GOP TO MEET ON GREER
Florida Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher confirmed Wednesday that he has called a closed-door meeting of the partys executive committee to update leaders on the lawsuit filed against the state GOP by his predecessor, Jim Greer. The huddle has been set for April 23 in Tallahassee, Thrasher confirmed, although he declined to offer further details. He said the session is closed to the public because the Greer lawsuit will be discussed. Thrasher, a St. Augustine state senator, also said he wanted to assure high-ranking party officials, In spite of everything, weve turned some good pages.The meeting like most party issues in recent months will likely pivot on Greer. The former chairman filed a lawsuit in his home Seminole County to recover about $124,000 he claims the party owes him under a severance agreement. Party leaders say the document is invalid. Greer is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his majority ownership of Victory Strategies, a company he formed with party executive director and chief fund-raiser Delmar Johnson, which received 10 percent of major contributions to the Florida GOP. Gov. Charlie Crist also has asked a federal prosecutor to examine the matter.
FMAP NOT COMING SOON
Legislative leaders said Wednesday they are resigned to putting together a state budget without $880 million in Medicaid help in hand from the federal government. The Senate crafted its $69.4 billion spending plan using anticipated cash from the federal Medicaid assistance program (FMAP), avoiding cuts to health and human service programs and redirecting other taxpayer dollars into public schools. The Senates budget is $2.2 billion larger than the House version. And though some of that difference will be bridged by a Seminole Tribe gambling compact bringing $437.5 million into the state treasury, the FMAP money was a critical piece of the Legislatures end-game. Its not coming soon, predicted House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach. I dont know what the hold-up is, but its not going to get through Congress in time for us. Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, also said he had been told by Democratic Sen. Bill Nelsons staff that Congress was not positioned to approve the money quickly. I think their words were, No way, Saunders said. Hasner said the House doesnt want to spend the FMAP money without the cash-in-hand. And the widely disparate budget approaches have stalled even the simple mechanics of appointing House and Senate negotiators and setting spending allocations. But there is clearly rising pressure on the House to adopt the Senates more hopeful stance. In an election year, the House budget plays with political dynamite by cutting public school spending by $52-per-student, eliminating state dollars for Everglades restoration and the Florida Forever land-buying program, and reducing a range of health programs. Gov. Charlie Crist, who also included the FMAP money in his budget recommendation, was among 47 governors who wrote congressional leaders in February urging swift action.
GROUP RAISES $1 MIL. TO FIGHT HOMETOWN
Opponents of the so-called Hometown Democracy amendment collected $987,000 million in contributions for the quarter ending March 31 to battle Amendment 4, which would require voter approval for local comprehensive plan changes. Business and local government groups have painted a bullseye on the back of the amendment since it qualified for the ballot last summer. Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy is the latest business-backed group established to fight the initiative the goes to voters in November. "If Amendment 4 passes, Florida will never recover from the recession we are in," said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber and a Citizens for Lower Taxes board member. Floridians for Smarter Growth, another business-backed group, has spent $4 million since 2007 to defeat the measure. Meanwhile, Florida Hometown Democracy has raised and spent $1.5 million since 2003 to push the measure, with much of that being raised by the Sierra Club and Hometown founder Lesley Blackner, who argues that the comprehensive planning process is dominated by developers and other special interests.
HNF: PAIN MED BILLS MAY BE TOO FAR APART: The House and Senate remain very far apart on how best to prevent prescription drug abuse, with lawmakers in both chambers having backed off a plan to limit doctors to prescribing just 72 hours worth of pain drugs, Health News Florida reported Wednesday. The Senate removed the 72-hour limit on prescriptions for controlled substances in a committee earlier this week, following the House, which backed off that proposal earlier. The House now is considering requiring the state to contract for a new drug computer network to try to fight abuse, but that's drawn concern that it's aimed at providing a contract for one particular vendor. "Our bill is light years away from what the House is proposing,'' Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, told Health News Florida, raising questions of whether any pain pill proposal will pass.
KING BIOMED RESEARCH MONEY URGED: The American Heart Association said Wednesday that Florida is on the playing field for biomedical research thanks to an infusion of $50 million in research grant money from lawmakers last year, but is on the verge of losing that gain if no money is approved this year. The end of the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program would threaten that progress. Removing this funding could significantly upset many ongoing projects, said William Gower, associate chief of staff of research and development at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa. The King program, which puts state money into biomedical research projects, will expire in next January unless the Legislature preserves it. The Senate has earmarked just under $50 million, but the House is only setting aside $2.2 million. More research - not less - is needed to find treatments and cures for Floridans' greatest health threat, the American Heart Association said in a statement, referring the the cardiovascular disease research funded by the program.
DLP: DIVERSITY CONCERNS COULD STALL PSC PICKS: The chairman of the Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee said Wednesday he's concerned over Crist's nomination of two white men -- David Klement and Benjamin "Steve" Stevens -- to join the Public Service Commission. Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, echoed concerns raised earlier Wednesday by African-American committee members Sens. Chris Smith and Arthenia Joyner. The pair criticized Crist's decision last fall to replace the lone minority on the panel, former PSC Chairman Matthew Carter. "The committee and the Senate represent Florida's diversity, so they're going to act accordingly," Diaz de la Portilla, a Cuban-American, told reporters after the meeting in which the panel approved both nominees who must now be confirmed by the Senate. "You have people of all walks of life, all races, all colors and all ethnic groups. At the end of the day, what we're going to see is a Senate that is going to vote accordingly. Senators who represent a very diverse state are going to express concerns about the lack of diversity, both geographically and racially and ethnic, at the Public Service Commission. No doubt about that."
HEY MR., PULL UP THOSE PANTS: Like pollen and warmer weather, spring in Tallahassee would not be complete without a "droopy drawers" bill by Sen. Gary Siplin. The Orlando Democrat has been on a quixotic quest to clear the school halls of exposed boxers, bras and other intimate apparel, which have grown from an "undie-ground" fad to mainstream kid culture. Siplin's bill, SB 2320, cleared the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee after brief debate and is now one committee stop away from the floor. "The impetus for the bill is to put the focus back on learning in the classroom by creating an atmosphere of professionalism and by eliminating inappropriate dress as one of the many distractions in public schools today," Siplin said in a short(s) statement.
BLACK NAMED TO 2ND DCA
Judge Anthony K. Black was named Wednesday to the 2nd District Court of Appeal by Gov. Charlie Crist, the governor's office announced. Black, 53, was a circuit court judge in the 13th judicial circuit, where he'd been on the bench since 2002. Before that, he was a lawyer in private practice. Black fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Carolyn K. Fulmer. The 2nd District appeals court is based in Lakeland.
