Welcome to

Several dozen Planned Parenthood volunteers were in the Capitol today protesting legislation that would restrict abortions. One bill would outlaw them altogether, while another requires doctors to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Elizabeth Lee came to object to legislation requiring a 24 hour waiting period before the procedure can be performed.

“Women should not be subjected to mandated state counseling on laws that are introduced and passed with the intent to shame, coerce, and judge them. Senate Bill 724, proposing a 24 hour mandatory delay on women seeking an abortion does not offer any health benefits for women. Implicit in this bill is the assumption that women who decide to have an abortion don’t carefully the decision” says Lee.

Planned Parenthood says it will be in the Capitol every week until the end of the session in May, fighting against andy restrictions.

9 aides to the Governor and Cabinet met today but refused to discuss an upcoming vote changing how agency heads are reviewed or hired and fired. Citing a law suit over the firing of FDLE commissioner Gerald Bailey in December, the aides are party to a law suit alleging they violated the Open meetings law by discussing the decision behind closed doors. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam expects a full discussion next week.

“It’s my expectation, based on the outcome of our last Cabinet meeting that we will discuss the reform proposals that I’ve put out there. Not only for the Cabinet’s discussion, but approval of reforms for the appointment process for future Cabinet agency heads, and stronger oversight of Cabinet responsibilities” says Putnam.

Rick Scott has refused to appoint a special investigator to look into the firing of the FDLE Commissioner. Putnam expects many involved to be disposed in a lawsuit filed by 14 media organizations.

Sweeping legislation to protect prison guards who report abuses and to protect inmates from officers and their supervisors cleared it’s second committee in the State Capitol today. The legislation seeks to change a culture of “us against them” prevalent among middle managers who order retribution against inmates. Sponsor Greg Evers of Baker says change is needed.

“They order certain types of punishment to these inmates, and they are expecting the correction officers to do the right thing, yet they are forcing them to cross that line.”

The legislation makes it a crime for officers and their superiors not to properly take care of inmates. It was inspired after an inmate was left in a scalding shower for more than an hour. He later died.

Legislation approved this afternoon by a House Committee would prohibit people from using a single sex bathroom of a sex other than the gender listed on a person’s drivers license. The bill is designed to keep people under going gender modification from picking and choosing which bathroom they want to use. Nadine Smith of Equality Florida opposed the bill, saying it could lead to lawsuits and fistfights.

“Because its poorly thought out, I don’t think you or anyone else wants to be asked to produce a drivers license when they are entering a rest room by somebody looking to invoke this law” says the equality Florida Director.

9 Republicans voted for the bill. Four Democrats against. Equality Florida says the legislation will open the door for anyone to sue a business because they did not monitor who was using which restroom.

Governor Rick Scott painted a picture of an improving economy during the annual State of the State address to open the legislative session, but Democrats and others say Scott is wearing rose colored glasses.

Governor Rick Scott entered the legislative chamber to modest applause that subsided before he reached the speakers platform. Once there he outlined a five point plan for improving Florida.

“Floridians can spend their money better than government can” says Scott.

Scott has proposed cutting cell phone and cable taxes saving average families just over  40 dollars a year. He wants to hold the line on graduate tuition.

Third,  Scott wants to invest in job training.

“Fourth, we recommend a historic increase in K-12 funding to above the historic level” he comntinued.

His final point was a nod to three out of four voters who approved money for land conservation.

“The final thing we must do to outcompete the world is keep Florida beautiful.”

Never did Scott say precisely what he thought the state of the state was, so we asked Republican Representative Clay Ingram.

“We’re good, we’re on the way up” says the Pensacola Republican who was elected the same year as Scott.

While the Governor called for making dreams come true, Senate Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner of Tampa and other Democrats say that can’t happen without adequate health insurance.

We begging. People are begging, Please expand Medicaid so I can be insured because one’s dream can’t come true if they aren’t healthy” says Joyner.0

And activists presented their own five point plan which included health care and better paying jobs. Rich Templin of the AFL-CIO took issue with the quality of jobs the Governor takes credit for creating,

“Why didn’t he point out that sixty percent of all those jobs created do not pay a living wage” says the labor activist.

One truism of 60 day legislative sessions is the few, even Governors, get everything they seek.

While the Governor is calling for tax cuts, it is local taxpayers who could see higher property tax bills to pay for education spending. Under the Governor’s plan increased cash from rising property values would pay for school increases, handcuffing local officials from lowering millage rates as values rise.

There was no smooth roll out of Florida’s new computer based testing this week. As Matt Galka tells us, lawmakers will have their hands full figuring out how to remedy the situation over the next two months.

More than half of Florida’s school districts reported some sort of problem with the new computer based standardized testing on Monday – prompting delays and suspensions of the assessment.  Senator Bill Montford says it was a predictable disaster.

“We knew this would happen for two years. It’s not surprising it’s disappointing,” he said.

The state’s department of education gave the all clear to resume testing Tuesday morning. There were far less problems reported on day two. Florida’s Speaker of the House said that despite technical glitches. The state would not be backing down from testing.

“I acknowledge there are legitimate concerns that have been raised about testing in this state, and we will address those concerns. But, we will not retreat from accountability,” said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.

A variety of factors – including technical readiness and the amount of time schools devote to testing – have prompted calls for a suspension of the test. At the very least, lawmakers say this year’s exams should be a beta test and not count towards school grades.

“If you’re a student in the classroom and you saw everything going on around you and knowing that it was sort of a disaster. Putting myself in those student’s shoes, I think we have to keep that option on the table,” said House Education Committee member Clay Ingram.

House Democrats say it may end up being a good thing the testing debacle happened a day before the start of legislative session

“We’re hearing if around the state right now, school districts are up in arms, the people are up in arms, and I think that type of uproar is really important, the timing couldn’t be better,” said House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford.

Lawmakers have 59 more days to try and figure it all out. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said he had not heard any calls to suspend the test, and was still waiting to talk to the Education Commissioner about why there were so many glitches.

Food deserts are defined as urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Today, the Senate Agriculture Committee in Tallahassee approved giving grocery businesses located in low income areas tax breaks of two thousand dollars or more if they stock healthy produce. State Senator Dwight Bullard offered the bill because he says even those with less money need to eat healthy.

“We want to be able to have some sort of grocery or vegetable option somewhere within ten or fifteen minutes of where they live, by foot, and we’re not seeing that in a lot of places, In rural communities naturally they area expands, but we still want something where they don’t have to drive 20, or 30 or 45 minutes away from home just to go to a good grocery store” says the Miami Democrat.

Only stores with sales of 15 million or less can qualify for the tax break.

Lobbyists, parents, and medical professionals packed a hearing at the State Department of Health to speak on proposed rules for the growing of low thc marijuana known as Charlotte’s Web. January first was a legislative deadline for having the rule ready, but challenges continue to delay the medicine. Bridget Bateman came to speak up for her soon to be 8 year old son Preston.

“Seizures since six months old. He was first diagnosed with infantile spasms, and has morphed into what they call med resistant intractable epilepsy. “

Q:”And you think this offers hope?”“ I do” says Bateman, who son turns 8 this week.

Orlando MD Minh D.Le  told the panel he has seven patients using the drug successfully in Colorado. He asked business interests delaying the rule to put patients ahead of money.

“The law was created for the children, not for the businesses, the greedy money hungry people out there. Yes, you have to sustain a business, but when you start something up, its high risk, high rewards.”

Today’s hearing was a workshop. The rule could take effect in about a month if there are no new challenges. Even then, the substance isn’t likely to be available for patients until the end of the year.

From one end of the state to the other, schools experienced trouble logging in to the first ever computer based standardized test. The troubles come as lawmakers are poised to consider reducing the amount of testing in Florida. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, today’s problems are fueling the calls for less testing.

Escambia County in the extreme western panhandle couldn’t log on to the Student Assessment test. Testing was postponed until Tuesday at the earliest. In the Tampa area, 18 middle schools couldn’t log on..and so the story went across the state. Last week Commission Pam Stewart told us. “We’re ready. The test is ready.”

But A Statement from the Department of Education now reads in part:

“This is a 90-minute test; students have a two-week window, plus a makeup window, to complete the test.” It goes on to say Stewart “is looking into any reported issues to determine the cause and will work to immediately resolve it.”

A handful of bills had already been filed before the first day testing debacle. Now lawmakers here are saying we told you so. State Senator Bill Montford is a former school superintendent. “ This is a problem with the exam itself. This is a problem with the lack of infrastructure. And this is a problem that is not unanticipated and its not unexpected.”

Montford has legislation that allows the test to be taken, but not count the results this year.

“Only a couple of school districts that I’ve heard from have been able to give it. All the rest of them have had difficulties. And this is a good clear indication that we need to slow down.”

Dwight Bullard goes further. He has a bill abolishing state standardizing testing all together. He would replace it with nationally standardized tests given once a year.

“Iowa Basic, Stanford Achievement” are examples says Bullard.

Before the delays, thousands of parents were planning to opt their kids out of the test. More are likely to do so.

Superintendents across the state have been warning of problems for the last two years. In 2012, when the state upgraded the FCAT, emergency action to lower the grading scale was taken to keep hundreds of schools from failing.