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Tuesday Morning Reads: Guns in hospitals, Evelynn Lynn and redistricting

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:09:25 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- Good morning and welcome to this edition of the morning reads. It's a full day today in Tallahassee with the Senate looking at redistricting on the floor today. So to get you read, here are five stories you should be reading this morning. * The Orlando Sentinel writes that the Legislature's redistricting work is likely headed to the courts. From the story: After more than two years of bickering over reforms meant to curb political abuses, the Florida Senate on Tuesday plans to debate maps for congressional and legislative districts that preserve Republican majorities and, its authors say, meet legal muster with Fair Districts. But it will be far from the final word. * Should guns be allowed in hospitals? The Miami Herald reports that the South Florida hospital association is asking the Legislature to ban them. From the story: In Florida, it’s against the law to carry a gun into a school, an athletic event, a jail, a police station or a local government meeting. Not so with hospitals, where it remains perfectly legal to pack heat. For years, Linda Quick of the South Florida Hospital and Healthcare Association has wanted to change that. Just before each session of the Legislature, when her group publishes its agenda, it includes a talking point: “Add ‘licensed hospitals and nursing homes’ to the Safety Zone provisions of the Concealed Weapons Law.” * The Daytona Beach News-Journal has a profile on state Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach. From the story: Lynn, who turns 82 next month, has been an integral part of a Republican-dominated Legislature for so long, it's easy to forget that it wasn't always this way. But before she was the undefeated dean of Volusia County lawmakers and a standard-bearer for women in Florida's Republican Party, Lynn was an upstart city commissioner who was given almost no chance of becoming the first woman to be elected to state office from Volusia County. * The Republican presidential primary is overshadowing the state Senate race, AP writes. From the story: Republicans say their top two goals this year are defeating President Barack Obama and defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. But until Florida goes to the polls Jan. 31 for the presidential primary, the Senate race is an afterthought. Former Sen. George LeMieux and former state Rep. Adam Hasner acknowledged it's hard to break through to voters while they're focused on picking a presidential nominee. * The Tampa Bay Times has a story on Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam's entrance into the debate over energy policy. From the story: Putnam is pushing 11 proposals that he says will start the state on a path to energy diversity by reducing its dependency on natural gas. But he's moving with caution. The last person to push for energy reform in Florida was former Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist called for sweeping reform in 2007 when attacking climate change was more politically popular. A year after he left office, Crist's policies lie dormant in statutes or have been repealed. Bonus Blogs * Maps of new districts could reshape Broward legislative districts * If Reagan doesn't, Bennett says he'll run for elections post

Friday Morning Reads: New union leadership for prison guards, gambling news and Jim Greer trial depos

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:38:21 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- It's Friday and we're ready for the weekend here. So, we'll send you to the last day of the work week with a few stories to read. * The Sun-Sentinel reports that the Police Benevolent Association was ousted as the collective bargaining agent for more than 18,000 prison workers, after representing them for more than 30 years. From the story: The Teamsters, which won 4,097 of the 7,391 votes cast, began campaigning to represent correctional employees more than a year ago. In recent months, it has raised its public profile, filing an ethics complaint against Gov. Rick Scott over prison privatization – it was dismissed -- and suing the state for not paying correctional workers for time they spend suiting up for work. But like other public-employee unions, the PBA has struggled in recent years because of state budget cuts and legislative disregard for unions. Workers hadn't seen an across-the-board raise in five years. And the privatization plan could have cost 3,8000 employees their state jobs. * The Orlando Sentinel writes that a chief Republican fundraiser told lawyers for former GOP Chairman Jim Greer that Gov. Charlie Crist wanted Greer to take over party fundraising. From the story: A lobbyist who was Charlie Crist's chief fundraiser Thursday told attorneys for ousted Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer that the then-governor authorized Greer in early 2009 to take over party fundraising and to be paid extra for it, a Greer attorney reported. The account by uber-lobbyist Brian Ballard is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for Greer, but it makes clear that party insiders had splintered pieces of information about a faltering fundraising operation and that Greer had the authority to take more control. * The Palm Beach Post reports that while Scott is hot for jobs, he's lukewarm about destination casinos. From the story: Gov. Rick Scott is not a gambler. While saying he remains focused on his campaign pledge of creating jobs, Scott told The Palm Beach Post editorial board today he doesn't necessarily want to see those jobs coming from new casinos in South Florida as touted by some lawmakers. A day after a casino developer told legislators that bringing three gambling resorts to Broward and Miami-Dade counties could generate 100,000 jobs, Scott was noncommital on whether he'd sign a bill to expand gambling in the state. * State investigators have found that funds for girls in the juvenile justice system were used for personal gain by the head of the Girls Advocacy Project. From the Miami Herald report: State investigators say Vicki Lopez Lukis used her contracts with juvenile justice administrators for personal gain, buying meals at a steakhouse, a sushi restaurant and a raw bar, gifts for friends and lawmakers, doughnuts, tickets to a film festival and flowers, spending taxpayer dollars on cell phone roaming charges in Europe, gift cards, and paying off staffers’ parking tickets. Using state money, a report says, she purchased office furniture and computer equipment — at a cost of thousands of dollars — from a company owned by her husband and son. And, documents say, she “falsified” records to justify being paid for services that weren’t rendered. * The Florida Current reports that the toll collection proposals from the Government Efficiency Task Force may be dead on arrival. From the story: A new plan to merge the toll collection functions of all the expressway authorities throughout Florida could be dead already, as even those supporting the plan doubt its staying power. “The bill won’t pass. There are too many people who are tied in, in various ways with those authorities. There are a lot of wheels within wheels. So I think it’s unlikely that the bill would pass,” said Sen. Don Gaetz , R-Niceville, who failed in his effort to push through a complete merger of the expressway authorities earlier this year. Bonus Blogs * Congress approves RNC funds for Tampa * AIF ready to bet on destination resorts

Crist’s coziness with Dems stirs comeback rumors

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:14:00 +0000

When former Gov. Charlie Crist left the Republican Party, it was pretty clear there was no turning back.

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Ramirez pleads not guilty to domestic battery

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:04:00 +0000

Former baseball star Manny Ramirez has pleaded not guilty to a domestic battery charge involving his wife.

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Evangelical pastors divided ahead of 2012 caucuses

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:54:00 +0000

Four years ago, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses partly by locking up the support of evangelical pastors, the former Baptist minister's brethren and a potent voting bloc within the state's influential Christian conservatives. Read More

1st DCA says Legislature, not BOG sets tuition

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:05:18 +0000

TALLAHASSEE-- Since the Florida Board of Governors was created in 2002 to govern the state university system, there has been a dispute over whether the Board or the Legislature has the authority to set tuition rates. Today, a three-judge panel ruled that the Legislature had the power to set tuition, writing that the 2002 constitutional amendment creating the board "did not indicate, or even intimate, that the Board would have any authority over the establishment and expenditure of tuition and fees." The 1st District Court of Appeal decision marks another step in a long battle between former Gov. Bob Graham , who originally filed the case, and the Legislature. When the case was filed in 2007, the Board of Governors also joined the suit, creating a tension-filled relationship with the Legislature who was in charge of determining how much money the state universities should receive each year. A lower court also sided with the Legislature, but in 2010, the Board of Governors decided to drop out of the suit after inking a university governance agreement with lawmakers and former Gov. Charlie Crist . Under that agreement, the board and Legislature determined that lawmakers have the right to set the base tuition rate for the universities with the board being able to set differential tuition. "We cannot speak to the lawsuit because we are not a party," BOG spokeswoman Kelly Layman said. "However, Board of Governors Chair Ava Parker and Chancellor Frank Brogan worked closely with the 2010 Legislature to develop a signed agreement that added clarifications for respective constitutional duties and shared responsibilities in Florida law – and this partnership already has proven very successful in practice since that time, now nearly two years later."

Scott has a new 7-step plan for jobs. Sort of.

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:44:26 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott unveiled a new 7-step plan for creating jobs at a steel business in Longwood Wednesday, and many of the proposals have been trickling out of his office for weeks. Stop us if you've heard this one, but it includes cutting taxes for businesses, streamlining regulations, and holding the line on taxes. There are also some new wrinkles. The highlights include plans to shape up troubled regional workforce training agencies, expand toll roads, and begin requiring schools and universities to adopt long-term goals for steering more students into science, mathematics and engineering fields of study. We wrote about the plan here. Here are the steps: 1. Streamlining business permitting and eliminating burdensome rules and regulations 2. Providing tax relief and reform for Florida’s working families and businesses 3. Reforming Florida’s unemployment system to create a reemployment system 4. Restoring accountability and credibility to Florida’s Workforce Boards 5. Prioritizing vital transportation projects to facilitate economic development opportunities 6. Offering stability to Florida businesses by balancing the budget without raising taxes 7. Prioritizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics in education And keep reading for Scott's prepared remarks:

Former Fla. First Lady Carole Crist now a Democrat

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 01:32:00 +0000

The wife of former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist is now a Democrat.

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FL Gov names Elder Affairs Secretary

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:24:00 +0000

Gov. Rick Scott is keeping a holdover from the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist in his job.

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Bogdanoff backs Huntsman for president

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:04:42 +0000

State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff of Fort Lauderdale picked the right horse back in the 2008 Republican presidential primary race when she got behind John McCain long before he emerged as a front-runner. Now she’s backing Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor who is waging a long-shot campaign from a national headquarters strategically placed in Orlando. Ellyn Bogdanoff Bogdanoff said she was impressed by Huntsman’s resume, which includes a stint as ambassador to China during the Obama administration. “The fact that he has been sought after by more than one president simply because of his skill and ability, that should impress anybody,” Bogdanoff said in an interview on Thursday. “I believe he is electable across party lines because of the career he has led and the issues he has championed.” Huntsman has been branded a moderate by some conservatives in the party, which will not help his chances. “I’m not sure where they get `moderate,’” Bogdanoff said. “They also called John McCain a moderate. There’s nothing about this man (Huntsman) that strikes me as a moderate.” “Number one: I don’t think that’s a curse word. And it’s not reflective in the things he has done.” McCain had little campaign money and not much of an organization in Florida four years ago. But he did have connections to Bogdanoff, then-Sen. Mel Martinez and then-Gov. Charlie Crist. “The (early) polling never showed McCain ahead,” Bogdanoff recalled. “McCain was never the top guy. If you polled South Florida, it showed (Rudy) Giuliani number one.” Most important, McCain had overwhelming momentum from victories in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. His victory in Florida essentially sealed his nomination. As a result of that experience, Bogdanoff is disinclined to think the Florida presidential straw poll at a Republican gathering in Orlando in September will tell us much about the final outcome. “You have a very select group of people voting,” she said of the straw poll participants. “It helps to some degree. I don’t know that it would call the election.”