A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
Today’s Sunburn is sponsored by Tucker/Hall – one of Florida’s leading public affairs and public relations firms. You need their team on your side during this Legislative session for media, grassroots and netroots support. Visit TuckerHall.com to read about their team and how they can help you.
PRESIDENT IN MIAMI TODAY via Jose Lambiet
This time around, the commander in chief is flying in for just two hours, and it’s all business: He is to deliver a speech about employment at PortMiami. He is not scheduled to stay overnight.
Good news: This time around, his people had the good sense to fit in the appearance between morning and afternoon rush hour!
While some traffic tie-ups are expected, authorities don’t expect either rush hour to be worse than usual.
Gossip Extra has learned Air Force One is scheduled to land at Miami International Airport about 12:50 p.m. He’s then supposed to motorcade through downtown Miami and to the port.
His 25-minute remarks at the port’s Terminal J are supposed to start about 2 p.m.
Air Force One should take off again about 3 p.m.
NELSON MEETS WITH AIRPORT OFFICIALS SEEKING TO AVERT FAA TOWER CLOSURES IN 14 FLORIDA CITIES
Nelson said Thursday that Congress could avoid the Federal Aviation Administration shuttering of 149 airport towers in Florida and other states by targeting a few projects spread throughout the federal government and deemed by some to be unnecessary, duplicative or wasteful.
Nelson was discussing possible ways of keeping the towers open during a visit Thursday afternoon with airport officials from around the state, hosted by Lakeland Linder Regional Airport Director Gene Conrad.
Besides Lakeland, towers are being shut at Naples Municipal, Boca Raton, New Smyrna Beach Municipal, Page Field in Fort Myers, North Perry in Hollywood, Leesburg International, Ocala International-Jim Taylor Field, Ormond Beach Municipal, Punta Gorda, Northeast Florida Regional in St. Augustine, Albert Whitted in St. Petersburg, Witham Field in Stuart and Space Coast Regional in Titusville.
Airport leaders in Punta Gorda, Naples and some of those other cities are threatening to sue to block the FAA’s action. Some of the cities also are considering trying to make up the costs themselves, no small task given their own strained budgets.
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SCOTT’S OFFICE RESPONDS TO NELSON ON MORTGAGE AID PROGRAM via the News Service of Florida
State officials said they’re working “tirelessly” to hand out federal assistance to distressed homeowners, rejecting earlier criticism from US Senator Bill Nelson, who said the Scott administration was moving too slowly.
Florida Housing Finance Corp. Executive director Steve Auger also denied reports by a newspaper that no assistance was provided to homeowners who were ineligible. “Our staff is working tirelessly to put this federal assistance into the hands of homeowners who qualify for and need it,” Auger wrote in a letter to Nelson that the governor’s office released.
According to Auger, the Hardest Hit Program, which was created to hand out federal assistance to distressed homeowners, has undergone multiple reviews, two by the U.S. Department of Treasury, plus the state Office of the Auditor General and Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. “None of these reviews found that Florida Housing provided (Hardest Hit) assistance to homeowners who were ineligible to receive it using our federally approved eligibility criteria for the program, as was alleged in a recent news article…The result of these audits affirm our thoughtful and deliberate approach to shaping our state’s HHF program to assist those homeowners who have the greatest chance of keeping and sustaining their homes.”
Auger wrote that he expects all the funding to be properly expended by the December 31, 2017, deadline.
SCOTT WANTS OBAMA TO REIMBURSE STATE FOR PORTS
Gov. Rick Scott wants the federal government to reimburse the state for tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars invested in Florida’s ports. Scott committed $77 million in state funding to a dredging project for Miami’s port in 2011. In January, Scott asked the Legislature to appropriate $36 million for Jacksonville port improvements.
SESSION HAS BEEN GOOD FOR SCOTT’S FUNDRAISING via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald
As Florida legislators sit on their hands with a fundraising ban for session, Gov. Scott has been holding fundraisers and collecting cash — $1 million of it — for his political committee, Let’s Get to Work.
… Two of the biggest checks — the William L. Edwards Trust and the Gary Chartrand, the governor’s appointee to the Florida Board of Education — came on March 26. That was the same day the governor launched his new web ad at his new campaign-like web site, ItsWorkingFlorida.com. The checks also came one day after the governor told the Tampa Bay Times editorial board that he couldn’t support the $5,000 cap on campaign donations to statewide candidates (and $3,000 for everyone else) in the House campaign finance bill because it was too high.
… Since session began, Scott has held at least one fundraiser — on March 12 outside of Tallahassee in Havana. According to his political committee web site, he collected $116,000 in checks that day and about $90,000 in the two days after it.
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CRIST SAYS HE’S NOT ANNOUNCING ANYTHING AT KENNEDY-KING DINNER ON MAY 11
Well, so much for that.
After I tried to fan the flames of speculation about when Charlie Crist might announce his intentions about possibly running for Governor in 2014, the Boss himself has shot me down.
Asked by text message whether his May 11 keynote speech at the Hillsborough-Pinellas Counties’ Kennedy King Dinner would be the ideal time and place to make ‘The Announcement’, Crist responded with a very simple answer: “No.”
Well, that ends that, right? Of course not.
CURIOUS CASE OF CRIST AND AIR RAMBA via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald
The former governor last month hopped on a private plane owned by Tallahassee lobbyist Dave Ramba, who runs an air charter service. Crist was invited to fly on a plane chartered by Fowler White, a Tallahassee law firm.
Nobody but Crist and the law firm even knew about the flight.
Ramba said he was surprised when he was later asked by a client who came to his office demanding to know, “Why are you flying Crist around?”
Ramba then checked the flight calendar and realized the plane had been, in fact, leased by the Tallahassee law firm of Fowler White. But he didn’t know who was on the flight.“Somebody had to have been tracking Charlie for it to have come back to me,’’ Ramba said.
Ramba wouldn’t disclose who asked him about the flight but believes “somebody saw [Crist] get on the flight and took down the tail number” to track it to Ramba’s air charter service.
… “Mac” Stipanovich, a Republican lawyer in Fowler White’s Tallahassee office and a supporter of Scott, said that with Crist rumored to be a potential candidate for governor again, this time as a Democrat, it would not be unusual for potential opponents to be tracking him.
“I would be more surprised if the governor’s campaign team isn’t keeping track of Bill Nelson and Charlie Crist,’’ he said.
***Today’s SUNBURN is also sponsored by Corcoran & Johnston Government Relations. With more than 45 years of combined legislative and regulatory knowledge and experience, Corcoran & Johnston’s ability to navigate through the processes and politics of government and deliver for their clients is unmatched.***
FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF on Friday in honor of Rep. Clay Ford.
FORMER PENSACOLA COUNCILMAN JACK NOBLES ANNOUNCES BID FOR HD 2
As first reported in SaintPetersBlog, former Pensacola City Councilman Jack Nobles has thrown his name into the mix of candidates for the state House District 2 seat.
“As a lifetime small business owner, I am keenly aware of how hardworking people in towns like Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Perdido Key, and Warrington are struggling to hold on to the American dream,” he said in a statement today.
He joins Ed Gray III, a former Gulf Breeze mayor and city councilman, who announced over the weekend he is running for the seat. On Wednesday, attorney Frank White announced he dropped his prospective bid and was endorsing Gray.
The Governor has not yet set a date for the special primary and general elections.
THE BROTHERS SCARBOROUGH MEET WILL WEATHERFORD via the Miami Herald
Morning Joe co-host and former congressman Joe Scarborough mingled with a few House leaders at the Capitol Wednesday, including House Speaker Will Weatherford.
In tow: his brother George Scarborough, a Pensacola consultant mulling a run for the Panhandle House seat formerly held by Clay Ford, who died last week of cancer. George Scarborough lost the Republican primary for that seat to Ford in a 2007 special election.
“It wasn’t a meeting to discuss his brother’s potential candidacy for Ford’s seat,” said Weatherford spokesman Ryan Duffy of the impromptu meeting. “The speaker had never met him and wanted to introduce himself and say hi.”
TWEET, TWEET: @GeoScarborough: Had great mtgs w/ FL House Speaker @willweatherford Senate Pres Don Gaetz, Rep @mattgaetz & other Fl Leg leaders yesterday!
FORMER CASSELBERRY CITY COMMISSIONER ENDORSES BOB CORTES IN HD 30
“Bob Cortes takes a creative approach to leadership that is inclusive and shows a great concern for the people he serves,” said former Casselberry City Commissioner Jon Miller. “Bob will work hard for economic freedom and a world-class education system because he knows that these are the keys to Florida’s future prosperity.”
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GRAHAM AND LEMIEUX PROMOTE THE RETURN OF THE RUNOFF — WHY NOT AN INSTANT ONE? via contributor Karen Cyphers
In an op-ed for the Tampa Bay Times, Bob Graham and George LeMieux argue that the elimination of Florida’s runoff primary has resulted in the promotion of candidates who have strong appeal to a narrow constituency, or candidates with high name recognition who do not necessarily reflect the views of voters.
Florida’s runoff was eliminated amidst criticism that it cost too much to organize, and that low turnout in runoffs meant that candidates were selected by too few people. Other critics suggested that dumping the runoff could act as a form of campaign finance reform as it would reduce the number of maximum donations that could be granted.
In my opinion, all of these concerns could be addressed through the implementation of an instant runoff in which voters go to the polls one time and cast votes for their first, second and third choice candidates. This solution would mean no addition of costly election days, would maintain maximum turnout, and would prevent the addition of new campaign finance cycles. It would also mean that fewer voters would cast a ballot based only upon fear of vote splitting. Full blog post here.
OP-ED OF THE DAY: From former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current high school football coaches Mike Alstott and Reidel Anthony, who argue legislation would undercut the authority of the Florida High School Athletic Association, “even though the organization has spent almost 100 years as the trusted authority to protect the integrity of high school sports. This would diminish the wonderful experience of high school sports, which is now shared by 260,000 boys and girls across Florida. Worst of all, it would open the door for wholesale free agency for high school athletes.” Full-op-ed here.
POLL SHOWS OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR BAN ON TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
The poll, conducted by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service in collaboration with the UF Bureau of Economic and Business Research, found that 95 percent of respondents support legislation that would ban texting while driving. Four percent oppose the legislation.
Previous attempts to pass such legislation have failed for the past three years, leaving Florida as one of only five states without any restrictions on texting while driving.
The legislation — House Bill 13 and Senate Bill 52 — would create the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law,” which makes texting while driving a secondary offense. In effect, police would have to pull over a driver for another offense, such as failure to wear a seat belt, and could then issue an additional citation for texting while driving.
“Public support for this legislation is remarkable,” said Emma Humphries, assistant in citizenship with the Bob Graham Center. “Legislation is moving quickly and we want to share these numbers before it comes up for a vote.”
***Today’s SUNBURN is also sponsored by Corcoran & Johnston Government Relations. With more than 45 years of combined legislative and regulatory knowledge and experience, Corcoran & Johnston’s ability to navigate through the processes and politics of government and deliver for their clients is unmatched.***
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Speaker Weatherford and House Appropriations Chair Seth McKeel will hold an informational budget roundtable to discuss the 2013 House General Appropriations Act. 8:30 a.m. Speaker’s Conference Room.
ANNUAL DRUG REPACKAGING FIGHT ADVANCES IN HOUSE
Another effort to cap how much physicians can charge for drugs dispensed to workers-compensation insurance patients cleared its second House committee on Thursday.
The House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee backed the proposal (HB 605), which would limit the cost of what are known as “repackaged” drugs that doctors provide to injured workers at costs that are higher than what pharmacies can charge. Business advocacy groups contend the measure is needed to reduce workers-compensation insurance rates.
Broward-based Automated HealthCare Solutions, which sells physicians the software used to dispense drugs from their offices, heads the opposition.
The two sides have repeatedly fought about the issue during the past three years, with no legislation passing.
The bill has one more stop at the Health and Human Services Committee, before going before the entire House.
The Senate companion (SB 662) was approved by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee last week and awaits a review by the Health Policy Committee.
CLAIMS BILL REFORM OFF THE TABLE THIS YEAR by Dara Kam of the Palm Beach Post
Florida cities, counties, public hospitals and other “sovereign” entities have put the brakes on an overhaul of the state’s claims bill process that allows people who have been harmed or injured by local governments to get paid more than $200,000 without the Legislature’s approval.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Tom Lee said a House plan to revamp the system is too contentious to tackle this year.
“It’s very, very controversial. It’s a total change of direction,” Lee said. “That’s going to take a lot of time and energy.”
As a result, the Senate won’t hear any claims bills this year at the direction of Senate President Don Gaetz who has said he won’t allow any of the bills to come up without a reform.
SENATE PENSION PLAN DRAWING SOME UNION FANS by John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post
Although most Democrats remain opposed, unions came around Thursday to support the Senate’s plan to revamp the Florida Retirement System — a milder version of the overhaul pushed by House Speaker Will Weatherford and fellow Republicans in that chamber.
The Senate plan (CS/SB 1392) cleared the Appropriations Committee 13-5, with Sen. Jeremy Ring of Margate the lone Democrat joining with the Republican majority.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. Wilton Simpson is aimed at encouraging teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officials and others public employees to abandon the traditional pension plan in favor of an investment retirement plan.
But the only workers required to join the 401(k)-styled plan would be new hires in senior management categories, a smaller slice which includes mostly higher-paid employees.
Matt Puckett, lobbyist for the Florida Police Benevolent Association, endorsed the proposal — saying the legislation would “get pensions out of the headlines.”
“We will no longer have guaranteed pensions to people who will get $100,000 or more in salaries,” Puckett said.
TWEET OF THE DAY1: @JennCurington: Rep. Workman proposed to girlfriend Terri Allerton during a committee meeting this afternoon
TWEET OF THE DAY2: @BylineBrandon: Sen Richter talking about the kind of guy you would want your daughter to “hook up” with #changingtimes
YOU’RE INVITED to Senator Jeff Brandes open house at his legislative office. Come for no other reason than Chris Spencer will be there! 10:00 a.m. 3637 4th St. N. Suite 101 St. Petersburg.
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ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: University of Florida Economics Professor Dr. Alan W. Hodges will hold a press conference to discuss the economic impact of extending coverage to 1.1 million low-income, working Floridians with $51 billion in federal dollars through Senator Joe Negron’s plan and similar options. 10:30 a.m., Florida Press Center.
4TH FLOOR FILES talks to Evan Power about Dale Murphy, Marco Rubio, and Calvin Coolidge. Here’s the file on Evan.
MIAMI HOSPITAL BILL STALLS AMID LOBBYING BATTLE via The News Service of Florida
With other South Florida hospitals raising objections, a House subcommittee Thursday might have killed a bill that would allow Miami Children’s Hospital to start providing obstetrical services.
Sponsor Eddy Gonzalez pulled back the bill (HB 919) before it could come up for a vote because he did not think it had enough support to pass the House Health Innovation Subcommittee. The bill was specifically drawn to allow Miami Children’s to provide obstetrical services, such as labor and delivery, without having to change its licensing to an acute-care hospital. The bill would limit the services to 10 beds. Supporters said the proposal would improve care, at least in part, because it would allow immediate treatment at the specialized children’s hospital for infants with problems such as congenital heart defects. … Opponents pointed to the proposal not going through a regular state approval process, known as getting a “certificate of need.” If the process doesn’t take into account such types of projects, opponents said Miami Children’s should seek changes in the certificate-of-need law.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
George Anderson, Nelson Diaz, Jonathan Setzer, Southern Strategy Group: Florida Sheriffs Association
Andrea Becker, Smith Bryan Myers: MorphoTrust USA
Patrick Bell, Capitol Solutions: Eclipse Energy Systems, Inc.
Richard Candia, Jose Fuentes, Yeline Goin, Becker & Poliakoff: City of Miami
Rebecca DeLaros, The Moya Group: Charter Schools USA
Chris Dudley, Southern Strategy Group: Leon County School Board
Kenneth Granger. Floridian Partners: ADW Enterprises, SESCO Lighting
Julia Juarez: Keiser University
Joseph Kissane, Gregory Miller, Florida Justice Reform Institute
Randy Osborne: Florida Eagle Forum
Christopher Schoonover, Capital City Consulting: SESCO Lighting
SACHS MEDIA GROUP NAMED AGENCY OF RECORD FOR NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
“We’re proud and excited to work with the National League of Cities to help push forward its mission to protect community interests, seek federal funding for local investments, and keep national attention focused on what neighborhoods need across the country,” said Ron Sachs, president and CEO of Sachs Media Group. “Surveys keep showing how local government is the most trusted level of government. From challenges to ‘home rule’ to the burden that unfunded mandates place on taxpayers, our long history with the Florida League of Cities has given us a strong appreciation for the great challenges facing our cities and towns.”
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SWEET SIXTEEN OF TALLYMADNESS NOW SET
Bracket 1
9. F. Mayernick d. 1. N. Iarossi; 5. T. Mayernick d. 12. M. Timmins; 3. S. Metz d. 6. B. Coker; 10. Pittman d. 2. C. Dudley
Bracket 2
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CONGRESSMAN DENNIS ROSS launched his revamped website. Check it out here.
EMAIL I DIDN’T OPEN: “Drooling” from Paul Begala. Just the thought of Paul Begala drooling is enough to ruin my breakfast.
