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News & Notes
SBA Interim Executive Director Gives Update on Local Government Investment Pool

The State Board of Administration (SBA) met this week and received a status report on the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) from SBA Interim Executive Director Bob Milligan. General Milligan gave a brief update on a number of topics including the following:

Executive Director Search: The SBA is interviewing executive search firms to assist in identifying appropriate candidates from a national pool to serve as its next Executive Director. The job description is being redrafted to place more emphasis on investment management and the revised description will more closely resemble a Chief Investment Officer.

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SB 1088, Regional Conflict Counsels Declared Unconstitutional

In September 2007, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ("FACDL") filed for a writ of quo warranto ("by what authority") in the Florida Supreme Court. The FACDL asked the Court to declare Chapter 2007-62, Laws of Florida, which created the five Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel offices by appointment of the Governor and confirmation of the Senate, to be unconstitutional. These offices were created during the 2007 legislative session to handle the large majority of the criminal conflict cases previously handled by private counsel and to represent indigent clients in certain civil proceedings. The offices are located in the geographic boundaries of the five district courts of appeal.

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Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations

The Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, including appointed Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson from St. John's County, met on Monday for the first time since early June of this year. The meeting chaired by Senator Hill (Duval - D) featured a presentation on the $135 billion in federal funding Florida received in Fiscal Year 2005 by Senior Legislative Analyst Steve O'Cain and a briefing on recent federal activities in Washington, D.C. by Lydia Mount.

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Select Committee to Protect Personal Information

The Select Committee to Protect Personal Information met for the second time this year to listen to presentations on what type of personal information various state departments are privy to and what procedure are currently in place to protect such databases. FAC continues to monitor this committee. For further information, please contact Amanda Ghaffari.

Coalition Forming for "Suspension vs. Termination" of Medicaid for Inmates

The Legislative Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (LCIR) is conducting an interim project that will identify federal project and formula grants available and awarded directly to county and municipal governments. As part of this project, the LCIR requests that each county and municipality answer the survey below no later than December 31, 2007. Click here for a direct link to the survey (with instructions).

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Department of Community Affairs Says Address Sprawl or Voters Will

During the Senate Community Affairs meeting last week, the Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham released the Department's proposal entitled, "Citizen's Planning Bill of Rights" to be considered by the Legislature this session. The Department is recommending amending the state-review process in Chapter 163, F.S. as a preemptive "more practical alternative" to the Florida Hometown Democracy proposal.

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Fireworks Task Force Workshop on Recommendations to Legislature

The Fireworks Task Force, including appointed Commissioner Ken Welch from Pinellas, met on December 20th in Tallahassee to discuss and begin to formalize their recommendations to the Legislature on the use and sale of fireworks in the state of Florida. The proposed recommendations may be found here. Please provide any feedback to Amanda Ghaffari as soon as possible.

Finance & Tax

Senate Finance and Tax Committee met and received a briefing from Bob McKee, from the Department of Revenue, on the effects of HB 1B that passed during special session C- 2007. This report can be found here.

CCC: Financial Management Make Your Hotel Reservations Today

The Florida Counties Foundation will hold a workshop on Financial Management on Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at the Hilton University of Florida in Gainesville. The workshop will focus on fiscal trends at the state and local level, creating an optimum budgeting plan, current revenues, and developing alternative sources for revenues. Commissioners attending will receive 6 Core credit hours towards their certification. If you plan to attend the Financial Management workshop, please register and make your hotel reservations as soon as possible. The deadline to receive FAC's discounted rate of $139 per night is Friday, December 21.

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Property Tax Update

The FAC has compiled a list of documents available to each of you to educate your constituents on the proposed property tax measures. The complete set of documents can be found by clicking here. The documents include: FAC's property tax position statement (as adopted at the 2007 Legislative Conference), discussion points, a draft resolution, three OpEds, general speaking tips and a compilation of quotes compiled regarding the property tax amendment. These documents are designed for each of you to adapt to your own use by including specific county information. FAC has drafted three OpEds that focus on different aspects of the proposed property tax reform measures. FAC strongly encourages each of you to add county specific information and edit the piece to reflect your own personal views before submitting to your local paper.

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TBRC Update

The Tax and Budget Reformation Commission met in Tallahassee on Friday, December 14, 2007, to discuss the current state of affairs. The TBRC received status reports from the subcommittees including Finance and Tax, Governmental Services and Governmental Procedures and Structure. The Planning and Budgeting Committee did not meet. To date, twentytwo proposals have been formalized by the TBRC for review. Sixteen are constitutional proposals and six are statutory recommendations for the legislature to consider. Most of the formal proposals deal with property tax reform including: sales tax exemptions and exclusions review to replace the required local effort; streamlined sales tax review; exemptions for storm-hardening and energy improvements; portability; working waterfront; and expansion of just value exemptions. Other issues, to name a few, include: conservation exemptions; collective bargaining restrictions; expansion of faith-based programs in prisons; and revision of the legislative session starting date.

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DTV (Digital Television) Transition Federal Mandate

Broadcasters are in the midst of dramatic changes as they prepare for the February 17, 2009 digital television (DTV) transition, the federally mandated switch from analog to digital television broadcasting. This means conventional television broadcasting, as we currently know it, will come to an end. In Florida there are millions of households that receive free over-the-air television and are at risk of losing television reception if they do not take the necessary steps to transition to digital.

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Important Message from Florida Medicaid

In early 2008, we will survey Medical providers to measure satisfaction with the Florida Medicaid program and identify opportunities for improvement. We hope you will invest a small amount of your valuable time to respond to the survey. When it is released it will be posed on the Agency's website. More information on the survey will be provided in future communications. We look forward to working with you to improve the Medicaid program for providers and to an improved working relationship.