Mercury remains a pollutant, study says
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Power plants are the biggest source of mercury
pollution in Florida, according to a study released this week by the
National Wildlife Federation.
Nine of the state's top 10 mercury polluters are coal-fired power plants
in Central and North Florida, said the study, which examined mercury
levels in the eastern United States.
State to stash $1-billion windfall
TALLAHASSEE - As schools, colleges and cultural groups across the state
grapple with budget cuts, Washington is sending a $1-billion bailout to
Florida.
But Gov. Jeb Bush doesn't plan to spend the money.
Instead, the governor wants to put the federal money in the bank and use
it to avoid tax increases and further state budget cuts in 2004, when his
brother, President Bush, will be seeking re-election.
Florida's windfall may go unspent
The state of Florida, which just finished writing its most austere budget
in a decade, is about to get an unexpected $1 billion windfall from the
federal government.
Legislature: Senate passes bill attempting to fix Everglades concerns
TALLAHASSEE The state Senate passed a measure Tuesday trying to ease
concerns of environmentalists and members of Congress about the state's
commitment to cleaning up the Everglades, but activists for restoring the
ecosystem said the fix didn't allay their fears. ...
Tribe lauds stand on Glades water
Miccosukee Indian Tribe members and environmentalists were one step closer
Friday to forcing South Florida water managers to clean up polluted waters
before pumping them into the Everglades.
Legislature: Workers' compensation reforms approved
TALLAHASSEE The Legislature approved a bill Tuesday to reduce soaring
workers' compensation insurance costs by limiting attorney fees and making
it more difficult for injured workers to obtain permanent total disability
benefits...
Legislature in review: We laughed, we cried
What an embarrassment of riches.
We could write a comedy out of the antics surrounding the 2003 legislative
sessions, but so much of the material lends itself more to tragedy.
The Florida Constitution invites lawmakers to town for 60 days every year
so they can pass a budget, accept and approve bills written by sugar and
telephone lobbyists and consume as much free food and booze as
possible....
What a waste
The Legislature's special session was nothing to write home about.
Florida lawmakers should be ashamed.
Not only did it take a costly overtime session to craft a state budget
that fails to meet the most basic needs of Floridians, but lawmakers also
will be back in Tallahassee again next month to grapple with the medical
malpractice insurance crisis.
No amount of political spin or Cheshire cat-like grins can deny the
obvious: State legislators miserably failed Floridians. From education
cuts detailed in the editorial above, to health care for needy children to
road-building to the arts, to the already cash-strapped guardian ad litem
program that advocates on behalf of kids in state care -- lawmakers
failed.
Lawmakers take advantage of loophole for free trips
TALLAHASSEE Florida legislators have been enjoying trips,
expensive skyboxes at prime sporting events and a host of other freebies
all without having to declare them as gifts. Antigambling House leaders
were able to attend last year's Belmont Stakes, their free tickets
arranged by a Florida track pushing a video gambling bill. Senate
President Jim King attended the Sugar Bowl in a skybox provided by a
lobbyist. Democrats are golfing free at Disney...
Legislators' perks may push limit of law
Critics say tickets and trips funneled through political parties sidestep
disclosure requirements.
Taxes aren't going up, but fees on tuition, other activities will
TALLAHASSEE Floridians won't have to pay new taxes to finance
government services under the budget passed by state lawmakers. But many of
them will pay higher fees. They'll pay more for the privilege of keeping a
poisonous reptile and getting their drivers license back if it's suspended,
for example...
Bush signs bill repealing "Scarlet Letter Law"
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill Friday repealing the
"Scarlet Letter Law" that required mothers who put a child up for adoption
to publish their sexual histories when necessary to locate the father.The
bill (HB 835), which passed both houses unanimously, instead establishes a
paternity registry where men who believe they have fathered a child can
enroll so they can be contacted if the child is offered for adoption.
Bush vows to save youth anti-smoking program despite budget
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush vowed Thursday to save a youth anti-smoking
program slashed by the Legislature, saying gains made in preventing children
from smoking could be lost.
Bush, speaking at an anti-drug summit, said he and Health Secretary Dr. John
Agwunobi will do whatever they can to sustain the program until for a year
and then seek to restore budget cuts.
Editorial:
Antismoking money
If Gov. Jeb Bush really wants to restore full funding for Florida's
nationally acclaimed antismoking program, he doesn't need to wait a year.
Gov. Bush calls lawmakers back for malpractice fix, wants limits
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday ordered lawmakers back to
Tallahassee next month to do something about malpractice insurance premium
increases that doctors say are threatening their practices and thus
Floridians' access to health care.
Judge nixes effort to give fetus a guardian; Bush seeks intervention
ORLANDO Hours after a judge said no, Gov. Jeb Bush filed a motion
Friday to pursue a guardianship for a fetus carried by a mentally disabled
rape victim. "The ruling today was issued before the court had the
opportunity to fully consider case law that clearly supports the appointment
of a guardian for an unborn child," Bush said, announcing the state and the
Department of Children & Families had filed a motion to intervene in the
case.
Guardian is refused for fetus
A judge Friday denied a woman's request to be named guardian for the fetus
of a mentally retarded rape victim in Orlando, raising the stakes in an
abortion-rights showdown with Gov. Jeb Bush.
In his ruling, Orange County Circuit Judge Lawrence Kirkwood said there is
no basis in Florida law for appointing a guardian to represent the interests
of a fetus.
DCF deadline harmful
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Take privatization off the fast track.
For five years, Florida's 67 counties have been racing against a
state-imposed deadline to privatize foster care and child protection
services. Fifty-five, including Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties,
are not ready to make the switch. A bill approved by the House and the
Senate and awaiting the governor's signature justifiably would slow down the
rush.
Bush considers veto of bill aimed at saving Rodman Dam
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush said Wednesday that he is considering a veto of
a bill that would create a state reserve around Rodman Dam, making it more
difficult to demolish the structure as part of the restoration of the
Ocklawaha River.
Bush said he has not made a decision about the bill (SB 2042), but he favors
tearing down the dam, draining Rodman Reservoir and restoring the Ocklawaha
River to its natural state.
Legislature: $53 billion budget pleases some, dismays others
TALLAHASSEE Florida's newest state budget protects medical care for people
with catastrophic illnesses, but it freezes enrollment in a children's
insurance program and slashes funding for a teen anti-smoking program when
it takes effect July 1.
The $53.5 billion budget continues the Bright Futures scholarship program
that helps thousands of students pay for college and begins the class-size
reduction ordered by voters, but it threatens the "open door" policy at
community colleges and doesn't give school boards much money to increase
teacher pay.
FCAT foes lead charge in Orlando
State lawmakers leading the push to suspend high-stakes
testing came to Central Florida on Friday with petitions to sign and a fiery
message for Gov. Jeb Bush: Stop using the exams to determine who gets to
graduate and who has to repeat a grade.
Growers sue over citrus tax, lawsuit threatens future of state citrus agency
LAKELAND The Department of Citrus has spent hundreds of millions of
dollars promoting one of the state's biggest industries, hiring celebrities
such as actor Burt Reynolds and singer Anita Bryant to urge consumers to
drink Florida orange juice. Now six of the state's largest growers want the
state to get out of the advertising business.
Haitian activists protest Bush administration immigration policy
MIAMI Haitian activists gathered Friday to demonstrate against Bush
administration immigration policies they say are causing Haitian migrants to
be unfairly detained under the guise of heightened national security
concerns. More than 100 people rallied in the sweltering sun outside the
local U.S. Department of Homeland Security office was aimed at building
momentum for a two-day lobbying trip to Washington next week by Miami-Dade
Mayor Alex Penelas, state Sen. Frederica Wilson and several county
commissioners and local activists.
Protest mars Oliver North's appearance at fund-raiser
BRADENTON More than 50 people protested the appearance of former U.S.
Marine Col. Oliver North at a fund-raiser for the Bradenton Christian
School, with some of the activists calling North's appearance "sickening."
Lobbying stunt causes scare for lawmakers
TALLAHASSEE A doctor's group sent toy petri dishes to lawmakers' offices
as a lobbying stunt to draw attention to high malpractice insurance rates,
but the gimmick caused a bioterrorism scare that has instigated a police
investigation.
The Florida College of Emergency Physicians sent mailings that arrived in
several legislators' district offices Thursday which contained a toy petri
dish and made a reference to deadly viruses.
Five guards hurt, one critically, in Panhandle prison assault
CHIPLEY Two inmates attacked five prison guards with horseshoes and wooden
baseball bats in a state prison's recreation yard filled with about 500
inmates, critically injuring one of the officers, officials said Thursday.
State commission to reconsider manatees endangered status
KISSIMMEE The debate over whether manatees should still be listed as an
endangered species will be center stage Wednesday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans to decide
whether the state should drop manatees from its ranks of endangered and list
them either as threatened or as a species of special concern.
Wildlife commission adopts measure against feral catsl
KISSIMMEE Colonies of feral cats could be moved and, as a last resort,
killed if they threaten native wildlife, according to a policy adopted
Friday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The new
policy also discourages Floridians from releasing or feeding the feral cats
on public lands managed by the commission and on lands that support wildlife
habitat.
Outcry over wild cat crackdown
The state's program aimed at protecting wildlife includes destroying the
animals as a last resort.
State of a 100 plates to issue new 'regular' tag
TALLAHASSEE Florida already has around 100 license plates, but another one
is in the works.
It will not be a specialty plate, however, but rather a new design for the
main state plate for those who do not want to pay extra for space shuttles,
manatees, sports teams or colleges.
Would-be Cypress Gardens owner wants to add attractions, rides
WINTER HAVEN The Georgia amusement park owner who wants to buy Cypress
Gardens envisions a showplace of flora, fauna, rides and shows that pay
tribute to Florida and its history.
Kent Buescher, the owner of Wild Adventures near Valdosta, promised $30
million in new attractions at the park in the first year after he buys it
and $3 million to $5 million in annual investments thereafter.
Molly Ivins: FCC betrays public's trust
AUSTIN, Texas -- This is a gross scandal. The Center for Public Integrity
has a stunning study out on the concentration of ownership in
telecommunications. The even more stunning news is that the Federal
Communications Commission, which theoretically represents you and me, is
about to make all of it even worse. And behind this betrayal of the public
trust is nothing but rotten, old-fashioned corruption. It's the old
free-trip-to-Vegas ploy, on a grand scale.
The Public Integrity people examined the travel records of FCC employees and
found that they have accepted 2,500 trips, costing nearly $2.8 million over
the past eight years, paid for by the telecommunications and broadcast
industries, which are, theoretically, "regulated" by the FCC. The
industry-paid travel is on top of about $2 million a year in official travel
paid for by taxpayers.
Paul Krugman: Stating the obvious
"The lunatics are now in charge of the asylum." So wrote the normally staid
Financial Times, traditionally the voice of solid British business opinion,
when surveying last week's tax bill. Indeed, the legislation is doubly
absurd: The gimmicks used to make an $800 billion plus tax cut carry an
official price tag of only $320 billion are a joke, yet the cost without the
gimmicks is so large that the nation can't possibly afford it while keeping
its other promises.
Intelligence on Iraq called 'wrong'
WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. Marine commander in Iraq said Friday that U.S.
intelligence was "simply wrong" in its assessment that Saddam Hussein
intended to unleash chemical or biological weapons against U.S. forces
during the war, but he stopped short of saying there was an overall
intelligence failure.
Bush signs bill that could raise basic phone rates
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill Friday that could raise basic
phone rates, saying it will increase competition and ultimately give the
public access to new technology and greater choice of telephone companies.
The bill (SB 654) would allow phone companies to raise rates for basic
services by $3 to $7.25 over the next four years while reducing
long-distance charges. It was opposed by Florida AARP and Consumers Union,
publisher of Consumer Reports.
The opponents said the increases would hurt customers, particularly those
who make few long-distance calls, while failing to guarantee competition.
"It's going to be disastrous to the citizens of the state," said Mike
Twomey, a utility consumer activist who heads Florida Utility Watch. "What
it can do is result in, by far, the largest rate increase in the history
of the state."
Raise coming for state workers
But pay hike offset by rising insurance
costs
As long as their kids don't get sick too often, Florida's lowest-paid
state workers will get enough of a raise to break even in the budget
lawmakers will approve today.
Responsibilities of a party in power
TALLAHASSEE - Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, spoke bluntly about
the $53.2-billion appropriations bill awaiting his vote two days later.
"There's nothing in this bill I like. Nothing," said Jones, the Senate
majority leader, in a brief interview. But when the time came, Jones voted
for it. So did all the Senate Republicans in the chamber that day even
though most of them acknowledged it to be about $1-billion short of even a
barely adequate budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Budget shorts state another year
Palm Beach Post Editorial
It shows what's important to governor, House speaker.
Lawmakers reach budget deal
By S.V. Dαte and Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Senate President Jim King warns "we've dug ourselves a deeper hole for
next year."
Jeb likes political womb
Palm Beach Post Editorial
State failed a mother, but he cares about fetus.
Florida seems interested only in neglected woman's womb
It's too bad that she can't understand irony. What else would a 22-year-old
make of the state of Florida's sudden interest in her? What else would she
make of Florida's belated desire to stand guard over her body?
Insult to the injured
On most issues, Senate President Jim King has contrasted with House Speaker
Johnnie Byrd. But on the alarmingly one-sided workers' compensation bill, he
seems all too eager to make a deal.
Pay more, get hurt, get less, repeat
By Tom Blackburn, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Yet another round of workers comp 'reform.'
Supreme Court rules for workers
Right upheld for state workers to get time off to care for
children, ailing relatives.
Florida counties scramble to implement Gov. Bush's reading camps
MIAMI Gov. Jeb Bush and education officials want thousands of Florida
third-grade students who failed a statewide reading test to hit the books
in districtwide reading camps this summer.
The Bush administration's recommendation calls for six to eight weeks of
intensive reading instruction four days a week for 5 1/2 hours per day
for about 40,000 third-graders who failed the reading section of the
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this year.
But many districts are scrambling to put together condensed versions of
the program in time for the summer while complaining the state has sprung
a last-minute demand on their already strapped budgets and usurped an
issue that should be locally controlled.
Have a cig, kids
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Legislature squelches successful 'Truth' campaign.
The governor butts in
Gov. Bush has taken time out from his busy schedule to serve as admissions
director for Suncoast High School's International Baccalaureate program.
What happened to that local control of education Tallahassee talks about?
As The Post reported this week, the governor is concerned that a white
eighth-grader might have been rejected from the Riviera Beach school's
prestigious magnet program in favor a less qualified minority student. "I am
respectfully asking you to reconsider Scott Lombardo's admission," Gov. Bush
wrote to the Palm Beach County School District, seeking entrance for his new
pen pal. The district should say yes -- as soon as Gov. Bush visits and
personally selects the student to be kicked out in favor of Mr. Lombardo.
Protesters call for boycott over Florida's standardized test
MIAMI About 2,500 people protested outside Gov. Jeb Bush's local offices
Thursday, demanding that he suspend a statewide assessment test as an
unfair roadblock that keeps some high school seniors from graduating.
The protesters, who chanted "Our students will not be left behind," also
announced a boycott of Florida orange juice, the state lottery and
Florida's Turnpike toll road until Bush gives in.
State cancels license tests in dispute with exam group
ST. PETERSBURG Licensing exams for 5,300 people in professions ranging
from real estate agent to barber are on hold indefinitely because of
dispute over who gets the state contract to administer the tests.
Foley denounces reports that he is gay
TALLAHASSEE U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, who is seeking the GOP nomination for
Senate, took the unusual step Thursday of calling a news conference to
denounce what he says are rumors spread by his political opponents that he
is gay.
But the fifth-term congressman from West Palm Beach refused to answer
questions about whether he is a homosexual, saying his sexual preference
had no bearing on his duties as a lawmaker. He accused Democratic
activists of trying to derail his candidacy for the Senate.
Many citrus trees gone, but homeowners still waiting for payment
MIAMI The state owes $5.2 million to more than 36,000 homeowners for
citrus trees destroyed in Florida's canker eradication program, but
officials said Thursday the delay is only temporary.
"The money's coming," said Liz Compton, spokeswoman for the state
Department of Agriculture. "We're trying to speed it up."
State agriculture officials are giving tree owners a $100 Wal-Mart voucher
for the first tree destroyed and $55 to compensate for each additional
tree lost to state canker crews.
Uphold manatee status
Palm Beach Post Editorial
State still should list the sea cow as 'endangered.'
Essence of a folk festival arises from culture icon
Meeting a legend incarnate on my way to hearing a legend in the making
sing about him on the banks of a river synonymous with the state they love
did it for me, but finding the heart of the annual Florida Folk Festival
at White Springs tends to be a highly personal quest.
Muslim woman's lawsuit over veiled license photo set to begin
Nine months after Sultaana Freeman obtained a Florida driver's license
that had a photo of her face covered in a veil, she received a letter from
the state warning that it would revoke her license unless she returned for
a photo with her face uncovered. The 35-year-old Muslim refused, saying
that revealing her face would violate her beliefs, and the license was
revoked. A judge will begin hearing Tuesday her lawsuit that seeks to have
her license reinstated. The case pits religious freedom against the
state's argument that allowing hidden faces on driver's licenses would put
public safety at risk.
Outfoxed billboard owners see the signs of trouble
The property appraiser in Orange County has found an ingenious way to deal
with both the budget crunch and highway blight. Bill Donegan is jacking up
the taxes on billboards, based on the companies' own whimsical claims of
what their road signs are worth.
Bonnie Erbe: Why we fought the war
This is an imaginary but quite plausible conversation
between an American mother and her child. "Mommy, why did we go to war in
Iraq?" Mother: "Well baby, the President said Iraq possessed weapons of
mass destruction and had ties to terrorists, like those bad men in the al-Qaeda
network. He said those bad men were helping their terrible leader, Osama
bin Laden. The president also said we should depose or kill Saddam
Hussein, the bad man who was leading Iraq. We think he's gone, but we're
not sure."
Molly Ivins: Can we get any more popular in Iraq?
NEW YORK CITY Much as I hate to interrupt what is apparently a deeply felt
triumphalism on the American right, now that it's over, does anyone see any
reason for our having invaded Iraq?
I realize that's what we all kept trying to figure out before the invasion,
but don't you think it should at least be visible in hindsight? Good thing
we won the war, because the peace sure looks like a quagmire.
Make victory in Iraq feel more like victory
Understandably, America went to Code Orange when the Iraq war started. Now,
the war is won, and we're back to orange after a resurgence of Al-Qaeda
strikes and threats.
Paul Krugman: Fear of quagmire?
Suddenly the d-word is on everyone's lips. Last weekend the International
Monetary Fund released a rather ominous report titled "Deflation:
determinants, risks and policy options." The report made headlines by
suggesting that Germany is likely to join Japan in the falling-price club.
Alan Greenspan hastened to reassure us that the United States isn't at
imminent risk of deflation. But alert Greenspanologists pointed out that
he seemed to hedge his bets, and the fact that he even felt obliged to
discuss the issue showed that he was worried.
Analysis: The 'little bitty' tax cut that is anything but
WASHINGTON True, the price tag on the tax bill House approved Friday
morning is officially only $320 billion over 10 years, barely two-fifths
of the $726 billion President Bush proposed in February.
Raises, layoffs top lawmakers' agenda
Pay raises and insurance premiums of state employees are among the final
budget items to be resolved today by House and Senate bosses.
Gov. Bush signs water-quality bill
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill Tuesday environmentalists say
will gut a plan to clean up the Everglades, but he promised that he is
committed to full restoration of the fragile ecosystem. Bush said the
concerns would be addressed by separate legislation that began working its
way toward a vote in a special session and earned approval from the Senate
Natural Resources Committee later
Marketing the Everglades bill
By Sally Swartz, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Regulators worked with sugar lobbyists.
l
Full text of Gov. Jeb Bush's letter
State lawmakers disappointed with water-quality bill Bush signed
WASHINGTON Florida lawmakers from both sides of the political spectrum
were unhappy Tuesday with the water-quality bill Gov. Jeb Bush signed into
law, but held out hope some of the major problems could be fixed by the
Florida Legislature in its current special session.
"We are disappointed the governor chose to sign this legislation," U.S.
Reps. Clay Shaw and Porter Goss said in a joint statement. "Although we
would have preferred a veto, we believe the changes being offered in the
'glitch' legislation are a positive step in the right direction."
Everglades cleanup rewrite OK'd
By Robert P. King, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
The governor's request for a fix-it bill for objections also was passed.
Criticized Glades bill signed by Bush
Proposed changes do little to placate its critics
Gov. Jeb Bush quietly signed into law Tuesday a controversial bill that
critics fear could imperil a massive Everglades restoration project.
NEWS ANALYSIS: Governor tries to prevent a potential publicity nightmare
Legislature: Workers compensation bill draws protests
TALLAHASSEE Seeking to preserve a fragile agreement on reducing workers'
compensation insurance costs, a Senate committee fended off a series of
Democratic amendments Tuesday that would have increased benefits for
injured employees. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee approved the
bill (SB 50A) by an 8-4 vote and sent it to the floor, where it may be
debated Wednesday.
Dangerous hours
The Florida Senate has performed admirably but isbeing pressured to accept
unwise last-minute dealson the budget and workers' compensation.
Senate panel advances workers comp bill
By David Sedore and Mary Ellen Klas, Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
The governor and legislative leaders have agreed to back the House bill,
which cuts workers' benefits.
Workers comp: No bill beats a bad bill
Palm Beach Post Editorial
HB 25A, which has received preliminary approval in the House, is a mess.
Housing trust funds: saved but savaged
First, the good news: It now appears that lawmakers won't kill affordable
housing trust funds that earlier budgets of the House and Gov. Jeb Bush
had deleted.
Florida appeals court throws out $145 billion tobacco verdict
MIAMI - A Florida appeals court erased a record-setting $145 billion award
against the tobacco industry Wednesday, ruling that thousands of Florida
smokers could not group themselves together for a class-action attack on
cigarette makers.
Add FCAT requirement to tax write-off vouchers
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Legislature raves about accountability but blindly gives away tax revenue
to private schools.
Hundreds celebrate Emancipation Day
Let the sticklers quibble about the 13th Amendment. Devontavian Brown, 11,
understands the reason people celebrate May 20. "I'm proud the
Emancipation Proclamation somehow had a role in making freedom for blacks
around the nation," Brown said. "During slavery, white people made black
people work even if they were sick."
State plays politics with throwaway, afterthought
She cannot tell us what she thinks because she's unable to talk. She can't
walk unless she's helped. Mentally retarded, autistic and suffering from
cerebral palsy and seizures, she weighs all of 88 pounds.
We only know her as J.D.S., but her life's trying circumstances have
catapulted the 22-year-old into one of the nation's most divisive issues:
abortion rights. She was raped at a state-licensed group home in Orlando,
but no one seemed to notice until a few weeks ago.
Now five months pregnant, she's at the mercy of the state. Her health, her
very life, hangs in the balance.
Mayor Delaney joins list of Florida politicos as university heads
JACKSONVILLE Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney, a popular leader whose
educational experience was limited to attending public schools and
colleges before getting into public life, was selected Tuesday as the new
president of the University of North Florida. The Board of Trustees, after
more than an hour of discussion, chose Delaney on a 11-2 vote.
Gov. Bush accused by Cuban official of working against Castro
TALLAHASSEE A spokeswoman for Gov. Jeb Bush discounted charges aired
Sunday by the president of the Cuban National Assembly that the Florida
governor is conspiring to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Ricardo Alarcon, appearing on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, said Bush is
urging his older brother, President Bush, to work toward Castro's ouster.
Cuba-U.S. relations have becoming increasingly strained in recent weeks
since the arrests and trials of Cuban dissidents and the expulsion of 14
Cuban diplomats from Washington and New York.
"Well, you have, first of all, those in Miami that are calling for even a
military action against Cuba, including the governor," Alarcon said.
Legislature: Democrats protest $7 million plan to buy Miami's Freedom
Tower
MIAMI State lawmakers are fighting over a provision of the House's
budget bill that sets aside $7 million for a school to buy this city's
Freedom Tower, with Democrats and even Republican Gov. Jeb Bush calling
the request pork spending. The Miami-Dade Community College wants to buy
the historic building to expand its downtown campus. Republican
representatives from Miami-Dade County say the college needs the space to
cope with skyrocketing enrollment.
Legislature: Lawmakers continue negotiations on budget
TALLAHASSEE The state House offered to compromise Tuesday on tuition
rates: Rather than giving state universities the power to increase tuition
by 12 1/2 percent, the House proposed a 12 percent cap. Half a percentage
point. That's still a far cry from the 7-1/2 percent tuition increase
contained in the Senate budget plan. So consensus on tuition one of the
biggest differences between the Senate and House continued to elude
state lawmakers, who are struggling to reach agreement on a $52 billion
budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Speaker's pet project imperils budget talks
Johnnie Byrd's plan for a USF Alzheimer's center is an unfair pork barrel
project in a year fraught with sacrifice, senators say.
'Looks like a stinker'
Bush threatens to veto a $20 fee on car insurance policies that slipped
unheralded through the Legislature and would go directly to agents'
pockets.
Highest immigration rate belongs to Dade
With immigrants arriving at a rate of 167 per day, Miami-Dade County has
the highest immigration rate of any metropolitan area in the country,
according to a U.S. Census survey released Tuesday.
Insulting speech is free speech after all
CLEARWATER - The people of Pinellas County can relax. It is not a jailing
offense anymore - at least not for now - to speak "disrespectfully" to the
County Commission.
Christie Whitman Resigns As EPA Chief
WASHINGTON - Christie Whitman, sometimes at odds with the Bush White House
over environmental issues and a lightning rod for the administration's
critics, resigned Wednesday as head of the Environmental Protection
Agency. Whitman had a history of clashing with the White House, starting
with the president's abrupt decision to withdraw from the international
global warming treaty.
The defense budget spills forth
Mammoth defense spending bills bloated with both new military technology
and obsolescent weaponry are being rushed to breakneck approval this week
as the administration exploits Congress' weakness for leaving no defense
contractor unrewarded. The costliest defense budget since the Cold War
more than $400 billion and counting is being gaveled through by the
Republican leadership in a breathtaking few days of glancing debate.
Controversial Defense program gets new name
Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
The Defense Department's Total Information Awareness program is now
Terrorism Information Awareness.
Master of the monster photo op
CBS-TV is making the latest stab at solving the mystery of Adolf Hitler,
in four hours Sunday night and Tuesday night. The mystery is how the
untalented artist got millions of people, who wanted no more than a stein
of beer and a game of skat, to follow him enthusiastically into aggression
and genocide....
...With no dissent, there could be no opposition.
He dazzled with dynamism. In power, he declared the League of Nations
irrelevant and withdrew. No one stopped him. He tore up treaties and
remilitarized the Rhineland. No one stopped him. He went to war. His
reasons didn't have to be reasonable. In a nation of ja-sayers, they only
had to be repeated constantly. He won, and who can argue with success?
Then he lost, and all the Nazis disappeared. In the rubble was a
third-rate mind with an inflamed ego and an uncanny talent for producing
strong images that fooled a nation....
State, feds, St. Joe plan to protect Panhandle wetlands
"PANAMA CITY The state's largest private land owner, The St. Joe Co., is
working with state and federal regulators on a massive plan to reduce and
offset wetland losses as the company develops vast holdings in the Florida
Panhandle.
The plan would cover about 60,000 acres in western Bay and southeastern
Walton counties where St. Joe owns about half the land. St. Joe would set
aside eight conservation areas, totaling about 9,300 acres, and two
mitigation areas, covering 9,000 acres, where wetlands would be restored,
enhanced or artificially built to make up for losses elsewhere.
It would take the largest general permit ever granted by the Army Corps of
Engineers in Florida and an ecosystem management agreement with the state
Department of Environmental Protection to put the plan into effect. Public
hearings will be held before either agency adopts the plan.
The draft plan is designed to provide heightened environmental protection
as well as predictability to government regulators and St. Joe, said Marie
Burns, chief of the North Permits Branch for the Corps of Engineers'
Jacksonville District.
She said the government benefits from the conservation and mitigation
areas, while St. Joe benefits from knowing that permitting for individual
projects would be streamlined.
The state agreement would be atypical in that it would be legally binding
and function as a permit. Other landowners within the permit area could
develop under the general permit, but would not be required to do so.
The general permit area borders the 73,000 acres that make up the West Bay
Sector Plan, a 100-year blueprint for development in that area, including
4,000 acres set aside for an airport. Permitting for sector plan
developments would be independent of the general permit although
conservation areas in both are linked."
Everglades judge stands his guard
U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler brings a deep faith and integrity to
his world of the law.
MIAMI - He needs help getting to the bench. He has had a hip replaced,
undergone heart surgery, even survived a massive stroke.
But 80-year-old U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler is hardly fading
away.
When the stroke paralyzed his right arm, Hoeveler taught himself to write
with his left hand. He's having a pool installed in his Coral Gables home
for physical therapy. Five days a week he's on the ninth floor of the
federal courthouse overseeing nearly 50 cases.
Now he has drawn a line in the sand over the Everglades and challenged
Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature to cross it. He did it, he said, because
"it's the right thing to do."
In a stinging four-page order, Hoeveler (pronounced HOOV-ler) lambasted
the Legislature for passing a sugar industry-backed bill that would extend
the deadline for cleaning up pollution in the Everglades from 2006 to
2013. Hoeveler wrote that he was "dismayed" that the Legislature would so
swiftly pass a bill so "clearly defective."
Too much sugar
Sentinel position: To please sugar interests, legislators
sacrificed the Everglades.
Restoration yields dividends
Take a trip
to any of this areas preserves or visit the yet-undeveloped lands, and
you will experience old Florida lush, often dense greenery sometimes
divided by a path or narrow road. In places like Princess Place Preserve
in Flagler County, you get a sense of Floridas ancient wilderness as well
as how the land has been developed, beginning with Spanish occupation.
There and elsewhere, such as Ponce Preserve in Volusia County, you will
find hints of what Florida was like when the Timucua natives lived here
centuries ago.
Environmentalists misrepresent Everglades bill
It's been two weeks since the Florida Legislature enacted legislation
amending the Everglades Forever Act to provide for continuing restoration
beyond December 2006. The same doomsday claims expressed by
environmentalists when the act was passed in 1994 are being screamed at us
now. (by Sen. al Lawson)
Inappropriately protected
Gov. Jeb Bush's opposition to abortion is sincere, but it has taken him
too far in the tragic matter of a young rape victim who is between five
and six months pregnant. The woman, who has no family to speak on her
behalf, is severely retarded, autistic and suffers from cerebral palsy and
seizure disorder. She cannot speak or walk without help and weighs only 88
pounds. She's so disabled that bringing a child to full term might
threaten her life. But the governor apparently doesn't want abortion to be
an option.
FCAT protest in Opa-Locka calls for moratorium on results
OPA LOCKA More than 3,000 parents, students, educators and community
leaders packed into a church Saturday to denounce the FCAT as they vowed
to pressure Gov. Jeb Bush to set aside this year's test results. The
meeting of the FCAT Protest Coalition at New Birth Baptist Church drew an
often-angry crowd who cheered speakers denouncing the assessment test as
unfair to minority students.
Florida's Bush: Statewide tests should inspire celebration, not boycotts
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday that statewide standardized
tests are showing improvement and keeping schools accountable, something
he believes should be celebrated, not boycotted.
Bush released results of the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test in the
face of protests from minority leaders who believe the exam is given too
much weight in deciding who graduates.
Ten questions that should be on FCAT test
The following are 10 timely questions for the next round of FCATs: 1. Pat
Tornillo, head of the financially strapped United Teachers of Dade, spent
more than $10,200 in union funds on a jaunt to the tropical island of St.
Bart's.
Class sizes just might be reduced
A week ago,
few would have guessed that Florida's public school children might
actually have fewer classmates come fall.But of all the issues legislators
face this special session, reducing the number of students in public
school classrooms is the one initiative that may materialize.Why?
Lawmakers must draw up a spending plan by May 27. Logic dictates they
can't cut class sizes without spending money. Politics dictates something
else -- if they don't get it done, legislators must confront the millions
of Floridians who voted last year to require fewer pupils per class.
So lo and behold, House members last week gave up on a plan to cut class
sizes by paying for more public school students to attend private
institutions. Their version, which prevented any agreement with the Senate
during the regular session, would have given tax dollars to parents to
send their children to private schools if the public schools their
children attended were too crowded. It would also have paid parents whose
children took classes at home on computer.
As devoted as House members are to voucher programs, they're no fools.
Senators weren't budging so long as the vouchers were included....
Byrd shuns history; will history forget him?
As he fights the Senate endlessly over money, nothing is too minor to
escape House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's attention.
Workers comp bill agreement reached
Under a deal demanded by Gov. Bush, the Senate will pass the House bill
next week.
Insurance-only session best policy
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Lawmakers have no business trying to write laws on the subject until most of
them understand the differences.
House, Senate close in on budget
By JIM ASH and KIMBERLY MILLER , Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Both chambers easily approved their plans and will meet in conference Sunday
afternoon.
House, Senate pass budget bills
House budget draws from bond debt
Over the objections of Democrats who decried "credit-card conservatives" and
tax cuts for the greedy at the expense of the needy, the
Republican-controlled House and Senate on Friday passed different, but
equally austere, budgets.
Legislature: House again passes prescription drug help for seniors
TALLAHASSEE The House passed a measure Friday to provide deep discounts
on prescription drugs for about a quarter million low-income seniors in
Florida but the idea didn't appear to have much support in the Senate
because of its cost.
Legislature: Senate passes class size bill, expects House to agree
TALLAHASSEE The state Senate unanimously passed a bill Friday to start
implementing class size reductions ordered by voters last fall.
The House was expected to pass the legislation next week and Gov. Jeb Bush
has said he likes the compromise the two sides have worked out.
Legislature pushes through flurry of bills
By Jim Ash, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Gov. Bush's agenda for the special session is expanded.
Legislature: The day in Tallahassee
(Saturday)
Legislature: The day in Tallahassee (Friday)
Florida, Georgia and Alabama close to reaching water sharing deal
TALLAHASSEE The governors of Florida, Georgia and Alabama said Friday
they have almost completed an agreement on how to share water from three
rivers flowing through their states, saying the major point to discuss now
is the length of the agreement.
The three states have been arguing for more than a decade over the water
flowing through the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, but the
Republican governors expressed hope that an agreement would be in place by
a July 31 deadline.
Florida Philharmonic Orchestra files for bankruptcy protection
FORT LAUDERDALE The Florida Philharmonic Orchestra filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection Wednesday, seeking to protect its assets for
eventual sale to anyone who might want to start another orchestra.
People 'languish' on lists
Stephanie Thomas signed up her 2-year-old daughter for state-subsidized
child care as soon as she was born. A single parent who works full time,
Thomas still is waiting for help.
Grassroots effort pushes to save slice of Florida history
DELAND The large painting of a beautiful young ballerina on water skis
hangs in the dining room of the Holiday House. Diners often say the image
reminds them of one of Florida's quintessential tourist attractions
Cypress Gardens. Willa McGuire Cook hopes such pictures won't be the only
remnants of the Winter Haven attraction, where the gates closed April 13
after 67 years. Cook, owner of the Holiday House, painted the
self-portrait as a reminder of her glory days as a member of the
attraction's famed ski team from 1949 to 1959.
Group's goal: save Cypress Gardens
Park struggled for decades
The large painting of a beautiful young ballerina on water skis hangs in
the dining room of the Holiday House. Diners often say the image reminds
them of one of Florida's quintessential tourist attractions -- Cypress
Gardens.
Conserving a green group's public image
WASHINGTON -- The Arlington, Va.-based Nature Conservancy has blossomed
into the world's richest environmental group, amassing $3 billion in
assets by pledging to save precious places. Known for its advertisements
decorated with forests, streams and the soothing voice of actor Paul
Newman, the 52-year-old charity preserves millions of acres across the
nation.
Yet the Conservancy has logged forests, engineered a $64 million deal
paving the way for opulent houses on fragile grasslands and drilled for
natural gas under the last breeding ground of an endangered bird species.
Manatee speed-zone ruling appealed
FORT MYERS State wildlife officials have appealed a judge's ruling that
threw out manatee speed zones in Lee County waters as unconstitutional.
Marine patrol officers will now be able to enforce speed limits put in
place in certain zones to protect the endangered sea cows, at least until
the appeal is heard. "It's back to status quo," said Capt. Denis Grealish,
who heads the Fort Myers field office of the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission.
Health alerts on the increase at Florida beaches
Warnings to "swim at your own risk" because of bacterial pollution along
Florida's beaches have risen significantly in recent years, and
environmentalists say the warnings are overdue and reveal the extent of
pollution along coastal waters.
Florida's beach warnings and closures increased 30 percent to 686 in 2001
from 527 in 2000, according to a state survey.
Success on the Kissimmee
By Sally Swartz, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
How Florida benefits from turning a drainage canal back into a river.
State proposes eradicating feral cats from public lands
GAINESVILLE State officials say feral cats pose a danger to protected
wildlife and have proposed a policy of eradicating them on public lands.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would also
discourage feral cat caretaking and neutering programs such as Operation
Catnip at the University of Florida. Feral cats are the offspring of
domesticated cats which have reverted to a wild state.
NAACP evaluates progress since '54
Forty-nine years ago the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools
were "inherently unequal" and therefore illegal.
The landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education set the tone for
other civil rights battles, but today, many think that racial disparities
are a persistent problem in public schools around the nation.
Compassionate racism
As newspaper editors convened emergency denial-control
meetings and minority journalists circled their wagons, New York Times
Executive Editor Howell Raines went ahead and admitted what was obvious to
anyone without a blankie over his head: Of course it's about race.
Read it and weep: A trusted news source finds itself betrayed
When The New York Times published an epic expose last week detailing the
misdeeds of Jayson Blair, a disgraced and now former Times reporter,
connoisseurs of America's news media couldn't help but wince.
Organizations ready for Emancipation Day
Nearly 140 years ago, enslaved blacks in Florida learned that their lives
and their descendants' lives would be forever changed. They were told they
no longer had to endure the inhumanity and drudgery of slavery.
Nelson wants full disclosure of shuttle probe
ORLANDO U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said he will seek full disclosure of
information gathered in the Columbia space shuttle investigation, even if
Congress has to use its subpoena power to get it. The Columbia Accident
Investigation Board has offered confidentiality to the more than 200
witnesses interviewed so far as part of its military-style investigation
into what caused the shuttle to break up over Texas on Feb. 1.
Professors' group says Al-Arian's academic rights violated
TAMPA Despite a former University of South Florida professor's
indictment on terrorism charges, a national group influential in higher
education has concluded the university violated the professor's academic
rights by firing him.
A committee of the American Association of University Professors said in a
report made public Thursday that USF disregarded Sami Al-Arian's rights of
due process in February by firing him before he had a chance to defend
himself in court.
Childers sentenced to 3-1/2 years in Escambia bribery case
CRESTVIEW Former Florida Senate President W.D. Childers was sentenced to
3-1/2 years in prison Friday for bribing a fellow Escambia County
commissioner with a cooking pot filled with cash to vote for buying a
disused soccer complex in Pensacola.
A jury last month convicted Childers, once one of Florida's most powerful
politicians, of bribery and unlawful compensation for an official act. He
was ordered to complete 250 hours of community service and 1-1/2 years
probation after he finishes the sentence.
Texas rodeo politics
After they spent four days evading Texas Rangers, state troopers and
Homeland Security bureaucrats, the notorious "Killer D's" - 51
quorum-busting Democrats - returned to Austin on Friday. Their high-stakes
rendezvous in a Denny's just across the Oklahoma border was successful,
not just for the Democratic Texas House members, but for the issues that
drove them to such drastic action.
Southern wind lifts Bush, buffets Democrats
The South, it seems, is a little different from the rest
of America.
Bush formally launches reelection bid
By Bob Deans, Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
The president plans to begin fund-raising in June, trying to raise $200
million.
Democrats reject return to liberalism
By Scott Shepard, Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
Democratic Leadership Council officials Thursday cautioned the party's
presidential candidates about drifting back to its liberal origins.
Paul Krugman: How is the war on terror going?
The central dogma of American politics right now is that George W. Bush,
whatever his other failings, has been an effective leader in the fight
against terrorism. But the more you know about the state of the world, the
less you believe that dogma. The Iraq war, in particular, did nothing to
make America safer in fact, it did the terrorists a favor.
How is the war on terror going? You know about the Riyadh bombings. But
something else happened this week: The International Institute for Strategic
Studies, a respected British think tank with no discernible anti-Bush
animus, declared that al-Qaida is "more insidious and just as dangerous" as
it was before Sept. 11. So much for claims that we had terrorists on the
run.
Still, isn't the Bush administration doing its best to fight terrorism? No.
Service First goes to court
Gov. Jeb Bush unconstitutionally snatched away the right of state
employees to negotiate work rules, the union representing most state
workers told an appeals court Tuesday.
Gov. Bush heads to Washington to discuss Everglades
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush will go to Washington Wednesday to talk with
members of Congress about a state bill that critics say would thwart
state-federal efforts to clean up the Everglades. The measure, awaiting
his signature, changes standards and deadlines for cleaning the River of
Grass, letting restoration take years longer than
originally planned.
Everglades bill bedevils Bush
Gov. Jeb Bush suggested Tuesday that he might back down
from signing a controversial Everglades cleanup bill into law.
Governor counters critics of Glades bill
He'll meet today with leaders in D.C.
On the eve of a showdown with congressional critics over his controversial
Everglades bill, Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday launched a public-relations
campaign to stem some of that criticism.
Graham seeks president's commitment on Everglades
By Larry Lipman, Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
The Senator wants assurances of help no matter what happens with a
controversial state bill.
Hoeveler: Watered-down cleanup 'clearly defective'
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Special master to protect Everglades interests.
Governor hears from public on pending legislation
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush said he plans to sign legislation delaying the
deadline for Everglades cleanup and enabling telephone companies to
increase basic rates, but opponents are still trying to change his mind.
The bills are among hundreds passed in the legislative session that come
before the governor for a signature in the next few weeks, but only a few
are the subject of intense lobbying for him to sign or veto.
Aides to Bush said there have been thousands of letters, phone calls and
e-mails on the phone-rate and Everglades issues, but the numbers were
typical for high-profile legislation. They were unable to provide a
breakdown of calls for and against.
A newspaper poll released Sunday, however, said 84 percent of those
surveyed wanted Bush to veto the phone-rate bill and 56 percent wanted the
Everglades bill vetoed.
Dade's voting software fails tests
ES&S' fixes not certified by state
The company being paid millions of dollars to run Miami-Dade's high-tech
voting machines has failed to win state approval for its plan to fix the
problems that led, in part, to last year's bungled primary elections.
Foul phone legislation
If Gov. Jeb Bush reads his mail, he should know by now what an enormous
mistake he made in promising to sign the telephone rate increase, Senate
Bill 654. It is a promise he should not keep. In a five-page letter sent
to the governor and released to the public, Michael B. Twomey of Florida
Utility Watch Inc., documented how the bill is actually much worse than
the version Bush vetoed last year.
Jeb & Co.: Always room for tax cuts
Two weeks before school's out in much of Florida, legislators are back in
Tallahassee trying to come up with a budget that House Speaker Johnnie
Byrd insists must live within the state's means.
Byrd says this is no time to raise taxes. If this were a strong economy,
it wouldn't be a good time, either.
College tuition increases proposed
By S.V. Dαte and Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Plans would increase college tuitions 7.5 percent while simultaneously
capping enrollments at schools.
Universities get back some funding
The line may get longer
State university presidents Tuesday welcomed the news that House leaders
decided to return $67.6 million - more than half of its previous cut - to
university budgets.
State gets D energy grade
Florida may be the Sunshine State, but the state isn't getting high marks
for using solar power or other renewable energy sources.
Stop weaseling on records
Palm Beach Post Editorial
A two-thirds vote by both chambers is required for lawmakers to restrict
access to public records - period.
Taking the public for dummies
By Jac Wilder VerSteeg, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Lobbyists, commissioners work off same script.
Bush orders DCF to seek guardian for rape victim's fetus
ORLANDO Gov. Jeb Bush ordered state lawyers Tuesday to seek the
appointment of a guardian for the 6-month-old fetus of a mentally disabled
woman who was raped, overruling child welfare officials who said such an
appointment would be illegal. A Department of Children & Families attorney,
citing earlier court decisions on abortion, had told a newspaper that the
state would seek to have a guardian appointed for the woman during a
Wednesday court hearing but not the fetus.
Back off spectacle
Sentinel's position: Gov. Bush has legally erred in wanting
a guardian for a fetus.
Guardian sought for unborn child
Severely disabled woman was raped; Bush's
move likely to fuel debate
Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that he would ask an Orlando judge to appoint a
guardian for the unborn child of a severely disabled rape victim receiving
care from the state, a move likely to spark another round of debate over
abortion rights.
Parole commission chairman resigns; FDLE probe of panel under way
TALLAHASSEE Florida Parole Commission Chairman Jimmie Henry has resigned,
citing personal and family reasons, while law enforcement agents confirmed
Monday that they're looking into unspecified allegations involving the
commission stemming from an audit.
Routine audit led to Parole Commission probe
A routine audit of the Florida Parole Commission sparked a probe by the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement that, in turn, apparently led to the
resignation of Chairman Jimmie Lee Henry.
Florida prepaid college money can again be invested in tobacco
TALLAHASSEE The State Board of Administration agreed Tuesday to let the
Florida Prepaid College Board, which has a $3.5 billion portfolio, buy
tobacco stocks again if it sees them as good investments. Such investments
were banned in 1997 when then-Gov. Lawton Chiles was in the midst of a
lawsuit that netted the state more than $13 billion from tobacco companies.
Plans
announced for economic boycott unless FCAT reassessed
MIAMI Church leaders and other community activists have announced plans to
organize an economic boycott of key Florida industries unless Gov. Jeb Bush
and other state officials reassess the significance of the Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Legislature: House adds 30 measures to what it will try to do during special
session
TALLAHASSEE The one-issue special session could soon expand to 31 issues.
During the second day of a special session Gov. Jeb Bush called to finish
the budget, the House voted to take up 30 other measures ranging from
putting into place a voter-ordered smoking ban to a key elections law needed
to bring in federal money. The Senate must be persuaded to take up the bills
too and would need a two-thirds vote of its membership to do that.
Legislature: House panel debates scaling back teacher career ladder
TALLAHASSEE A plan to give public school teachers bonuses or salary hikes
of up to $10,000 could be dramatically scaled back to help lawmakers resolve
differences in reaching agreement on a $52.3 billion state budget. Lawmakers
discussed overhauling a $315 million career ladder for teachers, sought by
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, by limiting the initiative to a few school
districts and slashing its cost to $20 million.
Legislature:
House working on workers' compensation, no-fault auto insurance
TALLAHASSEE The House added workers' compensation and no-fault auto
insurance reform to the special session agenda Tuesday and a committee began
taking testimony on the two issues, which lawmakers were unable to resolve
in the 60-day regular session. The Senate hasn't yet voted to take up the
issues, but Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville, said Monday he is
willing to do so.
Legislature: Special session cost to Florida citizens is high, but how high?
TALLAHASSEE The state is paying a high price to bring lawmakers back for a
special session, but the exact figure is tough to pin down. Many estimate
the cost at $40,000 a day, but that figure has been used for more than 20
years. It also presumes lawmakers are spending only $250 a day for lodging,
food, transportation and other expenses for themselves and their staff, not
to mention the cost to the House and Senate for such things as printing
bills and the budget, and increasing security.
State Farm seeks 58 percent average hike for Florida mobile homes
TALLAHASSEE State Farm Florida is seeking an average 57.8 percent increase
and as much as 197.8 percent in mobile home insurance premiums in
Florida. The company said the rate hike is being sought because of the
increase in "non-catastrophe losses," said spokesman Tom Hagerty. "It's not
losses from hurricanes or tornadoes or wildfire; it is your regular, average
everyday losses," he said. "It's fires, lightning strikes, burglary, burst
water pipes things of that nature."
Manatee advocates, boaters to square off at hearings
TAMPA The battle between Florida boaters and manatee conservationists will
heat up again this week when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds
hearings on proposed speed limits for three popular waterways also
frequented by the endangered sea cows.
Mutation may explain mosquitoes' insecticide resistance
Scientists have discovered the same genetic mutation in 11 types of West
Nile- and malaria-spreading mosquitoes a mutation that may explain their
growing immunity to insecticides.
The findings could give chemical companies a molecular target for new
insecticides to combat mosquitoes no longer kept in check by existing
chemicals.
Paul Krugman: The China syndrome
A funny thing happened during the Iraq war: Many Americans turned to the
BBC for their TV news. They were looking for an alternative point of view
something they couldn't find on domestic networks, which, in the words
of the BBC's director general, "wrapped themselves in the American flag
and substituted patriotism for impartiality."
Leave aside the rights and wrongs of the war itself, and consider the
paradox. The BBC is owned by the British government, and one might have
expected it to support that government's policies. In fact, however, it
tried hard too hard, its critics say to stay impartial. America's TV
networks are privately owned, yet they behaved like state-run media.
Graham: Iraq focus helped Al-Qaeda
By Larry Lipman, Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau
The Bush administration has allowed a resurgence of Al-Qaeda by focusing
on Saddam Hussein, Sen. Bob Graham said.
Graham assails White House as secretive
By Brian Crowley, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
The administration withholds information to hide failures before and after
Sept. 11, Sen. Bob Graham says.
U.S. judge orders Special Master for Everglades cleanup dispute
MIAMI A federal judge Friday ordered the appointment of a special master
to oversee compliance to Everglades water cleanup deadlines and said that
he intends to enforce the current agreement, even if Gov. Jeb Bush signs a
bill that critics say could stall restoration and jeopardize $4 billion in
federal aid.
Bush, the president's brother, has said he supports the $450 million state
bill that overwhelmingly passed the state Legislature last week despite
criticism from environmentalists and at least seven members of Congress,
several of them Republicans.
It puts into law strict technical standards for how clean the water in the
massive ecosystem must be while spelling out what happens if those
standards can't be scientifically met by a 2006 deadline.
Urge Gov. Bush to veto bill that will kill Everglades Restoration
The Conservancy opposes the "Everglades Wait Forever Act"
(SB626), which delays pollution cleanup in the Everglades for at least 10
years (from 2006 to 2016) and changes the phosphorous cleanup standard
from a firm 10 parts per billion to an uncertain "maximum extent
practicable." The Conservancy and other environmental groups have
unanimously opposed this bill and its even worse companion in the House
since they sprung from the pens of sugar lobbyists during the middle of
the legislative session.
Sugar groups sway votes
Industry was fighting Everglades deadline
It was an impressive display of political power. When the sugar industry
proposed state legislation to delay the cleanup of the Everglades, the
idea was attacked by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. It was
denounced at the top of The New York Times' editorial page. A federal
judge threatened to intervene.
Foul phone legislation
If Gov. Jeb Bush reads his mail, he should know by now what an enormous
mistake he made in promising to sign the telephone rate increase, Senate
Bill 654. It is a promise he should not keep. In a five-page letter sent
to the governor and released to the public, Michael B. Twomey of Florida
Utility Watch Inc., documented how the bill is actually much worse than
the version Bush vetoed last year.
Gambling industry would be happy to addict us all
"My gambling days are over," says William Bennett. Right. And I will never
eat another doughnut. Fact is, humans are weak and temptations are strong.
Gambling is one of the strongest. Which is why Bennett, the author of
every virtue best seller except the Bible, found himself losing $8 million
yet claiming he did it to "relax." If it is truly relaxing to lose $8
million, it must feel like a day at the spa to go bankrupt.
Fate of class-size cap unsure
More than six months after Florida voters demanded
smaller class sizes in their public schools, the state has yet to do
anything about it.
Picketers, officials fear education cuts; Bush says not to worry
TALLAHASSEE -- As she protested outside state Rep. Pat Patterson's office
last week, 15-year-old Sarah Brown worried about the future of her
education.
The DeLand High School freshman said she fears lawmakers will pass a
bare-bones budget this month that could force cuts in arts courses and
sports programs and possibly lead to more students dropping out. The fears
spurred her and dozens of Volusia County students, teachers, parents and
school board members to picket Patterson's office....
No-fly zones shield Disney's resorts
Walt Disney Co. won a rare prize on the eve of the Iraq war when federal
officials permanently closed the airspace above its theme parks in Florida
and California -- ostensibly to protect against terrorist attacks.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland now have 24-hour security zones that put
them on par with a select few potential targets in the United States,
including President Bush's Texas ranch, nuclear submarine bases and
stockpiles of sarin gas and other weapons of mass destruction.
Without public debate or even a request from the new Homeland Security
Department, Congress bent its own rules to help Disney secure the no-fly
zones at the urging of at least one well-connected company lobbyist.
Seeing the value of drug courts
One can certainly sympathize with Gov. Jeb Bush when he gets choked up
talking about his daughter's experiences in an Orlando drug court. Noelle
Bush has been receiving treatment as a result of an arrest last year for
trying to fraudulently obtain the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Gov. Bush
became a little emotional - and understandably so - on Wednesday while
speaking to drug court graduates. In acknowledging the value of these
programs, Bush said he hoped to soon be attending a graduation ceremony
for one of his own. But what he didn't say is that he would guarantee the
continuation of drug courts at state expense for all of Florida's families
who confront this difficulty and would go to the mat with the Legislature
to protect their funding.
State needs the Senate to confront House bully
If Jim King surrenders this week, Florida loses.
Mr. King is president of the state Senate. He's been a legislator for 17
years. He's embarrassed that the Legislature spent 60 days doing almost
nothing. Starting Monday, the Legislature will go into special session for
15 days and try at least to pass a budget. This is no time for Sen. King
to back down.
Throughout those 60 days, Sen. King tried to reason with the bully who
runs the House, Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City. Sen. King wanted to
spend a little more on education and public services, and his accounting
was a little less dishonest than Rep. Byrd's. But the bully wouldn't
negotiate.
Voters direct scorn at lagging Legislature
TALLAHASSEE - Florida voters are disgusted with the Legislature.
They don't think lawmakers spend enough on education. But they do not
support general tax increases.
Those are some of the findings of a St. Petersburg Times poll, which
showed voters believe Gov. Jeb Bush is doing a good job.
They do, however, want Bush to veto two key pieces of legislation he
supports: raising phone rates and delaying the cleanup of the Everglades.
Legislature's gridlock provokes voter disdain
By Jim Ash, Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
A statewide poll reveals sharp disapproval of Florida lawmakers after this
spring's failed session.
Do-little Legislature disgusts most voters
Most despised bill? Phone-rate hike
Months of infighting and indecision have landed Florida's Republican-led
Legislature in the doghouse of public opinion, according to a new poll
conducted for The Herald and two other newspapers.
Mary Jo Melone:
How to get to Hypocrite Street? Follow the Big Byrd
Who could blame Johnnie Byrd? The man he watched succumb to Alzheimer's
disease was hardly the man Byrd knew to call his dad.
Lucy Morgan:
Press heaps criticism on fractious Legislature
If insults were dollars, the Legislature wouldn't have trouble finding
money for the state's $52-billion budget.
State lawmakers continue to ignore directives from Floridas voters
It isnt
easy being a Florida voter. In the halls of the Legislature, no one is
less respected.
Legislature: Term limits contribute to session breakdown
TALLAHASSEE
State lawmakers aren't known for their smooth finishes. Major legislation
often bounces back and forth between the House and Senate as the regular
two-month session winds down and is only resolved in the final days and
minutes. But they usually finish up and go home. That hasn't happened the
past two years and many believe term limits is a major reason. Florida was
among the states that rode the term-limits wave of the 1990s.
Tallahassee, I presume?
By Tom Blackburn, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
The 2003 Legislature is lost to inexperience because of 1992's term-limit
amendment.
Lawmakers reach deal on some spending
Education among allocations negotiators
agree upon
In the first deal reached since the meltdown of the regular legislative
session, House and Senate negotiators agreed Friday on how much money will
be allocated to education, criminal justice and other major categories of
next year's $52.2 billion state budget.
Black caucus writes to Bush
Group is pushing civil-rights measure
The Legislature's black caucus asked Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday to have
lawmakers consider a bill giving the attorney general expanded powers to
prosecute businesses for civil-rights violations during an upcoming special
session.
Lawmakers send anti-corruption bill to Bush
Florida public officials convicted of bribery or peddling their influence
will no longer be able to skate with light punishments like probation.
After three prior years of failure in the Republican Legislature despite
strong backing from Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida lawmakers passed The Paul
Mendelson Citizens' Right to Honest Government Act during the closing week
of the 2003 session.
Faith-based foster care stirs debate
By Kathleen Chapman, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Some are unnerved that Place of Hope gets state money and teaches
Christian theology to state foster children.
Insurers frame workers' comp change
Lawyers appear to have lost the battle, in which lobbyists and money
shaped legislation overhauling the system.
Childers' political career may end with jail term
W.D. Childers supplemented his teacher's pay by doing roofing and
door-to-door sales before becoming co-owner of a toy store as the Hula
Hoop craze hit the Panhandle.
Board paid to ensure secrecy
NASA quietly put 5 civilian members of the Columbia
investigating board on its payroll.
Civilian members of the board investigating the shuttle Columbia disaster
-- outsiders who were added to reassure Congress and the public that the
board would be fully independent of the space agency -- are actually being
paid executive-level salaries by NASA.
The agency quietly put the five civilians on the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration payroll, at pay rates of $134,000 a year, in order to
take advantage of provisions that allow boards composed exclusively of
"federal employees" to conduct their business in secret.
A homeland-security charade
I f Attorney General John Ashcroft honestly believes that Haitian migrants
pose a potential terrorist threat to the United States, he's loonier than
his harshest critics have suggested.
Election 2004: Graham, other Dems focus on health care, economy
DES MOINES,
Iowa Health care and the economy dominated Saturday as Florida
Sen. Bob Graham and two other candidates for the Democratic presidential
nomination sought to carve out differences with each other and the rest of
a crowded field of rivals. Graham arrived in Iowa with plans to conduct
yet another of his "workdays," where he works the jobs of ordinary voters.
Brogan says scheduling conflict keeps him from budget tour
BOCA RATON Many of Florida's university presidents are touring the state
this week in an effort to convince lawmakers that a proposed budget cut of
as much as $140 million presents a huge threat to the quality of higher
education.
The group made appearances Thursday in Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami and
Tampa. However, one of the state's 11 university presidents was
conspicuously absent former lieutenant governor Frank Brogan, who assumed
the presidency of Florida Atlantic University two months ago.
University presidents seek to sell out schools
Palm Beach Post Editorial
PR tour through state is more bad politics.
Community college presidents tell Bush funding isn't keeping pace with
enrollment
ORLANDO Florida's community college presidents told Gov. Jeb Bush Friday
that funding for the schools isn't keeping pace with enrollment.
Presidents from most of Florida's 28 community colleges told the governor
that current funding proposals don't take into account the enormous growth
the system is experiencing. Lawmakers are convening next week for a special
session to reach an agreement on a state budget.
Florida inspectors find fruit fly larvae in Mexican peppers
PINELLAS PARK
Potentially damaging Mexican fruit fly larvae have been found in
hot peppers shipped to Florida from Mexico, agriculture officials said
Friday. State agriculture officials are asking produce markets and shoppers
to help contain the pest before it can infect citrus crops.
Florida Philharmonic shuts down because of budget shortfall
BOCA RATON
The financially strapped Florida Philharmonic suspended operations Saturday
after officials failed to come up with $500,000 to pay their musicians for
the next month. The orchestra's 80 musicians were told not to come into
rehearsal Saturday or to work Monday. But the organization has not yet filed
for bankruptcy, spokesman Bill Underwood said.
Finish election reform
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Failure of the Help America Vote Act is a contender for worst example of
legislative ineptitude.
Executive benefits
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Late bulletins from the class war indicate that the stronger side continues
to rack up victories. Among other things, IRS to target working poor.
If you're peddling virtue, you can't very well indulge in a vice
Those who excuse William Bennett's gambling problem as his own or spin that
it's some silly political game of "gotcha" do a good man a disservice.
Addicts of all kinds -- those consumed by alcohol or drugs or the ones who
seek sex in all the wrong places -- know there's a period of denial after
the great fall and then comes the hard truth: Any addiction not only can
damage you, physically, spiritually, even financially, but it also hurts
those you love.
I would like to believe that was Bennett's motivation when he finally
promised that his gambling days are over. He came clean only after being
outed by Newsweek and Washington Monthly. They reported that the former
education secretary, drug czar and respected conservative author of The Book
of Virtues gambled millions of dollars over the past decade, losing some $8
million.
Bill
Bennett Rolls Snake Eyes On His Reputation
DANIEL RUTH
Why, there hasn't been this much clucking since they held auditions for
``Chicken Run.''
After all, this country's national pastime isn't baseball. It's the always
delightful blood sport of reveling in the fall from grace of hypocritical
public figures hoisted on their own petards of hubris....
... So imagine the glee, the delight, the unabashed joy at the news that
former drug czar and self-coronated arbiter of righteousness William Bennett
had accumulated $8 million in high-stakes gambling losses over the past
decade.
Paul Krugman: Into the sunset
Chutzpah, according to the classic definition, is when you murder your
parents, then ask for sympathy because you're an orphan. But what do we call
it if, after you are placed with foster parents, you try the same thing all
over again?
I ask this question in light of the tax-cut package the House is expected to
pass on Friday a package that relies on exactly the same bait-and-switch
tactics used to sell the 2001 tax cut. Since the scam involved in the 2001
tax cut remains one of the wonders of modern political economy, it is a
measure of our leaders' contempt for the intelligence of the public or
maybe for the press that they think they can use the same tricks a second
time.
Massive changes for state parks may be on horizon
Last week's resignation of the Florida state parks director has exposed a
power struggle that could shake the award-winning state parks system to
its roots.
Wendy Spencer, 42, expected to leave her position as head of the Florida
Park Service on June 30, was asked to leave, sources said, after butting
heads with her bosses at the Department of Environmental Protection.
Some legislators and park supporters say her departure and a plan to
reorganize the parks division has them fearful the department intends to
privatize more of the parks system, which has already shifted jobs such as
mowing and maintenance to private companies in the last couple of years.
Park boosters worry what the turmoil could mean for state treasures such
as pristine springs, historic plantations and ancient sugar mills.
Several lawmakers are so angry they say they want to take control of the
park system away from the environmental protection department and turn it
over to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services instead.
Bush to consult some in Congress before signing Everglades bill
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday he will soon sign a
controversial Everglades bill unless Washington lawmakers give him a good
reason not to...
Howard Dean urges Gov. Bush to veto Everglades legislation
MIAMI Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean called on Gov. Jeb
Bush to veto a bill dealing with the restoration of the Everglades
Thursday joining others in his party in opposition to the plan. Dean, the
former Vermont governor, said the legislation, approved last week in the
Florida Legislature, would weaken the 1994 "Everglades Forever Act" passed
by Congress that funds half of the $8 billion clean up of the fragile
South Florida ecosystem. "This is another example of the Bush brothers'
rhetoric not matching reality. The Everglades are a national resource we
must fight to protect," Dean said in a statement...
Struhs wins, cable sins, budget din, Paul grins
Four quick subjects over coffee...
Tallahassee weasels sell out Glades
...Why no commitment from the state's leadership to an environmental jewel
that's like no other in the nation?
Maybe because so many of them didn't grow up here, Florida's leaders have
still to this day no deep stake in what happens to this state except for
the expectation of quickie tax cuts for their pricey golf carts and other
playthings for the rich.
Those of us who grew up here -- who still remember Florida's simple joys,
like the sight of a dolphin leaping off the coast of the Florida Keys near
the southern tip of the Glades or the gurgling of Central Florida's cold
springs-fed Wekiva River or the sugary sand of the pristine northwest
beaches off the Gulf -- are sick of the pathetic posturing that passes for
leadership nowadays in Tallahassee...
Bush set to hear critics of Glades bill
He wants to sign sugar-backed plan
Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday that he is poised to sign a controversial
Everglades bill into law unless his congressional critics can convince him
that it will endanger an $8 billion restoration project. ...
State's environmental ombudsman quietly exits post
Environmentalists have issued an all-points bulletin for Benji Brumberg,
the state's public advocate within the Department of Environmental
Protection...
Voting-machine vendor criticized
MIAMI - The provider of the touch-screen voting machines used in last
year's botched primary elections misled officials about the equipment, a
government study said.
The 41-page draft report by the Miami-Dade
