Chances fade for bill to block foreign law in Florida courts

A controversial bill that aims to keep foreign law from being used over Florida law in family courts is “effectively dead,” Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, chairman of the Senate’s Rules Committee, said after that body's meeting Thursday.

Democrats blocked an effort by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, to get the House bill through in the Senate by a 25-14 vote. Hays needed a two-thirds vote, or 27 votes, to substitute the House version (HB 351), which passed April 18 by a vote of 79-39.

Hays said the bill aims to make sure that American law trumps foreign law in marital law cases, but opponents have said the measure is rooted in anti-Shariah legislation and could also impact residents from Israel and other countries, and there haven't been any indications of problems with foreign law in Florida courts.

Will Miami Dade College bill get heard?

With just one day left in the Legislative session, South Florida political observers are wondering what will happen with a bill that would benefit Miami Dade College.

HB 1295 would enable Miami-Dade County to levy a voter-approved sales tax to support building and maintenance projects at the college. A small percentage of the revenue would go to Florida International University.

The measure passed 37-1 in the Senate, with Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, casting the lone vote in opposition. But it seems to be tied up in messages.

Rep. Erik Fresen, who carried the bill along with Sen. Anitere Flores, said he was doing everything possible to get the bill heard on Friday. Passing the proposal, he said, would require a little bit of luck and a two-thirds vote.

"But for what happened Tuesday with the Democrats reading every bill, this would have been heard already," Fresen said. "This could be a potential victim of those actions."

Still, Fresen said, he is "fully committed" to the proposal.

Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padrón has said the additional dollars are sorely needed.

"You have buildings that are getting very old," Padrón said. "Roofs that are having problems, you have elevators that have stopped working ... a well-documented set of needs."

Will Weatherford refutes Dan Marino: "It's an uphill battle for the Dolphins"

@MarcACaputo

Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino told us early today that House Speaker Will Weatherford told him that a measure to subsidize Sun Life stadium's renovations with tax money has "a good chance" of passing the Legislature.

Asked about that, Weatherford had an entirely different recollection. In fact, it might not even get a floor vote in the Florida House. And if it does, there's a strong chance the measure would take a two-thirds vote to pass (a high bar).

Here's Weatherford:

"It was interesting. When he was there, he was talking about autism and autism awareness. He didn't bring up the Dolphins bill. Somebody in the office said something about Dolphins. He said, 'Oh, yeah. By the way. I'm supposed to tell you that I'm in favor of that bill.' And we had a good chuckle about it.

"No. I didn't say whether the bill would pass or die. I said the bill's still alive. Everything's alive until Day 60. But whether or not it passes the Florida House has yet to be seen."

Procedurally, isn't there a high bar for this to come over?

"I would say it's an uphill battle for the Dolphins," Weatherford said.

 

House Speaker Will Weatherford on what he said to Dan Marino re: Dolphins stadium bill: "I didn't say whether the bill would pass or die."

"It's an uphill battle for the Dolphins,

Miami-Dade's election chief might be only one targeted in future for "non-compliance."

@MarcACaputo

***Update: Full story is here

The bipartisan election bill passed the Florida House on the first day of the legislative session has yet to pass the Florida Legislature on the last day -- in great part due to a dispute over a plan to punish some election supervisors deemed "non-compliant."

The Senate inserted the language at the urging of Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a critic of the way Miami-Dade election supervisor Penelope Townsley handled her job last fall.

The provision allows a Secretary of State to impose penalties, including a partial loss of pay, for failing to follow election rules or competently manage an election. After three years of being deemed "noncompliant" an election supervisor can be recommended for removal from office by the governor.

But the House, and the state's election supervisors, don't like the language in part because the state can punish incompetent election supervisors now and nearly all election supervisors are elected and accountable to the voters.

So the House plans to strip out the measure Friday. But they might give the Senate a compromise proposal that would punish appointed election supervisors. There's only one of the 67 in the state: Townsley.

"We think it’s a little bit punitive. It’s one thing if you’re an appointed election supervisor. I think you may see some language in the House that reflects that," said House Speaker Will Weatherford.

"But as far as an elected supervisor and having the ability to punish them from the Secretary of State’s Office, I don’t think the Florida House likes that position," he said. "I would imagine that would probably come out of the bill."

Meantime, Diaz de la Portilla said he's working on proposing a Miami-Dade county charter change to make the post an elected position.

Weatherford's feeling about the language is shared by Senate President Don Gaetz. He predicted the bill would probably pass. So did Weatherford.

"On the very first day of session, we passed out a bipartisan elections bill," Weatherford said. "Our hope is that on the last day of session, we are able to pass out a bipartisan elections bill."

Texting-while-driving ban headed to Gov. Rick Scott

After two days of drama and four years of trying, a texting-while-driving ban is headed to Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s desk for consideration.

The Senate on Thursday accepted a House-amended version of SB 52/HB 13 and voted 39-1 to approve the ban. Supporters concede it’s not the ideal bill they want, but called it a “first step” in a path filled with road blocks, even to the 11th hour.

The drama came Tuesday when the House took a bill unanimously approved by the Senate weeks ago and approved an amendment by Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami, that allows cellphone records to be used as evidence only in the “event of a crash resulting in death or personal injury.”

That meant the bill had to go back to the Senate for reapproval in the final days of session. And it put Senate sponsor Nancy Detert, R-Venice, in the position of accepting an amendment that could weaken the bill or of conceding defeat for another year

Detert said the bill “is still a good bill. It still will allow parents today to say to their kids 'Don’t text while driving,’ it’s against the law. ... It really will save lives.”

More here.

Senate strikes Miami Children's maternity ward, gives Gaetzes their trauma center

Miami Children's Hospital argued that having a 10-bed labor and delivery unit on its grounds would save babies’ lives.

But the Florida Senate sided with Jackson Memorial and other Miami-area hospitals who argued that pregnant mothers would receive better care in their facilities and the current system of transporting babies born with serious complications to Miami Children's after birth is working. Senators struck language that had been added to HB 1159 to allow Miami Children’s to build its maternity unit.

The Senate is expected to approve the now-amended bill Friday and send it back to the House for final approval. Although time is running out, all may not be lost, said Rep. Eduardo Gonzalez.

The Hialeah Republican championed Miami Children’s effort in the House and indicated Thursday evening he is not ready to give up on the maternity unit. “The language is very important to me, and it’s important to a lot of members in this chamber,” he said.

A baby born who died recently at the hospital after enduring a lengthy trip from the Keys might have fared better if the labor and delivery unit were an option, Gonzalez said.

The amendment approved by the Senate also created rules to allow trauma centers to be built in a handful of rural counties in the Panhandle and Central Florida. That was a priority of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, who complained the current process prevented a hospital in his district from gaining approval.

Dolphins bring Cristiano Ronaldo's star power to appeal to fútbol fans in stadium renovation ads

@PatriciaMazzei

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is lending his superstar power to the Miami Dolphins in their quest for a subsidized renovation to Sun Life Stadium.

On Thursday, the Dolphins' campaign arm, a political action committee named Friends of Miami First, said it is rolling out Spanish-language television and radio advertisements and automated phone calls to voters featuring Ronaldo, one of the world's best soccer players. Ronaldo is getting paid for his efforts, campaign spokesman Eric Jotkoff said.

If Florida lawmakers sign off on Dolphins-backed legislation in Tallahassee and Miami-Dade voters approve a May 14 referendum supporting a hotel-tax rate hike to fund part of the $350 million renovation, the Dolphins have agreed to host at least 20 internationally televised soccer games at Sun Life over the next 30 years. Failing to host those games or other major sporting events, such as at least four Super Bowls, would result in up to $120 million in penalties for the team.

In trying to appeal to Miami-Dade's majority Hispanic voters, the Dolphins have played up the soccer games in Spanish-language ads. One radio spot says the team is "committed" to hosting a World Cup -- soccer's biggest tournament -- even though Sun Life in practice has little say over whether the U.S. would get to host the event at all. The team has said the stadium improvements are necessary to bring Sun Life up to standards set by FIFA, international soccer's ruling body, to host games other than friendlies.

"Hi, I'm Cristiano Ronaldo," Ronaldo, who is Portuguese, says in Spanish in the TV ad. "Me and many professional soccer players love Miami. We know that Miami has many fans. The modernization of Sun Life Stadium in Miami will establish the center of professional football in North America.

"Please vote yes to modernize Sun Life Stadium on May 14 in Miami so I can come back every year to Miami to play."

  

Listen to the radio spot and robocall below.

Ronaldo Radio

Ronaldo Phone

 

Senate approves bill to ratify Everglades deal

The Florida Senate put the legislative stamp of approval on the landmark settlement between Gov. Rick Scott, the federal government and the sugar industry Thursday passed a bill to dedicate state money and establish criteria for restoring water quality to the Everglades.

The bill, HB 7065, which had earned the rare support of most environmentalists and sugar companies, will be accompanied by a $70 million investment in the clean-up efforts which are included in the proposed $74.5 billion budget. The Senate approved the measure 39-0 after the House approved it last month 114-0. Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign it. 

The passage comes a day after the governor signed two legislative priority bills on campaign finance and ethics. The Senate had put on hold a vote on the Everglades bill as well as the confirmation of the governor's top agency heads. 

Scott entered into the settlement with the Obama administration last year and quietly considered it a priority to have the legislature ratify the language and create a framework for funding the restoration projects.

"The unanimous, bipartisan support in both the House, and now the Senate, to move Everglades legislation and restoration forward proves the success of true compromise and what we hope will be a lasting collaboration between legislators, farmers and environmental groups," said Robert Coker, vice president of U.S. Sugar in a statement.  

"We've been working on these issues for more than 20 years and remain committed to striking the balance that allows farmers to grow food, contribute to a strong economy and also continue to serve as partners in the state's restoration plans," he said. 

 

At job fair, Dolphins invite people to apply for stadium jobs. And take a campaign flier.

via @doug_hanks

The Miami Dolphins attracted hundreds of people to a job fair for a tax-funded renovation of Sun Life Stadium that depends on voter support. Along with a chance to sign up for would-be construction jobs, applicants were handed literature urging them to vote for the hotel-tax hike the Dolphins want for the renovation.

The mix of a job fair and quiet campaign event unfolded as the Dolphins have just two days left to win Tallahassee approval for a May 14 referendum, where Miami-Dade voters will decide whether to raise taxes on most hotels outside of Miami Beach to fund a $350 million upgrade of Sun Life. At the heart of the campaign is an argument that a modernized stadium will be a boost to the county’s battered economy, particularly with the addition of hundreds if not thousands of construction jobs.

Gene Eugene, 27, was the first in line for the event Thursday morning, arriving around 8 a.m. for a fair scheduled to start two hours later. Security wouldn’t let him walk past the stadium’s gate, so he stood on a grassy median as more applicants gathered behind him.

“I haven’t worked since 2010,’’ said Eugene, a Haitian immigrant who lives with an uncle in Miami. “I’ll take any job.”

Carmen Brown, 57, stood in the second spot behind him. She has been cleaning houses but a drug problem kept her out of work since 2006. Now she describes herself as recovered and hoping to find her way into a steady job at the Dolphins event. “It’s pretty rough,’’ she said of hiring prospects in Miami-Dade. “Especially for someone like me.”

More here.

Marino: Weatherford thinks Dolphins bill has 'good chance' of clearing House

National Football League hall of famer and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino made a special appearance Thursday at the Florida House, where lawmakers have stalled on an effort to give the Dolphins taxpayer support for a stadium upgrade. 

Marino is the fourth high-profile figure from the NFL to show up in Tallahassee this week. On Monday, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and team CEO Mike Dee spent hours in the Capitol talking to lawmakers about the Dolphins stadium effort.

Marino met with House Speaker Will Weatherford, other House members and Gov. Rick Scott to talk about his foundation, and the sports stadium bill.

"I'm definitely supporting the whole thing with the stadium," he told the Times/Herald before meeting with Scott. "I'm a Dolphin for life and a South Floridian for life. 

Weatherford told Marino he thought the sports stadium bill had a "good chance" of passing before Friday.

The Dolphins need Tallahassee approval in order to get taxpayer support for its proposed stadium upgrade and the legislative session is nearing an end without a deal.

The bill passed the Senate on Monday, but was in danger of failing in the House, which has faced procedural gridlock this week as Democrats protested a stalemate over healthcare reform. Session ends Friday.

Marino walked into Gov. Rick Scott's office around 3 p.m on Thursday after meeting with other lawmakers. In addition to being a former Dolphins quarterback, Marino has a foundation to support autism research and treatment. He has traveled to Tallahassee in the past to gin up support for his foundation and cause.

An honorary co-chair of of South Florida's Super Bowl bid committee, Marino also used the opportunity to speak to lawmakers about the sports stadium bill. 

"I think it would be great for the community," said Marino. "People have got to understand the economic impact it would have on our community. Not only the jobs, but revenue for businesses, and there's great examples of that throughout the year's Super Bowls have been here, and national championships. From that respect, I'm all for it. Hopefully it'll work out."

If the bill passes and a referendum vote is approved, the Dolphins could receive up to $289 million in taxpayer support from an increase in the Miami-Dade hotel tax, from 6 to 7 percent. It would also offer the team up to $90 million in state sales tax rebates.

If the bill doesn't pass, the referendum vote--scheduled for May 14 and already underway via early voting--would be called off.

The team is looking to spend more than $350 million for its stadium upgrade and has agreed to pay much of the tax money back after 30 years.

@ToluseO