors: "The Florida Supreme Court has left no doubt that the state House of Representatives' stunning, early adjournment last week was unconstitutional."

Five of the seven justices agreed, in a concurring opinion issued Friday, that the unilateral adjournment on Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. -- more than 72 hours before the scheduled end of the Legislature's 2015 regular session -- "violated the plain requirements of the constitution."

Those requirements are found in Article III, section 3, which governs sessions of the Legislature and states: "Neither house shall adjourn for more than seventy-two consecutive hours except pursuant to concurrent resolution."

The same section of the constitution prescribes specific steps that must be taken if "the two houses cannot agree upon a time for adjournment."

Yet none of those steps was taken.

Striving for relevancy

"U.S. Rep. Ron DeSanti s, R-Fla., a possible U.S Senate candidate in 2016, said on Monday he will bring out a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms senators and representatives can serve in Congress." "Ron DeSantis Calls for Congressional Term Limits Amendment."

Really?

"House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, is one of Florida's most chill and reasonable state leaders." "For Brevard reps, no budging on Obamacare."

"Punching Away at House Reps on Medicaid"

"Former Naples City Councilman Gary Price announced Monday that he is running for the Florida Senate in 2016 and he gave warning to two Florida House representatives that he will make their opposition to Medicaid expansion a major issue in the Republican primary."

Price filed on Monday for the seat currently held by Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, who faces term limits next year. Two Naples Republicans in the Florida House -- Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Hudson and Rep. Kathleen Passidomo -- are also running for the seat.

DSCC Disses Grayson

"The Democratic Senate campaign committee endorsed Rep. Patrick Murphy on Monday as its candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Marco Rubio, who is running for president."

The endorsement comes even as U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando, is considering the race.

It's the latest move by establishment Democrats to unite behind Murphy, a South Florida moderate in his second House term. There are concerns that a run by the liberal Grayson could hurt the party's chances in a major swing state.

FlaDems target reps over walk-out

"Florida Democrats are targeting Republican state representatives in swing districts with robocalls and mailers telling voters that their representatives "walked away" from their jobs to avoid voting on health care." "Democrats targeting state reps over walk-out."

Meanwhile, Rick Scott, according to the Miami Herald editors, is "Missing in action."

Special session solution

"Florida Senate president proposes special session in June to end historic budget stalemate." See also "Gardiner floats June special session to complete budget."

"Florida House slimier than an Everglades python"

Daniel Ruth: "When the going gets tough, the Florida House gets slimier than an Everglades python as it slithers out of Tallahassee." "How term limits degraded Florida House."

"The Florida Legislature is broken"

The Tampa Bay Times editorial board: "The Florida Legislature is broken. The depressing drama that played out in Tallahassee last week highlighted the legislative branch's structural flaws that make it virtually impossible to create bipartisan solutions to the state's biggest issues. The system is rigged to benefit the most partisan lawmakers from both political parties, protect incumbents and amplify the voices of lobbyists and large campaign contributors." "Fixing the broken Florida Legislature." See also the Orlando Sentinel editors, "How the Florida Legislature crashed and burned."

Gaetz' Kentucky Derby blues

"Update on Optics alert: Twitter shows Matt Gaetz in Kentucky, but hey, it's nothing!"

Hillsborough SA open to making pot a civil offense

"In a shift that could influence the local debate over decriminalizing marijuana, [Hillsborough County] State Attorney Mark Ober now says he’s open to making juvenile possession of small amounts of pot a civil rather than criminal offense." "Florida state attorney shifts stance on pot violations."