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Michael Moline - page 20

Michael Moline has 306 articles published.

Michael Moline is a former assistant managing editor of The National Law Journal and managing editor of the San Francisco Daily Journal. Previously, he reported on politics and the courts in Tallahassee for United Press International. He is a graduate of Florida State University, where he served as editor of the Florida Flambeau. His family’s roots in Jackson County date back many generations.

Florida’s revenue picture improves a little — but not enough to really matter

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The Legislature will have $271 million more than it expected to spend this year, but close to 90 percent of the new money is a one-shot deal, and won’t help budget writers with ongoing demands upon a state budget projected at close to $83 billion. State economists arrived at their new forecast during a revenue estimating conference Friday. Total general revenues will near $32.4 billion, representing dependable flows of money to pay for most of the state’s needs, not counting taxes pledged to…

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House spending reduction targets would spread plenty of pain

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The House released its bad-case and worst-case scenarios for the next state budget Thursday. Neither is very pretty. Florida faces would pay hospital less to treat poor people. The state would build less affordable housing. There’d be fewer prosecutors and public defenders. Museums, historical preservation, and economic development would be slashed. For example: “The long-range financial outlook recommended a hospital provider rate increase of $55.2 million based on past actions by the Legislature. I would not recommend funding this increase,”…

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Task Force wants money to fight encroachment on Florida military bases

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Florida would place its military installations at risk of commercial encroachment — and, possibly, closure — without adequate funding for land acquisition through the Florida Forever land acquisition program, a military support organization warned Thursday. Some $3 million from U.S. Department of Defense funds will be lost at the end of 2018 unless the state provides matching funds, said Bruce Grant, Enterprise Florida vice president for military programs, told the Florida Defense Support Task Force during a meeting in Tallahassee. The task force…

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House panel votes to undo post-financial meltdown food stamps expansion

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The House Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to take food stamps away from 229,000 Floridians, including 157,000 children and 44,000 elderly and disabled people. CS/SB 581, approved 18-9, would return eligibility standards for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, to pre-recession levels, Republican sponsor Frank White said. No state money is at issue, he said — the program is financed entirely by the federal government, although the state goes halves on administration costs. “I think every tax dollar is…

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Citizens Insurance buying back $300 million in catastrophic coverage

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Citizens Property Insurance Corp. can buy back some $300 million in reinsurance against a catastrophic storm because the risk of that happening is now projected to have fallen. The company’s board of governors voted unanimously to approve the move during a conference call Wednesday. Citizens, Florida’s property insurer of last resort, bought the coverage from Everglades Re II Ltd. in 2015. The company will repurchase catastrophic coverage at prices keyed to the new estimates of the threat, spokesman Michael Peltier said. “It allows us…

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House budget panel votes to gets tougher on public contributions to pro teams

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stadiums

A bill that would ban professional sports teams from building or refurbishing stadiums on public land passed the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday on a 21-8 vote. CS/HB 77, by Bryan Avila, says “a sports franchise may not construct, reconstruct, renovate, or improve a facility on public land leased from the state or a political subdivision thereof.” The bill — one of a number targeting professional sports — also says the sale of public land for sports stadiums must be at fair market value. Furthermore, teams…

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Committee hearing delayed on Anitere Flores’ tax swap legislation

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A committee test turned into an anticlimax Wednesday for a Senate bill that would trade a tax break for insurance companies for one to benefit phone, cable, and satellite communications customers. The Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance and Tax adjourned abruptly after approving a bill making technical changes to align Florida’s corporate income tax to the federal tax code. The Legislature makes the adjustment every year. Sen. Anitere Flores didn’t show up to present what was to have been the headliner bill — SB…

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