Wednesday's Top Stories

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2010

FLORIDA
Crist Wrestles with Education Bill

TALLAHASSEE -- In the midst of the most intense lobbying he has faced as governor, Charlie Crist faces a stark choice: Sign a bill opposed by thousands of Florida teachers or veto it and alienate major forces in the business community and the Republican-led Legislature.``Like no other issue I've seen before,'' Crist said during recent campaign stops.The governor is doing his best not to tip his hand. But Crist has cited multiple problems with the teacher pay bill that point to a potential veto:
• It takes too much power away from local educators.
• It offers vague guidance on how teachers will be evaluated.
• It was pushed through the House and Senate with little input from the public.
His decision could have sweeping ramifications not only on state politics, but also his career. Crist is trailing in the polls behind former House Speaker and conservative Marco Rubio, who supports the measure. [Source: Miami Herald]

Also:

• Contentious bill becomes test for statewide candidates [St. Petersburg Times]
• Bush calls Crist, asks him to sign SB 6 [St. Petersburg Times]

MIAMI
Healthcare Entrepreneur Back in Business

Armed with $150 million in investor money, veteran entrepreneur Miguel "Mike" Fernandez charged back into the health insurance market in a big way Tuesday with the purchase of Total Health Choice, betting that Medicaid HMOs are about to undergo a major expansion Total Health has 40,000 members in South Florida in Medicaid, the Florida Healthy Kids program and commercial insurance. [Source: Miami Herald]

From Florida Trend:

• Profile: Who is Mike Fernandez?

NAPLES
Businessman Announces He Will Run for Governor

Another name has been added to Florida’s gubernatorial race. Conservative Naples businessman Rick Scott said he’s jumping into the contest. Scott made national headlines recently by opposing President Barack Obama’s healthcare plans. [Source: Naples Daily News]

BREVARD COUNTY
Layoffs Announced at Kennedy Space Center

United Space Alliance will lay off about 100 Kennedy Space Center workers on June 4, as part of normal attrition leading to the end of the shuttle program, when an estimated 8,000 Brevard space industry workers will lose their jobs. [Source: Florida Today]

Also:

• Obama initiative to bolster space program [Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:


› Florida Industrial Jobs Down 7 Percent [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Industrial jobs in Florida fell 7 percent between February 2009 and February 2010. The lumber and wood sector saw the worst decline in employment, down 16.8 percent, while furniture/fixtures declined by 15.1 percent.

› Survey: Death and Taxes Hold Similar Appeal [Miami Herald]
Despite e-filing, 24-hour tax prep centers, easy-to-use computer programs and the lure of refunds, the IRS expects hundreds of thousands of Floridians to file their tax returns over the next two days, barely making Thursday's deadline. The reason: Americans find the annual ritual only slightly more bearable than attending a funeral, a new survey shows.

› Public Invited to Tampa Economic Forum Tonight [Tampa Tribune]
On Wednesday night, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., formerly known as the Committee of One Hundred, along with Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace will host a forum on the county's strategy for economic development.

› Senate Panel Rejects Crist's Healthcare Chief [Times/Herald]
In a mix of healthcare politics and acrimony in the state Capitol, a Senate panel Tuesday unexpectedly rejected Gov. Charlie Crist's hand-picked chief to oversee the state's mammoth Medicaid program. The Health Regulation Committee's 4-3 vote against Tom Arnold's confirmation as secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration stood out because such rejections are exceedingly rare and the career bureaucrat had few enemies in the Capitol.

› Impending Foreclosure Clash: Banks vs. Builders [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The predicted wave of commercial real estate foreclosures could harm the struggling economy in Florida even more than in other boom states. The specter of that $100 billion hit to Florida businesses has led to the inevitable jockeying during the last weeks of the state Legislature's session among groups looking to gain advantage in surviving the latest round of economy-jolting foreclosures.

› St. Joe Kicks off Large Mixed-Use Development [Florida Times-Union]
The St. Joe Co. announced the VentureCrossings Enterprise Centre at West Bay, a 1,000-acre mixed development of office, retail, hotel and industrial to be built near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opening in May.

› In Volusia, Flagler Hints of an Economic Upturn [Daytona Beach News-Journal]
One of the region's largest communities is seeing a resurgence in residential and commercial construction. From Florida Trend: Signs of Life

› Dems Take U.S. House Special Election [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Republican backlash over President Barack Obama's health care overhaul had little effect in the nation's first U.S. House race of 2010. Florida Democratic state Sen. Ted Deutch handily won Tuesday's special election to replace retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler. Also: No Massachusetts Miracle in South Florida

opinion
› Middling Performance from Florida Legislators [Orlando Sentinel]
Floridians may ask, "Where's the tough conversation that addresses our antiquated tax structure?" "Where's the long-range fiscal planning?" As far as the lawmakers are concerned, it appears to be the next guy's problem.

› Boynton Beach Retail Center Drawing New Businesses [Palm Beach Post]
The Boynton Town Center might never be suspected of being a small-business incubator. And yet, that's exactly what's happening. This retail surge is happening when no one knows when the business climate will improve, but everybody knows it's risky to start a business.

› "Hometown Democracy" Opponents Gear Up [FloridaEnvironments.com]
The new group opposing Amendment 4, the "Florida Hometown Democracy" amendment to the Florida Constitution, raised nearly $1 million in its first quarter of existence with most of its contributions coming from business and development interests.

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› Sink Keeps Fund-Raising Lead in Race for Governor [Miami Herald]
Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum continues to close the financial gap with Alex Sink in Florida's gubernatorial race, but the Democratic chief financial officer still holds a large cash advantage.

› Fed Boss Has Bittersweet Message on Recovery, Jobs [AP]
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke goes to Capitol Hill today with a bittersweet message: The economic recovery is taking hold but won't be strong enough to quickly drive down unemployment.

› St. Petersburg College Names New President [St. Petersburg Times]
The St. Petersburg College board of trustees chose William D. Law Jr. as the school's next president. The selection of Law, the 61-year-old president of Tallahassee Community College, was touted as a safe choice in a climate of tightening financial times.

› Jacksonville Chamber Lists Priorities [Florida Times-Union]
In addition to regional job creation, the chamber targets a campaign to sell out Jaguars home games, lobbying to fix a navigation obstacle for big cargo ships at the port, getting federal funding for a nuclear-powered carrier at Mayport, assisting in downtown development, and supporting growth of "second stage" companies.

› Central Florida Economic Index Down Again [Orlando Sentinel]
The biggest drop is projected to be in tourist tax collections, which are expected to fall by about 11 percent from the same time last year. Employment is projected to contract by 3.4 percent, gallons of gasoline used is expected to shrink by 5.1 percent.

› Gaystock is a Bust [Florida Keys News]
A potential three-day music festival in Key West has suffered a major setback, and one organizer said the event probably will not happen in the nation's Southernmost City.