The Fine Print

How can Rick Scott regain momentum in 2013?

Amid the last round of lackluster poll numbers for Gov. Rick Scott political consultant Tony Fabrizio in mid-December wrote a one-page memo where he argued that it was way too early for people to write off Scott's chances for a second term.

Fabrizio used an interesting analogy: If President Barack Obama could win Florida a second time so could Scott. Download 12-19-12 Memo on Q Poll

 "Anyone who dismisses Governor Scott and his chances does so at their own peril. Governor Scott has nearly a year longer to reverse negative numbers similar to what the President had, therefore it seems irresponsible and hasty to count the governor out from making an equal, if not stronger, turn around."

Democrats this past weekend loudly announced that Scott's defeat will be their primary focus in the next cycle. The challenge of the Democrats, however, will be the ability of the party to have the resources to compete with what could be a very expensive race. And make no mistake: There are some in "Scott world" who are not troubled by former Gov. Charlie Crist as the nominee. That's because this will allow the campaign team to draw a clear contrast, especially when it comes to comparing how the state's economy fared under Crist and how it has fared under Scott.

It could also be argued that some of Scott's recent policy initiatives on tuition, voting and now teacher pay raises are aimed squarely at muting Crist on those same issues. Crist for example in 2009 signed the bill that gave universities in Florida the ability to raise tuition up to 15 percent a year until Florida's tuition rates reach the national average. Contrast that to Scott's firm insistence that tuition be held flat.

But the central question remains: What can Scott do on his own to turn things around in the coming year and heading into 2014?

The plain fact is that governors - unlike the president - have a much more limited fashion in which to engage with the public and convince them they are doing a good job.

One way is completely out of Scott's control: Show leadership through a crisis such as a natural disaster. Part of the enduring legacy - for example - of former Gov. Jeb Bush is the way he dealt with the wave of hurricanes that hit the state.

The difficulty for Scott rebuilding his brand and image in the second half of his term is that in many ways he's already been like three different governors.

Thanks to three different chiefs of staff he has approached governing, his agenda and his interaction with the press in distinct ways.

The first phase of Scott's governorship - where he was surrounded by people who helped his campaign including defacto chief of staff Mary Anne Carter - the governor staked out positions that excited the base of GOP voters who propelled him in the Republican primary and helped him get a narrow win over Democrat Alex Sink. He unveiled a budget that cut funding for education, he rejected billions in federal aid for high speed rail, he clashed with the Florida Legislature and his staff had a bunker mentality with the press.

The second phase under Steve MacNamara included a decision to have Scott engage in a two-way strategy with the press: Open up more to the mainstream media while also appearing on conservative talk radio shows to keep the base engaged. Also put in place was a more calculated strategy of trying to work with the Legislature. Take on the winnable battles like auto insurance reforms, avoid direct engagement (like in casino gambling) on issues that have an uncertain chance of success. Scott jettisoned parts of his campaign agenda such as pushing tough new laws on immigration. He became more accommodating to legislative initiatives and even embraced some of them such as the creation of Florida Polytechnic University. And Scott tried to undo the damage caused in the first phase by pushing for a funding increase in education.

Now with current chief of staff Adam Hollingsworth we have the third phase. Yet another strategy with the press. There are attempts to appear less rigid and more open to dialogue with opponents (hence the "discussions" over Obamacare with Washington D.C. or the dinner with top officials with the Florida Education Association.) And there's even a full 180-turn on hot topics such as voting where Scott - who signed the law that cut early voting days and defended it court - is now advocating an expansion of early voting beyond what was previously in place.

Moving ahead then here's the avenues left for Scott to try to change his trajectory with voters (outside the hope that the economy will continue to grow and that Scott will get the credit.)

SCOTT'S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA: Like it or not Scott's third year in office will in many ways revolve around what he accomplishes this spring. He will be judged by how much of his agenda is accepted or rejected by the GOP-controlled Legislature. Scott this week will present a budget that in many ways will attempt to highlight his new priorities, such as a flat across the board pay raise for teachers, a freeze on university tuition hikes and a cut in sales taxes for the purchase of equipment used in manufacturing. (More on this later this week)

But it should not be assumed that top lawmakers will bend to Scott's wishes as evidenced by the initial lackluster enthusiasm given Scott's teacher pay raise proposal. And we still don't have a clear idea on what will happen to the implementation of Obamacare, especially on expansion of Medicaid that is now an optional part of the federal health care overhaul. If Scott rejects expansion - which appears likely given his recent statements - will lawmakers buck him and dare the governor to veto it?

Scott's trump card, of course, is that he has the ability to shoot down any legislative proposals that he dislikes and he can use that as leverage to get what he needs.

Given Scott's recent populist turn on voting and teacher pay raises it will be interesting to see if he uses the veto pen as a way to distinguish himself from the Legislature. For example what does the governor do if a bill raising insurance rates for the 1.3 million customers of Citizens Property Insurance were to cross his desk on the eve of this year's hurricane season?

KEEP UP OPPOSITION TO THE PRESIDENT: In some ways Scott was actually better served by having President Barack Obama getting re-elected than having Republican Mitt Romney win. The down side to Obama's re-election is that the president and his allies have the capacity to assist the campaign of someone like newly-minted Democrat Crist. But Obama in the White House gives Scott - and the Republicans in general - something to rail about heading into 2014. You can see the narrative: "I stood up to the president on government controlled health care, we improved the economy without his help, we will not go along with his agenda on guns." You get the picture. And if Obama's numbers go underwater again then Scott gets to link Crist to the president.

SCOTT'S MEDIA STRATEGY: Largely unnoticed by the general public Scott's media strategy has in fact been altered with the entrance of new communications director Melissa Sellers. That's not to say that everything has been smooth sailing (witness the brouhaha over the return of Scott's dog Reagan.) But the press office's new strategy does appear to be one of cooperation (when it benefits the Scott agenda) and less direct confrontation. This means giving some in the press access in the hopes it will create a story that bolsters the governor.

This doesn't mean, however, that the press office is passive. Far from it.

The governor's office appears to be engaged in trying to get Scott's message out (which is amplified by the Republican Party of Florida, whose media operation is lead by former communications director Brian Burgess). It is then left to some of the agencies to push back against stories that the Scott administration does not agree with. Several agencies, for example, in recent months have put out press releases sent to all media outlets that attempt to debunk stories and even editorials that have appeared. (The changes at the Department of Environmental Protection being a key example.)

Meanwhile, the governor's press office is tracking media coverage even more closer than ever before. Emails show that the governor's entire staff is now getting "news alerts" that include snippets of stories and even tweets by capitol press corps reporters just moments after they hit the web and Twitter.

So will it all add up?

It's hard to say.

Part of the difficulty for those working for Scott is some of the missteps in the first two years have been self-inflicted. Democrats may not like some of Scott's policy initiatives but some of them have polled well with the general public i.e. drug testing for welfare recipients.

Those who have dealings with Scott will tell you up front that he studies details and takes times to understand complex policy issues.

But in many ways he has had to "grow up" in public and has drawn attention in ways he probably didn't intend (such as the incident with the King of Spain). In other instances, his staff did not appear to anticipate the political fallout over a decision (i.e. the cutting of the education budget, the signing of the Cuba-crackdown bill.)

The balancing act in the months ahead is whether Scott can find success with the Legislature and the economy and finally reverse his flat-lining poll numbers. Because even during a campaign there's only so much love money can buy.

Guess what part of the budget isn't getting cut under Gov. Rick Scott?

For the last seven years the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has compiled an annual report that measures how much money the state spends on protective services for the governor - as well as how much the state spent on security guarding other important visitors.

And it turns out that during the first full year where Rick Scott was governor the cost increased to nearly $2.5 million. That was an increase of nearly $264,000 from the previous fiscal year which covered six months when Charlie Crist was still governor.

It was also the highest total in the seven years FDLE has been keeping track of the expenses in this format.

Here's the AP story on the annual report which includes a statement from FDLE regarding the increased expenses under Scott.

Here's a copy of this year's annual FDLE report: Download Transportation and Protective Services Report 2011-2012 FINAL

One of the interesting highlights of the report is the transportation/expenditures costs for guarding Scott climbed nearly $100,000 from the previous year.

Scott, as you may recall, got rid of the state airplane and now uses his own private jet for many of his travels across the state.

A spokeswoman for FDLE pointed out that Scott does not charge the state when an agent accompanies him on the plane but did not provide details on why the transportation costs went up so much. It is also worth noting that during the 2011-12 fiscal year Scott did take three trips abroad to Brazil, Israel and Spain where he was accompanied by FDLE agents.

The report also shows that the overall cost for security increased this past year even though the cost of guarding governors and other visitors declined by $63,000.

Still the state spent nearly $295,000 providing security for 79 security details including ones for Gov. Bobby Jindal, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Jack Martell, First Lady Michelle Obama and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

That cost also includes more than $55,000 FDLE spent on costs associated with the Republican Governors Association conference held last winter in Orlando.

Bondi got a security detail when she attended the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court back in March. The cost to Florida taxpayers was $15,539.

Florida taxpayers also spent nearly $18,000 for five visits by Jindal to Florida - and more than $2,200 for a visit by members of his family.

The cost for two visits by the First Lady were just under $1,000.

Visits by Markell and his family cost more than $5,800, while the expenses of providing security for three visits by Haley and her family cost $13,460.

The report does not provide a copious amount of details about the expenses - other than breaking them up into salary costs, transportation and expenses and listing the trip as either "official" or "personal."

Rick Scott's long list of challenges

A beaming Governor-elect Rick Scott and his wife, Ann, showed up at the governor’s mansion on Monday night where they joined Gov. Charlie Crist and First Lady Carole Crist for a symbolic menorah lighting ceremony.

Scott helped 11-year-old Mendy Oirechman light the candles of a large menorah that was placed up against one of the front windows and he later held hands with Crist as they briefly danced with some of the rabbis in attendance.

The ceremony, which was started under former Gov. Jeb Bush, was a tangible sign of some of the many social responsibilities that come with being governor. But it also could be seen as a prelude of many of the large and small challenges that will confront Scott once he is sworn into office in early January.

During the half-hour ceremony, he was reminded of Florida’s insurance problems when he was asked whether he planned to follow Crist’s footsteps. Crist went to Jerusalem and placed a prayer in the Wailing Wall where he asked God to spare Florida from hurricanes.  Rabbi Schneur Z. Oirechman politely asked whether or not the mezuzah that now sits on the door jamb into Crist’s office would remain once Scott becomes governor. Crist back in 2007 took some heat from groups such as the ACLU for placing the religious symbol in his office.

But there are many other large challenges that are looming for the rookie governor whether it's the state budget mess, the dismal economy, Medicaid and even the brewing leadership battle for the Republican Party of Florida.

The complete rundown on Scott's challenges can be found here at the Florida Tribune.

Legislator says Scott will help make abortion nearly illegal in Florida

A state legislator claims in a new message to supporters that Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott has pledged, if elected, to throw his support behind a bill that would make abortion illegal in Florida in nearly all instances, including rape and incest.

An e-mail sent out by Rep. Charles Van Zant this week urges his supporters to vote for Scott because he personally promised to sign into law the "Florida Right to Life Act." Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, added that "Scott pledged that he would assist in advancing the Florida for Life Act through both Florida's House and Senate."

Van Zant, a minister and an architect, added in his e-mail that he had a follow-up conversation with Scott about whether the Naples businessman would make abortion illegal in Florida: "He immediately said 'Yes, that's what I believe and that's what I will do.' He telephoned me last week to assure me that he would keep this issue before our state government," Van Zant added.

Asked directly whether Van Zant's e-mail was accurate, Scott campaign spokesman Travis Burk said that "Rick Scott's pro-life position has not changed." Scott has in the past said he is opposed to abortion but does support it for the life of the mother as well as victims of rape and incest.

The Scott campaign refused to answer other questions about the e-mail. Repeated attempts to reach Van Zant were unsuccessful.

Legal experts say that if such a ban on abortion is approved in Florida, it will trigger a legal war that could reach the U.S. Supreme Court and have national implications.

Here's the entire story at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

And here's the entire text of Van Zant's e-mail regarding the governor's race:

Dear friends,

Thank you for the many concerned phone calls and e-mails regarding who to vote for in this election cycle.  Many of the races before us have become so controversial due to negative campaigning that the lines for voters are blurred unless you really know the candidates and the issues.  Below please find my opinion and recommendation regarding various state level races and issues, including candidates to vote for, ballot amendments and Supreme Court Judges.  Some have been difficult decisions but have been made with prayer and some based on conversations with the candidates themselves.  Local races for State Legislature, County governments and School Board are not included.

Although you will now have my opinion and recommendation before you, please pray and ask God who to vote for so that ultimately your vote is cast with personal conviction.  Another good thing to do is to look up the Supervisor of Elections website for your county and print out the sample ballot provided.  This will have additional candidates and issues that are not included in this e-mail.  Fill it in and take it with you to the voting booth.  This way you won't be making such important decisions at the moment of voting but will have them well thought out before you get there. 

Florida Governor: Rick Scott / Jennifer Carroll

Please read all the information regarding this recommendation as it is critical for you to be informed about this race.  First, I've known Jennifer Carroll for years.  She is a remarkably devoted conservative who consistently has stood for lower taxes, smaller government, and our free enterprise system while maintaining her allegiance to God and country.

I met Rick Scott during the Primary election and have spent time with him on two occasions and have talked to him on the phone and prayed with him several times. He has taken stands on key issues that define this election for conservatives. Florida's Governor will affect several neighboring states and the Judeo-Christian community of the entire region will be affected by his passage or veto of certain Bills. 

Regarding abortion: Rick Scott pledged that he would assist in advancing the Florida for Life Act through both Florida's House and Senate. He also promised that, once passed, he will sign it into law on behalf of Florida's unborn.  He also added that "in addition to changing our laws we need a campaign to educate people not to destroy their unborn children."  To that I say - Amen.

During our second meeting, I said, "The second mail piece I received from your campaign carried the message that if you were Governor, you would sign legislation making abortion illegal in Florida. Since that was early during the Primary Campaign in a field of Republican Candidates, do you still intend to make that an issue during the General Campaign?"  He immediately said "Yes, that's what I believe and that's what I will do." He telephoned me last week to assure me that he would keep this issue before our state government.

Regarding the issue of state spending, Rick Scott promised that he would budget state spending down and "outsource" state jobs where possible.  This does not mean that he would send state jobs overseas.  Quite the contrary, it means that lucrative jobs within Florida's state government would be bid out to competitive bidders that exist within Florida's business community. This would create jobs for Floridians in the private sector and reduce state spending (and necessary tax dollars) dramatically.  In short, this means state spending and taxes would both decrease and jobs for Floridians would increase.

Regarding property tax reform, his plan calls for a reduction of property taxes by 19 percent.  We desperately need that.

Regarding our Second Amendment rights: according to past NRA president Marion Hammer, Rick Scott has an A rating from the NRA.   His opponent, Alex Sink, has an F rating. To the extent that our citizens' right to keep and bear arms is ever infringed upon, our freedom is diminished.  The National Rifle Association does more to protect our Second Amendment Rights than any other organization in the country.  One main reason that we enjoy the freedom we have today is because our right to keep and bear arms has been protected without infringement.  We must have a governor with an A rating from the NRA.

Also, I wanted to check out opposition claims that Rick Scott was linked to a great Medicaid fraud scandal. So, I contacted a Prosecutor with the State Attorney's office. The reply to my request says:

"Mr. Scott was never a target of the investigation. I have read all the materials I can find on Rick Scott and the HCA investigations.  I have not found any documents that suggest that Rick Scott was ever considered a target of an investigation.  He was not charged with any crime, he was not interviewed about any wrong doing."

 

Florida's bid to crack down on prescription drugs could get delayed

Florida’s effort to launch a prescription drug database meant to help crack down on “pills mills” and “doctor shopping” may get pushed back until next year.

A bid dispute by rival companies seeking to run the database has put the project on hold for now. And one of the companies in the dispute contends that the winning bidder is unlikely to get the database up and running by the deadline of December 1.

Susan Smith, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Health, said on Thursday that the department could not discuss the bid protest but she acknowledged the program is on hold until the dispute is resolved. She said that the plan was to activate the database “as soon as possible after the conclusion of the bid protest.”

The Republican-led Legislature back in 2009 passed a measure that mandated the creation of the drug database as a way to let doctors and pharmacists track a patient’s prescription history. The measure was passed in response to reports that South Florida had become a haven for pill mills.

Read the full story here at the Florida Tribune.

Is the federal government going to dismantle a Jeb Bush legacy?

From the Florida Tribune:

Florida's bold plan to revamp its health care system for the poor -- and which was initially championed by former Gov. Jeb Bush -- could be in trouble.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services informed state Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Tom Arnold in a letter this week  that it would not extend the waiver that allowed the reform project to operate.

CMS said that the state cannot "extend" its waiver -- called a Medicaid 1115 waiver -- for three years because waiver extensions apply only to statewide programs. The Medicaid reform project is currently limited to five counties.

The decision could force the state to unravel its existing program or require state officials and Florida hospitals to follow new rules and conditions. One key program that could be upended is the annual $1 billion Low Income Pool, which helps pay for the cost of treating uninsured individuals.

Keep reading here.

Rookie mistakes by veteran McCollum?

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum strode before group of newspaper editors and publishers June 17 in Sarasota and boldly proclaimed that, if elected to the state's highest office, he would impose a two-year freeze on tax rates for every local government in Florida.

When pressed for details, such as how his plan would affect schools and whether it would usurp local control of cities and towns, McCollum promised that he would spell it all out the next day.

He did not. Instead his campaign put out a vague press release that left as many questions as answers about a plan that, if enacted this year, would force local governments and schools to reduce spending by $3 billion.

Since then, McCollum has talked little about the tax rate freeze.

It seemed like a political mistake, pitching a far-reaching plan without having the consensus and details to sell it. The irony is that McCollum is anything but a newcomer, having held elected office for most of the last 30 years, from Congress to his current job as Florida attorney general. Indeed, McCollum's campaign has tried to portray his GOP opponent, Rick Scott, a health care executive who has never been elected to office, as someone that voters cannot rely on during such challenging times.

"They don't need a rookie up here running this place who doesn't know what Tallahassee is and what state government is all about," McCollum said earlier this month, referring to Scott.

Yet it is McCollum's campaign that seems to have struggled to show the strength of the candidate's experience.

Keep reading here.

Up in smoke: Firms battle over multi-million dollar campaign

A fierce battle has broken out over who should be in control of the state's multi-million campaign to keep teenagers from smoking.

And one of the companies seeking that $25 million a year contract contends the winning ad firm failed to disclose that its parent company once worked for the tobacco industry. Florida's well-known anti-smoking campaign comes from money the state won in a settlement with tobacco companies.

The state agency responsible for choosing the ad firm refuses to comment, although Department of Health officials told members of an advisory council earlier this week that it checked out the allegations and “didn’t find anything there.’’

Yet the Florida Tribune was able to quickly discover that one of the top executives at the Coral Gables firm that won the contract once worked for British American Tobacco. British American Tobacco manufactures brands such as Lucky Strike and Pall Mall.

Keep reading here.

10 things in the state budget you may not know about

Gov. Charlie Crist could act sometime Thursday on the $70.4 billion budget that state lawmakers adopted during their spring session.

Many salient facts about the budget have been reported including that it's bigger than what Crist himself proposed, that it includes money for items only if Congress kicks in extra federal help, and that it contains many projects pushed by the two budget chiefs in the Legislature.

But there's always some interesting odds and ends that haven't gotten much attention. Some of these spending items are perennials and have been in the state budget for years and are unlikely to get vetoed by the governor.

Still it's a testament to what can get wedged into a 444-page document.

1. School funding study - $100,000. The budget sets aside $100,000 to hire an “entity located outside the state of Florida” to study the state’s school funding formula and review it for the “sole purpose of recommending any improvements to the existing formula that would better reflect the varying characteristics of each of the 67 school  districts.” This study – which is due by Jan. 1, 2011 - is also supposed to assess the “equity” of the current school funding formula.This is a big deal for South Florida lawmakers still upset with a 2004 change to the state’s school funding formula that used to steer more money to urban school districts to cover higher living expenses. Legislators especially from Miami-Dade County want someone outside the state to look at whether the revamped formula is fair. This could be the prelude to another big fight next year over school funding.

2. Some college students helped, some college students hurt. There has been publicity surrounding the proposed changes to Bright Futures - the popular merit based scholarship program paid out of Lottery ticket sales. But less noticed was a decision by state lawmakers to actually increase the amount of financial aid set aside for needy college students.

Legislators for example cut by $1 a credit hour the money available for Bright Futures. This cut, however, could even be a bit larger since $25 million is contingent on getting extra money from the federal government to help with Florida's Medicaid bill. The move comes at the same time lawmakers increased tuition by 8 percent and universities are authorized to raise tuition even higher. But lawmakers also helped out Bright Futures students attending community colleges that offer four-year degree programs. 

Funding for two financial aid programs that help students at private schools - including the Florida Resident Access Grant - was cut by 4.1 percent.

But lawmakers did give a slight increase for need-based financial aid provided to both public and private school students. The maximum amount per award would go from $2,069 to $2,235.

Legislators also passed HB 5201 to accompany the state budget. This would make permanent changes to Bright Futures - including making the scholarship amount a flat rate in the budget instead of tying it tuition hikes - and would increase eligibility requirements over the next four years. This same bill also contains language that establishes the doctor of pharmacy program for the University of South Florida at the polytechnic campus in Lakeland. (It would not be all that surprising if Crist vetoes this bill.)

3. Anti-abortion counseling-$2 million. Legislators expect Crist to veto HB 1143, the health care bill that includes the requirement that women get an ultrasound if they are seeking an abortion during the first trimester. They have purposely held the bill back so there is time to mount a campaign to convince Crist to support it. What's lost in the dust-up is that more than a year ago Crist intervened and saved the state's crisis counseling program from getting cut. This program - which was started while Jeb Bush was in office - provides money for pregnancy support centers and advertising for billboards that direct people to a hotline. Lawmakers this year spared it from any cuts. There was a provision added that states 85 percent of the money will be used for "direct client services, website maintenance and Option line."

4. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty's summer homework. McCarty has been a constant target of some lawmakers the last few years especially after he urged Crist to veto last year's property deregulation bill. This year the Office of Insurance Regulation did lose 10 positions in the new budget, but its funding level was close to last year's spending. Lawmakers, however, have demanded that McCarty produce by Sept. 1 a detailed report of all residential property insurance rate filings submitted during the last fiscal year. The report has to include lots of information including the name of the OIR actuary who reviewed the rate filing and the days it took for regulators to act on the filing request. This move comes in the wake of grumbling that McCarty's office opposed some of the insurance proposals floating around this past session even though his office was approving rate hikes.

5. Motorcycle safety awareness-$250,000. This is a reduction in funding from last year, but the budget this year directly orders the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to provide this money to just one group: American Bikers Aiming Toward Education of Florida Inc. This is a group that lobbies on behalf of bikers and led the charge to repeal the requirement that bikers 21 or older must wear a helmet. The president of the organization says his group should get the money because it has a motorcycle safety awareness program in place that has helped reduce motorcycle deaths in Florida.

6. Banning assault rifles. The Sun-Sentinel first reported that there was a push to block Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink from using any money to purchase assault rifles for her fraud investigators. This led to a mocking ad from the Republican Party of Florida that prompted Sink to accuse the party of making fun of law-enforcement officers. Just to bring it full circle the final version of the budget included the provision that Sink's office cannot purchase "assault-type weapons."

7. Cancel this lease, we mean it. Last year the Legislature wanted to get a better handle of how land the state owned and how much office space it leased. Lawmakers weren't totally satisfied with the response they got from the state's main landlord - the Department of Management Services. This year's budget goes out of its way to specify how, when and where certain state offices are to be closed due to budget cuts. The budget orders the closing of 10 driver license offices around the state stretching from Fort Walton Beach to Vero Beach. But there's also language that lists the address and locations of other state offices in Key West, Chipley and Tallahassee that are to have their leases ended. Lawmakers also ordered the cancellation of a lease payment for a copier in a Key West office and for postage meters in several locations.

8. Unlicensed activity media campaign - $600,000. This has been in the budget for years, but it gets scant discussion. The state sets aside money to "publicize the dangers" of unlicensed real estate activity and unlicensed accountants. The money to battle unlicensed real estate activity can be used to pay for media production and advertising materials from a non-profit corporation that represents the largest number of licensed real estate professionals. The money to educate the public about unlicensed accountants will be spent in consultation with a company that represents the largest number of licensed CPAs.

9. Florida International University/Department of Health-$32.5 million. This has already gotten some publicity as a project associated with Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami and the powerful budget chief. But what's interesting is that the state plans to borrow money to construct and manage the building.

10. Free orange juice - $240,000. Of course what would a Florida welcome station be like if there wasn't free orange juice available to visitors. The Department of Citrus is authorized to spend this much for "citrus juice" to be handed out at the state's four welcome stations located in Escambia, Hamilton, Nassau and Jackson counties in North Florida.

McCollum's bid to block health care reform could target FSU

Attorney General Bill McCollum’s push to block federal health care reform may now have an unintended target.

Florida State Universitywould be forced to drop a requirement that its college students purchase health insurance under a legislative proposal being championed by McCollum.

House Republicans last Friday, saying they want to prevent any “unconstitutional individual mandate,’’ voted to place a ban in state law. The legislation – which passed a House panel over the angry objections of Democrats – also said that people in the state cannot be subject to any “fine or penalty’’ for failing to obtain or maintain health insurance.

FSU since 2007 has required students to purchase health insurance from the university unless they can show proof of their own insurance. That coverage must include providers in the Tallahassee area and provide at least $100,000 worth of medical major coverage.

Sandi Copes,a spokeswoman from McCollum’s office, said on Monday that the impact on FSU had “just been brought to our attention.” Copes said later that McCollum’s staff was meeting with legislative staff to “address provisions such as FSU’s.”

More here at the Florida Tribune.