Jax Daily

I admit to only watching the local news stations a couple of times a week, at the most. Frankly, the broadcasts are depressing. We start off with a teaser about the weather. Then footage from 9 different crime scenes. Maybe a car accident or two mixed in there. The weather finally comes on. Then 60 seconds of national news, 30 seconds of “world” news, and it’s on to sports for the remaining few minutes.

We’re less than three weeks away from an important election, and three months from an even more important election, and usually the most you hear about it on the local stations is during the advertisements, where the candidates pay to pound on each other with sound bites.

This is tonight’s “local news” according to Channel 4’s website…

A visitor to Jacksonville would think he had stepped into the “Old Detroit” setting of the Robocop films, not a vibrant, rapidly growing, and relatively prosperous city.

I don’t discount the importance of covering our crime problem. Particularly, covering the proposals to combat it. But delighting in the gorey details of every single carjacking or home invasion just seems crude to me.

At what point do people start looking for more out of their local newscast? More actual news and fewer segments like “Crime Where You Live” — which seems to be a recurring Fox 30 feature aimed at convincing viewers to weld their doors shut at night.

Is that asking for too much?

Maybe it is. After all, I don’t seriously think most reporters enjoy covering car accidents and shootings. They would much rather dedicate their energies to more worthy pursuits… but ratings are what decide the content of the program.

Maybe it’s the viewers who are to blame. After all, we keep tuning in night after night.

On August 26th, voters in Duval, Nassau, and Clay counties will decide who our next State Attorney will be. The choice is between two Republican candidates, Angela Corey and Jay Plotkin.

JaxDaily: Our area is going to be electing a lot of fresh faces to the legislature this year. What about your background and experience qualifies you to hit the ground running if you are sent to Tallahassee?

Doc Renuart: The legislature is about building support for your policy objectives. I’m a Ronald Reagan conservative - I share his deeply held conservative principles, and his belief in relationship-building to get things done. I have been drawing more support than my chief opponent, out-fundraising her in each of the last three quarters and qualifying by petition.

I have been president of the Ponte Vedra Republican Club, a member of the State Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee, and Chair of the State Medical Review Board for the FL Army National Guard.

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JaxDaily: If you are elected, what would be some of your top priorities for your time in office?

Doc Renuart: The most critical issue the state is facing is the economy and jobs. I want to reduce government regulations that place a tremendous drag on business and industry. This inhibits the creation of jobs and limits new business from looking at Florida for relocation. The state needs to release moneys from existing trust funds now to jump start the housing market. Taxes need to be lowered to prevent suffocating taxpayers during these rough economic times. I will also look to improve access to affordable healthcare for those who are under-insured.

Property insurance and the Catastrophic Fund are a crisis that needs to be re-addressed by legislature. The Cat Fund has Florida at risk for $28 Billion if a hurricane the size of Hurricane Andrew hits Florida. That could add an assessment of over $1000 to each insurance policy if these funds need to be replaced. Insurance is supposed to be spread out over a global risk pool. Attracting additional insurance companies to share that risk is our best solution.

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JaxDaily: What is your opinion on the St. Johns River Water Management District’s proposal to drain water from the river to supply Central Florida’s growing needs?

Doc Renuart: I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from the University of Florida. Much of our studies were focused on Florida waterways. I know that minimal changes in nutrients, salinity, and pH can cause drastic effects on the fragile ecosystems in our river system. My first mailing was dedicated to my defense of the St Johns River and will work with other North Florida delegates to vehemently oppose any mass siphoning of St Johns River or it tributaries.

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JaxDaily: What, if anything, can the state do to help the City of Jacksonville solve the high violent crime rates that we’ve been experiencing?

Doc Renuart: The state funds a lot of our crime prevention initiatives, like juvenile programs, probation and prisoner re-entry assistance, and the Drug Court that recently was almost cancelled in the 4th Circuit. I will look to local officials for guidance on what they need from the state to carry out a local strategy.

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JaxDaily: Which groups and individuals have endorsed your candidacy thus far?

Doc Renuart: Sen. Steve Wise, Sen. Durell Peaden, Sen. Carey Baker, Rep. Ed Homan, Rep. Paige Kreegel, St Johns County Commissioner Ron Sanchez, St Johns County Sheriff David Shoar, Jacksonville City Council members Clay Yarborough, Glorious Johnson, Don Redmon, Jack Webb, Jacksonville Beach City Council member Tom Taylor, Northeast Florida Builders Association, Florida Forestry Association, Co-endorsed by Duval Teachers United and Central Labor Council, Florida Medical Association, Florida Osteopathic Medical Association, Florida Podiatry Association, Florida Dental Association, and Florida Association of Physician Assistants.

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JaxDaily: On a personal note, what’s your favorite place to grab a bite to eat?

Doc Renuart: My wife Jackie and I enjoy dinner at Ragtime in Atlantic Beach. Around Ponte Vedra Beach, we often get a quick bite at Bogey’s Grill or AquaGrill, but for very special occasions we sometimes splurge and go to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse where our daughter works.

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JaxDaily: Have you read any good books lately?

Doc Renuart: I have been reading Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which recounts Abraham Lincoln’s administration and the challenges of building consensus within his cabinet during our country’s greatest struggle. I recommend this as great reading for anyone considering public service.

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JaxDaily: What other kinds of things do you enjoy doing while you’re not campaigning?
Doc Renuart: As I am a family man, I love to go camping with the family or with the scouts. My wife and I are avid football fans and we enjoy attending Pop Warner, High School, Gator, and College games. Restoring American muscle cars is my favorite hobby. I have an award winning 1968 Firebird that I enter in car shows.

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JaxDaily: Thanks for taking the time to answer a few of our questions, is there anything else you’d like to add?

Doc Renuart: I am a Ronald Reagan conservative, deeply rooted in the same values as the people of the 18th district. I have been a leader in Northeast Florida Republican politics. Unlike my opponent, I have not spent my public service as part of the culture of big government and rapidly increasing spending. I’m proud to be a Colonel and former Chief Medical Officer of the Florida Army National Guard, having served in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan in my three tours of duty, including flying on more than 25 combat helicopter missions in 2007.

Disturbing economic indicators continue to show Florida slipping into a deep recession, perhaps the worst in 20 years.

See the story in the Jacksonville Business Journal…

Florida’s economy declined at its sharpest rate in 16 years during the second quarter, and the current downturn likely will exceed the 1990-1991 recession in the state, a Wachovia economist is reporting.

Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wachovia’s Economics Group, said Florida’s gross state product shows the state’s economy declined at a 1.6 percent annual rate in the second quarter and year-to-year growth slowed to just 0.5 percent.

By contrast, real GDP for the nation climbed at a 1.9 percent pace during the quarter and the U.S. economy grew at 1.8 percent over the past year.

“Florida’s economy has been underperforming the U.S. economy for the past year,” Vitner wrote in his report. “Underperforming the nation is something Floridians are not really used to.”

(more…)

Barack Obama has said for some time that he planned to delay the Constellation program that would replace the Space Shuttle. He planned to cut NASA’s budget and shift the funds into some sort of vague inner-city educational programs or something along those lines.

Apparently, Obama has now realized that by doing this he would seriously anger many Floridians who work for or deal directly with NASA and it’s contractors. Central Florida is already struggling with the transition from the Shuttle to Constellation, to delay Constellation would be an economic disaster for that part of Florida and a shame for America’s space program.

Naturally, Obama has reversed his position 180 degrees. Speaking to an audience this morning in Titusville, he said that NASA and the Constellation program shouldn’t have their budgets cut after all. In fact, their budgets should be increased!

Which of these two wildly different positions would actually become policy if he was elected is unclear. But this smells like nothing more than pandering for Floridian votes by the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Local public broadcasting station WJCT is planning to discontinue the popular public affairs program “Week in Review” hosted by Tom Patton.

The show, which has aired both on TV and 89.9-FM, has provided a much needed venue for local and state political discussions. Unfortunately, tough economic times are forcing cut-backs everywhere, and WJCT is no exception.

“I’ve had a great time with Week in Review, and it had a great run. Eight years for a 13 week experiment,” Patton told us, when asked for a comment. “We’re still discussing what will come next, whether it’s a continuation of Week in Review on the radio, or a new project. But we ARE committed to offering Northeast Florida a solid, relevant public affairs program.”

Here’s hoping that a new format or program is quickly devised to fill the void left by WIR.

Dan Quiggle is the State Chairman of Americans for Prosperity, an anti-tax group that recently took on the mayor over a proposed property tax hike to fund the Jacksonville Journey. Quiggle was a candidate for U.S. Congress in 2000, running against Ander Crenshaw in the Republican Primary. He recently took a few moments to answer some questions for JaxDaily…

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JaxDaily: First off, what is Americans for Prosperity?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity is the nation’s premier grassroots organization with over 280,000 members nationwide. AFP members advocate limited government and free markets on the local, state and federal levels. We work to advance public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint.

Americans for Prosperity was founded by David Koch. Mr. Koch is the same individual who helped found the Cato Institute and the Institute for Justice. In addition, David and his brother Charles Koch own Koch Industries, the largest privately owned business in the United States. Koch Industries has over 20,000 employees and $90 billion in revenue annually.

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JaxDaily: How many members does AFP have in the Jacksonville area?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity has over 13,000 members in Florida, including over a thousand here on the First Coast. In addition, our state office is based right here in Ponte Vedra Beach. AFP is unique in that we are probably one of the only grassroots organizations that will get involved in federal, state and local issues. We have the ability to use our national resources and some of the best policy analysts, political strategists, and media consultants in the country on any issue that we choose.

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JaxDaily: How did you first get involved with the group?

Dan Quiggle: I was honored to be asked to serve as State Chairman by my good friend and National President of AFP – Tim Phillips. We both share a passion for fighting for lower taxes and less government.

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JaxDaily: What role did AFP play in regard to the proposed Jacksonville Journey tax hike that has now been abandoned?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity led the fight against Mayor Peyton’s proposed $250 million property tax increase. AFP members sent countless emails, wrote letters, held signs, spoke at meetings and attended rallies against the unnecessary tax hike. In addition, AFP members showed up at every meeting that the Mayor used to promote his plan and distributed literature pointing out how unnecessary and excessive his plan was.

Most compelling was when we obtained a copy of a poster from John Peyton’s mayoral campaign. The poster had a picture of the Mayor and said, “I am a strong fiscal conservative who will oppose any tax increases…” and had his signature beneath it. This was pretty surprising considering he was pushing a $250 million tax increase. We turned this poster into a flyer and distributed it at meetings around town. I firmly believe that we should hold politicians accountable.

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JaxDaily: What is the Taxpayer Protection Amendment and how has AFP been involved in promoting it?

Dan Quiggle: The Taxpayer Protection Amendment is the best method of insuring that the taxpayer is receiving fiscal responsibility and priority budgeting from their government. It also prevents the excessive growth of government spending and taxation.

Essentially, the Taxpayer Protection Amendment limits government spending increases on the state and local level to a combination of inflation and population growth. Any excessive revenue must be put into a rainy-day fund or credited to the taxpayers. If government wishes to grow at an even faster rate it will need to gain voter approval from the taxpayers. Essentially, the Taxpayer Protection Amendment prevents government from growing faster than the citizen’s ability to pay for it.

The Taxpayer Protection Amendment would prevent cuts from necessary services. Currently, we experience boom-bust budgeting. During times of economic growth, politicians spend all of the tax revenues that they receive. However, eventually the economy slows down leaving government with significant shortfalls. At this point government must either cut services or raise taxes. Neither of these are easy options.

With a Taxpayer Protection Amendment in place the growth of government is smoothed out. This forces governments to use priority budgeting. Also, with excess revenue in a budget stabilization fund, budget cuts become less necessary during times of economic decline.

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JaxDaily: Does Americans for Prosperity take a position on the Fair Tax?

Dan Quiggle: While many AFP members personally support the Fair Tax, AFP as an organization has no specific stance on this issue.

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JaxDaily: What is your position on the off-shore drilling proposals that have been floated as of late?

Dan Quiggle: Americans for Prosperity members are working hard to advance environmentally-safe offshore drilling. We support Senator Martinez’s proposal to allow drilling more than 50 miles off the coast. Technology has advanced significantly in drilling and oil companies have reduced their spill rate to .001% of all oil drilled. In addition, Hurricane Katrina proved that today’s oil rigs are able to withstand tremendous storms without causing any significant leaks.

If we drill now prices will lower instantly. A large amount of the price increase that we’ve seen in gasoline is due to speculation. The impression among speculators is that the U.S. will never allow drilling. Once we change that impression prices will lower instantly. Florida is on the front lines of this important issue and we need to act now.

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JaxDaily: Back in 2000, you were a candidate for U.S. Congress. Do you see yourself ever seeking public office again in the future?

Dan Quiggle: Timing is everything. If I believe there is a need, I will run. If we really care about these issues we must eventually work to effect change. I truly enjoyed the campaign experience because I was able to highlight these important issues.

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JaxDaily: Thanks very much for giving us a few moments of your time, is there anything else you would like to add?

Dan Quiggle: One of my favorite quotes is “things may come to those that wait, but only what is left from those that hustle.” I believe we have to out hustle and out smart our opponents if we are going to achieve success. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines.

Americans for Prosperity is currently hosting a series of town hall meetings around the state. These meetings will be an excellent opportunity for individuals to learn more about issues facing taxpayers today, like gas prices and property taxes.  We will also do some training to teach people how to more effectively advance their beliefs.  In addition, we will be inviting local elected officials to attend and answer your questions. A Jacksonville town hall will be held on July 31st from 6:00 – 7:30pm at the Southeast Library near Gate and JTB. Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan will be in attendance and we will be discussing Mayor Peyton’s new fees.

For more information, please visit www.afpfl.com

Former Attorney General Bob Butterworth has resigned from his current post as head of the state’s Department of Children and Families. He has said he will head back to Miami to practice law.

From the Sun-Sentinel…

Under Butterworth’s leadership, the department settled more than 900 pending lawsuits, increased adoptions and reduced by 22 percent the number of children in foster care. Instead of imposing dictates from Tallahassee, Butterworth moved more decision-making to county and regional levels. And he ushered in a new openness in the state agency responsible for handling some of Florida’s most difficult human and social issues.

Butterworth, 65, conceded that not all the department’s problems have been solved but called the 13,000 DCF employees, whose jobs may involve danger when they confront abusive parents, the “unsung heroes” of state government.

“This agency will never be able to say ‘mission accomplished’,” said Butterworth, the DCF’s first secretary to leave office of his own accord in a decade and a half. “We can only look at the accomplishments of these past 19 months and say, ‘keep it going.’”

The article continues, strangely, goes on to describe some of the recent scandals that have plagued DCF as relatively minor troubles…

Butterworth’s tenure at the agency was marked by mostly minor troubles. A spokesman hired by the former DCF secretary was accused of taking nude photos of two teenage boys, one of them a foster child in DCF care, for overseas distribution, forcing an agency-wide review of personnel records. And the department came under criticism last year for losing track of a 2-year-old foster child later found in Wisconsin.

Regina Young, a Democratic candidate for State House of Representatives, had been disqualified from seeking office due to a small technicality on her paperwork. A notary had accidentally written “Florida” instead of “Duval” in a spot marked “county.”

Following an emergency hearing, Circuit Judge John Cooper ordered Young’s name to be put back on the November ballot. She will face the winner of the August Republican primary — Lake Ray, Mario Rubio, or Gordon Morgan. All three Republicans have argued that Young should have been allowed on the ballot.

Lake Ray, Republican candidate for Florida House of Representatives District 17, announced last week an impressive list of twenty current and former Jacksonville elected officials who have endorsed his candidacy.

“I am humbled that so many people from such varied backgrounds trust that I am the best choice to represent District 17,” said Ray. “When speaking with them, there was one thing that they all had in common, that was the belief that I have the right combination of experience, integrity and vision to represent our city and its citizens in Tallahassee. I will work hard to uphold their faith in me and for their kind words I am truly grateful.”

The list of endorsers includes both current and former members of the Jacksonville City Council, two former Jacksonville Mayors, and three current members of the Florida Legislature and is as follows: former Jacksonville Mayors, John Delaney and Jake Godbold; State Senator Steve Wise, State Representatives Jennifer Carroll and Charles McBurney; current members of the Jacksonville City Council, Bill Bishop, Michael Corrigan, Art Graham, Ray Holt, Kevin Hyde, Glorious Johnson, Steven Joost, Don Redman and Clay Yarborough; former Members of the Jacksonville City Council, Warren Alvarez, George Banks, Matt Carlucci, Lad Daniels, Sharon Copeland and Gwen Yates.

Ray is a former two term member of the Jacksonville City Council serving from 1999 until June of last year. He is currently a professional engineer with Halcrow and he and his wife Brenda have been married for twenty five years. They have three sons, one of whom is on active duty in the United States Army Special Forces and is scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in early 2009.

Ray will face fellow Republicans Mario Rubio and Gordon Morgan on the August 26th primary ballot. JaxDaily recently interviewed Rubio about his campaign and we are working towards doing Q&A’s with both Ray and Morgan before election day rolls around.