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Today was the deadline for all 50 states to submit plans to offer rebates on energy savings appliances. Florida is expecting over 17 million dollars to be returned to consumers over ten days in April, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, some dealers are wondering why the state is waiting so long.

Nationwide, 300 million dollars will be available for energy-saving appliance rebates. 17 and a half million will go to Florida customers who purchase one of six items.

Included are: Gas Tank-less Water Heaters

Room Air Conditioners

Clothes Washers

Refrigerators

Dishwashers

and Freezers.

Customers will see 20 percent rebates, up to 15 hundred dollars, but the state�s plan has them available only from next April 16th through the 25th.

�Looking at the recession, these appliances haven�t been moving,” Jeremy Susac with the Governor’s Energy Office said. “That was the impetus behind funding this initiative.�

The Florida Retail Federation, which represents big chains, helped negotiate the April dates to make sure stock would be available.

�If you�re going to increase demand, and we hope this will increase demand, you do need to give the manufacturers time to get the appliances in the store,” Samantha Padgett with FRF said.

During the 10 day program, the state estimates that the retailers will sell as many as 65,000 appliances.

But small retailers worry that other states with earlier dates could use up the nation�s inventory before Florida�s rebates begin.

�I�m a little bit concerned that there�s the possibility of stores actually selling out and manufacturers maybe not being able to supply products in a timely manner with such a tight time frame,” appliance store owner Ray Monroe said.

If there�s cash left at the end, the state says it will offer a second rebate on the best selling appliances.

If all 65 thousand appliances sell, energy savings would be equal to the electricity used by about 700 homes each year.

One of the state�s largest business groups, Associated Industries of Florida, is calling for an investigation into PSC Commissioner Nancy Argenziano. AIF is also releasing thousands of PIN messages between Argenziano and her staff, some of which are very unflattering of her fellow commissioners. AIF President Barney Bishop believes the messages show Argenziano has a bias against the pending Florida Power and Light rate case.

�These messages, I have them here, reveal thousands of Commissioner Argenziano�s covert communications about state business,” Bishop said. “Commissioner Argenziano obviously never intended for her embarrassing, unethical conversations to see the light of day.�

The messages also suggest other commissioners were using their Blackberry�s to discuss business with lobbyists and others. Argenziano in return is accusing AIF of trying to intimidate her and force her off the FPL rate case.

Dr. William Steele, a dermatologist and his wife claimed the first winning Powerball ticket sold in Florida today. The game began in January. The couple will take home more than a hundred million dollars, but says the money won�t do much to change their lives

�It�s a good thing for education,” Steele said. “We actually know, personally, another Powerball winner, from my past. So you always think, maybe if he won, I could win.�

“It was about four in the morning, I think, and I woke my wife up and said, honey, do you love me? And she said, I�ve always loved you,” he said. “And Isaid, I love you too, oh by the way…She said, no, you didn�t, go back to sleep. And I said, no honey, I did.�

�We wanted to be able to fuel our children�s dreams and help them be able to be of service, to work in the community,” wife Frankie Steele said. “And this well help them do that as well, so that�s part of our dream.�

The couple says they will set up a foundation and screening process to help distribute some of the money to those in need.

The tragedy of a murder-suicide on the Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay over the weekend points to a growing problem with the recession. Domestic violence is increasing. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, Shelters for abused women across the state are over capacity and turning people away.

Lele is picking up the pieces of her life. Pregnant and abused, she roamed the streets homeless until she found this shelter.

�I lost my job in June and everything just went downhill from there,” Lele said. “Light bill couldn�t be paid, rent couldn�t be paid. We didn�t have food, I didn�t have food stamps. Just things like that tore us apart.�

Advocates say there is a link between rising unemployment and increased domestic violence.

�If the batterer is unemployed, which many are right now, then he�s home more of the time, he has the opportunity to batter more often, and the severity is often worse,” advocate Tiffany Carr said.

�My husband couldn�t find a job and he was really, really stressed about it,” Deborah, an abuse victim, said.

Deborah says when the economy soured, so did her relationship.

�I went from sleeping in a car to staying in the waiting room at hospitals,” Deborah said. “I slept where ever I could sleep that made me feel safe. Until I got here.�

Not everyone is able to find the help or shelter they need.

Last year, more than 7,000 women and children were turned away from shelters like this one because there was no room.

Another three thousand victims across the state have been jammed into overcrowded shelters.

The catch 22 is that while the demand for shelters is at all time high, funding is at it�s lowest level in decades.

Some Stimulus cash has started flowing to domestic violence shelters to help homeless women and children. Shelters say they are seeing people who have never been homeless before.

The Attorney General�s office conducted a seminar for state agencies on how to preserve public records in new media and technology. The need came to light when it was disclosed that BlackBerry PIN numbers had been given to utility lobbyists. Deputy Attorney General Joe Jacquot says determining if something is public requires being able to save the material.

“The goal is to look at technology, the blackberry pins, to look at voice over IP, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and figure out how can agencies retain those messages and look at them and see if they are indeed public records,” Jacquot said.

An investigation by the Department of Law Enforcement has concluded that no criminal laws were broken when the PSC Pin numbers were given to the utility.

A six hundred and ninety-five page NCAA report on cheating by FSU athletes is now a public record. FSU released the records today after the First District Court of Appeal agreed with a trial court that the records were indeed public. Deputy Attorney General Joe Jacquot says the court fight sets an important precedent.

“You can’t hide public records behind new technology. As the technology grows, it needs to keep pace with the law. It’s important for Florida, for FSU. We’re talking about Bobby Bowden wins here and the public deserves to see documents related to that.”

If left to stand, the NCAA sanctions are important because they take 14 wins away from Coach Bobby Bowden, who trails Penn State�s Joe Paterno by four games as the winningest coach in college football history.

Governor Charlie Crist on Wednesday is asking the state Supreme Court to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate public corruption by government officials. The request comes on the heels of recent indictments of two elected officials and a well-connected Republican Party donor in Broward County. In calling for the investigation, Crist says no one case spurred the request.

“It doesn’t center around any one case at all,” Crist said. “Since I’ve been governor, unfortunately I’ve had to remove over 30 people from public office. That’s almost one a month. It’s obvious to me that something is wrong with the system. And that’s why I think it’s important to have a grand jury investigate, look into these string of crimes, if you will, and those that aren’t conviction yet, at least allegations.

If the court agrees, Statewide Prosecutor Bill Shepard could take up to 18 months for the investigation.

Democrat Alex Sink out raised her leading Republican in the race for Governor by a two to one margin during the last three months. Sink collected more than 1 point six million in cash, while McCollum raised just 852 thousand dollars. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the money is coming from big and small donors.

In the last three months Republican Bill McCollum raised 852 thousand dollars. But that is just half of the 1.6 million, raised by his likely Democratic opponent, Alex Sink.

�So we raised plenty of money,” McCollum said. “And we raised a lot of money into the party this last time. We put a lot of our efforts into that, which is of course essential for our race as well.

McCollum had over 4200 contributors. 1324 of them gave the maximum 500 dollars. But 349 of them gave less than 10. One of them is Retired judge Jene Owen. He gave McCollum 2 dollars because he said it�s important to be part of the process.

�It�s important, even to two dollars,” Owen said.

What is important to remember is that there�s still more than 10 months left in this race. And what�s been raised in this last quarter is going to be just a small fraction of the overall totals at the end.

Democrat Alex Sink says big numbers early do matter.

�It�s an important sign of the level and the type of support and enthusiasm that a candidate is getting when they go out and ask people, really to make an investment,� Sink said.

While Sink�s quarter looks strong, McCollum�s quarter is inviting to potential opponents.

A breakdown of Sink�s contributors was not immediately available.

Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Michael Arth, who complained he was shut out of the State Party Convention over the weekend, raised just 8 hundred dollars, although he did loan himself almost 12 thousand dollars.

The first H1N1 vaccines began arriving in Florida last week. Governor Charlie Crist was briefed by Surgeon General Ana Viamonte Ros that more is on the way quickly. The Governor says people should rely on common sense.

�I think that we�re getting about 100,000 vaccines that started coming in on Friday. That�s good news,” Crist said. ” [Dr.Viamonte Ros] informs me we�ll have probably 3 million by the end of the month, which is great. I think that the common sense approach is what we�ve talked about from the outset. That is, if you feel sick stay home. If you have to cough or sneeze, do so into your sleeve, you know, not into your hands. And to wash your hands periodically. And continue to apply those common sense rules.�

People are also being reminded to get not only H1N1 vaccine, but seasonal flu shots as well.

Two bills have been filed. One by a Democrat the other by a Republican, to require vacancies in the US Senate to be filled by election. George LeMieux was appointed to the seat vacated by retiring Mel Martinez in August. Governor Charlie Crist indicated he would sign the legislation if it reaches his desk.

�I prefer Democracy,” Crist said. “You know, I was happy to carry out my duty, but I think it�s always preferable to have the people win.�

Until 1917, US Senators were selected by state legislatures.

October is Hispanic Heritage Month in Florida. Governor Charlie Crist met with Hispanic business leaders about the difficult economic times, increased trade missions and possible countries for increased exports. The Governor says listening to business people from across the state helps him better understand their needs.

�The Hispanic community of Florida is extremely important to me as governor and for the health and vibrance of our entire state,” Crist said. “And to have the opportunity to visit with these small business leaders throughout the state and hear their concerns only helps us to be better stewards and servants for them.�

October is also Small Business Month.

The State�s Price Gouging statute is under attack by Exxon Mobile. The Oil Company says the statute is unclear. But Governor Charlie Crist, who used the law to clamp down on companies raising prices after hurricanes as Attorney General, disagrees.

�Oh yeah. I think is very clear,” Crist said. “You know, I think you know it when you see it. And I know a jury certainly would. And any consumer that has a good common sense approach would understand it very well, I think.�

The law doesn�t specify how much of a price increase constitutes price gouging, but rather suggest inappropriate increases during an emergency are wrong.

$1,156,837.31 of which $852,917.74 was in cash and $326,043.06 was in-kind, mostly from the Republican Party of Florida.

1324 people gave $500.00

2403 people gave 100.00 or less

349 People gave $10 or less

25 people gave $1.00

Latest fund-raising reports suggest former House Speaker Marco Rubio is now a viable contender against Charlie Crist in the GOP primary for the US Senate. Rubio reports almost one million in the last three months. Crist raised 2.4 million. While a million pales in comparison to Crist’s numbers, the million dollar quarter has put Rubio on the map

The almost 1 million raised by former House Speaker Marco Rubio has made him something he hasn’t been until now…a contender. Rubio’s fund raising still trails Charlie Crist’s by at least a four to one margin, but the money makes Rubio viable, and most imporantly, able to raise even more cash.

Political scientist Lance DeHaven Smith says Crist should take note.

“I think he’s got to excite the base a little bit more than he’s done,” DeHaven Smith said.

Claude Kirk was the first governor allowed to seek a second term, and he� did in 1970. Every other Governor all the way through Jeb Bush in 2002 has as well, except for our current governor.

Frank Smith and Julie Carter are registered Republicans from the Tampa area who we met touring the state capitol. Both know more about Crist than Rubio, but neither are ready to commit.

“I’m not going to automatically vote for Charlie, until I look at the opponent and what he’s done,” Smith said.

The 38-year old Rubio was featured on the cover of the conservative National Review, as a rising star of the right. DeHaven Smith says so what.

“Republicans have got to think though, that Charlie Crist would be a better candidate in the general election,” DeHaven Smith said. “So there’s going to be that concern, calculating voters, saying ‘gee, I like Rubio but can he win the general election.'”

Which makes Rubio’s road an uphill battle.

GOP party chair Jim Greer personally endorsed Crist. So has the National Senatorial Campaign. The state GOP refused to comment for this story.

Thousands of Floridians will head to the water this weekend to fish from piers and the shoreline. Since August, shore anglers have been required to pay about 9 dollars for a license, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, there is an effort underway to repeal the fee.

For the first time ever, people fishing from shore need a 9-dollar license to fish. It�s rubbing a lot of people, like Bill Williams, the wrong way.

�Why mess with something that�s good?� Williams said. �You�ve given that benefit to your people all along, why take it away?�

But the state argues the federal government will impose even bigger fees, 15 to 25 dollars,� on all fishing licenses if the shore license goes away. The purpose says Henry Cabbage, is to keep track of the catch.

�Shoreline anglers are taking from the resources,� Cabbage of the FWCC said. �It�s just a matter of what�s right, that they should contribute to maintaining the resources.�

Citing the economy, State Senator Don Gaetz has filed legislation to repeal the fee.

�There�s a way to ask people to keep track of their catches, without charging them money to fish,� Gaetz said.

Right now, only about one of every ten people who are expected to need the new license have actually gotten one so far.

Sam Cobb says if you want to fish, you need to pay the price.

�You probably don�t need to be fishing, because half the bait and lures cost more than 10 dollars,� Cobb said.

Ironically, the fact so few have purchased the license actually make it�s repeal more palatable, that�s because it will take fewer dollars out of a very tight state budget.