Rick Scott Preemptively Blocks Paid Sick Leave

Florida’s Governor Rick Scott is the latest Republican to block any initiatives in his state to enact paid sick leave for workers. As attempts to dehumanize the workplace go, few could be more sadistic than forcing workers to come to work sick, but that’s precisely what the Florida legislature and Governor Rick Scott recently did. This throwback to the Satanic mills era of industrial relations came in response to a successful petition by 50,000 voters in Orange County, Florida, to place on the ballot an initiative to guarantee a certain number of paid sick days to all workers in the county. Governor Scott and the state legislature did this at the behest of some of Florida’s largest employers, including Disney World, which might otherwise have suffered the inconvenience of employees being able to go to the doctor without losing their jobs.  A survey by the advocacy group Restaurant Opportunities Centers United found 64% of food service workers have reported working while sick.

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Imagine learning that your favorite restaurant doesn’t provide paid sick days for its employees. This would mean that criminally underpaid chefs and servers would have to come to work every day, even if they’re sneezing up a storm, in order to make ends meet. Pretty gross, right?
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Florida's Culture Of Corruption: HB 999

Gov. Rick Scott has signed HB 999, a bill so detested by a host of environmental groups that they brought in former Sen. Bob Graham to try in vain to stop it.  The bill drew more than 350 letters or emails urging him to veto it, They don't care what we think. They care about people like Frank Matthews, who lobbies on behalf of developers, phosphate miners, boat manufacturers, sugar growers, power companies and a garbage company who said
 ""He couldn't be more accommodating, my clients appreciate the Legislature and the governor continuing to protect Florida's resources while promoting economic development and recovery. It's unfortunate regulatory reform is often sensationalized and characterized as anti-environment."
The bill won approval in the House 98-20, with some Democrats joining the Republicans.
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"I care a lot about the environment," the governor said. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, sponsored the bill. (Patronis is ALEC’s leader in the Florida Legislature.)

End Cpital Pnishment In Florida

Capital Pnishment In The World
Afghanistan, Bahamas, Belarus, Botswana, China, Cuba, Egypt
Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, North Korea
South Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore
Somalia, Suriname, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tonga, United Arab Emirates
Vietnam, Yemen, Texas and Florida.
90% of the world's countries are not executing, according to Amnesty International.
100 (51%) have abolished it. @Wikipedia
Nice company we keep.
TheTampa Bay Times called for lawmakers to study the state’s death penalty because of its high number of exonerations and death sentences. Using information from DPIC's recent 2012 Year End Report, the editorial noted that 2012 marked the second consecutive year in which the state led the country in new death sentences. An editorial in the Miami Herald called on Florida Governor Rick Scott to veto a bill recently passed by the legislature requiring the governor to sign a death warrant within 30 days after state Supreme Court review, with the execution taking place within 180 days after that.

Death Penalty Information Center

Local Views: Florida's Culture Of Corruption

Maybe you are one of those 1 million low-income Floridians who are uninsured and were just informed by the Florida Legislature that if you get sick in this state, buster, you're pretty much on your own. And that's why House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Simon Legree, stuck to his guns in rejecting $51 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next 10 years, which would have covered those medical moochers. After all, there are more important things state government should be doing with taxpayer resources — like allowing utility companies to gouge customers for nuclear power plants that don't work and/or will never be built.
Daniel Ruth

Sweet deals are business as usual in Florida government
John Romano
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will never win any popularity contests, and here is another reason why. The state-run insurer's board narrowly decided Wednesday to give away $52 million to a new St. Petersburg insurer with no track record and questionable leadership. Gov. Rick Scott, who defends this corporate welfare, and Citizens board members keep finding more ways to hurt consumers.
A Times Editorial
Locals
Voters are watching: Lucy Fuchs, Brandon
Protect pensions from politicians: Susan Greenbaum, Temple Terrace
Disconnected thinking:Donald Ruths, Brooksville
In plain English, it's called bribery: Peter Newton, Clearwater

Invest In Florida GOP INC.

For an investment of only $110.00, you can make $52 million
Two months after contributing $110,000 to Gov. Rick Scott's re-election campaign, an upstart property insurance company is likely to reap a $52 million windfall, paid from the coffers of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Heritage has donated more than $140,000 to Scott and the Republican Party of Florida in recent months, and spent tens of thousands more lobbying the Legislature. Now it's in line to get special treatment from Florida's state-run insurance firm in the form of an unusual and lucrative "reinsurance quota share" agreement.
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Local Views - Kathleen Peters

Letters To The Tampa Bay Times
What is more interesting than the hypocrisy is how easily one representative wants to mislead the public on the Medicaid expansion's viability. Rep. Kathleen Peters at Tiger Bay on Tuesday said that she voted against the health care expansion because it was going to be run by the Florida Healthy Kids program, and she spoke to a pediatrician who said that they do not like the program and do not have the ability to take more of "those" patients. Peters is worried that doctors will be too busy and overly burdened in treating all of these sick kids. The health care expansion, under Sen. Joe Negron's plan, was to be run by Florida Healthy Kids, as well as other Florida agencies, but that does not mean that it covers only kids. Lets look at Peters' statement. Either she thinks that 1 million poor Florida children should not get health care because the one pediatrician she called doesn't want to treat them, or she grossly misunderstands the entire health care expansion and how it is meant to benefit a much broader swath of Floridians in a more cost-effective manner. In either case, her judgment is severely flawed.Josh Shulman, St. Pete
She spoke to one (1) doctor. I wonder what party he belongs to
More locals: Bonnie Sklaren, Gulfport, Robert White, Valrico

Culture Of Corruption: Florida House Republicans

House members say yes to cheap health insurance — for themselves

Florida House Republicans last month loudly and proudly rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million poor Floridians. Quietly, they kept their own health insurance premiums staggeringly low. House members will pay just $8.34 a month for state-subsidized health care next year, or $30 a month to cover their entire family. Eleven of Tampa Bay's 13 Republicans voted against accepting federal Medicaid money and are receiving state-subsidized health care. Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, voted against taking federal money but does not participate in the state health care plan. Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, has the state health care plan but wanted the state to take the federal money. The area's House Democrats receive subsidized health care but voted to accept federal money.

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Pic: Will Weatherford, Land O' Lakes wake up, send this man packing at the end of his term.

Florida HB 655: Stop the Home Rule Hypocrites!

Last week the Florida legislature passed a bill that prevents local governments from writing and passing earned sick time laws and voters from petitioning to put earned sick time initiatives on the ballot such as the pending referendum in Orange County. Our last hope is to convince Governor Rick Scott to veto the bill and stand up for moms, families, and democracy. You can send him a message here with one click.

Sign Today!

More info on this bill.

Don't Forget What Gov. Scott Has Done

From his record
We need to make sure Floridians don't forget what Gov. Scott has done – and continues to do – to our great state. Will you help us defeat Scott and his allies' propaganda campaign? Rick Scott is singing a different tune at the close of the 2013 legislative session. More money for education! A pay raise for state employees! Just forget about the fact Scott proposed more than a billion dollars in cuts to education his first year in office. Never mind about Scott standing idly by as our teachers, firefighters, and police officers had their pay cut by three percent. And all the while, Scott and his buddies in the legislature have lavishly handed out hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to their corporate campaign donors. It's a smokescreen covering up how Scott and his allies continue to do the bidding of out of state corporations and the well-connected. Here's what's really going on:

•Thanks to Gov. Scott's inaction, and obstruction by the Republican majority in the Florida House, access to health insurance for more than 1 million uninsured Floridians was blocked.
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•Rick Scott’s legislative allies pushed legislation that would lay the ground work for out-of-state corporations to take over our public schools. They failed this year…but they’ll be back next year.
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•Scott's allies passed legislation banning local communities from enacting earned sick time benefits for hard working Florida families.
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•They caved to mega campaign donor Blue Cross Blue Shield and failed to close an unnecessary tax loophole for big insurance companies, yet they killed legislation that would have lowered vehicle registration fees for everyday Floridians.
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Scott and the special interests say this session was a victory for Floridians, but we know what this was: a 60 day corporate special interest feeding frenzy. Will you help us make sure Floridians know the truth?
We won't back down in the face of Gov. Scott's multi-million dollar, special interest fueled propaganda machine. Floridians deserve an efficient, effective government that fights for the needs of middle class families throughout our state.
Thanks for helping us move Florida forward.
Contribute today and help us make sure Floridians never forget Gov. Scott's anti-middle class record.
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Florida's Death Penalty Appeal

At The Tampa Bay Times

Culture Of Corruption: Florida Republicans

$51 Billion Failure
State lawmakers refused to accept $51 billion in federal money to provide health care to 1 million uninsured Floridians, and that leaves a permanent stain on the 2013 Florida Legislature.
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Other Highlights

DEATH PENALTY (FAILED): Repeals Florida's death penalty for capital cases. (HB 4005)

DEATH PENALTY (PASSED): Limits the legal arguments used by inmates sentenced to death and awaiting execution in an effort to accelerate the death penalty process. (HB 7083)

RED LIGHT CAMERAS (FAILED): Reduces fines and gives people more time to pay them. (SB 1342)

WETLANDS (PASSED): Modifies a series of wetlands-related rules and ratifies the governor and Cabinet's approval of 30-year leases of public lands in the Everglades to sugar companies. (HB 999)

SPRINGS (FAILED): Requires water management district to identify certain springs for protection.

CELLPHONE PRIVACY (FAILED): Requires police to obtain a search warrant before seizing a personal electronic device during an arrest. (SB 846/HB 797)

FRACKING (FAILED): Companies must disclose what chemicals they use when they explore for oil and gas using an extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. (HB 743)

GUN CONTROL (FAILED): Mandates that only licensed dealers can sell guns at gun shows.
 DOCS VS. GLOCKS (FAILED): Repeals the 2011 "docs vs. glocks" law that banned doctors from asking patients about guns. (SB 314/HB 4017)

STAND YOUR GROUND (FAILED): Repeals controversial Stand Your Ground law, which provides immunity to people who use deadly force in self-defense. (SB 622/HB 4009)

STAND YOUR GROUND (FAILED): Limits Stand Your Ground law, clarifying that does not apply when innocent bystanders are hurt or killed. (SB 362/HB 123)

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS (FAILED): Sets up a domestic registry; allows basic rights primarily related to health care, visitation and property for unmarried couples. (SB 196/HB 259)

SICK LEAVE (PASSED): Bans local governments from requiring employers to provide sick-leave benefits for their workers. Does not affect "living wage" ordinances. (SB 726/HB 655)

MEDICAL MARIJUANA (FAILED): Legalizes use of marijuana for medical reasons. (SB 1250/HB 1139)

IMMIGRANT TUITION (FAILED): Extends in-state tuition to the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. (SB 180/HB 7051)

WELFARE BENEFITS (PASSED): Prevents people from using welfare benefits at certain "adult entertainment" establishments, casinos or in a liquor store. (SB 1048/HB 701) Gun stores ok.
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John Romano's quick review of their 2013 performance.
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Daniel Lemon, of Seminole said it best in his letter to The Times:

For results, eject party in power

This editorial asks, Why don't lawmakers care? That question is answered on the front page of Perspective. They care for the show and the dough. They do not care for the citizens and voters of Florida. It would be interesting to find out if the people mentioned in the editorial vote, and if so, for which party.The solution to the problems with state government is very simple. For several decades state government has been controlled by the Republican Party, and the quality of life for the average Floridian has deteriorated. We have historical experience to know the results of Republican control of state government. If we want change, we must vote to remove control from the Republicans. As long as our state government is bought and paid for by special interests, lobbyists and big business, then we will continue to ask pointless questions and receive illogical answers.
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Florida's Lawmakers Test the Null Hypothesis

In science and statistical analysis it is called "Testing the Null Hypothesis." As described in the 1930s by a statistician named Ronald Fischer, during an experiment, when looking at observed data after an event or testing the use of some treatment on a patient, the null hypothesis is the theory the change in data is unrelated to the event, or that the treatment used had no positive or negative effect on the subject.

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Republican Jimmy Patronis: Florida's Worst Nightmare

Every year during the legislative session in Tallahassee, state Rep. Jimmy Patronis does two things: He organizes a day for everyone to wear seersucker suits. And he pushes a bill to change Florida's environmental regulations, like the one Thursday that passed the House,
blocking local governments from protecting thousands of acres of wetlands.

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Fucking amazing, can they really do this?

Florida HB 999 and SB 1684

On Thursday morning, April 25, the Florida House of Representatives passed by a 92-20 vote HB 999, the most anti-environmental bill of the 2013 Legislative Session. The fight to stop this bill now moves to the Senate and SB 1684. For a contact list for all Senators and more info
click here
Please call your Senator immediately and urge them to VOTE NO on HB 999 and SB 1684!

A New Bill In Florida Would Make ‘Revenge Porn’ A Felony

A new bill in Florida would make it a felony to publish online nude photos or videos of a person without his or her permission and with his or her identifying information. That's a step in the right direction towards slowing the proliferation of the exceedingly icky "revenge porn" Internet sewage spill.
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Pic thanks to local porn star Brandon Areana.

They Say Tomato, I Say Morons

In case you aren't up to speed, the state House passed a bill on Thursday that allows parents to petition for a variety of overhauls if a local school is struggling. Yes, your state lawmakers are at it again. What's so bad about that, you ask? In theory, not a thing. Except every major parent group hates it. In California it has turned into an educational war zone. So if we can skip all of the minor details and skirmishes, the real issue is this legislation potentially allows public schools to be handed over to for-profit charter companies.
"I've never heard of making a profit being a bad thing, this is the United States of America.'' 
 Rep. George Moraitis R-Fort Lauderdale.
He's nailed his geography, but Moraitis might have an economics issue. Those profits he is so gleefully pushing toward out-of-state charter companies are supplied by your tax dollars. Tax dollars originally earmarked for your child's education, books, lunches and so on.
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There Are Principled Conservatives In Tallahassee

 Sen. Jeff Brandes:  bill, SB 864
When a Florida sheriff sternly accuses state legislators of protecting drug dealers and child pornographers, it has a way of getting people's attention. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri made that assertion in fighting a bill filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, dealing with police access to information stored on citizens' portable electronic devices such as cellphones and iPads. Brandes, citing the importance of a constitutional right to privacy, wants to change state law to require police to obtain a warrant from a judge before searching cell phone contents.
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"Why in the world would a police officer need to search your cellphone if you're driving on a suspended license?"....Jeff Brandes
 "Thank God there are principled conservatives in Tallahassee."....ACLU's Howard Simon
"We think it's another check on the power of the police, and it simply means that they first have to persuade a judge that there's a basis for a search.. Without this rule, it leaves the privacy of people in the hands of a patrolman."....Tim Lynch, Cato's criminal justice unit
Opponents include liberal Democrat Rep. Irv Slosberg of Boca Raton
Great job Mr. Brandes

Doing The Right Thing

Thank You
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson reversed his opposition to gay marriage.
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 The Florida House approved the controversial parent trigger proposal.
Local Republicans Reps. Mike Fasano of New Port Richey and Ed Hooper of Clearwater
and all 44 House Democrats voted against the bill.
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Sen. Tom Lee Of Brandon Narrow Exceptions To The Gift Ban

In today's Tallahassee, a lobbyist is prohibited from buying a lawmaker a cup of coffee but is allowed to write a $50,000 check to the same lawmaker's political fund. Fittingly, the lawmaker who's trying to carve out some narrow exceptions to the gift ban is Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, who was Senate president when the ban took effect in 2006.

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Tampa Bay senators who joined Lee in supporting the changes Monday included Sens. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, John Legg, R-Trinity, and Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa. This little tweak was needed," Joyner said.
Don Gaetz, R-Niceville said it best,
 "I'm just fine paying my dollar for a Diet Coke when I have one, I'm just fine with that."

The Springs Revival Act: SB 978

"I knew it was going to be heavy lifting to pass that," said Sen. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, who's sponsoring SB 978, the Springs Revival Act. The reason is simple, Soto said: "The majority of the Legislature doesn't have an appetite to have a real aggressive spring rehabilitation program, because of the expense." A state-sponsored effort to save the springs, launched 12 years ago by then-Gov. Jeb Bush, ended in 2011 under Scott. While the Bush springs initiative existed,
it spent a total of $25 million.

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