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Romney launches TV ad in Florida

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:48:56 +0000

Looking well beyond Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney announced plans to launch a television ad in Florida to try to consolidate his image as the leader of the Republican presidential hopefuls. The ad, dubbed “Leader,” promotes Romney’s claim that he’s “a man of steadiness and constancy.” “I don’t think you’re going to find somebody who has more of those attributes than I do,” Romney says in the spot, which already has run in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The ad seems designed to counter criticism that Romney is a flip-flopper who panders to voters. Democratic leaders – notably South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee – accuse Romney of being anything but constant in his political views. But Romney asserts his constancy in personal matters. “I’ve been married to the same woman for 25 – excuse me, I’ll get in trouble – for 42 years," he says. "I’ve been in the same church my entire life. I worked at one company, Bain, for 25 years. And I left that to go off and help save the Olympic Games." “If I’m president of the United States," he says, “I will be true to my family, to my faith, and to our country, and I will never apologize for the United States of America.” Florida's primary is set for Jan. 31.

Forecasters see cool January coming for South Florida

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:11:21 +0000

The two-week forecast, issued Sunday, shows above average temperatures through most of the country except for the Florida peninsula, where much below normal temperatures are are predicted.

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Florida members relieved by tax-cut extension

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:24:46 +0000

An agreement to extend the payroll tax cut and emergency unemployment benefits for two more months brought a sense of relief to members of both parties on Thursday, though Republicans remained disgruntled. Tom Rooney “A full-year extension of the payroll tax holiday would be far better than a two-month stopgap,” said Congressman Tom Rooney, a Republican from Tequesta. He said, however, that a two-month extension is better than “continued gridlock that would lead to a tax increase for millions of Americans.” The deal will prevent the expiration of a cut in the payroll tax that pays for Social Security. It also preserves the current reimbursement rate to doctors who serve Medicare patients and the extra unemployment benefits provided to the long-term jobless. Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida, said he was glad that House Republican leaders backed down and agreed to the two-month extension already passed by the Senate. "After playing a needless and frustrating game of partisan politics, extremists in the House finally agreed to do the right thing and extend tax relief for 160 million Americans,” Nelson said. “Now we can get on with trying to solve some of the other challenges still facing our country. And hopefully we'll see a few more things done in a bipartisan spirit." The two-month extension is designed to buy time before the House and Senate agree to a longer extension through 2012. The prospect of a tax increase and loss of unemployment benefits starting in January infuriated much of the public, prompting House Speaker John Boehner to back down on Thursday and agree to the Senate bill.

Monday Morning Reads: Slots, Marco Rubio and FAMU

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:30:00 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- It's less than a week before Christmas and Hannukah starts tomorrow, so the capital city is filled with the holiday spirit and its stores are filled with sales. And while one would think that state policy makers would be quieting down and there would be little news from the politics and government realm, December has been quite a busy month. So without further rambling from me, here are the top five stories you should be reading this morning. * The Sun-Sentinel reports that the Palm Beach County Commission is set to vote Tuesday on a slot machine referendum. From the story: Palm Beach County gambling supporters are betting that slot machines offer a way into South Florida's proposed casino gold rush. Broward and Miami-Dade counties are asking the Legislature for the chance to build Las Vegas-style casinos, and Palm Beach County business and political leaders worry they could lose out on the tourism, jobs and tax revenues expected to follow expanded gambling. To stay competitive, Palm Beach County gambling proponents want to at least get slot machines at their only existing parimutuel facility, the Palm Beach Kennel Club. * The Orlando Sentinel/Sun-Sentinel Washington bureau has a write-up on Marco Rubio's first year in the Senate and the freshman senator's take on the political culture. From the story: Marco Rubio's first year in the nation's capital has made him a deeply frustrated senator. Florida's rising political star — full of expectations after a productive stint in the state Legislature and a come-from-behind victory in his 2010 U.S. Senate race — ends a bruising year in Washington with little sense of accomplishment and a dismal outlook. "I can't think of a single real high point," Rubio said during an interview in his Senate office, talking a mile a minute while tapping his foot with nervous energy. * The St. Petersburg TImes writes that critics of Florida's charter schools say operators are too cozy with lawmakers. From the story: The number of charter schools is exploding across the country, with Florida leading the way. And the relationships that some state lawmakers have with them are raising hackles, especially as they play key roles in making it easier for charters to operate here. "There's a growing frustration with elected leaders that the code of ethics appears to apply to everyone but themselves," said Lynne Webb, teachers union president in Legg's home county. "I liken it to insider trading." * The AP reports on past claims bills that have been revived for the upcoming legislative session. From the story: Emotion-packed bills that would compensate two men whose lives were turned upside down by governmental mistakes will get another chance during Florida's 2012 legislative session after the measures died in the frantic final hours of the 2011 session. They are among several high-profile claims bills lawmakers will consider in the session that begins Jan. 10. * The Sun-Sentinel reports on the number of property tax bills being floated in the Legislature as it prepares for its upcoming 60-day legislative session. From the story: A proposed constitutional amendment that would cap the amount of taxes virtually all property owners pay is quickly gaining traction in Tallahassee. For most homeowners with homestead, it would mean a super exemption on top of current exemptions, ranging from 15 to 30 percent of their property's fair market value of between $75,000 and $400,000. The exception: Those whose Save Our Homes benefit exceeds the super-exemption. For snowbirds and other non-homesteaded owners, there would be a 7 percent cap – instead of the current 10 percent --in how much taxes can rise. Bonus Blogs * FAMU Alumni to Scott: Back off * Winner and loser of the week

Rick Scott to RGA: Florida Democrats are ‘frustrated’

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:57:58 +0000

Gov. Rick Scott told an audience of Republican state officials from around the country Thursday that his first year in office had been a success, and Democrats were “shocked” he had kept campaign pledges to go after teacher tenure, cut taxes and scale back state regulation. The Republican Governors Association is hosting its annual meeting at Disney this year, and Scott shared the stage with other conservative-yet-controversial first year governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin, John Kasich of Ohio and Bill Haslam of Tennessee. Lke Scott, those governor have pushed to disband public unions, crack down on teacher-tenure, and scale back lawsuits against businesses. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels opened the session saying he had given the new governors last year a bit of advice to “move quickly, move decisively, [and] do those things you know need doing without equivocating." He then referenced a line from his favorite country song: “If I shot you when I should have, I’d be out of jail by now.” “If anybody took that advice to heart, it’s Rick Scott,” Daniels said. Although Scott's plan to eliminate the corporate income tax has slowed, his pledge to drug-test welfare recipients and privatize prisons have been blocked by courts, and his rule-repeal was rebuked by the Florida Supreme Court, Scott said the proof of his success was the job-growth Florida has experienced since he took office. Unemployment has fallen in Florida thanks largely to restaurants, bars and tourism establishment hiring, falling from 12 percent unemployment last year to 10.3 percent in October, a net increase of 93,000 jobs this year. “Democrats, they’re really frustrated that I did what I said I was going to do. They were just shocked,” Scott told the crowd. "For the first time in 20 years, we started paying down our debt.” There are a few former staffers for former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush in the crowd, so it might be interesting to hear their take on whether Bush ran up debt during his eight-year tenure as governor that ended in 2007. Scott also joked with the crowd that he hoped no one had come to Florida to ride high-speed rail. “We killed that,” he said, predicting California would never be successful in its plan to build a high-speed line in part with money Florida forfeited by abandoning its Tampa-to-Orlando line. “We did those things and they worked. Jobs are coming back,” he said. “Our tourism is up 7 percent. The biggest thing is jobs are coming back.” Most of the hour-long discussion by the panel focused on economic-development efforts, the inability of Washington to balance its budgets and reduce debt, and Medicaid reform. "If they would give us the flexibility to manage Medicaid, I have no doubt we would cover more people with better outcomes," Kasich said. "If you can't do anything else, let our people go." He added the resistence to converting Medicaid into a blck-grant program would result in "more pain for poor people." Scott piped in on the subject -- Florida has been negotiating for months with the federal government to reform its $22 billion program -- saying Washington thought the spending was "free money." Kasich then said they should launch an "Occupy Washington" movement. The RGA this week announced its leadership for the next year and its executive committee membership -- and Scott was noticeably not among the names on the list. The RGA had devoted more than $1 million to defeat Scott in his primary last year against Bill McCollum and Scott was none too pleased afterward with former RGA chairman Haley Barbour . Asked at the end what he had learned in his first year, Scott said that as a first-time officeholder, virtually everything about the lawmaking process was new to him. “All the politics of people in the House and Senate. How many like and dislike each other and why. That would have been nice" to know, he said.

Thursday Morning Reads: Scott is a grandpa; Broward comes out again

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:41:11 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- It's almost the end of the week and we have five stories for you to read this morning. And we're off. * Broward County has passed a new ordinance prohibiting the county from doing business with companies that don't treat same sex couples as spouses, the Sun-Sentinel reports. From the story: Broward has come out — again — as gay friendly, passing a law preventing the county government from doing business with companies that don't treat same-sex couples the same as spouses. Earlier this month, Broward became the first county in Florida, and one of just a few in the country, to pass a law that requires companies doing business with the county government to offer benefits to their employees' domestic partners if they offer them to husbands and wives. * 1st DCA Judge PaulHawkes has resigned, the News Service of Florida reports. From the story: Hawkes' decision to step aside on Jan. 4 essentially shuts down the Judicial Qualifications Commission hearing that was scheduled to begin Jan. 30. That case had drawn attention for the sharply critical legal briefings filed by both sides, which had included quotes from former Gov. Jeb Bush , Alice in Wonderland and Shakespeare to highlight their points. The crux of the dispute, though, was Hawkes role in the construction of his court's lavish new building on the outskirts of Tallahassee and what Special Counsel Wallace Pope characterized as Hawkes' browbeating and demeaning style of leadership. * The St. Petersburg Times reports that a state appeals court does not agree with a U.S. District judge's ruling on the state's drug law. From the story: Miami-Dade's 3rd District Court of Appeal said it did not agree with a ruling by U.S. Judge Mary Scriven of Osceola County, which said Florida's drug law was "draconian" because prosecutors don't have to prove that the accused actually knew they were carrying drugs. Scriven's ruling, in Shelton vs. Department of Corrections, has sparked thousands of requests statewide from defendants seeking their freedom. * The Florida Current reports that the Government Efficiency Task Force wants to merge tollway collection services. From the story: Under recommendations made Wednesday by the Government Efficiency Task Force, all toll collection functions of local expressway authorities would come under the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. The proposal is short of the full consolidation considered last year in the Senate, but does urge lawmakers to contract for a study to consider the issue further. * The Palm Beach Post writes that U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is trying to pitch his bipartisan jobs bill. From the story: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., set out this week to prove wrong Americans who believe that Congress can't agree on anything. With Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., Rubio has sponsored a jobs bill, written essentially by compiling a list of the job-creating provisions embraced by both parties. Bonus Blogs * Gov. Scott is a grandpa * Arduin: Fla's sales tax base is eroding

‘Occupy’ protestors in Delray Beach

Beach Blogger — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:41:04 +0000

As ‘Occupy’ rallies continue across the country, some people in Delray Beach gathered late Friday morning.

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5 vehicle pileup slows I-95 traffic

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:29:32 +0000

Accident had shut down all lanes in St. Lucie County

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Vet from Tampa, 22, loses three limbs

Beach Blogger — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 03:26:59 +0000

Marine Corporal Michael Nicholson has sacrificed a lot for this country. The 22 year old was seriously wounded in Afghanistan on July 6th. Miles away from where he is recovering, some young students he’s never met are honoring him.

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Hastings tries to save Broward mail centers

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:14:11 +0000

Hoping to save mail processing centers in Fort Lauderdale and Pembroke Pines, South Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings appealed to the postmaster general on Thursday to keep them open or at least find jobs in the Postal Service for the people who work there. Alcee Hastings “If these facilities are closed, well over 200 jobs are projected to be lost, which will adversely affect the entire community during these already difficult economic times,” Hastings, a Democrat from Miramar, said in a letter to Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. “Furthermore, the loss of these processing centers would end the century-old tradition of all mail posted in Broward County bearing the postmark, `mailed from Ft. Lauderdale.’ “I urge you reevaluate the wisdom behind this restructuring measure; preserve the quality of mail service; and, should closure prove to be unavoidable, ensure that all employees affected retain employment and benefits with the USPS,” he wrote. The Postal Service, while exploring ways to save money, is conducting a study of about 250 processing facilities across the country. “The Fort Lauderdale facility has been serving the South Florida community for over 38 years, while the Pembroke Pines mailing processing center has been in business for 20 years,” Hastings said. “Both of these centers provide critical services to many of my constituents, local businesses, and residents living in Broward County.”