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House, Senate Ready To Approve Budget Plans

Lawmakers on both ends of the Capitol worked Wednesday to prepare spending plans for the budget year that begins July 1, with House members squabbling about funding for Planned Parenthood while senators readied a reduction in education property taxes.

Votes on the spending measures, expected Thursday, would clear the way for the annual negotiations between the House and Senate over a final budget, likely to weigh in somewhere around $80 billion.

In the House — frequently the scene of the most heated discussions about the budget — the Republican majority batted away amendments from Democrats that would have changed the basis for a bonus program for teachers and would have authorized the purchase of 153,000 acres of land in the Everglades.

But a major clash broke out over a provision in the budget that would bar any money from flowing to Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides abortion among its health-care services for women. No state revenue goes to Planned Parenthood, but a handful of county health departments have used federal funds to contract with the organization.

Federal funds are not allowed to be used to cover abortions.

Budget-writers remained guarded about their reasoning for the ban on funding for the organization. Despite repeated questions from Democrats about why the language was written into the budget, the chairman of the House’s health funding committee simply repeated that the Legislature has the ability to ban the contracts if it wants.

“This is a matter of legislative authority,” said Health Care Appropriations Chairman Matt Hudson, R-Naples. “We have a choice. … Given the fact that we had never expressly said to fund them, when you see that happening, I think it’s incumbent upon us as a Legislature to say, ‘Hey, no, that’s not what we want to do.’ ”

Democrats countered that the move was a partisan maneuver copied from Congress, which recently fought unsuccessfully to defund Planned Parenthood.

“I constantly hear how much better we are from the majority than Washington,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs. “Apparently, we are no better than them.”

The Senate debate was more measured, and a few tweaks were added.

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Rockledge, proposed a far-reaching change that called for the state to issue bonds to inject $222 million into the Florida Forever land-acquisition program. Altman said the proposal would help the state buy land that will not be available in the future, at least in part because of development pressures.

“There’s no downside to doing this,” Altman said.

But the proposal was scuttled after Republican leaders ruled that it would violate budget guidelines by knocking the spending plan out of balance.

Much of the Senate discussion of the budget involved questions and answers about details of spending on education, health and justice-system programs.

Meanwhile, after weeks of signaling that they would try to counter the natural growth of education property taxes due to increasing real-estate values, Senate leaders prepared to unveil legislation that would use state funding to hold down homeowners’ tax bills.

Those local property taxes, known as the “required local effort,” are at the center of the budgets’ much-touted record level of education funding. But senators have balked at what they call a de facto tax increase, especially given that Gov. Rick Scott has asked for $1 billion in cuts to other levies.

“As I look across the spectrum of tax relief that we’re considering, I can’t think of anything that is broader based and impacts more people currently living in this state than something like a reduction in the required local effort,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon.

The plan is scheduled to be rolled out at a committee meeting Thursday morning.

After the House’s meeting Wednesday, Speaker Steve Crisafulli told reporters that he was open to the idea of including some easing of the required local effort in the tax package, as long as it was done in a way that would ensure\ the refund made it back to property owners.

“My rationale is, unless there’s an impact on the millage or rolling that back someway somehow, then we better be writing checks back to individuals on property taxes, because local governments don’t need to have windfall profits because that money’s not coming to Tallahassee,” said Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island.

by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida

Area Residents Encouraged To Welcome VIP Train Next Week

A special “inspection train” will ride the rails from New Orleans to Jacksonville next week in advance preparation for the possible return of passenger rail service to cities like Pensacola and Atmore.

And the City of Atmore is doing much more than rolling out the red carpet, asking residents of the Atmore and North Escambia areas to join them in welcoming the train.

The train is set to arrive at 2:31 p.m. on Thursday, February 18 at the Atmore Train Station downtown. They will greeted by music from the Escambia County High School Jazz Band, and the VIP’s will walk through a ceremonial sword arch provided by the Northview High School NJROTC.

The train will leave the passengers behind as it departs at 2:41 p.m., just before speeches from Atmore Mayor Jim Staff, Amtrak Chairman Joe Boardman and Southern Rail Commission Chairman Gregory White.  The passengers will then be bused to the Wind Creek Casino for a press conference and a reception, and many will spend the night in the Wind Creek Hotel.

The passengers will then board buses to Pensacola to an 8 a.m. departure on February 19, with stops later that day in Crestview, Chipley and Tallahassee before an arrival that night in Jacksonville.

Jerry Gehman, Atmore’s self-proclaimed biggest train fan and the city’s representative on the Southern Rail Commission, is urging Atmore and North Escambia residents to turn out for the historic event.

“It’s open to the public; it is not a private event,” Gehman said. “And we’d love people to come and welcome the train and build a favorable impression of South Alabama.”

The inspection train will carry elected officials, industry representatives, community leaders and federal stakeholders. The goal of the invitation-only trip is to examine the existing CSX railroad infrastructure and to better understand rail’s economic, cultural and mobility opportunities. It it designed to provide an unparalleled perspective on reintroducing intercity passenger rail along the Gulf Coast.

The SRC recently released a study by Amtrak detailing the range of feasible service options accompanied by an analysis of ridership levels, projected revenues, and associated costs for passenger trains between New Orleans and Orlando. The models in this new study present the range of service options that will support regional economic resilience and projected population growth.

“If we will get train service, this is the first step, and I am excited about that possibility. The beginnings often lead to great ends, and we’d love that to be the success story here,” Gehman said.

Connecting the cities and towns along the Gulf Coast with passenger rail is one of the top priority projects for the Southern Rail Commission. The earliest service is projected to return is about two years from now.

Pictured top and bottom: The Atmore Train Station has been cleaned up and a temporary plywood decked added in advance of an Amtrak inspection train next week. Pictured inset: Jerry Gehman, Atmore’s representative to the Southern Rail Commission, outlined train arrival activities during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Feds Help Florida With Zika Tests

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sent 950 antibody tests to Florida to help determine whether people have contracted the Zika virus. A public health emergency has been declared in Santa Rosa and six other counties due to the virus.

The 950 came in addition to 475 antibody tests already on hand, giving the state a total of 1,425, according to a statement from Gov. Rick Scott’s office.

Florida has 16 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus. Each of the cases is believed to have been travel-related rather than acquired in Florida, state officials say. Miami-Dade County has the largest number of cases, with six.

Zika was detected last year in Brazil and has spread to other countries.

“We appreciate that the CDC sent 950 Zika antibody tests to Florida so we can better test those who have traveled to affected areas and had symptoms of Zika,” Scott said in a prepared statement. “While having these tests readily available is great progress, we are still waiting on the CDC to schedule a conference call with Florida hospital workers to ensure they fully understand the symptoms, treatments and proper precautions for Zika. We will continue to do all we can to ensure our state is prepared for the possible spread of the Zika virus.”

by The News Service of Florida

Highway 4 Railroad Crossing Closed; Dozen More Closing Next Week

The railroad crossing on East Highway 4 in Century is closed, and a dozen more crossings in North Escambia will close next week for repairs.

The Highway 4 crossing will be closed today, possibly opening temporarily overnight, and will be closed until work completion on Thursday. CSX is making crossing repairs and replacing railroad ties.

CSX will close numerous other North Escambia a crossing as part of its network-wide crossing maintenance program beginning next week, with work expected to be completed in one week.

CSX engineering crews will be laying new rail ties, resurfacing crossings and repaving them with asphalt. CSX has worked closely with local officials to coordinate the crossing closures to minimize disruption to the community and is communicating directly with residents where there are dead-end roads or no-outlet situations.

Traffic will experience temporary closures to the following road crossings during the operations period:

• Cottage Street
• McCurdy Road
• Hecker Road
• Front Street
• East Pond Street
• Jefferson Avenue
• Salters Lake Road
• Bluff Springs Road
• Courtney Road
• Mystic Springs Road
• East Bogia Road
• Cotton Lake Road

The roads listed above will be temporarily closed at different times on the  maintenance schedule, according to CSX.  NorthEscambia.com is working with the contractor to provide an updated schedule for crossing closures as soon as possible.

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Motorists are reminded to travel with care through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and workers entering and exiting the roadway.

Pictured: The East Highway 4 railroad crossing in Century was closed Tuesday, expected to reopen by Thursday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Escambia County Presents Public Safety Employee Awards

Pensacola Opera Presents ‘Jack And The Beanstalk’

The Pensacola Opera presented a free performance of the endearing tale “Jack and the Beanstalk” Tuesday night a the Century Branch Library. Another performance was held Wednesday morning at the Molino Branch Library.

For a photo gallery, click here.

Pictured: The Pensacola Opera presented “Jack and the Beanstalk” Tuesday night at the Century Branch Library. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Cool Jobs: This Really Ranks Up There

Wednesday was breezy and cold, with winds gusting to about 20 mph — just like the cool, windy day on Tuesday.  While many people are required to work outside in cold weather, we found a few men on a job Tuesday that really exposed them to the cold wind — working at the top of one of the water towers in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Northview Girls Weightlifting Team Presents Season Awards

The Northview High School girls weightlifting team celebrated their season with their annual awards banquet.

The following awards were presented:

MVL (Most Valuable Lifters) — Audriene Odom, Myisha Syria, Laurie Purdy, Breanna Campbell

Coach’s Award Winners — Katie Born, Bethany Reynolds, Laurie Purdy

Pensacola Sports Association Winner– Haley Weaver

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

House Panel Approves Gambling Deal, Senate Plan On Hold

A House panel on Tuesday overwhelmingly supported a trio of gambling bills that would ratify a $3 billion deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe, do away with greyhound racing while allowing dog tracks to keep operating other games, and open the door for slot machines in Palm Beach County.

But a Senate committee, expected to vote on its version of the gambling legislation, postponed consideration of the measures after Sen. Joe Negron filed a series of amendments that would dramatically change the proposal, months in the making.

Senate Regulated Industries Chairman Rob Bradley said he decided to delay discussion of the gambling bills (SB 7072, SB 7074) for a week to give the panel more time to “digest” Negron’s complicated proposal.

“I received requests from committee members to have some time to review those amendments without feeling rushed. This is an issue that is complex and large enough that it’s a reasonable request,” Bradley, R-Fleming Island, told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the House Regulatory Affairs Committee approved three gambling measures. One (PCB RAC 16-01) would ratify an agreement, called a “compact,” inked by Gov. Rick Scott and Seminole tribal leader James Billie in December. The compact would allow the Seminoles to add craps and roulette to their casino operations in exchange for a guarantee of $3 billion in payments to the state over seven years.

A second measure (PCB RAC 16-02) would allow greyhound tracks to do away with dog racing while keeping other pari-mutuel activities such as poker and slots, a process known as “decoupling.” The bill, amended to include the compact, would also decouple harness and quarter-horse races but would keep thoroughbred racing at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs.

The proposal would also allow slots in Palm Beach County and at a new facility in Miami-Dade County.

The committee also approved a proposed constitutional amendment (PCB RAC 16-03), which would let voters decide whether they want to expand gambling in the future — after the compact and the other gambling changes go into effect.

House Regulatory Affairs Chairman Jose Felix Diaz said he decided to go ahead with the vote on the House’s gambling legislation after Bradley told him he was going to delay the vote on the Senate’s bills.

With the legislative session reaching the halfway point Wednesday, the Senate panel’s delay could make ratification of the compact problematic.

“We’re in week five, so every week that we don’t have a bill is a week closer to the bill dying,” Diaz, R-Miami, said. “It could very easily be one of those bills that we’re deciding at the very last moment. It just sort of looks and smells like it.”

But both Bradley and Diaz said that there is “plenty of time” for the Legislature to finalize a deal before the session ends on March 11.

“All the same challenges that existed six months ago, one month ago, one week ago, still exist today,” Bradley said.

Negron’s proposals, if passed, would significantly alter the agreement worked out by Scott’s general counsel, Tim Cerio, in tandem with Bradley and Diaz, who negotiated with the tribe for months before reaching an accord in December.

One of Negron’s amendments would allow slots at pari-mutuels in each of six counties — including Palm Beach — where voters have approved them, and in other counties where voters sign off on them in the future.

His plan would also decouple all dog and horse racing along with jai alai games, but allow the pari-mutuels to keep operating cardrooms and slot machines.

His proposal also includes $45 million — $20 million from the compact, and $25 million from revenues from slots and card games at pari-mutuels that discontinue racing or jai alai games — for thoroughbred purse pools.

And, in an effort to offset the expansion of gambling with the additional slot machines, Negron’s plan would eliminate 20 dormant or inactive pari-mutuel permits, while spending $20 million for the state to purchase active permits.

Negron also wants the gambling measure to include language that would confirm that “fantasy sports” are legal in Florida, the subject of a separate bill he is backing.

Diaz said he believed he had the 61 votes necessary to pass out of the House the measure approved by his committee Tuesday, but he acknowledged that the bill is “an absolute work in progress.”

“Every shift in this bill can lose a vote and gain a vote. I’ll know at the very end where we stand,” he said. “I’m optimistic that we have a bill we can pass … but I’m not going to OK a bill that’s bad just because the money’s good.”

But Negron, a Stuart Republican who will take over as Senate president after the November elections, said he believed his proposed changes would make it easier to garner support from the upper chamber.

“I think everyone understood that (the compact) was a first draft for the Legislature to consider,” Negron said. “Without addressing the issues in my amendment, there are not enough votes to pass the compact in the Senate. My amendment actually increases the likelihood of the bill passing.”

by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida

Senate Backs Bill To Shield Personal Hunting, Fishing License Info

The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday backed a measure (SB 1364) that would create a public-records exemption to shield personal information — such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and telephone numbers — of people getting hunting, fishing and boating licenses and certificates from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Sen. Alan Hays, a Umatilla Republican who sponsored the proposal, said the intent of the proposed exemption is to protect gun owners.

“It’s a good gun-control measure, to tell you the truth, without interfering with Second Amendment rights,” Hays said.

“The current situation is that if any person who wants to know where weapons are located, all they’d have to do is do a public-records request to the Fish and Game Commission to send a list of everybody who has a hunting license,” Hays continued. “And you know good and well most of those homes, where the owner or the occupant has a hunting license, are going to have a weapon.”

When asked about how components of the bill, such as fishing licenses, fit within protecting gun ownership, Hays said such parts can be removed when the bill goes before another committee.

Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation, questioned Hays’ stance in an email Tuesday.

“Have there been any reported incidents of people using hunting licenses to track down hunters to steal their guns? Isn’t that the definition of stupid criminal? And why include fishing licenses? Boating safety records? He’s blowing smoke,” Petersen said in the email. “This is clearly a reaction to the bear hunting license snafu and the fact that a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel got (rock star) Ted Nugent’s telephone number and called him up.”

(Disclosure: The News Service of Florida is a member of the First Amendment Foundation.)

Hays said after the meeting that the controversial bear hunt didn’t factor into his decision to file the bill, which, if approved, would become law July 1.

The commission held a bear hunt in October, the first in the state in more than two decades. The state sold 3,778 permits for the hunt, and among the people buying permits were Nugent, House members Frank Artiles of Miami, Jay Trumbull of Panama City and Tom Goodson of Titusville, and Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Aliese Priddy.

The commission halted the potential seven-day hunt after two days, as the number of bears killed quickly approached the quota of 320. Commission officials acknowledged they “underestimated the hunter success for the first day.”

The commission has not decided if a bear hunt will be conducted this year. Spokeswoman Susan Smith said the agency is “still reviewing information from the 2015 hunt.”

The Senate bill must get approved by the Rules Committee before it could go to the full Senate.

A similar House bill (HB 1153) was unanimously supported by the Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee last month and must clear the State Affairs Committee before it could go to the House floor.

by The News Service of Florida

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