Mack's disclosure form suggests financial link [Tampa Tribune] "In defending the dual homestead exemptions he and his wife Mary Bono hold, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack said through his attorney this week that he and Bono keep their finances separate. But the financial disclosure forms Mack files annually as a member of Congress could suggest otherwise."

A humorous envisioning of Mack's rap-sheet: Why did Rep. Connie Mack grab another dude's package? [Daily Kos] "This, of course, pissed off Mack. 'Do you know who I am?” I’m Monnie Cack, I mean Connie Mack. My grandfattthhheeerrr owned a baseball once. I mean, a baseball team…'"

That time Ron Gant and Connie Mack got into a bar fight [NBC Sports] "Congressman Connie Mack IV — who is now running for Senate — is the great grandson of Connie Mack the baseball guy. But that’s not his only baseball connection! Nope, seems that he has a history with former Braves slugger Ron Gant. Specifically, Gant broke Mack’s ankle in a bar fight back in 1992"

To recap:
Homestead Exemption Could be an Issue for Mack [Tampa Tribune]
Connie Mack preaches penny-pinching on campaign trail, but has past of debt and liens [Miami Herald]
George LeMieux takes aim at front-runner Connie Mack at GOP Senate forum [Palm Beach Post]
This weekend, the Herald's no-holds-barred team caught up with Mack after a forum this weekend, and the footage is a must see. [Miami Herald]
Mack came in dead last – behind Lemieux and McCalister (yes, you read that right) in a GOP straw poll
Missed votes could be an issue for Mack [Tampa Bay Times]

He may not be going to jail, but you can't call this good news for Buchanan -- "Kazran’s attorney said Tuesday that he is “just a pawn in a scheme devised by Vern Buchanan” to launder campaign contributions." [Bradenton Herald]

Embattled Gov. Rick Scott's scrambles to collect campaign cash
"Democrats say they aren't surprised by Scott's decision to raise so much money so far in advance of the 2014 election. They maintain it shows that he's worried about his political future. Recent polls have shown Scott's favorable rating remains below 50 percent. 'He's vulnerable and his agenda is too extreme and he's vastly unpopular,' said Scott Arceneaux, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party." [AP]

REDISTRICTING

Florida House wise to drop bill handling 'absolute immunity' to legislators [Bradenton Herald Editorial] "The strong public outcry over House action to grant Florida legislators and staff members absolute immunity from lawsuits brought a quick end to the proposal. The timing of the measure looked suspect just days after the Florida Democratic Party filed a suit challenging congressional redistricting maps."

Ruling suggests Supremes plan broad redistricting review  [News Service of Florida] "In what could amount to a victory for opponents of the proposal for carving up House and Senate districts (SJR 1176), the court issued an order Tuesday calling for the Florida Democratic Party and a coalition of voting-rights organizations to hand over information they had on lawmakers’ residences."

New lines favor incumbents, promote partisanship [Daytona Beach News Journal Guest Column by Rep. Thurston] "The Fair Districts amendments to our constitution prescribe that new legislative and congressional districts must not "favor or disfavor an incumbent or political party," must be "compact" and must make use of existing "geographical boundaries." Despite these mandates, the maps drawn and approved by the Legislature will continue the unfortunate tradition of incumbent protection and partisan advantage. Unless rectified by the courts, the result will be disenfranchised voters and the silencing of the voices of many Floridians who seek to influence their government."

EDUCATION IN THE LEGISLATURE

Report: State university system has $80 billion economic impact [Tampa Bay Times] "The report says 7 percent of Florida's more than $700 billion gross domestic product is directly linked to the state university system. It employs more than 58,000 faculty and staff. And its graduates account for more than 771,000 Florida-based jobs, or 8 percent of Florida's total workforce."

Killing the Goose [Gainesville Sun Editorial] "Our university system is, in other words, a tremendous generator of jobs, economic opportunity and investment for Floridians. Nonetheless, for the fifth year in a row, state legislators are getting ready to slash higher education budgets."

This is the 5th bad news-cycle in a row for Mack:
Connie Mack preaches penny-pinching on campaign trail, but has past of debt and liens [Miami Herald]
George LeMieux takes aim at front-runner Connie Mack at GOP Senate forum [Palm Beach Post]
This weekend, the Herald's no-holds-barred team caught up with Mack after a forum this weekend, and the footage is a must see. [Miami Herald]
Mack came in dead last – behind Lemieux and McCalister (yes, you read that right) in a GOP straw poll

FDP Chairman Rod Smith on NPR: Lawsuits flying over Florida's redistricting [NPR] "Smith: 'The incumbents are overwhelmingly favored by this, and it is by any stretch of the imagination and highly weighted in a state that is a - really right down the center in terms of performance, it is highly weighted to the Republicans by something like a 20 to 7 margin.'"

GOP BACKS OFF LEGISLATIVE IMMUNITY BILL

Legislative immunity bill dies in House [Times/Herald] "In a shining example of how quickly the political tides can change, House leaders on Monday backed away from a proposal to clarify legislative immunity shortly after the incoming Senate president expressed his opposition to the idea."

Immunity bill for lawmakers abruptly dropped [Palm Beach Post] "Legislation that would have shielded lawmakers from having to testify or turn over public documents in court hearings was abruptly dropped Monday, after drawing criticism from a top senator."

House leaders back off immunity legislation [Tampa Bay Times] "Minutes after the incoming Senate President said he would vote against the proposal, the House is dropping its effort to clarify immunity that lawmakers have from lawsuits."

Bill to protect lawmakers from testifying is dead [Orlando Sentinel] "A House plan to protect lawmakers and their staffs from ever being required to testify or produce public records in civil lawsuits that deal with legislative business is dead, amid vociferous criticism that it was a way for lawmakers to dodge answering questions about redistricting."

EDUCATION FUNDING HEADED FOR A SHOWDOWN

USF Funding Feud Could Be Headed to Senate Floor Showdown [Sunshine State News] "The Senate’s proposed university cuts come with Florida State University faced with a $19.3 million reduction and the University of Florida's decrease at $33 million."

Keep working for USF's protection [Tampa Tribune Editorial] "But USF advocates should not depend on Alexander's good will. He is a master at Tallahassee manipulation and has appeared intent on punishing USF since Genshaft bucked his plans to make USF Polytechnic in Lakeland an independent university."

TWO GOOD EDITORIALS

Don't rush to resurrect private prison proposal [Orlando Sentinel Editorial] "Yet the governor announced Thursday morning that he would unilaterally pursue privatization — a disappointing but predictable decision. After all, this was the same governor who last year fired Ed Buss, his pick to head the corrections department, after Buss questioned a similar plan to privatize prisons in South Florida. And earlier this month, Scott tried but failed to persuade wavering Republican senators to back the latest proposal to turn prison operations over to a private firm."

Obama's budget approach balanced, sensible [Tampa Bay times Editorial]  "Obama proposes a budget that reduces federal spending overall but still makes investments in job creation and infrastructure. Education spending is supported. Funding is protected for clean energy and scientific research, and there is substantial money to modernize the nation's transportation systems — all designed to make Americans more competitive in the future."

When news broke last week that Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson gets a big tax break because of a small herd of cattle grazing on his family's Brevard County pasture land, his potential Republican opponent, Rep. Connie Mack, called it "appalling" and "disgraceful."

But Mack may have a property tax issue of his own.

Mack is married to California Republican Rep. Mary Bono, and both have homestead exemptions on their residences – Mack on his Fort Myers condominium, and Bono on her Palm Springs house.

The Florida Constitution says no more than one homestead exemption is allowed to any individual or "family unit," which means a married couple, said Will Shepherd, general counsel for the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office.

"Assuming they're functioning as a married couple, even if they live in those separate residences, then Florida law would say no, you cannot have two homesteads (exemptions)," he said.

But a lawyer for Mack disputed Shepherd's interpretation of Florida law, saying that because Mack and his wife are "financially independent" and maintain "separate permanent residences" in their respective states, Mack is entitled to a homestead exemption in Florida.

Florida law allows a homeowner who lives in the home to exempt up to $50,000 of its value from property taxes. A home valued at $200,000 would then be assessed only at $150,000.

Mack takes that exemption on his Tamarind Cay condo, assessed for at $141,897. The exemption saves him about $800 a year in taxes, according to documents from the Lee County Property Appraiser's Office.

At the same time, there's a $7,000 homestead exemption on Bono's $1.14 million Palm Springs house.

The two married in 2007; both owned their homes before that.

Shepherd said Florida court rulings have said that in some cases, a couple can have two separate homestead exemptions while still married, but only in cases where the couple are estranged.

"If they're separated, possibly getting divorced, have no communication, have no social or financial interaction," they could, he said. Otherwise, "You can't have two. You have to pick one or the other."

However, it could be a political problem for either Mack or Bono to declare they don't have a homestead in the states they represent in Congress.

Craig Engle, Mack's Washington, D.C., lawyer, said court decisions show a couple don't have to be legally separated to qualify for two exemptions.

"If spouses are financially independent of each other, hold property separately and do not claim each other as dependents, they're considered separate individuals," he said.

By law, Mack and Bono are required to hold separate permanent residences in their states to represent those states in Congress, he noted.

He also noted a 2010 Florida appeals court decision allowing a man to obtain an exemption while his wife had one in New York. The couple were separated.

In that case, the 2{+n}{+d} District Court of Appeal said it made its decision based on "the unique circumstances presented in this case," where the couple "have no financial connection with and do not provide benefits, income, or support to each other."

Asked whether that's the case with Mack and Bono, Engle said it was.

Questions have been raised before about Mack's residence, focusing on an affidavit filed by his former wife in their 2005 divorce case.

In that affidavit, she contended they didn't really live in the Fort Myers condo. She called it "a stake in the sand," bought for political purposes when he ran for Congress from the 14th District, which his father, Connie Mack III, had represented before being elected to the Senate.

Mack had previously lived in the Fort Lauderdale area, which he represented in the state House.

Mack has been leading in polls for the GOP nomination for Senate, with George LeMieux and Mike McCalister also in the race. The winner will run against Nelson in November.

Last week news stories highlighted a "greenbelt" or agricultural exemption on property Nelson owns on 55 acres of pasture land along the Indian River in Brevard County.

Nelson gets the exemption because he leases the land to a cattle company, which grazes a small herd of some half-dozen cows there.

Such exemptions are common but occasionally have been controversial, with allegations that some property owners planning to develop land plant a few trees or allow a few animals to graze on it to qualify for huge tax breaks.

The exemption cuts the value of Nelson's land from $2.7 million to $210,000, according to news reports which his spokesman did not dispute, saving him some $43,000 last year in property taxes.

But the spokesman, Dan McLaughlin, said in Nelson's case, the exemption is fulfilling its intended purpose of allowing a property owner to preserve undeveloped "old Florida" agricultural land.

McLaughlin said the land is the family homestead, bought by his father in 1924, where Nelson grew up.

"He could have sold that land many times and made millions, but has foregone that to keep it an open pasture tract, so he can leave it that way to his children," McLaughlin said.

"It's what the law is aimed at, preserving old Florida and giving someone with agricultural land an incentive to keep it that way rather than cashing in with developers."

Mack wasn't impressed.

In a news release, he called the exemption "appalling, disgraceful, and everything Floridians loathe about limousine liberals," and accused Nelson of "astonishing hypocrisy."

"Senator Nelson has made a career in the U.S. Senate based on recklessly spending other peoples' money … even while manipulating the system to line his own pockets," Mack said in the news release.

He released a campaign video with a cartoon of singing cows mocking Nelson.

Intent to hide is obvious [Palm Beach Post Editorial] "State legislative leaders have crowed about the openness and transparency of their work this year to redraw congressional and state legislative districts, a contentious once-in-a-decade effort that was sure to draw criticism and a legal battle. But now that the work is finished and a lawsuit has been filed, they are scurrying to hide the details of the process from view."

Redistricting veil would erode open government [Orlando Sentinel editorial] "It would be outrageous if lawmakers eroded that heritage — and flouted the will of the people — just to worm their way out of defending their redistricting maps."

Absolute privilege? absolutely NOT [Miami Herald editorial] "Legislators should be willing to explain that in public and in court. This law simply goes too far."

Is there no end [PNJ Editorial] "Legislators should be embarrassed to try to create such an imperial position for themselves, but this Legislature is proving shameless in serving its own interests. The leadership is worried about lawsuits coming over its efforts to bypass public will on redistricting, and how better to defend themselves in court ... by not having to at all?"

Your right to know in danger [News-Press editorial] "The bill is hasty and ill-considered, threatens the public’s right to know how and why the Legislature does business, and would undermine people’s ability to challenge laws in court on their constitutionality."

Another Power Play by Brazen Lawmakers [Tampa Bay Times editorial] "A suddenly appearing, proposed committee bill with no legislator's name attached to it. One quick committee hearing. A straight shot to the full House as the session nears its usual frantic end. This is another sneaky attempt by brazen lawmakers to bend the law to benefit themselves, and it is an affront to Floridians who demand fairly drawn legislative districts and open government."

This weekend, the Herald's no-holds-barred team caught up with Mack after a forum, and the footage is a must see. During the on-camera interview, Mack says his regret about his bar-room brawls is that he "didn't win." Yeah. Again, must watch video here.

And today, news broke that Mack came in dead last – behind Lemieux and McCalister (yes, you read that right) in a GOP straw poll conducted at the Florida Federation of Republican Women's Republican Senate forum.

Connie Mack preaches penny-pinching on campaign trail, but has past of debt and liens
Miami Herald, February 17, 2012

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show.

Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his bank account and didn't have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale.

His finances aside, the records also show that Mack in his youth got into four confrontations — from an arrest at a nightclub to a bar brawl with a pro baseball player. Later, while in Congress, his estranged wife accused him of not living in his Fort Myers district and of using his influence to strong-arm her during their divorce.

When asked this week if candidates' private lives should mirror the public policies they advocate, Mack suggested it was fair game.

"What's important is that we're all human; everything that makes us human we can be held to account for," Mack, 45, said. "I don't think that's different for me or anybody else."

As for the brawls, a spokesman later said that Mack was "young and foolish" and that the financial troubles and allegations from his ex-wife are fairly typical of "an unfortunate, difficult divorce."

This week, Mack rapped Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson for having a "do as I say not as I do" attitude because he opposes tax loopholes but has used an agricultural exemption to avoid higher property taxes in Brevard County.

Mack has proposed the "Mack Penny Plan" to trim a cent of every federal dollar spent and advocated for a balanced budget constitutional amendment two weeks ago at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Said Mack: "You can't spend more than you take in."

But he's done just that in the past.

Mack estimated he spent about $2,257.91 more monthly than he netted as a member of Congress, according to his average monthly expenditure report made in his divorce case in November 2005. Excluding the incidentals, his household costs accounted for 86 percent of his net monthly income. His annual congressional salary in 2005 was $162,100.

The case also shows that Mack missed an on-time $1,700 support payment to his estranged wife, and his bank account showed he had been overspending due to two overdraft fees totaling $175.

Mack's biggest expense: a $675,000 home in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Va. Mack used a generous jumbo loan and credit line from the former Countrywide Mortgage to close on the deal less than 20 days after his election. He took out a $17,000 line of credit on the home with another lender — effectively borrowing nearly 98 percent of the purchase price of the house.

Mack technically wasn't in Congress when he closed on the house. He had just resigned his Fort Lauderdale seat in the Florida House, where he served from 2000 to 2003.

Less than four years after he bought the Virginia home, Mack sold it for $75,000 less than he paid for it. Mack had tried to sell the house for $825,000, according to a Naples Daily News article in August 2006.

About the time he purchased the Virginia home, Mack couldn't easily pay his federal income taxes. He had to borrow the money from his father and namesake, former Sen.-turned-lobbyist Connie Mack III, according to a July 2006 Marital Settlement Agreement. Mack repaid the loan.

As part of the divorce settlement, Mack insisted he keep his "Gold Presidential Rolex" watch. He also was given both the Alexandria house and the Tamarind Cay Court condominium in his Fort Myers district.

Mack, who had listed the condo fees as part of his monthly expenses, failed to pay the Tamarind Cay Recreation Association's special-assessment and maintenance fees, leading the group to file a $2,160 lien that was satisfied almost four months later, in October 2006.

Mack's estranged wife at the time, Ann McGillicuddy, described the condo as a "small political stake in the sand" where the family spent "very little time." She said it was purchased "solely to assist his political career" — so that it made it appear he lived in the district. At the time, Mack did not have a property tax homestead exemption on the Fort Myers condo, indicating it wasn't his primary residence.

"Connie Mack was born in Fort Myers and lives in Fort Myers, having sold his home in Fort Lauderdale. Connie's only Florida home is in Fort Myers," his spokesman, David James, said. "To paraphrase George Bush, when Connie was young and foolish he was young and foolish, but what the people of southwest Florida got in a congressman is someone who fights for his beliefs: less government, less taxes and more freedom."

Ann McGillicuddy also argued in court papers that Mack tried to use a legal maneuver to require her and their two small children to essentially live out of the small, seldom-used condominium so that he could force her to settle the case more quickly. She said Mack "covertly" filed for divorce in Lee County, while she was vacationing with the kids in Fort Lauderdale — away from their Virginia home.

"The Husband had recently threatened the Wife that he will direct police and other authority figures to ensure that she and the minor children remain in Lee County, Florida during this proceeding," her counsel wrote in numerous briefs. "This type of coercion and duress certainly resonates with what the Wife has already identified as a 'strategic' dissolution by the Husband."

Mack denied the claims.

Later, Mack's own divorce attorney, Carolyn Swift, filed a $30,000 charging lien with the court to ensure payment in September 2006. Swift said it was done in an abundance of caution. "There was no concern with Connie — other than a concern with any client when they owe $30,000," she said, noting he ultimately paid his bill.

The following summer, the Fort Lauderdale Yacht Club sued Mack for an unpaid $4,000 bill. Mack and his wife had acknowledged the existence of the debt in their settlement agreement the previous year.

The yacht club's attorney, Jerome Schechter, said the issue was "a misunderstanding." He said the bills were going to the wrong address. A process server had attempted to serve a summons at Mack's Fort Myers condominium — where Mack's wife said they didn't really live.

The liens and lawsuits aren't the only legal blemishes on Mack.

In October 1989, when he was 21, Mack was arrested by an offduty Duval County sheriff's deputy at a Jacksonville nightclub called Bananas. Asked to remove his hat, Mack refused, hurling four-letter insults at club workers and calling the officer a "rent-a-cop," an employee testified. When Mack refused to leave, he was busted for resisting arrest without violence.

"You don't know who I am," Mack, whose father had been elected to the U.S. Senate the year before, reportedly told the deputy.

In a deposition, bar manager Brian Held described Mack's threats as "all of the stuff you see on Matlock," referring to the popular 1980s television show.

Mack, calling the arrest a misunderstanding, pleaded no contest. The judge withheld adjudication — meaning he has no criminal record — and the arrest report was sealed.

Two years before, Mack traded blows with another motorist waiting at a drawbridge while on his way to a wedding. Then, in 1988, Mack's car windows were smashed by a man wielding a baseball bat.

The incidents came to light after a February 1992 brawl with then-professional baseball player Ron Gant at an Atlanta bar called Calico Jack's. A server testified that Mack, who had been heavily drinking beer and Jagermeister shots all night, took the first swing at Gant. Mack testified he couldn't remember how much beer he drank, but said he had only one liquor shot — of tequila.

Gant claims a drunken Mack repeatedly bumped into him, precipitating a fight. Mack claims Gant attacked him for no reason.

During the melee, Gant head-locked Mack. Mack testified that he couldn't breathe. So he starting striking and grabbing the ballplayer's crotch. The club's bouncers got involved, and Mack broke his ankle. He sued Gant, who was held liable. But a jury awarded no damages.

"I've never seen a case like this go to trial," said Bill Allred, who helped represent Gant. Allred said he recalled Mack was "some kid with an overprivileged upbringing and a chip on his shoulder. But that was years ago. He could have grown up."

Gant's legal team sought to portray Mack as a troublemaking lightweight, noting he went to military school and that it took him more than seven years to get an advertising degree that, ultimately, he parlayed into a consultancy to promote Hooters, the Florida restaurant chain known for its scantily clad servers.

A Palm Beach Post article prior to Mack's legislative election in 2000 noted that Mack was an infrequent voter.

But in the decade he has spent in public office, supporters and friends say he has grown more serious and studious. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, said she was so impressed by Mack that she chose him to sit on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

"I needed someone in the Western Hemisphere who really understood the threat of the Castro regime, the threat of Chavez, of Ortega, Morales, Correa," she said, ticking off the names of Latin American dictators and leftist leaders.

"Congressman Connie Mack knows the difference between allies and enemies," she said.

Three years after his congressional election, Mack married Mary Bono, the widow and successor of California Rep. Sonny Bono, the 1970s pop singer. Friends say they're madly in love.

Before their marriage, Mack had listed one asset on his congressional financial disclosure forms: the Virginia home that he ultimately sold at a loss. After his marriage, Mack listed 89 financial assets that brought annual income ranging from $117,180 to more than $1 million, about 90 percent of which derives from song royalties and other financial instruments in the Bono Collection Trust.

About that time, Mack's problems with liens, debts and unpaid bills disappeared from the courts.

ED BOARDS BLAST LEGISLATIVE IMMUNITY BILL

Intent to hide is obvious [Palm Beach Post Editorial] "State legislative leaders have crowed about the openness and transparency of their work this year to redraw congressional and state legislative districts, a contentious once-in-a-decade effort that was sure to draw criticism and a legal battle. But now that the work is finished and a lawsuit has been filed, they are scurrying to hide the details of the process from view."

Redistricting veil would erode open government [Orlando Sentinel editorial] "It would be outrageous if lawmakers eroded that heritage — and flouted the will of the people — just to worm their way out of defending their redistricting maps."

Absolute privilege? absolutely NOT [Miami Herald editorial] "Legislators should be willing to explain that in public and in court. This law simply goes too far."

Is there no end [PNJ Editorial] "Legislators should be embarrassed to try to create such an imperial position for themselves, but this Legislature is proving shameless in serving its own interests. The leadership is worried about lawsuits coming over its efforts to bypass public will on redistricting, and how better to defend themselves in court ... by not having to at all?"

Your right to know in danger [News-Press editorial] "The bill is hasty and ill-considered, threatens the public’s right to know how and why the Legislature does business, and would undermine people’s ability to challenge laws in court on their constitutionality."

CONNIE MACK: A CAMPAIGN CRIPPLING WEEKEND — DEVASTATING STORY, COMES IN 3rd IN GOP STRAW POLL

Campaign crippling:  Connie Mack preaches penny-pinching on campaign trail, but has past of debt and liens [Miami Herald] "U.S. Rep. Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show. Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his bank account and didn't have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale."

And, the Miami Herald video squad catches up with Connie: Connie's greatest regret? He didn't win the fistfights. Watch the video here.

Breaking: Connie Mack bringing up the rear in new Republican women's poll… Results of the #FFRW straw poll in Tallahassee #1 @George_LeMieux #2 McCallister #3 @ConnieMackIV

Fellow Republican LeMieux tries to distinguish himself from Mack in Florida U.S. Senate race [News Press] "And in perhaps a more subtle contrast, LeMieux was introduced by his wife, Meike, and he talked at length about her support when he was appointed to serve in the Senate. Mack divorced his first wife after being elected to Congress and is now married to U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack, the California Republican who succeeded her late husband, Sonny Bono, in Congress. Mack has been criticized by some for not spending enough time in his district."

George LeMieux takes aim at front-runner Connie Mack at GOP Senate forum [Palm Beach Post] "Before leaving the Hotel Duval, where the forum was held, Mack responded to reporters' questions about a recent report in The Miami Herald detailing his past financial problems. Those problems include property liens filed against him, an overdrawn bank account and loans from his father and namesake, Connie Mack, that paid his income taxes after his 2004 congressional election."

REDISTRICTING — FLA DEMS FILE LEGAL CHALLENGE TO LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING MAP 

Dems allege GOP bias in district lines [Palm Beach Post]"'These maps represent a desperate attempt by Republicans to retain their stranglehold on state government and cement their control in Tallahassee for another decade,' said Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith.

Democrats file suit over redistricting map [WPTV] "The Florida Democratic Party is filing a lawsuit  saying GOP drawn redistricting maps are anything but fair. Lawmakers are now trying to block the court from asking them what they did and why."

Court reviews district maps [Tallahassee Democrat] "'The Legislature systematically tried to redefine its new constitutional duties to fit its own goals, rather than abide by the will of Florida voters to provide fair and understandable maps,' said a brief filed by the Florida Democratic Party."

Redistricting battle heads to court with dueling instructions to justices [Times/Herald] "Lawyers for the Florida Democratic Party and a coalition of voters groups — who have already mounted a legal challenge in district court over the congressional maps — argue that constitutional amendments approved by voters in 2010 had changed the rules for drawing new districts. Those rules, they argue, not only raised the burden for the Legislature but created a “higher bar’’ for the court’s judicial review."

Bondi doesn't want too much judicial scrutiny [AP] "The high court also received briefs from the League of Women Voters, Florida Democratic Party and city of Lakeland, all challenging the plan passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature."

MIKE HARIDOPOLOS IS A LOSER

Loser of the week: Mike Haridopolos [Tampa Bay Times] "Can anyone think of a signature priority the Florida Senate president has accomplished? Not prison privatization. Not expanded casinos. Not the E-Verify anti-illegal immigration system he promised in 2011 (before his U.S. Senate bid flopped) and then promised to resurrect this year, but never did. He says he doesn't strong-arm colleagues, but banishes uncooperative GOP colleagues such as Paula Dockery and Mike Fasano to legislative purgatory. Meanwhile, he sits back while JD Alexander hijacks the budget to attack the University of South Florida and makes the Senate leadership look like vindictive, ego-driven thugs."

Failure stings Fla. Senate President Mike Haridopolos [Palm Beach Post] " Last year, it took until the last day of the legislative session for Senate President Mike Haridopolos to get embarrassed. This year, it happened with three weeks left.

SO MUCH FOR MAKING EDUCATION A PRIORITY — GOP CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE TAKES AIM AT ED FUNDING

Florida Set for New Cut in Spending on Colleges [New York Times] "Florida lawmakers contend that education is essential to high-wage jobs in the state, but the Legislature is again expected to slash millions of dollars from the budget for higher education and may usher in another round of tuition increases."

A dangerous prescription [Tampa Tribune Editorial] "The Florida Senate's effort to demolish the University of South Florida's budget is more than an attack on the school; it's an attack on the region's economic development."

Cuts to USF would carry heavy toll for Bay Area [Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa Bay Times] "The proposed slashing of USF's academic budget in the upcoming fiscal year will cause irreparable harm to the students, to the university and to the economic recovery that has begun in Tampa Bay."

On the 2012 front, Obama campaign amassing troops in Florida [Tampa Tribune] "While the Republican presidential candidates have been battling in Florida and other state primaries, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has been quietly putting together what aides say will be the biggest grass-roots campaign organization in Florida history."

ED BOARDS BLAST LEGISLATIVE IMMUNITY BILL

Intent to hide is obvious [Palm Beach Post Editorial] "State legislative leaders have crowed about the openness and transparency of their work this year to redraw congressional and state legislative districts, a contentious once-in-a-decade effort that was sure to draw criticism and a legal battle. But now that the work is finished and a lawsuit has been filed, they are scurrying to hide the details of the process from view."

Redistricting veil would erode open government [Orlando Sentinel editorial] "It would be outrageous if lawmakers eroded that heritage — and flouted the will of the people — just to worm their way out of defending their redistricting maps."

Absolute privilege? absolutely NOT [Miami Herald editorial] "Legislators should be willing to explain that in public and in court. This law simply goes too far."

Is there no end [PNJ Editorial] "Legislators should be embarrassed to try to create such an imperial position for themselves, but this Legislature is proving shameless in serving its own interests. The leadership is worried about lawsuits coming over its efforts to bypass public will on redistricting, and how better to defend themselves in court ... by not having to at all?"

Your right to know in danger [News-Press editorial] "The bill is hasty and ill-considered, threatens the public’s right to know how and why the Legislature does business, and would undermine people’s ability to challenge laws in court on their constitutionality."

CONNIE MACK: A CAMPAIGN CRIPPLING WEEKEND — DEVASTATING STORY, COMES IN 3rd IN GOP STRAW POLL

Campaign crippling:  Connie Mack preaches penny-pinching on campaign trail, but has past of debt and liens [Miami Herald] "U.S. Rep. Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show. Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his bank account and didn't have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale."

And, the Miami Herald video squad catches up with Connie: Connie's greatest regret? He didn't win the fistfights. Watch the video here.

Breaking: Connie Mack bringing up the rear in new Republican women's poll… Results of the #FFRW straw poll in Tallahassee #1 @George_LeMieux #2 McCallister #3 @ConnieMackIV

Fellow Republican LeMieux tries to distinguish himself from Mack in Florida U.S. Senate race [News Press] "And in perhaps a more subtle contrast, LeMieux was introduced by his wife, Meike, and he talked at length about her support when he was appointed to serve in the Senate. Mack divorced his first wife after being elected to Congress and is now married to U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack, the California Republican who succeeded her late husband, Sonny Bono, in Congress. Mack has been criticized by some for not spending enough time in his district."

George LeMieux takes aim at front-runner Connie Mack at GOP Senate forum [Palm Beach Post] "Before leaving the Hotel Duval, where the forum was held, Mack responded to reporters' questions about a recent report in The Miami Herald detailing his past financial problems. Those problems include property liens filed against him, an overdrawn bank account and loans from his father and namesake, Connie Mack, that paid his income taxes after his 2004 congressional election."

REDISTRICTING — FLA DEMS FILE LEGAL CHALLENGE TO LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING MAP 

Dems allege GOP bias in district lines [Palm Beach Post]"'These maps represent a desperate attempt by Republicans to retain their stranglehold on state government and cement their control in Tallahassee for another decade,' said Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith.

Democrats file suit over redistricting map [WPTV] "The Florida Democratic Party is filing a lawsuit  saying GOP drawn redistricting maps are anything but fair. Lawmakers are now trying to block the court from asking them what they did and why."

Court reviews district maps [Tallahassee Democrat] "'The Legislature systematically tried to redefine its new constitutional duties to fit its own goals, rather than abide by the will of Florida voters to provide fair and understandable maps,' said a brief filed by the Florida Democratic Party."

Redistricting battle heads to court with dueling instructions to justices [Times/Herald] "Lawyers for the Florida Democratic Party and a coalition of voters groups — who have already mounted a legal challenge in district court over the congressional maps — argue that constitutional amendments approved by voters in 2010 had changed the rules for drawing new districts. Those rules, they argue, not only raised the burden for the Legislature but created a “higher bar’’ for the court’s judicial review."

Bondi doesn't want too much judicial scrutiny [AP] "The high court also received briefs from the League of Women Voters, Florida Democratic Party and city of Lakeland, all challenging the plan passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature."

MIKE HARIDOPOLOS IS A LOSER

Loser of the week: Mike Haridopolos [Tampa Bay Times] "Can anyone think of a signature priority the Florida Senate president has accomplished? Not prison privatization. Not expanded casinos. Not the E-Verify anti-illegal immigration system he promised in 2011 (before his U.S. Senate bid flopped) and then promised to resurrect this year, but never did. He says he doesn't strong-arm colleagues, but banishes uncooperative GOP colleagues such as Paula Dockery and Mike Fasano to legislative purgatory. Meanwhile, he sits back while JD Alexander hijacks the budget to attack the University of South Florida and makes the Senate leadership look like vindictive, ego-driven thugs."

Failure stings Fla. Senate President Mike Haridopolos [Palm Beach Post] " Last year, it took until the last day of the legislative session for Senate President Mike Haridopolos to get embarrassed. This year, it happened with three weeks left.

SO MUCH FOR MAKING EDUCATION A PRIORITY — GOP CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE TAKES AIM AT ED FUNDING

Florida Set for New Cut in Spending on Colleges [New York Times] "Florida lawmakers contend that education is essential to high-wage jobs in the state, but the Legislature is again expected to slash millions of dollars from the budget for higher education and may usher in another round of tuition increases."

A dangerous prescription [Tampa Tribune Editorial] "The Florida Senate's effort to demolish the University of South Florida's budget is more than an attack on the school; it's an attack on the region's economic development."

Cuts to USF would carry heavy toll for Bay Area [Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the Tampa Bay Times] "The proposed slashing of USF's academic budget in the upcoming fiscal year will cause irreparable harm to the students, to the university and to the economic recovery that has begun in Tampa Bay."

On the 2012 front, Obama campaign amassing troops in Florida [Tampa Tribune] "While the Republican presidential candidates have been battling in Florida and other state primaries, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign has been quietly putting together what aides say will be the biggest grass-roots campaign organization in Florida history."

MIAMI HERALD: Connie Mack preaches penny-pinching, but has a court-record past of debt and liens (and fights)

Congressman Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show.

Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his account and didn’t have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale.

His finances aside, the records also show that Mack in his youth got into four confrontations— with a pro baseball player he sued after a bar brawl and with an off-duty police officer who arrested him at a nightclub. Later, while in Congress, his estranged wife accused him of not living in his Fort Myers district and of using his influence to strong arm her during their divorce.

Read the full article from the Miami Herald here.

Just like in 2002, the GOP is ignoring the will of the people. Voters in 2010 overwhelmingly approved the Fair Districts amendments with 63 percent of the vote in a clear demand for a different process -- one free from incumbent protection and partisan advantage.

Let's remember how we got here.

In 2002, Florida's legislature, with Republicans at the helm, undertook a blatantly partisan redistricting process bent solely on increasing their power -- and increase their power they did. Today, Floridians are living with this partisan legacy of districts that make little sense except as means to disenfranchise voters.

To contine reading click here to go to the Huffington Post

Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Democratic Party today filed a brief challenging the GOP-backed state legislative maps. The party filed a lawsuit in state court last week challenging the GOP-backed congressional maps.

“We firmly believe the state legislative maps are in violation of Amendment Five and are aimed at the very things which Florida’s constitution now prohibits,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith. “These maps represent a desperate attempt by Republicans to retain their stranglehold on state government and cement their control in Tallahassee for another decade.”

The legal brief was filed today at the Florida Supreme Court. Central to the party’s challenge is the following excerpt:

“But, in the end, the legislative reapportionment plan violates nearly every one of the new provisions in Article III, Section 21 of the Florida Constitution.  The Legislature systematically tried to redefine its new constitutional duties to fit its own goals rather than abide by the will of Florida voters to provide fair and understandable maps.  It falls on this Court’s shoulders to protect the will of the people and to make clear that the new constitutional standards created real change and have real meaning, and that failure to abide by them will have real consequences.”

Last week, the FDP, working with concerned Florida voters, filed a lawsuit in Florida state court to challenge the constitutionality of the Congressional maps which violate the Fair District amendments and seek to suppress the voice of Florida's citizens. The FDP suit alleges the 2012 Congressional map violates multiple aspects of Article III, Section 20 of the Florida Constitution – Amendment 6.

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And don't miss Rod Smith's redistricting Huffington Post piece: Deja Vu 2002 [Huffington Post] "Florida's Republican governor and GOP-led legislature are attempting to retain a stranglehold on state government and cement their control in Tallahassee for another decade. Déjà vu 2002. Just like in 2002, the GOP is ignoring the will of the people. Voters in 2010 overwhelmingly approved the Fair Districts amendments with 63 percent of the vote in a clear demand for a different process -- one free from incumbent protection and partisan advantage."

Speaking of incumbent protection…

Statement from Fla Dems on passage of legislative immunity bill [FlaDems] "With the GOP redistricting legal team in the front row, Republicans today rammed through perhaps the most outrageous and transparent abuse of legislative power in years, and that is no small feat in Florida. Today, with a looming redistricting legal fight on the horizon, Republicans sought to shield themselves from the courts and the people in what can only be called a cowardly move to conceal their own unconstitutional dealings from court review."

Another Power Play by Brazen Lawmakers [Tampa Bay Times editorial] "A suddenly appearing, proposed committee bill with no legislator's name attached to it. One quick committee hearing. A straight shot to the full House as the session nears its usual frantic end. This is another sneaky attempt by brazen lawmakers to bend the law to benefit themselves, and it is an affront to Floridians who demand fairly drawn legislative districts and open government."

Lawmakers vote to shield themselves from questions [Orlando Sentinel] “A House committee voted Thursday for a bill that would shield legislators and their staffs from ever being required to testify or produce public records when they get sued. The Republican-controlled Legislature's proposal to grant itself what's called 'absolute privilege' in any civil suit or legal proceeding emerged for the first time Wednesday, the sixth week of the nine-week lawmaking session and less than one week after the Florida Democratic Party filed a lawsuit challenging its redistricting maps."

Welcome home Sandy Adams [Orlando Sentinel] "Secondly, the potential of political consideration in drawing the seats could help a legal challenge to the new congressional maps filed by the Florida Democratic Party and one expected to be filed by Fair Districts groups, including the League of Women Voters, the National Council of La Raza and Common Cause."

FYI — the Florida Democratic Party will also be hosting a conference call with State Representative Alan Williams and Naturally Green Products CFO Amy Mandel to talk about success of President Obama's economic policies. Dial-In Number: (888) 527-0604, Conference ID # 54570079.

LEGISLATURE

Higher education: don't trash tenure and undercut reform [Orlando Sentinel editorial] "It's hard to see what benefit is to be gained by eliminating university and college faculty tenure, other than scoring political points. Yet some observers think the idea is still alive in the halls of the Florida Legislature, although no bills have been filed this session."

Senate panel OKs slashing hourly pay for servers, bartenders, others [Orlando Sentinel] “Restaurant servers, bartenders and other Florida workers who rely heavily on tips are expressing outrage about a plan moving through the Legislature that could slash their hourly wages.”

2012 RACES

Romney draws heat from Fort Lauderdale Auto CEO and Republican [Tampa Bay Times] "Mike Jackson, chairman and CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation, is a registered Republican and plenty steamed by Mitt Romney's attacks on the auto bailout."

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**If you're happy that prison privatization was defeated** Sign the card thanking your Democratic legislature for standing up against Rick Scott's extreme prison privatization agenda. Sign the card here.

PRISON PRIVATIZATION, DAY 2

Privatizing prisons a bad idea [Sun Sentinel Editorial] "Then, when newspapers like the Sun Sentinel, did an analysis years later, we found that the private sector did no better, sometimes spending more money, even adjusted for inflation."

Privatization — what's next [Capital News Service] "The defeat of the prison privatization bill in the Florida Senate last night doesn’t end the conversation. Florida already has seven private prisons and there is talk of using existing law to privatize two more. As Whitney Ray tells us, the future of Florida’s prisons is now in the hands of Governor Rick Scott, a major supporter of the failed privatization bill."

GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE AND THE BUDGET

Definitely worth the read: Federal oversight needed to ensure Florida Medicaid serves those in need [Tampa Bay Times Editorial] "The federal government is more protective of the well-being of Florida's poor than Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature. Last year, over objections by Democrats and advocates for the poor, the Republican-controlled Legislature voted to turn the state's Medicaid program over to managed care companies. Never mind that persistent problems were experienced in a controversial five-county privatization pilot program and that any cost savings are uncertain at best."

Remove Alexander from budget panel [Tampa Tribune Editorial] "Senate President Mike Haridopolos should remove JD Alexander as chairman of the budget committee. The cuts Alexander engineered are shocking and disruptive. The threat of a 58 percent reduction in state support is itself damaging to USF's reputation."

From former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio: A textbook lesson in bad leadership "Every student at USF should thank Alexander for providing a valuable life lesson on how not to lead."

Senate relents in USF battle [Tampa Bay Times] "Senate budget writers relented slightly Wednesday and unfroze $25 million of the University of South Florida's proposed budget for next year."

A look ahead at the court battle on redistricting [News Herald Editorial] "Hopefully, the courts will add clarity, not because judges know better how to draw lines, but merely to give lawmakers proper guidance on what the law means. This is the first test for Fair Districts, and nobody is quite sure how it will be scored."

Looking out for the big guys [Florida Current] "'This bill does nothing to sweeten the pots of the working families in this state,' said Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach."

DESSERT

He worked there for the wings [Tampa Bay Times] "Connie Mack, who once worked as a special events coordiantor for Hooters, is getting help from his former employer. Campaign finance reports posted today show Mack got $2,000 in the last quarter from Ed Droste, a founder of Hooters."

VIRAL VIDEO: Nothing Pretty about this -- Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) sings "Pretty Woman" at his birthday party. Watch

SENATE HANDS GOV. SCOTT MAJOR DEFEAT 

Statement from FDP Chair Rod Smith [FlaDems] "Today, Republicans and Democrats came together to stop Governor Rick Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos from awarding a large taxpayer contract to one of the GOP's top political donors. In doing so, they averted the loss of thousands of jobs, the devastation of communities in rural Florida and avoided putting our state's hardworking correctional officers at risk. In a win for Florida's families, this bill was rightly defeated."

Florida Senate kills prison privatization legislation [AP] "In a rebuke to their own leadership, nine Senate Republicans joined the chamber's Democrats Tuesday to kill a proposed handover of South Florida's state prisons to private companies."

Prison privatization plan dies in Florida Senate [Orlando Sentinel] "The plan, a top priority of Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, would have privatized 28 prisons and work camps in South Florida. But though it had the clout of the legislative leaders behind it, it divided the Senate and a final vote was delayed for more than a week while both sides wrangled votes."

Prison privatization dies in Senate [Times/Herald] "A massive expansion of private prisons in Florida collapsed in the Senate Tuesday as nine Republicans joined a dozen Democrats in handing a setback to Senate leaders and a victory to state workers."

Senators stand up to kill a bad idea [Tampa Bay Times Editorial] "Nine Republican state senators — in a welcome break from their bullying leaders — teamed with the Senate's 12 Democrats to deliver a bipartisan defeat of an idea that was driven more by special interest politics than thoughtful policy"

Polling Snapshot — Most GOP voters think primary hurting nominee in general. [CBS] We agree. VIDEO.

FYI -- Villaraigosa will chair Democratic National Convention [LA Times]

SCOTT WANTS TAX BREAKS FOR CORPORATIONS, BUT CUTS TO SCHOOLS AND HEALTHCARE

Battle cry to save USF pours out in wake of proposed budget cuts [Times/Herald] "The target: Sen. JD Alexander, the budget chairman who has put forth a potential 60 percent cut to USF funding."

Tampa Leaders vocal about proposed cuts to USF [AP] "Hillsborough County Commissioners want leaders in the Florida Legislature to oppose a budget proposal that includes sharp spending cuts for the University of South Florida."

Senate plan includes big cuts to mental health programs [Times/Herald] "The proposal would slash overall state spending on adult mental health and substance abuse treatment by about 40 percent, or $87 million."

Meanwhile…"The tax plan, a priority of Gov. Rick Scott, would double the corporate income tax exemption, from $25,000 to $50,000, meaning 3,770 companies would be exempt from paying any income taxes."

"Today, Republicans and Democrats came together to stop Governor Rick Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos from awarding a large taxpayer contract to one of the GOP's top political donors. In doing so, they averted the loss of thousands of jobs, the devastation of communities in rural Florida and avoided putting our state's hardworking correctional officers at risk. In a win for Florida's families, this bill was rightly defeated."

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"Smith said, 'Mitt Romney and his Republican allies will say anything – no matter how untruthful or over-the-top – to win,” and that Romney 'has been caught lying about everything under the sun.”
He said the Truth Team will be 'a sustained program that we’ll be relying on for the next nine months as our primary resource for providing information to our army of supporters.'"[Tampa Tribune]

Obama for America launches 'Truth Teams' [Times/Herald]
President Obama re-election campaign/Florida to launch ‘Truth Team’ [Orlando Sentinel]

THE 5 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRISON PRIVATIZATION
There is no conclusive evidence that privatizing prisons will save money [WMFE] [Tampa Bay Times]
Privatizing prisons would threaten public safety [Florida Independent]
Privatizing prisons is about political cronyism, not public policy [News Herald] [Palm Beach Post Editorial]
Privatizing prisons would cost thousands of jobs and destroy entire economies [Tallahassee Democrat Column]
If you can't trust the process, you can't trust the results [Palm Beach Post]

KEEPING THE HEAT ON BUCHANAN: DC group keeps pressure on Buchanan over ethics issue [Herald Tribune] "A government watchdog group in Washington, D.C. is calling on the Justice Department to expand it’s current investigation into U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan."

GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE

Florida's missed opportunity to improve healthcare [Tampa Bay Times Editorial] "Despite the hostility of Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-controlled Legislature to the federal health care reform law, Florida organizations have received $119.6 million in funds from it over the last two years. A new study shows that money largely went to nongovernmental groups to fund essential health services while the state lost out on tens of millions because of the governor's opposition. So while private groups prepare, Tallahassee fiddles."

Senate budget slashes USF funding by 60 percent [Tampa Bay Times] "Senate budget writers proposed slashing USF's state funding nearly 60 percent."

Robbing public schools [Miami Herald Editorial] "Tallahassee once again has passed the buck to local school districts. Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, who chairs the House PreK-12 Education Appropriations subcommittee, argues that traditional public schools can always raise property taxes, while charter schools aren’t allowed to do that."

OFA-FL will join FDP Chairman Rod Smith to hold a press conference launching the Florida Truth Team TODAY AT 4:30pm at the Florida Press Center, 336 E. College Ave., Suite 100.

Members of the Florida Truth Team: Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith, State Senator Oscar Braynon, State Senator Audrey Gibson, State Representative Scott Randolph, State Representative Darren Soto, State Representative Alan Williams

SEN. GAETZ -- "SOME PEOPLE WOULD COMPLAIN IF YOU HUNG THEM WITH A NEW ROPE"

Florida senator's 'rope' comment draws fire from Mia Jones [Florida Times Union]
Black caucus chair slams Gaetz for ‘hung them with a new rope’ remark  [Orlando Sentinel]
Black lawmakers say Sen. Gaetz 'rope' remarks are racially insensitive [Miami Herald]
Senator Don Gaetz Criticized for Hanging Comments [WCTV]
Gaetz apologizes for hanging remark [News Service of Florida]

REDISTRICTING

Tick tock tick tock — AG Bondi sends legislative redistricting maps to Florida Supreme Court, Court now has 30 days to certify them

New district boundaries need work [Tampa Bay Times Editorial] "They look prettier, but they are not significantly fairer. That is the bottom line on the new congressional and legislative districts approved by the Florida Legislature. Now it will be up to the courts to adjust the lines to ensure the districts meet the intent of the new redistricting rules approved by voters."

GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE

Legislature is leaving poor Floridians without a safety net [Tampa Bay Times] "Critics like Dorene Barker, legislative director with Florida Legal Services, say the measures amount to an 'unprecedented attack on the poor'"

Prison privatization vote set for Tuesday [Palm Beach Post] "Sen. Mike Fasano insists he and opponents of a sweeping prison privatization measure slated for a Senate vote on Tuesday still have enough votes to kill the bill."

Tallahassee tax cuts leave local government in lurch [Tampa Bay Times] "But as lawmakers take credit for handing out tax cuts to businesses and homeowners, most are not coupling the revenue reductions with equal-sized cuts in spending, leaving local governments to sort out how to balance their budgets."

MONEY MONEY MONEY

Affordable Care Act netted Florida $119 million [Miami Herald] "While Gov. Rick Scott has made news by rejecting several grants funded by the federal healthcare reform act, a study by an independent nonprofit group finds that Florida organizations have quietly received $119.6 million in reform act funds over the last two years."

MONDAY MORNING DESSERT: Sarah Palin: Brokered convention in Tampa not 'negative' for GOP [Tampa Bay Times] “CNN caught up with Sarah Palin at CPAC, and she said a brokered convention in Tampa would not be a bad thing.”

AP "Democrats filed a lawsuit against a congressional redistricting map immediately after that plan and a second one redrawing Florida House and Senate districts received final approval Thursday from the Republican-controlled Legislature."
News Service of Florida "Arceneaux said that defense was 'laughable,' given the overall advantage Republicans are expected to have in the congressional map. "This map clearly is meant to protect Republicans. ... All they're doing is going from one district to another,' he said."
Miami Times/Herald "Only moments after the Florida Senate gave final approval to the state’s political maps for the next decade, the Florida Democratic Party filed a lawsuit challenging the newly drawn congressional map as unconstitutional. …Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said in a statement that he hoped the courts will 'step in to implement the will of the people — a job the GOP in Tallahassee failed to accomplish.'"
Orlando Sentinel "'The Senate passed maps that fail to meet the plain meaning of Fair Districts," Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said. 'The language was really clear: It can't be for incumbent protection, and it can't be for partisan advantage,' Smith said. 'If the net result is a decade of overwhelming partisan advantage or a decade where incumbents from both parties have in fact protected themselves … that is directly addressed in the lawsuit.'"
Palm Beach Post "The Florida Democratic Party wasted no time in challenging the congressional plan. The party filed a lawsuit late Thursday in Leon County Circuit Court to overturn the map for violating the voter-approved constitutional standards guiding this year's redistricting."
Florida Independent "'Republicans have undertaken the sort of incumbent protection and partisan gerrymandering that 63-percent of Florida voters overwhelmingly demanded must stop,' Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said in a press release. "Now the courts have to step in to implement the will of the people — a job the GOP in Tallahassee failed to accomplish.'"
Florida Current "The same day the state Senate gave final approval to its legislative and congressional redistricting plans, the Florida Democratic Party announced a lawsuit"

FACT CHECKING RUBIO'S CPAC SPEECH

Rubio:  "Everything Got Worse' Under President Obama" [Rubio CPAC speech, 2/9/12]

Independent fact checkers disagree:

FACT: President Obama Oversaw An Increase Of 3.2 Million Jobs In The Private Sector. “Between February 2010 and December 2011, private sector employment climbed from 106,772,000 to 109,928,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s an increase of nearly 3.2 million jobs.” [Factcheck.org, 1/25/12]

FACT: President Obama Oversaw The Largest Annual Increase In Private Sector Jobs Since 2005. “And private sector employment increased by 1.9 million in 2011, going from 108,008,000 in December 2010 to 109,928,000 at the end of 2011. That’s the largest annual increase since 2.31 million jobs were added in 2005.” [Factcheck.org, 1/25/12]

FACT: President Obama Oversaw An Increase Of 334,000 Manufacturing Jobs – The Largest Net Increase Since 1997. “There was also a net increase in manufacturing employment in 2010, when 109,000 jobs were added for the year, and 2011, when 225,000 jobs were added. The last time that happened was back in 1997, when the manufacturing sector added 304,000 jobs that year.” [Factcheck.org, 1/25/12]

PolitiFact: The “U.S. Economy Has Seen 22 Consecutive Months Of Private-Sector Job Growth” Under President Obama. “We checked Obama’s claim by using data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency responsible for compiling employment data. We found that the U.S. economy has seen 22 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, beginning in Feb. 2010. During that 22-month period, the number of jobs grew by almost 3.16 million, or about 143,000 per month. … Obama is correct on the numbers.” [Herald/Times, “PolitiFact,” 1/25/12]

PolitiFact: For The Average Middle-Class Family, Taxes Are Lower Today Than When He Took Office. President Obama’s statement that for “the average middle-class family, your taxes today are lower than when I took office,” was rated “true” by PolitiFact. They added, “The changes to the tax code made under Obama and the analyses by the Tax Policy Center show that for the middle 60 percent of the income distribution, both the average tax paid and the average tax rate fell between 2008 and 2011. We rate Obama’s statement True.” [Herald/Times, PolitiFact, 12/1/11]

BUDGET

Senate lays out health care cuts [News Service of Florida] "The Florida Senate has released a health budget proposal that calls for deep cuts in mental-health and substance-abuse programs and includes a complicated plan that hospitals fear could cost them hundreds of millions of dollars."

While they're cutting health care… [Orlando Sentinel] "Both GOP-led chambers agree on some things: like giving Gov. Rick Scott more authority to unilaterally dole out millions of economic development dollars to corporations."

FLORIDA GOP BASHES FELLOW REPUBLICANS

Florida Delegate Primary question remains unsettled [Politico] "In any case, Florida Republicans feel stung that the Gingrich opposition is feeding ongoing perceptions about the state as a breeding ground for electoral problems in the post Bush-Gore 2000 era. 'McCollum and this little PR stunt played into this nonsense that Florida has as a legacy, anyway, about hanging chads,' said Brian Hughes, spokesman for the Republican Party of Florida. 'Every major news [story] telling of this potential protest that I’ve seen…references back to hanging chads. It couldn’t be a more ridiculous comparison, but nonetheless the idea that Bill McCollum and Republicans in our state, just because they’re sore losers, they’re playing into this notion that Florida is always where things get messy — it’s problematic and it’s disheartening.'"

2012 RACES

ADAMS VS MICA — it's gonna get nasty [Orlando Sentinel] "One day after U.S. Rep. John Mica of Winter Park announced he intends to run this year in the re-drawn, Seminole-centered district that also serves as home to freshman U.S. Rep. Sandy Adams, she’s already out with fund-raising mail teeing off on the 10-term congressman.

'While nobody wants to see two Republicans battle for the same seat, I don’t believe in backing down because someone tries to bully me out of a race when our country needs strong fiscal conservatives to stop business as usual in Washington,' the email says. 'My track record as a grassroots conservative is one that the people of Central Florida believe in.  They know Washington, D.C. is broken, and that sending a career politician back to Congress so he can start his third decade of service is not the right answer.'"

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

Murphy pursues West, puts 18 in play [Palm Beach Post] "Democrat Patrick Murphy, who has raised more than $1.4 million by stoking Democratic donors’ dislike of firebrand conservative Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, has decided to follow West to a proposed Palm Beach-Treasure Coast congressional district… Murphy’s decision to sidestep a primary drew plaudits from big-name Dems: U.S. Rep. and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel of New York and Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith."

**Rumble in the GOP jungle** — Mica to run against Adams in the 7th [Sunshine State News] "In a Central Florida throw-down, Rep. John Mica said Wednesday night he will run for re-election in the 7th Congressional District, pitting him against freshman GOP Rep. Sandy Adams."

Stearns says he will run in new 3rd CD [Gainesville Sun] "To keep his seat amid the musical-chair politics created by redistricting, U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns is ready to move."

FLORIDIANS WONT LIKE GOP MEDICAID CUTS

GOP House gives state budget preliminary approval [AP] "It also cuts Medicaid reimbursement rates for hospitals, eliminates thousands of state jobs, and includes an 8 percent tuition hike for college and university students."

Remember this from 2 days ago? Floridians Don't Like Medicaid Cuts [Orlando Sentinel] "A poll conducted by Hill+Knowlton Strategies on behalf of SafetyNet Hospitals says that 71 percent of Floridians believe that Medicaid must be maintained by the state."

Kill Healthcare shake up [Palm Beach Post Editorial] "A bill that would eliminate 12,000 Florida Department of Health employees and give counties authority over public health amounts to an unfunded mandate that neither counties nor the state's poorest can afford."

GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE

Scott's policies are not working [FCIR] "A Florida Center for Investigative Reporting examination of data reveals that the Scott administration’s claims of success are premature, even inaccurate."

Break the cycle of cuts for Florida Universities [Orlando Sentinel Editorial] "Scott's budget proposal didn't call for any increase in state spending for higher education next year. And that's generous compared to House and Senate budget plans that would take a big bite out of funding for the state's 11 public universities. The House plan would cut their state dollars by nearly $250 million next year. The more draconian Senate blueprint would slash their support by $400 million."

The definition of Big Government [Tampa Bay/Miami Herald] "A legislative effort to restrict the use of cash assistance benefits for the needy passed its second House committee Monday. But the most controversial portion of the proposal -- a lengthy list of snacks and junk foods that can't be purchased using food stamps -- may be doomed."

House votes to keep Jefferson prison open [News Service of Florida] "The House voted to approve an amendment that earmarks the money for the prison system with the idea that it will keep open Jefferson Correctional Institute, which would keep 177 jobs in a rural North Florida county where the prison is the largest employer."

GOP COMPANY FOR BUCHANAN
Fla. state Sen. Norman facing ethics allegations [AP]“Florida state Sen. Jim Norman is facing two probable cause findings of ethics violations but has been cleared of two more serious allegations. … The panel found probable cause that the Tampa Republican failed to timely disclose a $500,000.”
Ethics commission: Sen. Diaz de la Portilla probably broke ethics rules [AP] “Florida state senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla is facing an ethics charge that he failed to properly report his finances. … The commission found probable cause that the senator violated ethics laws because he did not list his checking account on forms he initially filed.”

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Behind the numbers, Romney's Tuesday Disaster [Washington Times]

• "In all three states Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, won fewer voters than he did in 2008"
• "In Minnesota in 2008 he won nearly 26,000 voters in the caucuses, while on Tuesday he won fewer than 10,000. In Missouri's primary his take dropped from 172,329 votes to just 63,826. And in Colorado's caucuses he won more than 33,000 votes last time but fell 10,000 votes shy of that this year."
• "Overall turnout was lower in each of those states"
• "Tuesday also marks the first time Mr. Romney has come in third in any race"

If you read just one thing: Scott rejecting rail puts Florida at caboose [Tampa Bay Online Column] "It's been a year since Gov. Rick (let's get to work) Scott said thanks but I have my own plane and turned down more than $2 billion in federal funding to construct a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando…The high-speed rail project went far beyond getting people from Tampa to Orlando. It would also have demonstrated that Florida is about ideas and moving forward. The fact that the project would have benefited from federal seed money made it even more viable.

GOVERNOR

Describe extreme Tea Party agenda which has hurt Florida's economy in a word [Miami Herald] "On Monday night, Gov. Rick Scott — really his staff — asked the nearly 80,000 people who follow his Facebook page to fill in the blank: “If you could use one word to describe Florida’s 2012 legislative session, it would be _____. COMMENT below!"

What's your one word to describe how the GOP controlled legislature is implementing Rick Scott's Tea Party extremist agenda? Tweet it to us @FlaDems

Rick makes me sick [SaintPetersBlog] "Organize Now and Progress Florida are launching a campaign called “Rick Makes Me Sick” in response to efforts by Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Florida Legislature to gut health spending, side with insurance companies over consumers and obstruct implementation of the Affordable Care Act…The campaign is also launching its website, RickMakesMeSick.com."

PROBLEMS IN THE GOP SENATE

Things are not going well in Haridopolis' Senate [Tampa Bay Times] "Things are not going well in Mike Haridopolos' Senate. Fresh signs of discord emerged Tuesday in what began as a routine review of the $8-billion-plus budget proposal in the Tourism & Economic Development Subcommittee. The senatorial anger and frustration is aimed at leadership, but the convenient target was Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Wellington, who chairs the 15-member panel."

Ethics shortage in Florida Senate [Tampa Bay Times, Editorial] "Senate President Mike Haridopolos has used his procedural powers to kill a commonsense effort to impose a modicum of ethical standards on state legislators who can't recognize a conflict of interest when they see one. When the Legislature sinks lower than Congress, it's time for some re-examination in Tallahassee."

GOP Senate rolls out more tax breaks for corporations [Orlando Sentinel] "The Florida Senate leadership rolled out an economic development budget Tuesday that boosts tax-breaks for corporations – but restive senators argued it was moving too fast and had too many "member projects," including some in Orlando."

Meanwhile…Rick Scott wants to cut $1.4 billion in medicaid funding to hospitals and the Senate is backing a 3 percent college tuition hike.

THE DRUMBEAT AGAINST PRIVATIZING PRISONS CONTINUES

Private prisons gain new foes [Capital News Service] "The prison privatizing plan is now drawing opposition from the ACLU. Attorney David Shapiro argues private prisons put p[ublic safety at risk. 'Private prisons have every incentive to maximize their profits but cutting corners even at the expense of decent conditions and public safety,' says Shapiro."

FLA House to block closing of panhandle prison [AP] "The Florida House wants to block the closing of a Panhandle prison. The House budget chief on Tuesday proposed keeping open a prison in Jefferson County that residents say is the county's biggest employer."

BUCHANAN ETHICS FIRESTORM IGNITES

The Hill – Ethics panel examining Rep. Buchanan over financial disclosures [2/6/12]
Roll Call -House Ethics Panel Continues Investigation of Buchanan Disclosures [2/6/12]
Politico – Ethics panel punts on Vern Buchanan [2/6/12]
Washington Post - Congressional investigators find ‘reason to believe’ Buchanan broke ethics laws [2/6/12]
Florida Independent – Ethics committee releases details of Buchanan financial disclosure investigation [2/6/12]
Sarasota Tribune Herald - House Ethics Committee continues Buchanan investigation [2/6/12]
TPM - Office Of Congressional Ethics Found Vern Buchanan Failed To Disclose 17 Corporate Positions [2/6/12]
Florida Independent — Ethics committee releases details of Buchanan financial disclosure investigation [2/6/12]
DailyKos/SaintPetersBlog — Three Key Points [2/6/12]

BIDEN IN TOWN -- "GM IS HIRING AND BIN LADEN IS DEAD"

Chairman Smith introduces VP Biden [Tallahassee Democrat] "Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith introduced Biden at the Challenger Center fundraising event…'GM is hiring and Bin Laden is dead'"

VP Biden: Keep college tuition low [Miami Herald] "Vice President Joe Biden was on his way to a prom years ago when he saw his father pacing outside.Had something happened to Mom? Was something wrong? His father, it turned out, had just returned from the bank, where he was turned down for a loan to pay for Biden’s education at the University of Delaware. 'I’m so ashamed,' Biden recalled him saying. The anecdote, delivered in a speech Monday to students at Florida State University, was used to promote President Barack Obama’s new college affordability plan — which would reward states for keeping costs low."

PRIVATIZING PRISONS FACES MORE SCRUTINY

No evidence to support privatizing state prisons [Palm Beach Post editorial] "How fitting that dissent among the Florida Senate's rank-and-file Republicans is threatening to head off the push to privatize 26 South Florida prisons and work camps. After all, the groundswell is due in part to legislative leaders' attempts to ram this massive privatization through their colleagues with as little debate or study as possible…given the tactics of the plan's supporters there is no reason to believe any of their claims."

Correction experts doubt prison savings [WMFE] "Dr. Roberto Hugh Potter, Director of Research and Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida, has studied prison privatization. 90.7’s Tom Parkinson asked him if the change would actually save the state millions of dollars as proponents suggest."

More doubt that privatizing prisons will save money [Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald] "'You can make something look like a savings on paper,' says Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland. 'We're not saving money. Absolutely not.'"

IN OTHER NEWS

Should be obvious: Floridians Don't Like Medicaid Cuts [Orlando Sentinel] "A poll conducted by Hill+Knowlton Strategies on behalf of SafetyNet Hospitals says that 71 percent of Floridians believe that Medicaid must be maintained by the state."

Shared Sacrifice? [Gainesville Sun editorial] "It takes nerve for legislators ladle out benefits for themselves, while demanding that other Floridians tighten their belts. This despite Gov. Rick Scott's recommendation that all state employees and officials pay the same, higher insurance premiums."

OCE Voted Unanimously to Recommend Buchanan Cases to House Ethics. “The Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics recommends that the committee on Ethics further review the above allegations because there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Buchanan failed to disclosure reportable positions and unearned income on his financial disclosure statements for calendar year s 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.” [Office of Congressional Ethics Review No. 11-9366, page 1]

Buchanan Failed to Disclosure A Total of 17 Reportable Positions. “Financial disclosure statements that Representative Buchanan filed form 2008 to 2011 (covering calendar years 2007-2010) do not include the positions that he held with these companies. In total, Representative Buchanan failed to disclosure a total of seventeen reportable positions. [Office of Congressional Ethics Review No. 11-9366, page 3]

OCE Found that There Was Substantial Reason to Believe That Buchanan Violated Law. “The board finds that there is substantial reason to believe that Representatives Buchanan violated House Rule 26 and the Ethics in Government Act when he failed to report on his financial disclosure statements for calendar years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010; (1) reportable positions he held with certain companies and organizations; and (2) unearned income he received from certain companies.” [Office of Congressional Ethics Review No. 11-9366, page 3]

One must also wonder how Mitt Romney feels about one of his top Florida supporters facing even more ethical scrutiny…

THE HILL: Ethics panel examining Rep. Buchanan over financial disclosures
02/06/12

The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) violated federal law and House rules by failing, in his financial disclosures, to report his positions in 17 entities.

The new round of allegations could be politically troublesome for Buchanan, the finance vice chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who has been dogged in the past by unrelated allegations of campaign finance violations.

The committee had announced in December that it was reviewing a report referred to it by the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent panel, but did not disclose the nature of the allegations. On Monday, the committee extended its investigation again — and released the report detailing the allegations against Buchanan. But the committee declined to move forward at full speed by forming a special investigative subcommittee.

At issue are positions Buchanan held between 2007 and 2010 with 17 companies and entities that should have been reported on his financial disclosures, but were not. The report also identifies discrepancies in unearned income between Buchanan’s federal tax returns and his financial disclosure forms.
Buchanan later amended his disclosure forms to include the missing information. His attorney told The Hill that amendments are commonplace and that Buchanan followed all applicable rules.

The committee itself has yet to weigh in on whether any violations occurred. But the OCE report, which the six members of its board unanimously approved in October, said Buchanan conceded he didn’t disclose his positions and had a variety of explanations for why various positions had been left out.

“The Office of Congressional Ethics board recommends that the Committee on Ethics further review the above allegation, because there is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Buchanan violated House rules, standards of conduct and federal law,” the board wrote.

In one instance, Buchanan failed to disclose his interest in Boca Creek Development Co., an entity formed by four investors to purchase land in Florida. Buchanan was listed as a managing member on its annual report and received less than $5,000 in interest income each year. Buchanan told OCE its absence from his disclosures was an oversight.

In another case, his family’s foundation — a nonprofit — was left off his forms, despite his position as the foundation’s president from 2007 through 2010. Asked why it wasn’t listed on his forms as required, Buchanan told investigators, “Our people missed it.”

Other missing entries involved a defunct car dealership, a homeowners association for his Longboat Key, Fla., home and a rental property company. In the case of the rental company, his 2007 disclosure included income that was not listed on Buchanan’s federal tax return. Buchanan told investigators he was unsure why there was a discrepancy.

“Today’s action by the House Committee on Ethics does not constitute any judgment on the merits,” said William McGinley, an attorney for Buchanan. “Congressman Buchanan followed the rules, and we are confident that, at the end of its deliberations, the committee will find no violation.”

It is not uncommon for members of Congress to amend their financial disclosure forms, and the dollar amounts associated with each are relatively small. But it is rare for so many amendments to be necessary.

Buchanan has already faced investigations by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Justice Department over allegations that employees at a car dealership he owned were illegally reimbursed for donations they made to his campaign.

FEC attorneys said they came close to supporting a finding that it was more likely than not that he violated campaign finance law. But the FEC’s case was plagued by a lack of evidence and doubts about the credibility of the key witness, and the FEC dropped its case against Buchanan.

And in January, the FEC hit Buchanan with a $1,500 fine over paperwork errors. Buchanan’s attorney said it was a bookkeeping error and that his campaign would send a staff member to training within one year.

Buchanan, a three-term congressman from the conservative area of Sarasota, Fla., was one of the only House members from Florida whose district was left almost entirely intact by the ongoing redistricting process. The redrawing of Buchanan’s shored up his reelection prospects by adding more Republicans to the district.

National Democrats have recruited Keith Fitzgerald, a political science professor and former state lawmaker, to run against Buchanan in November.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/208909-ethics-committee-investigating-rep-buchanan-over-financial-disclosures-

**FLASHBACK, NOVEMBER 3 2010**  “Voters passed two amendments to the state’s constitution Tuesday intended to radically limit the ability of the Republican-controlled legislature and governor’s mansion to gerrymander state and congressional districts…‘No apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.’ At the same time, redistricting should not have the ‘result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process.’ The districts must also be contiguous and compact.” [Politics Daily]

What to watch for this week: Legislative redistricting maps head to the Senate.

Romney’s enthusiasm gap by the numbers:
2008 Nevada Caucuses: Romney received 22,646 votes.
2012 Nevada Caucuses: Romney received 16,486 votes.
Romney lost independents by 16 points.
A recent Pew Research poll found nearly 3 in 5 GOP primary voters wanted another candidate to enter the race.

FDP’S TAKE ON THE GOP’S MAPS:

A slap in the face to Florida voters [SaintPetersBlog] ““This vote by the GOP is nothing less than a slap-in-the face to the 63 percent of Florida voters who approved Fair Districts — the maps passed today by the Florida House are unconstitutional, pure and simple,” state Democratic Party Executive Director Scott Arceneaux said in a statement Friday. “They represent just the type of partisan gerrymandering and incumbent protection voters rejected in 2010.”

Fighting to protect the voice of every Floridian [Washington Post] ““We have no doubt that the Florida courts will ultimately step in to protect the constitutional rights of every Floridian and throw out these maps,” said Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Scott Arceneaux in a statement.”

2012 RACES

Republican turnout in Florida primary speaks volumes [Tampa Bay Times] “Turnout in last week’s Republican presidential primary dropped 14 percent from Florida’s 2008 GOP primary.”

Obama campaign is gearing up for Florida November battle [Tampa Bay Times] “For Romney allies, who boasted of five full-time staffers — a fraction of what Obama already has in Florida — and a Florida ground organization that mainly consisted of mailing fliers to absentee votes, the scene in Tampa should be intimidating. Four years ago, Obama won Florida with the largest voter mobilization effort ever seen in Florida. This year’s effort could dwarf that.”

GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE

Florida Democrats working for fair budget [Florida Independent] “Flanked by nurses and educators, a group of Democratic state lawmakers held a press conference in the capital yesterday to denounce the GOP-led Legislature’s plans to cut health services in the state budget in order to save money for education.”

State Report: High speed rail would have been profitable [Tampa Tribune] “The high-speed rail project that Gov. Rick Scott doomed last February by turning down more than $2 billion in federal money would have made an annual surplus of $31 million to $45 million within a decade of operation, according to a state report.”

Prison privatization push stalls despite big spending [Palm Beach Post] “Millions of dollars in campaign contributions from for-profit prison companies may not be enough this year to push through a prison privatization plan that is a priority of Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders.”

TAMPA --

The high-speed rail project that Gov. Rick Scott doomed last February by turning down more than $2 billion in federal money would have made an annual surplus of $31 million to $45 million within a decade of operation, according to a state report.

The Florida Department of Transportation sent the report to the Federal Railroad Administration in November. The Tampa Tribune obtained the document after a lengthy public records request.

The heart of the report is an analysis by two consulting firms of projected ridership, costs and the resulting surplus – or loss. If the project to link Tampa and Orlando would have gone forward, the research would have been used in determining an investment grade for bond sales.

According to data from both consulting firms hired by the state, the project, which would have given Florida the nation's first high-speed rail line, would have been a fiscally sound decision.

The firm of Steer, Davis, Gleave projected Tampa-Orlando ridership of 2.5 million and a $9.1 million deficit in 2016, the first year of operation. By 2026, though, the high-speed rail would be carrying nearly 5 million passengers a year and generate an annual surplus of $31.1 million, according to the firm.

The projection by Wilbur Smith Associates was even rosier. The firm estimated 3.6 million riders in 2016, producing a $17.6 million operating surplus. By 2026, Florida's high-speed rail would carry more than 5 million riders and produce a $44.8 million surplus, according to its analysis.

The state used the information from the two consultants to come up with a midrange estimate: 3 million passengers and $4.3 million surplus in the first year, and a ridership of nearly 5 million and an annual surplus of $38 million by 2026.

The initial stage of the project would have been the Tampa-to-Orlando route. An Orlando-to-Miami route was envisioned as a second phase, but because those plans had no dedicated funding, the consultants did not include that route in their study.

If they had, the surpluses would have been larger, the report says.

"Ridership and revenue for the (proposed second phase) Orlando-Miami corridor would be expected to be substantially higher and produce large operating surpluses," the state report said.

A Scott spokesman last week said the governor stands by his decision to turn down the federal offer to pay $2.4 billion of the projects estimated $2.65 billion cost. The governor's office has said Scott was "verbally briefed" on highlights of the study before it was completed.

"The governor thoroughly explored all of the issues surrounding High-Speed Rail, especially ways to lessen the financial risk to Florida, but he ultimately reached the same conclusion that California is now reaching – that the concept just isn't going to be able to pay for itself," Scott's communication director Brian Burgess said in an email.

When making his decision a year ago, Scott relied heavily on a January 2011 Reason Foundation policy brief, whose project director Robert Poole Jr. served on Scott's gubernatorial transition team.

Using comparisons with overseas high-speed rail projects and one envisioned for California, the report by the libertarian group said it was likely the project would cost significantly more to build than estimated and that the state could be on the hook for significant operating subsidies for years.

The state report noted that, "Concerns have been expressed about the possible capital cost overruns from the project that could obligate Florida taxpayers as well as concerns about ridership and revenue projections that historically are overly optimistic.''

That reference clearly is directed toward the governor's publicly stated skepticism toward the project, though Scott is not mentioned by name in the executive summary.

The report said private-sector interest in high-speed rail had been substantial. Up to eight consortiums were anticipated to bid on the project, representing most of the world's existing high-speed rail systems, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany and Spain.

"Several teams had expressed willingness to absorb ridership risk and invest in the system," the report said.

Ross Capon, president and chief executive of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, which favors high-speed rail, said large transportation projects, such as new highways, often have "issues'' like cost overruns.

The projects often are "steamrollered through'' by governments because major infrastructure work usually pays for itself through time, he said.

Such government resolve has not yet shown up when it comes to high-speed rail, he said.

"It's less likely with rail because so many people are eager for various reasons to attack any rail plan that actually appears close to implementation," Capon said.

Some of the federal money for high-speed rail that had been offered to Florida instead went to California. Price estimates for that project have consistently risen over early estimates, which Scott says shows he was right to turn down the money.

Capon argues Florida's situation is different from California, which he said has complex issues of what routes to take and build first. Florida's plan of Tampa to Orlando, then Orlando to Miami, followed straight paths on level terrain with some segments on Interstate right-of-way paid for and set aside for rail.

Florida's final report shows the state closed out its project by preparing an electronic archive with 85,000 files and other information that could be preserved for future use.

But the once-ambitious Obama administration plan for multiple high-speed rail projects nationwide has largely disappeared – save for the ongoing political and planning battle for a California system. The fiscal 2012 federal budget has no high-speed rail funding and the five-year, $260 billion transportation plan U.S. House Republicans unveiled in late January dropped further development of high-speed rail.

What's been lost, Capon said, is Florida's opportunity to raise its economic development image worldwide, along with an alternative transportation system for the state.

###

BREAKING, NEW JOBS NUMBERS: U.S. Adds 243k jobs in January exceeding expectations of about 150,000 jobs - and the unemployment rate dipped to 8.3 percent from 8.5 percent in December.

ICYMI: Daily Show mocks Gov. Rick Scott's drug testing policy. Watch here

2012 RACES

Voter turnout numbers point to GOP enthusiasm gap [Gannett] "In Florida, where Romney grabbed a commanding 46 percent of the vote this week, overall turnout was down significantly from four years ago. A county-by-county look at the Florida numbers shows that turnout was up from four years ago in counties where rival Newt Gingrich did well and down in counties where Romney dominated, according to Michael McDonald, a professor at George Mason University who runs the United States Elections Project to track election data."

Pre-destroying Romney [The Atlantic] "Even as he finds increasing success in the Republican primary, negative views of Romney have skyrocketed, particularly among independents, according to recent polls. An ABC News/Washington Post survey released last week, for example, found Romney viewed unfavorably by 49 percent of voters and favorably by just 31 percent. Among independents, just 23 percent viewed Romney favorably, compared with 51 percent who felt that way about President Obama."

Gingrich challenging Florida delegate count [Boston Globe] "Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, defeated in Florida by a wide margin, is challenging rules in the state that handed all 50 delegates to Mitt Romney."

Floridians have saved $142 million already because of Health Care Reform [SaintPeters Blog] "Over two hundred thousand Florida residents with Medicare saved $141,948,339 on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the Affordable Care Act, according to data issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Savings for people with Medicare will increase over time. According to a new report issued today from HHS, the average person with Medicare will save nearly $4,200 by 2021 because of the new law.

18th District in Play [Sunshine State News] "'If anything, it brings another seat into play for Democrats. We feel confident about the new 18th District," said Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist. Celeste Bush, chairwoman of the St. Lucie County Democratic Party, is also bullish. 'Allen West is beatable. The Treasure Coast [which constitutes a large chunk of CD 18] is laid back. We don't cotton well to his right-wing extremist rhetoric,' Bush said."

LEGISLATURE

ALEC alive and well in Florida Legislature [Miami Herald] The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a right-leaning, pro-business think tank that prides itself on producing model legislation for Republican state legislators across the country. ALEC's aggressive efforts have spawned a liberal watchdog group, www.alexexposed.org, which claims ALEC is a front for powerful corporate interests that seek to control legislative agendas.

Florida prison bill a big win for political contributors [Huffington Post] "The action by Florida’s legislature comes after years of sustained lobbying by corporations that operate private prisons, an industry that has been expanding aggressively by offering itself as a solution to state budget shortages. The industry has contributed more than $1.4 million to Florida's Republican Party in recent years and has spent millions lobbying key lawmakers in that state."

From the editorial pages:

Opponents of prison privatization should hold firm [Tampa Bay Times, Editorial] "Any idea too controversial to withstand the scrutiny of the full legislative process — particularly one that transfers public responsibility to for-profit businesses for questionable savings — is not one worth passing. Fasano's well-grounded opposition cost him his chairmanship but enhanced his reputation as a populist willing to stand up to leadership. Now Latvala, Dockery and their allies should remain firm."

Be wary of prison privatization scheme [Tribune, Editorial] "The bullying, rule-breaking attempt by the state Senate leadership to ramrod it through without regard for opponents' reasonable questions smells to high heaven."

Blame Tallahassee first for school cuts [Orlando Sentinel, Editorial] "State Rep. Jason Brodeur, elected to represent a swath of Seminole County. He introduced an amendment to the House's latest budget to bar the School Board from closing any more schools. This is the same lawmaker who voted last year to cut school funding by $1.3 billion. Who signed a no-tax pledge which, of course, creates more pressure for cuts in areas like education. And who declared on his campaign website, "The best decisions are made closest to the people and should be handled that way."

Chairman Rod Smith on Andrea Mitchell Reports: "Bin Laden is dead and GM is hiring." Watch video here [MSNBC]

MORE SIGNS OF THE DAMAGING PRIMARY:

Republican Party Surveys the wreckage of Florida primary [The Atlantic] "The Republican Party fears it might have accidentally destroyed its village in order to save it. Just after Mitt Romney gave his victory speech in Florida Tuesday night, Sarah Palin -- who fought with the McCain campaign in 2008 because she wanted to be meaner -- was on Fox News fretting that the $17 million spent on negative ads in the state had hurt Republicans for the general election. "

Republicans worried about nastiness between Romney and Gingrich [Newsmax] "In the past week, you had former Massachusetts Gov. Romney trash-talking Gingrich for weak debate performances and former House Speaker Gingrich accusing his rival of insulting Jews and Catholics."

Does drop in Fla. Primary mean GOP has an enthusiasm gap [Palm Beach Post] "'They had touted that they would be breaking the 2008 record,' she said. 'Bottom line is this was a high profile primary, but Florida GOP (voters), like Republican voters across the country, are disenchanted with their party's candidates and turned off by the negative ads that do nothing to lay out the GOP's vision for the nation.' Jordan's argument was bolstered by a study released Sunday by the Pew Research Center, which found that 52 percent of registered Republicans nationwide, interviewed last week, felt the GOP field of candidates is "fair or poor."

Obama's Florida Supporters [Jewish Week] "Mark Alan Siegel, vice chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, expressed optimism that Obama would capture more of the Jewish vote in November than the 78 percent he garnered in 2008. 'The differences between [political] parties has never been wider and clearer,' he explained. 'The four Republican candidates cheer for executions and death through sickness. And they are interested in the State of Israel only for their own purposes — not Israel’s —and associate with the worst elements in the Israeli system.'”

Democrats emboldened by Republican Primary race [Boston Globe] "In Florida, Leesfield said he watched the negative ads and said 'it put me into high gear.' He had planned to raise money for Obama, but said he was now 'exponentially more' interested in encouraging his fundraising network to give to Obama's campaign."

ACTION SHIFTS BACK TO THE LEGISLATURE

Off with his head! [The Current] "Mike Haridopolos announced Wednesday that he is reshuffling committee chairs amid a contentious debate over prison privatization, in a shakeup that could affect other issues moving through the Senate. Haridopolos announced Wednesday he is removing Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, a vocal critic of the move to privatize South Florida prisons, from the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, which he previously chaired."

Unions defend Fasano [Miami Herald] "The state's top unions issued the following statements today in response to Senate President Mike Haridopolos' decision to remove Sen. Mike Fasano from his post as chairman of the Senate budget committee that handles prison funding."

Support for prison privatization plan may be crumbling [Orlando Sentinel] "A massive plan to privatize 28 correctional facilities in South Florida appeared to be crumbling Wednesday as opposition to the plan that would cost the region nearly 4,000 jobs rose in the Florida Senate."

In these tough times, let's cut the corporate income tax [AP] " A divided Florida House panel on Wednesday moved ahead with a bare-bones budget for the coming year that raises the cost of college in the state, eliminates thousands of state jobs and cuts health care programs… and sets aside money to pay for a sprinkling of tax cuts, including a small cut in the corporate income tax sought by Gov. Rick Scott."

OTHER RACES

Rubio's bill imposes religious agenda in workplace [Tampa Bay Times Editorial] " The Florida Republican introduced a bill this week that would allow any employer with religious objections to avoid covering contraception in its employee health insurance plan. Rubio claims this would promote religious liberty. But whose? Certainly not the religious liberty of female employees. Rubio's bill, which has 20 co-sponsors including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is an attempt to extend religious dictates beyond the confines of churches and religious orders and impose them on a secular staff."

Hasner officially switches races, drops Senate bid [AP] "Hasner on Wednesday announced that he will instead run for Congress, taking advantage of an opportunity created when Republican U.S. Reps. Tom Rooney and Allen West decided to change districts."

• Republican turnout was down 15-percent from '08, signs of a serious enthusiasm gap.
• 92-percent of the ads run last week were negative, less than 0.1-percent of ads run were positive Romney ads.
• Romney's negative rating amongst independents spiked from 29-percent in December to 42-percent by the end of January — the race to the bottom has damaged Romney's brand.
• Almost 40-percent of Republicans said they "would like to see someone else" in the Republican race.

Watch MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell at 1:10pm to see FLA Dems Chairman Rod Smith explain why the toxic GOP Florida primary has damaged the Republican candidates moving forward.

Florida Democrats release new video declaring President Obama victor of Florida Primary [Talking Points Memo] "Titled 'The Real Winner in Florida,' Florida Democratic Party’s new video highlights the role the vicious ad wars are playing in the state. The winner may be Mitt Romney tonight, but the message Democrats are pushing is that the real winner of all the GOP infighting is President Obama." Video here.

Tone of Florida fight makes GOP nervous [Politico]"Republican nervousness has already taken a new form: anxiety over the tone of a race that turned ugly here…'The idea that we would attack each other like this is frustrating and painful,' said Lenny Curry, chairman of the Florida Republican Party"

Statement from Chairman Smith on GOP Primary results [Tampa Bay Times] "Florida voters want someone new to jump in this race – they know they can’t trust Mitt Romney to stand by his beliefs or stand by anything that helps average Americans get ahead."

A brutal primary [WJXT] "Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said Romney's bombardment of Gingrich had tarnished his future prospects in the state. 'He may have won this contest, but he lost the opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the people of Florida,' Smith said."