Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Few Surprises In Session’s First Week
March 8, 2014
This is the way the legislative session begins: Not with a bang but with a whimper.
There wasn’t much surprising about the first week of the legislative session, which opened Tuesday with the normal arrangement of leadoff speeches and Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State address. After that were a couple of drama-less votes on bills that were certain to pass.
But the week also brought some reminders of bills that could still bring some drama to the process: A massive expansion of the state’s de facto voucher program and the beginnings of movement on a proposal to legalize medical marijuana — just not that kind of medical marijuana.
And it was just the start of the 60-day demolition derby that will presumably end on May 2. Plenty of time still remains to cause trouble.
THE STATE OF THE ‘LAND OF OPPORTUNITY’
Scott had long laid out most of his agenda in the run-up to the legislative session, and the one new substantive proposal in his annual State of the State address — a call to repeal the differential tuition law that allows universities to increase their costs by 15 percent a year — dribbled out in excerpts of the speech released Monday.
But the governor, facing re-election in eight months, used the speech to make progress on two political goals, comparing the state of the Florida economy now to what it looked like in 2010 and highlighting his personal biography in hopes of connecting with an electorate that has never really viewed Scott favorably.
In one of the more personally evocative moments of his speech, Scott brushed away any concerns that he was too narrowly-focused on job-creation and making Florida “the land of opportunity.” The governor pointed, as he has only in recent weeks, to his father once losing a job and having the family car repossessed.
“All I can say is that we’re all a product of our own experiences in life,” Scott said. “I’ve seen what happens to families who struggle for a job. I’ve had Christmas without presents. I don’t want anybody in our state to ever feel stuck in those situations.”
Even some Republicans were surprised by the biographical tales from a governor who has rarely spoken about his own past.
“I’d never heard that side of the governor, and I thought it was very compelling,” said House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.
Democrats focused their fire on the other part of Scott’s speech, when the governor blasted the record of his predecessor and chief opponent, former Gov. Charlie Crist. The Florida Democratic Party once spent much of Crist’s term in office issuing similar criticisms of the former Republican’s economic woes.
“Floridians heard clearly that Rick Scott only cares about his own re-election,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant said in response to the address. “This speech wasn’t about the state of Florida. It was about the state of Rick Scott’s campaign, and he is desperate.”
Whether Scott’s speech will help the effort to reintroduce himself to voters won’t really be known until the polls open in November. And Crist is sure to try to rough up the incumbent in return. His campaign issued a statement criticizing the address shortly after Scott delivered it.
“With the blessing of the people, next year I will deliver a State of the State that puts people first,” Crist said.
PARTY ON THE FLOOR
The first day’s slate of action was confined to bills in the joint House-Senate “work plan” that were certain to gain unanimous, bipartisan support. Those parts of the work plan that would spark partisan food fights, as well as other legislation that could lead to pointed debates, were left for the future.
So, with the mother of a murdered child looking on, the Florida Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed four bills intended to make the state as inhospitable as possible to sexually violent predators.
Diena Thompson, whose 7-year-old daughter Somer disappeared in Clay County in 2009 while walking home from school, watched in tears from the gallery. After an extensive search, the child’s body was found in a South Georgia landfill, and last year a 26-year man was sentenced to life in prison for her death.
The legislative package has been at the top of Senate President Don Gaetz’s agenda since August, when the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that 594 sexual offenders had gone free since 1999 — only to commit 463 child molestations, 121 rapes and 14 murders.
“We will protect our children and we will scorch the earth against sexually violent predators,” said Gaetz, R-Niceville. “We cannot waste one more day. We cannot lose one more child.”
The House is expected to take up that package of bills in the next couple of weeks. On Tuesday, it approved the so-called “Florida GI Bill,” aimed at encouraging military veterans to take up residence in Florida.
The measure (HB 7015) would increase educational aid for veterans and National Guard members, increase funding to upgrade the state’s National Guard facilities and buy land around U.S. military bases. It would also set up a non-profit to attract more veterans to Florida.
The House proposal would cost the state at least $33.5 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1. The companion to that bill (SB 860) sailed through the Senate Appropriations Committee and headed to the full Senate.
Lawmakers also approved legislation encouraging themselves to take up residence in their own districts, passing a joint rule spelling out some standards for legislators to follow in deciding where they live. The measure passed the Senate on 39-0 vote and flew through the House on a voice vote.
“By, now, putting very clearly in our rules what the residency standards are, if someone were to ever file a complaint, we’d have very clear standards to take that complaint and put (it) up against,” Weatherford said.
PENDING: POT AND VOUCHERS
Two of the more intriguing bills that lawmakers could approve during the session took their first steps toward the House floor this week: A measure legalizing non-euphoric marijuana and a sweeping expansion of the state’s voucher plan.
While medical marijuana seems to be getting nowhere with the Legislature, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted almost unanimously to sign off on a measure that would legalize a version of the drug that doesn’t produce a high — but can help treat children wracked by potentially deadly seizures.
Subcommittee Chairman Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said the vote on the bill allowing “Charlotte’s Web” was historic because it’s the first time in modern history that the Legislature has advanced any marijuana-related measure.
Peyton and Holley Moseley’s 10-year-old adopted daughter RayAnn is one of about 125,000 Florida children diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that can cause hundreds of seizures a day and does not respond to other treatments. The couple said they traveled to Colorado, where Charlotte’s Web is manufactured, and met with parents of other children who had responded to the treatment.
“These kids can walk now. These kids can talk now. These kids are saying ‘I love you’ to their parents for the first time,” Peyton Moseley told the panel.
The bill was not without its critics. Some supporters of non-euphoric marijuana said the bill didn’t do enough to clear up the legal webs that surround pot. And Rep. Gayle Harrell, who cast the only vote against the measure, asked a series of questions highlighting concerns about a lack of regulation over the substance, especially compared to other drugs.
“If you really want to solve a problem and just not legalize marijuana then you need to do it appropriately,” she said.
Meanwhile, the House Finance and Tax Subcommittee voted along party lines to introduce the voucher bill (PCB FTSC 14-02), which would broaden eligibility for the “tax credit scholarships,” boost the cap on the program for several years, and allow retailers to divert sales-tax revenue to nonprofit organizations that award the scholarships.
Rep. Manny Diaz, a Hialeah Republican who sponsored the measure, rejected the idea that it was an attack on public education, suggesting that the scholarship program was a part of that system.
“When we’re talking about public education, I think we’ve got the idea a little bit in reverse,” he said. “We’re talking about educating the kids in the public, not about sustaining public institutions.”
Democrats said including sales-tax dollars in the program marked a profound change from a program that has been funded until now through tax credits against corporate income tax and other taxes paid by the businesses.
“Taxpayers have a right to make choices about the way they spend their money,” said Rep. David Richardson, D-Miami Beach. ” … If you have a person that is opposed to this program and shops at an entity that supports the program, their money, their sales tax dollars that they paid from their pocket, will be used to support a program that they’re in opposition to.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: The 2014 legislative session began, kicking off a 60-day period when lawmakers are set to approve a spending plan for the state and consider a slate of other measures.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “That’s because people here in Tallahassee have realized that we can’t just have a bumper-sticker approach to marijuana where you’re either for it or against it. Not all marijuana is created equally.”–Rep. Matt Gaetz on a proposal to legalize non-euphoric marijuana that can be used to treat seizures in some children.
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Work Set To Begin On New Weight Training Facility At Northview High
March 8, 2014
Work is set to begin soon on a new weight training facility for Northview High School.
The $625,510 bid was awarded to R.D. Ward Construction Company, the lowest of nine bidders. Other bids ranged from $669,400 to $836,300.
The Escambia County School Board approved the weight training facility back at their January 22, 2013, meeting, letting a $69,913 contract with DAG Architects in Pensacola for architectural and engineering services.
The new building will be about 3,500 square feet. The building will include one weight room, coaches’ offices, storage and accompanying restrooms. The construction budget will be funded with local option sales tax monies.
The new weight training facility will be constructed near the main building where outdoor basketball courts are currently located. There is no timetable in place for the completion of the project.
Pictured: The basic floor plan for a planned Northview High School field house. NorthEscambia.com graphic, click to enlarge.
Search Continues For Missing Crestview Boy, Might Be In U-Haul
March 7, 2014
Authorities are still trying to find 3-year-old Emmanuel Menz, who was abducted from the Burger King located at 3210 South Ferdon Boulevard in Crestview at approximately 11:15 a.m. Thursday morning, during a supervised visit at that location.
Emmanuel’s father and mother, Karl R. Menz and Virginia M. Lynch, do not have custodial rights to Emmanuel, and the child is currently in foster care. Emmanuel was last seen wearing a blue jacket, blue denim coveralls and a long sleeved shirt.
Karl Menz and Virginia Lynch, departed from Burger King with Emmanuel in an unknown direction of travel.
Friday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said they may possibly be traveling in a 2013, white Ford U Haul E250 Van, Arizona tag number AE86502. The van has a green sticker that states “19.95 in town plus mileage\fees” on both sides behind the doors and on the back left door. The van’s sticker number that is posted on the right rear bumper is BE5700R and this number should be displayed on all four sides of the van.
Menz is described as a white male, 50 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall, brown hair, brown eyes and Lynch is described as an Asian female, 49 years old, 4 feet 11 inches tall, black hair, brown eyes.
Emmanuel is autistic and may not able to communicate clearly. Updates will be provided as soon as they are available.
If you have any contact with these suspect, dial 911 immediately or contact the Crestview Police Department at 850-682-2055.
Man Charged In Death Of 76-Year Old
March 7, 2014
An Escambia County man has been charged in connection with the beating death of a man earlier this week.
Marcus Ferrell Toler was charged with aggravated battery on an elderly person in the death of Ben Stallworth, 76.
At 11:45 Tuesday night, deputies responded to a disturbance in the 1700 block of West Lakeview Avenue where they found Stallworth was sitting on his couch with obvious injuries. He was transported to a local hospital by ambulance were he was pronounced deceased.
The victim’s son told deputies that he had heard his father yell for him and upon entering the room, discovered an unidentified black male in a struggle with his father. The suspect fled.
Forensic evidence and witness interviews led to Toler’s arrest, investigators said. The charge against Toler could be upgraded when the Medical Examiner’s final report is completed, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond.
Mom Sentenced After Cocaine Found In Elementary Student’s Backpack
March 7, 2014
A Cantonment mom has been sentenced to probation after her daughter showed up at her elementary school with plastic bag of cocaine in her backpack.
Shana Christina Beck, 29, was charged with felony child neglect without great bodily harm but pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Adjudication was withheld and she was sentenced by Judge Michael Jones to 12 months probation. She was also ordered to look for a job, stay off drug and alcohol and complete parenting classes.
Students tipped off administrators last December at R.C. Lipscomb Elementary School that a student had a suspicious bag of white powder in her backpack. The student told school officials and deputies that Beck and a friend were in their car the night before when they dropped the baggie and began a frantic search for it. The student said the baggie must have fallen into her open backpack, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
The white powder in the bag field tested positive for cocaine. The Department of Children and Family Services is also investigating the incident.
BBB Warns Of Misleading ‘Annual Minutes Requirement’ Mailings
March 7, 2014
The local BBB is warning area businesses about a misleading mailing from “Compliance Services”.
For a $125 fee, Compliance Services claims they will prepare documents “to satisfy the annual minutes requirement for your corporation”. There is no requirement that you submit the information they’ve requested or any annual minutes to the State of Florida, according to the BBB, and Compliance Services is not associated with the State of Florida or the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations.
The BBB said these notices should not be confused with the Division of Corporations notices reminding each business entity to file it annual report by May 1. Those reports can be filed electronically with the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations at sunbiz.org.
Any business owner who believes he has been a victim a scam should call the Florida Attorney General’s Fraud Hotline at 866-9-NO-SCAM.
Pictured: A sample notice from “Compliance Services” as provided by the BBB, click to enlarge.
Fannie Road Bridge Replacement To Cost Town Of Century’s Utilities
March 7, 2014
The Florida Department off Transportation’s $1.8 million project to replace a bridge on Fannie Road over Dead Lake will create indirect costs over $40,000 for the Town of Century.
According to Mayor Freddie McCall, rerouting the town’s water and gas lines, currently supported by the old bridge,will cost the town about $35,000 plus about $9,000 in engineering fees, permits and inspections.
Rather than attaching the water and gas lines to the new bridge, the town will bore under the waterway.
The money, McCall said, will come from $50,000 that was budgeted for a new sewage lift station that is not currently needed.
Fannie Road will close next week for the bridge replacement, which is expected to be complete by the Fall of 2015. [Read more...]
Florida House Moves Ahead On Insurance Gun Bill
March 7, 2014
Despite questions about whether the bill is needed, a House committee Thursday approved a measure that supporters say will prevent insurance companies from discriminating against gun owners.
Florida law already bars insurers from denying coverage or increasing premiums based on customers’ ownership of firearms or ammunition. But sponsor Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said the bill (HB 255) “supercharges” the potential legal consequences against insurers by adding the prohibition to part of state law that deals with unfair and deceptive practices.
The House Regulatory Affairs Committee approved the bill, which is ready to go to the full House.
Supporter Neil Combee, R-Polk City, said people have a constitutional right to own guns. “This is a vote about discrimination and whether or not we’re opposed to discrimination,” Combee said.
But other members of the committee said there was little evidence that insurers have denied coverage or increased premiums based on gun ownership. Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, said the bill was a “waste of our time” and that supporters were pushing it for political purposes in an election year.
“It’s only here because you want to be able to say we did something for gun owners this year, so we can go out there and talk about everybody’s Second Amendment rights,” Waldman said.
by The News Service of Florida
Commission Pledges $8 Million To Help Lure ST Aerospace To Pensacola
March 7, 2014
The Escambia County Commission has voted to pledge $8 million in local option sales tax funds to help bring ST Aerospace to the Pensacola airport. The Singapore-based aerospace company that employees 1,300 in Mobile, plans to hire 300 in Pensacola.
The county will loan $3.2 million directly to the City of Pensacola for the project and add another $4.8 million in contributions.
District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry voted against the plan, express concerns over insufficient collateral from the city’s pledged Communications Service Tax. He said the city has already pledged too much of the tax, and the legislature may cut the tax during their current session.
“I’d don’t think the Communications Services Tax is secure enough,” Barry said. “I’d like to have a second revenue source that’s pledged.”
Pictured: Commissioner Steven Barry addresses ST Aerospace during a Thursday morning meeting.
Florida To Join Multi-State Lawsuit Over Gulf Oil Disaster
March 7, 2014
Florida expects to be added to a multi-state federal lawsuit against BP over “widespread” damages from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, after spending nearly three years unsuccessfully trying to resolve the matter on its own.
On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Panama City about the environmental impacts from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kendra Parson said the state anticipates the suit will be added to an ongoing federal lawsuit against BP in the Eastern District of Louisiana by Alabama, Louisiana and other plaintiffs.
In April 2011, the state rejected a chance to join the federal lawsuit, with Gov. Rick Scott saying at the time he wanted to ensure Florida was “treated fairly” in terms of receiving reimbursement from BP.
Officials with the Attorney General’s Office said at the time that a settlement could be reached without litigation as early as the summer of 2011 unless the oil company refused to cooperate.
Parson said attempts to reach a settlement have been unsuccessful and that discussions related to the case remain confidential.
Scott, when asked Thursday about plans to join the federal lawsuit, said it’s the “right time to hold BP accountable for doing harm to our state.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said state attorneys continue to work with BP “to do the best we can.”
She added that the change in the state’s legal approach is “a necessary step to begin to restore Florida’s vital resources and the tremendous damage Florida suffered because of this oil spill. We are a tourism state.”
The 17-page complaint doesn’t estimate the extent of damages to Florida.
“While the full extent of the Deepwater Horizon spill and the environmental damages may not be known for years, the impacts to date have been widespread and severe, damaging the organisms, habitats and ecosystems in Florida waters and to Florida’s coastline,” the suit states. “The damages include, but are not limited to, damages to Florida’s sandy beaches, salt marshes, wetlands, estuaries, submerged aquatic vegetation, deepwater communities and coral reefs as well as injuries to numerous wildlife species and aquatic species including fish, sea turtles, oysters, birds, and manatees.”
Geoff Morrell, BP senior vice president for U.S. communications and external affairs, said in an email that BP is reviewing Florida’s lawsuit and highlighted the actions the company has taken since the Deepwater Horizon accident.
“To date, BP has spent more than $26 billion to help restore the Gulf, including more than $14 billion on response and clean-up and more than $12 billion on claims paid to individuals, businesses and government entities,” Morrell said. “To accelerate environmental restoration, BP voluntarily agreed to spend up to $1 billion on early restoration projects and has reached agreement or agreements in principle with the trustees on approximately $698 million in projects.”
Florida’s suit also names Anadarko Petroleum Company, Anadarko E&P Company, Transocean Ltd., Transocean Holdings, Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling, Transocean Deepwater Inc., and Triton Asset Leasing.
The suit is separate from one filed last April by Florida against BP and contractor Halliburton seeking to recoup at least $5.48 billion in lost state revenue because of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and oil spill.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Pictured: Oil washed onto Pensacola Beach following the BP spill. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.