ADVANCES: WEEK OF SEPT. 5, 2010

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THE CAPITOL, TALLAHASSEE, Sept. 3, 2010…..The highlight of the week politcally comes at the end of the week with the Republican Party Victory Dinner on Friday night. Unfortunately for Republicans, the lowlight comes the next day when party leaders have to hear details from a forensic audit of their party’s finances, not the happiest topic for the GOP in the last year or so.

On the policy front, Citizens Property Insurance wants a rate increase that will be before insurance regulators and the fate of Amendment 8 – the class size tweak – will be before a circuit judge.


SUNDAY, SEPT. 5, 2010

SUNDAY SHOWS

SINK, CARROLL ON POLITICAL CONNECTIONS: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink and Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jennifer Carroll are on Political Connections on Bay News 9 this week with St. Petersburg Times Political Editor Adam Smith and Bay News 9’s Al Ruechel. (Sunday, 11 a.m., Bay News 9 in the Tampa Bay area.)

THIS WEEK IN SOUTH FLORIDA : Michael Putney has Carl Hiaasen on This Week in South Florida, and a report on LG candidate Jennifer Carroll. (WPLG-Channel 10 in Miami, 11:30 a.m.)


MONDAY, SEPT. 6, 2010

LABOR DAY: State government takes the day off, though candidates will be working on the day that honors the working class. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek and attorney general candidate Dan Gelber have scheduled events (see campaign events below.)


TUESDAY, SEPT. 7, 2010

NUCLEAR RECOVERY TALKS :The Florida Public Service Commission continues a hearing on nuclear cost recovery for Florida Power & Light. Commissioners will consider questions related to FPL’s nuclear cost testimony and examine actual and projected costs related to the construction of FPL’s Turkey Point Units 6 and 7 and to the uprate of FPL’s St. Lucie nuclear plant.  Testimony is expected by affected parties. (Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)


CITIZENS RATE HIKE: The Office of Insurance Regulation will take public testimony as it considers rate hike requests from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Citizens is allowed by statute to increase premiums by up to 10 percent a year, under legislation passed to make the state-run insurance pool more actuarially sound. (Tuesday, 1 p.m., 401 Senate Office Building, Tallahassee.)

DOE WEBINAR ON RACE TO THE TOP: The Florida Department of Education will host a live Race to the Top technical assistance webinar for participating local education school districts and interested education stakeholders on Tuesday.  Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions about developing their plans as outlined in the federal Race to the Top grant.  (Tuesday, 1 p.m., https://suncom.webex.com/suncom/onstage/g.php?d=590425429&t=a ).



WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2010

ROSH HASHANA BEGINS AT SUNDOWN

CLEAN ENERGY WORKSHOP: The Florida Energy and Climate Commission holds an advisory group meeting to discuss the Clean Energy Grant Application guidelines and procedures. The meeting is the first of three scheduled hearing on the application process. (Wednesday, 1 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, Tallahassee.)

AMENDMENT 8 IN COURT: The final challenge to an amendment on the November ballot is before Tallahassee Circuit Judge Charles Francis Wednesday. The Florida Education Association, represented by lawyer Ron Meyer, filed a lawsuit to remove Amendment 8, a proposal to scale back the class size provisions in the constitution, from voter consideration. The FEA is arguing that the proposal is misleading and flies under false colors by failing to inform voters that it relaxes restrictions placed on class sizes by voters in 2002. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Leon County Courthouse, Tallahassee.)

STATE COLLEGE PRESIDENTS MEET: The Florida College System Council of Presidents meets in Orlando to review the propopsed constitutional amendments and the council’s 2011 legislative priorities. (Wednesday, 6 p.m., The Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, 9300 Airport Blvd., Orlando.)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 9, 2010

FAPL CONFERENCE: The Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists holds its annual conference in Orlando this year. On Thursday morning, Ken Plante is among the panelists for a discussion of the two party system’s evolution in Florida, and there are sessions on constitutional amendments and redistricting, one on hand-held polling devices, ethics, campaign finance laws, bill tracking, and a press panel. (Thursday and Friday, Renaissance Orlando Hotel, 6677 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando.)

STATE COLLEGE PRESIDENTS MEET: The Florida College System Council of Presidents continues its regular meeting. (Thursday, 8 a.m., The Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, 9300 Airport Blvd., Orlando.)

PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATION SEMINAR: The Florida Medicaid Drug Therapy Management Program for Behavioral Health at the Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida will hold a two-day meeting to update the Florida Best Practice Child/Adolescent Medication Guidelines. Experts in child/adolescent mental health will review the latest available scientific evidence behind the appropriate use of psychotherapeutic medications for children and adolescents. (Thursday, 9 a.m., Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel, 4200 Jim Walter Blvd., Tampa.)

SUPREME COURT: The Florida Supreme Court releases regular opinons. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)

FUTURE OF OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT DISUCUSSED: Donna R. Christie, Florida State University Law School professor and an expert on legal issues surrounding ocean and coastal management, and marine ecologist Felicia C. Coleman, director of the Coastal and Marine Laboratory, will discuss the legal procedures that accompany oil and gas development and the economic, legal and ecological liabilities involved. They’ll discuss the trajectory of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the impact is has had on the way many people now think about energy use in the United States. (Thursday, 7 p.m., FSU Coastal and Marine Lab, 3618 Coastal Hwy., St. Teresa.)


FRIDAY, SEPT. 10, 2010

REPUBLICAN DINNER: The Republican Party of Florida and Republican Governor’s Association Chairman Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi will join the statewide GOP nominees for the Republican Party’s annual Statesman’s Dinner Friday night in Orlando – being called the Florida Victory Dinner in this election year. U.S. Sen. George LeMieux will also be honored. (Friday, 5:30 p.m., Disney’s Contemporary Resort, 4600 North World Dr., Lake Buena Vista.)

FAITH AND FREEDOM CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON: Florida conservatives are competing Friday for attention with the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington, where Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich – two possible Republican candidates for president – will speak. (Friday, Washington, D.C.)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 11, 2010

RPOF FALL QUARTERLY BOARD MEETING: The Republican Party of Florida holds its fall quarterly board meeting on Saturday following its Victory Dinner the night before. At the closed-door meeting, Chairman John Thrasher is expected to present the findings of a forensic audit into the party’s finances under its former chairman, Jim Greer, who is scheduled to go on trial for fraud next month. (Saturday, Sept. 11, 9 a.m., Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, 2101 N. Epcot Resorts Blvd.,Lake Buena Vista.)


ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL THIS WEEK



MONDAY

MEEK: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek attends the AFL-CIO Labor Day Jobs Rally Monday in downtown Orlando. (Monday, 12:15 p.m., Lake Eola Park, 99 N. Rosalind Ave., Orlando.)

MEEK: Meek then hits the West Central Florida CLC Labor Day Picnic in Plant City. (Monday, 2:45 p.m., Lupton’s Boggy Bottom Ranch, 8407 Lupton Place, Plant City.)

GELBER: Democratic attorney general nominee Dan Gelber is using Labor Day to hit up a variety of events around central Florida. His first of three campaign events is the Volusia County/Space Coast CLC Annual Labor Day Picnic in South Daytona Beach, followed by the West Central Florida CLC Picnic in Plant City. He ends the day in Dover at the Florida Pipe Trades Labor Day Picnic. (Monday, 12 p.m., South Daytona Beach/Monday 2:30 p.m., 8407 Lupton Place, Plant City/Monday, 4 p.m., 3601 McCintosh Road, Dover)

THURSDAY
FUNDRAISER FOR SCHENCK: Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, has a fundraiser on Thursday in Tallahassee. (Thursday, 12:30 p.m., RPOF Headquarters, 420 E. Jefferson St., Tallahassee.)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 11

RUBIO: The Sarasota Republican Party holds a barbecue and rally featuring an appearance by Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio. (Saturday, Sept. 11, 3:30 p.m., Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota.)