Friday, October 23, 2015

Florida's $250 Million Corporate Welfare Fund

Rick Scott on Thursday called on state legislators to set aside tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to lure companies to the Sunshine State. here

Tampa Bay Solar Tour 2015 @ USF

Saturday at 9:00am - 4:00pm

Wear Pink With UFC


What Pilar Had For Lunch


Sushi 
with Steak and Shrimp Hibacchi
At Koizi Endless Sushi & Hibachi Eatery in NPR
Visit them here
Great Stuff!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Tampa To Lose Cuban Consulate Because Of Bob Bucknorn

The Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday became the latest local agency to support the push to have a Cuban consulate in Tampa. “We’ve been told from our sources in Washington D.C. that, if we truly want to be considered for the consulate, we must speak with one voice,” said Bob Rohrlack, President and CEO of The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. here
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Please note: They might be a little late. Because of Buckhorn's ties to the MCM Tampa has already been  rejected. here

Rick Scott Where are those promised jobs?

Rick Scott's chief jobs creator faced intense criticism Tuesday from key senators who openly mocked claims by Enterprise Florida that it needs more Corporate Welfare to lure businesses to Florida. A Times/Herald study found only a fraction of new jobs promised as a result of incentive awards (Corporate Welfare) actually existed. here

GOP Phone

Tarpon Springs

Florida: The Corporate Welfare State

Good Jobs First, a nonprofit that studies economic development programs, found in a report released today that tax credits that are intended to help large and small businesses across the country often go disproportionately to big corporations. here

Six Gun Territory To Reopen In Florida

Florida Tourist Beware
Well, not really. But the Florida GOP thinks that people with concealed-weapons licenses should be able to openly display handguns in Florida and should be able to carry firearms on state college and university campuses. here

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Florida's Corporate Service Commission's Nuclear Power Fleecing

State utility regulators approved a request by Florida Power & Light to charge customers $34.2 million for a pair of nuclear reactors in Miami-Dade County. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a non-profit organization that seeks clean energy solutions to climate change, slammed the regulators' decision.

“Once again the financial interests of the public took a backseat to a big power company's excessive speculation favoring utility shareholders. While FPL spends hundreds of thousands of dollars crowing about the lack of consumer protections for a proposed solar ballot initiative, they and their political friends are silent about the lack of consumer protections in this nuclear power fleecing."
Stephen Smith, the organization's executive director
here

What Stogie And Pilar Had For Lunch

Fish Tacos and Grouper Sandwich
At Trinity Seafood Market in NPR
Visit them here

The Collapse Of Florida Bay

The body of water between the Everglades and the Keys that was once teeming with wildlife, may be on the verge of collapse. Last week, scientists reported that miles of sea grass have died in the bay in recent months, leaving behind a stinky smell and a cloud of yellow sulfide. The die-off is likely to be the start of a larger “toxic algae bloom,” which could bring disastrous effects to one of South Florida’s greatest environmental treasures. here
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The truth is that Florida Bay's latest catastrophe is just the latest in a long list of environmental disasters that have plagued South Florida over the last 90 years, ever since engineers and businessmen began to cut off the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay to construct the 76-mile Tamiami Trail — the road that runs from Miami to Naples.

Florida Knows Best

For the first time, former Florida governor Jeb Bush has fallen into single digits in a home-state Republican primary poll. Jeb Bush’s 9-percent, fourth-place showing in the University of North Florida poll is his worst showing in any survey of likely Florida Republican voters. here

Marco Rubio, Remains K Street’s Favorite

Marco Rubio, remains K Street’s favorite in the Republican column, having collected just under $500,000 since January with lobbyists’ help. Rubio is the only senator seeking the White House who’s relying on lobbyists to bundle, or round up, money on his behalf, according to newly released Federal Election Commission reports. here

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Florida GOP Matt Gaetz's Crusade to Flood Florida With More Firearms

He’s pushing legislation to allow concealed weapons on state college campuses, and to let permit-holders openly carry their handguns in stores and restaurants. He said these are rights “granted not by government but by God.” here

Gaetz’s pronouncement left theologians scratching their heads, because guns aren’t mentioned anywhere in scriptures. Firearms didn’t exist when the Bible was written, and there’s no reference in either testament to “popping a cap in thine heathen ass.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article39620145.html#storylink=cpy

What Stogie Had For Lunch


Cuban Sandwich
At the Crazy Cuban in Masaryktown
Visit them here
Sad living in Tampa and have to come all the way up here for a real Cuban!

Florida GOP Costing Taxpayers $11 Million

In what may be one of the most expensive do-overs in Florida political history, lawmakers return Monday in special session to complete something they failed to get right three years ago.  The three-week redistricting session comes after legislators admitted in July that they violated the new anti-gerrymandering provisions of the Florida Constitution. here

Unete a Nosotros - Protecciones Anti-Discriminatorias (Subtitles)

Monday, October 19, 2015

Rick Scott: Mostly False

 "We have the highest funding in (the) K-12 system in the history of the state." 

The state's total education budget is at an all-time high of $19.7 billion. But enrollment is also higher than in years past. Per-pupil spending is still below historic dollar totals and remains far below equitable levels when adjusted for inflation. We rate the statement Mostly False.

Marco Rubio Comes Clean On Minimum Wage Apathy

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    Marco Rubio Has Already Won The Billionaire’s Primary

    What Stogie Had For Lunch

    Cashew Chicken 
    With Fried Rice
    At Taste Good in Spring Hill
    Visit them here

    Sunday, October 18, 2015

    Save Our Earth: Sulphur Springs

    Patrick Murphy Contributions

     Small Individual Contributions
    $179,724 (7%)
    Large Individual Contributions
    $1,744,286 (65%)
    PAC Contributions
    $761,200
    here
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    Alan Grayson
     Small Individual Contributions: $1,755,295 (57%)
     Large Individual Contributions: $882,803 (28%)
    PAC Contributions: $295,675

    Marco Rubio Will Cripple The Regulatory Power Of All Federal Agencies

    At his first major speech on energy policy at BOC Water Hydraulics in Salem, Ohio, where he spent considerable time criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency. if elected, 
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    He will immediately stop the Clean Power Plan, a set of carbon pollution standards for existing power plants issued by the EPA
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    He would simplify the permitting process for oil and gas pipelines.
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    The EPA isn’t the only federal environmental agency that Rubio aspires to bring down in size and scope. The Florida senator mentioned that there are at least 10 agencies that regulate the energy industry, which he says are way too many. That’s why he’d attempt to “cripple” the regulatory power of all federal agencies. 
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    "Marco Rubio’s plan promises to protect big oil and the Koch brothers, instead of growing clean energy and protecting the environment.” Jessica Mackler

    St. Petersburg BP Settlement Funds

    Saturday, October 17, 2015

    Festival in the Heights

    Today - 4pm

    Florida Class Warfare

     Rick Scott, and the state’s economic development arm, Enterprise Florida, recently teamed up to promote Florida’s business climate to Kentucky businesses. In a radio ad, they asked Kentuckians if they were tired of unions and high taxes, and touted Florida as a place that has neither “as a right-to-work state,
    with no income tax.” 
    While Scott and his 
    corporate functionaries 
    tout these as state assets,  they are actually liabilities for the majority of Floridians. here

    Bethune-Cookman University: We Got $15 Million

    THE HELL WITH EVERYBODY ELSE
    In an open letter Friday, Chairman Joe Petrock says that Scott was selected as one of five honorees for the 3rd annual Mary McLeod Bethune Legacy Awards Gala based on his ability to deliver needed resources to the university. Petrock says Scott’s support has included more than $15 million in funding allocations over the past three years. here

    Ferry Linking Tampa And St. Pete

    A commuter ferry service may be still years away but weekend ferry rides across Tampa Bay could be running in as little as a year through a pilot program pushed by St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. He plans to pitch the idea to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn at a meeting next week. (Good luck with that!) He said he has no qualms about working with Turanchik, whose failed attempts to bring the 2012 Olympics and commuter rail to Tampa have led some to dub him a dreamer. here
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    “I think if you’re not dreaming and shooting for the stars, you’ll certainly never reach them. You’ve got to try new things and see if you can put it together.” Rick Kriseman
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    A ferry has been running between the cities of Havana and Regla 
    in Cuba since the 1940's. here

    Feds Say No To Florida GOP

    In a stinging blow to opponents of the state's anti-gerrymandering amendments, a federal court this week has thrown out a lawsuit filed by two Florida Republican Party officials who claimed the new law violated the constitution because it had a "chilling effect" on their free speech and petition rights.
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    Tim Norris, the Walton County Republican Executive Committee Chairman and Randy Maggard, the Pasco County Republican Executive Committee Chairman. sued the Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner in August, demanding that he not enforce the Fair Districts provisions of the state constitution. here

    Marco Rubio Opposes Raising The Minimum Wage

    Florida GOP Marco Rubio admitted that people can’t live off jobs that pay only 
    $10 or $11 per hour. 
    But the Republican Opposes 
    raising the minimum wage. here 

    Friday, October 16, 2015

    YBOR Time Lapse

    WTF: Bethune-Cookman University Students And Alumni

    Are asking University officials to stop plans to honor Florida Gov. Rick Scott with an award named for the school's founder. The Mary McLeod Bethune Leadership Award is the school's highest honor. When word of plans to present the award to Scott got out, a group of those critical of the idea started an online petition asking school officials put an end to those plans. here
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    "I was absolutely floored," B-CU graduate Jasmine Burney said. "The students, the alumni and the surrounding community are also in shock."

    Mario Rubio Could Win The Billionaire Primary

    Marco Rubio may not be posting the same support as Donald Trump or Ben Carson in the polls, but he appears to be pulling ahead of his Republican rivals among one crucial demographic: billionaire donors. here

    Bernie Fan In Tampa

    Westshore Mall

    Rick Scott Keeps Pushing Legislators For Corporate Welfare

     Rick Scott continues telling business leaders to pressure lawmakers for more incentive money (Corporate Welfare) to help attract companies to Florida. here
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    Also check out: 

    Florida's Corporate Welfare Not Working