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Slip-and-Fall Bill Passes House, Moves in Senate

March 18, 2010 - 7:00pm

Legislation shifting the burden of proof from retailer to plaintiff in slip-and-fall cases overwhelmingly passed the House Thursday and took a step toward passage in the Senate.

Proponents of the legislation say their bills shift Floridas law back to where it was before 2001. In that year, the Florida Supreme Court ruled in Owens vs. Publix that the burden of proof in such tort cases was on retailers. The next year, lawmakers adopted legislation that fell in line with the court's ruling.

Lawyers Take a Hit in the House

Submitted by Anonymous on March 18, 2010 - 1:22pm

Is the trial bar on the ropes? Today's House approval of contingency caps suggests that lawyers' clout at the Legislature may be waning.

HB 437, which tightens the use and payment of private attorneys working on behalf of the state, passed 71-40. Similar bills have gone down to defeat in past sessions.

Action now moves to the Senate, where companion measure, SB 712, awaits.

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Senate Passes Bill Restricting Adoption Agencies from Asking About Guns

Submitted by Kevin Derby on March 18, 2010 - 12:58pm

Sen. Thad Altman's push to prevent adoption agencies from asking prospective parents if they own guns made headway Thursday.

Altman and gun rights advocates pointed out that social workers documenting people who own guns is a violation of Florida law and their second amendment rights.

According to Altman, the questioning also made some prospective adoptive families decide against adopting U.S.-born children, because adoption agencies outside the U.S. don't ask.

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St. Joe Company To Move Headquarters

Submitted by Kevin Derby on March 18, 2010 - 12:13pm

The St. Joe Company has announced it will move its headquarters from Jacksonville to Panama City by the summer 2011.

The company's new headquarters will be located adjacent to the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, which is being built on 4,000 acres of land.

"What this means to Panama City and the surrounding areas is jobs," Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, said. "This move signals that our region is poised for growth once Florida's economy gets back on track."

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House authorizes Affiliated Party Committees, Democrats and Shakespeare's ghost weep

Submitted by Kevin Derby on March 18, 2010 - 11:54am

The House just passed legislation that allows the Senate president, House speaker and minority leaders to create Affiliated Party Committees, or "leadership funds" depending on who you ask.

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Political Bits and Pieces

Kevin Derby

March 18, 2010 - 7:00pm

GOP attorney general candidate Pam Bondi is holding a fundraiser in DC with two of the big-name Florida Republicans behind her. Make that one name in two

Bad Day for Trial Lawyers in the House

Submitted by Kevin Derby on March 18, 2010 - 10:21am

Two losses for the trial lawyers in the Florida House.

This morning, the House overwhelmingly voted in favor of measures to limit fees for lawyers working on behalf of the state outside the Attorney Generals office. House members on both sides invoked the tobacco lawsuit which brought the state $13 billion of which $3 billion ended up in attorney fees. Democrats, led by Rep. Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, argued that the proposal tied the hands of future attorney generals.

The House voted to cap attorney fees 71-40.

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Senate Committee: Businesses Report Recycling

Alex Tiegen

March 16, 2010 - 7:00pm

In an effort to make Florida recycle 75 percent of its solid waste by 2020, a state Senate committee voted Wednesday to require businesses with 25 employees or more to report their recycling rates biennially.

TheSenate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee unanimously passed SB 570, sponsored by Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, to get businesses on board with the states recycling goals.

We are woefully behind other states, Constantine said. And, we need to promote programs that implement 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.'

Legislation Takes New Look at Children's Councils HELD -jtw

March 17, 2010 - 7:00pm

In a time when money is tight and social service programs are under a microscope even children's programs are being examined.

Senator Joe Negron R-Stuart is sponsoring SB 1216 which would revise the membership of councils on children's services; require the governing body of the county to approve the purchase of real estate or the construction of a building by a council on children's services, and require a council on children's services to submit a tentative budget and millage rate to the governing body of the county.

Jerry Holbert Cartoon

March 16, 2010 - 7:00pm

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