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With just three weeks to go until the start of Hurricane Season Florida finally has an interim director to run the Division of Emergency Management.

The Division’s former director, Craig Fugate, is being tapped to head up FEMA. Tuesday Governor Charlie Crist promoted the division’s deputy director Ruben Almaguer to interim director. Almaguer said the state is ready to respond if a storm hits.

“The message is real simple and clear. Florida is in good hands. The same team that was in place last week is the same team that’s in place this week. The same capabilities that we had yesterday are the same capabilities we have today. Florida is in good hands because we have a strong leader in the governor, and with the local government emergency management directors and state agencies, Florida is prepared for the 2009 hurricane season. My question is, are you prepared for the 2009 hurricane season,” said Almaguer.

Tuesday Louisiana Senator David Vitter gave up his fight to block Craig Fugate’s appointment, clearing the way for his confirmation.

Governor Charlie Crist today made official his entry into the US Senate Race. He was immediately endorsed by the Chairman of the Republican US Senatorial Committee. And as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the governor chose a decidedly low key approach.

The Crist announcement came in the form of a low key email just after 9 a.m. Then at a news event to introduce the new acting state emergency director, Crist had to be asked about the race and seemed almost bashful.

“The challenges that Florida faces are not just Florida challenges, they are national issues,” Crist said. “And as a result of that, I believe I can best serve the people of Florida, if they’re willing to allow me, as their next U.S. Senator.”

Then the governor was off to promote college for veterans and celebrate the state’s Spanish heritage.

By downplaying his Senate candidacy and showing up at three public events, the governor is basically saying to the public, ‘look, I’m doing my job.’

Crist’s popularity is astronomical. And although they can’t vote yet, he surprised these school kids from Pensacola by shaking each of their hands and making an impression.

He has the same affect on adults including state representative Clay Ford.

“He’s a shoo-in,” Ford said. “He’ll campaign hard, of course.”

Even Democrats concede he is the front runner.

“I think a lot of it depends on the type of campaigns that are run, but I would say the governor enters as the favorite in both the primary and the general,” Rep. Ron Saunders (D-Key West) said.

The First Campaign theme is already developing. Democrats are saying Crist is abandoning the state in a horrible mess. The Governor says he wants to go off to Washington to fix things.

Crist is expected to have primary opposition from former House Speaker Marco Rubio of Miami. Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek and State Senator Dan Gelber are running on the Democratic side. There are also several lesser candidates interested in the race.

State Tourism Officials kicked off the Viva Florida! Campaign today urging Floridians to visit Pensacola and St. Augustine to celebrate the state’s Spanish heritage.

Pensacola was the first attempted Spanish settlement in the US and the first thanksgiving was celebrated by the Spanish in St. Augustine. Today Counsel General of Spain Santiago Cananas Ansorena told the assembled crowd that his government was thankful.

“I want to say, on behalf of the Spanish crown, on behalf of the Spanish government, and on behalf of the Spanish people, that we want to thank the state of Florida, its governor, its people for all your efforts in preserving our common heritage, our common history,” Ansorena said.

Prior to the ceremony, several dozen students from the Pensacola Episcopal Day School had a surprise encounter with the Governor. The students were at the Mission San Luis in Tallahassee to wrap up a year of study.

After just two years on the job, Governor Charlie Crist is expected to make his political plans known tomorrow. The Governor is widely expected to announce he will seek Florida’s open US Senate seat in 2010, which as Mike Vasilinda tells us, will lead to a political free for all in Florida Politics.

Governor Charlie Crist and his wife arrived back in the Capital via commercial airline after contemplating his political future over the weekend. Crist has been widely rumored to be seeking Florida’s vacant US Senate Seat . On Monday he did nothing to dampen the speculation.

“They are two incredible positions of public service, whether it’s the U.S. Senate or Governor,” Crist said. “So it’s a tough decision.”

National Democrats have spent the last two weeks running negative Crist ads in the Tallahassee market.

From all three cabinet offices to the Governor’s office, a Charlie Crist candidacy for the U.S. senate is likely to set off the biggest free-for-all in Florida politics in more than three decades.

All three Cabinet Officers are expected to seek the governor’s job, creating a domino effect across state office holders. Democratic spokesman Eric Jotoff says he hopes Crist does try to go to Washington.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for democrats to make gains and we’re ready, we’re energized and organized to take advantage of this opportunity,” Jotkoff said.

The names of at least two democrats are mentioned for just about every statewide office, but the GOP chairman is working to minimize the number of people competing in a primary.

“He would like the party to be unified going into the 2010 election,” Republican Party spokesperson Katie Gordon said.

If Crist does jump into the Senate race he immediately becomes the frontrunner. But 18 months is a long time until the election and frontrunners have lost before.

The Governor says he will end the suspense on Tuesday, but a time and place is yet to be publicized.

Eight houses in Port St. Joe are sinking after being built on wet land filled with wood chips and sold to black families by the St. Joe Company.  The company is fighting a law suit over the houses, which could end up costing taxpayers if the families default on government backed loans. Tuesday, the families and more than  50 people are expected to protest outside the headquarters of the St. Joe Company. Attorney Ben Crump says the goal of the protest is to make sure the companies stock holders know what St. Joe has done.

“We want the company do to the right thing,” Crump said. “That’s simply to let these people have decent housing. Give them a decent house to live in. They made that investment, an investment in the American Dream. They didn’t want anything else but their chance at the American Dream. They worked hard all their lives, some of them are working two and three jobs to get this house, they’ve got USDA loans from the government to buy their houses. So not only does St. Joe deprive them, they also deprived the U.S. government.”

St Joe has argued the families, which bought the homes in the late 1980’s, waited too long to bring their case to court.

Supporters of a central Florida man sentenced to death more than 30 years ago are asking Florida’s Attorney General to reopen the case. Tommy Zeigler was convicted of murdering his wife and their parents on a Christmas Eve. He has always claimed his family was the victim of robbers. The supporters say evidence discovered more than a decade after the trial should be considered, but courts have ruled it was discovered too late to be admissible.

“That’s why we believe the attorney general of Florida needs to open the case and say, let’s have an investigation and if this evidence is indeed credible, then let’s present it to a jury and let a jury decided whether this man is guilty based on all of the evidence,” supporter Ray McEachern said.

One piece of new evidence is a police report dealing with blood splatter at the crime scene that Zeigler supporters say proves Zeigler was himself a victim rather than a perpetrator. The report was never given to defense attorneys.

Heath Care, education and law enforcement groups are calling on the legislature to change the way it balances the budget. The budget passed Friday relies on increased fees, stimulus dollars, and spending cuts to make ends meet. As Whitney Ray tells us, the groups are calling for more tax reform to bring the state out of the economic crisis.

Higher fees on drivers, a cigarette tax and spending cuts will help fill a three billion dollar state budget hole. Lawmakers went into overtime to balance next year’s budget, but many complaints remain. State workers, including many law enforcement officers, will see a pay cut.

“They really got hammered this year. They are going to take a two percent pay cut most of them,” said PBA Spokesman Matt Puckett.

Democrats pushed for tax reform to save state employees from the budget ax.

“There were things left on the table, there were lots of ideas,” said Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda.

Calls to end sales tax exemptions on bottled water and 50 other items and services were killed. A plan to collect taxes on internet sales also fell by the wayside. Instead lawmakers turned to Washington.

Federal stimulus dollars saved the state budget this go round, but the cash runs out soon. Advocacy groups say stimulus dollars are allowing the legislature to postpone the problem. John Hall with the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy said tax reform can’t wait.

“Florida can broaden the base of its taxation. Lower the rate and produce a revenue structure that fairer, able to withstand economic downturns and better meet the needs of this great state,” said Hall.

Advocacy groups say they’ll spend the rest of the year trying to convince legislative leaders to consider new tax ideas. None of the spending cuts in the state budget is final just yet. Governor Charlie Crist still has to sign off on the deal, but he’ll likely make few changes.

A New Jersey mom is in Florida paddling to a change government policy.

Margo Pellegrino took a break from her 1,200 mile kayaking trip to meet with Governor Charlie Crist this afternoon. Pellegrino is kayaking from Fort Pierce to New Orleans to rally support for a clean oceans act. Pellegrino said on her trip she has seen the good the bad and the ugly.

“I’ve seen lots of schools of fish, little fish, and dolphins and sea turtles. And then I’ve seen some not so pretty aspects, well, pollution,” said Pellegrino.

Pellegrino is collecting “messages in bottles” at stops along the way. She plans to give the letters to lawmakers.

It’s been almost a year since the Florida Supreme Court voided the original Seminole Gaming Compact saying it lacked legislative approval. Friday lawmakers gave their approval. As Whitney Ray tells us, now the question is, will the tribe accept the new deal.

Card games and Vegas-style slots got legislative approval almost a year after the Supreme Court struck them down. The new Seminole Gaming Compact gives the Indian tribe Blackjack at its Broward and Tampa casinos but not at thee southwest Florida resorts.

“This bill has not been about blowing up and expanding gaming to every corner of the state of Florida,” said Representative Esteban Bovo.

The House moved from its no-new-gaming position to reach a comprise with the Senate.

“I don’t think that the fact that we are extending blackjack in the Indian facilities is making House members particularly happy. We would prefer not to have that in the bill,” said Representative David Rivera.

The selling point for the House was money. The state will receive 300 million during the first year of the compact, and at least 150 million each following year. All the money from the compact will be put into a trust fund for education.

The new compact includes the state’s parimutuels. Lobbyist Ron Book fought for the changes.

“It lowers the tax rate, it opens up the poker limits in parimutuel establishments. It ups the hours,” said Book.

And with the parimutuels, the legislature, and the governor happy with the agreement, all eyes are on the Seminoles to see if they’ll call or try to raise the bet.

The Governor and the Seminole Tribe will still need to work out the details of the compact. After the bill passed the tribe released a statement praising the legislature but reminding everyone there is still more work to be done.

State lawmakers that helped pass a prescription drug monitoring bill are now asking the governor to veto the legislation.

The reason, a prescription drug monitoring database in Virginia was hacked. The hacker claims to have 35 million prescription records and is asking for a 10 million dollar ransom. Representative Carl Domino said if Florida creates a drug monitoring database what happened in Virginia could happen here.

“Many people who voted for the bill now want it vetoed. I assume the governor will do the responsible thing and veto the bill because there’s not a single protection in that bill that will protect against what’s happening in Virginia,” said Domino.

Florida is one of only 12 states that doesn’t have prescription drug monitoring database. Drug dealers from as far away as Tennessee travel to Florida to stock up on painkillers.

Smokers, drivers, people fishing from shore, and those who use the courts will all pay more starting in July. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, state lawmakers are raising two billion dollars and calling them user fees.

Drivers will pay more for almost everything. Car tags will double. Renewing your driver’s license will cost an extra two bucks. Forgetting to renew a license will be even more expensive, going from one to fifteen dollars. Adding a new car to your family fleet will also cost more.

“It would go from 100 to 225 dollars,” Rep. Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando) said.

Fishing from shore used to be free. It will now fifteen bucks unless you are poor.

“Imposing 1 billion dollars in new fees called taxes, the bad outweighs the good,” Rep. Joe Gibbons (D-Miami).

Homeowners could also see higher property taxes. School boards will get the option of adding an extra 25 dollars for every hundred thousand dollars of a home’s value.

“That discretionary millage would have to be first voted upon by a super majority of the school board,” Rep. Anitere Flores (R-Miami). “And then after that the voters would have the final say in the November 2010 election.”

Cigarettes will also cost more starting in July. A buck a pack more.

Health advocates say, in addition to almost a billion dollars for the budget, Florida will be healthier.

“It’s going to save lives, and most importantly, it’s also going to protect kids,” Paul Hull with the American Cancer Society said. “Over 300,000 kids will never take up a cigarette because of this measure today.”

Homeowners with Citizen’s Insurance may also pay more. Lawmakers authorized rate hikes of up to 10 percent a year. But all of the fees must still be approved by the Governor.

Law enforcement agencies are being required to develop policies for dealing with confidential informants under legislation signed by Governor Charlie Crist. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the legislation is the result of the death of a 23-year-old FSU graduate while working as a confidential informant in a drug deal gone bad.

A year ago, 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman was killed in a drug deal gone bad. Since then her parents and friends have worked to gain protections for confidential informants like Rachel.

“I don’t understand the reason why you would send a 23-year-old girl who got busted for marijuana in to buy a gun, 1500 ecstasy pills, and 2 ounces of cocaine,” Jason Jones, a friend of Rachel’s, said.

A grand jury found the Tallahassee police had violated their own policy. Four officers were disciplined, one was fired.

As a tearful father looked on and with a whir of cameras, Governor Charlie Crist used the first anniversary of Rachel’s death to sign the nation’s first legislation protecting informants.

“The emotional pain doesn’t leave, and I think that you just have to go through it,” Irv Hoffman, Rachel’s father said. “I wouldn’t wish it upon anybody else.”

Police agencies, who originally opposed the legislation can no longer promise more lenient sentencing for cooperating. It also requires them to consider age, maturity, and whether a person is in a court ordered drug program.

“I wish you all had an opportunity to know Rachel,” Margie Weiss, Rachel’s mother said.  “This is the only way to make sense of her life.”

The legislation says those in charge of informants must regularly review procedures  that are in place. The next stop for Rachel’s parents as they left the Capitol was to visit their daughters grave.

Two men are charged with First Degree murder in Rachel Hoffman’s case, and while the bill doesn’t offer as much protection as her parents originally wanted, they say they will come back to lawmakers next year for more.

Governor Charlie Crist believes the Seminole Tribe will accept the gambling compact being offered by lawmakers. The deal lets the tribe keep card games such as black jack at four casinos, but does not allow the banked card games at three others. It also requires the Indians to pay the state a minimum 150 million a year.

“To be perfectly honest, I was concerned that it might not happen,” Crist said. “I was just delighted by Senator Alexander’s great work, by Representative Galvano’s work, and the leadership, our Senate president, president Atwater, Speaker Cretul. They both had to make concessions in order for it to work. That’s kinda they way things are. That they came through so well for Florida’s children and education, it’s huge.”

The gambling legislation also throws a bone to dog tracks operating slot machines by lowering their tax rate from 50 to 35 percent.

State health officials say the fear of swine flu is lessening. Call volume to the state hotline is down from a high of eleven hundred calls a day to just over three hundred. Florida still has only five confirmed cases, but  22 probable cases.  Surgeon General Ana Viamonte Ros believes the lack of severity of the flu strain is one of the reasons for a calmer public.

“I think they’re calming down for medical reasons,” Viamonte Ros said. “The disease continues to be of low severity, from what we’ve seen. I think that we’re pushing out so much information already to the public and to our providers, that the need to call in, the need to ask more questions is subsiding because of just the amount of information already out there. So yes, I would say it is.”

Officials continue to advise anyone who is ill to stay home.

Governor Charlie Crist is one of about ten thousand state employees who make more than forty-five thousand dollars a year and who will be taking a two-percent pay cut. We asked the Governor what that would mean to him personally.

How are you going to cope with a two percent less in your personal paycheck?

“I’ll just tighten my belt a little,” Crist said.

Do you have an idea of what you might do without?

“What I might do without? Maybe steak?” he replied.

The Governor’s current salary is $132,931.56, which means he’ll do without more than one steak. His share of the budget pain comes to twenty-six hundred and fifty-eight dollars.