GAETZ COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT SPILL LEGISLATION
A Senate committee will consider tax relief for property owners affected by the oil spill later this month, along with other possible legislative changes reacting to the crisis.
The Senate Select Committee on the Economy will meet July 12 in Pensacola to begin discussing possible legislation to help businesses affected by the spill, the committee announced Friday. The panel, chaired by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, will take testimony, the chairman said in a statement released by the committee. No legislation has been drafted as of yet, though Senate leaders have talked for a week or so about the possibility of providing tax relief for affected property owners. Gaetz said the panel will also review barriers to an aggressive response by state and federal authorities and BP in dealing with the economic consequences of the spill. Also Friday, Gaetz asked Gov. Charlie Crist for a detailed outline of how the money BP has given to the state to deal with the spill has been spent, andwhether money the company sent to state officials has been spent wisely.
GOP ASKS JUDGE TO THROW OUT GREER SUIT
The Florida Republican Party filed a motion Friday seeking to dismiss former chairman Jim Greers lawsuit against it over a disputed severance package. Greer, who faces six felony charges for allegedly skimming-off at least $125,000 in campaign contributions and fees from the party, has already asked the Seminole County court to delay his civil suit until the criminal case is completed. But the state GOPs motion alleges that Greer is merely trying to avoid answering questions from party lawyers through the delay. Ken Sukhia, a former U.S. attorney now representing the Florida GOP, said in the motion that Greer does not have a right to both his silence and his lawsuit.
Having used the case itself as a sword to defame and denigrate the defendants, Greer now urges this court to permit him to maintain his action while at the same time refusing to submit to lawful inquiry on the precise issues his own lawsuit invokes, Sukhia wrote.
MCCOLLUM TO FEINBERG: PAY ALL FLA. CLAIMS
Anxious to calm fears brought on by recent comments made by BP claims administrator. Ken Feinberg, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Friday sent a letter urging the newly appointed claims czar to include Florida businesses among those eligible for reimbursement, even if those businesses were hurt by the mere threat of an oil spill. "BP has routinely paid claims to Floridians in areas where oil has not yet washed ashore," McCollum wrote.
In testimony to Congress Wednesday, Feinberg questioned whether Florida businesses could be compensated if they lost money because of the sheer threat of an oil spill. "If there's no physical damage to the beaches and it's a public perception, I venture to say that it is not compensable," Feinberg answered. "How we deal with that problem is something I've got to address. That's in this area where some discretion's going to have to be exercised."
GULF SENATORS PROPOSE RECOVERY PACKAGE
A coalition of six Gulf Coast senators on Friday floated an oil spill recovery plan they say would provide small businesses a chance to recover by deferring taxes on claims payments and allowing them to receive refunds for past tax payments. The bi-partisan group also wants the federal government to relax restrictions on retirement savings withdrawals . Other proposed incentives include accelerating depreciation allowances and providing additional tax incentives for reinvestment in coastal communities. For tourism, the group is asking federal reimbursement for state and local taxes waived dealing with hotel, car rental and other tourist-related businesses.
"This is by no means going to solve the economic woes created by the BP oil spill, but it should help many of the folks who've been hit so hard," Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said in a statement. Nelson is planning to tour the region on Monday.
"It's going to take some time for our coastal communities to recover," said Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., who toured the area earlier in the week. "We should do all we can to help that process along."
Senators from Mississippi and Louisiana have joined in the effort.
ANOTHER CALL FOR GREER INDY PROSECUTOR
The Florida Tea Party became the latest organization Friday calling for Attorney General Bill McCollum to appoint a special prosecutor to continue the criminal case against former state Republican Party chief Jim Greer. The Florida Democratic Party and McCollums Republican governors race rival, Rick Scott, earlier this week demanded that the case be removed from Statewide Prosecutor William Shepherd, a McCollum appointee. Greer, who faces six felony charges for allegedly skimming off at least $125,000 in party fees and contributions, said in documents released this week that he believed McCollum and other party leaders played a central role in his ouster. McCollum, Greer successor John Thrasher and other party leaders supporting the attorney generals candidacy for governor, were not included in a 63-person witness list released by Shepherd. Those demanding Shepherds removal accuse him of tailoring the criminal case to avoid involving McCollum and others. The case is set for an Oct.18 trial.
McCollum needs to turn the prosecution of Jim Greer and the ever-widening investigation into GOP corruption over to a disinterested, apolitical special prosecutor from outside of the state of Florida, Tea Party Chairman Fred ONeal said. Having McCollum in charge of the man in charge of this investigation means there is a 100 percent chance the people of Florida will never know the truth of what went on.
McCollum has defended Shepherds investigation. McCollum said that while the statewide prosecutor is housed in his office, Shepherd works independently and does not seek counsel from the attorney general.
