Tarring Democratic opponent Bill Nelson as one of President Obama’s “lockstep liberals”, Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack said Tuesday that Floridians are looking for a change in the U.S. Senate.

“It’s pretty clear to me that this country, our country, is moving in the wrong directions,” Mack said in a conference call with reporters from his Fort Myers hometown.

Mack made his candidacy official Monday night in an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox-TV show. Mack, first elected to Congress in 2004, is the fifth Republican in the race to unseat Nelson, who is seeking his third term.

Mack is looking to win the same seat held by his father and namesake, former Republican U.S. Sen. Connie Mack. His dad defeated Democrat Buddy MacKay in 1988 after taunting him with the phrase, “Hey Buddy, you’re liberal.” And on Tuesday, the political apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

“Bill Nelson has become one of Barack Obama’s leading guys in the United States Senate,” Mack said, deriding his Democratic rival for supporting the president’s push on health care, stimulus spending, and energy cap-and-trade legislation.

Nelson is among the “lockstep liberals in Washington” the president depends on to advance his agenda, Mack said. The Republican contender, however, disputed that he, like his father, is looking to win by demonizing liberals.

“It’s not an attempt to demonize,” Mack said. “It’s to point out the differences.”

When those close to Mack confirmed a few weeks ago that he was planning to enter the race, the congressman immediately became the favorite, according to polls.

 A Quinnipiac University survey earlier this month showed Mack with a formidable lead over the four Republicans already in the race. A Rasmussen Reports poll also showed Mack could be trouble for Nelson, with the congressman favored by 43 percent of voters to 39 percent for the Democrat. The survey of 500 likely voters had a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 4.5 percent.

Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bill McCollum blamed the teachers’ union for Florida’s failure to win out on the first round of federal “Race to the Top” education funds.

The Florida Education Association, that opposed the stimulus funds, is “now responsible for the loss of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars for Sunshine State students, teachers and schools,” McCollum campaign manager Matt Williams said in a press release.

“Today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that Florida was not selected as a first round winner of the Race to the Top competition is a disappointing reminder the unions will continue to put the interests of bureaucracy over the best interests of Florida’s children,” Williams accuses.

Sen. John Thrasher, who also serves as the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, joined in the teacher-bashing chorus although Gov. Charlie Crist said he remained hopeful that the state could ultimately win some of the $4 billion in federal funds.

Lawmakers in the House are debating the 49-page proposal that would pave the way for a $2.2 billion Central Florida commuter rail system, create a statewide rail authority and keep Tri-Rail rolling.

GOP House leaders – who have been heated critics of President Barack Obama’s stimulus spending – say they’re doing all that to increase Florida’s chances of getting a slice of the $8 billion in federal stimulus funds for high-speed rail projects being doled out in January. The state’s applied for four projects totaling about $3.7 billion.

After 20 years of Tri-Rail’s operating in the red, why the rush to bail out the South Florida commuter line – the state’s only existing one – now?

Because U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said so.

“There’s a commitment at the federal level to get into the passenger rail business like it never has before,” LaHood told SunRail supporters in Orlando in October. “But, the only way it will pay off is if the State Legislature gets its act together.”
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Vice President Joe Biden will visit an Orlando middle school on Wednesday to tout Florida’s $3.5 billion share of the economic stimulus package for education.

Biden will be joined by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. They’re scheduled to appear at Jackson Middle School in Orlando at 10 a.m.

Not all of the money is being spent in schools or on teachers, however.

Florida’s three-year education stimulus cash includes money for school lunch equipment, homeless education, independent living programs and services for older blind individuals.

Perhaps the White House duo will receive a warmer welcome than Congressional members touting the president’s health care package at raucous town hall meetings throughout the country.

From Michael Vazquez at The Miami Herald:

Boasting a seven-casino empire throughout Florida, the Seminole Tribe is awash in gambling dollars. The Miccosukee tribe has fared well, too, with its casino operations in Miami-Dade.

Despite the two tribes’ growing wealth, the Obama administration has awarded them a combined $4 million in federal stimulus money. That may rise in the coming months as federal agencies continue to dole out stimulus grants.

The money awarded includes:

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Tax-hating Sen. Mike Haridopolos took part in a Tally “tea party” this afternoon where several hundred protesters gathered outside the Old Capitol.

Earlier in the day, Governor Charlie Crist touted April 15th – tax day – as an opportunity for Floridians to take advantage of the new federal tax break crediting first-time homebuyers with $8,000 towards the purchase of a new home.

Hours later, Haridopolos dumped on the president’s stimulus plan at the protest – one of multiple events throughout the nation – even though more than $2 billion of his chamber’s budget depends on the stimulus funds.

Earlier this week, Haridopolos released a video blasting the federal stimulus package, calling it “something we simply can’t afford.”

Haridopolos, who signed a pledge not to raise taxes when he took office, addressed the crowd briefly.

The Melbourne Republican was accompanied by Senate Majority Office staff, who brought their own tea.

The aides didn’t dump their tea bags, however.

They brought them back to the office for consumption later. After all, it is a tough budget year, even for Republicans.

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Inspired by the tea-dumping Bostonians of 1773 and the February rant of CNBC’s Rick Santelli, organizers say they will draw at least 1,000 people to a Wednesday “Tea Party” protest of federal spending and deficits in downtown West Palm Beach.

More than 40 such events are planned in Florida on Wednesday and more than 600 across the U.S.

Read about it here.

The Senate budget plan includes no boost to health care spending despite $1 billion earmarked from the federal stimulus package and an anticipated $1 billion from a proposed cigarette tax hike.

That’s raised the bipartisan hackles of Senate Health and Human Services budget committee members, including Chairman Durell Peaden, who phoned in his complaints on Friday to Gov. Charlie Crist.

“You want it in oral communication or blood pressure readings?” Peaden, R-Crestview, said of his disappointment.

Peaden said he has no clue where the money meant for health care is going.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said.

Part of the stimulus money is going to pay for programs for the medically needy and to accommodate increases in the Medicaid caseload, as required to get the federal stimulus money.

But nearly $800 million of the stimulus money is going to be used for non-health care programs and replaced with money a buck-a-pack cigarette tax proposal — if it passes.

Either way, the buck-a-pack cigarette tax proposal will generate $1 billion to offset the more than $1.3 billion the state now pays for tobacco-related illnesses, the proposals sponsor Sen. Ted Deutch said.

“This legislation will generate in excess of $1 billion in the first year. That is new revenue that will go into the health care trust fund for the purpose of funding health care,” Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said..

Sen. Nan Rich called the fund shift a “bait-and-switch” that defies the intent of the federal stimulus plan.
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Florida’s seasonably adjusted unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in February, up from 8.8 percent in January, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation.

That’s 1.3 percent higher than the national rate and 4.2 percent higher than a year ago.

About 500,000 Floridians currently receive unemployment benefits.

St. Lucie County’s unemployment rate climbed to 12.7 percent, nearly double from the previous year.

Read more here.

GOP state lawmakers are at odds over whether to accept $444 million in federal stimulus funds that would expand the number of unemployed workers eligible for unemployment benefits.

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Gov. Charlie Crist earlier today urged lawmakers to consider expanding the types of workers eligible for unemployment compensation so the state can draw down $444 million in federal stimulus aid to pay for the benefits.

He said that House Republican concerns that taking the money would hike businesses’ taxes long after the stimulus money dries up could be resolved by passing a bill that agrees to undo the expanded benefits after a certain length of time.

But within hours, staff at the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which handles unemployment claims, released requested information cautioning against taking the money.

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Gov. Charlie Crist encouraged House Republicans to take $444 million in federal stimulus money that would give 40,000 more jobless workers unemployment benefits.

House Majority Leader Adam Hasner is balking at taking the money because he believes that it would cause businesses’ unemployment taxes to go up after the stimulus money dries up.

But a national employment group found that businesses’ taxes would go up anyway and taking the money would actually be a saving for them in the long run.

Crist said he’s sympathetic to the House’s worries about the impact on businesses.

But, he went on: “They’re lawmakers though. Maybe they could come up with a law that would say we’ll take the stimulus…for x amount of years and not have to continue and then keep the rates down.”

Jobless Floridians will start getting an extra $25 per week in their unemployment checks, Gov. Charlie Crist announced today.

“We are at a high-water mark, if you will, as it relates to unemployment in the state – about a 16-year high,” Crist told reporters today. “It’s important to extend unemployment benefits as much as we possibly can to help people get through this tough time.”

The extra dough is part of a $345 million to unemployment benefits included in the federal stimulus package. The weekly boost will continue through next July for claims filed before December of this year.

The increase went into effect Feb. 22, and those receiving unemployment benefits at that time or later will also receive a retroactive payment without having to apply for it.

The state will have whopping $3 billion budget gap next year if it only spends money on “bare bones” items, according to Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander.

That would mean paying only for fluff-free things like constitutionally mandated programs and those required to bring in federal dollars.

And that’s including the addition of more than $3 billion in federal stimulus money over the next two years.

That leaves lawmakers no other choice than to raise revenues, the conservative citrus baron said, even if they cut back on spending.

And adding in Gov. Charlie Crist’s recommendation to take more than $200 million from the Seminoles from a gambling compact and sweep trust funds still leaves Crist’s budget proposal more than $1 billion short.

“I think it will be very difficult to find sufficient recurring cuts to make this $3 billion, or $2.5 if you count the compact revenues, without some revenues,” Alexander, R-Lake Wales said. “I tend to think we’ll ultimately have to have a mix of revenues and some reductions.”

Florida is moving closer to launching a federally mandated website to let the public know how and where its $13-plus billion share of the federal economic stimulus package is or will be spent.

Thirty-five other states, including Sunshine State neighbors Georgia and Alabama, already have their recovery websites up and running.

Florida’s should launch “early next week,” Gov. Charlie Crist said during a meeting of his federal stimulus team this morning.

Crist’s “stimulus czar” Don Winstead, who met with Vice President Joe Biden and others in D.C. last week to discuss recovery plans, said that the nation is “learning from Florida’s example” regarding open government.

The White House has promised an “unprecedented level of commitment to reporting in a way that is open, accessible and I think the nation is really learning from Florida’s example,” Winstead said. “It’s very appropriate with this week to see that.”

Winstead was referring to Sunshine Week, a celebration of the state’s broad open government laws, that began Sunday.

Crist said Florida’s recovery site should be up early next week “which will be great.”

“Yes sir. We’re within days of that. That’ll be another great step forward,” Winstead replied.

The latest grim news about the state’s emaciated economy is making it harder to get the federal stimulus money aimed at boosting Florida’s finances on the streets.

State transportation officials are taking longer to get their list of $1.3 billion worth of road projects to lawmakers to sign off on so the projects can get moving because economists predicted Friday that revenues would drop by another $3.4 billion by the end of next year.

That means a (coincidentally) $1.3 billion cut to the state’s five-year road plan. Transportation officials are now trying to figure out what that impact would be on the stimulus-backed projects.

Lawmakers had hoped to pass a budget bill to spend the federal money as early as this week, but chances of that happening now are unlikely.

Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson pushed Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander to expedite the release of Florida’s share of the federal economic stimulus package to get the state’s jobless back to work.

Alexander agreed that lawmakers need to move quickly to get the money already available for road and water projects that could create jobs the fastest.

He said he’d like to get the budget committees working on passing bills as early as tomorrow to appropriate the federal funds for the construction projects and for Medicaid spending. Depending on the House’s position, the legislature could pass the budget amendments as early as next week, he said.

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Don Winstead to act as the state’s “recovery czar” last week.

But despite the necessary legislative approval for the spending to begin, Winstead has yet to meet with Alexander.

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If unemployment above 14 percent in some regions and a one out of 10 Floridians on food stamps isn’t bad enough, now unscrupulous spammers have launched stimulus scams on unsuspecting web surfers.

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson issued an alert today warning Floridians about Internet ploys involving federal stimulus money.

One of the scams sent by e-mail promises grant dollars and asks consumers to provide their bank account number and other personal information that could result in identity theft, Bronson cautioned.

Another swindle asks consumers to pay an up-front fee for a grant or list of available grants.

“It’s clear that criminals are preying on the public’s desperation and using the stimulus plan to con people out of their hard-earned money,” Bronson said in a press release. “They should just delete these emails as quickly as possible and understand that the federal government is not providing stimulus money over the Internet.”

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Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson is pushing the powerful Senate budget chief to expedite use of the state’s economic stimulus money.

Lawmakers can spend some of Florida’s share of the package – aimed at helping cash-strapped states and creating jobs – by passing a special budget amendment or having a legislative committee approve it.

That would be much quicker, Lawson argued in a letter to Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, sent this morning.

The money includes $1.4 billion for road projects that transportation officials say could create or save about 30,000 jobs. But when the shovels meet the dirt is unknown, The Palm Beach Post reported in a web story this weekend.

Passing a spending bill will allow lawmakers to amend the package of road projects and introduce a potential political battle that could slow down the process, Lawson argued.

“You and I are far too familiar with the political posturing and machinations that can occur when billions of dollars are at stake and individual lawmakers are deciding where that money is to go,” Lawson, D-Tallahassee, wrote. “I fear for the little guy when the big guys are calling the shots.”

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Already frustrated jobless Floridians have more angst in store when trying to deal with the agency responsible for unemployment.

The Agency for Workforce Innovation can’t answer the phones and isn’t handing over the extra $25 a week to those receiving unemployment benefits. Agency officials said yesterday the weekly payments should begin by the end of March.

The 10,000 telephone calls coming into the agency have so overwhelmed the 1,012 phone lines that help-seekers end up getting nothing but busy signals. Lawmakers okayed an emergency $6.3 million to set up a private call center to handle about 5,000 calls a day that go unanswered.

But jobless folks shouldn’t start dialing yet.

The call center won’t be operational until July 1, agency officials said.

Florida’s neighbors Georgia and Alabama are among the 26 states with Web sites keeping the public informed about where and how they plan to spend federal stimulus dollars.

But the Sunshine State appears to have a problem illuminating its own recovery road map.

Gov. Charlie Crist’s office has yet to create a federally mandated Web site revealing how Florida’s $12.4 billion will be spent.

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