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The Florida Prepaid College Board is celebrating 20 years of helping families save for college. Since the prepaid fund opened two decades ago more than 880,000 Florida families have invested in the plan. Florida prepaid allows instate parents to lock in the price of tuition. Former Governor Bob Martinez bought the first two prepaid plans for his twin granddaughters.

“Education is a smart choice no matter what economics are and here is a way were you have a number of years to make payment on your children’s education, and it can’t be any easier. If you wait to the very end it can be expensive because you have to come up with the money at one time, but if you go ahead and get a prepaid tuition contract when they’re infants, when their young, and make your yearly payments, it sure does reduce the pain of that payment,” said Martinez.

Parents who bought into the plan 18 years ago will save 8,000 dollars by the time their kids graduate.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida began operating 104 new blackjack and baccarat tables at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Tampa on Thursday. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the expansion has the state attorney general crying “Foul.”

The Florida Supreme Court ruled in July that the Seminole Tribe’s deal with the state, allowing the tribe to operate slots and card games, was invalid. Gaming in South Florida has continued under Federal authority, but the expansion into Tampa has state officials fuming.

“There’s really no other way to look at it other than the tribe is engaging in illegal activities,” Sandi Copes, spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said. “The state cannot stop it right now because of sovereign immunity issues.”

The Tribe continues to pay the state. So far 70 million is being held in reserve. Attorney Barry Richard says the Tampa expansion has been in the works and could not be stopped, but no other sites will be opened until the Tribe’s deal to share the wealth with the state is clarified.

“It’s ultimately a federal decision and I believe that the tribe will have authorization for class-3 gaming, whether or not the legislature approves the compact,” Richard said.

When it ruled against the deal in July, the state’s high court said lawmakers must have a say.

Sending the compact back here to the legislature is complicating the decision, because now more people want to be included.

Existing dog tracks and other gambling interests complicate any future deal.

“I think the Seminoles want some certainty that they have approval from the state. The compact will give that,” Rep. Ron Saunders said. “But the other parimutuels are suffering financially and they want some part of that package also.”

In the end, the state may not be able to stop the Indian gaming. And the best it may hope for is to share some of the proceeds.

Declining state revenues could cause Florida’s Department of Law Enforcement to ax programs that keep our kids safe. As Whitney Ray tells us, Amber Alerts and sex offender warnings could be a thing of the past if the state’s financial woes continue.

Hear it Here: Drastic Cuts Could Impact Public Safety Programs

When a child is missing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement springs into action. But Amber Alerts could be a thing of the past in Florida.

The Amber Alert program ended up on a list of things FDLE would get rid of if it was forced to cut its budget by 10 percent.

The sex offender registry, where 44,000 people signed up to be notified when a sex offender moves near by, is also on the cut list. FDLE Spokeswoman Heather Smith says after two years of shrinking budgets, there are no safe places to make changes.

“We have already seen some cuts at FDLE and any additional cuts are going to be painful for us,” said Smith.

Bethany Faison has three kids. She says parents rely on the FDLE programs to keep their kids safe from predators.

“I think it’s probably the worst think they could cut actually,” said Bethany.

If FDLE has to make the full 18 million dollars in cuts, Amber Alerts and the Sex Offender registry would have to go. Cuts less than 10 percent would keep them off the chopping block. The programs were last on the cut list of 34 items FDLE submitted to the state.

Statistics show that crime increases when the economy tanks. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer is warning lawmakers that if FDLE was hit too hard by budget cuts, public safety would be at risk.

Newly elected school superintendents and school board members are in Orlando today, learning to do their jobs. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, one of their first jobs will be figuring out how to do more with less.

On December 10th, the state will send checks to operate local schools. The problem? The checks will be almost two percent less than expected. The Department of Education sent notices last week the cuts would be coming.

“What it works out to be is that state funds, 1.93 percent will be held back,” Dept. of Education spokesman Tom Butler said. “This was something that was planned for back in June. The commissioner announced to the districts, so the planning was in place. It’s just now, we have to go ahead and make sure that it happens.”

State wide, the school cuts will total 355 million. How each district absorbs the loss will be a local decision. Teachers could he fired, bus stops or after school programs eliminated.

The school budget situation is so bleak, Florida school boards are talking about suing the state, trying to force it to meet it’s constitutional obligation.

Article 9 of the state constitution calls a high quality education the “paramount duty of the state.” The Florida Education Association says the only way that duty can be met is by increasing revenues.

“A one-time, three-year sales-tax increase dedicated to education, would help get us over the hump,” Mark Pudlow with the Florida Education Association.

Other revenue raising ideas include collecting taxes already owed, such as on internet purchases or on closing corporate tax loopholes. But so far, state leadership has no interest in raising taxes.

Declining state revenues and a sour economy may soon be putting Florida’s newest lawmakers to the test. As Whitney ray tells us, the state’s mounting financial woes could result in a special session on the budget.

Hear it Here: Rookie Lawmakers Face Budget Woes

Newly elected lawmakers were in Tallahassee Wednesday, to tackle some big issues. Thirty-four freshman house members took a guided tour of the capitol and some needed help finding their office. Representative Lake Ray said he’s ready to take on the major issues, but knows he still has some catching up to do.

“I’ve been saying it’s a little bit like the dog catching the car. Now what do you do with it,” said Ray.

Declining home sales and sagging tax collections are expected to cause a billion dollar budget hole before the month is out. While the freshman finished up their tour, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer made this plea.

“We cannot wait until next March to deal with this year’s, this fiscal year’s, financial issues,” said CFO Sink.

With the possibility of a special session looming the freshman lawmakers could be put to the test sooner than expected.

Incoming Speaker of the House Ray Sansom said the new legislators are ready to go to work on the budget, but says it’s probably better to wait until March.

“It takes a little time to organize and get everyone prepared for any decisions that we make about the budget,” said Sansom.

Sansom said the state should borrow more trust fund dollars to balance the budget instead of calling a special session. The Florida Education Association announced its support for a special session this afternoon. Governor Charlie Crist is still holding off on making a decision about what to do until state economists meet next Friday.

Florida utility customers will be paying more starting in January. How much more depends on where you live. The Florida Public Service Commission today approved rate hikes to cover increased fuel costs for most of the state’s utilities. Tampa Electric Customers will see their bill for a thousand kilowatt hours jump by $14.06 a month to 128.44. Progress Energy customers will see a $27.28 cent a month hike for a thousand kilowatt hours. An average Progress bill will now total $137.87.

Florida Power and Light was asking for a $7.87 monthly increase, but has filed new paperwork with the PSC to lower the charge slightly. FP&L cutomers will find out home much more they will be paying on December 2nd.

The PSC also took the unusual step of ordering Progress Energy to come back in March with actual fuel cost increases for the first two months of the year to determine if the pass through should be lowered.

The fuel increases come on top of charges Progress Energy and FP&L Customers will see for the construction of new nuclear plants. Beginning in January, Progress Customers will see an additional $11.42 charge while FP&L customers will be paying about $2.50 more for nuclear each month. The nuclear plants will not be on line until 2016.

See the company by company comparison here: rate-hike-proposals

Governor Charlie Crist is fine tonight, but the Cessna aircraft he was riding was diverted to Sarasota for an emergency landing around 1:30 today for an apparent generator malfunction. The Governor has since boarded a private plane and headed for Miami. The Cessna returned to Tallahassee. Sources in Sarasota say the plane experienced a circuit breaker malfunction on one of the generator systems.The Governor’s office confirms that work on the planes generator was performed last week, but will not confirm the cause of the malfunction.

State economists are expecting a billion dollar revenue shortfall when they meet next week. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer wants a special session to balance the budget, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the incoming Speaker of the House opposes the idea and the governor is still weighing his options.

Hear it Here: Balancing the Budget

Declining sales tax revenues may cause a billion dollar deficit in the state bank account. Florida’s Chief Financial Officer said a special session is needed soon to balance the budget.

“We’ll lay out all the options for the legislators and it will be their decision at the end of the day how they want to make up the shortfall, because there will be a shortfall and they’ll have to make it up somehow,” said CFO Alex Sink.

But opinions differ on how the budget void should be filled. Incoming Speaker of the House Ray Sansom said the state should tap reserves instead of calling lawmakers back to Tallahassee.

“We made some provisions so the governor could take money out of the Lawton Chiles Endowment Trust Fund and some other trust funds approved by the LBC, the Legislative Budgeting Commission, to keep the budget balanced,” said Sansom.

But the state has already taken more than 625 million dollars from trust funds this year alone. Governor Charlie Crist has been shying from the idea of a special session, but appears to be rethinking the decision.

“I need to look at it. I’ve gotten a couple calls about it, so I need to check into it,” said Crist.

If a special session is called, lawmakers will have to decide between making more budget cuts or passing more taxes. If a special session is called, many think it would be held in the middle of December or the first week in January.

Some of Florida’s bravest men and women marched in front of the state capitol to celebrate Veteran’s Day. Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines participated in the hour long parade. Vietnam Veteran Fred Waterman said we should never forget those who served their country.

“Nobody fully understands what we’ve been through, especially those who saw a lot of combat. We need to learn to understand. The things we did they made movies out of and write books about, it’s what makes America great. I think it’s wonderful that everybody comes out here but they need to do it all year round,” Waterman said.

Florida has the second highest veteran population in the US with more than 1.7 million living in the state.

In about a month Governor Charlie Crist will take the plunge and marry his fiancée Carol Rome. The wedding is scheduled for December 12th in the governor’s hometown of St. Petersburg. Crist says he’s been doing his fair share of wedding planning.

“I’ve done a lot of wedding planning with Carol and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it. December 12th will be here soon and it’s really an exciting thing and I’m a blessed man,” said Crist.

After the wedding Crist plans to hold a special reception at the Governor’s mansion.

The national unemployment rate is at a 14 year high at 6.5 percent. Florida’s latest jobless rate is even higher at 6.6 percent, with new numbers slated to be released later this month. As Whitney Ray tells us, about one in five people who apply for unemployment benefits, are turned down.

Harold Chisholn was laid off from his flooring job three months ago. He just filed an unemployment claim. It can’t come soon enough.

“I may lose my house. I already went down to one car. It is what it is,” said Harold.

Every year about half a million people in Florida file an unemployment claim. About one if five people who apply for unemployment benefits in Florida is denied.

In most cases, people who earn less than 3,400 bucks don’t qualify for benefits. People who take buyouts may also be denied. Still, the State Agency for Workforce Innovation says there are few hard and fast rules when it comes to awarding a claim.

“People should apply whether they’re certain they qualify or not, because the experts here at the agency will be able to determine, they’re eligibility,” said AWI Spokesman Robby Cunningham.

Governor Charlie Crist hopes the federal government can help the state’s unemployed.

“We have also reached out to members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats they look like they are going to have a session sometime next week, that will deal with some of these issues in Washington, and we want to help,” said Crist.

One way the state is helping is through a 1.4 billion dollar roads project. The Accelerate Florida program announced earlier this fall should create 40,000 jobs. The agency is asking anybody with questions about their eligibility to call the unemployment hotline or visit their website www.Floridjobs.org.

There’s bittersweet news tonight about Florida’s real estate market. For the first time in almost three years Florida’s existing home sales are up almost 25 percent. While sales are on the rise, the median price of a home fell about 20 percent. The average cost of a home in September of 2007 was about 225,000 dollars. This September the cost fell about 50,000 dollars to 175,000. Real Estate Agent Penny Herman said now is the time to buy.

“People were waiting maybe for the bottom to hit and I think statistics show that the bottom has hit, because now people are entering the market. They’re buying. They’re realizing there has not been a better time in years to buy houses,” said Herman.

Short sales may have contributed to the falling price. A short sale is when people sell their homes at a reduced rate to keep them from falling into foreclosure.

Florida TaxWatch, a government watchdog group, is asking Governor Charlie Crist to call a special session to clarify the corporate income tax law. Others, including Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, think a special session will be needed to deal with declining sales tax revenues and a possible budget deficit. Governor Crist was asked if he planned to call a special session later this month when lawmakers will be in Tallahassee for the Legislature’s Organization Session.

“Well, maybe. I need to look at it. I’ve gotten a couple of calls about it, so I need to check into it,” said Crist.

In weeks past, the governor has said he wants to wait until state economists meet later this month before he makes any decisions about a special session. State economists are expected to announce another budget shortfall, in their November estimating conference.

President-elect Barack Obama spent a lot of time on the campaign trail trying to woo Florida voters. Obama sympathized with Floridians paying high insurance premiums and expressed the need for a national catastrophe fund to stabilize rates. As Whitney Ray tells us, now that Obama has won the White House many Florida insurers are chomping at the bit for help from Washington.

For years Florida’s insurance companies have been fighting with the state over rate hikes. Insurers say an increase is needed to prepare for a major hurricane.

“We have two trillion dollars of exposure and 1,100 miles of coast line on two different bodies of water and that’s all out in the middle of hurricane alley,” said FAIA spokesman Bob Lotane said.

The state catastrophe fund offers insurance companies more than 20 billion dollars in protection, but some fear it’s not enough.

Experts say if a major hurricane hits one of Florida’s bigger cities it could drain the cat fund and bankrupt the state.

While on the campaign trail in late September, President-elect Barack Obama recognized Florida’s need for more protection.

“I think it’s very important that the people of Florida are able to get insurance. I think the national government has to provide some help,” said Obama in a late September interview.

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink agrees.

“That means the federal government will step in if we have truly a big catastrophic storm like a 25 or 30 billion dollar cat five storm and it will help us stabilize our insurance rates,” said Sink.

The decision isn’t up to President-elect Obama alone. First Congress would have to approve the fund. The federal government already offers assistance with flood and earthquake insurance. Insurance companies say a national catastrophe fund should be the next step.

Citizens Insurance customers may have their policies switched to a smaller company without even knowing it. The state run insurer is sending letters to customers who have been chosen as good candidates for smaller insurance companies. If a policyholder doesn’t respond to the letter, their policies are automatically switched to one of about a dozen smaller insurance companies new to Florida. Bob Lotane, a spokesman for the insurance industry, questions the reliability of some of the smaller companies.

“We also need to look harder at these companies, both at their financial background but also at their organizational ability. If the wind blows are they able to adjust claims in a speedy manner and get checks in people’s hands so they can repair their property in a timely manner,” said Lotane.

Citizens was created to provide insurance for homeowners who couldn’t get policies with other companies because their property is considered high risk.