Legislature 2006 | ISSUES

Posted April 26, 2006

Boot-camp overhaul moves to Senate

Three months after a 14-year-old boy died after being kneed and punched by guards at a Panhandle boot camp, Florida lawmakers Tuesday looked ready to overhaul the lockups.

 Senate budget negotiators accepted a House plan to steer $10.5 million from boot camps to what is being dubbed the Sheriff's Training Respect program, or STAR.

The STAR approach includes education and mentoring techniques. It's modeled after a Martin County boot camp seen as less harsh than those operated by sheriffs in Polk, Manatee and Pinellas counties.

The Bay County boot camp closed after Martin Lee Anderson, 14, died in January after a confrontation with guards. Outrage over the case led to a sit-in at the Governor's Office last week by students and others.

House favors school-board voting plan

In spite of impassioned opposition from black legislators, a bill allowing voters to elect a school-board chairman passed out of the House on Tuesday.

If signed into law, counties with single-member school-board districts could ask voters to approve the addition of one member who would serve as chairman and be elected districtwide to a four-year term.

About a dozen black lawmakers spoke against the bill as a threat to the representation afforded by single-member districts. "This will not allow people from single-member districts who look like me to serve as chair," said Rep. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa.

A version of the measure is pending in the Senate, where Sen. Daniel Webster, R-Winter Garden, amended his bill (SB 2252) last week so that it could only apply to Orange, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Schools set to get raise: $1.8 billion

House and Senate budget negotiators wrapped up their work Tuesday night, agreeing to increase public-school funding by $1.8 billion but leaving a handful of other issues for leaders of their budget committees and chambers to decide.

The school-funding amount represents a $542 per-student increase statewide, with the total dollars among the biggest single-year increase ever OK'd in Florida. Lawmakers, flush with cash from a strong economy, also threw in an extra $1 million for the University of Central Florida, bringing to $3 million the amount the school looks almost certain to get for a life-science program that could help launch its medical school.

Still to be settled, though, are tuition increases for Florida colleges and universities, a financial-aid package, the amount of a controversial performance-pay package for teachers, and how much to earmark for teachers buying needed technology for their classrooms.

Violent-offender act sails through House

A bill that would force judges keep violent criminals in jail if they are accused of violating probation unanimously passed the House without debate Tuesday.

The measure (HB 25), scaled back from last year when lawmakers called it too costly, was inspired by several recent murders and is the top legislative priority for Attorney General Charlie Crist, who has called the legislation the "anti-murder" act. The Senate measure (SB 2622) was moved ahead by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

Campaign-cash limits would be less strict

Senate President Tom Lee's push to limit shadowy fundraising committees connected to state lawmakers was watered down Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Lawmakers and statewide candidates would be limited to accepting $500 in campaign contributions, expenses or support from such committees once they are running for office. Until declaring a candidacy, however, those seeking office could accept unlimited amounts of cash from these organizations for expenses.

"Right now, there are no limits, and that's what we're trying to change," said Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge.

Lee, R-Brandon, had initially sought to prohibit lawmakers and statewide candidates from raising any money through such committees -- now affiliated with about a third of Florida's 160 legislators, Lee among them. Such committees are used to sidestep state campaign-finance limits, allowing legislators to accept unlimited contributions.

POLITICS

Schiavo backs Jim Davis for governor

Michael Schiavo, who led efforts to have his severely brain-damaged wife's feeding-tube removed and sparked right-to-die debates from Tallahassee to Washington, D.C., endorsed Democrat Jim Davis' campaign for governor Tuesday.

Both Davis and primary opponent state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua have made pledges not to intervene in future cases like Terri Schiavo's. But Michael Schiavo told reporters on a conference call that he decided to support Davis, a member of Congress from Tampa, "because he feels it in his heart."

Last November, Schiavo endorsed Democrat Tim Kaine's ultimately successful campaign for governor of Virginia. A month later, he formed TerriPAC to raise money and strike back at politicians who tried to use legislation to keep his wife alive.

Jason Garcia, Christopher Sherman and John Kennedy of the Tallahassee bureau contributed to this report. Wire services also were used.