Florida Blog

Haridopolos: Prison privatization bill will get more vetting

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:16:24 +0000

TALLAHASSEE — Only a day after Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ office decided that a prison privatization plan would get only one full legislative hearing, it is backtracking and saying it will now also get a full vetting before the influential Senate Budget Committee. Here’s his just-released memo: After hearing questions and concerns from my fellow Senators in the Senate Committee on Rules regarding Senate Bill 2036, I have decided to proceed in an abundance of caution. This bill, if reported favorably out of the Senate Committee on Rules on Monday, January 23, 2012, will be referred to the Senate Committee on Budget to be heard on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. However, I do want to be clear that I stated and addressed my position on prison privatization on numerous occasions. In the fall, I issued a memo after asking staff to take an in-depth look at this issue and ensure that our approach to prison privatization was both thoughtful and transparent. Staff found that the language was fully vetted in the previous session as illustrated by the attached and below chart, and because this language was passed on the Senate floor last year, it was eligible to be expedited through the process this year. I also authored an opinion piece stating my position that it is paramount that we prioritize our state’s spending by privatizing prisons, which has the potential to save a minimum of 22 million taxpayer dollars that I firmly believe are better spent on education, health care and economic development. Finally, I held a media availability where the majority of the time was used reiterating and expressing my support for prison privatization efforts. With that in mind, I believe that this additional committee reference will ensure a thoughtful debate on prison privatization, and I am hopeful that this will alleviate any concerns my fellow Senators may have.

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Haridopolos: Prison privatization bill will get more vetting

House knight takes Senate bishop: No need for budget delay

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:07:37 +0000

TALLAHASSEE — House Speaker Dean Cannon just released budget allocations for committees to begin piecing together a spending plan that would boost per-pupil spending by about 2.3 percent — in line with the increase Gov. Rick Scott requested last month. The Winter Park Republican has also upped the ante with his Senate brethren by announcing the chamber’s budget would include “automatic contingencies in case there are revenue losses or increases.” That would theoretically ameliorate the need for lawmakers to wait until later in the spring to produce a final $69 billion-plus budget, which Senate leaders have suggested might be the more prudent step. “State economists do not expect any significant change in revenue collections in upcoming months,” Cannon wrote in the memo. “However, to address concerns expressed by some regarding potential fluctuations in revenue collections in the next few months, our House budget proposal will provide for automatic contingencies in case there are revenue losses or increases. “These contingencies will provide self-executing direction on how to enact reductions or provide additional spending authority, without accessing reserves, should circumstances change.” Cannon’s allocations also include $100 million for tax cuts (such as another back-to-school sales tax holiday, and $75 million for “recurring” tax cuts), but appears to exclude Scott’s budget proposal to slash $1.9 billion in Medicaid hospital rates, ruling out any “cost shifts toward the other aspects of our state-funded health care infrastructure, including driving uncompensated care into our public hospitals and emergency departments.” Instead, Cannon wrote the chamber would continue to try and reduce expenses in line with the reform the Legislature passed last year. The House also plans to sock away money to keep its total reserves at $2.46 billion. Here’s Cannon’s full press release:

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House knight takes Senate bishop: No need for budget delay

WSVN Still Fighting with DirectTV, but Subscribers Will Get to See American Idol and NFL

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:04:15 +0000

If you’re a DirectTV subscriber in South Florida you haven’t been able to see Fox since last weekend. That’s because Sunbeam Television Corp., the owners of Fox affiliate WSVN, are locked in a ba… Continue reading “WSVN Still Fighting with DirectTV, but Subscribers Will Get to See American Idol and NFL” >

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WSVN Still Fighting with DirectTV, but Subscribers Will Get to See American Idol and NFL

Docs v. Florida Business Lobby All-Stars tips off in Senate committee

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:22:32 +0000

TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate committee stepped into a food fight Thursday between doctors, pharmacistsand the influential business lobby that underwrites campaigns by advancing a bill prohibiting doctors from charging higher rates for re-packaged prescription drugs for injured workers. The bill, SB 668, sponsored by Sen. Alan Hays , R-Umatilla, is a priority of the powerful business lobby, which has claimed the state’s workers compensation system is being “undermined and ignored by physicians who dispense repackaged drugs and are charging employers significantly higher prices that exceed the statutory reimbursement for pharmaceuticals.” Doctors say they have to be able to charge reimbursement rates that allow them to compete with giant chain-pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. In essence, they argue the bill is a way to steer injured employees in the worker compensation system away from doctors prescribing drugs and toward the big-box pharmacies. The bill passed the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Thursday, but not before Sen. Eleanor Sobel , D-Hollywood, got an amendment added specifying that employees would still be able to choose to receive prescriptions filled by their doctors — although one doctor testified that the $4.18 dispensing fee allowed under the bill wouldn’t be enough to cover doctors’ costs for software and staff. An assortment of business interests pushing the Legislature to cut costs within the workers’ compensation system are pushing the bill, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida and dozens of companies from big pharmacies to big employers. They argue doctors are getting around a set limitation on fees for prescription drugs currently in law and costing businesses “millions of dollars a year.” The staff analysis for the bill claims the change could cut worker comp costs by an estimated 2.5 percent, although it doesn’t cite a source.

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Docs v. Florida Business Lobby All-Stars tips off in Senate committee

No Casinos group launches latest TV spot

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:48:46 +0000

TALLAHASSEE — Anti gambling group No Casinos launched its latest ad slamming the destination casino proposal. The ad points out Nevada’s high rates of crime, divorce and economic woes. “We do not intend to stand by and allow these out of town gambling interests to have their way with our community,” said South Florida No Casinos Chair Dan Gelber . “We’ve seen what they have done in Vegas, and we want no part of it here.” Watch the ad:

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No Casinos group launches latest TV spot

305 Photo of the Day: Broken Bot

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Today’s photo comes from MigRodz’s Flickr. If you’d like to see your photo here join our Flickr group. Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes. … Continue reading “305 Photo of the Day: Broken Bot” >

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305 Photo of the Day: Broken Bot

PETA Wants to Turn OJ Simpson’s Foreclosed Home into a Vegetarian Museum

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:54:13 +0000

PETA, a sad, attention-trolling parody of an animal rights organization, never lets a prime opportunity for cheap publicity go to waste, so they’ve decided to jump on the news that OJ S… Continue reading “PETA Wants to Turn OJ Simpson’s Foreclosed Home into a Vegetarian Museum” >

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PETA Wants to Turn OJ Simpson’s Foreclosed Home into a Vegetarian Museum

PETA Wants to Turn OJ Simpson’s Foreclosed Home into a Vegetarian Museum

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:54:13 +0000

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PETA Wants to Turn OJ Simpson’s Foreclosed Home into a Vegetarian Museum

Miami Police Officer Michael Juchnowski Fired for Pepper Spraying Taxi Driver

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:25:44 +0000

Michael Juchnowski, A City of Miami Police officer, has been fired for a variety of reasons including his part in a bizarre pepper spraying incident on Miami Beach last month. Juchnowski, who liv… Continue reading “Miami Police Officer Michael Juchnowski Fired for Pepper Spraying Taxi Driver” >

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Miami Police Officer Michael Juchnowski Fired for Pepper Spraying Taxi Driver

Matthew Scheidt, Teen Who Once Pretended to be Doctor, Arrested for Impersonating Miami Beach Police Officer

Kyle Munzenrieder — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:17:45 +0000

Maybe when Matthew Scheidt heard “you can be anything you want to be when your grow up” as a child he took it the wrong way, because the Florida teen has a strange habit of pretending to be… Continue reading “Matthew Scheidt, Teen Who Once Pretended to be Doctor, Arrested for Impersonating Miami Beach Police Officer” >

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Matthew Scheidt, Teen Who Once Pretended to be Doctor, Arrested for Impersonating Miami Beach Police Officer