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Governor Charlie Crist says he’s close to announcing a new head of the Department of Children and Families. DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth retired last month. Assistant Secretary George Sheldon was named interim director of the department. Governor Crist said Sheldon is making a good case to take over the department.

“I’m looking forward to reviewing his performance. I think he’s done an exemplary job thus far and hope to be able to announce that soon and very shortly,” said Crist.

Former Secretary Bob Butterworth says Crist should make an appointment from within the department. Sheldon worked alongside Butterworth for the past year, and has been credited with helping him set a record number of adoptions and bringing more transparency to DCF.

Some State Farm customers will receive refunds or credits after regulators called the insurer on the carpet for not discounting policies for people who hurricane proofed their homes. As Whitney Ray tells us, the news has other insurance companies checking to see if they owe their policyholders a discount.

Hear it Here: State Farm Refunds Customer, Other Insurers Could Follow

The Office of Insurance Regulation ordered State Farm to shell out 120 million dollars to customers who storm proofed their homes, but never received a discount. Regulators say other insurance companies could owe their policyholders.

“To the extent that we find others who are not in compliance we will take action there. We expect all companies to comply with these rules,” said Belinda Miller, the Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Insurance Regulation.

Industry experts say insurance companies are trying to play ball, but the rules aren’t clear. They say the formula used to lower rates caused some problems.

“It created some computer problems for a lot of companies and in fact the results of some of the discounts were weird. Insurers would have to pay you for the privilege to offer you insurance,” said Sam Miller with the Florida Insurance Council.

State regulators say it’s not that complicated.

“It’s a table. You look at the home. You have an inspector do an inspection of the home, certify what mitigation features the home has and its really black and white, what discount is required,” said Belinda Miller.

State Farm saw it differently. Now they’re offering refunds. They’ll also pay an extra million to the Florida Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund.

The order comes after regulators shot down State Farm’s request to raise rates more than 47 percent.

State Farm isn’t alone. Allstate and Farm Bureau were also denied increases. Now those companies will be checking to see if they owe customers a discount. The Office of Insurance Regulation is conducting a study to see if any changes are needed to its discounting standards for policyholders who hurricane proof their homes.

More than 740,000 Floridians are at a higher risk of becoming victims of identity fraud after a New York bank lost their personal information. Floridians who do business with the Bank of New York Mellon Share Owners Services are being asked to review their accounts for any unauthorized charges. The bank lost backup data with customer names, addresses and account numbers. The state Attorney General’s Office is getting the word out to customers. AG Office Spokeswoman Victoria Heller said those at risk need to contact the bank.

“Anyone who owns stock who thinks they may have had any kind of relationship with Mellon, needs to contact the Mellon bank and find out if they’re on that list and what they need to do to protect themselves,” said Heller.

The bank is offering free credit checks to customers who had their information lost.

AG Won’t Challenge Gay Adoption Ruling

The State Attorney General says he doesn’t plan to appeal a decision by a circuit judge who ruled against the state’s gay adoption ban. The Monroe County judge ruled in favor of an openly gay foster dad who wanted to adopt the boy he was raising. Florida law has banned gay adoption for the past 31-years.

Typos could keep some Florida voters from casting a ballot on Election Day. A state law requiring voter registration information to be checked with state and federal databases was reinstated this month. The law will deny people from casting a ballot if their social security or drivers license numbers don’t match the information on the databases. Secretary of State Spokeswoman Jennifer Davis said it’s not too late to correct your registration information.

“We have processes in place right now were the voter can correct any typographical errors. We actually have a process even before the prospective voters involved were the bureau corrects any typographical errors they can identify and then if it’s not resolved it’s sent to the county and they notify the prospective voter and then they have a chance to correct it up to two days after Election Day,” said Davis.

The Secretary of State’s Office will also send letters to people who don’t have the correct information on their voter registration forms.

A judicial candidate who may or may not have won his primary in Palm Beach County is asking the Governor to call a special election. His request comes after a recount produced 3,500 fewer votes than the original tally. A Tallahassee court is slated to hear the case. A spokesman for the Governor says they’ll wait until the judge rules before considering a special election. The main concern is with voters statewide who expect a tight Presidential race, but want assurance a 2000 type fiasco won’t happen this year. Secretary of State Spokeswoman Jennifer Davis said her office will send people to help at Palm Beach County polling sites on Election Day.

“Everything in Palm Beach worked fine. All processes worked fine up through election day. Where there seemed to be an issue was with ballot counting once those ballots came back into the supervisor’s office for the recount. We’re working very closely with Palm Beach County to make sure the right procedures are in place to make sure those issues don’t happen again,” said Davis.

There are more than 800,000 registered voters in Palm Beach County.

Car wrecks are the leading cause of death among teenagers, and a highway safety group is asking Florida and other states to raise the legal driving age from 16 to 18, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the idea of changing the driving age isn’t getting support from the Governor.

Hear it Here: Raising The Legal Driving Age

Last year Ashlynne Feely depended on her parents for rides to and from school. Now Ashlynne helps her mom take her brothers and sisters to class.

“She has three other kids as well so she was constantly taking us back and forth, and with me being able to drive I was also able to help her out,” said Ashlynne.

If the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had its way Ashlynne would have to wait before getting behind the wheel. The group wants Florida to raise the legal driving age to 18.

While teenagers wreck more often than any other age group, 18 year old drivers are the most dangerous. They’re involved in more car crashes than 16 or 17 year olds. Sixteen year-old Savannah Kelly said 18 year old drivers can be a little too cocky.

“There getting too confident in their driving. They think they can do so much. While 16 year olds are scared. They don’t want to have their parents take away their keys,” said Savannah.

Governor Charlie Crist said he was ready to driving when he turned 16.

“I got my license when I was 16 years old and I enjoyed having it, so I don’t see any need for a change,” said Crist.

While teenage drivers face an increased risk of crashing, the biggest spike in fatal wrecks is among 21 year olds. In 2006, 42 people who reached the legal drinking age died on Florida’s roads.

While state troopers say they’re main safety concern is drunk driving, the Florida Highway Patrol will soon launch a website to help teenagers become safer drivers.

Going green could lower the state’s rising energy costs and unemployment rate. A coalition of environmental groups gathered in Tallahassee today to ask lawmakers to invest 100 (b) billion dollars in wind, solar, and bio fuels. That’s the same amount the government spent on stimulus checks this spring. A recent report claims opening up solar and wind plants in Florida would create 120,000 jobs. Florida Wildlife Federation spokesman Jay Liles said investing the money in alternative fuels would create four times as many jobs as drilling for oil off Florida’s coast.

“Drilling for oil is not going to put more people to work. We produce 85 million barrels of oil a day in America. That’s not going to change. So when we talk about the energy future, we’ve got to be talking about alternative energy,” said Liles.

US Senator Bill Nelson is backing the plan.

Despite a slight change of course and a drop in severity, some Floridians are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Ike. Wind gust up to 60 miles per hour are moving through the Florida Keys. Ike is now expected to make landfall in Mexico or Texas this Saturday. Emergency workers are warning people on Florida’s coast to watch out for wind gust and tornados. State Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate says once Ike passes people need to check on their boats.

“When this storm is safe you need to go check on your boats. If your boat is damaged, sunk, or leaking fluids you have the responsibility to make sure you secure your boats and provide for clean up. When its safe, go check on them, make sure they haven’t sunk, and they’re not a marine hazard, said Fugate.

Ike has been down graded to a category one storm. Meteorologists expect the hurricane to regain strengthen as it move across the Gulf of Mexico.

US Lawmakers seem poised to vote on lifting the federal ban on offshore oil drilling before the end of the month. The US Senate will look at two proposals to lift the ban and let individual states decide if they want drilling in their waters. One bill would allow drilling 50 miles off the coast of Florida and four other states in the Southeast. Governor Charlie Crist said states should have the right to choose.

“We have a tourist industry that’s incredibly important but I also understand the fact that we’ve become extraordinarily too dependant on foreign oil. Our founding fathers understood when they signed the declaration of independence, we need to be independent and that’s important and I would encourage our member of congress to support the opportunity to at least give state’s the individual freedom to make that decision,” said Crist.

Florida US Senator Bill Nelson voiced his opposition to lifting the ban and hinted at a possible filibuster if pro-drilling legislation gains too much support.

As Ike rolls through Cuba, Florida remains on high alert. The threat of a major hurricane hitting Miami or Tampa has some people asking if the state can rebound financially. As Whitney Ray tells us, Governor Charlie Crist is praying for the best.

Florida property insurers breathed a collective sigh of relief when Hurricane Ike switched course, sparing Miami-Dade County for now.

“Who knows what Ike would have done if it would have struck Miami as a 4 or 5, but it would have been one of the worst disasters Florida has had in decades,” said FIC Executive Vice President Sam Miller.

The threat isn’t just to life and limb billions of dollars in property insurance claims are also on the line. The state catastrophe fund is good for 20 billion, with a promise to sell eight billion in bonds to cover the rest. The Florida Insurance Council says it could be hard to find the extra cash.

“Right now the financial markets are in very bad shape. The state’s ability to timely sell that additional 8 billion to get it to 28 is very questionable,” Miller said.

If the big one hits this year your property insurance would increase. The cat fund was drained it wouldn’t just be homeowners who were paying more, assessments would go up on all property, including cars.

Every policyholder in the state would need to pay an estimated 16,000 dollars over the next 30 years. Governor Charlie Crist refused to comment on the scenario, but says he’s hoping for the best.

“I pray that it doesn’t. I’m sure you do to,” said Crist.

With the state’s financial health living on a prayer, some private insurance companies are asking for rate increases to prepare for a big storm. This spring lawmakers shot down a measure to lower the state’s risk.

Even though Hurricane Ike changed course, Floridians aren’t off the hook just yet. Ike is hitting Cuba as a category 2 storm and is expected to strengthen after it moves into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to make landfall in either Louisiana or Texas, but will travel near the gulf coast to get there. Governor Charlie Crist is asking people to stay on dry land.

“I encourage Floridians to stay out of the surf for the next few days. Deadly rip currents and rip tides and rough surf conditions are still a danger at many of our Atlantic Coast beaches,” said Crist.

Emergency workers want all Floridians to keep their hurricane supply kits ready and to know their evacuation routes.

Despite an unemployment rate that exceeds the national average, dwindling state revenue, and losing a spot on Senator McCain’s ticket… Governor Charlie Crist remains popular in Florida. A new Quinnipiac poll released today has Crist approval rate at 61 percent. Crist’s popularity in Florida peaked at 73 percent in March of 2007 but has remained steady around 60 percent this year. Assistant Director of the polling institute Peter Brown said Crist is one of the most liked governors in the country.

“Floridians like Charlie Crist a lot. They think he’s done a good job, they think he’s kept his campaign promises. He’s got two years to go before the election, but among sitting governors in the country, he’s in pretty good shape,” said Brown.

One governor more popular in her state than Crist is in Florida is McCain’s running-mate Sarah Palin. Palin’s approval rating among Alaskans is in the 90’s.

The day began with 3478 missing ballots in Palm Beach County. The ballots were cast August 26th and have come up missing as the state ordered a recount in a close judicial race. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, now the state is considering sending monitors to Palm Beach for the November election.

The 3478 missing ballots in Palm Beach county has state elections officials worried about November. The Secretary of State Kurt Browning is considering his options.

We’re not quite sure what direction we’re going to go yet with that” says Browning. “Whether we’re going to send a team in, whether we’re going to send an individual in, how long term”.

The election snafu caused the state canvassing board to certify every August 26th election result but one between two judicial candidates.

The next stop, ironically, a court room.

Since 2000, Palm Beach has gone from punch cards to touch screens and now, for the first countywide election, optical scans.

Governor Charlie Crist was asked “Do you think this will diminish voter confidence in the voting equipment?

He replied: “I hope not, I hope not. It shouldn’t.”

The drama will play out here in Tallahassee…because all election cases must be fought here. At least one of the best election lawyers in the state has already been hired.

The state is confident the votes are not lost but just misplaced and will eventually turn up. But that won’t be enough to settle the judicial race, or to quell fears that Florida could once again be a post child for inept voting.

“We’re trying to continue to dig us out of that 2000 hole that we’ve been put into” says Browning.

And the last thing election officials want is for the state to once again be the legal battleground for the Presidency.

Florida remains under a state of emergency in the face of Hurricane Ike. The state operations center is operating at peak levels with the potential of a category four storm hitting the state next week. Governor Charlie Crist says everyone needs to have a plan.
But shouldn’t panic.

“Ike is the fourth storm we have faced in less than a month; and we are still in the peak of what could become one of our most active tropical storm seasons. As I said yesterday that’s a lot coming at us but we must remain vigilant, focused, and calm”,
Says Crist.

The Governor will meet with 5 mayors in South Florida on Saturday to review their plans, then travel to Orlando to inspect a giant warehouse filled with water and other relief supplies.

Beginning Monday, Florida’s 9 through 12th graders are being asked to participate in a state wide arts contest called Arts Build Florida. The contest ends Nov 7th. Tom Prestopnik taught art in Martin county for more than 20 years. He says art was what kept many of his at risk students in school.

“It’s very important to keep them in the schools.”. Says Prestopnik. “In order for them to become productive members of our economic society. We don’t need them as a burden on society, we need them to be there producing.”

For complete rules go to: http://www.florida-arts.org/artcontest/