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Florida News
Index of Stories
2011 to 2009
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Florida News 2011
(scroll down)
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Posted December 29, 2011
12:01 am | Part XIIb
Lake City, FL – Neither NFBA Chairman Fulford, nor GSG's CEO Sheets,
nor NGN's Counsel, Heather Encinosa mentioned that the
Firm was already burning through the yet to be approved
$10,000 retainer as the NFBA meeting began. By the end
of business on September 27, the evening Mr. Fulford
approved the retainer, Patton Boggs (the Firm) had
already burned through $7056 of it in two days. By the end of the
week the Firm had billed $13,104.
|
(Posted December 28, 2011
12:01 am | Part XIIa
Lake City, FL –
The North Florida Broadband Authority, the
consortium of 15 North Central Florida Rural
Counties and 8 Cities in partnership with U.S.
the Department of Commerce, NOAA and the NTIA,
continues spending Obama stimulus money as fast
as it can be printed. The project, now
admittedly at least 5 months behind schedule,
has turned into a lawyers dream, as it continues
to be a fiscal nightmare for the pocketbooks of
the American
|
Looking for Ways Panthers and Ranchers Can
Coexist in FL
 (Posted December 28, 2011
12:40
am)
GAINESVILLE, FL - A new
study in Florida is aimed at helping determine the best
ways for cattle and panthers to coexist. ¶ The
endangered Florida panther has made an amazing comeback.
Once only 20 remained, but now the population is
estimated at 100 to 160. However, finding a place for
all those panthers to live without conflict
|
(Posted December 27, 2011 07:40
am)
MIAMI, FL - The Miami Herald reports that
Florida is the number one state in the country
for international residential real estate sales,
with almost one-third of the nation's
foreign-backed property transactions. Most of
the deals are in cash. However, the State of
Florida and the federal government may be left
holding the bag, according to this investigative
report from Les
|
(Posted December 22, 2011 07:55
am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - First, the Justice Department
filed suit to stop it. Then, the Federal
Communications Commission moved to block it. In
the end, AT&T this week officially dropped its
$39 billion effort to take over T-Mobile,
signaling a stronger stand on antitrust
oversight by the Obama administration than its
predecessor. Amalia Deloney, grassroots policy
director for the
Center for Media Justice, says there's more
to the story.
|
(Posted December 16, 2011 10:20
pm)
TALLAHASSEE, FL — This afternoon, December
16, 2011, Florida put a smiley face on
gruesome unemployment numbers. Florida
continues to reel with an unemployment rate
in the double digits at 10%, which is the
lowest since May 2009, when it was also 10%.
This represents 926,000 jobless out of a
labor force of 9, 228,000. While the state
unemployment rate is dropping, last month
Columbia County's unemployment rate moved up
to 9.9%, one tenth of a percent below the
|
 Columbia
County, FL (Posted Dec 15, 2011 06:15 am)
Yesterday afternoon, December 14, 2011, an
alliance between Florida's Able Trust,
FAAST, and Florida Crown enabled 3 students from
Lake City and one from Fort White to receive
early Christmas presents complements of this
three way alliance. Sally Ash of the
Able Trust said there were about 60 essays
from across the state, which made the essay
contest competitive, as 22 of the applicants
were awarded laptops.
|
(Posted Dec 14, 2011 06:40 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Is it simply a way to crack
down on the pirating of music and movies, or a
measure that could lead to online censorship and
the end of Internet freedom? SOPA - the Stop
Online Piracy Act - and a similar measure in the
Senate are raising red flags. ¶ Josh Levy,
Internet campaign director for the media reform
group Free Press said the bill "Would give
people who run Internet web sites very little
time to respond to accusations before their web
|
(Posted Dec
12, 2011 10:50 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - When it comes to seniors and
prescription medication, the Affordable Care Act
is living up to its name, according to new data
from the
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. ¶
The
Affordable Care Act provides 50 percent
discounts on brand-name prescription drugs once
participants hit the Medicare Part D coverage
gap, known as the "doughnut hole." According to
the report, more than 100,000 Florida seniors
have benefited from that discount
|
Arctic Explorer Steger Treks to Warn about
Climate Change
(Posted
Dec 9, 2011 09:09 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- Another of Steger's climate-related concerns
has been the decline of the coral reefs off the
Florida Keys. Despite what he's witnessed,
however, he believes there are ways to reverse
the trends and says he is hopeful about the
future.
(1 comment)
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Dec 8, 2011 08:08 am)
This week the Senator's update speaks about the
National Defense Authorization Act, the Payroll
Tax Cut Extension, fisheries, and other
important items that affect Florida that is
happening in Washington.
|
(Posted
Dec 5, 2011 06:55 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Calling Florida's growing
toxic algae pollution of rivers and streams
"nauseating," Earthjustice, along with the
Florida Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club,
recently filed a legal challenge against the
state Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP).
|
(Posted Dec 01, 2011 06:25 am) Part II)
This past Tuesday evening the hundreds of people
that traveled from as far away as Chiefland,
Jacksonville and Keystone Heights and places
in-between to come to Lake City for the tri
county water powwow were denied the opportunity
to hear the Executive Director of the Suwannee
River Water Management District, David Still,
and the Saint Johns Water Management District
make presentations regarding the recent
controversial water
|
 Columbia County, FL (Posted December 01, 2011 06:25 am)
Part I
Columbia County Florida's homeless County
Commission played to a packed house at the
School District Administration auditorium
Tuesday night as Columbia County called three of
the 15 counties represented by the
Suwannee River Water Management District
together. These three counties, Columbia,
Hamilton and Suwannee are the three North
Central Florida counties which were directly
impacted by the May 10, 2011 decision of the
Saint Johns River Water Management District
to issue a to permit to
JEA, the Jacksonville municipal electric,
water and
|
(Posted Nov
28, 2011 05:55 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - When the Florida Legislature
put a bill on Gov. Rick Scott's desk to
partially privatize prisons, Department of
Corrections officers filed a lawsuit to block
it. A court ruled the new law unconstitutional,
and the governor did not appeal.
|
 Reward
Offered for Sighting of South Florida Rainbow
Snake: Feds May Have Prematurely Declared
Species Extinct
Posted November 26, 2011 06:08 am
TAMPA, FL— The Center for Biological Diversity
and the Center for Snake Conservation announced
today that they are offering a $500 reward for
the first person to document the existence of
the South Florida rainbow snake. Both
conservation organizations believe that the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service last month prematurely
declared the species extinct without conducting
targeted surveys and despite several unconfirmed
sightings.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted November 23, 2011
08:45
am | Part XI
 The
North Florida Broadband Authority, the poster
child for yet another dysfunctional federal
program gone mad, met yesterday morning at its
newly rented NFBA HDQ in Lake City, Florida. Of
course, like everything else with the NFBA, the
American People are paying the rent. In town for
a secret sit down were two representatives of
the Federal Government, Chris Holt and Doug
Kinkoph of the NTIA. An hour into the meeting,
they threw your reporter out.
|
Alarming Climate Change Effects on Florida
(Posted Nov
21, 2011 08:09 am)
Dr. Harold Wanless, professor and chair of the
Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of
Miami, warns that by the end of this century,
regions of South Florida will be uninhabitable.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott told reporters last year
that global warming and climate change are
unproven. Dr. Wanless says he hopes Scott will
get the message, adding that the governor's
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Nov 17, 2011 05:15 pm)
Identity Theft-related Tax Fraud closes out this
week's update, which also includes news for
veterans, and news about a law to eliminate the
3% withholding for certain contractors.
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Columbia County, FL (Posted November 12, 2011 12:05
am | Part X
The North Florida Broadband Authority, a coalition of
15 North Central Florida rural counties and 8 cities is
funded by the American People. It was formed to bring
broadband wireless internet access to rural North
Central Florida. The NFBA continues like a bull in a
china shop exemplifying why its funding was stopped, the
project put on hold, and why it is under investigation
by the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S.
Department of Commerce.
|
(Posted Nov
9, 2011 05:45 am)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - America's small towns will be
hit hardest by any cuts in Social Security,
according to a new analysis by the rural news
website the Daily Yonder.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Nov 9, 2011 04:55 am)
Fannie and Freddie Executive Compensation
lead the Senator's update as he objected to the
recent news that nearly $13 million in bonus pay
was approved for 10 executives at Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac. The letter urges FHFA, which
oversees Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, to make
changes to the executive compensation policy to
more accurately reflect the mission of the
agency.
|
(Posted Nov 7, 2011 10:35 am)
WASHINGTON, DC – More than 3,000 people have
joined a popular campaign on Change.org calling
on the police department in St. Petersburg,
Florida, to stop using lethal force on dogs. An
explosive campaign on Change.org calls on St.
Petersburg Police Department to immediately
adopt non-lethal standard operating procedures
for canine encounters in wake of
|
(Posted
Nov 7, 2011 07:05 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - One-third of Florida families list
"increase savings" as a top New Year's resolution,
according to numbers crunched by financial advisory firm
Edward Jones. One way to make good on that resolution is
to save for college.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted November 2, 2011 06:35
am | Part IX
The North
Florida Broadband Authority saga continued last
Friday, October 28, 2011, when after two months
of blaming the Federal Government, Bradford
County and its NFBA representative, Chris
Thurow, and unnamed whistle blowers for the
magnifying glass under which the NFBA has found
itself, Jefferson County's Stephen Fulford,
Chairman of the NFBA, told the NFBA Board in
another of its endless emergency meetings, "The
greatest threat to this project right now is the
government."
|
(Posted October
31, 2011 08:20 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Clearing Florida's bulging
prison population is the topic of the state
House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. The debate
is about HB177, a bill to provide early release
for non-violent drug offenders who are currently
clogging prisons and crimping the state's
budget.
|
Posted
October 28, 2011 03:15 pm
LOUISIANA -- The Commerce
Department Wednesday rescinded an $80 million grant
to Louisiana to spread broadband in rural central
and northeastern parts of the state, complaining
that the Board of Regents' implementation plan was
way behind schedule, incomplete and unresponsive to
repeated requests for additional information.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted October 25, 2011 12:01
am | Part VIII
The North Florida Broadband Authority did not
disappoint at its Friday morning, October 21,
2011 emergency meeting when, acting with its
usual 12th hour policy of last moment agenda
preparation, NFBA Chairman, Jefferson County's
Stephen Fulford, asked the Authority Board to
remove broadband experts Rapid Systems from the
federally funded broadband project. This move,
misrepresented by the Chairman and rubber
stamped by the
|
(Posted October
24, 2011 07:20 am)
THE VILLAGES, FL - They're trying to get connected,
although they're not always sure how to do it - or why
they should. Social media use is catching on among among
those over age 45, according to a new survey by the Pew
Research Center Internet & American Life Project
released by AARP. More than 40 percent of the
respondents say they learned how to do it from a child
or grandchild. Only one in 10 has a Twitter account, but
most have had online video-chats with faraway family or
friends.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Oct 21, 2011 08:10 am)
Free trade, currency manipulation and human
trafficking are hot topics in this week's report from
the desk of Director of Outreach, Lynn
Bannister.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted October 20, 2011 06:45
am) Part VII
 The
North Florida Broadband Authority got back on
track to bring high speed internet service to 15
north central Florida rural counties when the
Federal Government, listening to the pleas for
help from the many small vendors, who have been
left reeling from the suspension of the
project's funding, turned the money back on late
yesterday afternoon. The Feds put it this way,
"... NTIA has recommended that NOAA approve a
partial draw down of your initial request of
$7,682,813.22 ... in the amount of $1,659,683.83
|
Needs Improvement: Congress Takes up Foster Care
Student Report Cards
Posted October 18, 2011 08:15
am
TALLAHASSEE, FL - School report cards for
children in foster care usually show they are
behind their peers in almost every academic
measure. A U.S. Senate committee takes a closer
look at the problem today, and a national town
hall is set for Wednesday, featuring George
Sheldon, who used to head the Florida Department
of Children and Families and is now an
|
For Florida Parents, the
Future is Now
(Posted October 17, 2011 07:50 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Few things in life are
guaranteed, but many Florida parents can ensure
a college education for their children by
participating in the state's prepaid college
plan. The annual sign-up period begins today.
|
(Posted October 17,
2011 07:50 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Crying economic foul,
thousands of protesters - part of the Occupy
movement, born in the shadows of Wall Street -
have taken to the streets in cities across
Florida. Occupy Tallahassee activists surrounded
the historic Capitol dome. They are of all ages
and backgrounds. One is retired lawyer Tann
Hunt, who says when big corporate money talked,
everybody walked. (Photo source: Facebook, ©
unknown)
|
(Posted October 16, 2011 07:40 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The South Florida rainbow
snake and Florida fairy shrimp may have names
that sound magical, but the magic may have run
out for both of them. A National Wildlife
Federation report confirms the two unique
Florida species are gone forever, and
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted October 14, 2011 08:15
am) Part VIb |
Part VIa
As
the October 7, 2011 North Florida Broadband
Authority meeting wound down, the just resigned
Board Attorney, Heather Encinosa told the Board,
"From a financial perspective there is not
really a lot of financial activity at the
moment, since the grant funds were stopped."
GSG's financial expert, Krystal Strickland could
sit no more. She stood up in the back of the
room and told the Board so everyone could
hear... There is a tremendous amount of work
that has to be done before we are able to pay
people. ¶ Then the NFEDP/FSU's Jeff Hendry
addressed the Board.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Oct 13, 2011 09:57 pm)
The spending act and the Gulf Deepwater
Horizon are on top in this week's report from
the desk of Director of Outreach, Lynn
Bannister.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted October 13, 2011 12:55
pm) Part VIa |
Part VIb
By the time the October 7, 2011 emergency meeting of
the North Florida Broadband Authority was gaveled to a
close, every major firm doing the Authority's business,
Government Services Group (GSG) the project managers,
Capitol Solutions, the project's grant compliance firm,
and Nabors – Giblin – Nickerson (NGN) the NFBA's
attorneys had resigned. The NFBA's special
dispute resolution master, Mike Griffins, seemed
to resign. Of this group of insiders, only the
North Florida Economic Development Partnership's
Jeff Hendry was left standing, although he was
on the ropes and promised a decision on whether
or not he would be resigning by this coming
Wednesday, October 19th.
|
(Posted October 10, 2011 08:05 am)
MIAMI, FL - The
2010 U.S. Census reported the Florida poverty
rate at 15 percent and Miami-Dade County poverty
rate at 17.7 percent. According to a CNN
Money.com article, "Poverty Pervades the
Suburbs," poverty in Florida spikes the nation's
poverty rate and is now at the
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted October 6, 2011 01:10
pm) Part V
Yesterday afternoon at 3 pm a subcommittee of
the North Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA) met
to do what many had known for some time was the
only solution which would have a chance to save
the federally funded North Central Florida rural
broadband project. Like passengers on the
Titanic, they were on a course with destiny, as
they reviewed a response to the Federal
Government's questions regarding Government
Services Group/Capital Solutions – Tallahassee
(GSG/CST). On the line, $40,000,000 and the
future.
|
(Posted
October 5, 2011 06:15 am)
When kids act up, locking them up is the wrong
thing to do in most cases, says a new report
from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The
foundation's Juvenile Justice Strategy Group
director, Bart Lubow, says decades of research,
along with new data, show that putting kids
behind bars
|
(Posted October
4, 2011 08::40 am) | Part II
BELLE GLADE, FL - In South Florida, sugar cane
is king. Courting political favors is high on
the sugar agenda, led by Flo-Sun, a holding
company for Domino Sugar. Flo-Sun is controlled
by the Fanjul family, which has doled out
thousands of dollars to support Florida
congressional and state office holders who have
sweetened the sugar bottom line. Former Florida
GOP Congressman Adam Putnam received $61,000.
|
(Posted October 3, 2011 07:15 am) | Part I
BELLE GLADE, FL - A battle being waged in the
ethanol industry pits sugar against corn, and it
reaches from Florida to the Midwest to Latin
America. Florida is at the center of this
"energy war," and this investigative report by
Les Coleman examines the history, business and
political links between sugarcane-based ethanol
and ethanol distilled from corn.
|
(Posted September 29, 2011 08:15 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - In the wake of the
high-profile Casey Anthony case, several state
lawmakers already have filed legislation that
would put safeguards in place to protect
Florida's children.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted September 28, 2011
05:45 am)
Part IV
North Central Florida's Broad Band Authority
begins its last meeting with the Feds listening
in. Two and a half hours later they hung up the
phone. The news was not to be good.
|
(Posted September 26, 2011 07:25 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - According to federal
documents, shrimp boat nets in the Gulf of
Mexico are still scooping up endangered sea
turtles along with their catch, according to the
National Wildlife Federation (NWF). A device
called a "turtle excluder" has been designed to
keep turtles out of the fishing gear. But NWF
chief biologist, Dr. Doug Inkley, says many
shrimpers are violating the law by using them
improperly - or are not using them
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Sept 22, 2011 12:45 pm)
NASA, disaster relief, and tax reform are a few
of the items in the Senator's report from the
desk of the his Director of Outreach, Lynn
Bannister.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted September 18, 2011
11:00 pm)
Florida's unemployment rate is coasting at
10.7%, with a real unemployment rate estimated
to be 18.5%. Florida's long range forecast is
weak. The state's chief economist, Rebecca Rust,
reported this past Friday that Florida's
unemployment rate is predicted to decrease to
10.6% by the end of next year. However the
forecast is showing a gain in unemployment to
11% by the end of this year.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted September 16, 2011 07:00 am)
Part III
 The
NFBA (North Florida Broadband Authority), which
for the last year and a half has been floating
on a sea of Federal Stimulus money, had the
spigot turned off in July as the Federal
Government investigated various charges of fraud
and waste. Taking no responsibility and blaming
the Federal Government, Bradford County, Rapid
Systems and just about anybody else that they
could at every opportunity they had, the NFBA
was anticipating once again having millions
flowing into its coffers. After Chairman Stephen
Fulford announced at the beginning of the
meeting that he was told the Feds would be
releasing the money that afternoon and they
would be calling with the good news at around
three o'clock, the NFBA...
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted September 14, 2011 09:31 am)
| Part II
On
July 12, 2012, the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration's (NTIA)
Christopher Holt reported discouraging news
regarding the North Florida Broadband Authority
(NFBA) project to establish rural broadband in
15 Florida counties. He reported the following:
• New miles deployed: should be 566. It is
actually at 0; • Wireless links: should be
67. They are actually at 0 (see the
article for the rest of the list) Mr. Holt's
conclusion, "The Project is significantly
behind."
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted
September 12, 2011 10:30 am) Part I
On August 19,
2009, the newly formed North Florida Broadband
Authority (NFBA) applied to the Federal
Government for a $30 million grant, funded by
Federal Stimulus money. The grant application,
hastily put together by Government Services
Group (GSG) and Nabors, Giblin and Nickerson of
Tallahassee was successful, and on February 12,
2010, the National Telecommunications and
Information Administration awarded the $30 mil
grant to the NFBA, a group which was hastily
created by the North Florida Economic
Development Partnership. Last month, the Feds
closed the spigot on the Federal dollars until
the NFBA and GSG answered
|
Florida
privatized Medicaid hits a snag
(Posted
September 19, 2011 08:05 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida wants to get out of
the business of running Medicaid. The state is
trying to turn the program over to private
health care companies. The feds want a guarantee
that 85 percent of the Medicaid money is going
to actual patient care.
|
 Sen Bill Nelson - Update
September 15, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Sept 15, 2011 05:15 pm)
Fighting tax fraud and identify theft, The
Montford marines, The Kennedy Space Center, and
adoption cases are some of the topics covered
this week in the Senator's Update.
|
Universal Child Allowance: What's That?
(Posted
September 8, 2011 08:05 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Delegates from 40
industrialized nations will gather in Iceland
this month to discuss the status of family and
children's social programs. Of those countries,
39 provide a universal child allowance and paid
family leave as part of a comprehensive list of
social services. Only the United States does
not.
|
 New leak near Deepwater Horizon site quickly
becoming a massive oil slick
Tallahassee, FL (Posted August 31, 2011 02:25 pm)
Over the past two weeks, I have been
closely following reports of renewed leaking in the
Macondo oil field, the site of last year's Deepwater
Horizon disaster (Map).
First, New Orleans Lawyer Stuart Smith
reported that nearly 40 ships were hired by BP to
conduct a boom-laying mission over the August
13th
|
(Posted August 30, 2011
12:30 pm) | Special to the
Observer
On Memorial Day, Miami Beach police allegedly
confiscated video-recording equipment from at
least one member of the public and a TV
photojournalist after both witnessed officers
fatally shoot a suspect on a public street. ¶
The right to film police in the performance of
their public duties in a public space is a
“basic, vital, and well-established liberty
safeguarded by the First Amendment,” a federal
appellate court held last week, marking a major
victory in a time when
|
(Posted August
29, 2011 07:38 am)
ORLANDO, FL - Monster.com, a national online employment
company used by thousands of Florida job seekers, is the
target of a petition drive organized to stop what
supporters are calling discrimination against the
unemployed. Organizers are hoping to get Monster.com and
similar job listing sites to stop allowing companies to
advertise jobs that prohibit unemployed
|
Big Decisions Ahead for 4,000 FL Correctional
Employees
(Posted August
24, 2011 08:05 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL
- The move to privatize 29 south Florida prisons
means that about 4,000 corrections officers have
big decisions to make. The workers either agree
to work for a new prison-for-profit company, or
they relocate - at their own expense - to other
facilities in Florida, where there are only
about 2,000. There's also a pending lawsuit
contending that the
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted August 20, 2011 05:45 am)
The Agency for Workforce Innovation’s Chief
Economist, Rebecca Rust, reported on Florida’s
unemployment/employment yesterday. "The highest
unemployment rates are those with the least
education and training."¶ Columbia County's
public schools continue to ignore the impact of
education on employment, as its schools and
students continue to underperform. The District
continues to sugar coat the issue by telling its
students a college education doesn't count...
|
(Posted August 18, 2011 07:40 am)
ACKSONVILLE, FL - Experts may differ over the
exact number, but if AT&T is allowed to swallow
up T-Mobile and become the largest cell phone
service provider in the country, some 20,000
jobs are likely to be eliminated - about 2,000
held by T-Mobile workers in Jacksonville.
|
(Posted August 15, 2011 06:15 am)
PANACEA, FL - Florida fishermen along the Gulf
of Mexico lost $12.3 million due to over-fishing
in 2009, according to a new study by the PEW
Charitable Trust Environmental Group. The report
says fishermen could have had 32 percent more
revenue if over-fished species had been at
healthier levels.
|
(Posted
August 11, 2011 06:15 am)
ORLANDO, FL - Sixth District Congressman Cliff
Stearns (R-Fla.) held House Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee hearings this week in Orlando on
the economic impact of tough new federal
environmental regulations intended to protect
Florida's water resources. The commercial and
industrial community calls them "restrictions"
that would cut financial growth and cost jobs.
|
(Posted
August 11, 2011 06:15 am)
ORLANDO, FL - Sixth District Congressman Cliff
Stearns (R-Fla.) held House Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee hearings this week in Orlando on
the economic impact of tough new federal
environmental regulations intended to protect
Florida's water resources. The commercial and
industrial community calls them "restrictions"
that would cut financial growth and cost jobs.
|
(Posted August 08, 2011 05:31 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Ex-convicts who have their civil
rights restored are far less likely to return to a life
of crime and go back behind bars. That's what a new
report from the Florida Parole Commission details.
The commission reported on a period when then-Gov.
Charlie Crist had automatically restored civil rights.
Former felons were finding jobs, and the recidivism rate
for the group was reduced by almost two-thirds.
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update August 2, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted August 6, 2011 06:55 am)
The debt ceiling, jobs for veterans, restoring
billfish populations and rules against oil
speculation are on tap in this week's update
from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
(Posted July 29, 2011 07:45 am) | MPR NEWS
Almost a quarter of the nation's rural residents
consider the health care in their communities to
be only fair or poor, according to a poll
commissioned by the big health care insurer.
That's twice the rate for urban residents in the
2,000-respondent national telephone survey.
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update
July 26, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted July 28, 2011 05:55 am)
Military construction in Florida and
veteran's medical care funding along with more
on restoring the Gulf Coast, BP and BP claims
lead this week's update from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
(Posted July 27, 2011 07:31
am)
TAMPA, FL - A year after the BP oil-spill disaster, the
Gulf Restoration Network is working to engage
community members in thousands of one-on-one
conversations. The group believes it's one way
to force the oil industry and the federal
government to fix the damage done to the coast,
and to invite individuals to do their parts to
protecting the gulf's natural resources.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted July 27, 2011 06:30 am)
Keeping bureaucratic wheels greased, patronage
alive and fixing things that aren't broken is a
time honored vocation of a class of government
bureaucrats and hangers on that goes back to the
Greeks and the Romans. Florida, known by many to
be a world class act in this regard, is at it
again. This time, it is funneling $750,000 to
Don Upton, a.k.a. Fairfield Index, to facilitate
the realignment of Florida's 24 Workforce
Boards, that most agree – even with a few highly
publicized problems, collectively are among the
best in the nation and don't need any
realigning. The proposed participants of the new
North Central Region met in Lake City's Holiday
Inn on Monday morning to attempt to figure out
what the state has up its sleeve.
|
Posted July 26, 2011
08:55 am
Hopefully, you've had better things to do this
summer than stay glued to following the
televised Fair Districts hearings... it is
jarring to listen as one Florida voter after
another stands up and says the same thing over
and over: "Show us the maps," "Follow the Fair
Districts rules voters put in the state
constitution" and "Stop wasting our money
fighting the rules we passed."
|
(Posted July 25, 2011 06:59 am)
Individuals and groups representing Florida's
public schools and some religious communities
have filed a lawsuit in state Circuit Court in
Tallahassee. They are challenging a
constitutional amendment placed on the ballot by
the Florida Legislature that protects religious
freedom rights of all Floridians.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted July 24, 2011 11:59 pm)
On July 15, 2011, the board of
directors of the North Florida Economic
Development Partnership met for
their annual meeting. The featured speaker was
Gov. Scott's right hand, economic development
czar, President and CEO of Enterprise Florida,
Grey Swoope, most recently from Mississippi. Mr.
Swoope's Southern charm could not mask his
discovery of the massive lack of coherence in
Florida's economic development program,
personnel and its lack of past substantive
accomplishments.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted July 22, 2011 07:45 pm)
The
Agency for Workforce Innovation’s Chief
Economist, Rebecca Rust, reported on Florida’s
unemployment/employment today. Unemployment in
June 2011 is holding steady at last month’s rate
of 10.6%. Florida now has a classification of
workers, which it calls -- discouraged workers... Ms. Rust said that rate is
8.1%... Applying the discouraged worker
rate to Columbia County’s 10.4% unemployment
makes Columbia County’s unemployment rate 18.5%.
|
Posted July 22, 2011 10:33 am
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes back
against the former investigators who say Bondi's
office ousted them for too aggressively going after
fraudulent — and deep-pocketed — foreclosure firms
in this state. ¶ First, you need to be aware about
the latest attack on democracy, courtesy of US Rep
Corrine Brown.
|
 Attorney General Pam Bondi
-
What was she thinking?
Posted
July 20, 2011 09:30 pm
Two of AG Pam Bondi's assistant attorneys
general were blowing the lid off foreclosure
fraud in Florida. Then they were asked to
disappear. Read the original piece here.
|
 While
traffic light cameras remain on the Lake City
back burner - the conversation continues...
Tallahassee (Posted July 19, 2011 03:55 pm)
| The Tampa Tribune
Ever received a ticket
from red-light camera after crossing through a yellow
signal that seemed too short? State Rep. Larry Ahern feels your pain.
|
(Posted July 18, 2011 06:15 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A majority of Florida's
workers age 40 and older claim they will depend
on Social Security when they retire, according
to a recent survey. ¶ The poll released by the
National Committee to Preserve Social Security
Foundation found that 52 percent of those
workers expect Social Security to be their
primary source of income. (1
comment)
|
(Posted July 15, 2011 05:55 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A critic of Florida's 7th
District congressman is charging that he is
playing a pollution shell game with big oil and
the health of the state's waterways.
|
(Posted July 14, 2011 08:20 am)
Gov. Rick Scott has a
plan for the health care of Florida’s children, seniors,
and disabled, and it’s not good. His plan is nothing
less than a corporate takeover of Medicaid, with HMOs
managing the care of our state’s most vulnerable. The
Legislature passed Gov. Scott’s plan, but it requires a
number of rules to be waived by the Obama
Administration...
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update
July 12, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted July 12, 2011 08:00 pm)
Battling a Florida crop killer, honoring Navy
Seals and dealing with BP are some of what is on
tap in this week's
informative update from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
(Posted July 11, 2011 06:35 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida League of Women
Voters is slamming the state Legislature for
refusing to spend $2 million to help the elderly
stay out of nursing homes. By failing to fork
over the funds, Florida's legislative leadership
in effect returned $35 million in federal
matching funds to Washington.
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update
July 5, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted July 06, 2011 11:25 am)
Streamlining presidential appointments and
support for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations lead this week's
informative update from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
(Posted July 5, 2011 07:29 am)
ORLANDO, FL - The massive budget cuts passed by
the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature,
and signed into law by Tea Party-backed Gov.
Rick Scott, are coming home to roost in
Florida's municipalities. Municipal leaders say
their cities are being hit hard, with cuts in
social services, public jobs, and education
funds.
|
(Posted June 30, 2011 06:20 am)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Some very simple things Florida
residents can do will help sea turtles survive and
thrive. The
Sea Turtle Conservancy and
Defenders of Wildlife say a great start is to
install turtle-friendly lighting in developments along
the coast.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted June 29, 2011 03:45 am)
With July 1, 2011 just two days away, Gov. Rick Scott’s
$69 billion dollar budget is just around the corner. The
Governor’s budget is $1.4 billion less that last years
$70.4 billion dollar budget. According to the Miami
Herald, the budget eliminates about 4,500 state
positions, most of them filled, while school districts,
due to spending cuts, are expected to lay off thousands
more.
|
(Posted June
27, 2011 07:33 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A report from the organization
Families USA says that every federal Medicaid
dollar that flows into Florida stimulates state
business activity and generates jobs. U.S.
Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) says cutting
Medicaid funds as proposed in the House
Republican budget would result in fewer jobs and
could stunt the economic recovery.
|
Posted June 26, 2011 04:45 pm
If you ever needed a reason not to trust a politician,
like anybody needs one, Florida's redistricting should
remove all doubt, as political self preservation spans
party lines like a regenerating fungus. The Orlando
Sentinel's Scott Maxwell lays out Florida's
redistricting in a two part series. Part one, "The
secrets, lies and
shenanigans" is below and part two, Florida's
gerrymandered districts ensure reelection
is here.
|
(Posted June
24, 2011 12:01 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Thousands plan to join hands
Saturday along Florida beaches for the second
annual "Hands Across the Sand" event, meant to
demonstrate opposition to expanded coastal and
offshore drilling as well as support for
clean-energy choices.
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update
June 21, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted June 22, 2011 01:47 pm)
Working to land Patent Office on the Space
Coast; Creating High Tech Jobs; Safe and
Accessible Streets lead this weeks
informative update from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
(Posted June
21, 2011 12:50 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Florida Education
Association (FEA) has filed a lawsuit in Circuit
Court in Tallahassee seeking to stop the
effective 3 percent pay cut for teachers, school
employees and other state workers. The suit
asserts that the legislation is unconstitutional
because of the requirement that 3 percent of the
salaries of active members of the Florida
Retirement System be used as mandatory
contributions toward their retirement benefits.
|
(Posted June
20, 2011 08:09 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Floridians across the state
are wondering why their newly elected governor,
Rick Scott, wants to clip Big Bird's wings. In
the last session lawmakers approved $4.8 million
for PBS, but Gov. Scott, used his line-item veto
to eliminate the funding, claiming public
broadcasting was a "special interest."
(1
comment)
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted June 17, 2011 05:05
pm)
Counting
the number of people that have lost unemployment
benefits and fallen off the map, Florida has
over 1 million folks unemployed at a rate just
over 10.6%. The US unemployment rate has been
below Florida's rate since February of 2008. ¶
Over the past month, Columbia County's
unemployment rate went up 1/10 of 1%. (Observer
Capture: AWI's Rebecca Rust)
|
(Posted June
15, 2011 06:20 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida has the nation's
10th-highest teen unemployment rate at nearly 29
percent, according to figures from the
Employment Policies Institute.
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update June 14, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted June 14, 2011 08:35 pm)
Makeing sure consumers don’t have to pay more to
use their debit cards leads this weeks
update from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
Whose
Minding Gulf Coast Beaches?
(Posted June
14, 2011 01:40 am)
TAMPA, FL - Gulf coast environmental watchdogs
have filed a legal challenge in the 11th Federal
Circuit Court in Atlanta, Georgia. They contend
the U.S. government has conducted a flawed
environmental risk assessment of Shell Oil
Company's plan to drill for oil in Gulf of
Mexico deep water near the site of BP's
catastrophic 2010 well blowout.
|
(Posted June 13, 2011 07:05 am)
OCALA, FL - Legislation introduced in Congress
could level the playing field for farmers in
Florida and elsewhere.
|
 Welcome to Florida: Probable Cause - What's
that?
Posted June 11, 2011 10:59 am
If Gov. Rick
Scott and the Florida Legislature were hoping to
create jobs, they certainly stimulated the legal
profession with two new edicts on drug testing.
¶ The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit
to block the governor's executive order
requiring some 100,000 state employees be tested
for drugs.
|
(Posted June 09, 2011 11:59 am) | Special -
Abridged
When critics of Gov. Rick Scott's priorities
were ejected from his budget-signing pep rally,
it was a peaceful and orderly violation of their
constitutional rights. ¶ Disturbing is the
attitude among Scott staffers that removing
lawfully behaving citizens was all right. ¶ The
people doing the removal, and ordering it, were
government officers, sworn to defend the
Constitution — all of it, for everybody.
|
(Posted June 08, 06:30 am)
FLORIDA - Three Florida doctors and
three physician trade groups
sued the governor and other state officials
in federal court on Monday in an effort to
overturn, on First Amendment grounds, the
state’s new law restricting doctors' discussions
about gun ownership with patients.
|
(Posted June 03, 2011 07:59 pm)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Land use management
advocates say Florida's real estate 'bear
market' is having a bullish effect on natural
resources. Last month, state law makers passed
several bills, claiming that fewer rules are
needed in order to revitalize the gloomy
construction industry.
|
 Tallahassee:
Economic Development Legislative Session Wrap-up
Columbia
County, FL (Posted June 01, 2011 04:00
pm)
The
other highlight of Enterprise Florida's
Rural Issues
Working Group meeting held in Lake City on May 23rd
was the legislative session wrap-up presented by
Sharon Spratt. Ms. Spratt highlighted the
economic development legislation presented
during the session and made sense of the
plethora of bills, along with their financial
implications, that came before the legislature.
|
Columbia
County, FL (Posted May 31, 2011 11:55 pm)
Florida's Governor, Rick Scott, ran on a
platform of economic development. While Gov.
Scott was on the campaign trail he recognized
that Tallahassee was a big part of Florida's
problem. Scott rightly pointed out that in most
areas of the national economic decline Florida
led the way. Hungry for fresh economic
development blood, Gov. Scott went to
Mississippi, lassoed their Director of Economic
Development and brought him to Florida. Last
Monday, May 23, 2011, the president and CEO of
Enterprise Florida, Gray Swoope, appeared at
Enterprise Florida's the Rural Issues Working
Group meeting in Lake City - Really.
|
(Posted May
31, 2011 06:42 am)
PENSACOLA, FL - The most severe flooding of the
Mississippi River in many decades has earned it
a "special mention" in American Rivers' annual
list of Most Endangered Rivers recently
announced, and that flooding is also expected to
worsen the state of the environment in the Gulf
of Mexico. The pollution threatens drinking
water and quality of life from Texas to Florida.
|
Sen
Bill Nelson Update - May 25, 2011
Tallahassee, FL (Posted May 26, 2011 10:30 am)
Oil Subsidies & Offshore Drilling Vote and
Simplifying Taxes for Seniors lead this weeks
update from the desk of Lynn Banister.
|
(Posted May 25, 2011 05:45 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida gets an F on a new
national report card that compares how states
are doing in providing dental care to children.
|
(Posted May
23, 2011 05:10 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The state of Florida and
federal authorities are on track for a head-on
health-care collision when all provisions of the
Affordable Healthcare Act go into effect in
2014, observers say.
|
(Posted May 18, 2011 07:48
am)
Florida is set to become the first state to pass
a law that would limit doctors' ability to
counsel parents about gun safety in the home.
Pediatricians who decry the law as wrongheaded
are backed by statistics that suggest the law
will kill children.
|
(Posted May 16, 2011
08:30 am)
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - It was a tough legislative session for Florida
state employees. There will be fewer of them in
the fiscal year starting July 1. That date also
marks the fifth fiscal year without general pay
raises. Those who remain will find their gross
pay three percent lighter as they start kicking
into the state pension pot.
|
(Posted May 23, 2011 05:10 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The state of Florida and
federal authorities are on track for a head-on
health-care collision when all provisions of the
Affordable Healthcare Act go into effect in
2014, observers say.
|
Volusia County agrees
to take over private ambulance service
 (Posted
May 11, 2011 03:40 pm)
"We see this
as working hand in hand with the Civic League
proposal,"
"We see this as more cost-effective but also a better
service model. That's the key."
|
(Posted
May 11, 2011 10:30 am
ORLANDO, FL - Florida teachers have organized
hundreds of rallies and demonstrations to
support teachers, public workers and students
they claim are under attack by state lawmakers.
|
(Posted May 09, 2011 06:35 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Who is going to enforce an
'Arizona Copycat' law in Florida to question and
detain undocumented immigrants? That's the
question the Florida Fraternal Order of Police
(FOP) is asking state lawmakers.
|
(Posted May 07, 2011 07:15 am)
HOMESTEAD, FL - Some business, community,
religious and political leaders in greater Miami
are joining the opposition to immigration
legislation being considered in Tallahassee.
|
Earth Justice: State Legislature Choking Clean
Water Rules
(Posted
May 02, 2011 07:05 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Stinking, slimy, poisonous
rivers filled with dead fish may sound like a
horror movie... restrictions on the state
Department of Environmental Protection could
make it harder to keep state waters clean.
|
(Posted April 29, 2011 03:05 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - A tea party activist from
Northwest Florida has filed a complaint with the
Department of Homeland Security, contending that
Florida state lawmakers should have reported
undocumented immigrants they met with to U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
|
NWF: Oil Spill Data Kept Secret
(Posted April
26, 2011 11:25 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Doug Inkley, a senior
scientist with the National Wildlife Federation,
is not a happy fellow these days, because the
effects of the BP oil spill on wildlife along
the Gulf Coast are his concern. He says the U.S.
government is keeping under wraps vital data
that he needs.
|
(Posted April
25, 2011 04:15 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Every spring, the
bluefin tuna uses the northern Gulf of Mexico as
spawning grounds, at the exact time and place
the BP spill happened a year ago... now,
something called "long-line fishing" is putting
the bluefin on the survival hook...
|
(Posted April 20, 2011 06:55 am)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The verbal war over
public-worker pensions is fueling political
debate at the state Capitol. Republicans are
seeking to privatize the state pension fund,
while 650,000 Florida civil servants say their
pension fund is one of the best in the country
and are asking why it should be changed
|
(Posted April 18, 2011 09:10 am)
A
year after the BP Horizon oil platform exploded,
advocates for a clean Gulf of Mexico say it is
not a pretty picture below the tranquil waves.
For months after the tragic disaster, dead fish,
shrimp, crabs, oysters and terrestrial wildlife
made the headlines. Now, possible after-effects
on humans are rising to the surface. (More
on the spill - still more questions than
answers?)
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted
April 11, 2011 11:50 am)
Germany has pushed the U.S. down a notch,
according to rankings listed in a new report
that tracks investments in the clean-energy
sector. The U.S. is now third, Germany second
and China is number one, according to a study
released by Pew Charitable Trusts. The research
finds a link between investments and robust
clean energy policies.
|
 Columbia County, FL (Posted
April 1, 2011 08:55 am)
The Observer's recent coverage of the unfenced
pool in Columbia County Commissioner Jody
DuPree's yard has brought many comments, calls
and communication with the Observer and the
State. ¶ The office of newly elected Attorney
General, Pam Bondi, advised in a boiler plate
response to a local resident that... ¶ Gov
Scott's office, while initially appearing to
take an interest in this issue, has fallen
silent.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted March 16, 2011 12:25 pm)
Economic Impact of Numeric Nutrient Criteria
Rule
Last week, Senator Nelson wrote Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa
Jackson requesting an independent, third-party
review of the economic impacts from
implementation and enforcement of the EPA’s
Florida numeric nutrient criteria.
|
J acksonville (Posted March 13, 2011
01:55 pm)
“We
want our two Banner Centers to become the
statewide, go-to resource for cutting-edge
training for entry-level and experienced workers
who need to upgrade their skills in the areas of
creative industries as well as financial and
professional services; our Centers will help
raise the workforce level in Florida..."and will
help draw businesses to Jacksonville,” said
Robert Wood, dean of UNF’s Div. of Continuing
Ed.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted March 9, 2011 01:10 pm)
Promoting
Transparency in Federal Spending
Last week
Senator Nelson introduced bipartisan legislation
that will allow Americans to see where their tax
dollars are going in real monetary terms. Every
taxpayer that files an individual income tax
return will get a receipt from the IRS that
breaks down and itemizes how their payroll and
income tax bill is allocated, proportionally,
among major federal programs...
|
Tallahassee (Posted Feb 23, 2011 11:40 pm)
Protecting Florida’s Coast
Senator Nelson introduced the Gulf Stream
Protection Act of 2011 to protect Florida’s
coast in the case of a devastating oil spill
from offshore oil exploration operations in
Cuba.
|
Tallahassee (Posted Feb 17, 2011 01:30 pm)
Fighting for drug import savings
Senator Nelson is an original cosponsor of a
bill that would allow Americans to import
prescription drugs from Canada and other
countries, whose drug safety standards are
as high as those in the U.S... (1
comment)
|
Special to the Observer (Posted Feb 07, 2011 06:50 am)
By Eben Fodor
The
“conventional wisdom” that growth generates
economic and employment benefits was not
supported by the data. The study found that
those metro areas that have fared the best had
the lowest growth rates. Even metro areas with
stable or declining populations tended to fare
better than fast-growing areas in terms of basic
measures of economic well-being.
|
Florida News 2010
(scroll down) |
back to top
é
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Jan 23, 2010 12:55 pm)
While Columbia County's economic wizards
were looking to the recent inclusion of an
Enterprise Zone in Columbia County's,
located in the middle of nowhere,
Catalyst site to be the salvation of years
of economic development ineptitude, a report
being prepared by the Florida Legislature
shows that few jobs are created as a result
of Enterprise Zones. ¶ The final report
found that Enterprise Zone program
participation remains relatively low in most
zones, limiting progress toward achieving
the legislative goals of revitalizing
distressed areas and increasing employment
of area residents.
|
(Posted
Jan 12, 2011 01:14 pm)
Annie’s
Project, a program developed to empower farm
and ranch women to become agriculture
entrepreneurs, will be offered again this
year. ¶ Registration is limited to 20
participants per site so early registration
is encouraged.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Dec 28, 2010 09:35 pm)
START Treaty Ratified, the National Defense
Authorization Act for fiscal year
2011authorizes more than $700 billion for
the Department of Defense, and the Federal
Government funds itself through March 4th
... top the Senator's final 2010 update ...
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Dec 22, 2010 01:59 pm)
"Don't Ask Don't Tell" leads off this week,
followed by GI Bill Improvements and the
Food Safety Bill...
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Dec 20, 2010 05:30 am)
The Florida Chamber Foundation released its
highly anticipated Florida Trade and Logistics
Study which identified job creation potential of
143,000 jobs. The study was commissioned by the
Foundation in partnership with Florida
Department of Transportation and other public
and private organizations.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted Dec 18, 2010 01:49 pm)
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in
November 2010 is 12.0 percent. This represents 1,110,000
jobless. Using national numbers, Florida lags the nation
by .1% in new job creation. If Columbia County was a state, with its unemployment
rate of 11.3%, it would rank 5th in the nation in the
unemployed. The Workforce region is being hammered with
a 11.2% rate.
|
Tallahassee, FL (Posted Dec 15, 2010 10:59 am)
On Monday, Senator
Nelson voted for a procedural motion to bring the
negotiated, bipartisan compromise over expiring tax cuts
and unemployment insurance benefits to a final vote in
the Senate. ¶ On Dec. 8, the Senate unanimously passed a
one-year delay to a scheduled 23% cut in the Medicare
physician reimbursement rate...
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted Dec 15, 2010 07:45 am)
Florida's official tourism promotion
organization,
VISIT
FLORIDA, has awarded the Suwannee River
Valley Marketing Group a $200,000 media package
to be conducted in the Atlanta, GA, area
during January of 2011.
|
Columbia
County, Fl (Posted Dec 14, 2010 06:30 am)
Florida Dept
of Transportation testing "Superpave"
on I-75 by using new radar technology.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted Nov 27, 2010 12:50 pm)
The
Suwannee River Valley Marketing Group, a
tri-county tourism promotion organization
consisting of Suwannee, Columbia and Hamilton
Counties, has been awarded a $35,000 Rural
Regional Development Grant. ¶ The Columbia
County TDC was the...
|
Coral Gables,
Fl (Posted Nov 03, 2010 06:30 am)
Jeb Bush said
he had to fight back tears when he introduced
the victor in the Florida Senate race, Marco
Rubio, “the right man at the right time.” Mr.
Rubio, when he took the stage amid the palm
trees at the Biltmore Hotel, in front of a
mostly bilingual crowd, was no less emotional —
about his uphill battle to defeat a popular
governor, and about what he described as his
abiding faith in the dream lived out by his
immigrant parents.
|
(Posted Nov
02, 2010 09:40 pm)
We are
obviously disappointed in the apparent outcome
of the referendum on Amendment 4. But we are
extremely grateful for the countless thousands
of volunteers and grassroots activists who
stepped forward over the past seven years to
fight the monumental battle just to get this
issue on the ballot.
|
Florida (Posted Nov 2, 2010 05:00 am)
The Florida Supreme Court has denied a request
for review of a locally filed Sunshine Law case,
a decision that will have statewide
implications. ¶In 2009, Pensacola residents
Byron Keesler and LeRoy Boyd, who died last
month, filed a lawsuit against the Community
Maritime Park Associates board, claiming the
board violated Florida's Sunshine Law when it
did not give citizens the right to participate
in government meetings.
|
Columbia County, FL (Posted Oct 26, 2010 07:38 am)
Just because members of Columbia County's top brass
haven't been carted off to the slammer, it doesn't mean
they shouldn't be there. When the State Attorney walks
behind the good old boys with a broom and the County's
outside auditor is the inside financial advisor and
accountant, well, everyone knows about the Good Old Boys
of the legendary Columbia County. (read
more)
|
Florida
(Posted October 26, 2010 06:35 am)
Your future . . .
awaits your “YES on 4” vote on or before
November 2nd. Before it's too late, take your
rightful seat at the table. Give yourself the
right to vote on your community's future. Your
friends, family, children, and grandchildren
will thank you.
|
Florida
(Posted Oct 20, 2010 06:59 pm)
Nathaniel P. Reed --
long one of Florida's most respected
conservationists and a former Assistant
Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and
Parks in the Nixon and Ford administrations --
has endorsed Amendment 4, the Hometown Democracy
land-use voting rights ballot initiative.
|
Bradenton, FL (Posted Oct 17, 2010 11:50 am)
By Mitch Kates
A protest and rally
in Bradenton on Tuesday originally had a happy
ending for opponents of a controversial project.
But the day turned out to be a textbook example
of why Florida needs Amendment 4, as a developer
won a land-use change just hours after a vote
that denied him the request.
|
AWI -
Tallahassee (posted April 21, 2010 05:55
pm)
Agency for
Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo
today announced the agency has begun making
additional federal Emergency Unemployment
Compensation (EUC) payments, less than a week
after President Obama signed legislation
extending eligibility dates for the program by
two months. AWI Unemployment Compensation and
Information Technology staff worked diligently
to update programming required by the changes so
that payments could begin as quickly as
possible.
|
Talahassee, FL (posted Mar 12, 2010 • 04:45
pm)
A Tallahassee appellate court will soon weigh in on
whether Florida's Sunshine Law gives citizens the right
to be participants, not merely spectators, in government
meetings.
|
Tallahassee, FL (posted Feb
19, 2010 • 08:10am)
A Tallahassee appellate court
will soon weigh in on whether Florida's Sunshine Law
gives citizens the right to be participants, not merely
spectators, in government meetings.
|
 Columbia County, FL (posted Feb
19, 2010 • 07:10am)
Thanks
to the dedicated commitment of the local governments who
comprise the
North
Florida Broadband Authority, the initiative and
leadership of the North Florida Economic Development
Partnership and its Board of Directors, and the
financial support of Enterprise Florida and the
Governor’s
|
Florida
News 2009 (scroll down)
| back to top
é
|
Columbia County, FL (posted April 1, 2009)
In January of 2006, the Observer contacted the First
Amendment Foundation for an opinion regarding the
improper meetings by County Commissioners and improper
meeting notices posted by County Manager, Dale Williams,
on behalf the County Commission. The Observer would like
to report that things have changed, but that is not the
case in Columbia County.
|
Gilchrist County, FL (posted June 2, 2009
• 06:55am)
 This story began in December of 2007, when Gilchrist
County Commission Chairperson, Sharon Langford, who was
also the Chairperson of the Florida Crown Workforce
Board Consortium, was deposed in a coup orchestrated by
Columbia County Commissioner, Stephen Bailey.
(photo - Sharon Langford)
|
| |
|
|
Water
Wars - Columbia County FL:
"Occupy" Movement Spreads To Florida
Gulf
Shrimpers Snagging Imperiled Sea Turtles 
Florida unemployment rate coasting at 10.7%
Filming police in public is
protected by the First Amendment
Florida's real
unemployment off the chart: 18.5%
Workforce Florida, streamlining by adding another layer
of bureaucracy: Cost $750,000
FL Economic Development Czar Speaks - Musical chairs on
the deck of the Titanic?
AWI weighs in with Fla Unemployment figures
Scott's
Medicaid Plan
No good for Florida
1,000,000 plus unemployed in Florida
Free
speech covers everyone
Farm/Ranch Women Wanted
Study
reveals Florida's opportunity to become no 1 job
creating state
Unemployment hovering at 11.3%
Florida: #1 in crooked politicians #1 in public corruption
