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Billie: No idea where Bondi’s information is coming from

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:01:04 +0000

From gambling reporter Nick Sortal Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman James E. Billie has fired back at Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, with an editorial titled: "Seminole Gaming: clean since 1979" in response to claims by Bondi earlier this month that law enforcement could not back up. Billie's comments are part of a quarter-page editorial dated today in The Seminole Tribune, a monthly newspaper covering tribe news. He names all the agencies and auditors that "scrutinize" the casino, including the FBI, IRS and gaming commissions -- all of which would have had to have missed the criminal action that Bondi claimed happened. "If Bondi's statement is factual, then why didn't she alert us?" he wrote. At a Dec. 8 news conference against a destination casino bill (which, ironically, the Seminoles are also against) Bondi said: “I went and spoke personally to many law enforcement officers and in Hillsborough County, many of the last drug trafficking cases that they made, the money was laundered through the casino.” When pressed to name which casino, Bondi said it was the Hard Rock Tampa. The Hillsborough County sheriff’s office contradicted her claim in a news release Dec. 14, saying “Our office has not conducted any investigation involving money laundering at casinos, nor do we have any official information that this type of criminal activity is/has occurred in Hillsborough County.” Bondi later admitted via a statement that she did not speak to "many" officers, and instead said her information came from only one person -- at a charity function. She did not name the event. Through her office, Bondi has declined repeated requests for interviews. Billie's editorial concludes: "It is disturbing to us for such a serious charge to come out of nowhere through the mouths of such high-ranking leadership as the Cabinet of the State of Florida without any regard to the high potential for damaging the Tribe's reputation and the reputation of its businesses."

Thursday Morning Reads: Rothstein trial, foreclosures and Internet sales tax

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:37:32 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... But we've still got plenty of news to share. Here are the top five stories you should be reading. * Convicted ponzi schemer and former political fundraiser Scott Rothstein said yesterday that his former law partners knew about his ponzi scheme and helped keep it running, the Sun-Sentinel reports . From the story: Rothstein not only implicated Stuart Rosenfeldt and Russell Adler , but said seven other attorneys inside and outside the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler firm helped keep the Ponzi scheme alive. His extraordinary sworn statements came in the first hours of a 10-day deposition he started giving last week, offering his first detailed account of his $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest financial fraud in South Florida history. * The Florida Current reports that Gov. Rick Scott said he would sign an Internet sales tax bill, but with a caveat. From the story: While hanging on to his pledge not to raise taxes, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday he would sign a bill that would impose a tax on Internet sales, if the bill doesn’t increase the overall revenue to the state. Retail store owners are pushing for the tax, which they contend is unfair because they invest money in communities within the state to build “brick-and-mortar” stores, and are assessed Florida’s sales tax on items. * U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson , D-Fla., said there is more bipartisan support for restoring the Everglades than was originally expected, the Miami Herald writes. From the story: There’s more bipartisan support for restoring the Everglades than might be expected, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Wednesday — especially given the politically charged atmosphere in Washington and Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s previous concerns about spending state money on projects.Nelson, touting the bipartisan push behind some recent legislative victories, said he and others have pressed Scott repeatedly to emphasize the importance of the project for jobs and future water quality. The Democratic senator thanked the Republican governor for for a budget that restores some of the state’s share of funding for the complex, multi-year project. * The Orlando Sentinel writes that a retired firefighter Booker T. Perry became the centerpiece story of a group's fight against Attorney General Pam Bondi over foreclosure issues Perry was evicted from his home, only owing $2,000 on it. From the story: Perry's story was the centerpiece of an event Wednesday staged by a new coalition, Floridians for a Fair Settlement. The group asked for a federal investigation into the settlement talks between attorneys general across the nation and five major lenders accused of fraudulent mortgage practices. A similar event took place in Miami. At the Open Door Missionary Baptist Church in Eatonville, representatives from several church congregations, labor unions and Democratic legislators called on Republican Bondi to prosecute corrupt bank executives, fight for mortgage companies to reduce principal on underwater homes and demand a settlement of $250 billion — 10 times the amount reported in current negotiations. * The Sun-Sentinel reports that a payout to former Broward Teachers' Union chief Pat Santeramo could leave the group strapped for cash. From the story: The Broward Teachers Union announced late Friday that it will give former President Pat Santeramo a six-figure sum for his unused vacation and sick hours. What union officials haven't said is how they plan to pay for it. Santeramo's decade-long tenure has left the union — one of the largest in Florida with about 11,500 members — nearly impoverished. A recent audit found that the union has about $700,000 in cash, $728,000 in a "building reserve fund" and an office building and land in Tamarac. Bonus Blogs * Scott: Lawmakers need to shut down barrel racing, slots * Politifact looks at anti-Gingrich ads running in Florida

Tuesday Morning Reads: Cigarettes, the DMV and foreclosures

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:20:27 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- Happy Hannukah to those who begin the celebration tonight and for those celebrating Christmas, you still have to wait a few days. For those still toiling at the office for the next few days, here's an easy way to get caught up on today's government news. Here are the top five stories you should be reading this morning. * FAMU President James Ammons will stay on the job amidst a probe into hazing problems at the university, reports the Sentinel . From the story: Florida A&M University's board of trustees rebuffed Gov. Rick Scott on Monday by refusing to suspend university president James Ammons amid an investigation into the hazing death of student Robert Champion. The trustees, in fact, spent just minutes on the issue despite Scott's continuing pressure for them to suspend Ammons. * The Sun-Sentinel reports that Chief Justice Charles Canady has shuttered the state's foreclosure mediation program. From the story: TALLAHASSEE — Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady shut down the state's 2-year-old foreclosure mediation program Monday, after low success rates and criticism from both lenders and borrowers deemed the program unsustainable. The court system, which has faced a torrent of foreclosure cases in the past several years, has seen its budgets cut and staff reduced. That combined with a rising number of foreclosure cases led to substantial backlogs for many of the court circuits around the state. * The Palm Beach Post reports that the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is trying to warn Floridians about fake websites that are trying to lure drivers who need to renew or change their licenses. From the story: DMV officials called the websites deceptive and said links to them, which often appear as advertisements when people use search engines like Google or Yahoo to find the DMV website, ask users to input their name, address and credit card information and charge anywhere from $25 to $50 to route them to the official DHSMV website. * The St. Petersburg Times writes that students will now face higher FCAT passing scores. From the story: State education leaders on Monday unanimously approved raising the passing scores for all the levels of the annual reading and math exams. The change follows the state's move to FCAT 2.0, a new, more rigorous version of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. A.K. Desai , a member of the Florida Board of Education, praised the increased benchmark as supporting students "in their reach to be globally competitive citizens." * The News Service of Florida reports that state Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, is trying to persuade fellow lawmakers to raise the cigarette tax and roll back increased driver fees that were passed a few years ago. From the story: A South Florida lawmaker wants to increase cigarette taxes by $1 a pack and is offering a political sweetener to try to get it passed: Use the money to roll back fees on motorists. Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, filed the bill (HB 1049) last week. Lawmakers in 2009 also approved a $1-a-pack increase in cigarette taxes --- or a "surcharge" as supporters called it --- as they grappled with budget problems. Waldman said the state has seen decreases in cigarette smoking, and he hopes the additional taxes will further reduce tobacco use by young people. Bonus Blogs * Talk of Jeb for president still percolates * Oral argument dates set in Supreme Court review of health care reform

Fla loses out on Race to Top Money

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:07:55 +0000

From our colleague Leslie Postal in Orlando Florida has lost out on its bid to win $100 million to boost the care and education of young children. Nine other states have won the federal Race to the Top early learning challenge, the Associated Press is reporting this morning. Florida was a reluctant applicant in many ways. The state's early-childhood advocates were eager for money to help improve the care of at-risk babies and young children. But Gov. Rick Scott, who signed the state's application, said the state would accept the money only if "no federal strings" were attached and no "new burdensome regulations" were placed on private child-care centers. Read the full story here .

Florida does well at requiring good wages for corporate tax breaks

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:53:00 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- Good Jobs First , a Washington-based non-profit that watches corporate tax subsidies, has given Florida relatively high marks for its efforts to ensure that companies scoring tax-incentives actually pay decent wages. Florida was tied with Rhode Island at 8th place among the 50 states, with four of the five state subsidy programs setting wage-requirements for the jobs required although none required employers to offer health-benefits. Florida's overall grade was a 58, good for a 'C' under the report's scoring methodology. A state had to score a zero -- with no requirements for wage-standards or health-care -- to get an 'F,' and none did. Still, fewer than half the individual subsidy programs analyzed had no such wage requirements nationwide. Florida is spending $93 million this year on tax-incentives to businesses and Gov. Rick Scott wants to bump that up to $230 million next year. The state's economic-development efforts have been totally revamped in the last year, and it was revealed this fall that many of the jobs promised over the past 16 years' of economic-development deals haven't materialized. The report released Wednesday doesn't evaluate how successful the programs were at creating jobs, but did evaluate whether programs had job-related performance safeguards in place. In Florida, state records have shown the vast majority of jobs not created were specified in contracts inked since the economy collapsed in 2007, and the Department of Economic Opportunity has said very few dollars -- less than $20 million -- were paid to companies that didn't meet their job-creation targets. "This study provides a roadmap for Florida legislators and economic development officials as they attempt to require more accountability from corporations receiving job subsidies," said Alan Stonecipher , communications director of the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, a liberal Tallahassee-based think tank that collaborated with Good Jobs First on the report. "All of the state's approximately three-dozen economic development programs should incorporate the standards recommended by Good Jobs First," he said in a statement. "When companies receiving tax-funded subsidies are required by law to provide high-quality jobs, Floridians can feel more confident that the money is not just given away with little public benefit." Read the full report here.

Brodys win first round vote

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:30:21 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- The Senate Rules Committee gave first round approval to a more than $15 million claims bill for Eric Brody , a 32-year-old Sunrise man who was catastrophically injured in an accident with a Broward Sheriff's Deputy in 1998. The accident left Brody brain damaged and largely confined to a wheelchair. He needs round-the-clock care – at an estimated lifetime cost of $10 million – but wrangling with an insurance company and the Legislature has left him reliant on Medicaid. A jury awarded Brody more than $30 million, but Florida's sovereign immunity laws protect government entities from having to pay out large jury awards. In egregious cases though, the legislature typically passes a bill directing either the state or the responsible government body -- in this case the sheriff's office -- to pay the money. The Legislature has come close to passing the bill the past several years, but has always come up short. Last spring, after the House failed to take up the Senate bill, Senate President Mike Haridopolos made it a top priority for the 2012 session. The bill passed would authorize the BSO to award Brody $15.575 million, but the BSO will likely sign over the right to sue the insurance company for the money, so the BSO won't have to pay anything. Pete Antonacci, a lobbyist for the now-defunct Ranger Insurance Company, said that the company has offered Brody an $8 million settlement that includes a life care plan of just more than $3 million. If they go to court, there is no guarantee the Brodys will win and then they would get no money for Eric. He also said the bill brings up constitutional and policy issues because the legislature would be passing it knowing that it will likely result in a lawsuit. "It is a bill that puts a target on the back of a private company, my company, the company I represent," he said. Lance Block , an attorney for the Brody family, said the settlement offer does not pay enough for the life care plan that the Brody's former insurance company put together for Eric. "Eric’s a human being that at the very least deserves to have all his bills paid," he said. Sen. John Thrasher , R-St. Augustine, urged the parties to come together and resolve the issue before it came before the entire Legislature. "This young man needs to be taken care of, and in an appropriate way," he said. The House version of the bill, which has not yet had a committee hearing, is worth more than $30 million.

Biz groups: Tax online sales or else

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:06:52 +0000

TALLAHASSEE – A new business-backed report indicates that Florida’s sales tax base is eroding, and not collecting sales taxes on online transactions will continue to worsen the state’s competitive playing field. The report commissioned by Florida business lobby groups indicates Florida’s sales tax base as percentage of disposable income has fallen from just over 60 percent in 2000 to 40 percent in 2009, while online transactions have steadily grown – presenting long-term structural problems for states like Florida that have consumption-based taxing systems heavily reliant on the sales tax. Sales tax revenue makes up more than 70 percent of the total revenue Florida collects to pay for government programs and services. “Over the long term, lawmakers are going to have to seek other sources of revenue,” said Donna Arduin , a former economic advisor to Gov. Jeb Bush and the lead economist on the study with the firm Arduin, Laffer & Moore. Several lawmakers are working on legislation to start forcing online retailers to remit sales tax, but Senate President Mike Haridopolos said last month that no plan would pass if it resulted in a net increase in taxes collected y the state. "The income revenue from increased taxes would not be passing the Senate, and it would not pass the House," he told reporters. "And if somehow it passed both chambers – which I consider the likelihood zero – the governor would surely veto it, if it was a revenue enhancement." But Arduin said the fact that government would continue to spend at current or higher levels meant lawmakers would have no choice but to lean more heavily on property or corporate income taxes, if the sales tax isn’t more evenly collected. "Government spending is government taxation. Failure to collect the tax isn’t a cut. ... You’re going to get those taxes from somewhere else," said Arduin, who, besides Bush, has also worked as a consultant for Haridopolos and Gov. Rick Scott's 2010 campaign. The report comes as Florida’s powerful business lobby is stepping up pressure on lawmakers to start requiring online vendors like Amazon to begin collecting sales tax. National business groups citing the unfair advantage online-only retailers enjoy are making the same lobbying pitch in Congress. But it Florida, the push could prove especially tempting as state legislators prepare to once again scrounge for revenue to plug an expected $1.9 billion budget hole in 2012. The report indicated collecting online sales taxes in Florida could net between $449.6 million and $454 million in 2012, and as much as $937 million by 2020 – a figure based on census data that is more conservative than previous estimates released by the University of Tennessee.

Jax senator wants 2 percent of all gaming money for education

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:36:47 +0000

TALLAHASSEE -- Sen. Steve Wise , R-Jacksonville, doesn't support a new destination resort bill that would bring Las Vegas-style casinos to Florida. But he knows what he'd like to do with the money. Wise is pitching legislation to take 2 percent of all gambling revenues paid to the state and put them in an endowment for education. The bill, SB 754, would put 1.5 percent of the money into an endowment for the Department of Education and a half percent to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Wise is the chair of the Senate Education Committee and previously chaired the Senate Prek-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. Wise acknowledged that his bill may not get heard since he is opposed to the destination gaming bill, which is supported by Senate President Mike Haridopolos . "I told them the devil's had the money long enough," he said.

No one picks all winning Mega Money numbers

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:01:00 +0000

No tickets matched all four winning numbers plus the Mega Ball number in the Mega Money game, so the jackpot rolled over to $550,000, the Florida Lottery said Saturday.

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Fla. jury awards $100M in priest abuse case

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:31:00 +0000

A Miami jury has returned a $100 million verdict against a Roman Catholic priest in a child sex abuse case, but the money may be nearly impossible to collect.

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