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On Wednesday, Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies (Crossroads GPS), a conservative political group affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove, unveiled a new ad that will run in Florida and nine other battleground states that hammers President Barack Obama’s record on economic issues.
Crossroads GPS has sunk $25 million -- including $1.5 million in the Sunshine State -- on the ad, which will start airing on Thursday and will run until the end of May. The ad is also being run in nine other states that Obama carried in 2008 which Republicans hope to carry in November -- Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
“President Obama made commitments on core issues to the American people, and this ad holds him to account,” insisted Steven Law, the former deputy secretary of Labor who is now the president of Crossroads GPS. “Our country faces serious economic and fiscal problems which require practical solutions and not just promises. If we don’t hold Washington politicians accountable, we won’t fix these problems that are holding our country back.”
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Jeb Bush on Wednesday endorsed Chauncey Goss for the seat being vacated by Rep. Connie Mack in Florida’s newly drawn 19th Congressional District.
In a statement, the former governor said, "Chauncey has a clear vision to restore this nation to greatness by encouraging opportunity and individual initiative -- replacing dependence on government programs with entrepreneurship, ingenuity, hard work, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Bush added about Goss:
“He has worked with conservative leaders like Paul Ryan, Mitch Daniels and Marco Rubio to develop solutions that will make our country’s future stronger and more fiscally sound. Chauncey will represent Southwest Florida with integrity and will make a difference quickly in Washington, D.C.”
Goss, son of former Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., said he was "humbled" by the endorsement.
"[Bush] is a leader in both the state and the nation and I look forward to learning from him as we continue to work on solutions to restore freedom and liberty by reducing federal spending and returning government to its proper size.
"His endorsement, combined with [House Budget] Chairman Paul Ryan’s earlier this week, is tremendously encouraging to me and demonstrates our campaign is on the right path to victory."
Goss is in a crowded and competitive GOP field that includes state Reps. Gary Aubuchon and Paige Kreegel, former radio host Trey Radel, businesssman Brian Owens and Byron Donalds.
Rockie Pennington, spokesman for the Owens campaign, congratulated Goss.
"It was a good endorsement to get," Pennington told Sunshine State News. "Jeb still represents the gold standard in GOP endorsements."
Others weren't so impressed. The libertarian-leaning CATO Institute pointed out that spending by President George W. Bush's administration -- where Goss was a senior budget official -- was up 70 percent.
Meantime, Aubuchon, R-Coral Springs, endorsed Dane Eagle to succeed him in the Florida House.
A former insurance agent from Palm Harbor was arrested for allegedly running a scam aimed at seniors where details of financial products were misrepresented, according to the office of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.
Neal Seth Smalbach, 49, was charged with grand theft after an investigation by the state Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud revealed Smalbach’s misrepresentations resulted in an estimated $4.6 million being invested by seniors in products that were unsuitable for them, the CFO office reported.
“Florida’s seniors have worked hard for many years to earn their money and prepare for retirement,” Atwater stated in a release. “Criminals who choose to prey on the elderly for their own financial gain will be caught and they will be brought to justice.”
Booked into Pinellas County jail, Smalbach now faces up to 54 years in prison.
The state Division of Agent and Agency Services also conducted an investigation of Smalbach and alleged that he falsified two applications for insurance to an insurer. In that case, Smalbach entered a settlement that included the surrender of his insurance license as part of a permanent ban from the insurance industry.
Gov. Rick Scott discussed his departing Chief of Staff Steve MacNamara, the curved grades of the state’s FCAT results, and next week’s trip to Spain while on WFLA 100.7 FM Wednesday morning.
Spain
“We’ve got over 300 Spanish companies that do business in Florida, I want 1,000 of them. Whatever the number is, I want more than what we have.
“What the goal is, to get Spanish companies to invest more in Florida, Spanish companies to do more business in Florida, and also I want the king and queen of Spain to come over and help us celebrate our Viva 500, which next year, 2013, will be the 500th anniversary of when Ponce de Leon discovered la Florida.
“I want a big celebration next year. Instead of 85 million tourists next year, I want significant more tourism because we have something to celebrate.”
FCATs
“This is controlled by the Board of Education. I understand what they’re doing, they’re going back and they’re looking at why that happened, to see if there was something in the way the test was put together.
“I like the fact that they immediately took on this, they made sure to let everybody know they were doing this quickly. We all know the more we raise the bar, we all seem to get better. So I like that, that we have standards.”
MacNamara
“Steve did a great job. If you think about what I think about every day, I think about your family, how to make sure your children get a great education; how to make sure you can get a job and your kids can get a job when they get out of school, and keep the costs of living low.
“If you think about what Steve has helped me get done: We worked through the budget and got $1 billion more for K through 12. Second, look at what we got done this session and Steve was very helpful. We reduced the business tax; now we’ve got two-thirds of the companies aren’t paying anything. We passed legislation that allows business to buy machinery and equipment and not paying sales tax. We do that and those businesses are going to hire more people. And we got this PIP auto accident reform done and Steve was very helpful in that.
“Steve was invaluable to me getting my agenda done this session and that is what I think about all the time.”
Adam Hollingsworth
“He’s a steady hand. He’s going to help me get my agenda done.”
Gov. Rick Scott will attend the Hurricane Conference being held Wednesday at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Broward County Convention Center.
More than 1,600 emergency managers, rescue workers and public officials are expected to be in attendance at the conference that is spending time recalling Hurricane Andrew, which devastated South Florida 20 years ago.
State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan and Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson discuss higher education governance, aligning goals and resources in the latest edition of the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Bottom Line.
The future of higher education.
Accountability and aligning higher education goals and resources.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force on State Higher Education Reform established by Gov. Rick Scott.
Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future applauded the state Board of Education's "emergency" action to lower the bar for passage after scores on the FCAT writing exam plummeted this year.
Instead of scores averaging nearly 80 percent, this year's results fell into the 30 percent range. To avert wholesale failure, the board lowered the passage requirement from 4.0 to 3.0 on Tuesday.
“The State Board of Education’s decision provides stability to Florida’s school grading and accountability system, while upholding the higher standards they adopted last summer,” said executive director Patricia Levesque.
“We applaud the board's decision to protect the integrity of Florida’s proven accountability system and ensure district leaders and teachers are provided the information and resources necessary to help each student master critical writing skills."
Levesque said the board, acting at an emergency meeting Tuesday, gave teachers and administrators "more time to do what they do best -- equip students with the knowledge and skills to achieve their God-given potential.”
Though the 2012 writing battery is the same as the one administered in previous years to fourth-, eighth- and 10th-graders, the quality of students' spelling, grammar and punctuation was included in their writing score.
Students also were expected to write at a higher level than before and use details to support their statements. These criteria -- which were adopted last summer -- were not part of how the writing test was graded.
“Parents, teachers and school leaders are on the front lines of preparing students for success. We support Commissioner [Gerard] Robinson's looking into the process by which parents and teachers are informed and included," Levesque said.
"Parents need to know, and teachers deserve the best training available in order to ensure students are confident to perform at their highest level.”
See full story here.
In case the name Bill Nelson sounds only vaguely familiar, he's the U.S. senator from Florida whose name pops up every six years 1) to run for re-election and 2) to moan about the outrageous ads basically calling him a do-nothing Democratic go-along.
Sure enough, here he is in 2012, outraged again, demanding TV stations pull the new United States Chamber of Commerce 30-second spot on Obamacare. Basically, the ad claims Obamacare will be a "nightmare" for Florida seniors.
Politifact, an arm of the Tampa Bay Times, actually fuels Nelson's outrage, saying the ad uses a false Republican claim that Democrats cut $500 billion from Medicare. Politifact says there was no cut, it was a reduction in future growth -- the size of the Medicare program will increase dollar-wise.
But wait a minute here.
Where were Nelson and Politifact back in January when President Barack Obama and his administration were using the same semantic to take credit for “cutting” military funding? Obama’s $480 billion in military spending “cuts” -- as he advertised them -- were actually from the bloated Congressional Budget Office baseline and nowhere else. He was merely reducing projected military spending, as opposed to cutting current spending.
Be fair and honest, guys, that's all you have to do: When it comes to cleverly disguising a spending increase as a “cut,” admit who set the precedent in 2012. It wasn't the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was Obama -- with Nelson nodding like a bobblehead in the background.
With less than three months to go until the Republican primary to see who will emerge to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Connie Mack unveiled his team of conservatives on Tuesday.
Mack’s team includes some of the leading right-of-center figures in the Sunshine State including former state Sen. Pat Neal, who had been affiliated with the state chapter of the Christian Coalition; Leslie Steele, who had been on former Gov. Jeb Bush’s communications team; social conservative leaders John Giotis, Lois Jones, Warren Lutz and Michael Rodriguez; and Bob Touchston, who served as president of Florida Right-to-Life.
“Connie Mack has been a champion for conservative causes in Washington just as he was as a state legislator,” Neal said on Tuesday. “Mack is the only candidate for U.S. Senate that conservatives can count on to advance a philosophy of limited government based on our constitutional principles.”
Mack’s new team sent out a letter on Tuesday bashing Nelson and former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux who is the congressman’s main rival for the Republican nod.
With LeMieux and Mack -- along with businessman and retired Army officer Mike McCalister -- fighting for conservatives, Mack’s new team hammered LeMieux on Tuesday.
“We have been disappointed to learn that George LeMieux is currently spending so much time tearing down Connie Mack and trying to remake himself with conservative rhetoric that is not consistent with his record,” Mack’s supporters wrote in the letter. “George LeMieux has shown support for many socially liberal programs, both before and after he orchestrated Charlie Crist’s election.”
Mack’s supporters looked to portray LeMieux as an “early and vocal supporter of the gay agenda as a candidate for state representative and then while serving as the self-anointed political maestro and chief of staff to Charlie Crist’s failed governorship.”
They also looked to link LeMieux to President Barack Obama. “He orchestrated many liberal initiatives including the Crist-era policy of cap-and-trade and the endorsement of President Obama’s failed stimulus plan,” they wrote. “After Charlie Crist handpicked him to serve in the Senate, George broke ranks with conservatives yet again and voted for President Obama’s failed liberal jobs program – one of only two Republicans to do so. And just recently, LeMieux even sided with Bill Nelson when he attacked Marco Rubio for voting against a version of the RESTORE Act that was chock-full of tax hikes and spending increases.
“LeMieux is in no way a solid conservative and in no way deserves our support,” insisted Mack’s supporters.
AAA predicts that 1.6 million Floridians will hit the road, traveling at least 50 miles, for the Memorial Day weekend.
The number would be a 1.2 percent increase from 2011.
Nationally, the auto club group projects 34.8 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, May 24-28, an increase of 1.2 percent -- or 500,000 travelers -- from last year.
“The overall economic picture in the U.S. continues to improve; however, Americans faced an unexpected challenge this year as gas prices broke record highs for the first quarter of the year and squeezed many household budgets,” Brent Hubele, vice president of AAA Travel, stated in a release.
“We’re still expecting an uptick in the number of Americans traveling during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, but many will compensate for their reduced travel budgets by staying closer to home or choosing cost-inclusive vacation options like cruises and tour travel packages.”
Nearly half the people interviewed reported gas prices would impact their plans by taking shorter trips, cutting back on entertainment plans, and seeking out lower priced hotels or staying with friends to reduce expenses.
Prominent Republicans from across the nation have rushed to South Florida to back potential opponents to challenge U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, best known for leading the Democratic National Committee, most of whom either endorsed Ozzie deFaria or Karen Harrington. But former Gov. Robert Ehrlich of Maryland endorsed yet another Republican in the race on Tuesday when he announced that he was backing attorney Gineen Bresso.
“It is a privilege to receive the endorsement of Governor Ehrlich in this important election,” said Bresso in a statement on Tuesday. “Working in Governor Ehrlich’s administration early in my career, I witnessed firsthand how fiscal discipline and a pro-growth approach can reduce unemployment and strengthen our economy. I am committed to bringing these values to Congress and I am delighted to have his support.”
“I am honored to endorse Gineen Bresso for Congress,” said Ehrlich. “Gineen represents the mix of experience and freshness that Congress needs during these challenging times. She is a tough, compassionate, hard-working advocate who will always put the citizens of Florida’s 23rd District first. They deserve a full-time member of Congress whose commitment to the job is beyond question. That is what they will get with Gineen.”
In his announcement to supporters on Monday that he was scaling back his presidential campaign, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, insisted that his team would focus on their strategy at the convention in Tampa come August. Jesse Benton, Paul’s campaign manager, did exactly that in a memo sent out on Tuesday.
Benton looked to swat down rumors that his candidate was pulling out of the race. “Let me be very clear,” Benton wrote, “Dr. Paul is not dropping out or suspending his campaign. As Dr. Paul has previously stated, he is in this race all the way to the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August. And he is deeply grateful for every resource he has been entrusted with to run a historic campaign that continues to defy all expectations.
“Looking ahead, our campaign must honor that trust by maximizing our resources to ensure the greatest possible impact at the National Convention,” Benton continued. “So while our campaign is no longer investing in the remaining primary states, we will continue to run strong programs at district and state conventions to win more delegates and alternate delegates to the National Convention.”
Benton insisted the Paul campaign would have “several hundred” delegates in Tampa and claimed “several hundred more, although bound to Governor Romney or other candidates, will be Ron Paul supporters” but then he raised up the white flag.
“Unfortunately, barring something very unforeseen, our delegate total will not be strong enough to win the nomination,” Benton noted. “Governor Romney is now within 200 delegates of securing the party’s nod. However, our delegates can still make a major impact at the National Convention and beyond. All delegates will be able to vote on party rules and allow us to shape the process for future liberty candidates.”
Benton called for “a large, respectful, and professional delegation” of Paul supporters in Tampa to “show the party and the country that not only is our movement growing and here to stay, but that the future belongs to us.”
Conservative leader Gary Bauer, best known for leading the Family Research Council and his bid for the Republican presidential nomination back in 2000, pointed to a number of states where attempts to push same-sex marriage failed -- and noted these are some of the chief states up for grabs in the presidential election in November.
With President Barack Obama saying that he backed same-sex marriage last week, Bauer insists this will be a major issue in a host of states the Democrat incumbent needs to target in November.
“What do North Carolina, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Virginia and Michigan have in common?” Bauer asked in an email to supporters sent out late Monday and in his column at Human Events. “They are all tossup states that together will determine who wins the presidency in November. They're also all states whose voters have passed constitutional amendments to preserve normal marriage in recent years.
“Marriage should not be a political issue,” Bauer continued. “But the left is trying to force its morality on the rest of the country and it clearly intends to win the culture war.”
Bauer’s ideas on how the GOP should respond can be found at his Human Events column.
With President Barack Obama saying that he backed same-sex marriage last week, Bauer insists this will be a major issue in a host of states the Democrat incumbent needs to target in November.
“What do North Carolina, Nevada, Missouri, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Virginia and Michigan have in common?” Bauer asked in an email to supporters sent out late Monday and in his column at Human Events. “They are all tossup states that together will determine who wins the presidency in November. They're also all states whose voters have passed constitutional amendments to preserve normal marriage in recent years.
“Marriage should not be a political issue,” Bauer continued. “But the left is trying to force its morality on the rest of the country and it clearly intends to win the culture war.”
Bauer’s ideas on how the GOP should respond can be found at his Human Events column.
Businessman Herman Cain, best known for his bid for the Republican presidential nomination earlier in the 2012 election cycle, came out swinging at Republican U.S. Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Connie Mack on Tuesday. Cain has endorsed former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, Mack’s main rival in the GOP primary.
On Tuesday, Cain took aim at comments Mack made on LeMieux’s support of Cain’s “9-9-9 plan” on tax reform which Mack argued was laying the groundwork for a 16 percent sales tax in Florida.
“It seems as if Representative Mack is engaging in a typical ploy by the status quo when it is threatened by a bold, common-sense solution like throwing out the tax code and replacing it with something fair, simple and transparent,” Cain said on Tuesday. “Mack took a swing, but struck out on understanding real tax reform means tax replacement.
“Let’s start with the most blatant omission by Representative Mack in that under 9-9-9, the entire current tax code goes away,” Cain continued, arguing that his plan ends capital gains taxes, the death tax, the current corporate and personal tax code and closes loopholes. “Either Representative Mack is intentionally misleading his constituents about the benefits of 9-9-9 or he just plain doesn’t get it. Neither excuse is acceptable of a candidate or an elected official. George LeMieux clearly gets it and this is why he has my endorsement.”
State and national flags will be lowered to half-staff outside the Capitol, the Clay County Courthouse and the Orange Park City Hall for Staff Sergeant Dick Alson Lee Jr., at the order of Gov. Rick Scott.
Lee, 31, of Orange Park, died on April 26. A dog handler, Lee and his bomb-detecting dog, a German shepherd named Fibi, were killed along with another soldier after their Humvee drove over a bomb in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, according to Stars and Stripes.
Lee was assigned to 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Sembach, Germany.
The order is in addition to the statewide call to lower flags to half-staff for Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Florida education leaders will huddle Tuesday after tougher grading standards helped cause dramatic drops in statewide reading and writing test scores among fourth, eighth and 10th graders.
With the FCAT test results used to grade schools for future funding, the state Board of Education must now determine how to use the scores.
Gov. Rick Scott released a statement calling it “obvious” that the state Department of Education must figure how to evenly compare the new scores with past results.
"Our students must know how to read and write, and our education system must be able to measure and benchmark their progress so we can set clear education goals,” Scott stated in a release.
“The significant contrast in this year's writing scores is an obvious indication that the Department of Education needs to review the issue and recommend an action plan so that our schools, parents, teachers and students have a clear understanding of the results."
Among the reasons for the drop in grades -- as an example, the percentage of fourth graders passing the written section fell from 81 percent to 27 percent -- are stricter grading and an increase in the number of students taking the tests.
House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders, D-Key West, noted that the Florida House Democratic Caucus remains opposed to overly relying upon single tests to assess students and schools.
"While the FCAT may be helpful as a diagnostic tool, it is now being misused as a measuring stick for how we assess student progress and how much we pay our school teachers,” Saunders stated in a release.
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas sent out strong signals on Monday that he is cutting back on his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
“As I reflect on our 2012 presidential campaign, I am humbled by the supporters who have worked so hard and sacrificed so much,” Paul noted in an email to supporters on Monday. “And I am so proud of what we have accomplished. We will not stop until we have restored what once made America the greatest country in human history.
“This campaign fought hard and won electoral success that the talking heads and pundits never thought possible,” continued Paul. “But, this campaign is also about more than just the 2012 election. It has been part of a quest I began 40 years ago and that so many have joined. It is about the campaign for liberty, which has taken a tremendous leap forward in this election and will continue to grow stronger in the future until we finally win.
“Our campaign will continue to work in the state convention process,” added Paul. “We will continue to take leadership positions, win delegates, and carry a strong message to the Republican National Convention that liberty is the way of the future.”
Still, Paul added that he was planning on cutting back his bid for the GOP nomination -- essentially giving a clear shot for Mitt Romney.
“Moving forward, however, we will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted,” Paul wrote supporters on Monday. "Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have. I encourage all supporters of liberty to make sure you get to the polls and make your voices heard, particularly in the local, state, and congressional elections, where so many defenders of freedom are fighting and need your support.”
Paul did not totally throw in the towel on Monday, adding that in “the coming days, my campaign leadership will lay out ... our delegate strategy.” Looks like Paul will go all the way to Tampa -- with hope to shape the party and platform if not winning the presidential nod.
Flags will be at half-staff at government facilities in Florida on Tuesday for all federal, state and local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
Gov. Rick Scott and President Barack Obama both released proclamations calling for all governments to lower flags to half-staff for Peace Officers Memorial Day.
The team behind Republican U.S. Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Connie Mack took aim at GOP primary rival former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux on Monday in a new Web ad. The ad attacks LeMieux, who served 16 months in the Senate, for joining then-U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, to jump over and vote with the Democrats to break a Republican filibuster on President Barack Obama’s jobs bill back in 2010.
The Mack camp pointed to LeMieux’s ties with former Gov. Charlie Crist who remains a persona non grata with Florida Republicans for bolting the GOP back in 2010 to run for the U.S. Senate with no party affiliation.
“This ad speaks for itself, but the math here is easy," said David James, a spokesman for Mack on Monday. “When Charlie Crist hand-picked George LeMieux to serve in the Senate, George returned the favor and turned his back on conservatives yet again, voting for one of President Obama’s failed pet liberal experiments. Florida already has one liberal in Bill Nelson and they can't afford another in the form of George LeMieux.”
First lady Ann Scott will unveil a new “Love.Read.Learn!” baby journal for parents of newborns on Tuesday at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, the governor’s office announced.
The journal, created in partnership with the nonprofit Volunteer USA Foundation, offers learning tips and child wellness information, according to the release.
Backed by sponsorships from Scholastic FACE, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Tobacco Free Florida and Carnival, the journal will be distributed at no cost to new parents at hospitals throughout Florida.
The political website Shark Tank dug out a little-viewed YouTube video showing the president singling out LeMieux and Ohio Sen. George Voinovich for breaking ranks with fellow Republicans to break a GOP filibuster and pass the "Small-Business Jobs Act" in 2010.
LeMieux, locked in a fight with U.S. Rep. Connie Mack for a chance to take on Democrat Bill Nelson this November, has said his defection on the jobs bill demonstrated his willingness to "work with Democrats."
"It provided tax cuts and it provided money for community banks to lend at lower rates," LeMieux said. "If you're having to pay higher interest rates, you don't spend.
"I don't work for the GOP leadership. I work for you," he told the Indian River County Tea Party last January.
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Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux has done well in getting the support of Republican members of the Florida Legislature -- more than 30 so far have endorsed him -- in his bid for the GOP nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November, and now he is bringing some of them into his primary fight with U.S. Rep. Connie Mack.
On Monday, LeMieux supporters in the Legislature, including two state senators who face term limits -- Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, and Steve Wise, R-Jacksonville -- and five Republicans in the Florida House: Dennis Baxley of Ocala, Rachel Burgin of Riverview, Larry Metz of Yalaha, Jimmie Smith of Lecanto and Ritch Workman of Melbourne, sent a letter to Mack demanding he release his travel records.
“Since you are asking the citizens of Florida for a promotion to the U.S. Senate, you owe ‘We The People’ an accounting of your time,” the legislators insist in the letter. "On several occasions you've declared that you only spent 11 days in California last year. If you can pinpoint the number of days you spent on the West Coast, you are certainly able to document the amount of time you spent in Florida over the years.
“You've often declared yourself the strongest candidate to face Bill Nelson in the general election,” the legislators continue. “The question surrounding the amount of time you spend in Florida is an area of inquiry that Nelson will surely exploit should you win the primary. That is why, for the good of the Republican Party, we ask you to please release your travel vouchers and official calendar for 2010 and 2011 and put this issue to rest.”
James Ammons, Florida A&M University president, has recommended the famed Marching 100 band will remain suspended through the 2012-2013 school year, pending a massive restructuring of the band.
The band was suspended following the hazing death of Robert Champion in November.
Eleven FAMU band members face felony charges in Champion’s death.
In the past week, it was reported that some members of the band were not FAMU students, band director Julian White resigned and Florida State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan wrote a letter to Ammons urging the band remain suspended.
A Lakeland trucker who failed to stop at an inspection station was arrested over the weekend for using watermelon and cantaloupe to conceal 50 pounds of marijuana, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reported on Monday.
Pot Bags Hidden by Cantaloupe, Source Florida Department of AgricultureMurillo, driving a vehicle with fruit visible, was stopped on Interstate 10 by Officer James Fletcher after the trucker allegedly failed to stop at an Agriculture Interdiction Station in Suwannee County.
Escorted back to the inspection station, officers discovered marijuana in clear bags among the fruit, the release stated.
Former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma has been busy in recent months as one of the leading advocates for Newt Gingrich’s presidential bid and, on Monday, he continued his endorsements, announcing that he was backing businessman Ozzie deFaria for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., best known nationally for leading the Democratic National Committee.
“Ozzie deFaria and I share a common set of values, deeply held beliefs, and a commitment to combating the decay that is plaguing America,” Watts said. “Ozzie will be the type of conservative leader we need in Congress. After getting to know Ozzie through our mutual friend, Pastor Larry Thompson of First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, I am certain that Ozzie will be a leader on both the economic and social issues confronting our country and I fully support his candidacy for the United States Congress. I am convinced that he is a strong business leader with high moral character, and I encourage conservatives nationwide to rally behind his candidacy. "
"I am honored to have the support of former Congressman J.C. Watts,” deFaria said. “He is a longtime and well-respected leader in the conservative movement. Very few people can express and represent American ideals and conservative principles as well as Congressman Watts. I have been fortunate to have his counsel during this race and I look forward to working with him well into the future."
Rasmussen Reports released a poll of likely voters on Monday that finds a solid majority of them -- 56 percent -- want to see the federal health-care law signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 repealed while only 37 percent wish to see the law remain in place. Opponents of the legislation remain firmly against it with 46 percent of the total surveyed saying they strongly favor repeal while only 26 percent say they strongly support the law.
The poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken on May 12 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
Gov. Rick Scott is visiting the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples on Monday morning.
Later today, he is to sit down with the editorial boards of the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News Press.
Both editorial board meetings are set for one hour.
Gas dropped an average of 8 cents a gallon across Florida as pessimistic economic news across the globe caused the price of a barrel of oil to drop to its lowest this year.
Oil prices settled Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $96.13 a barrel -- $2.36 less than the week prior and the lowest since December.
"As a result of weakened demand, retail gas prices are expected to decrease throughout the week and continue May's downward trend in pump prices," AAA spokeswoman Jessica Brady stated in a release.
According to AAA, demand for fuel dipped as manufacturing numbers and economic growth slowed more than forecast for the month of April in countries such as China, India, and across Europe at a time when supply is more than ample. U.S. oil stockpiles are at their highest level in 21 years, according to the Energy Department, and output from OPEC remains at elevated levels.
"Motorists are paying almost 30 cents less for a gallon of gas nationwide than they did this time last year."
The average gallon in Florida sold for $3.63, nearly a dime less than the national mark.
A month ago, gas cost $3.95 a gallon in Florida, 2 cents higher than a year earlier.
Space Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce honored Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, last week for overseeing budgets that have sent $82.1 million into space-related industries and $51.1 million to Space Florida.
“We are extremely thankful to President Haridopolos and Speaker Cannon for all of their hard work and support involving Florida’s space industry,” Frank DiBello, Space Florida president, stated in a release. “They have given our industry the opportunity for consistent growth.”
“The Florida Chamber believes it is critical that Florida maintain its legacy as a leader in space,” David Hart, chamber executive vice president, also stated in the release.
Among the space-related legislation in the 2011 and 2012 session:
$19 million for Launch Complex 36 and 46.
$7.5 million for Exploration Park.
$31 million through FDOT for space infrastructure.
$20 million in space-related tax credits.
Space business incentive tax credits.
Research and development tax credits.
Reorganized Space Florida to assure a business-minded board of directors.
Added additional liability protection for spaceflight companies in the United States.
Added Cecil Spaceport as a “spaceport territory” allowing key infrastructure investment.
Refined policy definitions to allow for more streamlined partnership with FDOT for key spaceport funds.
Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff Steve MacNamara, who has been in the crosshairs of a number of media reports in the past week, resigned Saturday. See his letter of resignation in the attachment below.
Jacksonville native Adam Hollingsworth was named as his replacement. Hollingsworth, who heads the right-of-way division for Flagler Development Group, formerly served as chief of staff to Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton.
Scott released the following statement thanking MacNamara for his service.
“I’m grateful for Steve’s invaluable assistance in helping advance my agenda to strengthen education, create jobs, and lower the cost of living for Floridians.
“Over the past 10 months, thanks to his expertise and guidance, we added $1 billion for education, we passed a job creation and economic development package, we passed accident fraud reform, and thanks to him we implemented many positive changes to the way the state of Florida does business. Our openness and transparency has been praised as groundbreaking.
“I believe Steve has had a tremendous impact on me and Ann as well as my administration and our state. I respect his efforts and ideas. I have a great deal of confidence in his ability to assist me and my staff through the upcoming weeks as we transition to a new chief of staff. Ann and I look forward to continue building our friendship with Steve and his wife, Liberty.”
Watch Sunshine State News for more from Nancy Smith.
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