Odebrecht sues Florida over Cuba crackdown law

The Coral Gables-based subsidiary of Odebrecht, the Brazilian engineering and construction conglomerate, sued the state Monday over a contentious new Florida law that bans governments from hiring companies with business ties to Cuba.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, contends that the law is unenforceable and unconstitutional because it sets foreign policy — a power that the courts have ruled belongs solely to the federal government.

The law would prohibit state and local government agencies from awarding contracts worth at least $1 million to Odebrecht Construction Inc. — among others — because a subsidiary of its parent company is upgrading the Cuban Port of Mariel.

Gov. Rick Scott caused an uproar last month when he signed the law in a ceremony at Miami’s Freedom Tower, only to issue a statement shortly afterward suggesting the law was unconstitutional. The governor later retreated from that stance, saying he backed the law and that his administration would defend it against a likely legal challenge.

A Scott spokesman declined to comment Monday because the governor’s office had not yet received a copy of the lawsuit.

Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah, one of two Miami-Dade Republicans to sponsor the legislation, which received near-unanimous support from state lawmakers, said the court should uphold the law.

“This is not about foreign policy,” he said after learning about the lawsuit from a Miami Herald reporter. “I see it as a states’ rights issue. We have a right to decide who we want to do business with.”

In its lawsuit, however, Odebrecht argues that federal laws “do not authorize states to enforce their own sanctions against Cuba.” More here.

Gov. Rick Scott takes jobs talk to rural Panhandle counties

MARIANNA — Gov. Rick Scott toured the Panhandle Monday, visiting with community and business leaders in a series of "roundtable" meetings focused on the unique challenges Florida's small counties face in creating jobs.

The meetings were held in a part of the state where gubernatorial visits are rare occurrences. Scott used the opportunity to outline his economic development vision and learn about the unique challenges that Gadsden, Jackson, Walton, Calhoun, Washington and Holmes counties face.

"Today really is your day," the governor told the group in Gadsden County (pictured at left). "I'm here to try to answer any questions."

Although the governor requested the meetings in each county, the local chambers of commerce were relied upon to invite the guests. The attendees were generally local government officials, school administrators and area business owners.

Read more here.

Liberal group points out lobbyist ties to Marco Rubio's office

The blog Republic Report has a piece on Sen. Marco Rubio's chief of staff Cesar Conda, a former lobbyist who still owns a stake in the firm.

His latest financial disclosure form shows Conda received "between $50,000 to $100,000 in payments from Navigators Global after becoming a public servant under Rubio. The disclosure shows thats Conda continues to own a stake in his old lobbying firm, and that he continues to share in the firm’s financial success.

Read the report here. Rubio spokesman Alex Conant told Republic Report that the arrangement between Conda and his lobbying firm was “cleared by Senate Ethics back in 2011.” “Cesar had a stock buy out of his ownership units when he left, which is being paid out over time,” Conant wrote to Republic Report.

Posted by Alex Leary

Marco Rubio accused of hypocrisy, "stabbing" immigrant kids "in the back" over tax bill

Hispanic business leader Charles Garcia tees off on FL. Sen. Marco Rubio on CNN.com:

How does Sen. Marco Rubio curry favor with Hispanic voters and at the same time burnish his tea party credentials?

Easy. By saying one thing and doing another.

On May 10, Rubio, a Florida Republican, attempted to reframe his Dream Act proposal to give special visas to children of undocumented workers if they attend college or serve in the military. He said, "But I would just say this is really not an immigration issue; it's a humanitarian issue." On that same day, he quietly submitted a bill that would severely threaten humanitarian assistance to nearly 4 million children living in poverty. These are U.S. citizens. But to Rubio they are guilty by association. Through no fault of their own their parents are undocumented workers.

Currently, a credit is available to undocumented workers who report their income to the IRS through the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number program, created in 1996, making them eligible for a Child Tax Credit. For many children, this payment ($1,000 per child) is the difference between abject poverty and the ability to survive.

Rubio had a different take last week:

“The bill’s pretty straightforward. There are people in this country filing for child tax credits for children who don’t even live in the United States and it has been documented and it was never intended for that purpose,” he said. “It’s not even legal to do it now. All this does is say if you don’t have a Social Security Number, and you did file for the tax credit, you have to file paperwork proving that those children who are receiving the tax credit are here in the United States."

Here's the rest of Garcia's post.

 

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/05/marco-rubio-defends-immigrant-tax-credit-crackdown-bill.html#storylink=cpy

Federal audit of Florida Democratic Party 2008 books reveals violations

Sloppy bookkeeping and violating spending limits on federal and accounts in the 2008 campaign has gotten the Florida Democratic Party into trouble with the Federal Elections Commission.

UPDATE: The election commission will decide at its June 7 meeting whether to approve or amend an audit report that accuses the party of five violations of failing to document expenditures and coordinated campaign activities in the 2007-08 election year. The commission will decide at a later date whether or not any fines should be paid.

The commission launched an audit of the Florida Democratic Party in 2009 after questions were raised about the party’s federal spending reports.

The party has since amended all of its reports "to the complete satisfaction of the Commission,''' said Brannon Jordan, Democratic Party spokeswoman. Although the party disputed several of the findings of the commission, Jordan said it has "cooperated fully and believe we have successfully resolved all other remaining issues from the 2007-2008 cycle.”

The audit, released publicly on April 25, 2012, found that the party’s election committee: Download FEC60712

Marco Rubio to headline Faith and Freedom conference in DC

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and one of the other oft-mentioned potential vice presidential running mates out there, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, will headline the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington next week.

The event is June 14th; following the program, Rubio will sign book plates for his new book "An American Son: A Memoir."

The conference is billed by organizers as "an important training and equipping weekend" for state chapters, members and supporters preparing for the 2012 elections. Their aim is to advance conservative legislation at the state and federal level. They anticipates 1,500 attendees over three days, and 50 partnering organizations as co-sponsors.

Confirmed speakers include Mitt Romney, Bob McDonnell, Rick Santorum, Rubio, Rob Portman, Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, Glenn Beck, Dick Morris, and Herman Cain.

Mario Diaz-Balart: Axelrod doesn't speak on behalf of Hispanics

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, has weighed in on a statement made this weekend by President Barack Obama's top political strategist, David Axelrod. In the interview with Univision TV's Jorge Ramos, Axelrod said of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney that it would be "insulting" to Hispanics if the former Massachussetts governor picked Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as a running mate if the pick was intended merely to win more Latino support.

"It is profoundly offensive that Mr. Axelrod believes he can speak on behalf of the Hispanic community," Diaz-Balart said Monday, in a statement issued by his campaign.

"His statement is not just patronizing and insulting it reflects the election-time rhetoric of the Obama Campaign when it comes to the Hispanic community," Diaz-Balart said. "The true insult is how President Obama, time and time again, has broken his promise to the Hispanic community while at the same time his economic policies disproportionally hurt Hispanics. I commend Senator Rubio for the work he has done on behalf of his constituents, our country and the Hispanic community."

Here's what Axelrod said: "I think it would be an insult to the Hispanic community to choose Senator Rubio if the thinks that that is somehow — if Governor Romney thinks that's sort of a get-out-of-jail-free card for all of the things and the positions that he's taken," Axelrod said.

Feud over Citizens insurance is becoming a North v. South fight

It's deja vu all over again. The latest election year fight over the future of Citizens Property Insurance is coming down to a war between politicians representing the interior and North Florida counties, whose Citizens rates are low and whose constituents don't rely on the state-subsidized insurer, and politicians who represent the coastal and sinkhole counties who are dependent on the insurer.

Consider a letter sent today to the interim head of Citizens, Tom Grady, from 23 members of the state House and three state senators urging the insurer to move forward with its controversial plans to raise rates by as much as 30 percent in some areas. There's not a South Florida legislator in the bunch.

Contrast that with the threat announced two weeks ago by Sen.Anitere Flores, R-Miami and Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, who said they will file legislation next year if Citizens moves forward with its plan to raise rates on homeowners in vulnerable areas. Sen.Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, and Rep. Carlos Lopez Cantera, R-Miami, have been equally critical.

Interestingly, in the middle is Gov. Rick Scott. He has urged Citizens to do what it takes to reduce Citizens' exposure to risk -- which translates into raising the cost of insurance -- at the same time he says he wants to make it a priority to lower the cost of living in Florida.

Here's today's letter from Central and North Florida legislators:

Gov. Rick Scott defends purge of voter rolls, says Homeland Security data needed

Gov. Rick Scott is spending the day holding "roundtable" discussions in various Panhandle counties, but he also answered a couple off-topic questions after his first stop of the day in Gadsden County. The Times/Herald asked the governor to comment about the Department of Justice's request that Florida stop purging voters from the roll and his response to the federal government's concerns.

Scott's answer: "We need to have fair elections. When you vote, you want to make sure that the other individuals that are voting have a right to vote. That's what I care about. If you're a candidate, you want to make sure that the people that vote in your election are people who have a right to vote. So my focus is in making sure that our state has fair elections. People who have a right to vote (can) vote. Because I don't want to disenfranchise anybody in their voting rights."

As far as the timing of the purge and why it didn't begin earlier in his tenure, Scott said, "We were waiting on the (U.S. Department of) Homeland Security database. So it just kept getting delayed. I'm responsible for the state, but my understanding is they just kept delaying it. .. There is no perfect time for doing any of these things. We just want fair elections. That's what all of us want. This is not a partisan issue."

So far, the Homeland Security Department, which manages citizenship data, has refused to share its database with Florida.

(In case you were wondering about the other folks joining Scott in the News Service of Florida's video linked above, they are State Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, who represents the region, and Gadsden County Commissioner Eugene Lamb Jr.)

And they're off! Candidate qualifying period opens

When the clock struck 12 noon Monday, a handful of candidates were among the first to submit qualifying papers at the Division of Elections in Tallahassee. By noon Friday, the ballot will be set for all of Florida's 27 Congressional districts, 160 legislative districts and hundreds of other county races, and the suspense will end over who's running in which seat and who got a "free ride" -- elected without opposition.

The first candidate to wander into the state elections office Monday was James Jett, 59 (at left), the Republican clerk of courts in Clay County, who's running in the 3rd Congressional District against Rep. Cliff Stearns of Ocala, among others. Jett has accused Stearns supporters of offering him cash and other inducements in exchange for dropping out of the race, and he brought his complaints -- which also implicate Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll -- to the local sheriff. Stearns' office has denied the allegations.

No. 2 in line: State Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze, casually dressed in a blue polo shirt, khaki shorts and white sneakers for the nearly theee-hour drive across I-10. He said he wanted to be first, but added: "I got delayed at the car wash." Nearly half of the constituents in House District 2 in the far western Panhandle are new, but Ford said he's optimistic he'll be re-elected, especially after hearing that his rival hopes to spend $5,000 on his campaign. "A little naive," Ford said.

No. 3 was Bradley Maxwell, a Republican who filed to run against Democratic Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda of Tallahassee. Batting clean-up: Rep. Irv Slosberg, a veteran Democrat from Boca Raton. "I just feel it's important to hand my stuff in myself, rather than trust it to the mail," Slosberg said. He hopped a Delta flight from South Florida to the state capital: "I used free miles!" he said.

Another House candidate, Republican Bob Brooks of Winter Park, filed fifth, and No. 6 was Democratic Rep. John Patrick Julien of North Miami Beach, who is seeking the newly-drawn District 107 seat in the House against fellow incumbent Rep. Barbara Watson.  

-- Steve Bousquet