News from Florida's Capitol
by Kari Hebrank, FBMA Lobbyist
 Political Races
On November 3, Florida Senator Paula Dockery (R-Lakeland) announced she was running to be Florida’s next Governor, taking on Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Republican Primary. Dockery , 48, claims she is giving voters a “fresh face to consider” and indicated that it was not her intention to create havoc for the Republican Party, but rather to reclaim the party because people are frustrated with the party establishment. Perceived as a maverick and a GOP moderate, Dockery was recently hailed by some for fighting against creating the Central Florida Sunrail commuter train. To date, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink remains the sole democratic contender for the Governor’s mansion.
[FULL STORY]
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NLBMDA Key Votes This Week: Extension of Homebuyer Tax Credit and NOL Extension
by NLBMDA
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) unveiled a substitute unemployment benefits bill late last week that includes an extension and expansion of the first-time home buyer tax credit and net operating loss (NOL) relief, as sought by NLBMDA. The $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit will be extended for purchases through April 30, 2010, with an additional 60 days to close. The income caps will be raised to $125,000 single/$225,000 joint filers. A new, $6,500 tax credit will be available for existing home owners who have lived in their current home for at least 5 years. Both credits will be limited to homes priced below $800,000.
[FULL STORY]
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Tell Congress to Oppose Health Care Tax Hikes on Small Business
by NLBMDA
BACKGROUND: The House Democratic leadership has unveiled their final health care reform legislation, with a vote expected before Veterans' Day - and possibly as early as this weekend. Unfortunately, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" (H.R. 3962) contains numerous onerous provisions that will only drive up the costs for small businesses and penalize employers, rather than addressing health care costs in a meaningful way.
Some major areas of concern in H.R. 3962 for small businesses:
Employer Mandate: Employers will be required to offer health care to full and part-time employees. All employers with a payroll of $500,000 or more will pay a payroll tax of up to 8 percent if they do not provide "qualified" health insurance to their employees.
[FULL STORY]
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St. Pete Beach Abandons Local Version of Amendment 4
Voters approve a plan to scale back the Vote on Everything requirement
by Ryan Houck, Floridians for Smarter Growth
Since beginning a 3-year experiment in Amendment 4-style rule, St. Pete Beach residents have seen endless lawsuits, higher taxes and widespread economic turmoil.[i] On Tuesday, the citizens of St. Pete Beach scaled back their local version of Amendment 4 so that only certain land use changes require a referendum. While Florida voters are set to soon decide the fate of Amendment 4 - a statewide Vote on Everything initiative - St. Pete Beach voters have chosen to rein in their own local experiment by a decisive 60-40 margin.
"St. Pete Beach residents are tired of voting on everything, especially issues that don't even relate to development," said Ward Friszolowski, former Mayor of St. Pete Beach. "This amendment doesn't work. It has resulted in chaotic, confusing and expensive elections driven by sound bites rather than sound planning."
[FULL STORY]
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Florida Insurance Commissioner Approves Citizens’ Rate Adjustments
by Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty yesterday signed an order establishing Citizens Property Insurance Corp.'s (Citizens) rates for some lines of business.
The rates were reviewed to determine they were actuarially sound under Section 627.351(6)(n)5, Florida Statutes, which required Citizens, beginning July 15, 2009, to make actuarially sound rate filings for each personal and commercial line of business it writes to be effective no earlier than Jan. 1, 2010.
[FULL STORY]
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