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U-S Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling spoke to state lawmakers today on the value of accountability. Her remarks came just 12 hours after a Federal appeal court told the US government that it could not force states to spend money enforcing the federally mandated “No Child Left Behind”. Despite the ruling , which Spelling says will be appealed, she says the national standards are here to stay. “In exchange for federal money, we want to see some results and it’s here to stay. Obviously there are those who want to undermine accountability and thwart the system and sometimes they use the courts to do that.”

The lawsuit against No Child Left Behind did not seek to end the law, only to require the Federal government to pay for the costs of the act.

As New Hampshire voters cast the first primary ballots, supporters of Barack Obama here in Florida say the Illinois Senator and Democratic Front runner is doing so well because he offers hope. State Senator Tony Hill is supporting Obama and expects the new face to win New Hampshire and Florida.  “Independents are getting on board. People really believe that this guy can change and make a difference” says Hill. ” I think with the coalition he has built around this country, over 500,000 people have contributed. That’s unheard of, that’s a movement within itself. And I think now, the weave of that momentum is moving him forward.”

Hill says Democrats by penalizing Florida for moving its primary to January 29th. The early date is the first time in Decades that Florida is being watched by the rest of the nation when it comes to picking a party nominee.

Governor Charlie Crist spent the day pushing the January 29th Property Tax Vote in several Florida cities today. In Tallahassee, Opponents rallied their forces, while, as Mike Vasilinda tells us, state lawmakers are looking past January 29th and the possibility the amendment will fail.

Standing next to a large fire truck, opponents of the property tax amendment predicted fire protection as you know it will end with the passage of the January 29th amendment.

“This will have an adverse impact on public safety, as to your response times, your ability to have new stations,” Bob Carver with Florida Professional Firefighters said.

The organizers of this event were quick to point out that even if this amendment passes and fire service is curtailed somewhat, Charlie Crist wont have a problem because the Governor’s mansion is just four blocks down the road.

In addition to longer response times to your house, the firefighters are also predicting higher home insurance rates.

“As you have proper fire protection in your community, your insurance rates are lowered. There is a direct correlation between the two,” Carver said.

As the firefighters news conference broke, a ladder truck screamed from the station. It turned out to be a false alarm. House speaker Marco Rubio says the firefighters are fighting the amendment for the wrong reason.

“Government may very well need this money,” Rubio said. “But if people can’t afford to pay it, we shouldn’t take it from them.”

But Florida Democrats are also urging a “no” vote on January 29th, saying it is the only thing that will lead to real reform.

“I hope this thing fails. I hope we come up with a more holistic, statesmen-like approach,” Rep. Dan Gelber said.

To pass, the amendment must get at least 60 percent of the ballot cast. It is a benchmark few truly contested amendments have ever achieved.

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A new University of Florida study found that has the 6th highest rate of teen pregnancy in the country. Some Democratic lawmakers and Planned Parenthood believe that abstinence only programs are to blame. As Chris Casquejo tells us, lawmakers want to set statewide standards for sex education.

Here it here: Lawmakers Push For Sex Education Standards

Florida receives the 2nd highest amount of federal money for abstinence-only sex education. Planned Parenthood is advocating sex ed that teaches about contraception, condoms and sexually transmitted diseases.

“Florida is seeing teens being given misinformation,” said Planned Parenthood’s Stephanie Kunkel. “Currently, teens are learning about sex. Yes, some are learning about it from textbooks. But most of our teens are learning about it from their peers, the media and popular culture.”

The Healthy Teens Act would set statewide standards for sex education in public schools beginning in the 6th grade. It would also require schools to teach that abstinence is the only way to avoid sexual transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

But abstinence-only advocates like Carole Griffin believe that’s too much sex education.

“When you go in and teach the abstinence plus, meaning condomology, birth control pills, all those types of things,” said Carole Griffin with the Eagle Forum. “You’re basically putting the stamp of approval on their behavior, telling them here’s how you’re going to do it if you’re going to do it.

The same University of Florida study found that Florida has the 2nd highest rate of HIV and AIDS in the country.

Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Charles Bronson is suing a California company for ignoring the state’s “Do Not Call” list.  Meredian Financial Corporation, of Costa Mesa, California is accused of making at least 19 calls to Florida residents on the list in 2006 and 2007.

“They face penalties of up to $10,000 per violation so if they call 10 people, they theoretically could face a $100,000 fine in a courtroom,” said Terry McElroy, spokesman for Commissioner Bronson.

The company is also accused of playing a recorded message when consumers answered their phones, which is a separate violation of Florida’s law.

The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a Kentucky death penalty case that could help determine how Florida lethally injects convicted killers.  Kentucky inmates are challenging the three-drug cocktail that Florida and other states use.  Killers are given a strong dose of painkiller, then a paralyzing drug, and finally, a drug that stops their heart.  Death penalty opponents are hopeful the Supreme Court will rule that the current lethal injection protocol is cruel and inhumane.

“We have a procedure that doesn’t work,” said Larry Spalding of the ACLU.  “It’s incredibly expensive.  We now have life imprisonment without eligibility for parole.  And that, I think most citizens across the country are coming to the conclusion is the punishment that we should have for the worst of the worst.”

Last year was the first year in two decades where Florida did not execute someone on death row.

Early voting begins a week from today. In addition to potentially choosing the next president, voters will also decide the fate of a controversial change to property taxes. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Florida’s first responders say what you’ll actually be voting on is your safety.

Here it here: Tax Battle Heats Up

Nearly 3 hundred thousand absentee ballots have been mailed out across the state. Early voting begins on Monday, January 14th…which means the fight over a controversial property tax amendment is about to go into high gear.

Opponents mailed out thousands of flyers like this one…all timed to hit in the mailbox over the weekend. The mailing paints a grim picture. Fewer police, fire, and medical personnel when you need them.

Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell says the mailer is not an exaggeration. If the amendment passes, he expects to lose 100 deputies’…all of them from the road.

You can’t get a phone call that you are having a heart attack, or your house is on fire, or you are being robbed, and you get a recording that says you call is very important to us, and the first available fireman will come to you house as soon as he can”.

We showed the mailer to the Governor. He remains optimistic the amendment will pass.“Well, it’s ridiculous. I mean, the reality is you can’t fool the people. They know that before we had this run up in property tax, you know, we had policemen, we had firefighters, and the people are smart, they get it” says Crist.

Charlie Crist is clearing his schedule to push for a yes on one vote. This email asking for ten dollars from average citizens to help pass the amendment raised just 780 dollars from 45 people. But hundreds of thousands of dollars are pouring in from corporations.

The governor had hoped to raise as much as 5 million dollars to push the amendment.

State officials are about to loosen the spigot on a semi frozen state investment fund, but as Chris Casquejo tells us, it can’t come soon enough for some local governments.

Hear it here: State Investment Fund Update

Local governments have about $12 billion in a semi-frozen state investment fund. Withdrawals in the troubled fund have been limited to $2 million per investor. By the end of January, investors will be able to take out 21 percent of their money. For some, that’s not soon enough.

“Hillsborough County, for instance, has $500 million in that pool,” said Florida School Boards Association Executive Director Wayne Blanton. “It’s obvious that they’re going to need a lot of that money before the end of their fiscal year on June 30th.”

Right now, local governments and schools can take out only 15 percent of their money from the state investment fund. If they want to withdraw more, they have to pay a 2 percent penalty.

Leon County Schools had to borrow money to make payroll. The district still has $37 million in the fund. Projects are moving forward, but the district’s chief financial officer still has big concerns.

“The problem is, if we need to access it, having to have a 2 percent penalty is not what we want to do, said Merrill Wimberley, the chief finacial officer of Leon County Schools. “Besides that, we’re not sure we’re earning interest on it.”

Fund managers met with concerned investors, telling them that they could expect to withdraw $2.7 billion by April. Governor Charlie Crist believes that the fund is sound, especially with new interim leader Bob Milligan in place. But local governments are still skittish. Hillsborough County is urging other investors in the fund to sue the state.

With the January primary and property tax cut vote just over three weeks away, Governor Charlie Crist is asking people to contribute 10 dollars each to the Yes on 1 campaign.  Voters are being asked to double the homestead exemption and allow their Save Our Homes benefit to go with them when they move.  Cities and counties worry about their lost revenue if property taxes are cut.

“We need your support.  We’re trying to get a message out,” said the governor.  “It’s important that the citizens understand they have the power, the opportunity to cut their own property taxes by voting Yes on 1 on January 29th.  I mean, that’s just a few weeks away.  So it’s a great opportunity for the people.”

“We’re changing the way Florida’s primary taxing structure is with very little information,” said Cragin Mosteller, with the Florida Association of Counties.  “We just simply don’t know what the long-term consequences will be.  We know there will be unintended consequences.  We don’t know what those will be.  I think there’s a lot to risk.”

60 percent of voters have to approve the property tax amendment for it to become law.

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Florida Legislature’s authority to set tuition rates at the state’s universities.  Former Governor Bob Graham was among those who sued, arguing that voters in 2002 gave the right to set tuition to the State University System’s Board of Governors.  Governor Charlie Crist reacted to the ruling.

“I have great respect for the judicial branch,” Gov. Crist said.  “I understand the motivation for the litigation.  I think that there probably would be an appeal would be my expectation.  And I’ll wait to see what the courts have to say and respect it.”

But the legal fight is not over.  The judge ruled that the plaintiffs can re-file the suit if they show him within a month how they’ve been harmed.

For the third straight day, colder than normal temperatures greeted Floridians in the morning.  Icicles formed in the fountain outside Doak Campbell Stadium at Florida State University.  The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says that temperatures were not cold enough to cause significant damage to citrus trees.  South of Lake Okeechobee, some vegetable crops might have suffered pockets of damage, but the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the full extent won’t be known until after the weekend.

Thousands of voters switched political parties before the rolls closed at the end of the year in preparation of the January 29th Presidential Preference Primary. With the results from Iowa so mixed, and likely to stay that way in the coming weeks as voters in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan pick their favorites, state GOP Chairman Jim Greer told reporters today that Florida will likely end up picking his party’s nominee, even though the national party has taken away half the states delegates.

“We have 57 delegates. And we’re still the fourth largest delegation in the nation going into our convention. Democrats have no delegates. In fact, the democrats aren’t even campaigning in Florida right now, like Republicans are.” says Greer. “When we get to Super Tuesday on February 5th, 24 other states are going to vote on that day. They are not going to be asking what did Iowa and New Hampshire do…They’re going to be asking across this nation, what did Florida do on the 29th?”

In addition to potentially selecting candidates for the Presidency of both major party’s, Florida voters will also decide the fate of a plan to save most homeowners about 200 dollars on their property taxes.

It’s been at least two weeks since we got a chance to talk with Governor Charlie Crist….but today the silence ended. We caught up with the Governor at the Flightline as he was boarding a private plane to attend a wedding in St. Pete. In a wide ranging interview, he talked about the tuition appeal, his stance on a proposed bill prohibiting sex with animals, the EPA’s decision to overrule tougher environmental standards, and his pitch for average citizens to pony up ten bucks to help pass property tax reform.

Hear it Here

GOP Chairman Jim Greer says the mixed results from Iowa will make Florida the kingmaker for the GOP Presidential nomination. The Chairman also used the opportunity to take a shot at Hillary, even though he thinks she will be the untilmate Democratic nominee.

You can hear the entire interview here

A new year has lawmakers turning a closer eye on teachers behaving badly. The Department of Education investigated more than 4,000 complaints last year, ranging from testing fraud to drug abuse and sexual misconduct. But as Chris Casquejo tells us, what happened after the investigations leaves a lot to be desired.

Hear it here: Key Lawmakers Target Teachers Behaving Badly

View Here: Teachers Behaving Badly

Last school year, more than 4,000 teachers in Florida were investigated for misconduct, but just 300 disciplinary actions show up on a state website. The numbers do little to comfort parents

“Anything that’s inappropriate with a child should be taken care of,” said Shelley Gandy. “They should be barred by the school board where they should not be able to teach again.”

Key lawmakers say the days of quietly firing a bad teacher are over.

A Senate study on teacher misconduct found that some Florida school districts don’t even do background checks. It also found that districts don’t have to report whether a teacher has been fired for misconduct.

The Florida School Boards Association says changes long overdue.

“I think it’s obvious we need a better reporting system so that every district knows what’s going on,” said Wayne Blanton, executive director of the association.

The state can take away a teacher’s license for just seven reasons, including immoral acts and serious criminal charges. Lawmakers say the standards are too vague to be meaningful. Look for them to force schools to tighten the standards. The Department of Education says it is already doing what it can.

“We’re going to look into those things,” said Marian Lambeth of the DOE. “And within the confines of the current law and statutes, pursue those to the degree we can.”

280,000 people hold teaching certificates in Florida.

Lawmakers will take up the issue of teacher misconduct next week. You can log on to www.myfloridateacher.com and click on “search disciplinary actions” to search by name or county for disciplinary reports.