The Fine Print

Budget sleuthing, smoke and mirrors (Part 2)

So the public and press have a hard time figuring out sometimes where items stashed in the $70-billion plus state budget came from originally.

But there's one person who legislators make sure to know where items in the budget came from.

And that's Gov. Rick Scott.

For Scott's first three years in office he had his budget office led by the same man - Jerry McDaniel - who also helped draw up budgets for Gov. Charlie Crist when he was in charge.

Part of the annual budget process under McDaniel was to make sure that the governor's office had a fairly comprehensive list of where specific budget projects originated from - and just as importantly - who had an interest in making sure a project was spared a line-item veto.

This process isn't all that public, but you can see it play out in various public records (meaning it doesn't really get discovered until after the fact.)

Still you get a feel for how important certain projects are and who they are linked to when you go through emails and other documents.

And emails from May 2013 illustrate that clearly.

On May 6 - the Monday after the end of session Scott's legislative affairs office had already distributed a spreadsheet that contained a list of budget priorities associated with the various budget chairmen in the state Senate.

On May 7 - McDaniel holds a meeting where he asked Office of Planning and Budget staff to bring "whatever you have regarding budget priorities for the members of the Fl Legislature."

Later that day McDaniel emails his staff: "As you call to associate projects in the budget with members, please insure that they understand that you are not in search of priorities - just their particular interest in seeing projects occurring in the budget become law. Senior staff are calling separately for top 3 priorities."

That same day emails start to come in from legislative staff outlining what parts of the budget legislators are interested in.

Of course not everything was enshrined in an email.

On May 10 McDaniel emails top deputies in Scott's office with the subject line "Need."

Those emails simply included the names of several legislators including Sen Bill Galvano, Sen. John Legg, and Rep. Richard Corcoran.

Before Scott had finally acted on his line-item vetoes his staff compiled a nearly 400-page document that listed every individual spending item. And next to many lines were the name of a legislator.

$400,000 for a statewide charter school waiting list database? Rep. Erik Fresen

$2.5 million for a Florida State University Center for Reading Research pilot project? House Speaker Will Weatherford.

$1 million for a University of West Florida economic security report? Senate President Don Gaetz.

To be fair, there are many, many pages that list spending items without any legislators names on it.

But there are legislators associated with dozens and dozens of items, from funding for hospitals, mentoring programs, to money for Boys and Girls Clubs.

Gaetz, for example, backed $610,000 to help Bay County pay for indigent health care, while Weatherford was one of three legislators supporting a $250,000 appropriation for the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa.

But it's clear that sometimes asking the governor to spare an item doesn't help.

An aide to Rep. Mike LaRosa, R-St. Cloud, in a May 7 email highlights 6 items included in the budget for Osceola and Polk counties, including money for program for homeless veterans in Osceola County. All six are vetoed by Scott.

Yet Rep. Ken Roberson, R-Punta Gorda, managed to get his two projects spared, including $75,000 for a feasibility study to develop a research education aquarium in Charlotte County.

Some of the other legislators who also reached out in emails include Rep. Bill Hager, Rep. Dennis Baxley and Rep. Marti Coley.

Coley wrote a lengthy email to McDaniel where she defended several projects, including a $400,000 line-item for Liberty Hospital in Calhoun County where she argued the money was needed to help foster economic development in the rural Panhandle county.

From her email:

"Calhoun County is in my former district (Just a side note - I was born in this hospital). When I first came into office in 2005, I worked tirelessly to help keep this hospital open. The citizens rallied together and today it is a vital part of the community's economy and healthcare system. The upgrades would further help this community to continue to help themselves to attract economic development to the area. They are largely dependent on DOC (Department of Corrections) and this hospital for jobs and are diligently working to attract other industries to the area."

Scott, whose background includes running a for-profit hospital chain, vetoed the money. In his veto message, Scott said he killed the funding because it was going to pay for construction costs at the hospitaL

Just to note:

Of the 12 projects associated with Weatherford, Scott wound up vetoing five of them including money set aside for the Pasco County sheriff, a medical training and simulation lab for the University of Miami, a STEM Magnet Education Academy in Pasco County and the FSU reading pilot project.

Of the 18 projects associated with Gaetz, Scott vetoed 11 of them including $14 million for Gulf Coast State College, the $1 million for the UWF economic security report, $610,000 for indigent care coverage at the Bay County Health Department, $1 million for Building Homes for Heroes.

Sugar not sweet on Charlie Crist?

Gov. Rick Scott continues to pile up the money for his political committee Let's Get to Work especially with former Gov. Charlie Crist now jumping into the mix.

Since Scott reactivated his 527 committee in the summer of 2011 it has raised $24.5 million. The vast bulk of that total has come in the last 11 months - some $19.3 million since the start of the year. It means that a year out from the election Scott in many ways has nearly achieved his goal of having $25 million to define his opponent by early 2014.

Much of the money has come from individuals and corporations that rely heavily on what actions are taken by the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature and Scott.

That includes gambling companies, health insurance companies and health care executives, utilities, business groups, and Florida agricultural interests such as Florida Crystals.

In fact, Florida Crystals gave a $500,000 check for Let's Get to Work on Nov. 8 - or four days after Crist made his bid for governor official. It stands as one of the largest single contributions to Let's Get to Work in the last two years. (The largest amount remains $1 million from Coral Gables health care executive Mike Fernandez.)

Florida Crystals has now contributed $650,000 to Let's Get to Work in 2013. Rival company U.S. Sugar _ and through one of its affiliates _ has put in $330,000 this year.

But what is slightly curious about the Florida Crystals donation is that it was given on Nov. 8 - yet it and a handful of other donations were not included in the list placed on the Let's Get to Work website until recently. Florida Crystals, as many may recall, had a contentious history with Crist and staunchly opposed his plans to purchase land that was owned by U.S. Sugar.

So that means that the amount raised by Scott's political committee since Crist made it official and filed his paperwork now stands at $5.2 million.

Crist, through his fundraising vehicle, has piled up $913,500 since he jumped into the race earlier this month. Crist has not reported donations to his main election account since that report is not required to be filed with the state until next month.

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.