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The head of the state’s agency for Health Care Administration is changing again. Tuesday Governor Charlie Crist appointed Holly Benson to take over as the secretary of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. Benson will replace Dr. Andrew Aqwunobi who was appointed in December of 2006. Benson is a former state representative. She was the chairwomen for the Health and Families Council and she was the secretary of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional regulation. Her first assignment as secretary of Health Care Administration, will be to start a pilot program amid at improving health care in 14 counties.

“I think that you know that I care very much about finding affordable
health care for the people across Florida. I believed in that when I
served in the House, but as I traveled the state and talked to the
business people of Florida, they were unified. Healthcare is breaking
the bank. All of these people want to find affordable health insurance
for their employees. Whether it’s those people who work in restaurants
who can’t afford it, the young immortals who go without it and then pay
off the debt for years and years,” said Benson.

Benson will take over the agency later this month.

Governor Charlie Crist said he’s focused on keeping major league baseball teams in the Sunshine State. The Cincinnati Reds could be moving their spring training to Arizona. The team has been in Sarasota for 11 years, but their lease agreement is up in August. Crist said the team helps boost the state’s economy, and he’ll do what he can to keep the Reds in Florida.

“Well, I certainly don’t want them to leave,” said Crist. “We have reinstituted something called the Governor’s Baseball Dinner, that I attended when I worked for the commissioner’s office in the minor league division, and I think it’s important for us to show continued support for this sport. What the Grapefruit League does for the Sunshine state the teams that train here, really infuses a lot in our economy. And I think it’s important to show that appreciation and we’ll stay focused on keeping these teams here.”

The Governors Baseball dinner is scheduled for February 26th in St. Petersburg.

Former DCF spokesman Al Zimmerman is now facing federal child pornography charges for allegedly offering to sell obscene pictures of children in a sex act to German citizens. He could face up to 15 years in prison. Attorney General Bill McCollum has focused his office on the problem of child porn and says there is no guarantee some other state employee isn’t doing the same thing.

“We don’t have any idea whether or not somebody is engaged somewhere else in state government in some kind of child pornography or who might be a child predator. That’s the whole problem with the type of person who’s involved. There is no socioeconomic identity to this. There is no question this person who does this type of activity could come from any walk of life, any race, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, lawyer, laborer,” said McCollum.

This year, the number of investigators in the Attorney Generals office working on internet predators and child pornography jumped from six to 50.

Four Hillsborough County Jail guards have been suspended for their role in the dumping of a quadriplegic man from his wheel chair to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Jail deputies are certified by the state and could face the loss of their certificates to work. Attorney General Bill McCollum had not seen the video until reporter Mike Vasilinda told him about the incident.

“I’ll be glad to look at it. Dumping a paraplegic on the ground, based on your description, doesn’t seem like something a jailer should be doing by any means. We’ll be glad to look at it and examine it from the stand point training, and also from the stand point of whether or not some one’s civil rights might have been violated,” said McCollum.

McCollum did indeed watch the video and has asked his office of civil rights to explore whether the quadriplegic man’s rights were violated.

Florida is increasingly being called a purple state…a state which could go either way in a Presidential election. Our 27 Electoral votes are crucial to who becomes the next President of the United States. Because the state is so important, and because of rare change in Florida law, Mike Vasilinda tells us Governor Charlie Crist is high on the short list of possible Vice Presidential candidates.

Charlie Crist got his 4 year job as Governor just over a year ago.

“On which I am now about to enter…”

A few months later, state lawmakers changed the law to allow anyone with a four year term to run as a federal candidate in the middle of that term.

Under the new laws, it is actually possible for Charlie Crist to run for the Vice Presidency and not give up his job unless he wins.

Incoming House Speaker Ray Samson say the law wasn’t specifically changed to help the governor.

“I think the Governor, he’s a team player and you know, this is something that would certainly open up an opportunity for him.” says Sanson

But the changes helped move Crist high on the list of potential running mates for John McCain. McCain himself recognizes Florida could go either way come November.

“I don’t think that any Republican nominee for President can win the nomination without Florida.” McCain told reporters earlier this year.

So we asked the governor if he’s interested.

“That is a question I’m getting used to, but I’ll give the same answer: I am focused on Florida. I’m trying to do the best job I can to be the best Governor for a state I love enormously.”

Thousands of Democrats helped elect Crist Governor. And while the selection for Vice President is still months away, the Governor isn’t saying he isn’t interested.

Many credit the Governor’s endorsement of McCain on the eve of the primary as the sole reason McCain won in Florida. Prior to Crist’s endorsement, McCain and Mitt Romney were in a virtual tie with the Arizona Senator trending downward.

4 Hillsborough County Jail guards have been suspended for their role in the dumping of a quadriplegic man from his wheel chair to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Jailers are certified by the state and could face the loss of their certificates to work. Attorney General Bill McCollum had not seen the video until reporter Mike Vasilinda told him about the incident.

“I’ll be glad to look at it, “ says McCollum..” Dumping a paraplegic on the ground, based on your description, doesn’t seem like something a jailer should be doing by any means. We’ll be glad to look at it and examine it from the stand point training, and also from the stand point of whether or not some one’s civil rights might have been violated.”

McCollum did indeed watch the video and has asked his office of civil rights to explore whether the quadriplegic man’s rights were violated.

Former DCF spokesman Al Zimmerman is now facing federal child pornography charges for allegedly offering to sell obscene pictures of children in a sex act to German citizens. He could face up to 15 years in prison. Attorney General Bill McCollum has focused his office on the problem of child porn and says there is no guarantee some other state employee isn’t doing the same thing.

“We don’t have any idea whether or not somebody is engaged somewhere else in state government in some kind of child pornography or who might be a child predator. That’s the whole problem with the type of person who’s involved. There is no socioeconomic identity to this. There is no question this person who does this type of activity could come from any walk of life, any race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, lawyer, laborer.”

This year, the number of investigators in the Attorney Generals office  working on internet predators and child pornography jumped from 6 to 50.

You could soon be paying more for hundreds of items that are tax exempt in Florida. The state’s budget and tax reform commission is discussing changing tax laws. As Whitney Ray tells us, the higher costs might be a trade off for lower property taxes.

Hear it here: Tax Commission Targets State Exemptions

From realtor’s commissions to hundreds of other items in Florida, the price you see is the price you pay. Sales tax isn’t added at check out. Costumers at Eastwood Pharmacy don’t have to pay taxes on band-aids, antacids, and pain relievers. The story’s the same across the state. For decades Floridian’s haven’t paid taxes on everything from advertising to prescriptions.

“It’s not unusual to have three and 400 dollar prescription, and If look at a 7 percent fee on a 700 dollar prescription; you’re looking at a decent amount of money,” said Rick Bradford, owner of Eastwood Pharmacy.

Monday, the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission met to discuss eliminating some sales tax exemptions.

“It’s adequate to evaluate all the exemptions and see which ones, like skybox sales tax on skyboxes, benefit just a select few and not all Floridians,” said commission member John McKay.

If approved by the commission and eventually voters, the increased cash from eliminating exemptions would be used to offset the school funding portion of your property taxes. The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission meets every 20 years. The commission has the power to put tax law changes on the November ballot.

Sales tax exemptions aren’t the only place commission members are looking for reform. Taxation and Budget Reform member Carlos Lacasa has a plan to cut property tax by raising sales tax. His plan would allow home and business owners to keep 25 percent of the value of their property from being taxed. In exchange sales tax would go up by a penny.

“It would be distributed much more broadly than a property tax. I’ve always favor taxing consumption more than taxing well, I favor property tax to a certain extent, they have growth management benefits and it’s a more stable tax base than consumption tax, but I would like to weight taxation in Florida more heavily toward consumption and less toward wealth,” said Lacasa.

Lacasa’s plan would also replace amendment one’s ten percent limit on tax assessment growth with a five percent cap.

World leaders were in Florida Monday. The president of the Republic of Rwanda spoke to students and faculty members at Florida State University. The school hosted its “Bridging Civilizations,” conference, as part of an effort to unite people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Rwandan President Paul Kagame praised FSU for bringing the world leaders together.

“By bringing together policymakers, business leaders and academics from different parts of the world, you are actively fostering alliances that transcend national and cultural boundaries, thereby promoting better understanding among the global community,” said Kagame.

President Kagame didn’t leave campus empty handed. Students showered the leader with gifts they also raised 50-thousand dollars to help build a school in Rwanda.

A Bonifay couple has filed suit against the Catholic Church for failing to prevent their 15 year daughter from being abused by a priest. The suit names a priest who has since moved to India as part of a plea agreement in the case, as well as the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, and Bishop John Richard. The parents, who are not being identified because it would identify their daughter, said their daughter was kissed and then assaulted. Sexual intercourse did not take place. The biggest concern the parents and their lawyer have is how the church has responded.

“They’ve done everything but ignore us and we want to know where this man is now,” said the mother. “We want to make sure he is out of this country so he won’t hurt no other children, hopefully in the world, but in this country.”

“Based on evidence on how the church has handled other child predators, we think there is a very strong possibility, probability, that he had done this before, that they knew about it that they didn’t take action, and indeed we don’t have reassurance that they’ve even taken action now to protect children in India,” said Joe Saunders, the victim’s attorney.

The suit seeks an unspecified amount of money. The family is being assisted by a national group known as SNAP, or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The Catholic Church has declined to comment until they get a chance to read the lawsuit.

The investigation into why a small plane crashed at a major intersection just a mile from the Florida State Campus is underway. The plane went down last night after clipping a power line that left thousands without electricity and trapped two students in a campus elevator. As Whitney Ray tells us, while the wreck injured the pilot it could have been much worse.

Just yards from where William Ash was selling barbecue Saturday night, a 4 seat Cessna clipped a utility pole and nose dived into the ground.

“I still shakin, I’m still nervous, I’m still looking crazy like I’m thanking God that my wife and my daughter okay, cause I feel like if it would have hit that post any lower, it wouldn’t have went across the road, it would have came down directly on top of us,” said Ash.

The 50 year-old pilot was flying alone from Maryland. Three seconds before the crash he sent a distress signal to air traffic control. Leon County Deputy Lee Majors was in a sheriff’s helicopter and saw the plane go down.

“The only communication he gave that gave us any indication he had a problem, he said ‘I’ve got a problem I’m making a dead stick landing which would indicate the engine has failed,’” said Majors. Majors said the pilot was calm when he made the call.

Just seconds before the plane crashed, two students boarded an elevator on the seventh floor of Smith Hall at FSU. The electricity was knocked out, and they spent the next two hours trapped in the dark.”

FSU Freshman Kristina LeBlanc and Caitlin Reilly were on the floor below.

“I heard the yelling and I figured the elevator got stuck,” said Reilly.

By morning, Federal investigators were on the scene and local authorities remained amazed that no one else was injured.

“I think were very fortunate that the pilot made as good as decision as he could under the circumstance,” said Majors.

Investigators will take a closer look at the mangled engine and twisted metal to see what caused the plane to go down. They’ll also talk to the pilot to find out how he survived the crash, and what he might have done to keep from hitting others.

Legislative Leaders want to change the way the state prepares for hurricanes, and it could cost you more up front. Lawmakers are looking at revamping the Catastrophe fund and requiring some Floridians to storm-proof their homes. As Whitney Ray tells us, insurance premiums could go up, but lawmakers say it would save taxpayers in the long run.

hear it here: Legislators Want To Reduce CAT Fund

Florida’s 28 billion dollar catastrophe fund is supposed to lower insurance rates by providing insurance companies with low cost coverage for big losses. But state lawmakers say average homeowners may have to bail out the fund if there is a big storm.

“What they’re going to end up doing is paying on the back side after the storm, huge amounts,” said Chairman of The House Insurance Committee Donald Brown.

Once a supporter of a large cat fund, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink now claims the Catastrophe fund isn’t cost effective. Tara Klimek, a spokeswoman from Sink’s office, said reducing the fund will actually save Floridians in the long run.

“A Cat 3 in South Florida could really bust that top layer of the cat fund,” said Klimek. “If that happens, would we really be able to even bond for that 28 Billion dollars, how would we be able to do that? Then to make it up we would go out and assess people, and that’s really taxes.”

Sink wants to reduce the CAT fund’s risk by three billion. Cutting money from the fund could cause insurance companies to raise premiums.

“There may be a 1.5 or a 2 percent effect on the policies, and were still refining those numbers,” said Klimek.

Members of Florida’s Insurance Council, an industry group, said the private companies are ready to take on the risk the state could hand over. The question is at what cost to homeowners. Some Lawmakers would like to make changes to the catastrophe fund before hurricane season.

The economic stimulus package will put millions of dollar in the hands of some of the state’s most active spenders. More than 3 million senior citizens in Florida will receive an extra 300 dollars with their tax returns. Members of AARP Florida said seniors spend more than 90 percent of their income. They applaud Florida’s U.S. Senators for voting for the bill and approving a provision that would allow seniors on social security to receive the rebates.

“Some folks are living on an income of six or seven hundred dollars a month, so a 300 dollar rebate check can mean half of your income,” said Leslie Spencer with AARP Florida. “I don’t know if there’s anybody more deserving than senior. These are people who have paid taxes all their lives.”

The tax rebates aren’t just for seniors, everyone who made at least 3,000 dollars last year is eligible.

A South Florida businessman faces fines after an employee called the FDA. The Attorney General said Vitamin Hut owner Gray Dubin was changing the expiration dates on vitamin bottles. Three of Dubin’s Fort Lauderdale businesses were raided. Authorities seized several boxes of pills. Attorney General Bill McCollum said changing expiration dates on food and drugs can be dangerous. McCollum added there’s no way for consumers to protect themselves from this type of fraud.

“The public frankly can’t protect itself. They don’t know if something is beening doctored or not,” McCollum said.

According to a press release, an undercover agent with the Attorney General’s office, bought vitamins from all three stores and had them tested.