Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Got Any Summer Plans?
April 2, 2017
Speculation about lawmakers needing a special session is nothing new in Tallahassee; the ratio of legislative sessions to rounds of overtime rumors is roughly 1-to-1.
But with House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, implicitly raising the prospect of a special session in his opening-day speech this year, the rumors were already in overdrive. And the release of budget plans this week is likely only to fuel speculation that lawmakers won’t finish by the scheduled May 5 end of the regular session.
On the bottom-line figure, the House and Senate are roughly $2 billion apart on how much to spend in the budget year that begins July 1.
There’s more where that came from. The Senate apparently doesn’t count another $2 billion in university tuition toward its bottom line, while the House does. So what looks like a dispute between $83.2 billion in the Senate and $81.2 billion in the House might in fact be something more.
All of this in a session where the governor and Corcoran are essentially at war with each other over business incentives. Also, the timeline for negotiating the spending plans is tougher than usual.
The rumors of a special session aren’t new, but every so often they’re right — and this year could be the latest example.
DOLLAR DAZE
The tightness of the calendar goes something like this: The House and Senate’s budget-writing committees are expected to vote on their spending plans next week. The week after that is when floor votes are likely to happen.
That gives lawmakers a little more than two weeks to close the $2 billion or $4 billion gap, depending on how you want to count it, then decide how to spend what’s left over, then get the agreement printed in time for a 72-hour cooling-off period before lawmakers vote on the final package. That’s not a lot of time in legislative terms.
There are some philosophical differences that make the debate that much more difficult. The House and Senate are deeply divided, for example, on whether to fund the business incentives that Gov. Rick Scott loves, but House lawmakers hate.
The Senate wants more than $80 million for programs tied to Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development agency; the House has already voted to abolish Enterprise Florida. The Senate wants $76 million for tourism-marketer Visit Florida; the House is pitching $25 million.
House Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Chairman Clay Ingram, R-Pensacola, said the budget proposal is “basically following the tenets” of the House bill that included abolishing Enterprise Florida.
“Being a policy bill, I know there are negotiations going on between the House and Senate on the policy of that bill,” Ingram said.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, said Tuesday he doesn’t support the House approach on the agencies but that his focus is “getting what we have over here done first.”
“The House does its thing, the Senate does its thing, then we see where it goes,” Latvala said.
Another philosophical divide is on local property taxes for education. The House argues that allowing property taxes to rise with the values of the underlying properties is a tax increase. The Senate doesn’t see it that way, because the rate of the tax — called the millage — doesn’t change.
“We’ve kept that at the same (level) and believe that keeping the millage rate the same is not a tax increase,” said Sen. David Simmons, an Altamonte Springs Republican who oversees the public-schools budget in the Senate.
Asked whether there might be room to negotiate, Simmons’ House counterpart pointed to something Corcoran told a reporter for the Tallahassee bureau shared by the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald.
“I think the speaker was quoted as saying `hell no’ on raising taxes, so I’m just going to defer to his quote,” said Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah.
And that’s before getting to different priorities. The Senate wants to boost funding for higher education, a chief priority for Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, while the House is seeking less. There are also differences over which employees should get raises, and how much.
SEE YOU IN COURT — OR MAYBE NOT
Scott and Corcoran shared something in common this week: They both earned victories in trying to get someone out of the courtroom.
A circuit judge sided with Scott on Tuesday in a dispute over the removal of Central Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala in the high-profile case of accused cop-killer Markeith Loyd.
Orange County Circuit Judge Frederick Lauten’s ruling came after Scott yanked Ayala, the elected prosecutor for Orange and Osceola counties, from the case because she refuses to seek the death penalty for Loyd or any other defendant.
Ruling from the bench, Lauten refused to reinstate Ayala as prosecutor in the case after Scott reassigned it to Ocala-area State Attorney Brad King, an outspoken proponent of the death penalty.
Ayala had asked the court for a temporary stay of the proceedings in Loyd’s case while she challenged whether Scott has the authority to oust her.
Ayala immediately pledged to appeal Lauten’s ruling.
“By inserting his personal politics into this case, Governor Scott’s unprecedented action is dangerous and could compromise the prosecution of Markeith Loyd and threatens the integrity of Florida’s judicial system,” Ayala said in a statement Tuesday. “We will move forward to expose the governor’s action as unlawful and unconstitutional in a way that does not compromise the successful prosecution of Markeith Loyd.”
Scott wasn’t backing down. His office issued a statement after Lauten’s ruling that said the governor “stands by his decision to assign State Attorney Brad King to prosecute Markeith Loyd after State Attorney Ayala refused to recuse herself.”
“As Governor Scott has continued to say, these families deserve a state attorney who will aggressively prosecute Loyd to the fullest extent of the law and justice must be served,” the statement said.
Corcoran’s victory, meanwhile, came on a House bill that would limit Supreme Court justices and appeals-court judges to two consecutive terms in office.
House members voted to approve the measure (HJR 1) on a 73-46 vote nearly along party lines. The defection of six Republicans was almost enough to kill the amendment, which needed 72 votes to get through the chamber.
Legal organizations across the political spectrum have opposed the legislation, but Corcoran brushed that off.
“That tells you we are doing what is right,” Corcoran said. “And neither special interest hand-wringing nor political influence will stop the House from doing what is right. It boils down to this — we believe that no government job should be for life.”
But opponents argued that the measure was aimed at weakening the judicial branch after a string of Supreme Court rulings that have stymied Republicans who dominate state government. Many of those rulings have been issued by majorities featuring long-serving Democratic appointees.
“At the end of this day, the bill will have one major chilling effect: a less-independent judiciary beholden to the executive and legislative branches,” said Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach.
Right or not, the proposal faces long odds in the Senate, which has traditionally watered down or rejected House bills that take on the courts.
ON THE TURN?
The years-long quest to pass a new gambling package continued this week, as the House and Senate both moved forward gambling bills, setting the stage for the first serious negotiations in years between legislative leaders — and the Seminole Tribe of Florida — on the thorny issue.
That’s the optimistic version, because the proposals are essentially diametrically opposed to each other.
The Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure (SB 
that is friendly to the pari-mutuel industry. The bill would allow slot machines in eight counties where voters have approved them, legalize controversial card games at the heart of a legal battle with the Seminoles and allow nearly all tracks and jai alai frontons to do away with live racing or games, a process known as “decoupling.”
Hours later, a major House committee supported a more status-quo measure (HB 7037) focused on a 20-year agreement with the Seminoles, called a “compact.” A portion of a 2010 compact that gave the tribe exclusive rights to operate banked card games, such as blackjack, at most of its casinos expired in 2015, prompting a new round of negotiations — and litigation — with the state.
But discussions about a new compact failed to gain traction last year, after lawmakers did not approve a deal struck by Scott and the tribe late in 2015.
While the House and Senate now are coming from opposite ends of the spectrum, Republican legislative leaders acknowledged Thursday the packages provide a starting point for lawmakers to work toward a consensus during negotiations.
“Right now, I think we’ve demonstrated the two bodies can disagree as to what the fundamentals of a bill can look like, but that doesn’t mean the idea is dead,” House Commerce Chairman Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, told reporters after his committee supported the House version Thursday. “We’re very far apart. That’s for sure. They’re almost like alternative bills. I don’t know what our pressure points will be.”
Senate bill sponsor Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican slated to take over as president of the chamber after the 2018 elections, said lawmakers need to act to provide certainty for the industry and to maximize revenue from the tribe and the pari-mutuels.
“We have this ambiguous, unpredictable state of flux out there that needs to be wrangled in,” Galvano told reporters.
If nothing else, perhaps gambling could be resolved in a special session.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Lawmakers unveiled budgets separated by billions of dollars, beginning the long process of coming to an agreement on the annual spending plan.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Obviously, searches of EDRs (electronic data recorders) in motor vehicles were not on the minds of the first United States Congress when the Fourth Amendment was introduced in 1789, and the United States Constitution’s right to privacy sheds no light on the subject (particularly since there is no provision actually describing such a right to privacy).”—4th District Court of Appeal Judge Alan Forst, dissenting from a ruling that said authorities needed a warrant before they could download information recorded in a car’s “black box.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Football Team Members Hold Car Wash
April 2, 2017
Northview High School Football’s linemen held a car wash Saturday getting ready for their summer camp. The car was held at Advance Auto Parts in Atmore. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Former Tate Coach Faces More Allegations Of Abuse, Performing Unlicensed Student Physicals
April 1, 2017
Eight additional potential victims have come forward with sexual abuse allegations against Charlie Mabern Hamrick, a former Tate High School coach and church youth minister, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Hamrick, 54, is already facing over 40 child sexual abuse charges — including 36 counts of capital sexual assault that each carry a maximum sentence of life without parole. All of the abuse charges he faces so far stem from the investigation into allegations made by four people.
As of Friday afternoon, deputies had not filed any additional charges as they continue their investigation into allegations that range from 1984 to 2015.
The latest allegations made by eight additional people include the possibility that Hamrick gave unlicensed physical exams to athletes at Tate High School during is 2012-2015 tenure there as a supplemental football coach. Those physicals, it is alleged, may not have been limited to just football players, according Amber Southard, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The physicals included genitalia exams.
“Anyone that received a physical from Hamrick is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office,” Southard said. Harmrick was not licensed in any way to conduct physicals, she said. Based upon the allegations, he may be charged with practicing medicine without a license.
Escambia County School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said the district learned the possible improper physicals late this week.
“Under no circumstances should any school district employee conduct a physical on students,” Thomas said. He said information concerning the allegations had been turned over to law enforcement.
Hamrick was paid a supplement as a football coach at Tate High School from August 1, 2012, to September 14, 2015. He was not a teacher and did not have students under his watch in a classroom.
“He passed all the of the background checks at the time,” the superintendent said. “But a background check only tells you what someone has been caught for in the past, not any ongoing deep, dark secrets.”
Thomas said Hamrick was terminated from the district in 2015 due to allegations of financial impropriety in her personal life.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone that may have had a physical from Hamrick or believes they were abused by him to call them at (850) 436-9620.
For a previous story, click here.
Escambia Man Gets 35 Years For 2015 Murder
April 1, 2017
An Escambia County man was sentenced Friday to prison for a 2015 murder.
Jeremiah Farrish was sentenced to 35 years in state prison with 25 years as a mandatory minimum for second degree murder in the death of Eugenio Acosta.
On August 8, 2015, Acosta was found shot multiple times at a residence on Lakeview Avenue. Prosecutors said Acousta was killed during the course of a robbery.
Farrish, Jesse Square and Iesha Robinson were originally charged in this case. Square was acquitted at trial. Robinson pled to a reduced charge of manslaughter and was previously sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
Farrish pled guilty to second degree murder in exchange for testifying against his co-defendants.
Tate, Navarre Honor Ashley McCullough; South Walton Tops Northview
April 1, 2017
Tate 4, Navarre 2
Friday night was about sportsmanship and the brotherhood of baseball as the Tate High School Aggies and the Navarre Raiders honored Ashley McCullough.
Ashley, the wife of Tate pitching Coach Brett McCullough passed away suddenly and unexpectedly Tuesday. The Aggies’ GoFundMe page for the family had raised over $17,000 as Friday night for Brett McCullough and the couple’s two-year old daughter Taylor. Click here to donate.
Catholic, West Florida, and Milton high schools have all donated to the family.
The Tate Aggies and Navarre Raiders stood as one family and posed for photos Friday night. Later, on the field, Tate topped Navarre 4-2.
Logan McGuffey earned the win for Tate Aggies Varsity. He pitched five innings, surrendering two runs, eight hits, and striking out five.
Jesse Sherrill went 2-3 for Tate with a RBI. Also for Tate: Reid Halfacre 1-3, R; Logan Blackmon 1-3, 2B, R; Corben Young, R; Mason Land 2-3, 2B; Kyler Hultgen 1-2.
South Walton 4, Northview 2
Commissioner To Hold District 1 One-stop Roundtable Monday At West Florida High
April 1, 2017
District 1 Commissioner Jeff Bergosh will host a one-stop roundtable Monday, April 3 from 6-8 p.m. in the cafeteria of West Florida High School, located at 2400 Longleaf Drive. Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions, express concerns and gather information without having to make an appointment with each of the elected officials serving District 1 or countywide office.
Officials participating in this first-of-its-kind meeting include:
- Jeff Bergosh, Board of County Commissioners
- Vicki Campbell, Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
- Kevin Adams, Escambia County School Board
- Chip Simmons, Chief Deputy of Operations, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office
- Chris Jones, Property Appraiser
- Scott Lunsford, Tax Collector
- David Stafford, Supervisor of Elections
No Injuries As Shots Reportedly Fired On UWF Campus
April 1, 2017
Three shots were reportedly fired Friday evening on the campus of the University of West Florida.
Police responded to the area of the UWF basketball courts after three shots were reported. The suspect had already left the scene and departed the campus. Students were notified of the incident, but the campus not placed into a lockdown.
An investigation into the incident is continuing.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call UWF Police at (850) 474-2415.
Herrington Tosses Shutout In Northview Win; Tough Night For Lady Aggies
April 1, 2017
Northview 1, South Walton 0
Tori Herrington tossed a shutout Friday night as the Northview Lady Chiefs beat South Walton 1-0 in Bratt.
Herrington allowed just three hits and struck out 12 in the district win for Northview.
A sacrifice bunt by Valen Shelly sent Aubrey Love across the plate in the only run for the Chiefs in second inning. Herrington and Love were 2-3 at bat, while Lydia Smith was 1-2.
The Chiefs will be on the road in Santa Rosa Beach Tuesday to face off with South Walton again.
Jay 10, Baker 5
Niceville 10, Tate 3
The Niceville Lady Eagles beat the Tate Aggies 10-3 Friday night.
Tate pitcher Hannah Brown allowed 10 hits in six innings. Shelby Ullrich was 2-3 at bat, with a home run and two RBIs for the Aggies. Deazia Nickerson was 2-3 with a run.
The Aggies (12-4, 7-0) remain undefeated in their district. They will face Franklin, KY, on Monday.
License-Free Freshwater Fishing This Weekend In Florida
April 1, 2017
This weekend offers freshwater license-free fishing in Florida for residents and visitors.
On Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2, the freshwater recreational fishing license requirement will be waived. All bag limits, seasons, and size restrictions will still apply.
Governor Scott said, “This weekend’s license-free fishing days are a great chance for families and visitors to enjoy the spring weather and experience the many fishing sites Florida is well known for. Florida is proud to be the Fishing Capital of the World, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of the license-free days this weekend.”
Pictured: Fishing at Lake Stone in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Brian Yablonski said, “If you’ve never been fishing before, this is a great opportunity to get out there and give it a try, or, if you’re a seasoned angler, take a friend or family member who has never been. They just might learn to appreciate it as much as you do.”
Replacement Begins Next Week On Highway 99 Bridge In Oak Grove
March 31, 2017
Construction activities are scheduled to begin next week on a new bridge on North Highway 99 over Pine Barren Creek, just north of the Oak Grove Park.
The existing bridge will be replaced with a new, modern structure consisting of 11-foot travel lanes, nine-foot shoulders and a solid concrete barrier railing. The bridge approaches will also be repaved. County Road 99 will slightly be realigned and connect to the new bridge being constructed just west of the existing structure.
There will be additional drainage improvements, with a drainage pond constructed to collect stormwater runoff from the travel lanes. The speed limit will be reduced to 35 mph during construction.
The existing bridge was constructed in 1955
Traffic will be maintained on the existing bridge during construction. FDOT said drivers are reminded to use caution and to obey the posted speed limit of 35 MPH when traveling through the work zone. Work is anticipated to be complete in early 2018, weather permitting, at a total cost $4,160,238.
Pictured top: A steel truss was installed to support the bridge over Pine Barren Creek on North Highway 99 in Oak Grove in early 2011. Otherwise, the 62-year old bridge is supported by wood pilings. Pictured below: The North Highway 99 bridge over Pine Barren Creek. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
