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THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 2008
TALLAHASSEE:
Voucher, Tax-Swap Initiatives Tossed Out By High Court
Property-tax bills won't drop anytime soon, but sales taxes won't go up, either. And school funding will stay the same.
The state Supreme Court yesterday removed a multibillion-dollar tax-swap plan from the November ballot, leaving supporters empty-handed for at least another year in their quest for lower real-estate taxes.
Critics of the plan -- which would have eliminated most school property taxes -- said the ruling averts a potential disaster for public education.
The court issued the 7-0 ruling just four hours after justices argued during a courtroom hearing that the ballot summary for Amendment 5 would have misled voters about its potential implications for school funding. The ruling is final. Meanwhile, the justices also knocked off the ballot a pair of school-voucher amendments in the latest twist in Florida's long-running legislative and legal battle over whether taxpayer money can be used to send children to private religious schools.
[Source: Orlando Sentinel]
TAMPA BAY:
Sysco Payment Ends Inquiry into Fake Grouper
Two years after the St. Petersburg Times exposed fake grouper in Tampa Bay restaurants, the nation's largest food distributor and supplier of much of that fish has agreed to pay $300,000 to end a state investigation into the matter.
Sysco Food Services-West Coast Florida will donate food worth $100,000 to soup kitchens and will pay the Florida Attorney General's Office $200,000 to defray its investigative costs, according to a civil agreement announced Wednesday.
Sysco also will tighten its testing procedures on fish imports.
Sysco spokesman Mark Palmer said the company never knowingly marketed bogus fish. The only grouper imports the company sold were labeled that way by Sysco's suppliers.
[Source: St. Petersburg Times]
BROWARD:
County's Teachers Will Work Less
Frustrated at the stalemate in negotiations about their raises, Broward County teachers vowed Wednesday to paralyze the school system by working less.
Surrounded by thousands of tattered bedroom slippers, worn-out sneakers and plastic flip-flops -- symbolizing how they've given their ''soles'' to education -- teachers protesting in Fort Lauderdale said they would only ''work to the rule,'' meaning they'll work exactly 7 ½ hours a day.
The teachers union, which represents 17,000 employees, has been negotiating with the school district for three months. Until recently, the district said it simply had no money to offer anything but annual raises based on experience, prompting the union to declare an impasse Aug. 12.
[Source: Miami Herald]
HALLANDALE BEACH:
Condo Associations Caught in the Squeeze
Throughout Florida, the number of condominium units in foreclosure is growing. The impact of those foreclosures is extending directly to the other unit owners and to the condominium association.
A condo association typically needs 80% to 90% of owners to pay their monthly or quarterly fees in order to avoid serious financial problems. But lenders and developers who control unsold units are disinclined to pay their association fees, which is causing major problems. Read on for more ...
[Source: Florida Trend]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
›Spinoff to Tap RNA's Promise [Palm Beach Post]
Scripps Florida has launched a new spinoff company, its second.
Claes Wahlestedt, director of Central Nervous System drug discovery at Scripps Florida, has teamed up with Delray Beach angel investor Joe Collard to launch cuRNA, a firm that will try to develop therapeutic drugs based on RNA, the lesser-known sibling to DNA.
›Maiden Voyage of Royal Caribbean's 'Oasis' Creates a Buzz [Sun-Sentinel]
The neighborhood-themed Oasis will offer passengers a number of "firsts" at sea: loft suites, an amphitheater with elaborate poolside performances, zip-lining and an artisan carousel. The Miami-based cruise company said first-day bookings for the $1 billion, 5,400-passenger ship were strong.
›Nova University Accused of Union Busting [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The National Labor Relations Board has filed a complaint against Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale for allegedly interfering with its maintenance workers' union efforts.
›USF Sets Aside Oasis for Prayer [St. Petersburg Times]
"Students had been asking in a very general way for a place for reflective time," said Jennifer Meningall, head of student affairs. "We had a special request from Muslim students asking for a place to express their religious freedom without infringing on anyone else."
›Disney Cast Member Sent Back to Africa Over Picture [Orlando Sentinel]
A Walt Disney World cast member from Botswana who was fired over allegations of sexual harassment is being sent home today even though he wants to stay in Orlando long enough to fight the allegation through a union grievance process.
›Seafood Chain Shell's Seeks Chapter 11 Bankruptcy [St. Petersburg Times]
The Tampa-based chain used the Chapter 11 filing as an occasion to close eight of the 22 remaining Shells stores Wednesday including locations in St. Petersburg and Holmes Beach in Manatee County. The chain also shut down all three stores in Orlando.
›They Believe in McCain's Chosen One [Orlando Sentinel column]
Scott Maxwell: Two years ago, Sarah Palin was running a city half the size of DeBary.
And yet Wednesday night, you would have been hard-pressed to find a person in St. Paul who wasn't arguing that she was ready to lead the world.
If this were a Hollywood script, it'd be it hard to believe.
›FPL Cuts Costs Amid Slump [Orlando Sentinel]
FPL, the state's largest utility, is imposing a hiring freeze, halting the use of all outside consultants and reevaluating new programs to determine if they should be stopped, according to an internal memo sent to employees this week.
Also: New websites encourage Progress Energy protests
›Corps to Begin Dumping Lake Okeechobee Water Today [Palm Beach Post]
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin draining Lake Okeechobee on Thursday morning to slow the continuing rise in the lake's water levels, caused by Tropical Storm Fay runoff.
›Agriculture Disaster Status Sought for 36 Fla. Counties [Palm Beach Post]
Damage was caused by excessive rainfall, flooding, high winds, lightning and multiple tornadoes brought by Fay, Bronson said in a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist.
Also: Fay aid OK'd for jobless in 10 counties
›Hanna Takes Aim at Bahamas; Ike Next in Line [Florida Today]
While officials from Nassau to South Carolina were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Hanna, behind it, Hurricane Ike was gaining strength as it lumbered across the Atlantic as a powerful Category 4 storm.
›Impact Fee's End Would Hurt Schools [Florida Today column]
Matt Reed: Brevard County schools could lose another $6 million to $14 million per year for construction under a proposal set for discussion by county commissioners today.
›Natural Gas Storage Comes to Florida in 2012 [St. Petersburg Times]
Storing natural gas in-state will help utilities keep their power plants running and the lights on when hurricanes disrupt natural gas production, refining and transmission elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.
›Miami Police Chief Loses Appeal in Free Lexus SUV Probe [Miami Herald]
John Timoney was fined for failure to disclose his 14-month extended ''test drive'' of a Lexus hybrid SUV.
›2,700 Missing Palm Beach Ballots Found [Palm Beach Post]
Palm Beach County elections officials early today found 2,700 of the 3,478 ballots that somehow disappeared between last week's election and a weekend recount.
›Homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Sees Fiscal Loss [Miami Herald]
Hovnanian has operations in 19 states and was ranked the sixth largest homebuilder for 2007 by Builder magazine. The builder lost $202.5 million, or 2.67 a share, for the quarter that ended July 31.
›Riviera Beach's City Manager Suspended [Palm Beach Post]
City Manager Bill Wilkins has been suspended for delaying action on a report that makes allegations of improper contracting practices by Robbie Littles, the city's risk manager. Related: Orange City council votes out city manager
›Star-Banner, The Sun Cut 22 Jobs in Merger [Gainesville Sun]
The merger of news operations is designed to reduce costs and streamline some processes at the papers, which are owned by The New York Times Company.
›Latin Americans Boost Flagging Local Tourism [Miami Herald]
Roberto Negretti expects a flood of Latin Americans for Thanksgiving this fall, an encouraging sign for South Florida's tourism landscape.
›Colleges Cross State Lines to Woo Florida Students [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
It may be great to be a Florida gator, but with record numbers of students being turned away from the state's universities, the class of 2009 is also considering other options.
And college recruiters from Alabama to Ohio are ready to tap into the growing market of students who cannot get in to Florida's top colleges.
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