Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Wednesday, July 11

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Older brother of House Speaker Rubio to seek House seat

TALLAHASSEE — The older brother of House Speaker Marco Rubio has filed to run for a Jacksonville-based state House seat.

 

Gelber to run for Margolis’ Senate seat

Sen. Gwen Margolis, the Senate’s first female Senate president who returned in 2002 to the Miami Beach Senate district, ended speculation Wednesday and announced her retirement in November 2008. Her hand-picked replacement, she hopes, will be House Democratic leader Dan Gelber.

 

Governor Crist Signs Executive Order for Special Election Aug. 28

Please see the attached Executive Order 07-129 regarding the special election necessary to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Representative Mark Mahon, District 16, Florida House of Representatives. The executive order sets the date of the special primary election for August 28, 2007, and the special general election for September 18, 2007.

 

Rep. Davis won’t run again, cites health reasons

Davis said Tuesday he would serve out the rest of his current term but not seek re-election to a fourth term in the Florida House

 

Lawmakers debate insurance rate hikes

Gov. Charlie Crist and Florida lawmakers are getting the big insurance savings they sought but not necessarily for homeowners.

 

Property insurer seeks more, not less

A 30-percent rate-hike request from the Florida Farm Bureau may signify an unwelcome trend.

TALLAHASSEE – State regulators got a sneak peek Tuesday at what could be the shape of property insurance rates to come. For thousands of Florida Farm Bureau Insurance policyholders, it was sobering news: Rates could be headed up, not down.

 

Senate president skips builders dinner due to Web site comment

Lee, Collier, Charlotte and DeSoto County builders will honor State Sen. Mike Bennett with a dinner at the posh Sanibel Harbor Resort tonight, but the event might be as remarkable for who’s not there as for who is.

 

Pruitt, Atwater return builders’ donations

TALLAHASSEE — State Sens. Ken Pruitt and Jeff Atwater are returning $37,500 in contributions to political committees linked to the Florida Home Builders Association, and Pruitt has canceled appearances at fund-raisers sponsored by the group.

 

Police: State Rep. Allen solicited officer for sex in Titusville

Arrested. Florida Rep. Robert “Bob” Allen, R-Merritt Island, was arrested this afternoon at Veteran’s Memorial Park on East Broad St. for solicitation for prostitution.

 

Hurricane experts tell Senate panel better forecasting equipment needed additional funding would help the forecasts, warnings and emergency response

WASHINGTON — A panel of hurricane experts told Senate aides Tuesday that while their equipment and forecasts have improved considerably during the past decade, they need additional resources to advance their prediction of the powerful storms.

 

Crist unveils greener future 

Florida will be the first state in the Southeast to enact targets for reducing emissions.

Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday he plans to sharply reduce Florida’s emissions of greenhouse gases, triggering sweeping changes that could affect every industry in the state.

 

My Safe Home eliminates grants for most hurricane roof renovations

Tens of thousands of homeowners seeking financial aid from a state program to reinforce their roofs against hurricanes may be blown away by what they find.

 

New Florida law allows sale of condo building unless at least 10 percent of unit owners’ object

You have lived in your waterfront condo for 20 years. You paid comparatively little for it; the state is protecting you from skyrocketing property taxes and you can’t afford to move anywhere else with such a spectacular view.

 

Nail-biting time

Dissension distracts hurricane center

The storm inside the National Hurricane Center has been reduced by a category or two with the removal of embattled director Bill Proenza. But Floridians are left with unsettling concerns about the real reason for Proenza’s departure just six months into his job and only weeks after he publicly criticized the center’s Washington bosses and questioned the reliability of a key wind-tracking satellite.

 

Universities board joins lawsuit against legislature

TALLAHASSEE — The board governing state universities joined a lawsuit Tuesday against state lawmakers that claims the board, and not the legislature, has the power to set tuition rates.

 

Katrina devastation not unrivaled, analysis finds

Tropical weather updates The Chronicle’s Hurricane Central RSS hurricane headlines NOAA Gulf satellite imagery U.S. Coast Guard storm center Air Force Hurricane Hunters Categories and Saffir-Simpson FAQ: Hurricanes, typhoons, tropical cyclones Printable map (PDF) Names of Atlantic Storms If the Great Storm of 1900 had hit Galveston two years ago, it would have inflicted $72 billion in damage, nearly as much as Hurricane Katrina, researchers say.

 

Decision close on whether to file charges against Broward sheriff

Federal prosecutors are close to making a decision about whether to file charges in their lengthy investigation of Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne’s public and private business dealings, sources with knowledge of the investigation told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

 

Residents return to oil-saturated homes

Nearly two weeks after a flood forced residents from their homes, they returned Wednesday to find oil dripping from window screens and saturating carpets and furniture.

 

Spitzer Plans Major Push to Extend Health Care

ALBANY, July 10 — Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s administration is poised to begin an ambitious and potentially expensive push to expand health coverage to nearly three million more residents, aiming to fulfill Mr. Spitzer’s campaign promise to ultimately provide universal insurance.

 

Tri-Star Mining Cited in April Deaths of Two Maryland Coal Miners

Federal mining regulators cited a western Maryland coal operator Monday for failing to ensure the safety of two workers who died when the side of an open-pit mine collapsed in April, burying the men beneath 93,000 tons of rubble.

 

Miami firm told to repay retirement fund

Miami-based X-Ray Equipment Co. has been ordered to pay restitution of almost $1.2 million, plus interest, due to mismanagement of the company’s employee profit-sharing retirement plan, the Department of Labor said Wednesday.

 

Bitter Harvest In Sperryville

Couple’s Farm Falls Victim To Herbicide-Tainted Mulch

For farmer Rachel Bynum and her 2-year-old son, Nicholas, the afternoon of June 2 started as an idyllic occasion. For the first time, mother and child harvested vegetables together at the family’s Waterpenny Farm in Sperryville, Va. Bynum and her husband, Eric Plaksin, both 33, sell the pesticide-free produce from their 10 acres of fields at farmers markets, through a CSA program and right from the barn.