Welcome to The Dean’s List — an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida’s political achievers were (and weren’t) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor’s or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.
THOSE WHO MADE THE LIST
U.S. Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla. The Republican congressman turned U.S. Senate candidate tells HUD to get its act together or he will move to take away federal money from one of their programs. This past summer, the federal Inspector General’s Office reported that more than 25,000 residents who live in public housing made too much money to be subsidized by the federal government. Jolly’s looking to cut $104 million from HUD, insisting that money’s being wasted on people who don’t need public housing. It’s the right call and Jolly should be commended for trying to stop those who game the public housing system.
Florida Economist Amy Baker. The Dean’s List doesn’t always see eye to eye with state economist Amy Baker and her views on Florida’s economy. But her recent comments on job expansion are over the target. Noting that Gov. Rick Scott is luring companies to Florida from other states, Baker says the governor should focus more on small businesses and entrepreneurs that are already based in the state. There are plenty of ways of doing this, such as eliminating the manufacturing tax and reducing the sales tax on commercial leases. Thankfully, this is exactly what’s on Scott’s agenda in the months to come.
Lake County Commission. Last yeat, the Lake County Commission voted 3-2 to raise property taxes by 13.8 percent. But this year, it’s a different story. The commission voted 4-0 to reduce property taxes. Though there will be $15 million less in this year’s budget than there was back in 2008, housing values have increased by 5.6 percent and the county is still able to maintain services and increase money for projects.
THOSE WHO DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. The Florida Democrat did not break with party lines and voted against the “Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act.” The bill would have increased penalties for illegal immigrants who come back into the U.S. after they’ve been deported. The legislation would have also stripped federal money going to sanctuary cities that refuse to comply with immigration laws. The Center for Immigration Studies says there are 340 sanctuary cities in the U.S.
The South Florida AFL-CIO. Cynthia Hernandez, a spokeswoman for this labor group, is a vocal advocate of increasing the minimum wage and promoting a “living wage.” Saying she’s frustrated with the Republican leadership in Tallahassee for not moving on this issue, Hernandez wants to see more wage theft ordinances pushed in Florida and is calling for Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to start prosecuting companies that cheat their employees. Earth to Hernandez: lawsuits dealing with wage theft is an EEOC issue; that’s not Bondi’s responsibility.
Ed Dean, is a senior editor with Sunshine State News whose talk show can be heard on radio stations in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Daytona Beach, Orlando, the Space Coast, the Treasure Coast and South Florida from West Palm Beach to Miami. It can also be heard in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. You can reach him at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
