Jack Cory Testifies Before the House Civil Justice Subcommittee
2/6/2012
McBurney breaks down session to AIF
by David Chapman, Staff Writer
12/12/2011
State Rep. Charles McBurney told members of the Associated Industries of Florida that the state budget, redistricting, jobs and the economy will be the focus of legislators in upcoming session.
McBurney spoke to the group Friday at The River Club Downtown.
Last week, Gov. Rick Scott released his proposed $66.4 billion budget, down $4.6 billion from the current year. It proposes increasing education spending and cutting health services.
"The Legislature will be looking at that very closely," said McBurney.
McBurney said he believes there will be a number of legislative initiatives dealing with incentives that encourage business growth.
With metal thefts rising, a business coalition formed in 2008 to help enact tougher penalties is coming back together.
Old appliances like a few discarded bikes, some aluminum siding and a few other scrap are netting one customer just over sixty dollars. With the economy struggling, this salvage dealer is doing a brisk business.
But it's not just legitimate people selling scrap. A marginally profitable movie theatre in Tallahassee closed after thieves did ten thousand dollars in damage to air-conditioners on the roof.
One scrap metal dealer will pay just a few cents a pound for these aluminum shades, but he'll pay more than three dollars a pound for this copper. A 2008 law requires pictures of the scrap, a drivers license, tag number and thumb print. Dealer Marc Friedman's goes further, recording every transaction of videotape. Salvage Dealer Marc Friedman says, "If there is a report of theft that comes our way, we can connect the law with the seller of the material, so that we can bust them."
With thefts on the rise, the coalition of businesses that pushed the 2008 law are coming back together.
Keyna Cory, of the Floridian for Copper and Metal Crime Prevention says, "We've seen all kinds of companies and entities hit by these thieves, and it ends up costing a lot more than the thieves are getting in the cost of the metals."
The current law says that metal purchased over a thousand dollars must be paid by check....one possible change is to lower the cash transaction threshold to 500 dollars or less.
Florida does not keep statistics on the number of metal thefts or the number of people arrested for stealing metals. The law does make it a felony for dealers to falsify identities or not keep proper records of people selling metals.
Florida does not keep statistics on the number of metal thefts or the number of people arrested for stealing metals. The law does make it a felony for dealers to falsify identities or not keep proper records of people selling metals.
Florida does not keep statistics on the number of metal thefts or the number of people arrested for stealing metals. The law does make it a felony for dealers to falsify identities or not keep proper records of people selling metals.
Lawmakers told water conservation is needed to help state's economy
By Bruce Ritchie, The Florida Current
January 27, 2011
Tallahassee, Bruce Ritchie: Conservation and development of new water supplies must be part of Florida's future to attract industry and create jobs, panelists on Thursday told the House Select Committee on Water Policy. But there was some disagreement on how much the environment should be protected.
The committee was created in December by House Speaker Dean Cannon to study water issues over a two-year period and to make recommendations. The panel on Thursday heard presentations on water supply and will hear presentations in two weeks on water quality, said Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers and committee chairman.
The panelists on Thursday warned there will be increasing competition for water supplies in the next two years as Florida's population continues to grow.
Florida water use is expected to grow from 7 billion gallons per day in 2010 to 9 billion by 2025, according to a House staff presentation on Jan. 13.
Florida farmers need flexibility in water permitting and assurances that their water supplies won't be taken away for cities and other water users in the future, said Rich Budell, director of the Office of Water Policy in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He also said that natural systems will be affected.
"We can't do everything we do on the planet and protect every square foot of wetland and river and stream that is out there," Budell said. "There will have to be decisions made in that arena at some point."
Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon of Florida, said there already are estuaries that have been severely altered, including Tampa Bay and the Caloosahatchee River in southwest Florida, because of water use and changes in water flow. Those estuaries, he said, are important to the tourism economy along the Gulf of Mexico.
"It's not just a matter of protecting pristine areas," Draper said. "It's a matter of recovering already-damaged areas."
Florida's economy won't rebound unless there is water available to attract industries that produce jobs, saidKeyna Cory, the President of Public Affairs Consultants Inc., representing Associated Industries of Florida (AIF).
The Water Protection and Sustainability Program Trust Fund received $100 million for water supply projects in 2005 after it was created. But the fund received no money since 2008, she said.
"We have got to focus back on that," Cory said. "If you are going to do any kind of growth, any kind of economic development in the state, you have to have water."
Representatives of the Florida League of Cities and the Florida Association of Counties said that some of the state's five water management districts now are overstepping their authority and creating frustration with local governments.
Later in the meeting, Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota and a member of the American Water Works Association, said Florida's water management system is "envied by everybody" across the country.
"We need on this panel to take on the tools we have and the system we have and make it better -- not re-invent the wheel," he said.
There was no discussion Wednesday of the "local sources first" state policy that encourages conservation and more expensive treatment alternatives as opposed to piping water -- a touchy topic in some regions of the state.
Williams said earlier this month she wants her committee to have an open discussion on the policy. But on Thursday she said "it's too early to tell" what the committee will discuss.
Palm Beach County considers switch to mandatory recycling for homes, businesses
By Andy Reid, Sun Sentinel
August 30, 2010
The recycling police could be coming to Palm Beach County.
After years of asking residents and businesses to voluntarily sort and set aside newspapers, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other recyclables, the county Solid Waste Authority is exploring shifting to mandatory recycling.
Palm Beach County recycles about 30 percent of the waste produced by homes and businesses. State standards enacted in 2008 call for 75 percent recycling statewide by 2020.
To boost Palm Beach County's recycling numbers, the Solid Waste Authority board — made up of the County Commission — on Wednesday directed its staffers to research and lay out the options for mandatory recycling.
More recycling would cut down on the amount of trash dumped in the county landfill and burned in the waste-to-energy plant, said Commissioner Karen Marcus, who pushed for considering mandatory recycling.
"There's a lot of people who aren't recycling," said Marcus, chairwoman of the Solid Waste Authority board. "It needs to become automatic. … Somehow, some way, we need to improve the system."
It's an issue Solid Waste Authority officials said they considered before, but never acted on because of questions about how to force people to recycle.
"How do you know? … Is someone going to go around looking in trash cans?" asked Dan Pellowitz, the Solid Waste Authority's assistant to the executive director. "There are obvious enforcement issues."
Alachua, Sarasota and Collier counties are among the few in Florida that in recent years have tried mandatory recycling rules, at least for businesses and apartment complexes. Some cities, including Weston and Cooper City, made recycling mandatory as well — though enforcement of the rules remains lax.
Getting to the state's 75 percent recycling goal requires more counties and communities to try mandatory recycling or take other steps such as expanding the types of items that can be recycled, said Dwight Adams, who heads the Sierra Club's Waste Minimization Committee in Florida.
Short of requiring recycling, Palm Beach County and others could raise trash disposal fees to give businesses and residents a monetary reason to fill those blue and yellow recycling bins.
"Pay-as-you-throw rates — the more you throw out, the higher your garbage rates are," Adams said. "It's going to require moving quite a bit beyond recycling as we now see it."
Palm Beach County has long relied on a public outreach program to boost its voluntary recycling efforts.
The Solid Waste Authority spends more than $300,000 a year on television commercials, other ads and school programs, reminding residents, students and businesses about what can be recycled.
The authority delivers recycling bins to residents and sends representatives to businesses to discuss ways to incorporate recycling into their operations.
"We try to make recycling as easy as possible for our customers," said John Archambo, the authority's recycling director.
Palm Beach County's effort to meet the state's future 75 percent goal got a boost this year with state legislation that allows more incinerated materials at waste-to-energy plants to count toward the recycling standard.
The Solid Waste Authority is in the midst of a $200 million refurbishment of its waste-to-energy plant and is planning a $700 million expansion of the trash-burning facility near the county's landfill in West Palm Beach.
The authority projects it would meet the 75 percent state recycling goal by factoring in more of the burned waste.
While environmentalists supported the 75 percent goal, many object to categorizing burning trash as recycling.
"You are burning material that could be recycled," Adams said. "That is counter to the nature of recycling."
Business leaders statewide have bristled at requiring more recycling.
Mandatory recycling "doesn't work" and adds to costs for local governments and, by extension, businesses and taxpayers, said Keyna Cory, Senior Lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida.
"Who pays for that disposal? It's not free," Cory said. "That comes off the back of businesses."
According to the Solid Waste Authority, local businesses generate about half of the 1.4 million tons of waste the county produces each year and much of that includes cardboard and paper that could be recycled.
The Solid Waste Authority would need county government's help to enforce mandatory recycling, Pellowitz said.
That could add to code-enforcement costs at a time when the County Commission is considering a property tax rate increase and spending cuts to avoid a $100 million shortfall blamed on the struggling economy.
A report to the Solid Waste Authority board about the possibilities of pursuing mandatory recycling is expected in November.
Because of the difficulty of enforcement, County Commissioner Steven Abrams said, he prefers considering more recycling incentives, not necessarily mandates, for businesses and residents.
"It is intrusive for government to be going through people's garbage," Abrams said. "How far you go is the question."
Carts on Parade Women's Council sponsors contest
to raise money
for scholarships
By Jim Johnson — They would have settled for seven, would have made budget at 12 and had a goal of 25.
And when the a total of 39 contestants entered a first-of-its-kind trash cart decorating contest sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Environmental Industry Associations, members of the group were ecstatic.
The inaugural event, dubbed Carts on Parade, was held at Waste Expo in Atlanta recently. The effort raised about $20,000 for the Women’s Council, which will use that money to help provide college scholarships for students and continuing education for both men and women working in the waste industry.
“Overwhelmed,” said Peggy Macenas, executive director of the Women’s Council. “I’m pleased obviously, but never expected this many. I thought we would have to struggle to get 15 of them.”
A push by Women’s Council member Keyna Cory resulted in 12 carts coming out of Florida alone when she was able to pair up two of her client bases. Cory, the President of Public Affairs Consultants in Tallahassee, Fla., works with solid waste companies as a chapter lobbyist for the National Solid Wastes Management Association and with the Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. “It’s been a great project and they just loved doing it,” Cory said.
Florida companies sponsored the carts — which were donated by Otto Environmental Systems North America Inc. — and children from the clubs decorated them.
While Otto donated the 95-gallon carts, there was a $600 fee to enter the competition. That fee put the funds in the fundraiser.
This being the first year of the program, there were some questions about how the idea would be accepted. “It blew us away because we didn’t know how this was going to go,” Macenas said.
Most of the carts, but not all, were donated by Otto. Other cart manufacturing companies were able to enter their own products.
“Otto’s worked art over the past four years to really become more involved in the EIA and WASTEC (Waste Equipment Technology Association),” said Kirsti Nelson, director of marketing for Otto and fundraising chair for the council. “We’ve just increased our involvement overall and have absolutely seen the benefit.”
First place went to a cart decorated by the Jim and Jan Moran Boys & Girls Club of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and sponsored by Southern Waste System LLC. Second place went to a cart decorated by Jennifer Gravelle and sponsored by Big Truck Rental. Third place went to a cart decorated by Maria Stramel, Jimmy Rimsa and Hubert Gutierrez and sponsored by Perkins Manufacturing.
Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.
BradentonHerald.com | April 21, 2010
Manatee marine industry hoping for boost from bill
By GRACE GAGLIANO and SARA KENNEDY, MANATEE — Some local companies are rooting for measures under consideration in the Florida Legislature meant to preserve boatyards and marinas that dot state waterways.
House Bill 7127 and its Senate counterparts would set guidelines to be used by property appraisers in determining how to assess “working waterfront property,” according to a House staff analysis of the measure.
It would also implement terms of a constitutional amendment passed in 2008.
“If it’s going to lower our taxes, it would certainly help our business,” said Kari Hicks, a marketing representative for Chris-Craft, which manufactures boats at its Manatee County plant, 8161 15th St. E. “Incentives like that would help us, as well as other companies.”
“Reducing taxes just makes it easier to keep your bottom line strong, and reduces the burden of operating a business in Florida in a tough economy,” she added.
Another local anxious for passage of the measure is Gary Alderman, vice president of Palmetto’s Snead Island Boat Works, Inc.
“It’d be good if they can get it passed, but I guess there is a little problem defining ‘working waterfront,’” Alderman said. “I’m not sure what their hold-up is.”
State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, said he favors the measure, working its way through both chambers.
“We’ve got to do something,” Bennett said Tuesday.
In 2008, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment after people like bait shop or marina owners complained they were hit with outsized property tax increases because they were near waterfront high-rise condos or waterfront resorts, said Keyna Cory, coordinator for Save Our Waterfronts and a senior lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida.
Under the terms of bills now being considered, if a business qualified as a “working waterfront” property, it would be assessed on the basis of “current use,” and not on “highest and best use,” which would help marine businesses, she said.
“Our maritime industry is so important to Florida, it’s a $16 billion economic impact, and they employ over 200,000 Floridians,” said Cory. “This will help take the pressure off.”
Among properties that may be classified as “working waterfront” are marinas and drystacks open to the public; marine manufacturing facilities, and commercial fishing facilities among others, according to the House staff analysis.
The House bill is key in making the state more business-friendly for marine-related operations, said Frank Herhold, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of Florida.
“This is a huge, huge issue for Florida’s working waterfront,” Herhold said. “It’s gratifying to see that implementation language finalized. We’re just really looking forward to seeing this get done.”
Industry, utility groups to hold water forum in Orlando
LobbyTools.com, Bruce Ritchie, 04/12/2010 - Two groups that have raised concerns about a "mega-water" water bill introduced by Sen. Lee Constantine have announced their plans to hold a water forum in June.
Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) and the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) have announced they are holding the first "Florida Water Forum" on June 4 in Orlando. They have asked candidates for governor and agriculture to attend and participate in the forum.
"What we want to make sure is Florida is going to be strong on its water polices from now moving forward, taking care not only of our needs now but planning for future growth," AIF senior lobbyist Keyna Cory said. Both AIF and AWWA have been active on water issues in the Legislature and have raised concerns about SB 550 by Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs and chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation.
AIF is concerned that a provision in the bill that would create septic tank utilities amounts to creating another layer of government, Cory said. Constantine said establishing septic tank utilities would protect people from having to pay $6,000 or more when their septic tanks fail.
AWWA wants a "clean" rewrite of state water law in the Senate bill to match House bills, Florida Section lobbyist Doug Mann told the Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee meeting last week. SB 550 has three more committee stops before it reaches the Senate floor.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com | March 17, 2010
Recycling bill gains momentum Constantine’s recycling bill would boost reuse of solid waste to 75% by 2020
By Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel — State Sen. Lee Constantine's longtime goal of dramatically boosting the recycling of Florida's 32 million tons a year of trash is gaining momentum.
The Altamonte Springs Republican's legislation, Senate Bill 570, calls for a statewide recycling rate of 40 percent by 2012, 50 percent by 2014, 60 percent by 2016, 70 percent by 2018 and 75 percent by 2020.
The state already has difficulty meeting its current goal of recycling 30 percent of the debris and trash that otherwise wind up in landfills.
"We are woefully behind other states," Constantine said Wednesday during a Tallahassee workshop of the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation Committee, which approved the bill after it drew generally favorable support from industry, environmental and government representatives at the gathering.
Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club have been enthusiastic about the senator's push for more aggressive recycling, an effort he began in 2007 as part of a broader quest for energy conservation. But Dwight Adams, who wasn't at the workshop but is chairman of Sierra's Waste Minimization Campaign, said the bill "doesn't have what it takes to get there," including not enough emphasis on composting food scraps and yard waste.
Associated Industries of Florida supports a recycling bill "that moves Florida into the next era," association lobbyist Keyna Cory said in a phone interview. Her business group backs provisions that would boost the market for recycled goods, though it is concerned that a mandatory reporting requirement for businesses with 25 or more employees would be too much of a burden.
Debbie Sponsler of Orange County's Solid Waste Division said she is worried about whether there will be sufficient demand for recycled items because "I want stuff leaving here and not piling up."
The bill filed by Constantine, chairman of the environmental committee, also calls for mandatory recycling at businesses, apartments and condominiums that open after the bill becomes law; creation of a Recycling Business Assistance Center to encourage markets for recycled goods; and mandatory recycling of construction and demolition debris.
Several aspects of the legislation are mirrored in a variety of House bills.
Not part of Constantine's bill: provisions for curtailing use of plastic and paper shopping bags. The state Department of Environmental Protection proposed a phased-in ban of such single-use bags but then retreated recently from the recommendation.
Senate Panel Expands Working Waterfront Definition
By Michael Peltier, The News Service of Florida, The Capital, Tallahassee, Jan. 21, 2010... A Senate panel charged with carrying out a constitutional amendment to protect working waterfronts made last-minute changes Thursday to expand the amendment’s scope and protect it from likely legal challenges from local cash-strapped local governments.
The Senate Finance and Tax Committee gave unanimous approval to the bill (SB 7026), which implements Amendment 6. The amendment was passed by voters in 2008 and provides property tax protections for marinas, public launches, marine manufacturers and commercial fishing operations.
The panel voted to expand the reach of the amendment by adding waterfront facilities that provide transportation of goods and people, specifically providing tax protections for businesses in towing, storage and salvage services.
“We’re trying to craft a statutory proposal that includes as many intended uses as possible to ensure that the intent of the constitutional amendment is met,” Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, told the News Service of Florida.
But the issue is likely to raise the ire of cities and counties, which rely on property taxes for much of their revenue. As approved, the amendment restricts the valuation of qualified properties for local tax purposes.
Without the latest change, a 2009 staff analysis estimated that it would reduce local tax collections by $46.9 million for the 2010/11 fiscal year. Senate staff said Thursday the changes would likely increase that figure. Revenue estimators are scheduled to review the proposal in the next couple weeks.
“We’ve always supported a very narrow definition of working waterfronts,” said Cragin Moesteller, spokeswoman for the Florida Association of Counties. “We understand the need to implement the amendment but are hoping for a precise interpretation of what the voters approved.”
Down the road, Altman said he would like to include other businesses that also provide waterfront access but may not fit the rigid boundaries set forth in the constitutional language, such as party boat operators and dry land storage facilities.
“We’re going somewhere beyond the precise language but are well within the clear intent of the language,” Altman said.
In anticipation of possible legal challenges, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, added a late amendment that would allow the measure to remain law if particular provisions were successfully challenged in court.
Keyna Cory, a lobbyist representing Save Our Waterfronts, said a coalition of business groups including Associated Industries of Florida supports the measure with or without the changes made Thursday. She also acknowledged that legal challenges may ensue depending on the bill’s final version.
“We support Sen. Bennett’s action to ensure that if one part of the measure is thrown out the rest of it can continue,” Cory said.
Among those who benefit are businesses that provide shallow draft cargo and passenger services located on the Miami River. The river is home to 32 privately owned terminals that provide port and marina services for smaller vessels.
By volume, it’s the state’s fifth largest port, according to the Miami River Marine Group, a trade association representing the business. On Thursday, the group’s executive director Fran Bohnzack said Miami River businesses are expected to gear up as Haitian relief efforts grow.
With lack of deep port access in Port Au Prince, cargo and relief efforts must rely on shallow haul transportation, the kind businesses along the river have provided for years.
“We will be busy for at least a decade to come,” Bohnzack told committee members.
LOOBYTOOLS Political Headlines:
Daily Wrap-Up for January 14, 2010
BUSINESS SAYS NO MANDATES ... Business groups said Thursday that Florida should not impose any new mandates in order to meet a 75 percent recycling goal. The Legislature in 2008 adopted a comprehensive energy bill that established the 75-percent recycling goal. Florida Department of Environmental Protection recommendations for reaching the goal include requiring recycling at all construction-waste landfills.
Members of three House councils that met together generally praised a DEP representative for her presentation on the report and asked how markets for recyclable materials could be expanded. Keyna Cory, chief lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, told the legislators the group supported most of the DEP recommendations. But she and representatives of the Florida Retail Federation and the waste-management industry offered numerous examples of companies, such as Wal-Mart, that are recycling and using recycled products. "Once again, without any mandates," Cory said.
Tax break for working waterfronts still unclear Florida Legislature to work out problems in spring session
December 4, 2009, By Grace Gagliano, BradentonHerald.com, Manatee — Florida voters were clear in November 2008 when they overwhelmingly approved Amendment 6.
Now, one month from when the tax break for working waterfront property is to be implemented, legislators and property appraisers are in the dark about how to assess such properties.
The constitutional amendment, which passed with 71 percent of the vote, said working waterfront property would be assessed on its current use starting Jan. 1. Currently, waterfront property is taxed on its current and best use, usually a higher tax rate. But the Florida Senate and House of Representatives couldn’t agree on how to determine the current use value of qualifying properties.
The Legislature will take that issue up again in March, meaning property appraisers won’t know what the tax breaks are for owners of commercial fisheries, marinas, dry stacks and marine manufacturing facilities until July.
Properties must file for a working waterfront classification with the property appraiser before March 1. The classification is given to those properties that are dependent on the water for their business.
“We’re supposed to implement something for which there’s no law that tells us how to do it,” said Charles Hackney, property appraiser for Manatee County.
Bob Gertz, owner of Parrot Cove Marina in Palmetto, said he is disappointed he will have to wait longer to see what his property tax savings will be under Amendment 6.
“It would be nice if they did do something on it, anything would help right now with the way the economy is,” Gertz said. “The fact it would also help me budget for the future would be good, too.”
Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co. in Cortez, also said the sooner business owners can find out their tax break the better.
“It’s definitely a concern, but we’ll just have to wait for now,” Bell said. “As long as it’s moving along.”
The Senate and House this year had two different plans on how to determine current use value of working waterfront properties.
The Senate detailed a specific formula for property appraisers to follow, while the House opted to rely on the property appraiser’s professional judgment to assess its current use value.
Both the Senate and House’s bill died in the session.
Calls to Sen. Mike Bennett and Rep. Ron Reagan were not returned Thursday.
Keyna Cory, chief lobbyist for the Associated Industries of Florida, said the Senate and House each felt the other’s method wouldn’t properly calculate the current use value.
“This legislative session property appraisers will get a clear method of how to appraise these properties,” Cory said.
For the 2010 legislative session, there is an identical bill in both the House and Senate addressing working waterfront property. The bill states “the assessed value shall be calculated using the income approach to value, and using a capitalization rate based upon the debt coverage ratio formula.” But if that method isn’t appropriate, the bill states the property appraiser will take into consideration the condition, present market value and income generated at the property to determine a value.
“It would be best for the property appraisers to wait until the session is over before assessing working waterfront property,” Cory said. “Once legislators get this in place they’ll be able to figure out how to assess the properties.”
The Florida League of Cities
Legislative Conference in Orlando
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18, 2009 LEAGUE OF CITIES MAYORS ROUNDTABLE: Ahead of the League of Cities annual legislative agenda conference, the league will host a panel discussion for early-arriving mayors and city officials, titled “The State of Our Economy: Is it over yet?” Panelists are Dr. David E. Altig, senior vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Dr. James A. Zingale, former head of the state Department of Revenue and now a consultant with Capitol Hill Group and Deloitte Consulting. (Wednesday, 2:30 p.m., Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, Orlando.)
THURSDAY, NOV. 19, 2009 LEAGUE OF CITIES LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE: The League of Cities will meet Thursday and Friday in Orlando to set out legislative policies and priorities for the upcoming session. Florida League of Cities President John Marks, mayor of the City of Tallahassee, will preside over the conference.
Among the sessions is one on state and local taxation – always a big issue when city officials discuss state policy, as local officials often say there’s a disconnect between expectations for services and for taxes, and requirements for spending imposed by Tallahassee without the money to pay for those requirements. That discussion will be moderated by Dr. David Denslow Jr., of the University of Florida Department of Economics, and include John Wayne Smith, Legislative Director, Florida Association of Counties; Robert Sanchez, Policy Director of the James Madison Institute; Sen. Mike Bennett, Florida Senate, R-Bradenton, and Jack Cory, the founding partner of Public Affairs Consultants, Inc. (Thursday, 1:30 p.m., Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, Orlando.)
A discussion on energy moderated by Tavares Mayor Nancy Clutts, will include James Stanfield of Lakeland Electric; former state Rep. Jerry Paul, now managing member of Capitol Energy, LLC; Susan Glickman of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Mike Antheil, Executive Director, Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy; Metroplan Orlando Director Harold Barley and Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg.
The league will adopt its legislative agenda on Friday.
Firms critique state on reducing red tape
By Dave Hodges, Democrat Business Editor, November 6, 2009 — A panel of 22 company owners from around Florida offered their thoughts Thursday on the state's efforts to help its 1.9 million small businesses achieve success and boost Florida's economy.
The event was the 2009 Florida Small Business Summit at the Capitol. The companies, invited by Gov. Charlie Crist, got a chance to hear first hand what state agencies are doing to cut red tape, streamline procedures and reduce burdensome business regulation.
Keyna Cory, vice chairwoman of the Small Business Regulatory Advisory Council, spoke on some of the challenges that Florida small businesses face. The council's job is to identify ways to lessen the detrimental impact of proposed state agency rules or programs on businesses.
"We need your help. We need everybody in this room's help," said Cory, who is president of Public Affairs Consultants Inc. She encouraged the owners when they return home to let their local civic and business organizations know about the council's efforts and to speak up if they are having problems.
In the discussion that followed, Paresh Patel, chairman of the Clearwater firm Homeowners Choice Inc., said a problem he and others face is the rules keeping changing in Florida. Bill James, president of C&C International Computers and Consultants Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, agreed.
"I have been doing business with the state of Florida for over 10 years," James said, but in the last year he hasn't. He quoted a conversation he'd had with Linda H. South, secretary of the Department of Management Services, the state's procurement agency, in which he was told " 'it was going to cost too much money to do business with small business,' and I don't understand," James said. "You are changing the playing field."
Moderator Dale Brill, director of the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, called James's remark "the first no-holds-barred comment coming out of the gate." He added that state government must avoid being inconsistent and creating complexity that complicates things for the survival of small businesses.
Contacted later, DMS spokeswoman Linda McDonald said the department relies heavily on small business, particularly minority-owned firms. DMS spent $24.5 million of its own budget in 2007-08 on goods and services from those companies and Florida government as a whole spent $2.95 billion.
Secretary South, she added, "is passionate about small business and is a former small business owner herself."
On Tap in the Capital:
GOVERNOR’S SMALL BUSINESS SUMMIT
News Service Florida, November 5, 2009: Gov. Charlie Crist hosts a day of workshops aimed at fostering free competitive enterprise for Florida’s small business owners. More than more than 20 small business owners from across the state are expected to participate. Participants include Keyna Cory, vice chair of the Small Business Regulatory Advisory Council, Dale Brill, the governor’s tourism and economic development advisor, and Dr. Tom O’Neal, director of the Business Incubation Program at the University of Central Florida. (9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, The Capitol.)
Florida sets recycling goal of 75% by 2020
By John Booth, Waste & Recycling News, September 14, 2009 — In June 2008, Florida aimed high, establishing a statewide recycling goal of 75% by the year 2020, and setting a Jan. 1, 2010, deadline for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to come up with a plan for reaching it.
But even as that deadline draws near, economic uncertainties and debates over key proposals make it tough to tell what the final plan will look like.
“It’s going to be challenging, there’s no doubt about it,” said Ron Henricks, Florida’s recycling program administrator. “It’s going to take mandates, and it will take some money from the state, and it will take grants to local governments.”
It may also take some rethinking of how the state looks at what is considered recycling. For instance, as of 2007 (the most recent year for which data is available), about 12% of Florida’s solid waste was burned in waste and energy plants. Henricks noted that under a new system of measuring recycling, waste burned for energy and landfill gases used to produce electricity will be considered toward the recycling goal, though it’s unclear exactly how.
On a more easily measurable front, Florida’s 2007 recycling rate was 28%. And since half the state’s municipal solid waste stream is comprised of paper (25%) and construction and demolition debris (25%), the DEP’s preliminary recommendations — shared most recently at an Aug. 4 public hearing in Orlando — include big steps in addressing those areas.
One idea calls for requiring all construction and demolition waste to be processed at a material recovery facility prior to disposal, separating the recyclable material from the nonrecyclable. No other states have such a policy in place. Most of Florida’s material recovery facilities can be found in southern Florida, where disposal costs are much higher, and mandating upfront processing would mean more facilities would have to be built throughout the state, Henricks said.
And while waste paper already has a fairly high recycling rate in Florida (40% to 45%), the DEP said that mandating commercial paper recycling in the state’s most populous cities and counties would raise that significantly.
But plans and programs need money, and that’s where things get foggy: The Florida state legislature, already facing another tight fiscal session in 2010, has final say over the DEP’s proposals, and new funding may be hard to come by.
In hopes of raising money to fund the recycling push, the DEP’s preliminary recommendations include a deposit-collecting bottle bill similar to those in other states, and a $1 per ton landfill disposal surcharge. Henricks estimates the former could bring in $35 million to $40 million annually, while the latter could generate about $17 million per year.
“They’re both self-limiting funding resources,” he said by way of a selling point. “They automatically flare out the better you get with your recycling.”
But they also face stiff opposition from a big player in Florida business.
Keyna Cory, chief lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, said that while the business advocacy group supports efforts to improve recycling, AIF has concerns with the process and several DEP proposals. For starters, she said, the 75% number “was pulled out of the air” with no consideration of its feasibility or impact. While DEP recommendations do call for an update to the Florida Recycling Economic Information Study done in 2000, Cory said that’s where the project should have begun.
AARP/American Eldercare Nursing Home Diversion Press Conference
Capitol News Service, http://www.flanews.com, September 2nd, 2009: AARP Florida is teaming up with American Eldercare to find more state dollars for programs that keep seniors out of nursing homes.
The groups conducted a poll showing seven out of 10 Florida voters support the Nursing Home Diversion Program. Robert Schemel, President of American Eldercare, says the program is cheaper than sending patients to a nursing home.
“This is approximately 1/3 the cost of keeping someone in a nursing home. It crosses all lines, Democrats, Republicans, male, female, all age groups. A very high percentage would really rather see people have a choice and stay in their homes rather than the elderly be forced to stay in a nursing home,” said Schemel.
American Eldercare is Florida largest contractor for the Nursing Home Diversion Program. The company helps 15,000 Floridians remain in their homes.
Nursing Home Diversion Program
September 2, 2009: AARP Florida is teaming up with American Eldercare to find more state dollars for programs that keep seniors out of nursing homes. The groups conducted a poll showing seven out of 10 Florida voters support the Nursing Home Diversion Program. Robert Schemel, President of American Eldercare, says the program is cheaper than sending patients to a nursing home. “This is approximately 1/3 the cost of keeping someone in a nursing home. It crosses all lines, Democrats, Republicans, male, female, all age groups. A very high percentage would really rather see people have a choice and stay in their homes rather than the elderly be forced to stay in a nursing home,” said Schemel. American Eldercare is Florida largest contractor for the Nursing Home Diversion Program. The company helps 15,000 Floridians remain in their homes.
AARP Florida is teaming up with American Eldercare to find more state dollars for programs that keep seniors out of nursing homes
WJHG TV in Panama City, September 2, 2009: AARP Florida is teaming up with American Eldercare to find more state dollars for programs that keep seniors out of nursing homes.
The groups conducted a poll showing seven out of 10 Florida voters support the Nursing Home Diversion Program.
Robert Schemel, President of American Eldercare, says the program is cheaper than sending patients to a nursing home.
“This is approximately 1/3 the cost of keeping someone in a nursing home. It crosses all lines, Democrats, Republicans, male, female, all age groups. A very high percentage would really rather see people have a choice and stay in their homes rather than the elderly be forced to stay in a nursing home.”
American Eldercare is Florida largest contractor for the Nursing Home Diversion Program. The company helps 15-thousand Floridians remain in their homes.
STATE CAPITOL BRIEFS – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009: Citing the results of a recent Associated Industries of Florida poll showing 70 percent approval, advocates for nursing home diversion programs on Wednesday called on state lawmakers to expand programs aimed at providing at-home services and community based to elderly residents who would otherwise end up in nursing homes. "This lends further credence to AARP's studies that show an overwhelming percentage of Floridians believe it is vitally important to be able to choose how and where to obtain long-term care services," said Leslie Spencer, AARP Florida's associate state director. According to AARP, Florida ranks 45th in per capita spending on community based care. Joining Spencer was Robert Schemel, president of American Eldercare Inc, the nation's largest contractor for nursing home diversion services.
AARP Florida, American Eldercare Agree with Florida Voters in Supporting Nursing Home Diversion Program Funding
September 2, 2009: (TALLAHASSEE, FL) – The AARP Florida and American Eldercare, Inc. today announced a recent poll showing overwhelming support in fully funding the Nursing Home Diversion Program and other home and community‐based programs. Click here to read the press release.
'Timing is everything' in bid to green light offshore drilling
By Jim Ash, Florida Capital Bureau Chief, Tallahassee.com, April 27, 2009 — Capitalizing on a worldwide recession and fresh memories of $4-a-gallon gas, conservative Republicans in the Florida House have outmaneuvered a formidable enemy in their quest for the industrial Holy Grail — offshore drilling for oil and natural gas.
"The stars and the moon have lined up for us," said Keyna Cory, President of Public Affairs Inc. a Tallahassee based Lobbying firm and Chief Lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida (AIF). "Timing is everything."
Rep. Dean Cannon, a Republican from Winter Park and the speaker designate, stunned environmentalists last week by ramming a bill through the House Policy Council that would give the governor and Cabinet the power to approve drilling as close as three miles from shore.
The 20-page amendment came out of nowhere in the final days of a chaotic session when all eyes were riveted on a standoff over fixing a $6 billion budget shortfall.
Environmentalists were scrambling to save Florida Forever, the $350 million a year environmental land buying program, that is being threatened by budget cuts.
With a little less than an hour's discussion, and a quick, mostly party-line vote, every conservationist's worst nightmare was headed for the House floor. The House gave preliminary approval on Friday.
"This is like a Carl Hiaasen novel," laments Janet Bowman, a lobbyist for the Nature Conservancy.
'Pent-up energy'
But unlike the colorful characters who scheme to sell out Florida's natural wonders in Hiaasen's works of fiction, the supporters are very real. Their ranks also include some respected names, including Martha Barnett, a former president of the American Bar Association. Former House Speaker John Thrasher, a lobbyist who is also pushing the measure, smiles broadly and praises Cannon's master stroke. "He's a rising star," Thrasher said. "We needed to look at this, not just pull it out and have everyone just say no. It's been amazing to see the pent-up energy for this."
Supporters have been preparing for years.
AIF, the largest business lobby in Florida, has been demanding candidates' positions on offshore drilling before approving endorsements since Barney Bishop became its president in 2006.
Rep. Dave Murzin, a Republican from Pensacola who voted for the measure in committee, asked his constituents about oil drilling in February. Of the 1,965 who responded, 66 percent supported it, 34 percent didn't. He surveyed about natural-gas drilling in 2006, and it was favored 80 percent to 20 percent. "Sure, I voted for it," Murzin said. "My constituents support it."
'Transcend politics'
In the only committee stop, sponsors lined up a respected Orlando economist who promised $31 billion in state revenues over the next 20 years and 17,000 to 20,000 jobs. They came armed with fresh Mason-Dixon numbers that showed broad support. The icing on the cake was a provision that would divert more than $350 million in state drilling royalties to Florida Forever and beach renourishment programs. Later the same day at a reception for lawmakers, Gov. Charlie Crist called the idea "intriguing."
Environmentalists were livid, and painted into a political corner. Not only were they forced to oppose a potential new revenue stream for Florida Forever, they faced the prospect of going up against a governor they have lavishly praised in the past for his support of renewable energy and his high-profile fight against global warming.
'Solve every issue'
The measure's chances in the Senate, where there is no sponsor, remained unclear. Former Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville, is sponsoring the governor's renewable energy package, and expressed an interest in adding the drilling measure.
Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee said that no matter how badly the state was hurt by the budget crisis, policy makers shouldn't take the bait.
"They're using us at a time when we are vulnerable," he said. "They're really trying to catch us when we're down."
Late last week, when budget negotiations with the House seemed hopelessly stalled, Senate budget chief JD Alexander said the drilling bill had seeped into closed-door budget negotiations.
He suggested that one reason the House may be pushing for it is because the oil revenues would start flowing just when Cannon takes up the speaker's gavel. Cannon denied that the House had linked drilling to a budget deal. "Absolutely not," he said.
Thrasher said he wasn't worried that there was so little time left in the session. "A week can be a lifetime in this process," he said. "I know it would pass if I was still in charge."
By Louis Cooper, Pensacola News Journal, August 25, 2009: Santa Rosa County residents aren't going to be writing checks to the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority for garbage service anytime soon.
ECUA — a governmental entity that provides solid- waste, water and other utility services to much of Escambia County — asked the Santa Rosa County Commission to be allowed to compete with the private garbage services that operate in Santa Rosa.
The commission discussed the proposal at a workshop Monday.
Bobby Carnley, who has operated North Santa Rosa Sanitation since 1989, told commissioners this morning that he worries about ECUA's ability to use its Escambia services to subsidize and possibly undercut private companies.
"We feel a little threatened," Carnley said. "Haulers like me are just in the waste hauling business. I work strictly on the cash flow of my company."
Keyna Cory, a representative of the Florida chapter of the National Solid Waste Management Association, also objected.
"It is unfair to have to compete with a public entity," said Cory, whose office is in Tallahassee. "Bringing in a government entity will put some of (the private haulers) out of business."
No one from ECUA spoke at the meeting, and no commissioner expressed support for the idea.
"Let's keep our local haulers busy," Commissioner Bob Cole said. "It's certainly not any time to put more competition on them."
Contacted later, Steve Sorrell, ECUA executive director, said the expansion likely would have started in some of the larger subdivisions in south Santa Rosa and expanded.
"We felt we could provide that service, and include recycling, for less than the people are paying over there now," Sorrell said. "We don't want to infringe on Santa Rosa County in any way, but if they would like for us to provide that service, we'd be glad to do it."
The final week of the 2010 session is here. Don't miss this week's episode of AIFTV to get up to speed on all the issues important to the business community. This week we update our members on the latest on the budget negotiations between the House and Senate and bring you information on all of the big business issues that remain unresolved heading into the last days of session.
View this weekly internet video program designed to bring the latest developments from the state Capitol to AIF members and business leaders across the state of Florida.
Florida companies sponsored the carts — which were donated by Otto Environmental Systems North America Inc. — and children from the clubs decorated them. 
Click here for audio
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WFSU), Lynn Hatter Florida Public Radio September 2, 2009 - A new survey of 600 likely Florida voters shows 70-percent are in favor of allowing people on Medicaid to stay in their homes while insurance provides assistance. As Lynn Hatter reports, the state's two largest groups with the most interest in the program say it's evidence that the state needs to shift more dollars into the program. © Copyright 2009, WFSU 