6/23/08…..
Topic 1…The drilling debate…the front page debate…with a few interesting points…one…from the NYTimes…. www.nytimes.com reported this week that the world’s existing drill ships are booked for the next 5 years…and companies are postponing exploration while waiting for a drilling rig…
Gov. Crist’s Climate Change Summit this week in Miami ..will address…a switch in the energy conversation back to a more well-rounded debate on the challenges and opportunities facing Florida’s energy future…
BCbythesea…Calypso/Suez anyone?….
Topic 2…..Florida Fortune 500 Companies….www.cnnmoney.com
a breakdown of companies…including 14 from Florida….tied with North Carolina at number 11 among the states with the largest Fortune 500 companies….(Publix … # 107/AutoNation…#164/FPL….#168)…
Topic 3…Salmonella Scare….Florida is the nations largest producer of tomatoes….after the the FBI investigation …looking for the origin of the tainted veggies…. from which farms …the FDA opined they came from Florida and Mexico….than back- peddled and said Mexico was not involved….causing a media “egg- on their -face” for the department…
The FDA will hopefully find the source…and if they are in error once again…will clear Florida as well….
Topic 4….Crime in the Sunshine State...www.floridaperforms.com
a state website that provides a running scorecard 0n broad range of issues/initiatives…reflecting trends in key areas of concern in the Sunshine state….shows crime is slightly on the rise….
Topic 5…Supreme Court on Allstate….a follow-up to previous Lemieux report on Allstate and Office of Insurance Regulation…..the First District Court of Appeal held the OIR had the authority to suspend Allstate from conducting new business in Florida for failing to produce documents under subpoena…after the OIR lifted the ban further judicial review became moot….last week however…the Florida Supreme Court declined to accept jurisdiction in an order of the dismissal…by denying the review of the petition …the ruling by the First District Court of Appeal will stand… thus confirming the OIR has full access to the insurers’ books and records….in its effort to protect consumers…
Things to Watch….last Friday was the last day to qualify to run for office website to see who qualified/who is unopposed/how much has been raised/or spent…www.on3pr.com
Age discrimination…US supreme Court ruled employers have burden of proof when laying-off older workers….
Civil Rights…Florida Dept. of Corrections and Florida Parole Commission have reviewed all pre-2008 cases of ex-offenders eligible for automatic restoration of civil rights…115,232 have had those rights re-stored since Gov. Crist introduced a change to the rules last April….
Supreme Court to Rule on Ballot….Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding ballot access for 2 citizen initiatives….one set of standards designed to prevent gerrymandering in legislative redistricting, while the second limits annual property taxes 1.35% of the highest value, a petition advocated by Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio. As of right now neither amendment will be placed on the ballot until 2010, unless the courts rule in favor of a challenge against this year’s Feb. 1st petition deadline…
Full text online…with subscription….
Tags: calypso, citizen initiatives, State Politics, suez
