I mentioned in the previous post that Polk Sheriff Grady Judd was speaking at the NRF conference in Orlando today. Here's a photo and a quick write-up.

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One of the speakers at next week's National Retail Federation Loss & Prevention conference in Orlando will be our own Grady Judd. Why? Remember that major organized retail bust the Polk County Sheriff's office made a while back? A bust like that is a big deal to the NRF, especially their Loss & Prevention folks.

As luck would have it, I'll be helping out the NRF with some live-blog coverage of their event. I'll post a link to my recap of Grady's session next week.

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That's probably as close as I'll ever get to commuter rail in Central Florida. It's my son's LEGO train set.

The defeat of the CSX incentive-laden bill has been hailed as a savings to taxpayers. Two quick questions though

1. When in the next few decades do you think building a commuter rail line will be cheaper?
2. How do you plan on building a rail line without some sort of involvement from CSX?

Here are a few quick answers:

1. Now or Never? If there is one certainty other than death and taxes, it's that major public-infrastructure projects don't get cheaper over time. So if you're complaining about the cost now, just wait a few years....especially when we don't have any Federal funds. Throw in a connection to Tampa and watch the cost get even higher. However land is a bit cheaper today than it was two years ago. Perhaps this recession is good for something :-)
2. Good Luck. They own the major rail lines in the area, so that leaves you with three options: a. build your own, sure....any estimate on what that right-of-way would be? b. deal with the devil, CSX that is....and I bet after this last go around they won't be lowering their price...or c. Use the center of I-4, after all that's what we widened it for right?

Once again regionalism has screwed over the area. Lakeland doesn't want more freight trains, Orlando is sick of them and wants commuter rail, Winter Haven doesn't seem to care as long as their is tax revenue to be gained. South Florida doesn't like funding an Orlando rail initiative with limited immunity, even though they benefit from a similar deal. The Four Corners is growing with residents that work and play in the Osceola/Orange area and we just killed their rail deal, that should go over well. The list can go on and on.

I hope that something good will come out of all this. Hopefully the entire region will begin to think about a good rail system, but it's going to be hard for any Orlando politician to deal with Lakeland for a bit. They'll get over it.....but when?

One day the planning will start and then the finger-pointing will resume all over. What's that...you want to build a high-speed rail connection between Orlando and Tampa but bypass downtown Lakeland and Winter Haven? No way!

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Will there ever be decent rail in Central Florida? In the past year I've seen a number of great commuter rail systems, but alas I don't think we'll ever get there.

I am often in San Francisco/San Jose/Palo Alto for business and I often use CalTrain when I'm there. I don't know the political/financial back-story on CalTrain, but I know it works for me and works well. If I'm at my Palo Alto office, I can get on CalTrain and be in the city within an hour and thanks to EVDO, I can work the entire way...or I can just relax. Something a car never allows. If only we had something like this in Florida.

I experienced something similar in the UK recently. Work had me staying in Windsor, but London was just a short/reliable train-ride away. The SouthWest Trains service was great and I ended up using it for three round-trips in 4 days. On two occasions I used it during rush hour. It's hard to imagine folks in Florida switching to a train-commute lifestyle, but I enjoyed it. Part of this is the make-up of our urban centers.......or perhaps more specifically our lack of urban centers. It would be nice to live in the English countryside and have work be a nice train commute.

Of course, once I arrive in San Francisco or London there is a good subway/transport system in place there to get me around the rest of the city. Something Orlando and Tampa are missing.

That's one of the often cited issues related to subways/rail systems. Cities like London/New York/Chicago had systems in place that allowed development around them. Trying to build after the fact is difficult and expensive, just ask MARTA about that.

When F O X, that's Florida Overland Express to you newbies, or whatever it was going to be called was a glimmer of hope I was just that, hopeful. I was traveling to Jacksonville quite a bit and the drive was killing me. I looked forward to sitting back, relaxing and doing some work while somebody else took care of the transit. Ah yes, dreams of the TGV and Thalys from my honeymoon in Europe.

So I'll repeat the question, will there ever be decent rail in Central Florida?

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So the CSX project is dead? The Ledger talks about the end of the CSX bill, while the News Chief talks about how the Integrated Logistics Center (ILC) is still on track (sorry for the bad pun):

Neither the intermodel center nor the ILC were dependent upon the commuter rail plan getting through the Legislature, said Sease, the CSX spokesman. If anything, it was the other way around, he said, adding that the commuter rail system will not work without the Winter Haven terminal.

That's the quote in the News Chief from CSX's Gary Sease. Is this true? Perhaps. If it is, things are about to get much more interesting, after all, we're just finishing season one.

Lakeland was upset with increased train traffic brought on by the ILC, or was it the commuter rail plan? Either way, they lobbied hard and won, at least they think they did. After all the CSX deal is dead. Well at least the commuter rail portion of it. But CSX says they're not related.

If the ILC goes through, then Lakeland will have their cake and eat it too, except the opposite...what's that? Losing your cake and paying for it too?

If the ILC is built, expect more freight traffic. What's stopping CSX from running more freight traffic through Lakeland/Polk County? After all, they own the tracks, can they do what they want? Actually that's a good question, Billy/Tom? Can they just do what they want, does it require any government approval to increase the number of trains, or can they just do it?

If so, then let's look at the recap: Lakeland helps defeat the commuter rail bill and manages to upset most of the Orlando area in the process. Then, at the end of the day it still might see more train traffic.

What's the next step?

What's that....the Van Fleet trail? Sure, that's easy for Lakeland....make it Polk City's problem, after all they're a bit below the lower-middle-class status and won't mind more trains.

What's the solution for commuter rail? Will we ever see a commuter line from Tampa to Orlando? And can that be done without involving CSX? Ask Dennis Ross (from The Ledger):

"They still hold all of the cards," Ross said, referring to the railroad corporation's ownership of the tracks.

In Part 2 I'll look at some recent commuter rail experiences I've had and in Part 3...well, we'll see.

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In one corner we have Lakeland the other Orlando. One is for the Commuter Rail/CSX project, the other against. With that backdrop it's interesting to read the two headlines talking about the same story, the on-going debate in Tallahassee:

Orlando Sentinel: Orlando-Area Cmmuter-Rail Deal Gets Sidetracked

The Ledger: Railroad Deal Rolls Closer to Approval

So which is it? Closer or sidetracked? Is that good or bad? Depends on which headline you read and where you live :-)

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Chuck Welch has a quick post and some photos from the Anti-CSX rally today in Lakeland. Just an outside observation from 2,000 miles away in Casper, WY. Do you think holding an anti-CSX rally in Lakeland is preaching to the choir? After all, Lakeland is the biggest opponent to the deal/project.

If they really wanted to make an impact they should hold a protest in downtown Orlando, or other stops along the proposed commuter rail line.

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When The Ledger purchased the News Chief, one of the benefits I hoped for was improved reporting, specifically around the CSX story. The News Chief has long ignored the CSX story from an investigative standpoint. Looks like things haven't changed much. Great case-in-point this morning. Shown below are the front pages of the News Chief and The Ledger.

The Ledger has a 'Special Report' on the CSX deal. Big news, with an investigation into the secrecy surrounding the state's deal with CSX. Surely this story has impact on Winter Haven? After all we're the proposed location of the ILS.

Nope, the News Chief featured a story about CSX, but a bit more positive....construction could start soon.

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Well the article on 'Polk Bloggers' was published this morning in the Sentinel. Chuck has some thoughts, and here are a few from me in a different format: Winners & Losers.

Winner: Polk County - yeah we had something written about us in the Sentinel that doesn't mention naked people on crack and alligators.

Loser: Polk County - blogs are great for rural areas...yep that's us.

Loser: Billy Townsend and the Tampa Tribune - I told the reporter my discovery of the CSX rail-traffic re-route was done in conjunction with Billy and the Trib. No mention of that.

Loser: Me - nice misquote: "many people consider themselves citizen journalists" I said "some people" big difference.

Loser: News Chief - the standard trend of papers outside of Winter Haven covering CSX more.

Loser: Joy Townsend - the story almost seems formulaic, bloggers vs somebody else. Unfortunately for Joy she was cast in the part with her single-line quote. It's always nice when you talk to a reporter for 20 minutes and they choose one line.

Winner: Conversation - more people talking and aware of blogs/local issues, etc.

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Update: The article is out.

The Orlando Sentinel is putting together an article about the 'Polk Bloggers' and CSX. I was interviewed along with quite a few other people involved in that 'blogging-thing'. If you remember John Chambliss from the Ledger wrote something similar back in June of 2007. You can read the notes I had about John's article.

I was asked if I was in favor of the project. I said I was*, and stated so on this blog. That's the great thing about this format, if you need a quote you can just grab it from here. If you copy/paste and then cite the original source there is no way a reporter can misquote me.

What's that *asterisk you say? Well, more on that tomorrow.

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The Orlando Sentinel has an update that the CSX/State of Florida deal for commuter rail is done:

With one day to spare before losing out on about $180 million in federal funding, CSX and the state of Florida on Thursday finally reached a deal that will turn over 61 miles of tracks from DeLand to Orlando to Poinciana for the region's first commuter rail system.

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Back in October of 2004 when the intelligent design debate was first heating up Wired Magazine wrote a feature article looking at the issues. The article is long, but it's a good read and still relevant three years later.

One of the main points of the article is the ID proponents look for debate and discussion since this creates an equal standing on the issue, but that's the issue.

"I'm not a PhD in biology," says board member Michael Cochran. "But when I have X number of PhD experts telling me this, and X number telling me the opposite, the answer is probably somewhere between the two."

An exasperated Krauss claims that a truly representative debate would have had 10,000 pro-evolution scientists against two Discovery executives. "What these people want is for there to be a debate," says Krauss. "People in the audience say, Hey, these people sound reasonable. They argue, 'People have different opinions, we should present those opinions in school.' That is nonsense. Some people have opinions that the Holocaust never happened, but we don't teach that in history."

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If you're an aviation geek, you may want to head over to Orlando International Airport today since the Airbus A380 is scheduled to land around 4pm. Chris Gent from the Orlando Sentinel's Conway blog has all the details on the short visit.

Of course you could wait till Wednesday and make the 'international' trip to Orlando to celebrate the opening of Ikea and then go see the A380.

Photo from Airbus

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One of my keyword searches alerted me to this post about the intelligent design debate and offered a quote by Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science from an Orlando Sentinel article:

Joe Wolf, president of Florida Citizens for Science, called the draft standards a “wonderful” blueprint for science education. Wolf, of Winter Haven, said the evolution debate holds little interest to most scientists, who accept it as fact. That’s why the issue did not become controversial during the standards-writing meetings, he said.

“It’s a PR issue,” he said. “And it’s a religious issue. In the scientific community, it’s not an issue.”

Joe is from Winter Haven. A Google search for his name shows a number of results, one of which is the FCS web site. The main purpose of the group according to their site:

Florida's economic future depends upon providing our children with the best education that modern scientific instruction can offer. Florida has major investments in medicine, biotechnology, space technology and other fields. We compete with our sister states for employers in these fields. It's critical to support our future success by investing in our educational system in the present.

The current hot-topic issue is the revision of the science standards for public schools...this of course leads to the debate over intelligent design.

Joe was recently interviewed by the SPTimes gradebook blog. (Hat tip: Chuck)

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Billy Townsend and Lindsay Peterson have an extensive story/report concerning the CSX project. While the CSX deal has been quite the topic in the Polk County area, their report looks more from a statewide level.

Polk County has always touted themselves as being the 'center of it all' from a tourism and business development perspective, it's certainly the case in this massive commuter-rail/freight project. The report is a good overview of the years of dealings between the DOT and private railroads in developing a plan for Florida's passenger and freight rail traffic.

With more focus coming to the project, another sleeping giant may awake, Tampa.

The likely loser is the Tampa Bay area, particularly Lakeland.

Under the state's new plan, commuter rail isn't likely to come to Tampa for decades - if ever - because of CSX's plans for unlimited freight increases in the area. That freight traffic will be routed through downtown Lakeland, where local officials fear years of expensive redevelopment efforts will be ruined.

The Lakeland area has a strong ally in Tampa.

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With the recent news of the impending sale of Cypress Gardens, obviously our focus in Polk County has been local. We need to remember though that Cypress Gardens is not the only park impacted by the bankruptcy proceedings. Kent Buescher's other (and first) park is Wild Adventures in Valdosta, GA.

The September 25th sale also made front page news at the Valdosta Daily Times. While their article offers few additional details, it does have more quotes from Buescher:

“There are still many options for the company. I can’t tell you for certain what’s going to happen, but I expect to have new financial backers. I would like to still be involved in the company, but all is to be determined.

“My job is to take care of our guests,” he said. “We are managing through the process, and are looking forward to the day that both of these parks emerge from these clouds, which will happen in early October, one way or another. Both parks have an extremely bright future.”

Hopefully our local media (and residents) will look to the Valdosta media for additional information.

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This isn't really Polk County news, but it's about one of my favorite stores, IKEA. Maybe one day we'll have an IKEA. However, it's not likely since there will soon be locations in Orlando and Tampa. Anyway, IKEA has announced that their Orlando location will be opening on Nov 14th. Sweet!

That photo above is their Atlanta location. You can check out some of my IKEA photo galleries here and here.

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One of the other things I do in real life is organize a conference in Orlando called....you guessed it BlogOrlando. It's a free un-conference, which means that there are no boring PowerPoint slide shows or endless panels...just industry experts facilitating conversations among the attendees.

The event is scheduled for Sept 27-29th at Rollins College in Winter Park. The main event though is Friday the 28th. This will be the second year for the event and we have a tremendous speaker line-up There are a few Polk County friends registered so far, but I'd like to see some more.

To learn more about the event you can check out the BlogOrlando site, or watch this brief video interview that Joe Thornley did with me while we were in Seattle for Gnomedex a few weeks ago.

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The New York Times posted a column/review of the DayJet service yesterday. Times reporter Joe Sharkey took a test flight with DayJet in Boca Raton.

We’ll be hearing a lot more about very light jets, especially as commercial airlines and the business jet industry battle over increasingly crowded skies and the question of who pays how much to help fix an outmoded air traffic control system.

In late 2003, I began visiting very light jet manufacturing plants, including Eclipse and Adam Aircraft, which is bringing its own $2.5 million A700 into service next year. At that time, many critics in aviation scoffed that very light jets would never get off the ground.

Here is my review and photos of the DayJet.

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The big political news earlier this week was Adam Putnam announcing his support for Fred Thompson. Seth McKeel e-mailed to let us know he was joining Adam in his support of Fred's campaign:

Wanted to let you know that I have discussed the Thompson campaign at length with Congressman Putnam. He asked for my support and I'm excited to come on board the Florida team with the Congressman.

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The Sun-Sentinel has an article about the connection between sea-planes and the Central Florida region. Winter Haven is mentioned in the article.

McManus says that seaplane pilots overall "have a tremendous safety record." More than 15,000 of them, including singer Jimmy Buffett, have earned their water wings at the world-renowned Jack Brown's Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, which draws clients from around the globe.

Here is Jack's web page.

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The Ledger is reporting that the Florida Department of Community Affairs has informed CSX that the proposed Winter Haven project is a DRI (development of regional impact):

In a letter to CSX on Tuesday, the state Department of Community Affairs said the facility should be considered a development of regional impact.

Developments of regional impact require review by regional planning councils and by a variety of state agencies that examine issues such as traffic, water use, endangered species and drainage. Without DRI review, only local planners would review the project.

The review process will slow the project down some, but it should continue to move forward.

On a side note, it's good to see that Winter Haven City Manager David Greene actually spoke to the press. He's quoted a number of times in the article.

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Ft. Lauderdale blogger Paul Holstein has a review up of a recent DayJet launch in Boca Raton, FL. If you remember, Lakeland is one of DayJet's initial target markets, or DayPorts. Paul questions the economic viability of their business model:

The whole plan sounds wonderful, however, I think it will be very difficult for Dayjet to make a lot of money. First of all, taking out the 6th seat was a big mistake. According to Dayjet, they needed the room for luggage. I think this will make it very difficult for them to make money.

Think about this. In the best case scenario, Dayjet is paying for two pilots for every three passengers. On average, the pilot per passenger ratio will be worse. How much worse depends on a lot of factors such as demand, passenger flexibility, aircraft available, etc.

Three revenue seats is terrible from a passenger perspective. If I want to bring my wife and two kids (doesn't everyone have two kids?) I'm out of luck. Let's say you're a DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) and want to go to Tampa for the weekend, if you go with your spouse, you're fine, but if you want to go with another couple, you'll need to take two planes. Also, if I want to go to Disney with my buddy and his kid, I can't do that either.

No word yet on when the Lakeland launch will take place.

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This past Friday I had a business lunch at PR's Taco Palace in Winter Park, FL. Walking out the door of the restaurant something caught my eye on the window. It was a Sun 'n Fun sticker.

You might say, how does a sticker stay there? Well, PR's is a rather eclectic dining experience. The walls are covered with hand-drawn cartoons, sayings and just anything else you can imagine.

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David Harper from Space Coast Web:Blog has announced a new Florida blog aggregator: Sourstock.com. From David's announcement:

Following a great deal of research into Florida blogs, I've created an aggregator site which tracks more than 700 feeds. It's a public RSS newsreader, tuned in to the most creative folk in our state, from the Panhandle to the Keys.

Features:

- Syndicated content is funneled from hundreds of diverse Florida sources.
- Feeds are polled at hourly intervals, the site updates twice an hour.
- Most podcasts can be played with a single click, using an embedded flash player.
- Customize searches and subscribe to a search's RSS feed.
- Search Florida blogs from the browser's toolbar, using opensearch.
- The site works nicely with mobile devices.
- There's an opml list of Florida blogs, for import into the user's newsreader-of-choice.

David's been working on this for quite a while. I remember seeing some stats traffic from sourstock.com a few months ago. Go check it out.

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This was Callie Neslund's first official week in our office and she has made the transition seamlessly. She is doing a phenomenal job minding our local office while the Legislative Session is wrapping up. We are happy to have her on board and I encourage everyone to contact both my local and Tallahassee office if there is ever anything that I can do to help you. As always, our Lakeland office can be contacted at 863-647-4896 and our Tallahassee office can be reached at 850-488-9890.

DOCTOR OF THE DAY

One Lakelander (and our son, Seth's pediatrician), Dr. Robert Eanett was my guest this past Friday. Dr. Eanett was the Florida House of Representatives' Doctor of the Day. He saw to it that everyone was in good health and well taken care of. In the photo, Dr. Eanett is discussing some points with Speaker of the House Marco Rubio and me. It was a pleasure to host Dr. Eanett here at the capitol and give him the chance to see government in action in Tallahassee.

SESSION

Well, we are in the home stretch of this year's Legislative Session and things have been busy. This week we have been tackling some of Florida's biggest issues in the House of Representatives. We've seen issues like Prostitution, Abortion, and health care for Florida's children discussed in their entirety. The House has truly devoted itself to taking the lead in crafting responsible legislation that deals with these pressing issues. Despite the House's focus on the BIG ISSUES this week, there have been a number of other important activities.

LOCAL NEWS

After working through the weekend, The Schools and Learning Council finished working on its appropriations budget this week. I am proud to announce that our final product included $500,000 for Florida Southern College's Masters Degree Nursing Program. This money will be added to private donations already collected to bring a dynamic opportunity to Polk County. In addition to providing support to FSC, Florida has also allocated $10,000,000 for the University of South Florida to improve its campuses and education programs.

MY LEGISLATION

It was my good fortune to have celebrated getting TWO bills voted out of the House this week. My bill regarding Energy and Water conservation (HB271) was voted out unanimously on Tuesday and my pro-business Auto Dealer Franchise bill (HB 815) also passed unanimously yesterday.

GO GATORS

Urban Meyer, Chris Leak, and members of the National Champion UF Football team visited the floor of the Florida House of the Representatives at the invitation of the House Gator Caucus. As you can imagine, I was a "Proud Gator" as the House rolled out the red carpet and gave a fitting honor to the National Champs! Rumor has it we'll honor the National Championship Men's Basketball team this coming week...more in next week's report!!

SUMMER

As I move into the last week of this legislative session I am looking forward to the sprint to the finish line. The past two months have gone by so quickly and With summer approaching I look forward to being back in the district and look forward to visiting community members and organizations as I join the delegation to formally review the session.

As always, it is truly an honor to represent you in Tallahassee and I look forward to seeing you at home very soon.

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Spring training is gone, but there will be plenty of baseball in Winter Haven in early May as the Chain of Lakes Stadium hosts the Florida Community Colleges Athletic Association (FCCAA)/ National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region VIII Baseball Championships May 4-8th. The teams competing are:

Santa Fe Community College
Palm Beach Community College
Chipola College
Manatee Community College
St. Petersburg College
Central Florida Community College
Miami Dade College
Gulf Coast Community College

The game schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 4th: 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, 7 PM
Saturday, May 5th: 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, 7 PM
Sunday, May 6th: 4 PM, 7 PM
Monday, May 7th: 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM (IF), 7 PM (IF)
Tuesday, May 8th: Championship Game at 4 PM

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With only two full weeks remaining in Session, it's easy to see that "crunch time" has arrived. The House and Senate began conferencing on the budget this week (which will keep us all in Tallahassee over the weekend) with the goal of reconciling some fairly large differences between the two budgets. I serve as a conferee on the Schools and Learning Budget and am working hard to continue the funding for the development of the USF-Lakeland Campus, the Florida Southern College nursing program, as well as many other priorities important to our community. As always, it is an honor to serve you in this process and I look forward to being home soon! Below are a few of this weeks' highlights.

HOUSE AND SENATE PROPOSE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF:

After enthusiastic debate this week, I am proud to say that the House of Representatives passed the largest tax cut package in Florida's history. The Senate also proposed a property tax plan this week and a conference will begin next week. As this is likely the most important legislation we will pass all year, I wanted to devote a few lines below to explain the House proposal:

A Cut: Requires all local governments except schools to set property tax rates to where they would have been if tax revenues had grown only in proportion to community growth and inflation since FY 2003-04. Also, the Legislature must exempt hospital districts, fiscally constrained counties and cities therein, independent special districts, and children’s services councils from the required rate roll back by general law. Revenues used for hospital and children’s services programs by counties that provide those services from their general fund are exempt from the cap.

A Cap: Limits future local government revenues to the rolled-back-rate (which allows revenue growth in proportion to community growth) plus changes in the Consumer Price Index.

A Swap: Establishes a formula that provides local control and flexibility to further reduce property taxes on homestead properties:

- Automatic: Abolishes the required local effort (RLE) school board tax on all homestead properties and replaces it with a one cent sales tax. The RLE tax comprises about of 25% of property taxes statewide.

- Optional: By local county referendum, voters may choose to further reduce homestead property taxes by replacing the discretionary millage for school boards with a ½ cent sales tax. The referendum must be held by 2010.

- Optional: By local county referendum, voters may adopt an additional reduction of homestead property taxes by replacing all remaining property tax levies (i.e., county/city, special districts, MSTUs, etc.) with a 1 cent sales tax. The referendum must be held by 2010.

If both referendums pass, all homestead properties in the jurisdiction will be exempt from ad valorem taxes. The new total sales tax will be 2.5%. County governments will distribute sales tax funds within their county based on the existing sales tax distribution model.

Creates a tangible personal property exemption of $25,000 for businesses. This would create $180 million in savings to Florida businesses at current tax rates.

Creates more options for renters’ tax relief by granting the legislature broader authority to create statutory programs that target rental properties.

ENERGY/WATER CONSERVATION BILL CONSIDERED ON FLOOR

House Bill 271 which I have sponsored to encourage local and state government's water and energy conservation through performance contracting was heard on the House Floor this week and is expected to pass on third reading Monday. This is shaping up to be my first bill successfully passed through the process and it looks to be on a similar track in the Senate. This good bill expands an already existing energy efficiency program to include water and wastewater. The existing Guaranteed Energy performance Savings Contracting Act has been extremely successful in improving the efficiency of state, local and other governmental buildings. Rather than taxpayer dollars, retrofit and other conservation and efficiency measures are financed by a private sector contractor who performs the work, assumes all of the risk and who is compensated with a maximum twenty year payout only when actual efficiency savings result from the project.

UNIVERSITY NAMING BILL ADVANCES

Senator Paula Dockery and I are sponsoring House Bill 621 and Senate Bill 1160, which authorize the naming of university buildings and state facilities . SB1160 passed the Senate unanimously on Thursday. The legislation provides for the naming of buildings and facilities at UF, UCF, and USF, as well as the Dept. of Education building in Jacksonville, the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, and the Fla Center for Nursing. Current law requires Legislative approval before naming a state building or other facility for a living person. This bill was originally filed to name the following buildings at the University of Florida:

- Mark Bostick Golf Course
- Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium
- Bispham Turfgrass Support Building - IFAS
- L. Gale Lemerand Football Support Facility
- The bill will now be sent to the House for a vote

Again, it is an honor to serve in this process and I thank you for allowing me the opportunity.I look forward to seeing you when I return home in May.

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After a short break for Easter, the House was back in session this week. We are beyond the half-way mark and looking forward to the final few weeks, which are marked with fewer committee/council meetings and much more time on the House Floor. Rep. Altman (R-Melbourne) reflected this week on the imposing beauty of the House Chamber and how he never tires of walking onto the Floor. In the sometimes endless grind of floor debate (a combined 21 hours this week), Rep. Altman's reflection was a reminder to me of the privilege it is to serve here. I thank you for the that honor. Below are a few highlights of the week which I hope you find informative:

UF GATOR DAY and USF DAYS at the Capitol

The House was privileged to host dignitaries and honored guests from our own University of South Florida this week. I have joined the balance of the Polk Legislative delegation in support of the USF-Lakeland Campus. Both the House and Senate budgets currently contain important dollars aimed at making this campus' master plan a reality and I look forward to working to ensure that our efforts are enhanced as we move through the budget conference over the coming weeks (more on the budget below).

It was also an honor to host Albert, Alberta and Bob Villa as the House played host to the University of Florida for Gator Day! As a Gator Alum, I'm proud to be working with the University to accomplish some of their legislative priorities. Senator Dockery and I are sponsoring legislation to ensure that important donors to the University are appropriately honored through facility namings. Added attention was brought to our efforts in the House this week as Rep. Rivera sponsored an amendment to my bill to name the School of Education at the University of Florida after former Governor Jeb Bush whose lasting legacy will most certainly be education policy.

HOUSE PASSES BUDGET

The House yesterday passed the 2007-2008 Budget totaling $70.3 billion, which is $1 billion less than last year's budget. The state experienced less than estimated revenues which creates the need for the state to "tighten its belt" to ensure a sound fiscal position well into the future. Despite a tight budget cycle, the House plan includes a total education budget of $28.3 billion, which represents an increase of $395.6 million from last year. I am excited that we were able to put $3.4 million in for the USF Lakeland Campus and that is a number which we expect to increase during the conference with the Senate. The House budget proposes spending more than a billion dollars LESS than the Senate version so I expect a very interesting conference process as we move toward reconciling the differences. You can view the entire House Budget at (http://floridahousebudget.state.fl.us/) or you can view highlights of the budget here.

SENATE PROPOSES TAX REFORM

I was glad this week that the Senate unveiled its version of a comprehensive property tax reform package. There are very large differences between the House and Senate proposals. I am committed to real, meaningful, and comprehensive property tax reform and am looking forward to the conference process on reaching agreement with the Senate on this critical policy.

Again, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to serve you in the Florida House. I look forward to hearing from you and especially to being back home in a few short weeks!

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Mindy McAdams, the Knight Chair - Department of Journalism at the University of Florida has a post reviewing the newspaper industry in Florida. This comes on the heels of the Tampa Tribune's recent layoffs.

Mindy points out that the one shining star in the Florida newspaper world is not part of a major chain, i.e. New York Times, Tribune, Media General, etc. The St. Pete Times is still independently owned. However she says that independence is not the issue:

It's not that independence or private ownership will automatically save newspapers. And I don't think it's impossible for a chain-owned newspaper to be good. But I do believe that excellence will lead to profit. Excellence in content, in journalism, in reporting. Excellence in public service. Excellence in usability -- and utility.

Profit seeking for its own sake can never lead to excellence.

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Good job by Chuck finding this blog post detailing some behind-the-scenes info about the recent Operation Cyberhawk. The blog post is by 'Wingman' who worked as a cameraman for Fox 13 in the house the Polk Count Sheriff's office used in the sting.

I spent Thursday and Friday of last week working for Fox 13 Tampa at a sting set up by the Polk County Sheriff's Department. A task force of undercover officers from Polk County as well as the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement, Plant City P.D., and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been trolling in chat rooms for the last week posing as young girls and boys and had been talking to a number of sexual predators.

The post is very detailed and contains a number of images. Check it out.

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Publix is planning on debuting an expanded prepared foods offering at their Lake Mary store. A recent press release has all the details:

The Publix at Lake Mary Collection (4195 W. Lake Mary Blvd.), a 51,000-square-foot store, opening April 12, 2007, will pilot a 4,500-square-foot culinary prepared foods experience with over eighty entrees to entice every palate and engage every sense. In addition to the traditional Publix Deli, the stations include:

- Pacific Wok – wok cooking of Asian specialties ranging from Kung Pao Scallops to Mongolian Beef
- The Grill – cooked to order favorites from Curiyaki Salmon to Churrasco Steaks
- The Carvery – choice of meats, slow cooked to perfection, including Cedar Plank Salmon, Hickory & Molasses Crusted Tenderloin of Beef, Slow Cooked Pot Roast
- Chef’s Selections – showcasing the talent of our chefs, this venue features everything from comfort food to gourmet entrees
- Mediterranean Oven – features old world cooking of pizza and roasted entrees inspired by the cuisines of Italy, Greece and Spain
- Handcrafted Sandwiches – Artisan sandwiches crafted to order on Artisan breads, stacked with slow cooked deli meats and gourmet cheeses
- Custom Salads – healthy salad choices made to order with fresh toppings, such as steak, salmon, shrimp and chicken
- Soup Station – featuring six freshly prepared, chef inspired soup creations
- Coffee Bar – offering freshly brewed Van Houtte coffees, hot chocolate and frozen fruit drinks

This is a big step for Publix and puts them on par with the prepared food selection that Whole Foods offers. If you remember I posted about the Whole Foods experience a few months ago and wondered when Publix would match it.

Of course the question now is, when will one of these be coming to Polk County?

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We are wrapping up our fourth week of session...about half way through! Below are a few highlights of my week in the Capitol. Please feel free to contact my office at (863) 647-4896 or email me at seth@sethmckeel.com if we can be of any assistance to you.

MAP BILL SIGNING

The Governor yesterday signed the Merit Award Program legislation on which I have reported each week. It was a great day for Florida and an even better day for Florida's teachers. I could not have been more proud to be there or of the work the House and Senate did in passing this important bill.

PAGE SPOTLIGHT!

I was so honored to host Kyna Patel from Lakeland as House Page this past week. At a very young age of 11, she was a State Finalist in National Geographic Bee Challenge. She wants to be a Psychiatrist and, to that end, she is taking a course in Psychology in a summer program at Oxford University in England. Kyna is a dynamic young lady who reports that, while her feet are very tired, she benefited greatly from the experience! Kyna is in the eighth grade at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy and is the daughter of Piyush and Rupul Patel of Lakeland. Piyush is the owner of Kyra Infotech in Lakeland and has been recognized by the Governor as one of the state's outstanding minority businesses. Kyna and I were honored to grab a few seconds of Speaker Marco Rubio's time for this photo on the floor of the House on Thursday.

Again, I thank you for the honor you have given me and I sincerely appreciate all of the positive input, feedback and encouragement I have received from you any so many of our constituents during my first legislative session. I look forward to hearing from you and am thrilled to represent you.

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As Scott Maxwell puts it, the rest of the country is just now noticing Adam Putnam. The profile of Adam in today's New York Times will open a few eyes and put Bartow, FL on the map.

Over on the Polk County News Blog though, Billy has been doing an ongoing 'Adam Putnam Watch' which may have served as inspiration for the NYT piece :-)

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I'm writing to update you on the completion of the THIRD week of the 2007 Legislative Session. It has been a very exciting week to be in Tallahassee, and below are a few highlights from my week. I am thankful for the opportunity you have given me to represent you in the Florida House and have been humbled by the experience. If our office can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us at (863) 647-4896 or email me at seth.mckeel@myfloridahouse.gov.

MERIT AWARD PROGRAM (MAP) UPDATE

As I have reported each week, significant progress has again been made on the revision to the former STAR program. As of yesterday, following a vote by the Senate, the full House of Representatives successfully passed the new Merit Award Program (MAP) and sent the legislation to the Governor for his signature. Click here for The Governor's statement on the bill.

The new MAP repeals the STAR Program and makes district participation in the Merit Based Pay Program voluntary. Unlike the STAR program, the Merit Based Pay Program would be administered locally according to teacher assessments based on student performance and professional practices. The bill allows teachers and administrators in participating districts to automatically qualify for the program, and stipulates that teacher bonuses be a minimum of 5% but no more than 10% of the average teacher’s salary in the participating district. I am extremely proud of this work product and proud also to have played a minor role in ensuring its passage in the House.

AGRICULTURE MATTERS!!

I was excited this week to host representatives of Hillsborough and Polk County's Phosphate and Agriculture Community such as members of CF Industries, the Polk and Hillsborough Farm Bureaus, and the Florida Strawberry Grower's Association including Megan Shelley, Miss Heart of Plant City pictured here. Florida's agriculture industry is strong and I believe this legislature is committed to protecting this leading economic engine in our state.

As I mentioned in an earlier Update, the legislature is poised to produce some very significant energy policy which will include renewable portfolio goals and which will align with the Commissioner of Agriculture's Farm to Fuel Initiative. The initiative will enhance the market for and promote the production and distribution of renewable energy from Florida-grown crops, agricultural wastes and residues, and other biomass and enhance the value of agriculture products in the State. I was privileged to work with Losonoco, Inc. who will be opening the State's first ethanol production facility in my district (Mulberry). Losonoco received a Renewable Energy Technology Grant from the state and I'm excited about the work they will be doing in my district! You can read more about their operation by clicking on the link below http://www.dep.state.fl.us/energy/energyact/files/grant/losonoco-mulberry.pdf

Again, it is truly an honor to represent you in your Florida Legislature and I thank you for the opportunity you have given me.

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I'm writing to update you on the conclusion of our second week of session. As always, I am honored to represent you and extremely thankful for the privilege you have given me. Below are a few highlights from this week in Tallahassee. I hope you find this information helpful and, if there are other issues on which you'd like to hear from us, or if we can be of any assistance to you, please call our office at (863) 647-4896 or email me at seth.mckeel@myfloridahouse.gov.

WATER CONSERVATION/EFFICIENCY LEGISLATION

Last week, I updated you on my first bill 's passage out of its first committee of reference. I am proud to let you know that this excellent legislation passed out of council successfully and is moving toward becoming law. House Bill 271 provides for the inclusion of water & wastewater efficiency & conservation measures in guaranteed performance savings contracts entered into by state agencies, municipalities, or political subdivisions, thereby encouraging these agencies to engage in major water and energy conservation retrofits by using guaranteed performance savings contracts which use private capital rather than risking public dollars.

PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY DATE

Florida is the largest and most diverse bellwether of national election results. However, nearly two dozen other states precede Florida on the primary calendar and preempt Florida's voice in the primary process. Under the current system, each party's nomination is basically a forgone conclusion by the time Florida's primary rolls around. House Bill 537 by Representative Rivera makes Florida more relevant in the process of selecting presidential candidates by moving up the date of Florida's presidential primary to more than a month earlier in the campaign season. We know that presidential candidates rely heavily on our state for campaign funds, and we believe they should also rely on Florida to become more familiar with issues that matter to our state and offer goals for their administration to address these concerns. If Florida is going to play such a key role in selecting our president, we should also play a part in determining the country's agenda. I look forward to House Bill 537's passage on the House Floor on Monday.

STAR (TEACHER MERIT PAY) UPDATE

The House Schools and Learning Council (on which I serve) successfully passed the STAR update package which I reported on last week. In a new development, the House reached agreement with the Senate on this issue, with some minor revisions, and the bill is ready for passage next week on the Floor of the House. I could not be more proud of the hard work our committee did in improving upon the original STAR plan. We gave districts more flexibility, empowered principals and school administrators and even garnered support from the teachers' union. And we balanced these changes with the legislature's strong desire for merit pay based on student learning gains. We listened to numerous merit pay models from around the country, took the best of the best and have come up with a plan that I believe will be a model for the nation. I am proud of our product and thank you all for your input and your concern for this important policy

Again, it is truly an honor to represent you in your Florida Legislature and I thank you for the opportunity you have given me.

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I'm writing to update you on the conclusion of our first, and VERY busy week of session. As always, I am honored to represent you in the Florida House of Representatives and I am sincerely grateful for the privilege you have given me.

FIRST BILL OUT OF COMMITTEE

On Wednesday, I successfully passed my first bill out of Chairman Ed Homan's Committee on Audit and Performance. House Bill 271 provides for the inclusion of water & wastewater efficiency & conservation measures in guaranteed performance savings contracts entered into by state agencies, municipalities, or political subdivisions, thereby encouraging these agencies to engage in major water and energy conservation retrofits by using guaranteed performance savings contracts which use private capital rather than risking public dollars.

COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY BILL

I am excited about the energy bill which was passed on Wednesday out of the House Committee on Energy (on which I serve). The bill proposes a comprehensive energy policy including support and funding for the Commissioner of Agriculture's "Farm to Fuel" initiative through which Florida will be a major player on the field of biofuel and ethanol production. In addition, the bill includes incentives for ethanol and biodiesel production, additional research and development for emerging technologies that reduce our dependence on foreign fuel sources as well as for technologies which reduce our over-reliance on natural gas as a feed stock for energy production. In addition, the bill establishes renewables goals for Florida and strong guidelines for the use of biodiese