Conexion Miami / Fearing competition, Florida leaders cite disease

The Lakeland Ledger reported that Florida growers fear lax inspections of Cuban products at U.S. Department of Agriculture border checkpoints will allow the importation of pests and fungal disease that would harm Florida crops. Adam Putnam, Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, has sent letters to the state’s congressional delegation opposing plans to end the Cuban trade embargo. Gov. Rick Scott also cited concerns about invasive pests in his statement opposing any lifting of the trade embargo. Here’s the catch: Florida growers say they also have concerns about increased competition from Cuban agricultural products. 

Bush not conservative enough

The Tampa Bay Times cites four reasons why Jeb Bush is vulnerable to attacks on his record as a fiscal conservative. They are: (1) Local pensions – Bush signed a law for police and fire pensions that cost cities over $500 million between 1999 and 2012; (2) Property taxes – the education budgets he put together often relied on increasing Floridians’ property tax bills; (3) Debt – While he was in office, Florida’s outstanding debt rose from $15 billion to more than $23 billion; (4) Scripps – Using more than $300 million in post-9/11 federal stimulus money, Bush pushed through a deal to attract California-based Scripps with a host of public money enticements.

Rick Scott: MIA

A Miami Herald editorial on the Tallahassee disaster this week: “The situation near the end of the 60-day lawmaking marathon was tailor-made for a governor to ride in on a white horse at the critical moment and rescue the beleaguered Sunshine State by coming up with a solution to end the budget crisis and leave everyone happy as they all moseyed into the sunset.” But Governor Rick Scott was missing in action. The result: Members of the state House left town before the end of the session that “killed dozens of bills awaiting action in the final days.”

Trump is trumped

Donald Trump, or as we call him, Mr. Greed, recently backed out of a Miami deal he wanted – badly. We’re still celebrating the outcome at Progreso Weekly. Trump had planned to spend $10 million on unnecessary upgrades on a public golf course in Key Biscayne, where the real estate is uber expensive. In exchange, Mr. Greed insisted on a management deal that would give him control of the golf course for 99 years. Trump had to back out of the deal for lack of votes on the county commission. Trump’s political partner on the deal: Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

South Miami-Dade: People in poverty

A self-explanatory report done by Eye on Miami demonstrates the poverty rampant in the southern end of Miami-Dade County. Click here to see the graphs presented where they highlight that 6% of Florida City residents have a Bachelor’s degree and only 55% have graduated high school. In Pinecrest, a rich community close by, 64% have a Bachelor’s degree and the high school graduate rate is at 95%.

$$ to prevent family violence

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) formula grants totaling $4,437,876 have been awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to support Florida domestic violence victims and organizations. “Domestic violence coalitions, local domestic violence programs, tribes, and culturally specific community based organizations are all an integral part of any coordinated response to domestic violence,” said Bill Bentley, associate commissioner of the state’s Family and Youth Services Bureau.

Marco Rubio the 2-headed cow

In Florida, there is much we can call abnormal. And now this from the AP: A two-headed calf was recently born on a farm in northern Florida. The calf has trouble standing up, but has been feeding from a bottle, the AP reported. While one mouth suckles, the other mouth moves. Sources tell us they might call it Marco Rubio, since the Florida senator seems to speak from both sides of his mouth. In this case, he’d have two heads allowing him to stand on both sides of any issue. 

Stepping up for students

Step Up For Students, which helps administer the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, is pleased to announce that Southern Wine & Spirits, the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor, has committed $100 million to the program, which will fund more than 16,500 scholarships for Florida’s low-income children to attend a K-12 school of their choice.

A sea level rise app for S. Florida

This is fascinating, while worrisome. A web app created by professors and students at the FIU School of Journalism and Mass Communications, merging data from the Google Elevation Service with calculations made by scientist Peter Harlem at FIU’s GIS Center, shows the potential effects of sea level rise across South Florida in incredible detail. While the data does “not account for erosion, subsidence, or future construction” we are able to see the impacts of a 0-6 foot sea level rise in South Florida when water levels are at the highest of high tides.

Marco the climate change denier

Marco Rubio often says uninformed (some use the word stupid) things about climate change. Just recently he said that addressing climate change would “have a devastating impact on our economy.” Not addressing the problem is much scarier, we’ve always thought. It is why we found this invitation to Sen. Rubio most interesting. NextGen Climate, a California organization focused on bringing climate change to the forefront of American politics, invited Rubio to visit their office to receive a briefing on the California model of economic and environmental success. No answer from Rubio yet. Some speculate he may be waiting for the Koch brothers to advise him on what to do next…

Gov. Scott sues Obama administration

Florida Gov. Rick Scott sued the Obama administration last week, charging that federal officials are coercing the state to expand Medicaid in order to get $1 billion in federal hospital funds, reported AP. The lawsuit was filed in a Pensacola federal court – the same place where the Scott administration previously challenged the health care law (Obamacare). The Obama administration told states over a year ago that the Low Income Pool (LIP) hospital funds were ending. Officials say it’s more efficient to give people money to help buy health insurance than to pay hospitals for caring for the uninsured retroactively.

For those who can afford it 

3 Indian Creek Island Road (also known as Indian Creek Drive) broke records for the most expensive residential sale ever in Miami-Dade County when it sold for $47 million back in 2012. When the sale of the penthouse at the almost-complete Faena House, which is in contract for $60 million, closes, 3 Indian Creek will officially have been dethroned.

Environmentalists not happy in Florida

Environmentalists unhappy with the Florida Legislature’s proposed use of conservation funding for things like agency salaries and operating budgets expressed anger outside the Capitol last week. Three quarters of Florida voters last year voted for Amendment 1, which changed the state constitution to earmark hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation programs like Florida Forever. That program sets aside money from a real estate tax for land purchases meant to improve the environment. But GOP lawmakers say the amendment allows them to use the funds for other purposes rather than specifically for Florida Forever and other programs. They have proposed spending only 8-to-$15-million of the roughly $750 million in conservation funds this year on Florida Forever, angering the amendment’s authors.