Officials: Florida more prepared for disasters than ever before

Florida is more ready for a hurricane and other disasters than ever before, Gov. Charlie Crist and top emergency-management officers said Wednesday.

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Officials: Florida more prepared for disasters than ever before

Opposition squares off on growth amendment

City and county governments have treated growth-management plan changes “like Halloween candy” for developers and voters need a “veto,” the head of a controversial constitutional-amendment campaign said Thursday.
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Proposed amendment would put limits on local taxes, tax hikes

A proposed cap on local and state taxes at 2010-11 levels and a limit on future increases tied to population growth met with quick and loud opposition in its first Senate committee hearing Tuesday.
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Florida Legislature sets special session to discuss $2.3 billion budget shortfall

It’s official.

The Legislature will meet in special session Jan. 5-16 to true up the state’s budget and the $2.3 billion gap between revenue and spending. Gambling and cigarette taxes are definitely out. Class-size spending and increased speeding fines are in.

House Speaker Ray Sansom and Senate President Jeff Atwater on Tuesday evening signed the call for the special session, a constitutionally required step for the Legislature to meet outside its required 60-day spring session. The call signed by Atwater and Sansom also sets out the limits of what can be considered for lawmakers. Anything outside the call requires a super majority of lawmakers to be taken up.

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Secretary of state continues to review fraud complaints

While Wakulla County election officials waited Wednesday to certify razor-thin victories, the state’s top elections chief continued to weigh fraud complaints.

Secretary of State Kurt Browning is still considering a complaint filed last week by a Panacea resident against Wakulla County Elections Supervisor Sherida Crum, alleging that voting rolls contained the names of people who listed vacant lots and nonexisting street addresses.
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Gay-marriage ban in constitution

Neither side was ready to concede late Tuesday in the vote over Amendment 2.

Early this morning, Amendment 2 was passing with 62.2 percent of the vote, above the three-fifths required for passage. Here’s the count:

Yes: 4,616,271
No: 2,810,313

Both sides said the final results would be close.
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Florida early voters favor Dems; GOP leads state in absentees

Nearly 2 million Floridians cast ballots in the first week of early voting, and the partisan breakdown gives a slight edge to Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.
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Palin campaigns in Republican-rich areas of Florida

FORT MYERS — Gov. Sarah Palin energized large crowds in Southwest Florida on Monday while campaigning for the presidential ticket in a Republican-rich area of the state.
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Florida officials: Sell state jet to save big money

The Legislature’s fiscal watchdog said Monday taxpayers could save big money by unloading the state’s executive jet and letting many of Florida’s top officials contend with Tallahassee’s notoriously bad commercial air service.
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Updated: Palin starts two-day Florida tour; Biden will be in the Sunshine State Wednesday

CLEARWATER — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, the state’s two top Republicans, have taken the stage to introduce Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

With patriotic and nostalgic songs from a group of elementary schoolers, today’s rally began at Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater at around 7:30 a.m.

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