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.

More:

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.
Read more…

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.
Read more…

Ethics complaint filed against Sansom

Pressure continues to mount on House Speaker Ray Sansom, who now faces an ethics complaint filed by a Clearwater man.

“Somebody’s got to say something,” David Plyer, a retired electrical engineer, said Monday. “Those elected officials all seem to be quiet, and they seem to be part of the same club.”

Plyer alleges in his complaint that the powerful Destin Republican improperly steered $24.5 million in taxpayer dollars to Northwest Florida State College before accepting a $110,000 job as a school vice president. The complaint cites an ethics law that prohibits a public official from “corruptly” using his or her authority to, “secure a special privilege, benefit, or exemption for himself, herself or others.”
Read more…

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.
Read more…

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.
Read more…

Polls suggest Florida too close to call as McCain, Obama work on final push

With both presidential candidates making final appearances today in Florida, polls are showing the state is too close to call.

A poll released this morning by Quinnipiac University gives Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama a razor-thin 47-45 lead over Republican John McCain in Florida, but impressive leads in the other key swing states of Ohio, (50-43) and Pennsylvania, (52-42.)
Read more…

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.
Read more…

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.

Read more…

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.
Read more…

Next Page »