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Alex Sink will remain Flroida CFO…if she gets re-eelcted. Here’s her statement:

STATEMENT OF FLORIDA CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER ALEX SINK

“Over the past several weeks, I have given serious and careful thought to my own future and, more importantly, to the future of our state.  And I am extremely grateful for the support and advice so many friends and fellow Floridians have shared.  I believe my skills and abilities are of greatest use here in Florida, where I am honored to serve as Chief Financial Officer.  And I will run for re-election as Chief Financial Officer to continue being a fiscal watchdog on behalf of the people of Florida.”

Two sources have told Capitol News Service that Florida CFO Alex Sink will shun a bid for the open US Senate seat and seek re-election instead. An announcement is expected later today (Friday), and will most likely be made in a statement sent via email.  Sink said earlier this week that even she was feeling tense in trying to decide what to do. When asked about the race on Tuesday after Rep. Kendrick Meek announced he was seeking the Senate seat, Sink said he had to decide where to best serve the people of Florida.

The Black Caucus sent a letter to Governor Charlie Crist tonight calling on the Governor to “Fix the mistakes of the legislature. Here’s the full text of the letter:

Special Session Budget Cuts Fail the People of Florida 

“Florida needs more education, not more prisons.” — South Florida Times, Jan. 14, 2009

“This has not been the Florida Legislature’s finest hour.” – Orlando Sentinel, Jan. 14, 2009

“Not so special legislative session.” – The Miami Herald, Jan. 14, 2

TALLAHASSEE — Members of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus (FLBC) are deeply disappointed with the budget cuts approved during the just-ended special session and are calling on Governor Charlie Crist to fix the Legislature’s mistakes.

Members of the FLBC are urging the governor to put aside partisan politics and to veto some of the harshest cuts that will erode services for the state’s elderly, children, critically ill, disabled, poor, and struggling middle class. 

The Chairman of the FLBC, State Representative Joe Gibbons, District 105-Pembroke Park and other members of FLBC are concerned that citizens of Florida, especially minorities in Florida will be disproportionately impacted by the spending reductions. Among programs and people to suffer under these cuts are:

n  Pre-kindergarten programs that working families and struggling single mothers rely upon for basic care and education of their children.a

n  Students and educators at Florida’s historically black colleges and universities.

n  Teachers, parents and students in all of Florida’s public schools.

n  Health programs, especially ones that serve the disabled, the poor, the blind, and the developmentally disabled.

Instead of cutting the budget, members of FLBC state better priorities for the Legislature would be to support:

n  Programs that promote jobs and sustain the economy of urban and rural black communities;

n  Funding for schools and reform of Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to find fairer ways of measuring the real needs and challenges of our students and teachers;

n  Better methods for helping those who are battling HIV/AIDS and other health conditions that are pronounced in the African American communities;

n  Programs that assist those who are mentaally ill or drug dependent and others at risk of falling victim to crime and poverty.

“I am appalled that the Florida Legislature, under the current leadership of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House is not sufficiently investing in the right priorities, such as our schools, our children, and the health programs that provide critical help for so many people,” said Representative Gibbons. “The people of Florida deserves better.”

Florida’s home builders are asking the governor to veto cuts to a state fund that helps people buy houses. Lawmakers voted to take 190 million dollars from the fund. As Whitney Ray tells us, contractors say the money will help people buy existing homes which will increase the demand for new construction.

Hear it Here: Builders ask Governor to Spare Housing Fund

Contractor Bill Schults is one of a shrinking number of Florida construction workers who still has a job. A decline in home sales has forced Bill to tighten his tool belt.

“I had a crew of 30 people at one time. They’re all laid off except for the few people that are here,” said Shults.

Home construction was cut in half in 2008 and the need for new houses continues to shrink. Florida’s housing market is saturated. Currently more than 300-thousand homes are empty.

Wednesday lawmakers voted to take 190 million from a 300 million dollar affordable housing fund to balance the budget. Thursday home builders told the governor the cut was short sighted.

“These moneys can be used to get people back into housing, that lost their housing in Foreclosure,” said the Vice President of the Florida Home Builders Association Chuck Fowke.

Crist said he’ll take a close look at the entire budget to see if the fund can be spared.

“We’ll be reviewing all of that to see if we can help,” said Crist.

Home builders also asked the governor to pressure bankers for help with loans.

The Florida Home Builders Association said banks are not lending enough of the Washington bailout money and they’re calling in construction loans making it hard for builders to start new projects.

Governor Charlie Crist issued a state of emergency because of freezing temperatures expected to hit Florida tonight and over the weekend.

Crist is calling for a temporary ban on weight, height, and length restrictions for trucks carrying produce. Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said lifting the ban will allow farmers to save their crops.

“We asked the governor if he would call the emergency ahead of time so those who were able to get their crops out of the field before they were destroyed could do that so that the effect on the food supply and the cost of the food supply on the shelf would be minimized instead of maximized by leaving it in the field and letting it go to waist,” said Bronson.

Governor Crist said people need to be careful when trying to stay warm in the cold weather.

“Floridians need to take heed of the fact that we are going to have some awfully cold weather and to not only protect their plants but make sure they stay warm and stay smart and that they have the kind of heaters that don’t cause fire or damage,” said Crist.

The trucking restrictions ban will be in effect for the next two weeks.

Governor Charlie Crist has 14 days to review the budget before he signs it.

The state constitution gives Crist a line item veto. He can cancel a cut made by lawmakers, which would restore an item to its original amount. Lawmakers voted for a billion dollars in spending cuts to education, health care, and other state funded services. Crist said he plans to veto some of the spending cuts.

“I’ll review over the next 14 days other reductions that the legislature had to go through. And I want to thank the legislature again, because it’s important to realize it’s a tough job that the members of Senate and House had in order to have the kind of reductions in the billions of dollars, that’s not easy, so we’ll be reviewing all of that to see if we can help,” Crist said.

Lawmakers took more cash from schools than Crist recommended. The Governor said he plans to veto an 11 million dollar cut to a program that awards teachers for success in the classroom.

The Head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is thanking Governor Charlie Crist for the state’s response to Tropical Storm Fay.

Outgoing FEMA Administrator David Paulison met with Crist at the state capitol Thursday. FEMA has spent weeks preparing for President-Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony. Three million people are expected to attend the swearing in ceremony. Paulison said FEMA will work with the FBI and the Secret Service to keep the crowd safe.

“We will make sure that we’ve go our command post up and running. We would handle the consequence management side if anything should happen. We’re working with the Department of Health and Human Services to make sure we have plenty medical in place,” said Paulison.

The inauguration is Paulison’s last task. He will step down from FEMA on Tuesday after the inauguration.

Florida continues to wait on an economic stimulus package from Washington.

In December Governor Charlie Crist met with President-Elect Barack Obama and asked him for seven billion federal dollars. Most of the money would be spent on road construction, with about a billion going to health care programs. Crist said Florida’s Congressional Delegation has been working hard to find money for the state.

“I’m encouraged by the kind of conversation and discussion they’re putting forward. That stimulus package can be very important to Florida and can certainly be a big help to us and the way I look at it is that Florida deserves it’s fair share. You know of our fellow Floridians have sent a lot of their hard earned money to Washington and, we’re a donor state, and it occurs to me that this is an opportunity for a donor state to get our fair share,” said Crist.

On the campaign trail Obama said he’d find money to help flailing state budgets. The president-elect says passing an economic stimulus package is one of his top priorities.

Florida recorded the second highest foreclosure rate in the nation for 2008.

The state’s foreclosure rate is up more than 130 percent from 2007. Statewide, one out of every 22 homes received at least one foreclosure filing. Governor Charlie Crist said Florida needs help from the Federal government to solve the housing crisis.

“It’s not rocket science. Instead of balancing the books of the lending institutions, this needs to be utilized to help people. That’s really what it’s all about, and I think the new administration understands that and will get about the business with out help and make that happen,” said Crist.

A statewide moratorium on housing foreclosure expired Thursday.

Soon, grass in Florida will be used to make cellulosic ethanol.

The state gave Verenium, a Northeastern energy company, seven million dollars to build a plant that will turn grass into fuel. The plant will be built in Highlands County and company officials expect to be creating ethanol by 2011. Verenium President Carlos Riva said his company will make Florida a key player in ethanol production.

“Traveling down this path, I believe, will enable us to produce more food, more fuel, and lower carbon emissions all at the same time. Here’s a way to produce the next generation’s environmentally friendly bio-fuel all while creating new jobs for local economies at a critical time and in a region where it’s desperately needed,” said Riva.

Besides creating construction jobs, the plant will bring more than 140 full time employees.

The fugitive pilot who crashed his plane to fake his own death will remain in a Tallahassee hospital another night after attempting suicide. Marcus Schrenker now faces Federal charges for sending a false distress signal. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Schrenker will be transported to Pensacola when his condition improves.

Hear it Here: Schrenker in Hospital

Marcus Schrenker began raising suspicions at this Gadsden County campground when he didn’t pay for a second day, and when he didn’t interact with others.

“We hadn’t seen him moving around to eat, no movement out of the tent. Nothing at all,” campground owner Caroline Hastings said.

Police called the campground at 7 Tuesday night, asking about suspicious activity. The
owners then met sheriffs deputies outside the campground entrance.

“As soon as they unfolded the picture, I said that’s him,” Hastings said.

Within three hours, US Marshals were leading the arrest team. The first thing they noticed was a large amount of blood.

“He was trying to say that he didn’t want any medical attention. He mentioned the word ‘die’ one or two times,” US Marshal Frank Chinmento said.

Blood thinning and pain killing pills were found at the campsite. Schrenker remains in a Tallahassee hospital.

When Schrenker is released from the hospital, he’ll be taken to Pensacola where he’ll be housed in the Escambia county jail.

US Marshals say Friday is the earliest he will be released.

“Court, at the earliest, would most likely be Monday, in Pensacola,” US Marshal Scott Wilson said. “He’ll undergo an initial appearance, an arraignment, and possibly a bond hearing.”

Should Schrenker post bail, he will be held for Indiana authorities.

Schrenker, 38, faces two felonies in Indiana. One count for an unlawful act by a compensated adviser and another for unlawful transaction by an investment adviser. He is also facing Federal charges of willfully damaging, destroying or wrecking an aircraft.

The U-S House of Representatives today voted to raise the national cigarette tax by sixty-one cents, making the tax an even buck. Florida advocates have been pushing a state cigarette tax hike of a buck. Now they are concerned the federal action may preempt a hike on the state level. Here’s a portion of the email circulating today:

Great public health news from our nation’s capitol today, as the U.S. House adopted a 61-cents per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax, with Senate action expected to follow in the very near future. While this federal movement could impact our concurrent efforts in Florida to raise our state’s woefully low cigarette tax, we will continue to press on. The prospects of leveraging a higher federal levy with an increased state tax represents one of the greatest public health opportunities of our time.

State lawmakers have voted to cut spending, drain trust funds, and raise traffic fines to fill the 2.4 billion dollar budget shortfall. Taxes were off the table in this round, but as Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers are already looking to regular session in March to put new taxes to a vote.

Hear it Here: Lawmakers Pass Budget Plan

With the bang of the gavel state lawmakers began the tremendous task of filling the state’s 2.4 billion dollar budget hole. While lawmakers were cutting the budget, education and health care advocates watched in disgust.

“Florida is going to have a catastrophe because the cuts for hospitals and schools are going to get worse,” said Florida Council 79 spokesman Doug Martin.

Lawmakers are voting for a billion dollars in spending cuts. Education, health care and social service programs are hit the hardest. Democrats were voting no.

“At this point in time we have to really get rid of that philosophical divide and focus more on what we can do to help the people in the state of Florida,” said Democratic Minority Leader Franklin Sands.

Democrats say new taxes are needed to protect education and health care. Republican Will Weatherford said he can’t imagine asking Floridians for more money now.

“I can’t vote for a tax increase on a person who can’t pay their mortgage right now,” said Weatherford.

But next year’s budget is just around the corner. The break for lawmakers won’t be long. Lawmakers will take up next years budget in less than two weeks and the picture isn’t pretty.

State revenues are expected to fall by as much as another 4 billion next year. Governor Charlie Crist plans to veto some of the education spending cuts passed by lawmakers. Crist said the first thing on the agenda is an 11 million dollar cut to program that pays teacher for success in the classroom.

The budget will now go to Governor Charlie Crist.

Lawmakers imposed harsher cuts to education than Crist had suggested. He’s been meeting with education advocates this week and plans to veto an 11 million dollar cut to a program that rewards teachers for success in the classroom.

“Are you going to veto that education cut?” a reporter asked. “As it relates to the teachers bonuses? I believe so. I’m going to meet again this afternoon with Jerry McDaniel in our office and continue to review and look at it very closely,” said Crist.

Despite Crist’s appetite to save education spending, Crist still opposes new taxes. The Florida Education Association is pushing for a penny sales tax increase to keep funding off the chopping block in March.

Governor Charlie Crist is listening to stories from Florida’s unemployed.

Wednesday Crist toured a Workforce Plus sponsored job fair and met with people looking for work. Florida’s unemployment rate is at a 15 year high at 7.3 percent. Crist said it important to encourage people to keep looking for work.

“This is so important and that’s why we have to keep working and keep pushing forward and create opportunities for people to be employed. I would encourage all Floridians who are looking for work to go to the website, www.employflorida.com, one word. It’s important to continue to push forward, help our fellow Floridians do everything we can,” said Crist.

The state will release the latest unemployment figures for Florida on Friday, January 23rd.