I am not shocked that former Florida House Speaker used a private email account to dodge Florida's Sunshine law.
But some emails show legislative employees exchanging information with these same consultants. In one example, a top aide to then-House Speaker Dean Cannon used a personal email account to send a consultant a link to a congressional district map. The aide, Kirk Pepper, did not respond to a phone call or email requesting comment.
There is good reason Republicans didn't want the emails. made public. Gary Fineout reports that party officials and lawyers had strategy sessions on redistricting.
The emails show that in December 2010 Republicans set up a meeting to "brainstorm" with nationally-known attorney Ben Ginsberg along with several party employees, party political consultants, two lawyers advising the House and Senate on redistricting, the staff director of the House committee redrawing lines and an aide to the chairman of the Senate committee overseeing the process.
The League of Women Voters, La Raza and Common Cause is now considering legal action. At issue is the voter approved fair district amendments that are now part of the Florida Constitution. The amendments were created to end gerrymandering. President Barack Obama won Florida but Republicans still hold both chambers of the legislature. Districting isn't entirely the reason that Democrats are in the minority. The Florida Democratic Party has been disorganized and has failed to field candidates for races.
This is so sad and unoriginal. Gov. Rick Scott needs help with his sagging poll numbers. His solution is to steal a page out of the Bob Graham playbook. Gary Fineout reports:
Gov. Rick Scott says he will resurrect workdays that were started by former Gov. Bob Graham. Will start at a donut shop on Wed.
That should help remind the unemployed of Florida that the governor can get a job for PR purposes but they can't get a job to pay their bills.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reported zero income on her 2010 financial disclosure form. No bank accounts or checking account listed. Yet Bondi was able to deposit $133,685 from her former job at the state attorney's office.
Gary Fineout reports that Bondi will file a revised disclosure form. My question is how does Bondi forget she earned $133,685 in 2010?
Gary Fineout has a good breakdown how why former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom is being investigated by the FBI.
Records during Sansom’s time in office -- from 2002 to 2010 -- show that he used the leftover campaign funds for printing costs, cellphone bills, office supplies, meals and on a computer from Best Buy.
But those same records also show that he used the account to reimburse himself directly, especially after he resigned from a $110,000 job from Northwest Florida State College in early 2009. It was Sansom’s decision to take that job that increased scrutiny over his decisions while budget chairman to steer state money to the college. Sansom was charged in connection with his handling of the budget, but prosecutors dropped the charges midway through Sansom's trial.
In 2009 records show that Sansom reimbursed himself $4,700. The records are conflicting about how much he received in 2010. Sansom was reimbursed another $1401 during the first three months of 2010, but then the records show that Sansom received an additional $1,200 in April and May after he had resigned from office. A follow-up document, however, says that report should be disregarded and that an earlier document showing “no activity” was correct.
If Sansom didn't get into legal trouble he would mostly likely be a U.S. Senate candidate. Ray Sansom is the United States Senate is a scary thought.
Gary Fineout has this tweet informing us who Florida Senator JD Alexander's real constituents are.
First hearing on major insurance bill gets testy. Sen. Alexander goes after insurance consumer advocate, says state has "suppressed" rates
Nothing could be further from the truth. State Farm of Florida stopped selling homeowners insurance when former Gov. Charlie Crist cracked down on homeowners insurance price fixing. In 2009, State Farm attempted to raise homeowner insurance rates by 47.1 percent. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty rejected State Farm Florida's request. State Farm dropped all homeowner insurance policies and gave their customers 90 days notice. Florida and State Farm of Florida came to the compromise of a 14.8 percent rate increase.
Except State Farm never got out of Florida homeowner insurance business. State Farm of Florida set up the virtual offshore company DaVinci Reinsurance Ltd in Bermuda in 2001. Virtual means DaVinci Reinsurance Ltd has no actual office. The Bermuda adrress is a yacht club. DaVinci Reinsurance Ltd is able to get around Florida regulations by being an offshore company. DaVinci can set whatever price the company wishes. DaVinci underwrites homeowner insurance claims for several Florida insurers.
During the past decade State Farm of Florida 2.6 billion profit. J.D. Alexander's claim that regulators are being too tough on the insurance industry doesn't pass the laugh test.
In November of 2010, Florida voters approved ballot amendments 5 and 6. Florida will be awarded two new Congressional seats in 2012. Amendment 5 and Amendment 6 was designed to change the way Congressional districts are drawn.
Amendment 5
In establishing Legislative district boundaries: (1) No apportionment plan or district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent; and districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice; and districts shall consist of contiguous territory.
(2) Unless compliance with the standards in this subsection conflicts with the standards in subsection (1) or with federal law, districts shall be as nearly equal in population as is practicable; districts shall be compact; and districts shall, where feasible, utilize existing political and geographical boundaries.
(3) The order in which the standards within sub-sections (1) and (2) of this section are set forth shall not be read to establish any priority of one standard over the other within that subsection.
Amendment 6
In establishing Congressional district boundaries: (1) No apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent; and districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice; and districts shall consist of contiguous territory.
(2) Unless compliance with the standards in this subsection conflicts with the standards in subsection (1) or with federal law, districts shall be as nearly equal in population as is practicable; districts shall be compact; and districts shall, where feasible, utilize existing political and geographical boundaries.
(3) The order in which the standards within sub-sections
Changing the redistricting process as been a longtime goal for Florida progressives. Newly elected Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith said the he will fight to legally make sure districts are drawn under the voter approved constitutional guidelines. Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos snidely remarked, "I call it the full employment for lawyers' bill." The voter approved amendments were not a "bill." It makes me wonder if the new Florida Senate leader understands the legislative process.
Senate Democrat Gary Siplin has voiced his disapproval of Amendment 5 and Amendment 6. Siplin has been known to vote with Republicans. The only thing Siplin is concerned about his his own Senate district.
Siplin and Rep. Corrine Brown said the new redistricting guidelines will not protect African-American voters. The amendments are written to protect minority voters. What likely concerns Siplin and Brown is that computers will be used to redraw districts. Sen. Haridopolos planned on using computers before the approval of the amendments. The amendments require that the districts be drawn in a reasonable square and contoured manner. Siplin's and Brown's districts bear closer resemblance to Jackson Pollock paintings than anything with right angles. The same can be said for every member of the Florida legislature and the Congressional delegation.
Brown and Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart have filed a lawsuit against the new redistricting law.
BROWN: "I was extremely disappointed in the passage of amendments 5 and 6. Congressman Diaz-Balart and I introduced a lawsuit this morning, and will continue our fight against these misguided, deceptive amendments in the federal courts. I am absolutely convinced that if they are carried out as prescribed, our state will immediately revert to the time period prior to 1992, when Florida was devoid of African American or Hispanic representation."
The ACLU has filed a motion against Brown. The ACLU is a defendant in the case. The ACLU called pre-approved Amendment 5 and Amendment 6 districting process a "rigged and broken system." The Florida Supreme court approved the ballot language of Amendment 5 and Amendment 6. It is doubtful Brown's and Diaz-Balart's lawsuit will go far.
Now that the new districting system is in the Florida constitution what does it mean to Democrats? Unfortunately. The success of Amendment 5 and Amendment 6 becoming law alone will not change the fortunes of Florida Democrats. Republicans have filibuster-proof majorities in the Florida House and Senate. There are only a handful of Democrats that will be working on redrawing districts on a federal and state level. It is hard for Democrats to change the rules of the game when they do not have enough elected officials to field a team.
Haridopolos, Marco Rubio, Ray Sansom, and David Rivera have been involved in various corruption scandals related to they service in the Florida legislature. Hoping for Republicans to draw up districts that will take away their dominance is pure fantasy. The Republican Party of Florida and legislative GOP members will mount a fierce campaign against fair district changes.
The Florida Democratic Party is broken. Democrats are putting their faith in a new chairman who has lost two statewide races and most famous moment is the much mocked helicopter ad.
It is doubtful Smith is going to significantly increase Democrats chances of getting elected to the Florida legislature any time in the foreseeable future. Haridopolos' prediction of lawsuits looks increasingly likely. The redistricting fight will get uglier as Florida again becomes a presidential battleground state.
"(Department of Education) releases data that shows 35 counties and more than 44k classes are not in compliance with final push of class size."
The class size amendment was passed with the votes of Florida citizens in 2002. Florida has had years to prepare itself for the amendment. The anti-class size amendment failed at the polls this year. The voters made it clear that they support class size reduction.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida legislature have been attempting to undermine the amendment for years. Republicans in the Florida legislature passed a bill placing the anti class size reduction amendment on the ballot. Florida nationally has ranked near the bottom in K-12 education. The failure to properly implement class size reduction is a good example of why.
Republican Super Majorities In Florida House & Senate
This is what happens when the Florida Democratic Party let's Republicans run unopposed and not being able to recruit good candidates when GOP candidates are challenged. Gary Fineout tweets on the blood-letting that was the Florida legislature races.
GOP now has a veto-proof majority, 28 in Sen, 81 in House, says Cannon and Haridopolos
Short answer: the few Democrats left in the legislature won't be able to defeat any bill.
Rick Scott has put another $3.57 million into his campaign. He has now spent more than $60 mil of his own cash.
Scott narrowly beat primary opponent Bill McCollum and some polls have Alex Sink in the lead. The message is Scott is a horrible candidate. Scott is terried of the media and talks in robot talking points. Scott can not talk about Florida policy issues because he never bothered to study up. That is why Scott has had a cash advantage and hasn't been able to build a big lead against Sink.
Sink has trampled over Scott in terms of fundraising. That says Scott's support is is soft and people do not like to donate their money to a rich guy. Sink is not poor, but she hasn't thrown vast sums of her own money into her campaign. Scott creates the impression he doesn't need to raise money. Win or lose, Scott has blown $60 million of his own money.
Polls here, here, and here as a toss-up. It would help if Sen. Bill Nelson didn't play pollster and say sink will "win by seven points or more." That tells voters that either Sink has an easy road to victory and Democrats can stay home. Another problem is Nelson's statement makes the Democratic establishment sound detached from reality. (Remember Republicans saying there was no insurgency in Iraq.) Democratic voters need to know Marco Rubio's Tea Party stardom is going to turn out Republicans. Democrats need to go to the polls and vote. The Democratic establishment needs to stop stressing there is no problem and play up their underdog role to increase voter turnout.
Florida political beat reporters Mary Ellen Klas and Gary Fineout say Jeff Greene is drawing supporting away from Kendrick Meek in the Democratic Senate primary. Both agree Rick Scott is causing similar problems for Bill McCollum in the Republican gubernatorial primary. I don't think Greene or Scott is going to win. What their late candidacies show is how weak support is for Meek and McCollum.
When a candidate is certain of the nomination, he or she will refuse to debate or define themselves on issues. Political parties do themselves a diservice by clearing the field. We saw how Florida Republicans turned on Jim Greer and Charlie Crist. Candidates also are less likely to survive a tough general election after an easy primary. Barack Obama became a better candidate by being battle tested by Hillary Clinton. Meek and McCollum have not had a tough primary ooponent and that has kept them out of the media cycle. Lack of news coverage is not an asset to a candidate.
