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Monday, March 24, 2008
In this issue……………….
LOCAL_____________________________________________________
Crosswinds development gets boost from judge
The city of Miami vs. Miami-Dade County legal battle over Overtown's proposed Crosswinds condo development is not over. But one side appears to be winning so far: The city More>>
Massive Miami zoning project stuck in political limbo
After nearly three years of planning, about $1.7 million spent and months of revisions and public meetings across the city, the sweeping Miami 21 rezoning remains unfinished, hobbled by uncertain support at the City Commission and persistent objections by some architects, developers' lawyers and neighborhood activists. More>>
Rival of ex-county manager declines invitation
An invitation to a fundraiser for the reelection of U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart Monday night reads like a who's who of South Miami-Dade politics. More>>
Businessman eyes challenge to Mayor Alvarez
He's single, owns a cache of vehicles and a stunning home and works as he pleases. He's friends with the Clintons and the Gores, hung out with Mick Jagger in Paris, and sold a business empire that made him rich. More>>
North Miami businesses protest new water fees
Deborah Gray Mitchell couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her most recent water bill. The North Miami business owner used to pay $150 for every three months, but this quarter's bill was about $600. The City Council approved increases last September to pay for the rehabilitation of the city's current water plant and build a new one. Mitchell, who owns Deborah Gray Mitchell Photography LLC at 12345 W. Dixie Hwy., terms the increases -- which hit business owners much harder than residents -- ''outrageous'' and ''inequitable.'' She is not the only one who feels that way. More>>
Dermer Redux
Miami Beach commissioners may forgo an election and appoint former Mayor David Dermer to fill Richard Steinberg’s seat
To elect or to appoint, that is the question being debated by Miami Beach commissioners, activists, union leaders and other concerned citizens.
Mayor Matti Herrera Bower set off the buzz last week when she suggested that, rather than hold an election to fill the last year of Commissioner Richard Steinberg’s term when he leaves to run against North Bay Village Mayor Joe Geller for state Rep. Dan Gelber’s position, it might make sense to appoint former Mayor David Dermer as a “caretaker.” More>>
EDITORIALS____________________________________ _________
Bait and switch with transit tax
Let us be blunt: Miami-Dade County voters believed in 2002 that if they taxed themselves an extra half cent at the cash register, they -- or their children -- would be able to traverse the county on efficient mass-transit rail lines linked with extensive bus service. This belief, it turns out, contained some pixie dust. What the transit-tax's author, former County Mayor Alex Penelas, and tax supporters didn't tell voters was that the transit agency was so underfunded that it would need major chunks of the tax's proceeds just to start climbing out of a deep hole, never mind building, operating and maintaining new rail routes. More>>
Straight to the point
For U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the court's only black jurist, the bar for proving racial discrimination is extremely high. In fact, the bar is higher for Justice Thomas than for a majority of his colleagues on the bench. Case in point: The court last week found that a Louisiana prosecutor discriminated in picking an all-white jury for the trial of a black murder defendant. With a 7-2 vote, the court found that the prosecutor had dismissed black jurors for improper, racial reasons. In a dissenting opinion, Justices Thomas and Antonin Scalia said there was no reason to ''second guess'' the judge. Really? Isn't that what appellate judges and Supreme Court justices are paid to do? More>>
Amendment would hurt more than help
The property-tax reduction proposal put forward by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission sounds too good to be true. In exchange for a one-penny increase in the sales tax -- c'mon, it's just a penny -- homeowners would be relieved of a large part of their property-tax burden. Taxpayer, beware. If it sounds too good to be true, it just may be.
Without a doubt, the commission has performed a genuine public service for the people of Florida by coming up with a significant taxreduction proposal for voters to consider in November. The 25-member panel made the most of its power to place items directly on the ballot instead of waiting for the Legislature, which too often gets tangled up in political knots when dealing with tax and revenue matters
PROPERTY TAX___________________________________ ____
Commission: Cut property tax, raise sales tax for schools
The state Taxation and Budget Reform Commission will ask voters in November to cut one-fourth of Florida's property tax for schools and make up the revenue with a higher sales tax. The powerful panel that meets every 20 years to propose constitutional reforms voted 21-4 Monday to send the sweeping plan to voters in November after business groups lined up to oppose the plan. The proposal sponsored by former Senate President John McKay would eliminate the entire, $8 billion-plus portion of property taxes that the state forces school districts to impose, called the Required Local Effort, by 2010. More>>
Ex-governors: Tax swap raises fiscal, political concerns
Of Florida's four ex-governors, two responded to a Herald request for comments about the sweeping changes proposed by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission: Bob Graham, a Democrat, who was governor from 1979 through 1986, and Bob Martinez, governor from 1987 to 1991. More>>
Economist: 'Truth is bracketed' in dueling studies
What follows is an analysis by Don Ratajczak, professor emeritus at Georgia State's Economic Forecasting Center. He examined the economic analyses of Tony Villamil and Hank Fishkind that were presented to the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission concerning the commission's proposal to reduce property taxes by an estimated $9 billion and increase sales taxes to make up the difference.
EDUCATION__________________________ ______
Enrollment Rising at Community Colleges as Budgets Shrink
Now, community colleges, which pride themselves on having open admission policies, worry about how they're going to handle the increased demand, especially since the state has cut their budgets by a combined $13 million. More>>
Demand for Teachers in Florida Declines
The demand for teachers is waning in many Florida school districts after years of nationwide recruitment drives to fill what seemed an endless need for classroom instructors. Some of the state's largest districts will hire far fewer new teachers this fall than in years past. Looming state budget cuts and declining enrollment tied to the economic slump are the culprits, officials say. More>>
HEALTHCARE__________________________________________________
Daily News: Florida Legislature to look at providing affordable health care plans
TALLAHASSEE — Citing the needs of nearly 4 million uninsured Floridians, a pair of Florida lawmakers are again looking at ways to offer bare-bones health insurance through the private market for under $150 a month. House and Senate health-care leaders are crafting separate measures to offer pared insurance plans to give individuals the chance to sign up for coverage and take it with them if they change jobs. More>>
INSURANCE____________________________________________________
Insurers Deal New Blow to Home Buyers
In the wake of huge losses, mortgage insurers are also playing it extra safe when it comes to writing policies in markets like South Florida. That means bigger down payments for the home-buying public.
Commercial insurance special report
But now, the largest private employer in South Florida with five hospitals in Miami-Dade is enjoying something of a respite. ''We would expect a 20 percent More>>
NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT______________ _____
Watering Rules Squeeze Both Ways
Homeowner associations want green. Cities want brown.
TAMPA — James Lyle watered his yard once a week, and got fined $1,000 by his homeowners association because the lawn was still too brown.
He began watering the lawn twice a week and got fined $100 by the Hillsborough County water department. More>>
Turning Tropicana Orange into Environmental Green
LEED-certified. Bioswales. Solar power generation. But how "green" are the proposals to redevelop Tropicana Field? Here's a look at the ideas of three developers wanting to purchase the 86-acre site.
HOUSING _____________________________________________________
Mortgage relief proposals are advancing in D.C.
Call it what you will — a bailout or a loan. The Federal Reserve's actions to save Bear Stearns from collapse have intensified debate over whether the government also needs to do more to prevent millions of homeowners from losing their homes.
So far, the White House has opposed the idea of using taxpayer dollars to help homeowners struggling under mortgage debt.
But with the mortgage meltdown threatening to grow into a wider economic calamity, plans for a more aggressive approach are beginning to take shape on Capitol Hill. Under some of the proposals the government would get some of the future appreciation of a home in turn for its role in refinancing.
Foreigners are buying into the California dream
THERE is a new pond emerging in which to fish for home buyers -- overseas. As Southern California sales have stalled and home prices have slumped, realty agents here have geared up to help sellers tap into this market of buyers who come with pockets full... More>>
Woes in Condo Market Build
As New Supply Floods Cities
The condominium market is about to get worse as many cities brace for a flood of new supply this year -- the result of construction started at the height of the housing boom. More than 4,000 new units will be completed in both Atlanta and Phoenix by the end of the year. Developers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are readying nearly 10,000 total new units in a market already struggling with canyons of unsold condos. San Diego, another hard-hit region, will add 2,500 units, according to estimates provided by Reis Inc., a New York-based real-estate-research firm. More>>
Vacancies On Rise at Shopping Centers as Economy Worsens
"We're definitely seeing things slow down," said David Luther, a senior associate at Marcus & Millichap, a Fort Lauderdale-based real estate firm. "Homeowners' concerns affect consumer spending, and that affects the stability of leases in the office and retail markets." More>>
STATE_______________________________________________________
Daily News: Week ahead for Legislature: Taxes and budget dominate
TALLAHASSEE — Attention turns from the Legislature to a constitutional commission this week as a select group considers potentially drastic changes to Florida’s system of taxation. The Tax and Budget Reform Commission, meeting Wednesday, will mull over a number of recommendations. More>>
AP: Review: Some state employees getting two pensions and salary
More than 1,200 state employees are collecting two or more pensions, with 131 of them collecting at least two pensions and a salary, a newspaper reported Sunday. Those getting two pensions and a salary include school principals, teachers, sheriff's deputies, health department employees, deputy clerks of the court and other public employees in Florida, a records review by the St. Petersburg Times found. More>>
Legislators Debate Where to Make Next Budget Cuts
Layoffs of state workers. Shuttered driver's license offices. Fewer seats in prekindergarten classes. Parole for more nonviolent criminals. Less help for injured manatees. Hundreds of cost-cutting measures will be considered by state legislators in coming weeks. More>>
Opinion: Is the Guy in the Next Cubicle Packing Heat?
For the third year in a row, lawmakers want to trample on an employer's right whether to allow guns at work. The bill would prevent businesses and employers from banning an employee from bringing firearms onto workplace property. More>>
Florida Ranks Last in Pay for State Employees
The state spends less per capita on its work force than any other, according to a recent study by the Pew Center on the States and Governing. More>>
FEDERAL_____________________________________________________
An insider's guide to the upcoming week
Kevin Rudd has a tough act to follow. The new Australian prime minister arrives Friday for his first visit to Washington since taking office in December. The trip comes weeks after John Howard, Rudd's predecessor, made a valedictory visit. Howard, a stalwart ally of President Bush, was honored with the Irving Kristol Award from the American Enterprise Institute, and he used the occasion of his address to describe himself "as an unapologetic and continuing advocate of the broad conservative cause." Those conservative bona fides -- the kind that earn people commemorative crystal bowls from AEI -- were part of what made Howard's relationship with Bush such a close one. More>>
Rising Health Costs Cut Into Wages
Higher Fees Squeeze Employers, Workers
Recent history has not been kind to working-class Americans, who were down on the economy long before the word recession was uttered.
The main reason: spiraling health-care costs have been whacking away at their wages. Even though workers are producing more, inflation-adjusted median family income has dipped 2.6 percent -- or nearly $1,000 annually since 2000. More>>
Rep.'s links to cigar maker raise questions
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek helped a cigar maker get a meeting with top House Democrats to lobby against higher cigar taxes. More>>
Miami's Diaz-Balart brothers face strong challenges for congressional seats
For more than two decades, the Diaz-Balart brothers have represented South Florida, first in the Legislature and then in Congress, fighting to maintain the nation's hard-line stance toward Cuba. The two come from a prestigious Cuban family with four generations in public service. Their father once frequented the exclusive American Club in Havana with his friend, then brother-in-law and later enemy, Fidel Castro.
In many ways, they have symbolized the face of Florida's Cuban-American exile community --Republican and ferociously anti-Castro --and have gone virtually unchallenged. More>>
Cost leads to drilling for oil in the backyard
SIGNAL HILL, Calif. - The oil rig rumbles to life, breaking the early morning quiet in this neighborhood of urban townhouses and big box stores with a deafening screech and roar. As sleepy commuters idle at a nearby stop light, a grease-caked drilling crew scrambles to repair and expand one of the dozens of aging oil wells that dot the landscape of this small, hillside city about 30 miles south of Los Angeles.
CAMPAIGN 2008_______________________________________________
Panel: DNC Had Right to Strip Florida's Delegates
Had a challenge succeeded in Florida, Clinton would have gained 38 delegates more than Obama.
IMMIGRATION_________________________________________________
Comprehensive plan needed on immigration
In place of meaningful immigration reform, both conservative and liberal politicians have hatched piecemeal plans. This won't work. Conservative Democrats ... More>>
BUSINESS_____________________________________________________
Some economists see a deeper downturn
WASHINGTON - It's been almost an article of faith: Any recession this year will be mild and brief. But now the stunning meltdown of a top Wall Street investment bank and stubbornly persistent financial market turbulence has called that into question, raising fears that severe problems in housing and the nation's bedrock financial system could cripple the economy and wallop millions of Americans. More>>
Average gas price rises to $3.26
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — A survey says the national average price for gasoline rose 7 cents over the last two weeks. The average price of self-serve regular gasoline on Friday was $3.26 a gallon, mid-grade was $3.38 and premium was $3.50. That's all according to the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 stations nationwide released Sunday. Of the cities surveyed, the cheapest price was in Newark, N.J., where a gallon of regular cost $3.03, on average. The highest average price was in San Francisco at $3.66.
Democrats seek stronger regulator for Wall Street
WASHINGTON: As Congress and the Bush administration struggle to contain the housing and credit crises — and prevent more Wall Street firms from collapsing as Bear Stearns did — a split is forming over how to strengthen oversight of financial institutions after decades of deregulation.
The administration and Democratic lawmakers in Congress agree that the meltdown in credit markets exposed weaknesses in the nation's tangled web of federal and state regulators, which failed to anticipate the effect of so many new players in the industry. More>>
New Bear Stearns offer send shares higher
Wall Street extended its big advance Monday as investors applauded a new agreement that will give Bear Stearns shareholders five times the payout than was outlined in a JPMorgan Chase buyout deal a week ago. Investors were also pleased by a stronger-than-expected housing report.
The Dow Jones industrial average jumped about 175 points. More>>
Bush mixes concern, optimism on economy
WASHINGTON — The economic news last week was grim. New home construction fell more than expected. The average retail price for a gallon of gas hit $3.28. Investment giant Bear Stearns was sold for $2 a share. In Florida for a speech on free trade, President Bush couldn't ignore the elephant in the room. "This is a challenging time for our economy," he said. "You know that. I know that. A lot of Americans understand that."
But he couldn't leave it at that. "In the long term, we're going to be just fine," Bush said. "People will still be able to work." More>>
JPMorgan in Negotiations to Raise Bear Stearns Bid
JPMorgan Chase was in talks on Sunday night for a deal that would quintuple its offer for Bear Stearns, the beleaguered investment bank, in an effort to pacify angry Bear shareholders, according to people involved in the negotiations. More>>
TRADE_______________________________________________________
Surging Exports Lighten the Gloom
Word Count: 1,372 | Companies Featured in This Article: Alstom, United Technologies
As the dollar skids, dropping earlier this month to a 12-year low against the yen and another record low against the euro, U.S. exports are surging. That is providing a lone bright spot in an otherwise-gloomy economy and distinguishing this downturn from the last recession. More>>
Are the Democrats miscalculating on trade?
Ron Brownstein asks whether the Democrats' increasingly strident anti-trade line might be a political mistake as well as an economic one (the link expires More>>
INTERNATIONAL_______________________________________________
Honduras calls US melon alert unjust, calls for proof
International Herald Tribune - 4 hours ago
AP TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: The president of Honduras on Sunday dismissed as "unjust" a US alert urging consumers to discard Honduran cantaloupes after a salmonella outbreak sickened 59, saying the US presented no evidence that the bacteria originated in ... More>>
Cheney: Israeli-Palestinian peace won't be easy
Vice President said an agreement will require "painful concessions" by both sides, but said with hard work "success will be achieved." More>>
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