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GOP TO MEET ON GREER
Florida Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher confirmed Wednesday that he has called a closed-door meeting of the party’s executive committee to update leaders on the lawsuit filed against the state GOP by his predecessor, Jim Greer. The huddle has been set for April 23 in Tallahassee, Thrasher confirmed, although he declined to offer further details. He said the session is closed to the public because the Greer lawsuit will be discussed. Thrasher, a St. Augustine state senator, also said he wanted to assure high-ranking party officials, “In spite of everything, we’ve turned some good pages.”The meeting – like most party issues in recent months – will likely pivot on Greer. The former chairman filed a lawsuit in his home Seminole County to recover about $124,000 he claims the party owes him under a severance agreement. Party leaders say the document is invalid. Greer is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his majority ownership of Victory Strategies, a company he formed with party executive director and chief fund-raiser Delmar Johnson, which received 10 percent of major contributions to the Florida GOP. Gov. Charlie Crist also has asked a federal prosecutor to examine the matter.
FMAP NOT COMING SOON
Legislative leaders said Wednesday they are resigned to putting together a state budget without $880 million in Medicaid help in hand from the federal government. The Senate crafted its $69.4 billion spending plan using anticipated cash from the federal Medicaid assistance program (FMAP), avoiding cuts to health and human service programs and redirecting other taxpayer dollars into public schools. The Senate’s budget is $2.2 billion larger than the House version. And though some of that difference will be bridged by a Seminole Tribe gambling compact bringing $437.5 million into the state treasury, the FMAP money was a critical piece of the Legislature’s end-game. “It’s not coming soon,” predicted House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach. “I don’t know what the hold-up is, but it’s not going to get through Congress in time for us.” Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, also said he had been told by Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson’s staff that Congress was not positioned to approve the money quickly. “I think their words were, ‘No way,’” Saunders said. Hasner said the House doesn’t want to spend the FMAP money without the cash-in-hand. And the widely disparate budget approaches have stalled even the simple mechanics of appointing House and Senate negotiators and setting spending allocations. But there is clearly rising pressure on the House to adopt the Senate’s more hopeful stance. In an election year, the House budget plays with political dynamite by cutting public school spending by $52-per-student, eliminating state dollars for Everglades restoration and the Florida Forever land-buying program, and reducing a range of health programs. Gov. Charlie Crist, who also included the FMAP money in his budget recommendation, was among 47 governors who wrote congressional leaders in February urging swift action.
GROUP RAISES $1 MIL. TO FIGHT HOMETOWN
Opponents of the so-called Hometown Democracy amendment collected $987,000 million in contributions for the quarter ending March 31 to battle Amendment 4, which would require voter approval for local comprehensive plan changes. Business and local government groups have painted a bullseye on the back of the amendment since it qualified for the ballot last summer. Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy is the latest business-backed group established to fight the initiative the goes to voters in November. "If Amendment 4 passes, Florida will never recover from the recession we are in," said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber and a Citizens for Lower Taxes board member. Floridians for Smarter Growth, another business-backed group, has spent $4 million since 2007 to defeat the measure. Meanwhile, Florida Hometown Democracy has raised and spent $1.5 million since 2003 to push the measure, with much of that being raised by the Sierra Club and Hometown founder Lesley Blackner, who argues that the comprehensive planning process is dominated by developers and other special interests.
Florida Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher confirmed Wednesday that he has called a closed-door meeting of the party’s executive committee to update leaders on the lawsuit filed against the state GOP by his predecessor, Jim Greer. The huddle has been set for April 23 in Tallahassee, Thrasher confirmed, although he declined to offer further details. He said the session is closed to the public because the Greer lawsuit will be discussed. Thrasher, a St. Augustine state senator, also said he wanted to assure high-ranking party officials, “In spite of everything, we’ve turned some good pages.”The meeting – like most party issues in recent months – will likely pivot on Greer. The former chairman filed a lawsuit in his home Seminole County to recover about $124,000 he claims the party owes him under a severance agreement. Party leaders say the document is invalid. Greer is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for his majority ownership of Victory Strategies, a company he formed with party executive director and chief fund-raiser Delmar Johnson, which received 10 percent of major contributions to the Florida GOP. Gov. Charlie Crist also has asked a federal prosecutor to examine the matter.
FMAP NOT COMING SOON
Legislative leaders said Wednesday they are resigned to putting together a state budget without $880 million in Medicaid help in hand from the federal government. The Senate crafted its $69.4 billion spending plan using anticipated cash from the federal Medicaid assistance program (FMAP), avoiding cuts to health and human service programs and redirecting other taxpayer dollars into public schools. The Senate’s budget is $2.2 billion larger than the House version. And though some of that difference will be bridged by a Seminole Tribe gambling compact bringing $437.5 million into the state treasury, the FMAP money was a critical piece of the Legislature’s end-game. “It’s not coming soon,” predicted House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach. “I don’t know what the hold-up is, but it’s not going to get through Congress in time for us.” Rep. Ron Saunders, D-Key West, also said he had been told by Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson’s staff that Congress was not positioned to approve the money quickly. “I think their words were, ‘No way,’” Saunders said. Hasner said the House doesn’t want to spend the FMAP money without the cash-in-hand. And the widely disparate budget approaches have stalled even the simple mechanics of appointing House and Senate negotiators and setting spending allocations. But there is clearly rising pressure on the House to adopt the Senate’s more hopeful stance. In an election year, the House budget plays with political dynamite by cutting public school spending by $52-per-student, eliminating state dollars for Everglades restoration and the Florida Forever land-buying program, and reducing a range of health programs. Gov. Charlie Crist, who also included the FMAP money in his budget recommendation, was among 47 governors who wrote congressional leaders in February urging swift action.
GROUP RAISES $1 MIL. TO FIGHT HOMETOWN
Opponents of the so-called Hometown Democracy amendment collected $987,000 million in contributions for the quarter ending March 31 to battle Amendment 4, which would require voter approval for local comprehensive plan changes. Business and local government groups have painted a bullseye on the back of the amendment since it qualified for the ballot last summer. Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy is the latest business-backed group established to fight the initiative the goes to voters in November. "If Amendment 4 passes, Florida will never recover from the recession we are in," said Mark Wilson, president of the Florida Chamber and a Citizens for Lower Taxes board member. Floridians for Smarter Growth, another business-backed group, has spent $4 million since 2007 to defeat the measure. Meanwhile, Florida Hometown Democracy has raised and spent $1.5 million since 2003 to push the measure, with much of that being raised by the Sierra Club and Hometown founder Lesley Blackner, who argues that the comprehensive planning process is dominated by developers and other special interests.
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