Will he or won’t he? Whether Charlie Crist plan to run for governor may be the question of the coming summer. He’s got a series of appearances where he’ll be asked the question, over and over.Â
Meanwhile, voters in the Pensacola area know who is running for House District 2. The special election is to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford. The primary is Tuesday.Â
In the Tampa Bay area, lawmakers will wrap up the session at the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club meeting this week.Â
And you won’t have to drive to Georgia to play MegaMillions, starting this week. Florida joins the multistate lottery game mid-week.Â
MONDAY
âFORCE PLACEDâ INSURANCE AT ISSUE: The state Office of Insurance Regulation will hold a public hearing on a rate filing by American Security Insurance Co. for what is known as âforce-placedâ coverage. Such coverage is purchased by mortgage lenders or banks when property owners do not buy property insurance. The costs can be higher than typical insurance policies and are passed along to property owners.
TUESDAY
ELECTION DAY: HD 2: On Tuesday voters in House District 2 in the western Panhandle will vote in the closed Republican primary. Voters are choosing a GOP candidate for the race to replace the late Rep. Clay Ford of Pensacola. The general election is June 11. Info here (Tuesday.)
DJJ DETENTION COSTS AT ISSUE: The 1st District Court of Appeal has scheduled arguments May 14 in a long-running dispute about the amount of juvenile-detention costs that counties should be required to pay. Numerous counties have battled with the Department of Juvenile Justice about the issue. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., 1st District Court of Appeal, 2000 Drayton Dr., Tallahassee.)
PSC CONSIDERS PETITION IN TECO RATE CASE: The Public Service Commission considers a petition by Tampa Electric Co. to suspend its permanent rate increase request and continue its current authorized rates until the commission rules on the pending rate case. The commission also takes up a staff recommendation to approve the proposed budget for the coming year for Florida Telecommunications Relay, which provides services for the deaf, blind and speech impaired. (Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center Room 148, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)
DCF ROLLS OUT FRAUD FIGHTING TECH: The Department of Children and Families and Secretary David Wilkins announce new fraud fighting technology. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., Florida Press Center, 336 E. College Ave. Tallahassee.)
LEGISLATIVE WRAP AT SUNCOAST TIGER BAY CLUB: Reps. Larry Ahern, Kathleen Peters, Carl Zimmerman, James Grant, Ed Hooper, Dwight Dudley, and Darryl Rouson and Sens. Jack Latvala and Jeff Brandes, will give a wrap up of the legislative session for the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club on Tuesday in St. Pete. (Tuesday, 12 p.m., St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater, 12600 Roosevelt Blvd., St. Petersburg.)
PRISON HEALTH ARGUED: The 1st District Court of Appeal has scheduled arguments May 14 in a legal battle about privatizing prison health services in much of the state. A Leon County circuit judge in December ruled that lawmakers did not properly approve a plan that would have led to Corizon, Inc., receiving a contract to provide prison health services in central and north Florida. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., 1st District Court of Appeal, 2000 Drayton Dr., Tallahassee.)
COURT TACKLES TRAUMA: The 1st District Court of Appeal will hear arguments in a dispute about whether the Florida Department of Health should have allowed trauma centers to open in 2011 at Blake Medical Center in Manatee County, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Pasco County and Orange Park Medical Center in Clay County. Other hospitals in the Tampa Bay and Jacksonville areas contend that the approvals should not have been granted. The arguments, at least in part, will center on whether the Tampa Bay and Jacksonville-area hospitals have legal âstandingâ to challenge the approvals. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., 1st District Court of Appeal, 2000 Drayton Dr., Tallahassee.)
WEDNESDAY
FLORIDA ENTERS MEGA MILLIONS: The Florida Lottery has a new multi-state game starting Wednesday. Florida joins 42 other states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, in offering Mega Millions. The addition of the game in Florida could spell a big economic hit for retailers just north of the border in Georgia, which have reported a surge of Florida players when the Mega Million jackpot has reached into triple digits. The jackpot – drawings are held Tuesday and Friday â starts at $12 million. The start of Mega Millions comes as Florida Lottery discontinues the Lucky Lines instant-win terminal game.
âMEDS ADâ PROGRAM DISCUSSED: The state Agency for Health Care Administration is scheduled to hold a meeting about its request to renew a federal Medicaid waiver for what is known as the âMEDS-ADâ program. (Wednesday, 2 p.m., Medicaid Area Office 6, 6800 Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 220, Tampa.)
THURSDAY
SUPREME COURT OPINIONS: The Florida Supreme Court releases opinions. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)Â
CAT FUND CONSIDERED: The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Advisory Council will discuss issues such as the May claims-paying capacity of the state reinsurance program. (Thursday, 1:30 p.m., 1801 Hermitage Blvd., Tallahassee.)
FRIDAYÂ
SPORT SHOOTING WITH YOUNG REPUBLICANS: The Tampa Bay Young Republicans host the 2013 Inaugural TBYR Shootout Friday at the Tampa Bay Sporting Clays. Participants join politicos in putting their shooting skills to the test. Rep. Dana Young attends. Event includes breakfast, lunch, and shooting. http://www.tbyr.com/2013/04/
BOOTING UP ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS: The Health Information Exchange Coordinating Committee will meet to discuss issues such as increasing electronic health records adoption. (Friday, 10 a.m., Agency for Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Dr., Tallahassee.
