Posts Tagged ‘Gov Charlie Crist’
Crist won’t delay septic inspections
Gov. Charlie Crist will not delay implementing a bill passed earlier this year that will require septic tank inspections every five years, despite calls from two more lawmakers to postpone the plan for now. Sen. Durrell Peaden, R-Crestview, and Rep. Greg Evers, R-Baker, wrote Crist Thursday to say the septic tank inspection requirement is too expensive in a tight economy and should be pushed back from Jan. 1, 2011, to July 2011 so lawmakers can revisit the issue during the 2011 session of the Florida Legislature. Earlier this summer, outgoing Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, suggested that the bill should be repealed altogether, and he’s promised to keep hammering the state on the issue. But Crist, who signed the measure in June, will not postpone inspections, a spokesman told the News Service of Florida. “The governor is not delaying implementation,” Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said. “It was a Senate bill that passed both houses and he signed into law. He didn’t have any reservation about the bill when it reached his desk or he would have vetoed it.” Backers of the springs protection bill say the requirements will cost much less than possible federal water regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is currently considering limits on the amount of chemical pollution allowed in state bodies of water, but backers of inspection repeal says that the EPA may back off and allow Florida officials to police state septic tanks – providing the state showed it was serious about protecting its water resources. But Peaden and Evers said Thursday that “less expensive” is not good enough in a rocky economic time. “In recent months … many individuals have contacted our offices regarding the adverse impacts to them both financially and physically as a result of the new septic system evaluation requirements,” they wrote to Crist. “Concerns have continued to grow as estimates from various counties on the cost of implementing the septic tank evaluation provisions have varied widely from a low of $180 to a high of $800. Since the law itself makes no mention of the actual cost of an evaluation, Floridians can be left to deal with unscrupulous individuals that can charge any fee they choose under the authority of the state.” The springs bill, SB 550, was backed by environmentalists, but heralded by sponsor Sen. Lee Constantine as a product of negotiations with various competing interests groups. “When you get the home builders and the Sierra Club to agree,” Constantine told the News Service last month, that’s consensus. “This was landmark legislation.” But Peaden and Evers said that a cost review by the Florida Department of Health as it considers implementation rules suggests that lawmakers should take another look at the requirement. “This raises serious concerns that in a rush to pass legislation to protect Florida’s water resources, insufficient time was spent on how this law was going to financially affect Floridians,” they said. “Therefore, we request that you use executive authority granted to you under the Florida Constitution to direct the Department of Health to postpone the implementation of this legislation … allowing the Florida Legislature to more thoroughly investigate the financial impact to Floridians.” The two lawmakers also asked Crist to direct the Department of Health to conduct a fiscal analysis on the “full and actual costs of the implementation of such an evaluation program” before the new requirements go into effect Jan. 1. Source: News Service of Florida
Could we see another buyer tax credit?
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the administration would “do everything we can” to stabilize the U.S. housing market. “The July numbers were worse than we expected, worse than the general market expected, and we are concerned,” Donovan said. “That’s why we are taking additional steps to move forward.” Whether HUD will resurrect the first-time homebuyer tax credit is up in the air. “All I can tell you is that we are watching very carefully,” Donovan said on the show. “We’re going to be focused like a laser on where the housing market is moving going forward, and we are going to go everywhere we can to make sure this market stabilizes and recovers.” Gov. Charlie Crist appeared on the same show and supported a new version of the homebuyer tax credit, saying it would “help enormously,” noting that Florida has the nation’s third highest foreclosure rate. Donovan also said the Federal Housing Administration will launch an emergency loan program to help unemployed borrowers stay in their homes and a program to help underwater borrowers refinance. Source: Bloomberg, Holly Rosenkrantz
Judge declares Florida growth law unconstitutional
A judge on Thursday struck down a 2009 law loosening state planning requirements and controls on urban sprawl that development and business interests say are stifling Florida’s growth. In a lawsuit filed by four counties and 16 cities, Chief Circuit Judge Charles Francis ruled the Legislature violated the Florida Constitution by requiring local governments to implement the law without providing the dollars to do it or a means to raise them. The sponsor, Sen. Mike Bennett, doesn’t want the state to appeal because he intends to file a revised version if lawmakers meet in special session or at the next regular session beginning in March 2011. “It’s something we’ll go back and fix next time,” the Bradenton Republican said. “It really bothers me – government suing government.” Representatives of Gov. Charlie Crist and Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said they were reviewing the ruling and hadn’t made any decision on a possible appeal. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, declined comment. The law was touted as a way to foster growth and improve Florida’s sagging economy. Environmentalists and many local officials opposed it, saying the measure would encourage sprawl. Florida Chamber of Commerce Vice President Adam Babbington said his organization was disappointed. “Legislation intended to reduce excessive regulations, stimulate investment and create jobs has instead been tied up in costly, taxpayer funded litigation,” Babbington said. Jamie Cole, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the law’s been on the books for more than a year, yet growth has continue to stagnate. “The economy has not been good,” Cole said. “Once the economy gets better you’re going to get growth … that whole theory is flawed.” One provision was designed to correct an unintended consequence from a prior growth management law that required ample roads and other transportation facilities before development could occur. That “transportation concurrency” requirement was aimed at containing sprawl. But it had the opposite result of pushing development into outlying and rural areas where roads are less congested and cheaper to build. Critics, though, said the new law didn’t do enough to correct that problem. They also opposed a provision doing away with state planning requirements for large-scale developments. Francis found the law violated the constitution because it would cost cities and counties at least $3.7 million to change their comprehensive plans to put it into effect. That exceeds a $1.86 million limit – 10 cents for each Florida resident – on expenditures that can be ordered without providing local governments with sufficient money or a means to get it. The constitution exempts legislation from that requirement if passed by more than two-thirds of each chamber. The growth bill cleared the Senate by the necessary margin but fell three votes short in the House. The suit initially was filed by Lee County, Weston, Key Biscayne, Cutler Bay, Deerfield Beach, Miami Gardens, Fruitland Park and Parkland. They later were joined by Broward, St. Lucie and Levy counties as well as Homestead, Cooper City, Pompano Beach, North Miami, Palmetto Bay, Coral Gables, Pembroke Pines, Islamorada and Village of Islands. © 2010 Associated Press, Bill Kaczor
Lawson: Repeal septic tank requirement
A bill (SB 550) passed earlier this year meant to protect springs, in part by requiring septic tank inspections every five years, is too expensive in a tight economy and should be repealed, Sen. Al Lawson said Tuesday. Lawson (D-Tallahassee), a candidate for Congress, sent a letter to Senate President Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) asking that legislation to repeal the requirement be brought up if lawmakers return later this year to address economic issues. Lawson claims the new septic tank inspections could set homeowners back as much as $500 every five years, though backers of the springs protection bill say the law will cost much less. “Tallahassee simply cannot impose such a high financial burden on homeowners at this time,” Lawson said. “To do so would likely push a great many of them over the edge.” The sponsor of the septic tank legislation, Sen. Lee Constantine, said the inspections, which will be phased in, would cost less because of the requirement itself – if a greater number of homes must have an inspection, the number of companies will expand and prices will become more competitive. Constantine believes a number of companies will aggressively offer deals to get inspection business. Beyond cost, Constantine says Florida needs the inspections to protect the state’s water supply from pollution. “We will be protecting Florida waters, that is something people are forgetting about – so we continue to have economic development and growth,” said Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs. He said the measure passed earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist was a consensus product pushed by environmentalists but agreed to by a wide range of constituencies. Even Lawson voted for the bill, which passed the Senate 34-4. “We got every group that could possibly be affected by this and got them to agree that this septic tank inspection program was extremely important,” Constantine said. “When you get the home builders and the Sierra Club to agree, (that’s consensus). This was landmark legislation.” The idea was vetted, and the cost issue thoroughly explored. “We had 12 or 14 different public hearings all over the state of Florida. It went through a number of different committees including the full appropriations committee,” Constantine said. The consensus ended up that “the economy of scale would dictate that the cost would go down.” Constantine, who is leaving the Legislature, also argued that without additional protections for springs, the federal Environmental Protection Agency might eventually make the requirement anyway – or impose more expensive mandates. “We have the EPA over us and very onerous restrictions could be placed on us,” Constantine said. “The was clearly something that would help us in our relationship and working with the EPA.” There are 2.6 million known septic tanks in Florida, and the Department of Health said at least 15 percent aren’t adequately keeping sewage out of groundwater. Constantine said only 17,000 were inspected last year. The new requirement would be phased in starting next year, but many people wouldn’t be required to have an inspection for a few years. Lawson said he worries that most people on septic systems live in rural areas, and many of them tend to be poor. “We hear the Republicans talking a lot about government ‘living within its means,’” Lawson said. “They need to stop forcing Florida homeowners to live beyond theirs.” Legislative leaders have said they intend to call a special session to deal with financial issues that have arisen out of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, though there has been no definitive date set. Source: News Service of Florida, David Roys
Feds re-open Gulf waters to fishing
Federal officials on Tuesday reopened federal waters off the Florida Panhandle to commercial and recreational fishing, saying that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data have shown no oil in the area. The Coast Guard also says it hasn’t seen any oil in the last 30 days in the 5,144-square mile area of the Gulf, allowing it to be cleared for fishing. Officials in Gulf states, including Florida, were part of the decision, according to NOAA. The closure had stunted Florida’s Panhandle fishing industry, even though large swaths of the Gulf never closed to fishing. Public confusion about allowable fishing caused problems for charter fishing captains, who saw a significant drop in clients during recent months. It also has led to a downturn in seafood sales with customers wary of possible impacts from the BP spill. “Consumer safety is NOAA’s primary concern, which is why we developed rigorous safety standards in conjunction with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure that seafood is safe in the reopened area,” said Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “We are confident that Gulf fish from this area is safe to eat and pleased that recreational and commercial fisherman can fish these waters again.” Gov. Charlie Crist praised the move. “The federal waters off beautiful Northwest Florida are once again open for fishing, and Florida’s commercial and recreational fishermen are eager to get back to work,” Crist said in a statement. “I join them in celebrating this much-needed boost to our economy and quality of life.” He then invited people to come to the Panhandle to go to the beach and “enjoy Florida’s delicious seafood.” NOAA officials said they sampled 153 finfish, including grouper, snapper, tuna and mahi mahi, from the area from June 27 through July 20. NOAA scientists found “no detectable oil or dispersant odors or flavors, and results of chemical analysis well below the levels of concern.” NOAA will continue to take test samples from the newly re-opened area, and the agency has also implemented dockside sampling to test fish caught by commercial fishermen. After Tuesday’s announcement, the closed area in the Gulf now includes 52,395 miles, or 22 percent of federal waters in the Gulf, down from 37 percent at its largest. NOAA had already re-opened about 26,000 square miles of the eastern Gulf off of Florida last month. With Tuesday’s action, fishing is allowed in an area as close as about 115 miles from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead that was leaking oil. Source: News Service of Florida
BP panels prepare for claims switch
BP plans to turn over the processing of personal claims on Aug. 23, when the responsibility will fall to federal independent administrator Ken Feinberg, a company spokeswoman told an oil spill task force on Monday. Cities, counties and the state, however, will continue to work with the oil company to settle millions in claims for protective measures taken and clean-up efforts underway following the biggest oil release in the nation’s history. Mary Shafer-Maliki, retired BP vice president and company deputy incident commander for Florida, told the Oil Spill Recovery Task Force that the company currently has no plans to outsource the government claims, at least for now. “Nothing changes ‘til it changes,” said Shafer, underscoring the evolving nature of the disaster, cleanup and reimbursement efforts. State officials are concerned that BP may shut down the claims process before all damage has been properly assessed. Setting aside an escrow account for government expenses, a pool of cash similar to the $20 billion set aside for private claims, would go a long way toward easing fears of local communities that stepped up quickly to respond. “It gives everybody in the state peace of mind that we are trying to get it out of (BP’s) hands,” said Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City. Appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist, the task force is looking at ways to speed up the claims process for local governments that spent money on boom and other items, some of which in hindsight weren’t needed. Realtor compensation continues to be debated, and Florida Realtors Vice President of Public Policy John Sebree is in Washington today to meet with Feinberg. The House Deepwater Horizon Response and Recovery Working Group continues to meet – with discussion scheduled throughout this week – and eventually will make its own slate of recommendations after hearing from affected parties in Tallahassee, Panama City and Pensacola. Estimates collected for that group show the state has spent $75 million on cleanup and recovery efforts. Feinberg is slated to visit the Panhandle Tuesday to meet with local officials as he prepares to take over the private claims process now being handled by BP. The oil company has paid more than $300 million in claims to more than 40,000 claimants so far. Feinberg, who will oversee a $20 billion escrow fund for businesses and others who may have lost money, will be at the University of West Florida on Tuesday to discuss how the fund will work with potential claimants. But so far, local governments won’t have a similar fund, and will continue to deal directly with BP. Maliki said the speed with which local communities responded to the spill took the company by surprise – the response from other states was much slower – and she assured local officials that they wouldn’t be punished for their prudence. “It’s not our intention to have counties left holding the bag on this,” Maliki said. “We intend to make them whole.” Going forward, however, Maliki said the company may be less willing to approve local expenditures that company officials think goes over and above the response need. “I want them to stop spending money on things they may no longer need,” Maliki said. Source: News Service of Florida, Michael Peltier
