Ten Big Issues To Watch During Florida Legislative Session
February 27, 2019
Florida lawmakers will gather March 5 in the House chamber to hear Gov. Ron DeSantis give his first State of the State address, the traditional start of the 60-day legislative session.
Led by Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, and House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, lawmakers this year will deal with myriad issues, ranging from passing a state budget to deciding whether to allow patients to smoke medical marijuana.
Here are 10 big issues to watch during the session:
BUDGET: DeSantis has proposed a $91.3 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, as he seeks to increase money for education and water-quality projects and trim taxes. But the DeSantis proposal is only a starting point for lawmakers, who will have their own priorities for state funding. Lawmakers also will grapple with recovery costs from Hurricane Michael, which devastated parts of Northwest Florida in October.
ENVIRONMENT: After algae and red tide fouled waterways and coastal areas in Southeast Florida and Southwest Florida last year, DeSantis is making a priority of addressing water-quality issues. DeSantis has proposed a $625 million package that addresses Everglades restoration and other water-related issues. Lawmakers also are pushing bills that would deal with problems such as cleaning up the Indian River Lagoon.
HEALTH CARE: Oliva and other House Republican leaders want to reduce regulations in the health-care industry, arguing that taking more of a free-market approach would help hold down costs. The House is targeting a variety of issues, such as “certificate of need” regulations that help determine whether hospitals and other types of facilities can be built. DeSantis has touted a proposal aimed at allowing lower-cost prescription drugs to be imported from Canada.
HURRICANE MICHAEL: Lawmakers face costly decisions as they look to help Northwest Florida recover from Hurricane Michael. Galvano said the state has already spent $1.13 billion responding to the October hurricane, and the total could go as high as $2.7 billion. The federal government is expected to reimburse many costs, but that will take time. The state also faces issues such as helping the region’s severely damaged timber industry.
INSURANCE: The insurance industry and business groups are lobbying heavily to make changes in the controversial insurance practice known as assignment of benefits, which involves policyholders signing over benefits to contractors. Insurers argue abuse and litigation are driving up property-insurance rates, while AOB supporters say the practice helps make sure insurers properly pay claims. A key part of the debate focuses on limiting attorney fees.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA: Facing heavy pressure from DeSantis, lawmakers appear likely to end a ban on smoking medical marijuana. The ban, included in a 2017 medical-marijuana law, was found unconstitutional by a circuit judge, and DeSantis has threatened to drop an appeal if the Legislature does not eliminate the ban. It is less clear, however, whether lawmakers will address other medical-marijuana regulatory issues that have led to lawsuits.
SCHOOL CHOICE: DeSantis and Senate leaders have outlined proposals that could lead to a major expansion of school choice, including the creation of a voucher-type program that would be directly funded with tax dollars. The House has long supported such programs, as has new Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. Democrats and teachers unions will fight the expansion, but Republicans control both legislative chambers and the governor’s office.
SCHOOL SAFETY: Just past the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, lawmakers will look again at revamping laws to boost school safety. The most-controversial issue will be a proposal to expand the school “guardian” program to allow trained classroom teachers to be armed. A state commission created last year recommended allowing armed teachers.
SUPREME COURT: After taking office last month, DeSantis made three appointments that created a solid conservative majority on the Florida Supreme Court. The change could embolden the GOP-controlled Legislature, which in the past clashed with a more-liberal Supreme Court. As examples, lawmakers could expand taxpayer-funded school vouchers and cap attorney fees in workers’ compensation insurance cases — issues that previously ran into Supreme Court roadblocks.
TRANSPORTATION: Galvano has made clear that one of his top priorities will be highway projects that he says would help rural areas. The Senate president wants to extend the Suncoast Parkway toll road to go from the Tampa Bay region to the Georgia border; create a multi-use corridor, including a highway, from Polk County to Collier County; and extend the Florida Turnpike west from where it currently ends at Interstate 75.
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Century And Flomaton Chambers Hand Out Annual Awards At Banquet
February 27, 2019
The annual Flomaton and Century Joint Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet was held Tuesday night in Flomaton. Awards were presented as follows:
- Century Outstanding Student of the Year – Chloe Smith
- Century Outstanding Business of the Year – Squeegee Stitch Graphix
- Century Outstanding Citizens of the Year – Debbie Nickles
- Flomaton Outstanding Student of the Year – Mitchell Faulk
- Flomaton Outstanding Business of the Year – Jeff’s Feed and Seed
- Flomaton Outstanding Citizen of the Year – Cathryn Jeter
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
ECSO: Atmore Man Burglarized Beulah Home, Stealing Property And The Family Dog
February 26, 2019
An Atmore man has been arrested for allegedly stealing items including a family’s dog during a Beulah burglary.
Devin Adrielle Backus, 22, was charged with burglary, grand theft and grand theft of a firearm.
Backus allegedly burglarized a home on John David Drive, taking a safe, jewelry, electronics, three firearms and a dog. The items were valued at $15,400.
The burglary occurred on October 9, 2018. This month, deputies were made aware of a handwritten note received by the homeowner in which he was asked to contact “Devin” at a phone number. The homeowner called, and Backus told him the dog was with a friend in Fort Walton, according to a report. He also allegedly said the safe was at a house in Atmore, but he was unable to open it.
The homeowner told deputies he knows Backus as a previous tenant in his rental home.
On February 23, Backus was identified as the suspect from fingerprints found on a television.
Backus remained in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $20,000.
Alleged MS-13 Gang Member Arrested Near Mall
February 26, 2019
An alleged MS-13 gang member was arrested near Cordova Mall
David Ernesto Nolasco Soriano, 31, of El Salvador, was taken into custody by the FBI and Pensacola Police Department.
Nolasco Soriano was working in Pensacola and Destin and has a Pensacola mailing address. United States Magistrate Judge Charles J. Kahn Jr. detained Nolasco Soriano and ordered the U.S. Marshals to transport him back to Maryland to await trial.
The District of Maryland charged Nolasco Soriano with conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise; conspiracy to murder, maim, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering; and attempted murder, maiming, and assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering.
Details Released On Escambia County Wheelchair Ramp Program For Needy Residents
February 26, 2019
Escambia County is partnering with local nonprofit agencies for a wheelchair ramp pilot partnership program that aims to help county residents maintain independence and improve wheelchair accessibility to their homes.
The Escambia Board of County Commissioners approved funding for the program in December. Under the pilot program, the county will work with nonprofit agencies to build the ramps, with the agencies providing volunteer labor for construction and the county providing funding for materials.
Local agencies including Pensacola Civitan Club, Council on Aging of West Florida Inc., Pensacola Habitat for Humanity Inc. and Ray of Hope of Northwest Florida Inc. will participate in the program to provide volunteer construction of ramps, but are often limited in the number of ramps that can be built due to a shortage of volunteers and funding for materials and supplies.
These agencies are looking for handy volunteers to support their ramp building initiatives. For volunteer opportunities, please contact the agencies below:
- Pensacola Civitan Club: (850) 255-9796
- Council on Aging of West Florida: (850) 266-2518
- Pensacola Habitat for Humanity: (850) 434-5456
- Ray of Hope of Northwest Florida: (850) 995-0007
Aid will be targeted to owner occupants residing in Escambia County whose income is at or below 80 percent of area median income. Consideration may be given to non-owner occupied properties on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must be current on property taxes and not have any outstanding county liens to participate. Assistance is provided as a grant with no payback requirements. Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division will accept referrals from participating agencies and will screen applicants for eligibility.
For general information or for organizations interested in participating in the program, contact Meredith Reeves in the Neighborhood Enterprise Division at (850) 595-4968.
Homeowners interested in applying for assistance may contact the Escambia County Neighborhood Enterprise Division at (850) 595-0022 or ned@myescambia.com.
Pictured: A wheelchair ramp recently installed by the Pensacola Civitan Club. Materials for similar ramps may be funded by Escambia County through the wheelchair ramp pilot program. Photos for NorthEcambia.com, click to enlarge.
Arc Gateway: Donate Your Mardi Gras Beads For Recycling
February 26, 2019
The Arc Gateway is asking for Mardi Gras bead donations.
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities sort and prepackage beads that are donated after parades. By collecting and selling bundles of beads, The Arc Gateway supports community efforts to recycle and reuse materials instead of generating waste. The program also generates revenues that help sustain Arc programs while providing vocational training and job opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.
Drop-off locations for beads are:
The Arc Gateway
Administration Office – 3932 N. 10th Ave.
Pollak Training Center – 1000 E. Fairfield Dr.
Pearl Nelson Center – 916 E. Fairfield Dr.
Pollak Industries – 2313 Truman Ave.
Downtown Pensacola
Head Hunters Hair Styling – 205 S. Baylen
Bodacious Olive – 407 S. Palafox
Pensacola Area
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church – 3200 N. 12th Ave.
Dove Gift Shop at West Florida Hospital- 8383 N. Davis Hwy.
Ever’Man Cooperative Grocery and Cafe – 315 W. Garden St.
Gents Formal Wear – 1340 E. Nine Mile Rd.
Broussards Bayou Grill and Cajun Market – 690 E. Heinberg St.
Gulf Breeze/Pensacola Beach
Beach Community Bank – 60 Northcliff Dr.
Pen Air Federal Credit Union – 3591 Gulf Breeze Pkwy., Tiger Point
GoFundMe Established For Late Northview Football Player’s Family
February 26, 2019
The Northview Quarterback Club has organized a GoFundMe for the family of Darionte Richardson, the player who passed away earlier this month.
Richardson suffered a heart attack hours after the Chiefs’ Northview first round playoff win over Graceville November 9. The Chiefs’ #10 passed away on February 4 at a Birmingham hospital. He made several key plays for Northview in their win against Graceville but was not injured in the game.
The morning after the game, the 16-year old was found at home not breathing. His mother performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. He was transported to Atmore Community Hospital and airlifted to a Mobile hospital.
As the Chiefs advanced to route two of the playoffs against Baker, they dedicated the game to Richardson.
To donate, click here.
Pictured: Dariontae Richardson (#10) during the Northview Chiefs first round playoff win over Graceville November 9, 2018. He suffered a heart attack a few hours later. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
BP Money To Help With Hurricane Michael Recovery
February 26, 2019
Money from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill will help governments in four storm-battered Northwest Florida counties with anticipated property-tax losses caused by Hurricane Michael.
The Triumph Gulf Coast Board agreed Monday to use $15 million for losses believed incurred by local governments in Bay, Franklin, Gulf and Wakulla counties. Triumph Gulf Coast, a non-profit created by the Legislature, will provide the money from the state’s $2 billion BP settlement stemming from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
The board initially proposed setting aside the money through bridge loans to the local governments. Instead, it agreed to ask the four counties to each submit a list of projected property-tax losses from the storm that will be incurred by the counties, municipalities and school districts.
Commissioner Allan Bense of Panama City called the change a “fair balance” in providing the region with assistance and for members of the Legislature who have questioned the use of Triumph money for the disaster.
“We have a fine line too,” Bense, a former House speaker, said. “I also don’t want for the rest of Florida to think Triumph is going to take care of Michael, because that’s not our mission.”
Triumph Gulf Coast is responsible for distributing to Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla and Walton counties three-quarters of the money the state will get over the next 12 years through the BP settlement.
As part of its charge from the Legislature, Triumph is expected to direct money to regional economic projects that have wide impacts rather than directly to individual businesses.
Triumph Executive Director Susan Skelton said by providing property-tax relief — covering up to 50 percent of any projected losses — the money could be distributed by the end of April.
“These funds are not meant to solve the problems of the world,” Skelton said. “These funds are an emergency relief opportunity to get cash-advance ad valorem money into the local entities that need the money now, to begin doing projects that are reimbursable by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) at a later date.”
Triumph Chairman Don Gaetz, a former Senate president from Niceville, said he doesn’t anticipate the funding will reach the 50 percent ceiling in any of the four counties because of the amount of storm damage across the region.
The board anticipates a new state budget, which will be put together during the legislative session that begins March 5, will include a bridge-loan program that exceeds $15 million, Skelton said.
The availability of the Triumph money comes as state lawmakers continue to submit legislation — totaling more than $600 million in the House — that seeks aid for the region, which continues to wait for additional federal assistance after Congress did not pass a disaster-relief package last week.
Florida has spent $1.13 billion responding to Hurricane Michael, a figure that could more than double and already tops Hurricane Irma, which caused damage to a wider area of the state in 2017, according to Senate President Bill Galvano.
Hurricane Michael made landfall Oct. 10 in Mexico Beach as a Category 4 storm and caused massive damage as it moved north into Georgia.
Galvano said Friday the state is awaiting “guidance” from the local communities about rebuilding.
“There may be some new opportunities now for better infrastructure in those areas, but we need guidance because I feel like you have some portion of the population that may not come back there,” the Bradenton Republican said. “In all silos, from education to health care, you have hospital issues, you have schools that literally have holes in them. Hopefully, with the right planning we’ll rebuild and rebuild with an eye towards preparation as well.”
Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who represents parts of the eastern Panhandle, has filed a bill (SB 376) that would designate $50 million a year from the state’s Land Acquisition Trust Fund to help with Hurricane Michael recovery.
In the House, Northwest Florida lawmakers from both parties had asked for at least $603 million as of Monday morning to fund more than 100 different storm-related issues, from government operations and school repairs to flood management and shelters.
Rep. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, has asked for at least $400 million. His requests include four bills directed at Mexico Beach, for stormwater repairs and beach renourishment, that combine to seek $63.8 million.
Rep. Brad Drake, R-Eucheeanna, has recently filed 15 storm-related bills that, if they all made it through the budget process, would bring $95 million to the region.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Supreme Court Impanels Grand Jury On School Safety
February 26, 2019
Granting a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday impaneled a statewide grand jury to investigate whether school districts are complying with mandatory safety requirements following last February’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
On Feb. 13, the eve of the one-year anniversary of the state’s deadliest school shooting, DeSantis asked the court to impanel the grand jury to “make recommendations about what some of the various school districts could do better.”
Seventeen students and staff members were killed in the Parkland shooting, which DeSantis called “one of the worst days that we’ve had in the history of Florida.” Seventeen other people were injured. The massacre sparked at least three statewide investigations, and the Legislature hurriedly passed a sweeping school-safety law aimed at preventing similar tragedies.
In Monday’s order, justices unanimously decided DeSantis “has shown good and sufficient reason exists and that it is in the public interest to empanel a statewide grand jury,” which will have jurisdiction throughout Florida.
Chief Judge Jack Tuter, of the 17th Judicial Circuit in Broward County, will preside over the panel, which will meet for one year and will be comprised of jurors drawn from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, according to the order.
The grand jury will “investigate crime, return indictments, make presentments, and otherwise perform all functions of a grand jury” with regard to a host of possible offenses outlined in Monday’s order, which mirrors the request by DeSantis.
In a statement issued Monday, DeSantis said he was “pleased” with the court’s decision.
“This grand jury will work to investigate practices, identify failures and recommend solutions to keep students, teachers and staff safe in our schools,” he said.
The legislation passed last year included creation of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which spent months studying the Parkland shooting and school-safety issues. The commission last month released a 458-page report that addressed issues such as a breakdown in communications and security procedures.
At the governor’s behest, the grand-jury probe will include whether “refusal or failure to follow the mandates of school-related safety laws, such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act, results in unnecessary and unavoidable risk to students across the state.”
The inquiry will also focus on “whether public entities committed — and continue to commit — fraud and deceit by accepting state funds conditioned on implementation of certain safety measures while knowingly failing to act.”
And the grand jury will explore “whether school officials committed — and continue to commit — fraud and deceit by mismanaging, failing to use, and diverting funds from multimillion-dollar bonds specifically solicited for school safety initiatives.”
The panel will also investigate whether school officials violated state law “by systemically underreporting incidents of criminal activity to the Department of Education.”
Shortly after he took office in January, DeSantis suspended Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, whose office was fiercely criticized for its handling of the Parkland massacre. Israel, a Democrat, has appealed his suspension to the Florida Senate.
Last month’s report by the state commission also found shortcomings in how Broward County schools dealt with confessed killer Nikolas Cruz, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High student. But DeSantis said he lacks the authority to remove the county’s appointed school superintendent, Robert Runcie, and instead asked the Supreme Court to launch the statewide investigation.
A statewide grand jury is “something real,” DeSantis, flanked by victims’ family members, said at a Feb. 13 press conference in Fort Lauderdale.
“This is something that is very serious,” the governor said. “Whatever recommendations they have for us, we’re going to heed that.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Local Elementary Schools Place In Science Olympiad
February 26, 2019
The Escambia County School District Science Olympiad was held Saturday at Washington High School. Results were as follows:
Overall Results
1st place: A.K. Suter
2nd place: Pleasant Grove
3rd place: Hellen Caro
4th place: N.B. Cook
5th place: Lipscomb
Robotics
1st place: Molino Park
2nd place: Pine Meadow
3rd place: Lipscomb
4th place: Jim Allen
5th place: N.B. Cook
Pentathlon
1st place: A.K. Suter
2nd place: Beulah
3rd place: Bratt
4th place: Kingsfield
5th place: Hellen Caro
Straw Egg Drop
1st place: Oakcrest
2nd place: Pleasant Grove
3rd place: Ferry Pass
4th place: Cordova Park
5th place: N.B. Cook
Tower Challenge
1st place: C.A.Weis
2nd place: A.K. Suter
3rd place: Pine Meadow
4th place: Pleasant Grove
5th place: Montclair
Science Bowl
1st place: Lipscomb
2nd place: Pleasant Grove
3rd place: Hellen Caro
4th place: Kingsfield
5th place: N.B. Cook
Mystery Powders
1st place: McArthur
2nd place: Hellen Caro
3rd place: N.B. Cook
4th place: A.K. Suter
5th place: Kingsfield
Picture This (Three way tie)
1st place: A.K. Suter
1st place: Hellen Caro
1st place: Pleasant Grove
4th place: Scenic Heights
5th place: Kingsfield
Tennis Ball Catapult
1st place: A.K. Suter
2nd place: Scenic Heights
3rd place: Pleasant Grove
4th place: N.B. Cook
5th place: Warrington
Pictured top: Molino Park Elementary. Pictured below: Additional North Escambia area schools (each photo is labeled). Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary
Jim Allen Elementary
Kingsfield Elementary
Beulah Elementary
Pine Meadow Elementary
McArthur Elementary
Lipscomb Elementary