Drew Wilson
Melissa Etheridge is coming on over to Adderley Amphitheater in Cascade Park for her “I’m Not Broken” tour and the kickoff of Pride Week.
Residents and visitors can this weekend take in the one and only (or should we say the Only One) Etheridge, one of the best female singer-songwriter guitar players of her generation.
She is slated to take the stage at 7:30 p.m. The concert must shut down by 10 p.m. so don’t dillydally.
Etheridge is an award-winning singer-songwriter known for her raspy voice and confessional lyrics. She took home the Oscar for ‘I Need To Wake Up’ from ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ the documentary chronicling Al Gore‘s campaign to warn the world about global warming. She’s released five platinum albums, has 15 Grammy nominations and two wins including one for Best Female Rock Performance for Come to My Window, a song from her 1993 bestselling album “Yes I Am” and the first single released after Etheridge came out as a lesbian.
Etheridge, in early 2000, famously disclosed to Rolling Stone magazine that Crosby Stills Nash & Young lead man David Crosby had donated sperm so she and her then-partner Julie Cypher could start a family. Crosby is the sperm donor for Etheridge’s two children Bailey Cypher, 25, and Beckett Cypher, who died from opioid addiction at age 21 in 2020.
Following her son’s death, Etheridge penned Talking to My Angels. She also has delved into learning about substance abuse, the prison system and generational grief, among other things. Indeed, the streaming service Paramount+ recently announced a docuseries premiering on their platform called “Etheridge: I’m Not Broken.”
The two-part docuseries follows the singer-songwriter and her bond with five incarcerated women with addiction issues living in a correctional facility in her hometown of Topeka, Kansas, and how these women have inspired her new music. Etheridge said the documentary, which will be released in July, features a concert at the women’s prison.
Meanwhile, a schedule of Tallahassee Pridefest 2024 activities is here.
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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Christine Jordan Sexton and the staff of Florida Politics.
But first, the “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:
— Take 5 —
First down: Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper rejected a motion by Atlantic Coast Conference attorneys (including former Florida Supreme Court Justice Alan Lawson) to put Florida State University’s lawsuit against the conference on hold. ACC attorneys argued that the lawsuit should be shelved because the ACC had filed its own lawsuit against FSU in North Carolina one day before the university did. But Cooper said the ACC had engaged in “forum shopping” and had rushed to the courthouse to try to circumvent the FSU lawsuit. FSU is seeking to nullify more than $500 million in penalties that could be levied if the Seminoles leave the conference.
No water for you: Florida cities and counties will be barred from requiring businesses to give water breaks or other “cooling measures” to employees who work outside after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 433. The measure also removes the power of local governments to require contractors to pay higher wages or use higher pay as an incentive in awarding bids. The new law, which takes effect July 1, also bars cities and counties from requiring employers to give workers their work hours ahead of time. The measure was supported by business groups, which opposed a push by some local governments to impose heat protection or wage regulations on businesses and contractors
Federal challenge: Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union and firms specializing in civil rights filed on behalf of five Tampa residents a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn the state Senate districts. The lawsuit deals chiefly with two districts: Senate District 16 and Senate District 18, represented by Sens. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat, and Nick DiCeglie, a Belleair Bluffs Republican, respectively. Senate President Pro Tempore Dennis Baxley issued a memo challenging the lawsuit’s merit.
All together now? When it came to paying for the effort to get a recreational marijuana amendment on the 2024 ballot, Trulieve, a Tallahassee-based medical pot company, stood alone, donating $40 million. But that’s changing. Smart & Safe Florida, the political committee behind the effort, raised nearly $14.9 million in the first quarter. Trulieve gave $9.25 million, or 62% of the total but Verano Holdings, a Chicago-based medical pot company, gave $2.25 million; Boston-based Curaleaf gave $2 million; Greenthumb Industries and Ayr Wellness Inc. each gave $500,000 and Cresco Labs chipped in with $400,000. With the exception of Trulieve, all the donations were recorded 10 days before the March 31 end of the quarter, just ahead of the April 1 decision of the court to approve the measure for the ballot.
And the winners are: The Agency for Health Care Administration on Friday announced the names of the winning bids for the Medicaid managed care program. According to the announcement posted late Friday AHCA intends to award six-year contracts with the following plans: Florida Community Care was awarded contracts in Medicaid Regions A, B, C, D and I for its comprehensive long-term care plus, HIV/AIDS and serious mental illness plans; Sunshine State Health Plan was awarded contracts statewide for its comprehensive long-term care plus, HIV/AIDS, serious mental illness plans and child welfare plans; South Florida Community Care Network, which operates as Community Care Plan, was awarded contracts in Medicaid Regions E, F, G, H and I for its comprehensive long-term care plus and serious mental illness plans; Simply Healthcare Plans was awarded contracts statewide for comprehensive long-term care plus, HIV/AIDS, and serious mental illness specialty plans; Humana Medical Plan was awarded contracts statewide for comprehensive long-term care plus, HIV/AIDS and serious mental illness specialty plans.
— Blue news —
Nearly 5,000 $5,000 bonuses have been awarded through a program that incentivizes out-of-state law enforcement officers to relocate to the Sunshine State and join the law enforcement ranks here as well as encourage residents to join the force.
According to DeSantis’ office 1,267 law enforcement recruits from 49 states and U.S. territories have relocated to Florida because of the program.
“Florida’s investments in law enforcement recruitment are investments in the safety of our communities,” DeSantis said in a statement.
“Florida is a law-and-order state, and we will continue to pursue policies that attract the best law enforcement officers in the nation to serve and protect Floridians.”
— Nobody likes gift cards —
A reminder to the procrastinators out there: Tax Day is Monday. Or, for the hard-core procrastinators, you need to file for an extension in the next 48 hours or so.
But as late filers sift through the collection of 1099-DIVs, W-2s, and K-1s, Attorney General Ashley Moody wants to ensure they don’t become fraud victims.
“We’re concluding our 2024 Tax Season Scam Series with a warning about direct deposit refund scams. As Floridians finalize their tax filings and wait for refunds to be delivered, it is important to remain vigilant for fraudulent schemes,” Moody said in a news release.
Throughout tax season, the state’s top cop has been spotlighting the most common tax-related grifts via a series of primers and info packets produced by her office. The 2024 Tax Season Scam Series concluded Monday with a warning about direct deposit refund schemes.
Refund scammers may call, text or email potential victims posing as Internal Revenue Service agents claiming a mistake was made with the target’s tax return. The fraudsters then demand that the victim refund the money immediately, usually in the form of wire transfers or gift cards.
While these are seemingly obvious red flags, the number of taxpayers who fall victim to this trick proves otherwise.
The facts, per Moody and the feds: IRS agents will never text or email regarding payments; the IRS accepts multiple means of payment, none of which are gift cards; and the IRS will never call to demand immediate payments through specific methods.
If a call or text seems fishy, taxpayers can report it to ReportFraud.FTC.gov. The IRS also has an app and a dedicated page to track tax refunds.
— And the nominees are —
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson wants to find the best agriscience educators in the state and enroll them in the Agriscience Education Leadership Program.
To that end, he sent a letter to school superintendents asking them to nominate for the leadership program up to three middle or high school agriscience or science teachers, or administrators overseeing the science curriculum. The goal of the program is to equip educators with greater agricultural knowledge and leadership experience as they prepare the next generation of Florida’s leaders.
“By investing in our teachers, we are investing in the future success of our state, and the Agriscience Education Leadership Program is a unique opportunity that allows educators to step outside of the walls of the classroom and experience the full breadth of Florida agriculture,” said Simpson. “Agriculture and related industries are important components of the lives of all Floridians, and I’m confident that the participants in this program — and their students — will benefit from understanding how this industry impacts their everyday lives and the role it plays in ensuring Florida’s future.”
The deadline for nominations is May 1, 2024. Nominations can be submitted online here.
For more information on the program, visit the FDACS Agriscience Education Leadership Program webpage.
Since its inception in 2001, more than 200 teachers have graduated from the leadership program.
— Rights and resources —
Taxpayers have rights and there are resources available to them also. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is encouraging Floridians this upcoming Tax Day to understand billions in federal income taxes this year will be paid by Floridians, and the CFO has made it his mission to hold the IRS accountable and provide accurate, transparent information to citizens.
“This Tax Day, I want Floridians to remember one thing — the IRS works for you! Don’t allow the federal tax authorities to intimidate you or your business into paying more than your fair share. You have rights as a taxpayer and that includes the timely processing of claims and refunds, the right to quality service and privacy, and the right to appeal any IRS decision,” Patronis said.
“This tax season, make sure you are using a qualified tax professional to help file your taxes and beware of taking bad tax advice from apps like TikTok. Taxpayers should also be on the lookout for tax fraud schemes and scams as bad actors look to take advantage of the tax deadline. Remember — if it sounds too good to be true — it probably is.”
Patronis also recently created the IRS Transparency Portal for individuals, private businesses, or nonprofits to report evidence of discrimination by IRS operatives and will help Florida identify patterns of discrimination where specific IRS agents are targeting certain political causes, practices, or beliefs, hopefully, to put some power back in the taxpayers’ hands. This information is used to identify IRS targets and assess their frequency and intensity.
Passed during the 2024 Legislative Session, Patronis fought to create the Florida Tax Advocate, which allows Florida taxpayers to have a seat at the table when IRS issues arise. If signed by the Governor, the legislation will allow the Department of Financial Services to begin the rule-making process to establish the office to support Florida taxpayers.
Like clockwork, tax scammers will peer their ugly heads out this Tax Day and the CFO is encouraging Floridians to use their logic and think twice. Watch out for suspicious emails and robocalls. But just like a broken clock is right twice a day, scammers do get people to give over information. Scammers are smart and may use different tactics, but the central theme is scammers posing as the IRS trying to trick people into paying up or sharing personal information.
— Instagram of the week —
— HOPE abounds with Casey DeSantis —
It’s been a busy week for First Lady Casey DeSantis. She attended a law enforcement de-escalation session with Sanford Police Department officers at a state-of-the-art training facility and then the First Lady later awarded $20,000 grants from the Hope Florida Fund to Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Community Foundation and the Central Florida Concerns of Police Survivors, two nonprofits.
Civilians see things from law enforcement’s point of view at Decision Tactical, a state-of-the-art simulation facility.
“Law enforcement must make split-second decisions every day in the course of their duty,” DeSantis said in a release. “It was great to better understand this process through the training facility at Decision Tactical. I am proud to award Hope Florida funds to nonprofits that support the loved ones of fallen officers and provide opportunities for mentorship between law enforcement and youth.”
The First Lady touted her husband DeSantis’ “law and order priorities,” noting that Florida is at a 50-year crime low, with overall crime down over 15% year-over-year since 2019. Additionally, murder is down 14%, burglary is down 15%, and robbery is down 17%
DeSantis developed Hope Florida which pairs those in need with “navigators” who can connect them with employment opportunities, education resources, and customized plans for success made possible through volunteer contributors from businesses, community leaders, and nonprofits.
Since its inception, nearly 20,000 Floridians have been helped off public assistance programs and onto a path to prosperity, according to the First Lady.
— Bat love —
April 15 may be Tax Day. But in Florida, it’s also the last day to legally remove bats from buildings without permits.
That’s because bat maternity season in Florida begins April 16.
That’s right — love is in the air.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, maternity season, or when most of our state’s native and beneficial bats give birth and raise their young, starts on April 16 and lasts until Aug. 14.
During bat maternity season, it is illegal to block bats from their roosts, thereby preventing flightless young from being trapped inside structures.
If you have bats roosting in your house or building, the most effective and only legal method to remove roosting bats from structures is the use of exclusion devices, which allow bats to safely exit a structure but block them from returning to their roosts. It is only legal to use exclusion devices from Aug. 15 until April 15, Permits are required to use exclusion devices outside of those dates.
It is illegal in Florida to kill or harm bats, so exclusion guidelines were developed to ensure bats are removed safely and effectively from buildings outside of maternity season.
Florida’s bats are insectivores, with a single bat eating up to hundreds of insects a night, including mosquitoes and other garden and agricultural pests. That makes them an important part of the ecosystem. Worldwide, bats serve critical functions due to their roles in insect pest control, and as pollinators and seed dispersers, and their guano can be a valuable fertilizer.
Florida’s native bat populations include endangered species. Residents and visitors can support bat conservation by preserving natural roost sites, including trees with cavities or peeling bark; leaving dead fronds on palm trees to provide roosting spots for bats; and installing bat houses on your property.
Report unusual bat behavior, as well as sick or dead bats to MyFWC.com/BatMortality.
— Photogs wanted —
Meanwhile, FWC is looking for wildlife watchers who are good with a camera to help it create and analyze reliable data about its wide variety of wildlife.
The Everglades Wildlife Watch is a new South Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) volunteer program and participatory science project hosted on the Zooninverse platform.
The project combines in-the-field volunteering with online participation to help the state better understand the region’s 17 wildlife management areas (WMAs) and wildlife and environmental areas (WEAs).
Volunteers are being asked to set up and maintain trail cameras that collect photos that are uploaded to the Everglades Wildlife Watch Zooniverse project.
Follow the link, create a free account and start identifying the wildlife in the photos from your own home. If you get one wrong, don’t sweat it. With consensus analysis, your identifications will be combined with others to give the most accurate picture of wildlife activity in these areas.
Once photos are analyzed and the wildlife has been identified, the data is sent to area biologists who can better manage each WMA or WEA. The results will also be uploaded to our interactive Data Dashboard, where you can see what kind of wildlife has been spotted on our cameras around the region and learn more about each species.
The FWC oversees more than 6 million acres of public land established as WMAs. These lands are managed to protect fish and wildlife resources and provide wildlife-based recreation. Visit MyFWC.com/WMAs to learn more about Florida’s public lands or plan your next outdoor adventure with the WMA Recreation Finder.
—Here’s to the park volunteers —
Florida has the best state parks in the nation and volunteers are a big reason why.
Florida State Parks Director Chuck Hatcher this week acknowledged the volunteers who are the backbone of the 175 award-winning state parks.
“We are grateful to everyone who volunteers, and we encourage anyone looking to make a difference in their community to consider volunteering at their closest state park,” Hatcher said at a Florida State Parks Foundation as it celebrates April as Volunteer Appreciation Month recognizing and honoring the array of people who have volunteered for management, visitor services, administrations, resource management, protection and maintenance services.
Nearly 20,000 registered volunteers combined for 1,038,878 service hours in fiscal year 2022-23. Florida State Parks volunteers are of a wide variety of ages.
Nearly 20,000 registered volunteers combined for a total of 1,038,878 service hours in fiscal year 2022-23. Florida State Parks volunteers span a wide variety of ages and abilities, and volunteering opportunities are available in each of the Florida Park Service’s “big five” management responsibilities: visitor services, administration, resource management, protection and maintenance.
Hatcher joined Florida State Parks Foundation board of directors president Kathleen Brennan and members Lynn Cherry and Gil Ziffer at Falling Waters State Park in Chipley for the volunteer appreciation event. Florida State Parks Foundation CEO Julia Gill Woodward also attended.
The park is home to the state’s largest waterfall.
“The Florida State Parks Foundation was born out of a desire to serve our state parks, and volunteerism is at the heart of all we do,” Brennan said. “It is always a good time to celebrate and thank our state parks volunteers, but it’s extra special to recognize them during Volunteer Appreciation Month.”
Volunteering opportunities are available in Florida State Parks year-round. Regularly scheduled volunteering positions include ranger station attendant; park maintenance assistant.; special event coordinator guide or program leader; invasive plant removal. beach, waterway, or trail rover. Internships also are available.
Parks with overnight accommodations may also need park resident campground hosts. for more information, please visit Florida State Parks’ official volunteer portal.
— Baby I can see your Halo —
Civilian police review boards won’t be able to investigate complaints of misconduct for individual cops and harassing a police officer performing his or her duties will be a crime under a pair of bills signed by the Governor this week.
One bill, SB 184, makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to “impede or interfere” within 25 feet of a police officer or first responder engaged in their duty after a verbal warning not to approach them. Threatening an officer with physical harm and “harassing” the officer or first responder would also be a violation.
SB 184 is the pet project of Hialeah Republican Rep. Alex Rizo, who has sponsored versions of the measure with varying distances — up to 30 feet in some — for several Sessions.
Rizo dubbed his measure the “Halo bill.”
Critics of the proposal noted the term “harass” in the bill was vague and could be used to arrest and prosecute civilians videotaping police during an arrest. The video of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, which led to mass protests and riots over the police treatment of African Americans, was taken within 25 feet, for instance.
In the bill, “harass” is defined as “willfully engaging in a course of conduct directed at a first responder which intentionally causes substantial emotional distress in that first responder and serves no legitimate purpose.”
“If you do that, we view that as a problem, and now you’re going to be held accountable,” DeSantis said at a bill signing ceremony in St. Augustine.
The other bill, HB 601, bars civilian police review boards from conducting their own investigations into specific complaints of officer misconduct and requires such boards to have members appointed by local sheriffs or chiefs of police.
Rep. Wyman Duggan, a Jacksonville Republican who sponsored the bill, noted it doesn’t ban the review boards entirely.
“They can still meet, they can still talk about policy, procedure, training, culture, systemic issues,” Duggan said. “But what they cannot do is use them as a vehicle to persecute our officers, which to many of these organizations is the only utility that organization has.”
The bills passed along mostly party lines in the House, with Democrats opposed and Republicans in favor, but the votes were nearly unanimous in the Senate, with just Sen. Bobby Powell, a West Palm Beach Democrat, voting against SB 184, the police harassment protection bill.
— Getting it done —
Rep. Susan Valdés is hosting the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA) at her Tampa district office on April 15 as part of her continued efforts to offer assistance for Puerto Ricans to obtain vital documents such as birth, marriage, death, and Administration for Child Support (ASUME) certificates, as well as drivers records, and apostille services, streamlining the process for those in need.
The Government of Puerto Rico invalidated all Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010, and is replacing them with more secure versions. This is the fourth event Valdés has held with the PRFAA, which has a permanent, full-time office in Kissimmee
“Since our first event in December, we have served 60 individuals in obtaining their essential documents from Puerto Rico. I am proud to continue this partnership with PRFAA and ease access for our community,” said Valdés.
Residents can place orders between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Feb. 15. The orders will be processed, and the official documents will be ready for pick up on April 19. For more information regarding the services offered and to book an appointment, visit the PRFAA’s website or call the district office at 813-673-4673. Valdés’ district office is located at 2221 N. Himes Ave., Suite B, Tampa, 33607.
— She’s taking appointments —
Mark those calendars; state Rep. Kristen Arrington, a Democrat from Kissimmee, and her staff will host mobile office events in Campbell City in April and May.
Arrington will be at the Osceola Tax Collector Campbell City Office to meet with District 46 constituents on May 9 from 2-4 p.m.
“Not everyone is able to make it to our Downtown Kissimmee office or use Zoom to meet with their State Representative,” Arrington said. “I look forward to meeting with constituents near their homes or places of business during the months of April and May.”
The Osceola Tax Collector Campbell City Office is located at 4730 S Orange Blossom Trail, Kissimmee, 34746.
According to a news release, Arrington will meet with constituents who sign up for appointments online.
Arrington continues to offer meeting opportunities at her main office. Email [email protected] or call (407) 846-5016 to schedule.
— POWER AWARDS —
Florida’s power shines bright in competition. Florida public power participants brought home more than half the awards, including the first-place overall apprentice and journeyman, presented at American Public Power Association’s 22nd annual Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo, held April 5-6, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
There are two levels of competition within the rodeo: journeyman and apprentice. The journeyman teams consist of three members — two climbers and a ground person — and can include an optional alternate. Out of the 64 journeyman teams and 134 apprentices from 57 utilities across the United States that competed, participants from five Florida public power utilities were among the 13 journeyman teams and 12 individual apprentices who won awards at the rodeo, which was hosted by Lafayette Utilities System.
The “rodeo” is a series of competitive events demonstrating lineworker skills and safe work practices with emphasis on safety, work practices, neatness, ability, equipment handling, and timeliness.
Florida public power winners included:
Apprentice — Overall:
— Ryan Kornegay, JEA (first place)
— Dustin Zorn, Lakeland Electric (second place)
— Dalton Gowdy, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility (third place)
— Thomas Steverson, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility (fourth place)
Apprentice — Alley Arm Insulator Change Out:
— Anthony Thomas, Lakeland Electric (first place)
— Dalton Gowdy, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility (third place)
Apprentice — Hurtman Rescue:
— Ryan Kornegay, JEA (first place)
— Hunter Thomas, JEA (second place)
Apprentice — Single Phase Conductor Tie-In with Armor Rods:
— Dustin Zorn, Lakeland Electric (third place)
Apprentice — Written Test:
— Thomas Steverson, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility (third place)
Journeyman — Overall:
— JEA: David Hicken, Caleb Macabitas and Cody Stokes (first place)
— City of Tallahassee Electric Utility: Rico Bobbins, Blake Burns and Michael Patterson (second place)
— Orlando Utilities Commission: Evan Englert, Austin Houk and Nelson Rodriguez (fifth place)
Journeyman — 12kV Single Phase Deadend Transfer:
— JEA: David Hicken, Caleb Macabitas and Cody Stokes (second place)
Journeyman — 200 Amp Swollen Elbow Repair:
— Orlando Utilities Commission: Frank Akkerman, Brendan Laflamme and Shane Paras (third place)
Journeyman — 4kV Alley Arm Insulator Change Out:
— JEA: David Hicken, Caleb Macabitas and Cody Stokes (first place)
— Beaches Energy Services: Logan Cox, Nick Currie and Cory Haag (second place)
Journeyman — Hurtman Rescue:
— Beaches Energy Services: Logan Cox, Nick Currie and Cory Haag (first place)
— City of Tallahassee Electric Utility: Keith Burns, Jordan Reddick and Lance Rivenbark (third place)
Journeyman — 12kV 900 Amp Switch Change Out:
— City of Tallahassee Electric Utility: Rico Bobbins, Blake Burns and Michael Patterson (first place)
— Lakeland Electric: Bobby Barrows, Austin Carr and Clark Grenfell (third place)
FMEA Executive Director Amy Zubaly said, “Congratulations to all the Florida winners who put their skills and commitment to the craft of linework and to safety to the test against peers from all over the country. Florida public power lineworkers really shined bright on the national stage at this year’s APPA rodeo.”
— FAMU audit is A-OK —
Florida A&M University (FAMU) announced this week it received a clean annual financial audit for the fiscal year ending June 2023.
“The audit signifies a clean bill of health for FAMU. It confirms that our financial statements are presented fairly and in strict adherence to the prescribed financial reporting standards,” said President Larry Robinson.
“It is also another indication of the expertise and dedication of our staff and the university’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparency.”
The state auditor general is required by law to annually perform the financial audit which is defined in statutes as an “examination of financial statements to express an opinion on the fairness with which they are presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and an examination to determine whether operations are properly conducted in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements.”
Financial audits must be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States and government auditing standards.
— Capitol Directions —
Ron DeSantis — Down arrow — His knees still bend.
Jimmy Patronis — Up arrow — Happy birthday! Remember to put on your State Fire Marshal hat before blowing out those candles.
Wilton Simpson — Up arrow — They say don’t count your chickens, but that rule doesn’t apply to the Ag Commissioner’s political committees.
Richard Corcoran — Up arrow — We’d make a Gucci joke, but we’re firmly in Berluti territory now.
Byron Donalds — Up arrow — Three House terms and a Trump endorsement is all a future Governor needs.
Tommy Gregory — Up arrow — Congratulations, Mr. President.
Spencer Roach — Crossways arrow — So, that Citizens bill won’t be back next Session after all.
Porch Pirates — Down arrow — Go sail some different seas.
Frank Artiles — Down arrow — He did, indeed, ‘knock himself out.’
Bridget Ziegler — Down arrow — Maybe lay low for a few more weeks … or forever.
Simply Healthcare, Sunshine Health Plan — Up arrow — Winner winner, chicken dinner.
Chris Chaney — Up arrow — Something tells us TAG will have their contract renewed.
DMS — Down arrow — Ahh, home crap home.
Florida Retail Federation — Up arrow — Sorry, shoplifters, maybe you’ll have better luck in California.
ACLU — Down arrow — Read. The. Room.
Florida TaxWatch — Up arrow — Careful scrutiny of the Rays’ stadium deal and another insightful board meeting — the government watchdog is definitely watching.
Triumph — Up arrow — $550 million and counting!
FP&L — Up arrow — The Governor is paying attention.
Duke Energy — Up arrow — At least one thing is getting less expensive.
City Of TLH — Down arrow — It’s time to tighten the belt a couple notches.
Leon Co. Schools — Down arrow — Y’all can’t pay your teachers but you can spend $100K for a logo designed in Microsoft Paint.
Eugene Lamb — Up arrow — Three cheers for the Trustee of the Year.
On 3 PR — Up arrow — They do the math so you don’t have to.
Tucker Cortese — Up arrow — The Capital Resources pro has many accomplishments, but beating his brother in the annual Tallahassee Springtime 10K is the sweetest one.
