Meals On Wheels Makes An Impact On Local Seniors
February 8, 2015
“The meals are delivered straight to my home and I love that.”
Those are the words of current Meals on Wheels recipient, Frankie Gross. Gross, 81 years young, has been a recipient of Meals on Wheels through Council on Aging of West Florida for almost four years.
“I’m very thankful for Meals on Wheels and its volunteers,” said Gross, “Without them, I would be eating my regular food.” Gross heard about the Meals on Wheels program through friends and family. From there, she was directed to Council on Aging of West Florida, where her case manager suggested Meals on Wheels be the program for her needs.
“I choose to eat these meals over any regular food that I have. Think about it…the meals have delicious mixed vegetables, pasta or some other starch, and a meat. What more could you need?” Gross loves the convenience of the meals being delivered to her home and the health benefits. She does not have to go through the trouble of creating three different dishes every day. Each frozen meal is required to contain 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adults and comply with Florida Department of Elder Affairs guidelines. “Not only do I get my daily nutrition,” said Gross, “But I also enjoy visiting with my volunteers!”
Council on Aging of West Florida’s Meals on Wheels program would not be possible without their loyal volunteers. Almost 60 volunteer drivers deliver meals to clients in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties weekly. Not only are these volunteers assisting in providing nutrition for local seniors, but they also provide a level of socialization that these seniors may not get otherwise. “My little ladies who deliver my meals are absolutely precious,” bragged Gross, “Whenever they are going to be on vacation, they call me and let me know. I can tell that they really care about me and that means a lot.”
The Council on Aging of West Florida’s Meals on Wheels complies with nutrition standards, provides socialization, and convenience for local seniors. For more information on the Meals on Wheels program, give Council on Aging of West Florida a call at (850) 432-1475.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Cabinet Takes Show On The Road
February 8, 2015
Lawmakers returned to Tallahassee this week — just in time for the center of attention to leave them behind.
Normally, the Cabinet’s annual trip to the Florida State Fair is almost as much a sideshow as the event itself, an occasion for the governor and the three Cabinet members to escape the Capitol for Tampa. This year, though, the distractions of Tallahassee followed the quartet.
Gov. Rick Scott’s handling of the forced resignation of Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey continued to dominate the news and the Cabinet’s agenda. Scott took responsibility for the botched handling of Bailey’s departure.
Back at the Capitol, Scott’s budget took some hits, largely from Democrats, as it began the normal trek for a governor’s spending plan, from proposal to respectful hearing to being scrapped in favor of what lawmakers want to do. A $2 billion gamble written into the plan drew the most skepticism.
Speaking of, gambling was one of the few sins not up for debate at the Capitol this week. Some legislators bounced around the idea of “sin taxes,” while sheriffs took aim at a proposal that would legalize medical marijuana and the Senate began a new discussion about super-sized beer bottles known as growlers. The only temptations Cabinet members faced in Tampa were the fried Oreos and other goodies on sale.
FAIR QUESTIONS
Even before the Cabinet meeting, Scott’s office was trying to run damage control on the controversy — the word “scandal” has started appearing in some places — surrounding Bailey’s departure. On Monday, the governor’s office pushed back specifically on claims that Scott’s staff forced Bailey to resign immediately in December.
In an email to reporters, Scott’s office said the governor didn’t instruct anyone on staff to remove Bailey immediately. “Gerald Bailey was asked to work out his transition with his successor,” the email said.
The email, which was in the form of frequently asked questions, also gave a simple “no” to the following question: “Does Gov. Scott agree that his staff decided to force Gerald Bailey to resign immediately without the governor’s direct knowledge?” That answer became necessary because, the week before, Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested that maybe the firing was mishandled because Scott wasn’t directly involved in some of the decisions surrounding Bailey’s ouster.
Meanwhile, media organizations and open-government advocates opened up two new fronts in the battle. The Associated Press, the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors, Citizens for Sunshine and a St. Petersburg attorney filed a lawsuit alleging that the handling of Bailey’s resignation violated the Sunshine Law.
The lawsuit focuses on conversations between Scott’s staff and aides for other Cabinet members concerning Bailey’s exit. The staff discussions were a way for Scott to work around the state’s open-meetings laws, the suit contends.
Scott’s office has said no laws were broken by the discussions.
Meanwhile, the Tallahassee-based First Amendment Foundation wrote a letter to Bondi asking for a special prosecutor to look into whether the Sunshine Law was violated. (The News Service of Florida is a member of the foundation.)
“A prosecutor outside of Leon County — one who does not reside and work in the same town as those under investigation — should be appointed,” wrote Barbara Petersen, the foundation’s president. “Otherwise, public confidence in the investigation itself will be compromised.”
But after the Cabinet meeting in Tampa, Bondi said she didn’t have the authority to do that.
For his part, Scott acknowledged Thursday “it is clear, in hindsight, that I could have handled it better.” But mea culpas aside, Scott and the Cabinet rejected a request by state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater to reconsider the appointment of Rick Swearingen, who replaced Bailey.
Scott could get a second chance at handling the removal of agency heads. The Cabinet decided to start a process at its next meeting to consider Scott’s move to possibly replace three others, including the state’s long-serving insurance commissioner.
BILLIONS WORTH OF OPTIMISM
While the governor was trying to handle criticisms of his human-resources practices, his budget was coming under siege from critics, particularly Democrats, who faulted the $77 billion spending plan for relying on federal health-care dollars to help balance the state’s books.
Democrats grilled Scott’s budget director, Cynthia Kelly, during a presentation before the House Appropriations Committee about Scott’s proposal for the budget year that begins July 1. Many of their questions focused on $2 billion pot of health-care money — more than $1 billion of which is federal money that the government might no longer provide — that Scott included despite the fact that the program is set to expire June 30.
Kelly said officials with the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration were meeting with federal officials to try to negotiate an extension of the Low Income Pool, or “LIP,” program. The federal government extended the program during the current budget year, but has given state officials no guarantees that LIP will be renewed again.
“It is my understanding that they are hopeful that they will be able to get an extension on those LIP funds and, that’s why we included in our budget recommendations the continuation of the LIP program as it currently stands,” Kelly said.
Democrats weren’t satisfied with the explanation. The LIP program provides extra money to hospitals and other types of health providers that care for large numbers of poor and uninsured patients.
“My concern is, are we being fiscally irresponsible by including those dollars in this proposed budget when there is a very real chance and likelihood that those dollars will go away?” said Rep. Janet Cruz of Tampa, the top Democrat on the committee.
But another key part of Scott’s spending plan was already moving. A proposal that would allow about 2,000 businesses to avoid the state’s corporate-income tax got approval from the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. The panel unanimously backed a proposal (HB 138) by Chairwoman Dorothy Hukill, R-Port Orange, that would increase a tax exemption on corporate income.
Under current law, the first $50,000 of a corporation’s income is exempt from the tax. Hukill’s bill would increase that exemption to $75,000. Scott proposed the same cut in his tax package.
That reduction, costing the state about $18.7 million annually, is just a portion of the $673 million in cuts that Scott wants. Most of Scott’s tax-cutting zeal is focused on a reduction in the communications-services tax, applied to cell-phone bills and cable and satellite television. The communications-services tax cut is projected to reduce state revenues by $470.9 million and save an average Florida family about $43 a year.
Hukill has a similar, though somewhat smaller, measure (SB 110) than what Scott proposed. Hukill said she will file an amendment that expands her bill to match Scott’s proposal.
But even with the Senate moving forward with key parts of what Scott wants, Hukill said any final tax package remains a couple of months from being completed. She expected the package will follow a process similar to the 2014 legislative session in which lawmakers gave Scott his requested $500 million in election-year tax cuts, even if the cuts didn’t exactly line up with his initial proposals.
MONEY FOR MISDEEDS
Taxes might not be going down on sin, though. There might even be some support for making it more expensive to be naughty. Patrons of strip clubs and adult theaters would have to pay a state surcharge before going in, under a proposal being looked at by state lawmakers who also want to close a tax loophole enjoyed by roll-your-own cigarette shops.
The House Finance & Tax Committee, which is usually more averse to tax hikes, agreed Tuesday to further consider separate “sin tax” bills.
One proposal would impose entry requirements on adult establishments, including a $10 fee on top of any other existing admission charges. Also, it would require the business to keep records of customers.
The second proposal is intended to prohibit businesses from masquerading as roll-your-own “clubs” to avoid charging state and federal taxes on cigarette sales. Lawmakers said the proposal shouldn’t be seen as a tax increase, but as leveling the field for businesses now charging the proper taxes on cigarette sales.
Committee Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said the proposals would discourage people from frequenting the businesses and could reroute revenue to such efforts as helping victims of human trafficking.
“Should the resources that go to rehabilitate victims of human trafficking come from all 19 million Floridians,” Gaetz asked, “or should people who frequent adult entertainment establishments, which have become a focal point for that illicit trade, pay a disproportionate share to help rehabilitate victims?”
Other sins were also discussed this week. The Florida Sheriffs Association, meeting at Amelia Island, voted to oppose a bill (SB 528) filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, that would allow medical marijuana and set up a detailed regulatory structure involving patients, doctors, growers and retail stores.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, who is the association’s legislative chairman, said Brandes’ proposal included “loose language” that the sheriffs worried could allow “de facto recreational use” of marijuana. The organization helped defeat a November ballot measure that would have legalized medicinal pot.
Meanwhile, state regulators were grappling with how to set up a more limited version of medical marijuana that’s already in law. A panel crafting rules regulations to jump-start the “Charlotte’s Web” industry replaced a lottery system, scrapped by a judge in November, with a scorecard to pick five nurseries to grow, process and distribute types of pot authorized by the Legislature last year.
The 12-member committee also set an application fee at $75,000 and tried to find ways to avoid the need for legislative approval of the regulations in the hope of getting non-euphoric cannabis to sick children as quickly as possible.
The panel spent more than 25 hours Wednesday and Thursday hashing out a rule to provide a regulatory framework for the new industry.
And discussion of alcohol was also on tap this week, as the Senate Regulated Industries Committee tried to address the issue of “growlers” — but the bill (SB 186) ended up getting put on the shelf instead.
The measure, by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, is a straightforward proposal to end the state’s prohibition on brewers being able to fill 64-ounce growlers for off-site consumption. Florida allows brewers to fill other size containers, but the half-gallon size is considered the most popular.
But some proposed changes in the bill failed an initial taste test with large distributors and some lawmakers, leading to the temporary hold.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet continued to discuss personnel issues following the forced resignation of former FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “You don’t smoke medicine.”—Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, opposing a measure that would legalize medical marijuana.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
TaxWatch Analyzes Governor Scott’s Proposed Budget
February 8, 2015
The latest Budget Watch Report from Florida TaxWatch, released Thursday, analyzes and explains Governor Rick Scott’s proposed $77 million budget plan for FY 2015-16.
“We are pleased to present our annual review of the Governor’s budget recommendations to help taxpayers understand what it is in the 350 page budget proposal and how the spending plan will affect them,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, the independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research institute and government watchdog. “Understanding the state budget is critical for citizens to be truly informed about their government. In addition to the Budget Watch series, which reports on Florida’s budget process throughout the year, we encourage taxpayers to review our two-page primers on different Florida government programs, to learn what the budget funds and why.”
The report highlights important spending issues and analyzes proposed tax cuts and cost savings recommendation, and shows how the budget will impact the general revenue fund. It also compares the proposed budget, by agency, to both current year expenditures and the agency legislative budget requests.
The proposed budget contains tax cuts, forward-thinking investments and efficiency improvements recommended in Florida TaxWatch research. One of tax cuts included in the $673 million package is the reduction of the state portion of the Communications Services Tax. Florida’s statewide Communications Services Tax levy is the highest in the nation. In addition to calling for a reduction in the Communications Services Tax, Florida TaxWatch has also recommended that the Legislature eliminate the sales tax on commercial leases.
“The Governor’s budget includes smart investments like cutting taxes, while increasing spending on things that are important to Floridians, such as education and the environment, and still maintains healthy reserves,” said Kurt Wenner, Vice President of Research of Florida TaxWatch. “Florida TaxWatch will continue to urge the Governor and the Legislature to include other cost savings and policy improvements in the final budget, such as those included in the 2015 Florida TaxWatch Government Efficiency report, which will result in billions of dollars of savings for Florida taxpayers for years to come.”
To read the full TaxWatch report, click here.
Progress Continues On New Escambia 4-H Facility
February 7, 2015
Progress is continuing toward the completion of the new Escambia County 4-H facility on Chalker Road in Molino, with construction underway on six pole barns on the property.
Six companies bid on the on the installation of one 40×60-foot, two 30×60-foot and three 24×48-foot pole barns on the 4-H property located at Chalker Road and Highway 99. Low bidder on the project was J. Miller Construction Company at $82,196.91. Other bids ranged from $91,500 fro Trammell Construction to $140,000 from Dominguez Design-Build.
The site includes two parcels — a 79.5 acre lot that already includes a covered barn and will be home to most 4-H activities and a 28.7 parcel that will be used for livestock activities.
Construction should be complete within one to three years on facilities set to include restrooms, a small classroom, nature trails, campsites for tent camping, fire pit for outdoor cooking and group events, bird blind, archery area, low ropes course, a horse arena, and livestock facilities for shows, clinics, animal science seminars and field days. The facility will also allow 4-H’ers to study astronomy, meteorology, animal science, plant science, soil science, water quality, health sciences, environmental science and more.
In 2012, the children and teens on the 4-H County Council voted to sell their 240 acre Langley Bell 4-H Center to Navy Federal Credit Union.
Pictured: Progress on barn construction recently at the new Escambia County 4-H facility on Chalker Road in Molino. Photos for NortheEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
A Very Special Mardi Gras Parade (With Photo Gallery)
February 7, 2015
A very special Mardi Gras parade was held Friday morning for the special needs students of Escambia Westgate School.
With plenty of beads, Moon Pies, and smiles, the parade rolled through the school parking lot not once, but twice for a little extra fun for 230 students that might not otherwise be able to attend a regular Mardi Gras Parade.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Price, click to enlarge.
Democrats Question Optimism In Scott’s Budget
February 7, 2015
House Democrats tried to poke holes in Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed $77 billion budget, highlighting the use of expiring federal health-care dollars as a sign that the spending plan isn’t serious.
Democrats grilled Scott’s budget director, Cynthia Kelly, during a presentation before the House Appropriations Committee about Scott’s proposal for the budget year that begins July 1. Many of their questions focused on $2 billion pot of health-care money — more than $1 billion of which is federal money that the government might no longer provide — that Scott included despite the fact that the program is set to expire June 30.
Kelly said officials with the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration were meeting with federal officials Tuesday trying to negotiate an extension of the Low Income Pool, or “LIP,” program. The federal government extended the program during the current budget year, but has given state officials no guarantees that LIP will be renewed again.
“It is my understanding that they are hopeful that they will be able to get an extension on those LIP funds and, that’s why we included in our budget recommendations the continuation of the LIP program as it currently stands,” Kelly said.
Democrats weren’t satisfied with the explanation. The LIP program provides extra money to hospitals and other types of health providers that care for large numbers of poor and uninsured patients.
“My concern is, are we being fiscally irresponsible by including those dollars in this proposed budget when there is a very real chance and likelihood that those dollars will go away?” said Rep. Janet Cruz of Tampa, the top Democrat on the committee.
Kelly did not directly answer a question from House Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, about whether Scott’s administration had a plan for how to balance the budget if the LIP money isn’t available.
“It’s February and we have until June. If I were proposing a budget and I had four months to look at this big amount of money, I would be zeroing this out and proposing something that offers an alternate option,” Cruz said after the meeting.
Republicans, who dominate the Legislature and will have much more to do with deciding which parts of Scott’s plan become law, were largely silent during the hour-long discussion of budget issues. But GOP lawmakers have indicated they’re unlikely to embrace Scott’s $77 billion budget without significant changes.
Democrats also focused on Scott’s drive to continue to cut positions from the state workforce. His plan would reduce the state’s payroll by more than 1,000 full-time positions, slashing more than 1,350 jobs while adding more than 360 positions in other areas. Most of the cuts would come from the Department of Health, which would shed 758 full-time positions.
“Within the budget, you’ve identified that the governor is seeking to be number-one in the creation of jobs and I see that specifically for our health department we’re going to be losing 758 jobs,” said Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville. “Can you talk to us about (this) loss of positions and how the two statements work together if we continue to reduce jobs?”
Kelly said Scott was focused on private-sector job growth, and that the governor has asked state agencies to try to find ways to reduce their workforce. More than 1,000 of the 1,350 posts set to be eliminated are already empty.
“I think that the vast majority of those, if not all of them, will become vacant by June 30. … As agencies are implementing the technology improvements and the process improvements, they’re able to identify areas for positions to be reduced,” she said.
Kelly is set to go before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. Scott will spend the afternoon in Bonita Springs to pitch a $470.9 million reduction in state taxes on cell-phone and television services that is one of the highlights of his plan.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Northview Beats Holmes County In District Tourney; Championship Tonight
February 7, 2015
The Northview Chiefs are headed toward a district basketball championship showdown tonight after a close 48-46 win over Holmes County Friday night in Bratt.
The Chiefs led 27-20 at halftime. Holmes County took a 31-29 lead with 2:11 remaining in the third period, but that lead was short-lived as the Chiefs regained the advantage by the end of the third. By 4:31 in the fourth, the teams were tied, but Holmes County moved ahead 46-40 with 1:45 to go. The Chiefs were not going down without a fight, powering back to a 46-46 tie with 1:01 remaining in the game, and sinking the game winning shot just before the buzzer.
In the first game of the tournament Friday night at Northview, Chipley beat Baker 56-32.
The Chiefs will host Chipley at 7:00 Saturday night for the district championship. Both teams, regardless of the outcome of Saturday night’s game, will advance to the regionals — the winner at home and the loser on the road.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Improve To 2-0; West Florida Lady Jags Open With Win
February 7, 2015
The Tate Lady Aggies improved to 2-0 on the season Friday night in Cantonment with a 2-0 win over the Pace Patriots. Tori Perkins allowed one hit, walking two and striking out 14. She was 1-3 with an RBI at the plate. Savannah Ulrich was 1-1 with an RBI, and Casey McCrackin was 2-3. The Lady Aggies will host Crestview on Tuesday with junior varsity leading it off at 4:30 followed by the varsity at 6:30.
The 4A West Florida Lady Jaguars beat the 6A Escambia Gators 10-9 in eight innings in their season opener at home Friday night. The Lady Jags will host Gulf Breeze Tuesday with the JV starting at 5:00 and the varsity at 7:00.
Teen Shot At Home Near 10 Mile Road
February 6, 2015
One teen was shot at a home near 10 Mile Road late Thursday night.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple calls of shots fired in the 1200 block of Tiffany Drive about 11 p.m. They arrived on scene to find a male gunshot victim located in the front yard of the residence. The victim was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital as a “trauma alert”.
Additional deputies arrived and made contact with several subjects inside the residence, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A K-9 was used to search a wooded area and was successful in locating the handgun used in the incident.
The name of the victim was not released. The investigation is continuing by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Tiffany Drive is located north of 10 Mile Road, near the Gulf Power Crist Plant.
End In Sight For Florida Enterprise Zones; Leaders Push For Program Extension
February 6, 2015
Florida’s leading economic development, business and taxpayer groups gathered at the Capitol in Tallahassee Wednesday to highlight the importance of Enterprise Zones to communities across Florida. Enterprise Zones exist in economically depressed and blighted areas throughout the state to encourage business investment and job growth. Without action from the legislature, Florida’s Enterprise Zone program is set to sunset at the end of 2015.
“Bringing jobs to our communities requires the collaboration between many partners and the use of many tools. Ensuring the ongoing use of Enterprise Zones allows counties to focus on revitalization and ensure that businesses have access to incentives to help them grow,” said Grover Robinson, Escambia County commissioner. Enterprise Zone exist in certain areas of Pensacola, Escambia County and in the entire Town of Century.
“The Enterprise Zone program is one of the few economic development tools that allow cities to partner with the state to accomplish the task of rebounding Florida’s economy. The Florida League of Cities supports legislation which reauthorizes, modernizes and improves the Enterprise Zone program in order to maximize the taxpayers return on investment. The loss of this program would place local communities and the state at a disadvantage in attracting new businesses to Florida, as we compete with states that have an Enterprise Zone program,” said David Cruz, assistant general counsel, Florida League of Cities.
The Florida Enterprise Zone Program offers an assortment of tax incentives to businesses that choose to create employment within an enterprise zone, which is a specific geographic area targeted for economic revitalization. Tax incentives include a sales and use tax credit, tax refund for business machinery and equipment used in an enterprise zone, sales tax refund for building materials used in an Enterprise Zone, and a sales tax exemption for electrical energy used in an enterprise zone. Local governments can provide additional incentives for a zone located within their boundaries.
“Enterprise Zones across the state have helped curb a shortage of investment, in both local community support and in private capital, experienced by the state’s deteriorating areas. Our comprehensive analysis of Florida’s Enterprise Zones calls for substantial legislative reforms that will increase the program’s efficacy and value to taxpayers and each of the communities they were established to serve,” said Dominic M. Calabro, president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.
Pictured top and inset: The former Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company site in Century is located in an Enterprise Zone. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.