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

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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Crist weighs moratorium on foreclosures

Continues to give Republicans a bad name

US Constitution, Article 1, Section 10:
“No State shall… pass any… Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts…

Gov. Charlie Crist said Monday he is considering ordering a moratorium on home foreclosures, “especially during the holidays.”

In an informal gathering with reporters following a news conference, Crist was asked what he thought of copying California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 90-day moratorium on home foreclosures.
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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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Outlook bleak for Florida budget

Dire economic circumstances call for severe responses, a fact reflected in contingency plans drawn up by state agencies as Gov. Charlie Crist begins his budget-building process.

Crist asked his agencies to provide requests that included plans for a 10-percent cut. He’s hoping that’s not what’s required when he presents his version of the state’s spending plan in January, but his department heads have painted what it would look like if it were.

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Threat letter with powder sent to Gov. Crist

Florida authorities are investigating a threatening letter sent to Gov. Charlie Crist that contained a suspicious but nontoxic white powder.
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Amendment 5 off the ballot, but "Protect Florida’s Future" campaign continues

With colored blocks and a stuffed toy ostrich, an influential legislative money manager wound up his 10-city campaign against the tax-swap constitutional amendment Monday.
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Attorney: Wording on tax-swap amendment misleading, confusing

An attorney trying to knock the tax-swap amendment off the ballot told a judge Wednesday that proponents tried to “hide the ball” and sneak multiple provisions past Florida voters in November.
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Tax-swap ballot challenge in court today

A hearing is scheduled in Leon County circuit court today on a business group’s suit to knock the “tax swap” constitutional amendment off of the November ballot.

Plaintiffs in the case claim that the ballot language for Amendment 5 is ambiguous, not telling voters its full effect. The amendment would abolish the “local required effort” portion of county property taxes for school support, requiring future Legislatures to come up with between $9 billion and $11 billion in replacement revenues. Judge John Cooper will hear the case.

Attorney Barry Richard, representing a coalition of nearly 30 business groups, said in a legal memo that the ballot language refers to a limit on annual assessments of real estate. But he said that is “at best, ambiguous” and would mislead voters about the far-reaching impact of the amendment.

Assistant attorney general Lou Hubener and two outside attorneys will argue in defense of the proposal, which was put on the ballot by the Tax and Budget Reform Commission.

FDLE may be forced to cut more positions

The head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Tuesday budget belt-tightening may force 40 to 50 layoffs and the state might pull out of all but the biggest drug cases.   

FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey said he is meeting with sheriffs and police chief associations to see what they are most willing to give up. He told Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet that the department’s most sought-after services, like DNA laboratory work and fingerprint checks, will not be scaled back but that some extremely difficult choices lie ahead.

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FDLE may be forced to cut more positions

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