Florida Supreme Court OKs fair districts amendment fiscal impact

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday approved the fiscal impact statement that accompanies the 2010 ballot initiative about legislative district boundaries. But Chief Justice Peggy Quince dissented because she believes the statement is biased and not realistic. She said it "should not be used as a scare tactic to discourage the voter." (Download redistricting advisory opinion.)

The court previously rejected the first impact statements and Financial Impact Estimating Conference, a state commission, submitted a revised analysis. But the language remains vague. It reads: "The fiscal impact cannot be determined precisely. State government and state courts may incur additional costs if litigation increases ..."

FairDistrictsFlorida.org, the sponsor of the constitutional amendment, opposed the second half of the statement, suggesting it includes unverifiable speculation about future unknown costs. The state's high court is allowing it, citing a precedent, but left the door open to challenge such vague statements in the future.

Three justices concurred with the opinion, two concurred with the result only, one recused herself and the chief justice dissented.

Schale: Crist's problem is no base of supporters

Florida political guru Steve Schale officially joined the blogging world today, and Naked Politics would be remiss if we didn't welcome him.

His first post provides some insights into the 43-43 Crist-Rubio tie:

"To me, the real story surrounding the Crist/Rubio Rasmussen poll has very little to do with Marco Rubio's rise and has everything to do with the one fundamental flaw in Crist's political career: he's never had a base.

Cabinent signs order rescinding rights

Gov. Charlie Crist and his fellow Cabinet members quietly signed an order Wednesday to revoke the civil rights mistakenly restored to 11 felons.

State auditors conducted a review of the Parole Commission that found a 6 percent error rate in sample of 203, meaning that 13 felons were granted the rights without authorization. Two felons are still incarcerated and no action was necessary to rescind their rights.

"There's human error involved in a lot of things that happen," Crist said. "These people are trying to do the best that they can and sometimes mistakes occur. When they do, you try to rectify it and that's the best that you can do."

An opinion piece in the St. Petersburg Times today, written by Mark Schlakman, suggests more work needs to be done.

EPA limits on water pollution get political

The EPA's decision to set water pollution limits in Florida is quickly becoming a political issue -- and given the potential effect on big business and big agriculture, one that is attracting a litany of special interests.

Michael Sole, the state's Department of Environmental Protection secretary, briefed the Cabinet on Tuesday. All members, in particular Attorney General Bill McCollum who called the EPA's actions "outrageous," appear ready to go to court to challenge the federal government if they don't like the number set in January.

Already one legislative committee heard from DEP about the issue and a second group of lawmakers will get briefed this afternoon.

The forces aligned against the EPA -- led by Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, who expressed skepticism in global warming yesterday -- are making presentations with heightened rhetoric about a standard that the federal government hasn't even set yet. Likewise, the environmental groups that settled the lawsuit with the EPA continue to parade the same series of enlarged algae bloom photos to prove their point.

But in an interview, Sole clarified a few points that should quiet the crowd's draconian predictions -- if they listen.

Storms says TED committee loss was payback for SunRail 'no'

So Senate President Jeff Atwater's spokeswoman said Sen. Ronda Storms was taken off the transportation and economic development committee as part of a larger reshuffling of assignments that happened in October after Sens. Joe Negron and John Thrasher got elected.

Storms begs to differ. She told the Times/Herald she never asked to be taken off the committee, which is a critical stop today before the proposed commuter rail legislation goes to the Senate floor for a vote. Nope, she's pretty sure she lost the post because Atwater knows she's opposed to the rail bill -- and could have killed it in the transportation committee before it ever got to the full chamber. Storms helped defeat the SunRail proposal in the 2009 regular session.

"Of course I didn't ask, and I did wonder if it was payment for my position last (session)," she said. "I was assured that was not the case, and I saw through dark-colored glass. And now I see clearly. I know that's what this is about, and I see it's probably for this (committee) vote.

"I'd be naive to think any differently," she said. "But you know, this is a tough sport and I can catch a few elbows. And I can give back"

Dockery joins 'strange bedfellow' in SunRail fight

Behind an "Ax the Tax" sign and a bank of microphones, state Sen. Paula Dockery continued her assault on the proposed commuter rail legislation, launching into a 40-minute number-laden dissertation that left a Capitol press corps weary.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate specifically took issue with the $44 million the state transportation department already spent on the SunRail project even before the legislation received approval. The bulk of the cost is legal expenses but she questioned the $265,561.01 given to MyRegion.org, a group that she said brought (by bus and plane) people to Tallahassee to lobby in favor of the project.

Dems and some R's still poised to kill rail deal

Republican Sen. Carey Baker said he remains in discussions with Senate President Jeff Atwater about the commuter rail proposal, but he still has enough concerns about the legislation that he remains in the "no" camp.

"If I had to vote today, I'd vote no," Baker said this morning, while couching it with: "But I am not voting on it today."

Sen. Nan Rich, meanwhile, said she opposes the proposal -- even though it includes money for TriRail in her South Florida district. She shares the labor union's concerns about worker protections, "but it's not just labor," she said.

"This is a bad deal," said Rich, D-Sunrise.

Even one of the legislation's co-sponsors, Democratic Senate leader Al Lawson, is poised to vote no if labor's concerns aren't worked out in the final bill that goes to the Senate floor.

Storms: Rail doesn't matter to Tammy from Wal-Mart

Sen. Ronda Storms emerged Thursday morning as one of the fiercest and most articulate allies of Sen. Paula Dockery, questioning the liability provisions and cost of the commuter rauil proposal facing lawmakers this special session.

Storms said she wonders why Senate leaders have summoned the chamber to Tallahassee to address rail -- on what she called a "rushed" timetable -- when that is not what her constituents are worried about.

"They heard about this special session and they asked me, 'Oh, is it about healthcare?' No," Storms said. "They ask, 'Is it about unemployment and small businesses?' No, it's about rail. They say, 'what? Rail?' The people of the state of Florida are not on this page. This is not where they want us to be."

Consider Tammy from Wal-Mart.

Judge refuses to dismiss Confederate Veterans lawsuit against Florida

The Sons of the Confederate Veterans is trumpeting what they call a major victory this week in its efforts to get a specialty license plate in Florida.

The controversial group filed a lawsuit in January against Legislature and the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles after lawmakers refused to take action on its "Confederate Heritage" plate (see it here) application in 2008.

U.S. District Judge John Antoon II in Orlando dismissed the complaint against the lawmakers but refused to drop the case against the state motor vehicle department, according to the Dec. 1 order.

The judge's decision "is a huge step forward for our case and the ruling will pave the way for the Confederate Heritage plat to become a reality," said attorney Fred O'Neal, who argued the case on behalf of the group.

Saunders seeks rail session absence to attend black caucus event

And so the game of chicken/who flinches first continues between House leadership and black legislators and House Dems...

Rep. Ron Saunders, Key West Democrat, just requested an excused absence from House Speaker Larry Cretul for the first two days of the special session on rail that starts tomorrow, Thursday.

Saunders says he has 6,000 black constituents in his district, so he needs to be in Fort Lauderdale at the end of this week for the national conference of black lawmakers that was organized and lured here by members of Florida's black legislative caucus.

Here's his letter: