State of The State: Scott Pitches Proposal To Prevent Tax Hikes
January 9, 2018
In his last State of the State speech, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday asked lawmakers to make it harder to pass future tax increases by requiring a “supermajority” vote by the Legislature.
“This is my last session to cut taxes,” Scott told House and Senate members on the opening day of the 2018 legislative session. “And we must acknowledge that, unfortunately, at some point, there will be politicians sitting in this chamber who are not as fiscally responsible as we are today.”
Scott wants lawmakers to back a constitutional amendment, which if approved by voters in the fall, would require two-thirds votes by the Legislature to pass tax increases. The Republican-led Legislature can now pass a tax increase by a majority vote, with the last increase being a $1 hike in 2009 on the tax on packs of cigarettes.
In his 35-minute speech to lawmakers, Scott discounted arguments that adopting a higher voting requirement on tax increases would hamper future state leaders in dealing with financial challenges.
“It is during times of economic downturn where this proposal is needed the most,” Scott said. “It will force leaders to contemplate living within their means rather than taking the easy way out and just sticking it to the public by raising taxes on families and job creators.”
The House is already advancing a constitutional amendment (HJR 7001) to require two-thirds votes before raising taxes or fees. The Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which has the power to place issues on the 2018 ballot, is also considering a similar measure (Proposal 72).
Facing term limits as he approaches eight years in office, Scott said more than $7 billion in cumulative tax cuts have occurred since he became governor in January 2011.
But in his final legislative agenda, Scott is backing a modest tax-cutting plan in addition to the constitutional proposal. Scott wants to expand sales-tax holidays for Floridians when they buy school and hurricane supplies, and he wants to cut some motor-vehicle fees, including reducing the renewal fee for drivers’ licenses from $48 to $20.
Coming to Tallahassee as a political novice and facing a state budget undermined by the recession, the former health-care executive called his two-term governorship his “most rewarding job.”
“There were the naysayers who told us there was no way that a businessman with no experience in politics or government could possibly be successful at helping turn Florida’s economy around,” Scott said. “Fortunately for all of us, the naysayers were wrong.”
In addition to the tax cuts, Scott used his final State of the State address to mark progress in recovering from the recession. That includes a state unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, which is below the national average.
“The results speak for themselves,” Scott said. “Working together, we’ve created an environment where our private sector has added nearly 1.5 million jobs.”
Scott acknowledged the challenge last year of Hurricane Irma, a “mammoth storm” that engulfed nearly the entire state.
“It was like a scene from a bad movie,” he said.
But Scott also said the “response and solidarity” of Floridians in dealing with the storm provided “one of the proudest moments I have had as governor.”
Scott also highlighted the state’s efforts to help residents who have fled Puerto Rico after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, saying he wanted Florida to be “the most welcoming place for people displaced by the storm.”
Lawmakers will have to deal with the financial impacts from both hurricanes as they shape the next state budget, taking into account emergency spending related to Irma and the influx of Puerto Ricans, including more than 11,000 students who have enrolled in Florida public schools.
Scott said little in his speech about his previously announced effort to increase public school funding by $200 per student in the new budget. The $770 million increase is funded largely by an increase in property tax values. But House leaders oppose such an idea, characterizing it as a tax increase.
On other high-profile issues, Scott pointed to his $53 million initiative to address the opioid crisis and his proposal to increase pay for state law enforcement officers by $30 million.
Also, with sexual harassment scandals rocking the nation and Tallahassee, including the resignation of prominent state Sen. Jack Latvala, Scott outlined steps his office has taken to help victims.
He called on lawmakers to pass legislation to protect state employees who may have witnessed harassment, encouraging them to participate in investigations.
“Things have got to change, and it starts right here in this building,” Scott said. “We all must join together and send a very strong message: Florida stands with victims.”
Scott also used his speech to provide some clues to his future, taking time to highlight Florida’s global role and to condemn the authoritarian regime of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.
“Make no mistake, Maduro and his gang of thugs pose a problem for the entire world, especially for us here in Florida,” Scott said.
Foreign affairs could play a role if Scott, a Republican, decides to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, later this year.
Local Woman Claims $2 Million Powerball Prize; Will Share With Office Pool
January 9, 2018
A local woman has claimed a $2 million prize Powerball prize.
The Florida Lottery said 30-year old Regina Spence claimed the prize from the January 3 Powerball drawing. The winning ticket matched all five of the white ball numbers, but did not match the Powerball. Spence is formerly from Walnut Hill and now resides in Pensacola.
Spence bought the ticket as part of an office pool with 33 of her coworkers at Navy Federal Credit Union
“We were shocked and thrilled to win this prize! I’m planning to use my portion to make some repairs to my home and buy my parents a new refrigerator,” she said.
Spence purchased the winning ticket from Circle K, located at 7950 Pensacola Boulevard. The store will receive a $5,000 bonus commission for selling the ticket.
Pictured: Regina Spence claimed a $2 million Powerball price. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Council Votes To Make Amends With Town Planner
January 9, 2018
The Century Town Council voted Monday night to attempt to make amends with Debbie Nickles, who resigned as town planner on December 29. Nickles worked with the town for 40 years, until calling it quits over moral and ethical issues, and concerns about the town’s credibility.
Nickles did offer to continue work on several ongoing projects. She gave no reason for her resignation in a memorandum to Mayor Henry Hawkins and town council members. But she told NorthEscambia.com in an email, “I feel that I have been placed in a moral/ethical dilemma and that the Town has lost its focus and credibility”.
“Most of us were very, very sad to see her resignation,” Council President Ann Brooks said Monday night.
Brooks said Nickles was working on numerous projects for the town, including a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), EPA Brownfields, implementing Land Development Code, a five-year schedule of improvements, housing grants and Triumph funding requests.
Brooks said the University of West Florida Haas Center would help the town complete the formation of a CRA for about $10,000, but Nickles was a comparative bargain, charging $40 per hour.
“There’s no way (without Nickles) that we could get the help we need,” she said. “She really has a heart for the town, she has been an asset.”
The council vote to attempt to lure Nickles back was 4-1, with council member Louis Gomez voting against. Nickles was not at the meeting; she will be contacted by phone for her decision.
After a brief chuckle, Gomez said, “The question I got is why did she resign anyway?”
“I don’t see why we are backing up and asking her,” he said. “You can’t let your temper get in the way of business.”
At the town’s last council meeting in December, Nickles expressed grave concerns regarding the town’s decision to bill an apartment developer $180,250 to establish water and sewer service as opposed to $63,500 based upon a 2015 verbal agreement that she and then-mayor Freddie McCall made with the Paces Foundation. The 2015 agreement was based upon then-current published rates. [Read more...]
“I feel like this is a moral, ethical thing to me. I feel like we made a commitment to them and the town should honor that commitment,” she said addressing the town council in December.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Town Council Takes On National Championship Football, Elects President And VP
January 9, 2018
The Century Town Council went head to head with the National Championship Football Game Monday night and elected council leadership for the coming year.
The council normally meets on the first Monday of each month, but that was New Year’s Day. So they rescheduled the meeting for Monday night at 7:00, the same time as the big Alabama-Georgia game. The meeting’s pre-game show was a meet and greet with a few members of the Century Chamber of Commerce with a spread of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
The council re-elected Ann Brooks and president and Ben Boutwell as vice president for the new year.
Pictured: Century Chamber President Freddie McCall addresses the Century Town Council Monday night as Georgia was scoring their first field goal against Alabama in Atlanta. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Florida Gets Legal Win On Satellite TV Taxes
January 9, 2018
Ending years of legal battling about the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to take up a challenge to the constitutionality of a Florida law that sets different tax rates for satellite and cable-television services.
The U.S. Supreme Court, without explanation, turned down Dish Network’s appeal of a ruling last year by the Florida Supreme Court that upheld the law.
The state’s communications-services tax is 4.92 percent on the sale of cable services and 9.07 percent on the sale of satellite-TV services. Local governments also can impose communications-services taxes on cable, with rates varying.
Dish Network contended the different state tax rates on satellite and cable are a form of protectionism that violates the “dormant” Commerce Clause, which bars states from discriminating against interstate commerce.
“The decision below (at the Florida Supreme Court) is a green light to adopt protectionist measures encumbering the flow of commerce across state lines,” Dish Network argued in a November brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the case. “Even though Commerce Clause doctrine is a morass — indeed, precisely because it is a morass — it is vital for the (U.S. Supreme) Court to step in.”
But Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office, which represented the Florida Department of Revenue, argued in a brief that a federal telecommunications law prevents local governments from taxing satellite services. As a result, the brief said, the state set a higher tax rate for satellite services and shares part of the money with local governments. Meanwhile, local governments can tax cable services.
“If a state taxes communications services at the state and local levels, as Florida does, the only way to ensure that the state receives the same revenue from satellite as other communications services while ensuring that local governments may also receive revenue is to tax satellite at a higher rate and share the revenue with local governments,” the brief said.
The state’s 1st District Court of Appeal in 2015 ruled in favor of the satellite-television industry and raised the possibility that Florida would have to pay refunds to satellite companies. But the Florida Supreme Court in April unanimously overturned that decision, with justices saying in a main opinion that they did not find the law was “enacted with a discriminatory purpose.”
A key part of the case at the Florida Supreme Court focused on arguments by the satellite companies that the different tax rates benefited cable companies that are “in-state interests” at the expense of “out-of-state” satellite operators. But Justice Peggy Quince, writing for the court, rejected such a distinction and noted that the state’s largest cable operators are headquartered outside of Florida.
“Cable is not a local, in-state interest any more than satellite,” Quince wrote. “While it may be true that cable employs more Florida residents and uses more local infrastructure to provide its services, the Supreme Court has never found a company to be an in-state interest because it had a greater presence in a state.”
by Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida
Century Joins Escambia County In Waving Fees For Freeze-Related Pipe Repairs
January 9, 2018
The Century Town Council voted Monday night to join Escambia County is temporarily waiving permit and inspection fees for repairs to plumbing resulting the recent hard freezes in the area.
Fees will be waived until the close of business on Thursday, January 19. The county and town waivers are not retroactive and refunds will not be issued for county fees incurred prior to January 4 or Century fees incurred prior to January 9.
This waiver only applies to permit and inspection fees. Permits are still required as usual.
For more information, contact Escambia County Building Services at 850-595-3550 or buildinginspections@myescambia.com or Century Town Hall at (850) 256-3208.
Century Man Arrested In Connection With Flomaton Subway Burglary
January 9, 2018
A Century man wanted on burglary charges by the Flomaton Police Department has been arrested in Escambia County, FL.
Patrick David Griffis., 26, was booked into the Escambia County Jail Monday afternoon as a fugitive from justice. He is being held without bond awaiting extradition back to Alabama.
In late December, the Flomaton Police Department asked for the public’s help in finding Griffis on outstanding warrants for felony third degree burglary, first degree theft of property and misdemeanor criminal mischief. Griffis allegedly kicked in the back door of a Flomaton Subway restaurant where he worked before stealing cash from the safe.
Cold Weather Focuses Highway 29 Cantonment Work On Drainage, Not Asphalt
January 9, 2018
Weather is an important factor in placing asphalt. With temperatures below 45 degrees in the area, crews have focused on drainage improvements along Highway 29 in Cantonment.
Crews are placing concrete drainage pipe across Tree Street at the International Paper (pictured above). Only closing one side of the roadway at a time, team members cut the asphalt, remove roadway base materials and place the cross drain. Workers then compact soil around the cross drain to maintain the structure’s integrity and hold it in place.
Further south near Tate Road, crew members continue to install new concrete drainage and grade ditches on the east side of the roadway. This work is taking place off of the travel lanes and not impacting traffic.
The $5.25 million Highway 29 resurfacing project from Nine Mile Road to Muscogee Road is slated for completion in the spring.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Trump Touts Rural Broadband Initiative, Farm Agenda
January 9, 2018
President Donald Trump Monday unveiled a major initiative designed to strengthen a rural economy that has lagged urban areas in recovery from the recession of 2007-2008. Trump signed two executive orders that fund and streamline the expansion of rural broadband access after an address to 7,400 farmers and ranchers gathered at American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2018 Annual Convention in Nashville.
White House agriculture aide Ray Starling said, “High-speed internet should remain a high priority for the administration.” The report urges faster federal permitting for broadband internet expansion in rural areas and for eased rules for providers to place cell towers on federal lands.
In addition to economic development, Trump touched on issues of particular importance to agriculturists such as regulations, labor and trade. He praised farmers for their enduring values. “We are witnessing a new era of patriotism, prosperity and pride—and at the forefront of this exciting new chapter is the great American farmer.” Farmers, Trump said, “embody the values of hard work, grit, self-reliance and sheer determination.”
“In every decision we make, we are honoring America’s proud farming legacy,” Trump said.
The president spent much of his address decrying the costs of excessive regulation and tallying the rules his administration has moved to eliminate.
“We are also putting an end to the regulatory assault on your way of life. And it was an assault,” he said. Trump singled out the Waters of the United States rule, now being withdrawn following an executive order he signed in the first weeks of his administration. “It sounds so nice, it sounds so innocent, and it was a disaster. People came to me about it and they were crying – men who were tough and strong, women who were tough and strong – because I gave them back their property and I gave them back their farms. We ditched the rule.”
Trump acknowledged controversy over the North American Free Trade Agreement and other trade agreements that account for roughly a quarter of U.S. agriculture revenues. “To level the playing field for all of our farmers and ranchers as well as our manufacturers we are reviewing all of our trade agreements,” he said. “On NAFTA I am working very hard to get a better deal for our farmers and ranchers and manufacturers.”
Trump promised the farm bill would continue to provide a safety net for farmers who are now entering their fifth year of declining incomes. “I look forward to working with Congress to pass the farm bill on time so that it delivers for all of you, and I support a bill that includes crop insurance,” he said.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall said Trump’s visit marked a watershed in D.C. politics.
“Farmers and ranchers have too long faced burdensome regulations,” Duvall said. “This president understands the toll government overreach has taken on ordinary business and is moving swiftly to clear the way for prosperity. We are moving into yet another year of economic difficulty. Relief could not have come at a better time.”
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Barry To Host Road And Bridges Town Hall Meeting
January 9, 2018
District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry will host a Roads and Bridges Town Hall meeting Monday, January 22 at 5 p.m. at the Walnut Hill Ruritan Building at 7850 Highway 97. Residents are invited and encouraged to attend the open forum event to discuss issues with their commissioner.
Pictured: The construction on the Molino Road bridge over Penasula Creek as seen in October. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
