 |
|
Check the new
WhoseFlorida for updates
JEB says his investments are handled like a blind trust so
he cannot benefit from his governing decisions -
Not true - 10/28/02
24
reasons to vote the governor out of office on Nov. 5
10
more reasons why to vote NO for JEB - 10/28/02
How will JEBush
pay for the smaller class sizes if the amendment passes? He won't
say! 10/24/02
JEB Lies!!!
Bishop Curry's remarks not all wrong
10/24/02
Bush/Rove v. Jeb!/Murphy Tag Team Match Division in Team Bush Exposed?
10/24/02
JEB uses state
equipment to campaign
"I will not raise taxes" ...
Gop memo outlines how
GOP Ideas to Pay for Reducing Class Size Would Eliminate Tax
Breaks Enjoyed by Every Day Floridians including Cutting Tax
Exemptions on Groceries - 10/24/02
Bush quickly builds plan on class size
By Jim Ash, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Moving quickly on the debate over crowded schools, Gov. Bush unveils a plan that alters his campaign strategy.
9/27/02
Bush's game of catch-up
With new plans to build classrooms and give more incentives to teachers, the governor is making promises that run counter to his own education agenda until now.
Democrat hammers Bush on schools
- TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush squandered Florida's prosperity, helping create a $1.4 billion state budget deficit and leaving public schools a "laughingstock" of the nation, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor said Thursday.--
In a continuing war of words over Florida schools, state Sen. Tom Rossin blamed a business tax cut championed by Bush for leaving the state short on funds to pay for classrooms, child-protection services and other critical needs.-
"The governor has got us in a huge bind," said Rossin, a veteran state senator who chairs a state budget commission....
9/26/02
He Thought This Up All By Himself! Really, He Did!
... I shall make my pronouncement, and the pronouncement I shall make. Henceforth, I am decreeing that the state of Florida will build 300 new schools in order to ease classroom crowding, which, as we all know, is the bane of the state's education system. So sayeth me, the grand and glorious governor of all he surveys.''
9/25/052
A failed strategy: Jeb Bush
promises more of same on education
With a good deal of fanfare, Gov. Jeb Bush and his top associates are roaming the state touting a new education plan he unveiled last week in Daytona Beach. Basically, Bush would spend $2.8 billion to build 12,000 new classrooms and 300 new schools over the next five years. And he would improve student achievement by continuing the A-plus plan of rewarding schools that improve overall scores on
FCAT, the state achievement test.
Accompanying
Beattie cartoon 3/25/02
Bush school-building plan relies on disputed tax increase
Gov. Jeb Bush, who has spent the past month criticizing a class-size ballot measure saying it would force the state to raise taxes or cut programs, is depending on a recent controversial tax increase for his own school-building plan...
9/21/02
|
|
What's in a word?
Budget cuts given a softer image -
TALLAHASSEE -- The incoming House speaker has decreed that there shall be no more budget "cuts." -
No, Rep. Johnny Byrd, R-Plant City, has not, and will not, order that state programs not be cut. Just that when it happens, it not be called that. -
The word went out this week, via e-mail to all House budget committee staffers from the incoming staff director, Mike Hansen:
"Speaker Byrd has asked that we refer to budget reductions as 'reprioritizations' and refrain from using the word 'cuts.' I would appreciate if all can comply. Thanks, Mike." -
Democrats were quick to pounce, calling Byrd's directive reminiscent of the Woody Allen film, Bananas, in which a newly anointed Latin American dictator decrees that all children under the age of 16 henceforth would be 16 and that Swedish would become the official language.
10/5/02
St. JEB
Jeb Bush: His early values shape his policies
The summer he was 17, Jeb Bush set out west from Texas on a long road trip that led him from the beaches of Southern California to a Nevada brothel to a casino hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas.
- But the future governor apparently never surfed, never solicited sex and never sat down to gamble during the two-week tour. He did, at least, stand and cheer at a Vegas performance by Elvis Presley -- the sequined king himself, an indulgent man far weaker in the face of temptation than this disciplined young fan from Houston...
9/22/02
JEB,
Man of the People JEB
as Successful businessman JEB,
Environmental Governor JEB,
Popular Governor ? More
Spin |
How will JEBush pay for the
smaller class sizes if the amendment passes? He won't say!
Gov. Jeb Bush Says One Thing:
"You should say which tax you're going to
pay....You ought to say which tax is going to go up.
(Gubernatorial Debate, 10/22/02)
Gov. Jeb Bush Does Another:
* Bush has
consistently refused to identify which tax he would raise.
(South Floirda Sun-Sentinel, 10/24/02)
* Bush said
in the debate that he would "first of all, consider
raising taxes" to pay for the amendment, but he declined
to say how. Pressed for specifics at his news conference
Wednesday, the governor declined to say. (St. Petersburg
Times, 10/24/02)
* Bush, at
the same time, refused to say what taxes he would raise if the
amendment passes -- although he is accusing McBride of
misleading voters by not outlining a plan of his own. (Miami
Herald, 10/24/02)
* While
flatly refusing to say how he would fund the popular class
size reduction amendment, Bush lashed out at McBride for
supporting the proposal, insisting the Democrat would have to
raise taxes or cut programs to pay for it. (South Florida
Sun-Sentinel, 10/24/02)
* Bush said
McBride has an obligation to say how he will pay for it if he
is elected and the amendment passes but that Bush doesn't have
the same obligation, because he doesn't support the amendment.
When pressed, Bush acknowledged that he would have to consider
taxes if the amendment passes and he's elected but he
repeatedly refused to say which taxes he will raise. (Palm
Beach Post, 10/24/02)
* Bush says
he has no obligation to explain how he would pay for it, even
though his cost estimate of $27 billion over 10 years suggests
that -- if reelected and the amendment is passed -- he would
be faced with an even larger challenge than McBride predicts.
Those details seemed unimportant to the Bush campaign
Wednesday. What mattered most was that McBride was being
forced to defend himself on taxes -- an issue that
historically hurts Democrats. (Palm Beach Post, 10/24/02)
...ryanB; 10/24/02
Top
 | "Experienced trust attorneys who
reviewed the language for the Times said Bush's trust is
far from blind. They said Bush could direct investments
through a third party or dismiss the trustees should they
displease him. There also is no way to enforce the ban on
consulting Bush. If the trustees called Bush 'every day
and told him what was in there, what would be the
penalty?' asked Phillip Baumann, a Tampa trust lawyer with
23 years' experience." (St. Petersburg Times,
"Political allies manage Bush's not-quite blind
trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "The John Ellis Bush Revocable Trust
consists of cash, marketable securities and partnership
interests that totaled $1.1-million on Dec. 31, according
to the governor's most recent disclosure form." (St.
Petersburg Times, "Political allies manage Bush's
not-quite blind trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "Gov. Jeb Bush's investments are
managed by two close political confidants - (Florida Board
of Education Chair) Phil Handy and (George W. Bush recount
lawyer) Roberto Martinez." (St. Petersburg Times,
"Political allies manage Bush's not-quite blind
trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| (Gov. Bush's former general counsel
Carol) Licko said the trust that Winter Park lawyer Bob
Saltsman designed, under her supervision, was as close to
a blind trust as possible....The governor's office would
not release a copy of the approximately 20-page document
drawn up by Saltsman, a business partner of Handy's."
(St. Petersburg Times, "Political allies manage
Bush's not-quite blind trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "Saltsman said the trustees could be
sued for such a violation, although he said the only
person with standing to file such a suit would probably be
Bush." (St. Petersburg Times, "Political allies
manage Bush's not-quite blind trust," October 26,
2002)
|
| "Picking a trustee with no personal
ties to Bush, such as a bank, would have given the public
more assurance that the investments are handled without
Bush's knowledge, the lawyers said." (St. Petersburg
Times, "Political allies manage Bush's not-quite
blind trust," October 26, 2002)
|
GOV. BUSH'S TRUST: WHERE INVESTMENTS AND
STATE POLICY INTERSECT
| "Gov. Jeb Bush has a financial stake
in companies with interests in Florida policy." (St.
Petersburg Times, "Political allies manage Bush's
not-quite blind trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "The U.S. House of Representatives
voted against the Area 181 (oil and gas exploration lease)
sale. But before the Senate could vote on blocking the
sale, (Gov. Jeb) Bush and White House officials announced
a compromise in July 2001. The governor agreed to drop his
opposition to the sale of new leases in exchange for the
White House agreeing to scale back Area 181 so no lease
would be within 100 miles of Florida's beaches." (St.
Petersburg Times, "Political allies manage Bush's
not-quite blind trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "Last year (2001) the (Jeb Bush)
trust ... invested thousands of dollars in Longleaf
Partners Fund. Longleaf is a mutual fund that is the
largest investor in Pioneer Natural Resources, an oil
company that drills in the Gulf of Mexico. Offshore
drilling is Pioneer's major business, and the company even
bid on a lease off the Florida coast -- a lease that
became available after the governor crafted an oil
drilling compromise with the federal government."
(St. Petersburg Times, "Political allies manage
Bush's not-quite blind trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "When the leases went up for sale
Dec. 5, Pioneer bid on them, but lost. ... Pioneer is
working on other offshore wells with companies that were
successful bidders ..." (St. Petersburg Times,
"Political allies manage Bush's not-quite blind
trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "Investors checking Longleaf's Web
site can see that among its top five holdings is Pioneer
Natural Resources, a Texas-based oil company involved in
drilling in the gulf. ... Longleaf owns more than
26-million shares of Pioneer, or about 26 percent of the
company." (St.Petersburg Times, "Political
allies manage Bush's not-quite blind trust," October
26, 2002)
|
| "Pioneer's second largest
shareholder, with about 6 percent of its stock, is Richard
Rainwater, who was partners with the governor's brother,
President Bush, in the Texas Rangers and who launched
Pioneer in 1997." (St.Petersburg Times,
"Political allies manage Bush's not-quite blind
trust," October 26, 2002)
|
| "(Phil) Handy said he and (Roberto)Martinez
did not review Longleaf's holdings, but merely relied on
the fund's strong past performance. (St. Petersburg Times,
"Political allies manage Bush's not-quite blind
trust," October 26, 2002)
....posted AO, 10/28/02
|
Bush: McBride would close 32 prisons to
reduce class size??
We are hearing word that there is push polling
going on in the state. Push
polling is negative campaigning under the guise
of a "poll." The caller will
start out asking "poll" questions,
such as gender, race, who will you vote
for... Then, the questions will get more
slanted, such as below.
At least one of the questions was along the
lines: Would you be more
likely.......to vote for/against Bill McBride
if you knew that his education
plan would result in the closing of 32
prisons?"
The 32 prisons reference comes from the Bush
campaign. They put out a release
earlier today saying that McBride's plan would
result in cuts to general
revenue, which translated into closing 32
prisons.
....TSaiye; 10/24/02
Top
Bush/Rove v. Jeb!/Murphy Tag Team Match Division in Team Bush Exposed?
Why Is Dad Nervous?
* John Zarrella: The experts say, watch the movements of the president. If he has to come back to Florida to help his brother, that means Jeb could be in trouble. (CNN Newsnight with Aaron Brown, 10/23/02)
* If Gov. Bush continues to slip in the polls, the president might have to make Florida his second home as Nov. 5 approaches. Such a strategy could cost Republicans elsewhere and be considered foolish and selfish. On the other hand, the nation might read excessive presidential support for Jeb Bush as admirable ''brotherly love.'' (Florida Times-Union, 10/23/02)
* Republicans are split over whether the president is actually helping.... Removing space shuttle maintenance jobs out of California and into Florida to buying back oil and gas leases at exorbitant prices off the Gulf Coast, helping oil companies make a massive profit and helping Jeb look like a conservationist. But all of that hasn't been enough. (MSNBC: Hardball, 10/18/02)
* Republicans said they were aware that in some cases Mr. Bush's presence could be problematic. For example, as of now, he is not scheduled to return to Florida to help his brother, Jeb Bush, who is in a difficult re-election campaign for governor. Given what happened in the 2000 presidential election, officials in both parties said that an appearance in Florida by the president could do more to turn out Democratic voters than anything the Democratic Party might do. (New York Times, 10/23/02)
* Administration and campaign sources said Jeb Bush's media consultant, Mike Murphy, thought the governor needed to run as his own man and argued for minimizing the president's political appearances, while still taking advantage of his fundraising. The sources said that resulted in a test of wills between Murphy and the president's senior adviser, Karl C. Rove, who contended that frequent appearances by the president would benefit both Bushes. Murphy and Rove had squared off in the GOP primaries when Murphy advised Sen. John McCain. (Washington Post, 10/18/02)
* That's the fight between Murphy and Karl Rove, and we'll see if that happens. There is talk of a 12th presidential visit to the state. I do think there's a chance Mike Murphy knows he might lose this race and is setting up Karl Rove to make it his fault. (Craig Crawford on MSNBC: Hardball, 10/18/02)
... ryanB, 10/24/02
Top
Gop memo outlines how GOP Ideas to
Pay for Reducing Class Size Would Eliminate Tax Breaks Enjoyed
by Every Day Floridians including Cutting Tax Exemptions on
Groceries
Continuing a devious scare campaign started by
Gov. Jeb Bush, a legislative memo outlining the Republican
approach to reducing class size has surfaced. The Associated
Press reports that the memo, from State Sen. Ken Pruitt to
incoming State Senate President Jim King indicates the GOP
Legislature would consider eliminating popular sales tax
exemptions on groceries and residential phone service and end
the Bright Futures scholarship program while leaving exemptions
for skybox tickets, ostrich feed and lap dancing untouched.
"Jeb Bush will say and do anything to keep
his job - including playing a Halloween season trick on the
voters about the effort to reduce class size. Now, with this
latest memo 'surfacing' either the Republicans are engaging in
an over-the-top scare campaign or they really will raise taxes
on everybody," Florida Democratic Party Chair Bob Poe said.
"Non-partisan estimates by a respected former state
economist have placed the cost of the class-size amendment in
the $8 billion range, to be phased in over eight years. If the
voters approve the amendment, the state has the ability to
accomplish the phased-in goals of this amendment without taking
such extreme measures laid out by Jeb Bush and his Republican
lieutenants in the Legislature."
Poe noted that the "state economists"
that arrived at the $20-27.5 billion estimated cost of the
initiative to reduce class size were appointed by opponents of
the amendment and their estimate was later ruled
unconstitutional to be placed on the ballot by the Supreme
Court.
According to the AP story other tax exemptions
the GOP leaders would consider putting at risk include
exemptions for groceries, residential phone service and
nonprescription drugs. The AP reports that in the GOP memo
lawmakers also would look at ending popular programs like the
Bright Futures scholarships for college students, increase
rental care surcharges and impose a one-percent restaurant
surtax. The GOP memo also discusses giving consideration to
allowing video and lottery terminals at dog and horse tracks.
"Gov. Bush says he'll raise taxes if the
class size amendment passes. It looks like the GOP lawmakers are
already drawing up a list for Jeb Bush that targets every day
Floridians no matter their income level," Poe added.
... RyanB; 10/24/02
Top
How come Jeb Bush gets to use the e-mail system
of the state government to send thinly veiled political campaign
adds to state employees? If a state employee used state
equipment for such purposed he would face dismissal.
Look at some of the links below and see if they
don’t read like campaign ads. These are sent to all state
employees each week via e-mail!
Top
| TV ads portray Bush as an advocate of 'average' people
- TALLAHASSEE -- ... Gov. Jeb Bush has begun a new, upbeat stage of his campaign for re-election in November.
Call this one: Jeb Bush, man of the people.
The Republican Party of Florida, which has spent $9 million since July, has started airing a new television ad statewide on the governor's behalf, telling the story of a traffic light that Bush placed in front of a school in rural
Macclenny, in North Florida.
This will be followed through the fall by a one-a-day release of campaign testaments from "average" Floridians about what the governor has done for them -- including people who have seen the traffic-light ad and e-mailed with offers of help...
9/15/02
|
| Bush, Republicans enjoying travel perks
Gov. Jeb Bush and three Republican members of the Florida Cabinet have taken 91 campaign flights on the corporate airplanes of wealthy donors in the past 20 months, a newspaper reported Sunday.
9/10/02
|
| Bush denies lobbying for company after donation
The governor wrote a federal official to help the Florida liquor manufacturer and GOP donor in a trademark dispute....ORLANDO -- Gov. Jeb Bush denied reports Saturday that claimed he helped a Miami-based liquor manufacturer in a trademark dispute only after the company gave $50,000 to the state Republican Party.
9/15/02
|
Choices reveal the real Bush
--A former state senator from Tampa, Grant was the
sponsor of a bill that would have allowed the posting of the Ten
Commandments in public schools and other public
facilities.--
Grant once attacked the University of South Florida for allowing
Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis onto its campus to speak. Why?
Because Louganis is gay and his presentation, according to Grant,
``represents moral decadence and is an embarrassment to the
university community.''--
During his tenure in the Legislature, Grant wiped out state
funding for a Tampa public radio station because he found its
programming personally offensive. He even wanted to outlaw nude
sunbathing.--
On Monday, Jeb Bush appointed Grant to the Commission on
Ethics.--
And folks think Bush doesn't have a sense of humor....
....cactuspat, 8/22/02
Top
JEB claims to
be a Successful Businessman? Yes, but...
Make
the Money and Run : an in depth look at JEB's history in
Florida up to the 1998 election: http://www.sptimes.com/State/92098/Make_The_Money_and_Ru.html
Some highlights:
| The son of former President George Bush has followed the family's patrician play book: Hurry up and get rich, then go into public service.
|
| Trading on the famous family name, Bush gained entry to exclusive business ventures courtesy of wealthy Republicans.
|
| But Bush's hurried quest for financial success also reveals a naive reliance on his benefactors and a lack of scrutiny of those around him. He tapped his father's Washington connections to recruit help for some questionable businessmen, including one felon who remains a fugitive wanted by the FBI. He embraced business deals that have prompted lawsuits alleging mismanagement, stock manipulation and special treatment.
|
| One Miami real estate deal is typical of the privileged pattern of Bush's wealth-building: invest little but reap lots. In 1984, Bush put just $1,000 in an office building called Museum Tower. By 1990, he sold out for about $346,000. Similar deals followed. Who made it possible? Armando Codina.
|
| While Bush's financial network is global, it is built largely around four powerful men:
Armando Codina, Thomas Petway III, David Eller, Richard
Lawless - (please see the article for details)
|
| And when Bush and Codina needed to unload Deering Bay, an upscale golf community that had lost millions, they found a buyer in Florida developer Al Hoffman.
(he was the primary finance chairman of the Bush campaign in
'98 and chair of the Council of 100- architects of
"Service First").
|
| (in 1998 Codina) sold one-third of his company to Weeks Corp., an Atlanta-based real estate investment trust, and another third to Jacksonville's St. Joe Co., Florida's largest private landowner.
That sale prompted environmentalists to question if Bush can be objective about land-use issues, if he defeats Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay this November.
(See Great Northwest)
|
| Codina and Bush dismiss such concerns. Bush officially resigned June 30 and is no longer an owner of any of the Codina properties. Yet
Bush still (1998) refers to it as "our company," even as he's trying to downplay his connection.
|
| Much more in the Sept. 1998 St
Pete Times article....
....galloway, 8/16/02
|
| Jeb makes wrong case
Gov. Bush's ads criticizing Bill McBride's business record not only pay him a compliment but open up an issue for whichever Democrat takes on the governor in November.
... Under Mr. McBride, Holland & Knight went from 284 lawyers to 1,278 lawyers. It paid a living wage and did lots of free public service work. Gov. Bush still hasn't made full disclosure of his work for a company that the Justice Department alleges committed fraud in getting government-backed loans for Nigeria. We'd love to see Mr. McBride compare business records with the governor. The fact that the governor doesn't want to face Mr. McBride suggests that the last thing the governor wants to talk about is his own business record.
9/09/02
|
Top
| Note
from the Gator/Hurricane game... Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was in attendance. That announcement was met with a mixture of cheers and boos. . .
|
| Workers'
anger crashes a Bush campaign stop
SARASOTA -- Gov. Jeb Bush courted friendly seniors on the heavily
Republican southwest coast Thursday, but he also had the kind of
encounter no politician wants on his campaign schedule. -
Before Bush could promote a prescription drug plan for low-income
seniors, he was met by a half-dozen angry workers who say they are
being forced out of business by a new law Bush signed in May. The
law requires self-employed subcontractors to carry workers'
compensation coverage for themselves for the first time on
commercial projects greater than $250,000....
"They lifted the exemption on us and never told us,"
said Jim Reppi of Venice, who hauls fill and rocks. "Gov.
Bush needs to take action right away. Otherwise, it's going to put
us right out of business." ... ...
Regulation of workers' comp shifted on July 1 from the heavily
privatized Department of Labor, an agency under Bush's control, to
Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher, an elected Cabinet member
who will soon become the state's first chief financial officer.
8/2/02
|
Top
FLORIDA'S DEVELOPER GOVERNOR VOTES TO TURN LAND
IMPORTANT TO EVERGLADES RESTORATION INTO A GOLF COURSE
On a day when developer Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign
concocted a devious plan to make it seem like the respected
Audubon Society was endorsing Bush/Brogan, Florida's developer
governor voted for a plan to that would have turned land
important to Everglades restoration into a golf course.
The plan, brought before the Cabinet at the end
of yesterday's meeting, would allow a developer to convert
property that is currently located in the South Florida Water
Management District (SFWMD) Comprehensive Everglades Restoration
Plan area into a low-density development with a golf course. In
March, the SFWMD said the property may be required in the future
for the implementation of the Everglades restoration project.
Six months later, SFWMD was ready to put a golf course on the
property. In spite of developer Gov. Jeb Bush's vote for the
development/golf course plan, the plan died on a voice vote.
Audio from the meeting confirms developer Gov. Jeb Bush voted
for the plan. Check out < http://www.dos.state.fl.us/cabinet/agenda02/1008/audioindex.html
> -- vote comes approximately 2 hours and 12 minutes into the
meeting.
"Yet again, the public is getting a glimpse
at the two faces of Jeb Bush," Florida Democratic Party
Chair Bob Poe said. "In one corner we have a Jeb Bush who
plays the role of environmental champion in front of the
cameras. In the other corner we have the Jeb Bush who votes to
turn a piece of property critical to Everglades restoration into
a golf course and supports other devious plans harmful to the
environment. Unfortunately, in this battle of Jeb vs. Jeb,
Florida's environment is the loser."
Noting that developer Gov. Jeb Bush supported the
"great land grab" legislation in 2000 and promoted a
risky plan to put untreated wastewater (that could be
contaminated with animal and human waste) near Florida's
drinking water supply, Poe said that Florida's environment needs
a true champion in the governor's office.
Disappointed with developer Gov. Jeb Bush's
devious environmental plans, yesterday three leading
environmental groups - The Sierra Club; the Florida League of
Conservation Voters; and the Florida Consumer Action Network -
announced their endorsement of Bill McBride and Tom Rossin in
the governor's race.
The Audubon Society, which yesterday wrote a
letter to the Bush/Brogan campaign advising the campaign that
Audubon did not endorse Gov. Jeb Bush, was mentioned three times
in a Bush/Brogan advisory announcing the endorsement of a single
Audubon member (the group reportedly has 40,000 members). An
Audubon representative yesterday went to the so-called
endorsement event at the Republican Party of Florida to deliver
the letter to the Bush campaign and was thrown out of the
Republican Party of Florida headquarters.
... RyanB, 10/10/02
Top
Gov.
Bush's F-School Statistics Overstated
TAMPA - Gov. Jeb Bush staked his claim against critics the day the
state issued its annual report card flunking 68 public schools.--
``For every one of the F schools,'' he said, ``there are four or five
examples of schools in the same community with the same demographics
that earned a B or better.''-- Bush has echoed that statement for more
than a month as he campaigns across the state for re-election, taking
sometimes sarcastic aim at those who say F's unfairly target schools
struggling with high percentages of poor and minority students.--
``For every school graded F,'' he told an audience last week in St.
Petersburg, ``there are 2 or 3 schools with the exact same
demographics that are B and A. Now, why is that? How could it be?''- -
How, indeed. The Bush administration's own numbers fail to back up the
claim 7/26/02
Governor's
TV commercial wrong, as well as negative ... The
gubernatorial campaign is now going full bore and Gov. Jeb Bush has
already gone negative.-- In case you missed it, the Republican Party
of Florida launched a television advertising blitz on Bush's behalf
this week that depicts what are meant to be the dancing legs of
Democratic frontrunners Bill McBride and Janet Reno.-- An announcer
says in effect that both are wishy-washy on the issues.--- "On
grading schools?" the announcer intones. "Neither will take
a stand. On the death penalty? Who knows? Reno and McBride. Nothing
but a song and dance."--- Like much of the Bush administration's
record, the Republican ad is nothing but smoke and mirrors based on
malarkey. --- Both Reno and McBride have taken definite positions on
public education and the death penalty. To say otherwise is ludicrous.
7/26/02
Son
files papers for Bush candidacy
George P. Bush, 26, a law student, vouches for his dad's ability
to serve as governor. 7/24/02
Refining
the reform
Gov. Jeb Bush touts his Service First workforce reform initiative in
almost messianic terms. The program is designed to make state
government leaner and more efficient through a combination of
out-sourcing, re-engineering and good old competition. Administration
rhetoric suggests the initiative is a godsend for taxpayers and state
employees alike. 7/23/02
Bush
Campaign Ads Tout Achievements That Predate Term - Two new
campaign commercials by the Florida Republican Party tout the
record of Gov. Jeb Bush, using verifiable government statistics
for the claims, but some are selectively chosen, and some give him
credit for policies and trends that predate his election. 7/21/02
Bush
touts experience in private business in campaign stops
OCALA — Gov. Jeb Bush told about 200 supporters at a rally
Saturday that his experience in private business makes him the
best candidate for governor. Bush, who was a partner in a Miami
commercial real estate business and a vice president of Texas
Commerce Bank before becoming Florida's governor, said he
understands the workings of the state's public and private sectors
better than one of his opponents for governor. 6/30/02
(wander through some of JEB's business
history...)
Clouded
horizon: Is Florida ready for the 2002 election? -- ... Both
Harris and Gov. Jeb Bush have brushed aside serious allegations
about voting disparities in minority and poor neighborhoods. The
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has visited the state three times
to hold hearings, but Harris and Bush refused to attend the most
recent hearing last week. As people were testifying about being
turned away from the polls or being refused help they needed to
vote, Bush was releasing a statement saying the nation's top
civil-liberties authority had been "badly discredited."
Instead, it's Bush's credibility that has been tattered in this
debacle.6/30/02
Parties
unveil new strategy to lock up the election
REPUBLICANS TO VIE FOR KEY FELON BLOC 6/12/02
An
ugly veto for disabled children - TALLAHASSEE -- Harry Truman
once said of the Marines (to whom he swiftly apologized) that they
had "a propaganda machine that is almost equal to
Stalin's." By the standards of today's civilian politicians,
however, even the Marines are a bashful lot.--
The art of propaganda is practiced nowhere more than in the Jeb
Bush administration, where the governor's official events are all
carefully staged to maximize his message and minimize potential
criticism. The vernacular for this is "spin." 6/9/02
Governor says the 2003 budget is what we've all been waiting
for... 6/8/02
Gov.
Bush cites `adversity'-- Jeb
Bush, the underdog? 6/6/02
The incumbent governor of the fourth-largest state and the
brother of the American president says he faces ''great
adversity,'' in a fundraising plea that hit thousands of mailboxes
Wednesday.
''Still stinging from having lost the White House in 2000,
there is little doubt that our opponents have made my campaign for
reelection as governor of Florida their number one target for
defeat in this election,'' the four-page letter says.
The mailing provides a peek at Bush's campaign, behind the
public speeches and television ads. Spokesman Todd Harris says the
come-from-behind spirit of the mailing is part of a winning
strategy..
STATE
BUDGET: Vulnerable citizens get assistance
2/10/02 but 5 months later:
7/18/02-- Florida
Medicaid plan drops thousands of elderly, disabled - ...As of
this month, Stratos and as many as 5,500 other elderly and
disabled Floridians fell victim to a change in Medicaid
eligibility, enacted by Florida lawmakers in a 2001 special budget
session to save up to $63.3 million in the state's nearly $10
billion Medicaid budget. ... "Right now, there's nothing we
can do for her," Paula McAuley, a senior analyst supervisor
at the Agency for Health Care Administration who oversees the
Medicaid recipients, said of Stratos.--
"We are satisfied that there are places for everyone [who
lost coverage] to go," Bush spokeswoman Jill Bratina said,
when asked whether the rule change would be reversed.
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Governor's teacher-pay plan would bypass school boards and unions
Bush says he would pursue notion after Nov. 5 if re-elected.
TALLAHASSEE — Tired of taking the blame for Florida's low teaching salaries, Gov. Jeb Bush is considering a plan to cut school boards and unions out of the loop.--
Bush told a group of visiting Northwest Florida lawmakers he wants the Legislature to set starting salaries for teachers, hoping that by raising the beginning pay level, Florida can solve a second problem - poor teacher recruitment. Bush also wants to set minimum salaries for teachers at other levels of experience. He did not say where those salaries would start.
10/4/02
Jeb puts up stop sign for schools
By Jac Wilder VerSteeg, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Even with light, Baker County down $483,000. 9/25/02
Dramatic
Plan For Colleges On Hold
TAMPA - Florida Education Secretary Jim Horne acknowledged Friday
he will wait until after the Nov. 5 election to unveil politically
controversial college proposals, including possible changes to
popular Bright Futures scholarships and prepaid tuition plans. ...
9/21/02
Governor's contempt of courts
One of Jeb Bush's least admirable traits is the petulance he displays when the courts don't see things his way. The latest case: the Florida Supreme Court's 6-1 ruling this month that the Constitution doesn't allow the Legislature to slap cost estimates on ballot initiatives such as the class-size and pre-kindergarten amendments. The governor called the decision "incomprehensible."
9/21/02
Bush: FCAT shows reading skills improving
By Kimberly Miller and Nirvi Shah, Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Florida's students are reading better than ever -- but that doesn't mean they are reading well.
9/8/02
GOP can't win many friends with this
man-- Florida Republican leaders could have done much better than Edison Misla Aldarondo when choosing a poster child for their campaign to lure Hispanic voters. -- Manuel Noriega, perhaps?-- Misla Aldarondo, former speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives, was charged last week with drugging and raping a 17-year-old girl in his home.
8/21/02
Jeb shows his class
Palm Beach Post Editorial - Money for tax cuts, but not for education.
... The governor's "choice" is to continue his priority of cutting the tax on stock and bond holdings of the wealthiest Floridians and using tax breaks to repay the individuals and industries that finance his campaign. The $1 billion for education that Gov. Bush highlights in this year's budget is a sham. His outright opposition to smaller classes reveals the true face of the "education governor."
8/3/02
Governor
touts plan to cut drug costs
With a pharmacy counter as a backdrop, Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday
touted a state program to cut prescription drug costs for the elderly,
garnering applause from an audience of seniors and a barrage of
criticism from Democrats who belittled the plan and accused him of
blurring the line between governor and candidate for re-election.
8/1/02
Plan
targets cost of drugs
Gov. Jeb Bush's plan addresses costs for some low-income seniors, but
Democrats call it too little help for too few. 8/1/02
Positively
wrong
Governor's first ad highlights a problem. -- To start his
reelection campaign, Gov. Bush plunged from his corner with
elbows and knees flying in the first attack ad of the dismal
election season. The man who always promises a high-level
campaign, then never delivers, starts this one flailing
wildly.-- His Democratic opponents, the ad claims, are squishy
on the death penalty and evasive about the grades he gives to
schools. Oh, really?
7/31/02
Bush
creates commission to attract retirees to Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Jeb Bush announced Monday the formation
of a commission to help attract retirees to Florida. Long
known for being a haven for retirees, Bush said more seniors
are considering settling in other states. "I think the
conventional wisdom is that seniors somehow are a burden when
in fact they are providing a net benefit to our economy,"
Bush said. "Seniors are wealthier and in many cases they
are healthier."
7/30/02
The
Florida pipeline: Bush brothers using pork to plunder votes
With George W. Bush in the White House, little brother Jeb in
Tallahassee, and Florida as the once and future swing state in
W.'s electoral fortunes, no one expected propriety to replace
pork as the defining bond between the two Bushes. Both have
plenty to gain from each other. W. needs Florida to win again
in 2004. And to get reelected this November, Jeb needs every
federal dollar, legate and favor he can get to paint himself
as a friend to all those things he's been plundering in his
first term education, the environment, workers' rights.
7/29/02
Bush
ad tap-dances around accuracy - ... The ad uses humor to
deliver a harsh message. It also is clearly misleading.
7/28/02
Seal
bribe case records, pump firm asks court
A Broward company headed by a one-time business partner of
Gov. Jeb Bush wants to seal records in a federal case in which
the firm is accused of having bribed officials in Nigeria as
part of a water-pump sale.7/26/02
Political
ads and hypocrites
It borders on the hilarious for Jeb Bush and the Florida
Republican Party to be accusing anyone else of taking
liberties with the campaign finance law. On the same day the
Republicans formally charged that television spots sponsored
by the teachers' union represent an illegal contribution to
Democrat Bill McBride, the GOP unleashed a questionable ad of
its own. 7/25/02
Bush
Ad Launches Negative Tactics - TAMPA - Gov. Jeb Bush is running
the first attack ad of the 2002 political season, taking
double-barreled aim at Democratic opponents Bill McBride and Janet
Reno. 7/25/02
Son
files papers for Bush candidacy
George P. Bush, 26, a law student, vouches for his dad's
ability to serve as governor. 7/24/02
GOP
ad bashes Bush rivals McBride, Reno
It says the Democratic challengers to Gov. Jeb Bush dodge the issues,
but they've taken stands on two the ad cites. 7/24/02
TV
spot from GOP ridicules Reno, McBride - The strategy of attacking
early -- before Reno has yet to air an ad -- mirrors one employed
successfully by Bush in 1998, when he ran ads that tagged his
Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay, as a ''tax raiser'' and
played off MacKay's first name by telling voters, ``He's not your
buddy.''-- That ad allowed Bush to define MacKay before most voters
had a solid opinion of him.--- The dancing leg commercial -- airing
just days after Reno's South Beach dance party -- is considered by
strategists to be a ''soft negative'' because it jabs in jest. It was
created by the same Republican consultant, Mike Murphy, who did the
McKay attack ad in '98.7/24/02
Florida
GOP to debut TV attack ad today - ... Florida Republican
Party spokesman Towson Fraser had no comment on the ad. Bush spokesman
Todd Harris said "the public deserves to know the records, or
lack thereof, of every candidate in this race." 7/24/02
Has
The FEA Become The SPECTRE Of The Hustings? ...The Tampa
Democrat's gubernatorial campaign has gone and done it now, royally
riling up the Florida Republican Party - which, as we all know, always
plays fair, never bends the rules, and indeed is filled with regular
Marquess of Queensberry types 7/23/02
Reno
gives Bush ads bad review -
Ad: ``So how is Jeb Bush doing on crime? Ask the
criminals. Early release is gone. Felons now serve at least 85
percent of their sentences. Gun crime, down 24 percent,
10-20-Life worked. Drug use is down 31 percent since 1998,
while funding for treatment and prevention is up 58 percent.''
Reno: Reno points out that the requirement that felons
serve 85 percent of their sentence took effect Oct. 1, 1995,
three years before Bush became governor. She also claims
firearm crime has increased since 1997, and that the state's
murder, rape and robbery rates have inched up since 1999.
Ad:''With Jeb Bush, leadership means results,'' the ad
says. ``450,000 new jobs, the second-highest job growth in the
country, the lowest crime rate in 29 years, the lowest tax
burden on Floridians in a decade and a passionate commitment
to education. Under Jeb Bush, education funding has increased
by $3 billion. Gov. Jeb Bush. Listening, leading, making the
difference for Florida.''
Reno: Reno provides figures from the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics that show unemployment claims in Florida are
up by about 14 percent since 1999, and the unemployment rate
is up from 4 percent in 1999 to about 5.1 percent today. She
says Bush signed a $150 million tax cut for the wealthy last
summer, slicing into social programs and education. Also,
increases in education funding have been meager, she says,
amounting to $10 per student over three years 7/22/02
Teachers
vs. Jeb -- who will learn a lesson come November? - You won't find
a couple of political players with more irreconcilable differences
than Florida's governor and Florida's largest teachers union. 7/21/02
Governor's
campaign cup running over
Democratic candidates increase fund-raising as Gov. Bush backs off to
avoid Democrats' getting public money.7/19/02
Bush
speaks to state PTA conference; touts education policies
TARPON SPRINGS — Gov. Jeb Bush found a friendly crowd Friday
at a conference of state PTA members, where he said improving
reading skills at all grade levels would be a top priority if
he is re-elected. Some teachers and administrators have been
critical of Bush's strict school accountability policies, but
he was greeted with a standing ovation from the more than
2,000 gathered at the opening of the Florida Parent Teacher
Association Leadership Conference. 7/13/02
Statewide
police union throws support to Bush
In a renewed emphasis on his law-and-order record, the governor touts
the endorsement in four cities.7/12/02
Police-union
bosses back Bush campaign
Escorted by police-union leaders who support his
re-election, Gov. Jeb Bush campaigned across the state Thursday as a
proud crime-fighter. 7/12/02
Police
union backs Bush
Gov. Jeb Bush picks up the endorsement of the state's largest police
union....Not mentioned was a back-room deal Bush struck with public
safety unions last year. Bush agreed in the 2001 legislative session
to endorse a $9.6 million, one-year pension increase to some 12,000
police and firefighters. In exchange, the unions pledged not to ask
for more pension increases until 2003. George said the endorsement was
not part of that negotiation. 7/12/02
Black
students still a smaller percent
The numbers of minority freshmen enrolled in summer school at
the University of Florida are up significantly over last year,
but black students are still a smaller percent of the class
than in 2000, before a ban on affirmative action sent minority
enrollments plummeting. 7/8/02
Record has minorities giving Bush a new look
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Gov. Jeb Bush calls it "crazy." A lot
of Democrats would agree. 7/6/02
Bush
campaigns among enemy
Jeb Bush takes his campaign to Florida's most Democratic county,
hoping to win over voters who spurned him in 1998. 7/4/02
Black
leader: Bush an option
- "If Bush has done as much for the
black community as he says, we've got to consider him," Carter
said. "We've got to be willing to look at both sides and get away
from just party labels."--
Carter said he would spend time in the next few months studying
whether what Bush said is true before he decides on whether to endorse
the governor's re-election. 7/4/02
Bush
may get black votes
A Broward black leader's comments could hurt Democrats in the
governor's race. 7/4/02
Gov.
Bush courts minority voters on Broward tour
- The daylong tour was
billed as a political strike behind enemy lines, because Broward has
more Democrats than any other Florida county and minorities have
traditionally balked at the Republican Party.--''I'm not conceding any
votes,'' Bush told reporters. ``I'm excited to make my case in front
of people that I hope will respond positively.''-- But like all events
organized by a sophisticated campaign like the governor's, the crowds
at each stop were handpicked by Bush supporters. 7/4/02
Bush
speaks to state's Hispanics in Spanish-language TV spots--
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush speaks Spanish in a new TV campaign ad
that begins airing today on Hispanic television in Florida, the first
step of a major media drive for Hispanic voters by the state's
Republican Party. 7/4/02
Jesse
Ventura is no Jeb Bush - thank goodness
While at a conference in October in St. Petersburg, I told a
storeowner my life story during a long lunch break. As he wrapped a
vase, I told him that being temporarily in Jeb Bush country was
creepy. 7/4/02
Florida
GOP aims big TV ad campaign at Hispanics
Its coffers overflowing with millions of dollars from wealthy
contributors, the Florida Republican Party began spending a chunk of
the money Wednesday on television ads aimed at Hispanic voters. 7/4/02
Jeb
Bush brings fight for votes to Broward-- In
an unusually lengthy campaign foray into Democrat-rich
Broward, Republican Gov. Jeb Bush will crisscross the county
today to reach out to Hispanic, African-American and Jewish
leaders.-- Bush last visited Broward two weeks ago to collect
more than $400,000 at a private fundraiser at the Signature
Grand banquet hall in Davie.7/3/02
Guest
editorial: On Gov. Jeb Bush's loquaciousness
It was one of those moments right out of the mouth of former
Vice President Dan "He Really Didn't Say That, Did
He?" Quayle. Only this time, Florida's governor was
talking. "It's about time a woman became governor of the
state of Florida," Gov. Jeb Bush told a group of 300
female high school students last Tuesday during a Capitol
visit. 6/26/02
Bush:
'No lead is secure'
Challenger Bill McBride is gaining on Janet Reno in their race for
governor, but neither Democrat stands much chance against Gov. Jeb
Bush, according to a new statewide poll.6/13 (Tallahassee Democrat)
Developers,
investors back state GOP
- TALLAHASSEE
- The real estate and securities and investment
industries are the biggest backers of the Republican Party's
effort to get Gov. Jeb Bush reelected.
Contributors connected with those two industries have given
more than $1.7 million to the Republican Party of Florida in
the first three months of this year alone, nearly 20 percent
of the money the party raised during that time, according to
an Associated Press analysis of state campaign finance
reports.
Most of that money is expected to go to help Bush's reelection
campaign
5/25/02
Bush's
spending philosophy is strictly conservative
Jeb Bush is an interesting guy to watch at work. Other governors
have run Cabinet meetings like busy CEOs, moving through agendas
at a pace that suggested their limos were double-parked. We
haven't had such an animated chairman at Cabinet meetings since
Gov. Claude Kirk, who sat puffing a fine briar pipe and sometimes
made long, colorful speeches from the center seat. 5/24/02
Gov.
Bush jazzed for campaign
(link out of date)
ORLANDO -- Jeb Bush told hundreds of Republicans Saturday that he is a
tax-cutting, crime-fighting, education-winning, recession-busting
governor who will not take any guff from Democrats ... ...Although
Democrats argue that Bush has cut taxes that largely help the rich,
the GOP candidate said he is "happy that we are cutting taxes in
Florida and not raising taxes." The result, he said, "is
that, for the first time in modern times, Floridians have more money
in their pockets" than does state government
President
rounds up cash for Jeb
In his ninth visit to Florida, Bush raises $2-million to help
the governor's re-election campaign.5/21/02
Bush
visits Miami to woo exiles with tough stance on Cuba -
...“The Bush administration is not coming down here because
they are concerned about Cuba. They are concerned about the
elections,” says Eduardo Gamarra, director of the Latin
American and Caribbean Center at Florida International
University. “He’s trying to strengthen the base.”5/20/02
Bush
campaign defends visit to elementary school
The stop at Wimauma Elementary was during a Tampa campaign trip,
but Bush says he was acting as governor.5/16/02
Bush
campaign stop miffs school officials
Hillsborough school officials are miffed that an elementary
became a campaign stop.
Misleading
spin
The governor's campaign hype does a
disservice to public education.
Tallahassee:
The state's bad parent
The sad numbers still rise, and the governor and DCF director
say lamely that you can't expect perfection.
Governor
to kick off campaign
For the first time, Jeb Bush will be running on his record as
well as his campaign promises. 5/12/02
Gov.
Bush and his cronies are taking the low road
Florida voters are stupid. Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican
legislative leaders must think so. ... That's certainly
the message they are sending by pushing a law that would
require that proposed constitutional amendments carry a price
tag outlining what implementing the amendment would cost.-- On
the surface, the price-tag requirement makes sense, but in
reality it's a case of the governor and his cronies taking the
low road for political gain.-- Despite rhetoric to the
contrary, the law is aimed directly at a proposed
constitutional amendment that would require smaller class
sizes in the public schools.- The last thing Bush wants is for
his "I'm the education governor" re-election
campaign to get bogged down in serious debate about
overcrowded classrooms.
Subterfuge
on sales tax plan getting crystal clear
-
TALLAHASSEE -- Sometimes, understanding events in Florida's capital
requires an interpreter to decipher fact from euphemism.-- Gov. Jeb
Bush promised in his State of the State speech a ``full, honest and
transparent dialogue'' on revamping Florida's tax system and says he
has an open mind.---
But what has really become transparent in recent days is the dwindling
likelihood of that full and honest debate over the proposal by Senate
President John McKay to eliminate billions of dollars in
special-interest tax breaks.
Blackburn:
Travel to a time without money
Flash forward. It's March 2006. As state lawmakers gather to hear Gov.
Bush's last State of the State address, their computers crash. That's
not unusual. They canceled the maintenance contract to save money...
Gov.
Bush criticizes his Democratic challengers
ORLANDO - Gov. Jeb Bush took advantage of the annual winter meeting of
the Florida Republican Party to respond to criticism from Democrats
who he said "tell everyone that the whole state is
descending."
Governor
flying to D.C. to raise re-election cash
- TALLAHASSEE · Gov.
Jeb Bush is going to Washington for a day to raise money for his
re-election campaign.
Bush
reelection team hires McCain ex-aide - TALLAHASSEE -- The
chief spokesman for John McCain's maverick presidential run
against George W. Bush is moving to Florida to work for the
president's younger brother.
Economy and tax
structure have given us a budget worth waiting for
By Jeb Bush
SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT 6/8/02
Some things are worth waiting for, and Florida's 2002-03 state
budget is one of them. Although it took a special session for the
Legislature to agree on this next fiscal blueprint, the result
funds Florida's priorities, especially our top one, education.
This budget also illustrates how far our state has come since
Sept. 11. The resulting collapse in airline travel, on top of an
already sluggish national economy, forced us to make tough choices
last fall. We were still able to give Florida's public schools a
per-student, year-to-year increase, but it was less than we had
envisioned last May. Our superintendents and principals deserve a
lot of credit for managing their budgets during a difficult year.
For 2002-03, the picture is altogether brighter. While other
states such as California are still faced with huge deficits,
Florida's improving economy and sensible tax structure will yield
additional projected general revenue funding of $1.4 billion, a
7.4-percent increase over the current year. The total budget,
including school property taxes, will grow by $3.4 billion, a
6.5-percent increase.
This budget puts nearly half of those additional funds into
education. Florida's public schools will receive $1.1 billion more
than the current year, a 9-percent increase that equates to a
6-percent increase per student. That makes Florida's four-year
K-12 funding record truly extraordinary: a $3 billion, 27-percent
increase, compared with a four-year increase in the number of
students of 10.5 percent. However you count it, this is a better
record than the previous administration achieved.
Other top education initiatives include a $30 million technology
initiative to create Centers of Excellence at our state
universities, and $11 million (plus more than $45 million in
federal funds) for "Just Read, Florida!" that will train
teachers and rally volunteer and community organizations to meet
our goal of having every Florida child reading on grade level or
better by 2012.
Protecting Florida's precious natural environment also receives
great support. I am most proud that $667 million is now committed
by our state during the first three years of the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan. Good growth management continues with
$550,000 to get communities and school boards to plan together for
enrollment growth, along with $400,000 for the Department of
Community Affairs and $2.5 million for the Regional Planning
Councils to provide technical planning assistance. Major
infrastructure improvements include $4.5 billion for
transportation projects and nearly $100 million for water
projects.
Florida's elders will benefit from two key initiatives. The new
Ron Silver Senior Drug Program allocates $103.5 million to provide
thousands of low-income elders with enhanced prescription drug
coverage. And the new Office of Long Term Care will receive
$350,000 to better coordinate various elder programs.
Total funds to serve the developmentally disabled rise to $975
million, a 94-percent increase from four years ago. Meeting the
needs of these Floridians is especially rewarding, as these are
some of the most inspirational people in our state.
In addition, Florida has extended its commitment to its child
welfare system by providing $844 million - more than double what
was allocated four years ago. Healthy Families will receive $22
million (up from $10 million four years ago) and the Guardian Ad
Litem program will receive $17.7 million to recruit more volunteer
advocates for children under state supervision.
I am also proud that Florida has recommitted itself to funding
domestic violence shelters to protect battered women and children.
Our $36.8 million commitment represents a threefold increase from
where we were four years ago.
I will be vetoing nearly $100 million in member projects for a
four-year total of more than $1 billion saved to bolster our
reserves. This year the Legislature sought to use Preservation
2000 monies to fund specific member projects, but I have vetoed
those transfers so that funds for environmentally sensitive land
acquisition will still be available.
Top
Florida's most vulnerable citizens have been a hallmark of Gov.
Jeb Bush's administration.
It is in this vein that I am de- lighted to report highlights
of the governor's supplemental budget that will positively impact
this population of Floridians.
When Bush took office, he made a commitment that people with
developmental disabilities would get the services they need to
live productive lives in their communities. He further pledged his
support to the families and clients of those with developmental
disabilities. To date, more than 30,890 people have been fully
served.
The governor's promise to Florida's most vulnerable citizens is
still one of his most important priorities. His proposed
supplemental budget contains an additional $90 million earmarked
for the continued expansion of services for persons with
developmental disabilities.
When combined with federal matching dollars, a total of $162.2
million will be available for the expansion of services. Under the
leadership of the governor, approximately $1 billion has been
infused into the developmental disabilities program since 1998-99.
By June 2003, more than 39,000 developmentally disabled
Floridians will have access to the full range of services and
supports.
The governor's budget recommendations include $38 million in
state funds for the Department of Children & Families to serve
approximately 9,017 people by June 30, 2002.
In addition, the supplemental budget contains $5 million for a
comprehensive redesign of the developmental disabilities program.
Under the leadership of Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan, domestic
violence policies and programs were unified under the Department
of Children and Families -- and the program realized unprecedented
funding increases. The supple- mental budget also includes an
additional $7 million for capital improvements to domestic
violence shelters and to increase public awareness of criminal
penalties, among other things.
In addition, there is $1.9 million to increase the forensic bed
capacity at mental health institutions, and $9.9 million to reduce
substance abuse treatment waiting lists and provide targeted
substance abuse services to parents of children in the child
welfare system.
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