No decision from Miami-Dade commissioners on leftover Dolphins elections cash

@PatriciaMazzei

Deciding what to do with left over cash from the Miami Dolphins’ short-lived referendum on stadium improvements proved too much Tuesday for Miami-Dade commissioners.

After delaying a vote earlier this month and considering three competing spending proposals at length, board members declared a stalemate, conceding they could not agree on any of the plans.

Instead, they asked the administration to bank the windfall — about $2.3 million — in the county’s general fund. They will decide during the next few months how to spend the money in next year’s budget.

The anticlimactic conclusion came after a tug-of-war among commissioners on the dais. At one point it appeared that practically each one had a different idea of where the dollars should go.

“Before the budget, it’s very easy for us to give money away,” Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa said. “But then when the budget time comes and we have to talk about either increasing taxes or asking our employees to make sacrifices, that is when things get hard on this table.”

The money was left over from the nearly $4.8 million nonrefundable payment the Dolphins made to the county to cover the costs of a proposed May 14 special election. The referendum was called off after the Florida House of Representatives concluded its annual legislative session without taking up a bill required for the election to take place.

More here.

Amazon giveaways popular, even if company doesn't need them

When Amazon expands, like it wants to in Florida, state and local governments practically line up to offer to pay the company to move.

Virginia officials approved $4.4 million in taxpayer subsidies so Amazon could build two warehouses in the state. California reached a deal where the online company was free from sales taxes for a year, saving about $200 million. Texas officials forgave $269 million in back sales taxes to get a new warehouse. New Jersey officials put up millions more in breaks.

All the deals were cut in the past three years. All for a company that had $61.1 billion in sales last year.

On Wednesday Hillsborough County commissioners will consider a package that could include up to $7.5 million in local and state tax breaks for Amazon to build a new warehouse in Ruskin for 1,000 employees. Hillsborough's offer was disclosed last week, shortly after Gov. Rick Scott announced that Amazon wants to create 3,000 jobs in the state by 2016.

Yet enticements are so small in relation to Amazon's multibillion-dollar business that analysts don't even bother studying their affect on expansion.

"They are a spec on the radar," said Matt Nemer, a retail analyst for Wells Fargo Securities in San Francisco. "They're just not big enough to make a difference."

Here's the rationale for why Amazon gets the incentives, at considerable public expense, anyway.

Dems aren't ready to measure their candidates but they do have metrics on -- the JJ dinner

Here's a new one -- an infographic touting a dinner. This one is about the Florida Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson dinner, held Saturday at the Westin Diplomat in Broward.

The party offers up on its web site its metrics for what says was an unprecedented number of attendees and $850,000 in money raised (compared to last year's $600,000.) It even measured the applause, with a decibel meter. 

Then there's what the graphic didn't measure:

* the rift between House Democrats;

* the rejection of former state Sen. Nan Rich, who is running for governor, from the speaker's platform;

* the reaction to Alex Sink, former CFO who narrowly lost to Rick Scott and is considering entering the race again; 

* or the crowd's receptiveness to likely-Democratic candidate and former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist.

 A new Quinnipiac University poll out today did take a measurement on some of those folks. Respondents said that if the election were held today both Crist and Sink would defeat incumbent Gov. Rick Scott while too few people know about Rich to judge her.  Download 061813 FL GOV POLL + BP

Update: Republican political consultant Brian Burgess notes that, based on a report published in the Palm Beach Post last year, Democratic Party organizers in 2012 actually reported a higher number of people in attendance (1,000) and a fundraising threshold of $750,000. 

"Either the Florida Democrats are lousy at math, or they're lousy at telling the truth,'' he said. 

Democratic Party spokesman Joshua Karp, who wasn't with the Florida party last year, responded that the actual number of attendees in 2012 was closer to 900 and the amount reported as raised was based on amount pledged. This year's number, he said, was based on checks delivered and he stands by the percentages reported.

 

Ex-Sen. Dockery: Florida GOP 'scared of Charlie Crist'

Former Republican state Sen. Paula Dockery of Lakeland says it was "kind of silly" and "dumb" that the Republican Party of Florida mounted a campaign urging that Democratic candidate for governor Nan Rich be given speaking time at last weekend's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Hollywood.

Dockery said that by promoting Nan Rich, Republicans showed their true colors.

"It looks like they're scared of Charlie Crist," Dockery said on the weekly public affairs program Florida This Week on WEDU-Channel 3 in Tampa. "They want to pump up Nan Rich, who was not getting much traction on her own ... I think it just sends the message that they're worried about Charlie Crist and it was kind of a dumb thing."

Puzzled by a Republican effort in support of a little-known Democratic candidate, Dockery said she fired off an email to party headquarters in Tallahassee, asking: "Who's your audience on this?"

-- Steve Bousquet

Kentucky governor hits back at Scott's job-poaching efforts

Gov. Rick Scott is targeting yet another state in his effort to poach out-of-state jobs -- and this time the other governor is firing back.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, took issue with Scott's characterization of the Bluegrass State as a land of high taxes and anti-business regulation.

"Gov. Scott's description of the business climate in Kentucky is so far from the existing reality that one wonders whether he's had too much of that Florida sun (and the high property taxes that go with it)," Beshear said in a statement released Tuesday.

Beshear cited praise of Kentucky's business climate from Area Development magazine and a drop of 2.4 percentage points in the state's unemployment rate. Kentucky's unemployment rate is 7.9 percent; Florida's is 7.2 percent.

On his official web site, Beshear is touting the news that Toyota plans to soon begin assembly of the popular Lexus ES350 sedan at a plant in Georgetown, Ky.

Earlier, Scott sent letters to governors of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota, criticizing those states' business climates and seeking to persuade CEOs to move south.

Scott and Beshear have a history. Two years ago, Beshear lobbied Scott to support a prescription drug monitoring system in an effort to reduce the high number of fatal drug overdoses caused by "pill mills" in Florida. Scott initially refused, but later did support the drug database.

-- Steve Bousquet 

Gov. Scott gains ground in new statewide poll, but trails Crist by 10

Gov. Rick Scott's poll numbers are showing signs of progress, but he would still lose to former Gov. Charlie Crist by 10 points if the 2014 election were held today, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

Still one of America's least popular governors, Scott trails Crist 47 percent  to 37 percent in a face-off between the Republican governor and his possible now-Democratic rival.

But the poll contains a glimmer of hope for Scott: Voters are closely divided in their assessment of his job performance, with 43 percent approving and 44 percent disapproving. That's a significant improvement over the previous Quinnipiac poll in March, when 36 percent of voters approved of Scott's performance and 49 percent disapproved.

The percentage of voters who have a favorable view of Scott is up to 40 percent, the highest since he took office nearly two-and-a-half years ago. But he has persistent problems with women, who favor Crist by 51 to 32 percent, and Hispanics favor Crist over Scott, 40-33 percent.

Crist's 13 percent share of Republican crossover votes is slightly higher than Scott's 8 percent share of Democrats.

Voters still say by a margin of 50 percent to 35 percent that Scott does not deserve to be re-elected, but that too is an improvement over the previous survey in March, when 55 percent said he didn't deserve a second term and 32 percent said he did.

"It is an indication of how far down Gov. Rick Scott's numbers have been that he can take some solace from a poll that finds him losing by 10 points to his predecessor in the governor's office," said Quinnipiac's Peter Brown. "In addition to cutting the deficit between himself and Crist, Scott sees his tepid job approval and favorability numbers and still-negative re-election numbers as notably improved. That doesn't mean that happy days are here again for the governor, but if he is going to make a comeback, these are the kinds of steps that would be required."

Voters have a favorable view of Crist by a margin of 48 to 31 percent. For Scott, that number is 40 percent favorable, 42  percent unfavorable.

By a margin of 47 to 44 percent, voters said Crist's switch to the Democratic Party is a positive thing, including 53 percent of independent voters. Speaking of independents, they favor Crist over Scott for governor by 45 percent to 33 percent.

The poll also shows that U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson would defeat Scott, 48-38 percent, but that Scott would defeat former Senate Democratic leader Nan Rich, 42-36 percent. Rich is one of three announced Democratic candidate for governor in 2014, and Nelson has repeatedly said he has no intention of running for governor. Quinnipiac did not ask voters about Alex Sink, the Democratic nominee in 2010 who is considering another bid.

Nelson does slightly better with independent voters against Scott (48-33 percent) than Crist.

Scott travels the state extensively claiming credit for improvements in Florida's economy, and the poll suggests that message is slowly getting through to Florida voters. One-third of them said the economy in Florida is getting better, and 14 percent said Scott deserves "a lot" of credit for that and 44 percent say he deserves "some" credit.

The bottom line: Scott's numbers were close to rock bottom and they had nowhere to go but up. The headline on Quinnipiac's news release summed it up nicely: "Gov's grades are low, but best ever."

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,176 Florida voters from June 11-16. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

-- Steve Bousquet

Poll: Absentee-ballot scandal makes Miami Rep. Joe Garcia vulnerable in reelection

@PatriciaMazzei & @MarcACaputo

A leading rival of U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia released a new poll Monday that shows the incumbent has a double-digit lead but a major vulnerability: the absentee-ballot fraud scandal haunting his campaign.

The poll shows Garcia, a Miami Democrat, leading 46 percent to 34 percent in a potential 2014 matchup against Republican Carlos Curbelo, the Miami-Dade School Board member who commissioned the survey.

But among those who had heard about the Garcia campaign’s involvement in the fraudulent absentee-ballot requests scheme, the race is a “dead heat,” the poll says, with Curbelo leading Garcia 40 percent to 39 percent.

Garcia’s office said he is not worried about poll numbers but rather about building a track record as a first-year congressman.

“Even in a skewed partisan poll the Congressman remains very strong and likely to be re-elected,” Raul Martinez Jr., Garcia’s district director and political advisor, said in a statement. “Congressman Garcia is not focused on partisan politics. Congressman Garcia remains focused on serving the community by dealing with immigration reform, getting the country’s fiscal house in order and fueling the economic recovery.”

Garcia has been in damage control since May 31, when Miami-Dade state attorney’s office investigators raided three locations associated with his campaign manager and a former campaign worker who also served as his congressional spokesman.

More here.

Supreme Court agrees to expedite briefs in redistricting case

The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to partly expedite the review of the redistricting challenge brought by the League of Women Voters and a coalition of  individuals and voter groups this month by giving the parties until June 21 to file their briefs.

The court did not say whether it would also conduct an expedited hearing in the case, thereby interrupting the court's traditional summer break, but it did not deny the request for the fast-track hearing either.

The League and several other plaintiffs are asking the court to review a precedent-setting appellate court decision issued last month that allows legislators to be shielded from discovering proceedings in a redistricting challenge.

Lawyers for the House and Senate successfully argued before the First District Court of Appeals that legislators and their staff enjoy blanket immunity from being forced to turn over their work papers or testify regarding redistricting. 

 

Citizen's top defender, long-time CFO Sharon Binnun, resigns

A top official at Citizens Property Insurance, chief financial officer Sharon Binnun, resigned Monday, the company president Barry Gilway announced Monday in a note to employees.

Binnun served the company as a steadfast defender of some of Citizen's most controversial policies and faced withering criticism from lawmakers and consumer advocates over those ideas as well as over travel expenses racked up by Citizens executives.

Binnun, who joined the state-run insurance company in six years ago and made $255,000 a year, said in her resignation letter she has accepted a job in the private sector effective July 5. She is credited with helping to transfer 430,000 policies from Citizens to private insurers over the past two years, resulting in an estimated 47 percent decrease in potential assessments on Citizens customers and all Florida policyholders in the event of a catastrophic storm.

Binnin was often the voice of Citizens before the legislature, calmly defending ideas that were later rejected by policy makers as too controversial -- such as a proposal from Citizens to offer loans to companies to take out Citizens policies and to remove caps on rate hikes.

Remembering this day in (Rick Scott) history

Florida Republicans are having a lot of fun pointing out the contradictions in Charlie Crist's record with a feature called "This Day in CRIST-ory," with a logo that resembles the History Channel. But this day, June 17, is historic for a very different reason.

It was on this day in 2010, three years ago, that Rick Scott walked into the state Division of Elections in Tallahassee, wrote a check and got his name on the Republican primary ballot for governor of Florida. It was also the first time Scott held a press conference, and his performance is memorable for a lot of reasons. The Buzz recently reviewed the videotape, courtesy of our media partners at BayNews 9.

Scott talked about the need to turn the state's economy around, create private sector jobs and "getting results by holding people accountable." After a brief statement and fielding a single question, he tried to get away, saying: "I've got to get to another meeting." 

But a cooler head prevailed. Press aide Jennifer Coxe Baker brought Scott out into the hallway where he answered questions for 10 minutes, an experience he summed up near the end by saying: "This is hard!"

Under the hot TV lights, Scott was visibly perspiring as he fielded one question after another. Several were about his personal finances, his fund-raising strategy and his views on a variety of issues -- such as immigration. "I think the Arizona law is a law that we ought to have in Florida," Scott said.

That never happened. But on that day, Scott began to change the course of history in Florida.

-- Steve Bousquet

New GOP web ad attacks Rep. Joe Garcia over absentee-ballot fraud investigation

@PatriciaMazzei

National Republicans, who have seized on the fraudulent absentee-ballot request investigation engulfing Democratic Rep. Joe Garcia's campaign, plan to attack the Miami congressman in a new online ad.

The National Republican Congressional Committee ad, slated to be posted on the web Tuesday, features a clip of a television spot from Garcia's 2010 campaign in which he said, "Scandals, corruption, partisan infighting -- no wonder people have lost faith in Congress."

Now it's Garcia involved in scandal, the ad notes, cutting to recent news clips about the dismissal of the congressman's chief of staff for apparently directing campaign staffers to submit phony absentee-ballot requests. The ad calls on Garcia "to come clean" in the probe or resign. Garcia has said he had no knowledge of or involvement in the scheme, and prosecutors from the Miami-Dade state attorney's office have so far backed him up.

Here's the ad:

Equality Florida 'condemns Marco Rubio's bigoted comments on immigration reform and ENDA'

Statement from Equality Florida crossposted from Gay South Florida:

MEDIA STATEMENT BY NADINE SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EQUALITY FLORIDA

EQUALITY FLORIDA CONDEMNS MARCO RUBIO’S BIGOTED COMMENTS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM AND EMPLOYMENT NON-DISCRIMINATION ACT

Rubio on Immigration Reform:  "If this bill has something in it that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill.  I'm done.”

Rubio on ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect LGBT people from being fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity): "By and large I think all Americans should be protected but I’m not for any special protections based on orientation."

Online ballot fraud marks the ‘e-boletera era of Miami politics’

@MarcACaputo & @PatriciaMazzei

The election scandal dogging Congressman Joe Garcia’s campaign and two state House races makes it clear: Computer techies are supplementing old-school, block-walking ballot-brokers known as boleteras.

Over just a few days last July, at least two groups of schemers used computers traced to Miami, India and the United Kingdom to fraudulently request the ballots of 2,046 Miami-Dade voters.

Garcia said he knew nothing of the plot that recently implicated three former campaign workers, two employed in his congressional office. Investigators, meanwhile, have hit a dead end with a larger fraud involving two state House races.

A third incident cropped up Thursday in Miami’s mayoral race, but the case appears unrelated to last year’s fraud when two groups appeared to act separately from each other. They employed different tactics to target different types of voters, a University of Florida/Miami Herald analysis of election data indicates.

The ultimate goal was the same: get mail-in ballots into the hands of voters, a job that many boleteras once handled on the streets of Miami-Dade.

Now, it’s electronic.

“This is the e- boletera era of Miami politics,” said Daniel Smith, a UF political science professor who analyzed the voting data previously examined by The Miami Herald.

More here

Amid governor's-race controversy, FL Dems boast they'll still whip Rick Scott

@MarcACaputo

              Florida Democrats’ best candidate for governor right now isn’t a candidate and wasn’t always one of them.

And party leaders caused a stir by snubbing a longtime candidate and party stalwart.

But when the elites of the Florida Democratic Party met Saturday for their annual fund-raising gala, they suggested none of that was really a big problem for one big reason: Rick Scott.

The unpopular Republican governor looks like an easy target for an incumbent.

“Whoever the Democratic nominee is will beat Rick Scott,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “We will win the governor’s mansion next November. There’s not any question.”

Even before the Jefferson-Jackson dinner began, Florida Democratic Party leaders said it was a success, bringing in a record $850,000.

More here

FL House Dem leader Rouson bashed by fellow Dems as 'a divider.'

The News Service of Florida:

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., June 15, 2013.......On a day when the Florida Democratic Party gathered to showcase its united drive to unseat Gov. Rick Scott, House Democrats held a caucus meeting that instead highlighted the concerns some members have with the leadership style of Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg.

Rouson, who was chosen to lead House Democrats after the 2014 elections following a contentious contest with Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, is currently trying to increase the party's size in the House. But his style of doing so came under withering criticism Saturday from two members who said they were unhappy with Rouson.

It's not clear if the discontent goes beyond those two members, or how far it does go.

Rep. Mike Clelland, D-Lake Mary, questioned whether Rouson had managed to gain the full support of the Florida Education Association and the Florida Justice Association, two key constituencies in the party's organizing and fundraising efforts, as well as some other party leaders.

"Everything that I have heard from reliable sources is that you've alienated all of those folks," Clelland said. "And I want a leader in this caucus who's going to be a unifier, not a divider."

Scott signs bill to streamline death penalty review, allowing him to execute at record pace

Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law Friday aimed at accelerating the pace of the death penalty process in Florida that could make the governor the most active executioner in modern state history.

The measure, dubbed “the Timely Justice Act” by its proponents, requires governors to sign death warrants 30 days after the Florida Supreme Court certifies that an inmate has exhausted his legal appeals. Once a death warrant is signed, the new law requires the state to execute the defendant within six months.

The bill, which passed the House 84-34 and was approved by the Senate 28-10, allows the governor to control the execution schedule slightly because it requires him to sign a death warrant after the required clemency review is completed and only the governor may order the clemency investigation. Scott’s office told lawmakers that because at least 13 of the 404 inmates on Death Row have exhausted their appeals, his office has already started the clock on the clemency review.

If Scott were to sign death warrants for the 13 eligible inmates, and their executions were to continue as planned, he will be on schedule to put to death 21 murderers since he took office in January 2011. The only other recent governor who executed that many people was former Gov. Jeb Bush, who ordered the execution of 21 convicted killers but did it over an eight-year period.

The only governor to commute a death sentence since the state passed its current capital punishment law in 1973 was former Gov. Bob Graham who reduced the sentences of seven men between 1979 and 1983 for various reasons, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Story here.

 

Rick Scott says no to wildflower plate

Florida’s native wildflowers include 263 species that sprout in yards, gardens and along the road, a ubiquity that has relegated the plant to a mostly overlooked status.

That all changed when the flower stormed the political stage Friday after Gov. Rick Scott vetoed HB 265 — a bill that would have increased the annual $15 fee for the wildflower license plate by $10. Scott’s veto sent shock waves throughout the plant world.

“I’m stunned,” said Lisa Roberts, executive director of the Florida Wildflower Foundation.

Scott announced the veto late Friday afternoon. He also vetoed legislation that would have exempted from public records the email addresses listed on voter registration applications, which drew criticism from Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley. “How could I explain to a voter that their email address was provided by me to a complete stranger? Horrible policy decision!” Corley tweeted.

Scott also signed 60 bills, including one that restricts local governments from passing laws requiring businesses to offer employees paid sick time.

But it was the veto of the $25 wildflower license tag bill that seemed downright bizarre. Just last month Scott approved a $25 specialty tag for Freemasonry. And on Wednesday, Scott approved a transportation bill that established license plates for three groups: the American Legion, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Lauren’s Kids, each one having a $25 fee for those who wanted to pay it.

Scott’s veto letter provided no insight into why he was treating the wildflower plate differently.

“Although buying a specialty license plate is voluntary, Floridians wishing to demonstrate their support for our state’s natural beauty would be subjected to the cost increases sought by the bill,” he wrote.
“Why did they get their plates passed and we didn’t?” Roberts said. “I can’t imagine anyone being against wildflowers.”

Roberts said the increase was needed because of a drop in revenue from the specialty plate, which was established in 2000. At its peak, in 2007, the tag raised $325,000. Last year it raised just about $230,000. The money goes to the foundation and helps pay for road side plantings.

Michael Van Sickler, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Scott's veto of mental health bill

Gov. Rick Scott's veto of a mental health bill this week not only surprised the Florida Legislature, which passed it unanimously, it contradicted the efforts of his own agency, the Department of Children and Families.

The bill, which would have shortened from five years to three years the time frame in which a judge would have to decide whether a person was mentally competent to stand trial, among other provisions, was rejected by Scott because reducing the time frame “could pose a serious public safety risk.”

What the veto letter didn't say was that Scott had been urged to veto the bill (SB 1420) by a lobbyist for the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association,  Buddy Jacobs, who argued that an amendment to the measure made it unacceptable to prosecutors because of the reduced time frame.

Now that the bill (SB 1420) has been vetoed, DCF’s spokesman Alexis Lambert said the department was "concurring with the governor” that shortening the time frame “could pose a public safety risk.” She wouldn’t comment on the lack of DCF opposition to the bill during the legislative process and assertions by the bill’s sponsors and a Broward County Judge that the department was involved “since its inception.”

"Chicken Charlie" Crist draws fire in gun-control web video

@MarcACaputo

As former Gov. Charlie Crist appears ready to announce a bid for his old job, the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat has a target on his back for his old positions.

Especially guns.

Once A-rated by the NRA, Crist no longer will be. The gun lobby will back Gov. Rick Scott. But Crist also appears to be taking fire from progressives, including this new group, gutsorguns.com, that just posted this "Chicken Charlie" video:

 

After posting this, we got the press release:

Norquist touts taxless income in tweet to Tallahassee

Washington anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist has gained fame for holding conservative elected officials to a no-new-taxes pledge. He's so powerful that his stamp of approval is a coup for any conservative wanting to prove himself to a wider national audience.

So on Friday afternoon, it was paydirt for Florida House Republicans when, seemingly unprompted, Norquist touted Florida's low taxes in a tweet to his 49,694 followers.

"How much bigger would your paycheck be if you lived and paid taxes in Florida?" Norquist tweeted Friday, including a link to a graphic. It showed the income taxes those earning $40,000 would pay in states with Democratic-controlled Legislatures (New York, California, Illinois) vs. the zero dollars someone living in "Republican controlled" Florida pays for income taxes.

"Any questions?" the graphic says at the bottom. "Brought to you by the Florida House Republicans."