Scott Flashed Veto Pen To Sway Evers, Other Senators
April 23, 2015
The drama over a budget impasse escalated Wednesday after Gov. Rick Scott called Republican senators separately into his office and threatened to use his veto pen if he doesn’t get support for one of his top legislative priorities.
While the House has already signed off on more than $600 million in tax breaks sought by Scott, GOP Senate leaders have put the tax cuts in limbo, signaling that the governor’s priority might be a victim of a $5 billion health-care schism between the two chambers.
The Senate has earmarked $2.2 billion to revamp the federally-backed Low Income Pool, or LIP, program that steers funding to hospitals and health-care providers that serve large numbers of poor and uninsured patients. The program is slated to expire on June 30, and federal officials have said for at least a year that they will not renew it in its current form.
Senators have also allocated $2.8 billion that would use Medicaid expansion funds — part of the Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare” — to provide private health insurance to low-income Floridians. Scott and House Republicans oppose the Medicaid proposal, and the House also hasn’t budgeted money for LIP.
“The governor called me in to express his discomfort with the Senate’s position on the Medicaid expansion and the LIP,” Sen. Greg Evers, R-Baker, said Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t know if he threatened vetoes. He just said that all priorities will be dead.”
Scott, who made his fortune in the for-profit hospital industry, injected a new argument into the LIP mix by providing the senators spreadsheets showing profits made by hospitals participating in the program. Scott’s administration earlier this week submitted to the federal government a LIP plan based on a Senate model.
It isn’t unusual for a governor to flex his executive muscle as the session draws to a close. Former Gov. Jeb Bush used to walk the Capitol halls to lobby legislators on issues, Senate budget chief Tom Lee recalled Wednesday when reporters asked him about Scott’s actions.
But Scott’s pressure tactics probably won’t help resolve the stalemate, Lee, a former Senate president, said.
“It tends to galvanize the membership around their president. The most dangerous guy in Tallahassee is always the guy with no hope. So when you extinguish the flame of hope from the members, you give them no reason to negotiate,” Lee, R-Brandon, said. “So my encouragement would be for us all to put all this behind us and move forward. And that comes from someone who doesn’t entirely have clean hands.”
Late Wednesday afternoon, Scott told reporters he spoke to the senators about his three legislative priorities — tax cuts, making higher education more affordable and record levels of spending on public schools.
“I remain optimistic that all those priorities will get done. I know what’s important is the House, the Senate and the governor need to find a way to work together to make sure it’s good for all of our citizens, and that’s what we talked about today,” Scott said.
Scott would not say if he believed non-profit, “safety net” hospitals were too profitable to deserve the LIP funding, a mix of local and federal dollars.
But the former health care executive, who on Tuesday threatened to create a commission to examine hospital finances, called on his boyhood experiences to explain his view on the issue.
“Here’s the way I look at it. We want to make sure that all of our citizens have the opportunity to get health care. That’s important to every family. I grew up in a family that most of the time didn’t have health insurance. I had a brother that had to go to a hospital, Shriners, that was four hours away. He couldn’t get health care that my parents could afford. … So I know it’s important,” Scott said. “As we invest, whether it’s through our Medicaid program, whether it’s through other types of programs like LIP where there’s investments in our health care community, we ought to understand how the dollars are spent. And we ought to make sure when we’re taking Florida taxpayer money that it’s spent the way that we can help as many people as possible have health care that they can afford and that they can actually receive that they feel good about.”
Tony Carvalho, president of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, issued a statement early Wednesday evening that said losing the LIP program would result in an overall operating deficit of $541 million for safety-net hospitals, which include public hospitals, teaching hospitals and children’s hospitals. He said losing the LIP money would “put most of these providers at a significant risk.”
“You can’t determine the financial strength of a hospital based on a one-year operating margin,” Carvalho said in the statement. “If you look back at the most recent recession, many of the hospitals that were losing money three years ago are now doing better and reinvesting in their communities. Hospitals are going to have cycles and they have to prepare for them.”
Scott intends to sue the Obama administration over federal officials’ attempt to link the LIP issue and Medicaid expansion. Key players in the business community and the health-care industry have supported using the Medicaid money to expand health coverage, but the idea has been vehemently opposed by groups like the conservative Americans for Prosperity.
GOP leaders in both chambers have said the deadlock over health-care spending will prevent lawmakers from finishing the legislative session on May 1 as scheduled. Senators indicated that Scott’s concerns about hospital funding — 10 days before the session is supposed to end — come too late for any serious consideration.
Sen. Garrett Richter said he spoke with Scott over the weekend.
“He indicated to me that he thought that something that was important is that we take a look at the cost structures within the hospitals right now,” Richter, R-Naples, said.
Scott also expressed a concern about lack of competition between hospitals and competition over being able to open new facilities, Richter said.
“I in turn expressed to him that that may be a very bona fide discussion to have, but we should have started that discussion a year ago,” Richter said. “There’s just not enough time to take it on.”
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
Doctor Pleads Guilty To Income Tax Fraud
April 23, 2015
A Santa Rosa County doctor pled guilty to tax fraud in federal court in Pensacola Wednesday.
Dr. Sheila Mohammed, 55, of Pace, Florida, pled guilty to seven counts of submitting false tax returns. She admitted that she signed and caused to be filed, false personal tax returns that grossly underreported her total income for tax years 2010 through 2013. In addition, Mohammed admitted that, as president and owner of The Industrial Medicine Institute, Inc., a medical practice in Pace, Florida, she signed and caused to be filed, false corporate tax returns for The Industrial Medicine Institute, Inc., for the years 2010 through 2012.
As part of the plea agreement, Dr. Mohammed agreed that the restitution amount owed for her crimes is $255,158, and she has agreed to make full restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Sentencing is scheduled by Chief United States District Court Judge M. Casey Rodgers on July 20. Mohammed faces maximum penalties of 21 years in prison (three years for each count) and a $700,000 fine ($100,000 for each count).
The charges are the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Northview Girls Track Holds Awards Banquet
April 23, 2015
The Northview High School Girls Track Team recently celebrated their season at their annual banquet. Numerous awards were presented. Award winners are listed under the photos below.
Jumper: Autumn Albritton. Sprinter Award: Audriene Odom. Thrower: E’Layzha Bates. Mid distance: Myisha Syria. Long Distance: Moriah McGahan.
Team Award: 4×8 District Team: Maddi Weber, Bethany Reynolds, Emily Walston and Tamara Barrows.
Seniors: E’Layzha Bates and Lakelynn Parker.
Coaches Award: Mallory Gibson.
Earning their first Varsity Letter were Celeste North, Carly Ward, Tyanna Magee, Maddi Weber, Kayla Galvan, Audriene Odom.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Lady Aggies Advance In Playoffs
April 23, 2015
The Tate Lady Aggies rallied with five runs in the sixth inning to beat Lincoln 6-0 in the Region 1-7A softball quarterfinals.
Pitching the win was Tori Perkins, who allowed just four hits and had 12 strikeouts in seven innings. Hitting for Tate were: Lauren Brennan 2-3, R, 2 RBIs, Casey McCrackin 1-3, RBI, 3B; Tori Perkins 1-2, BB; Hadley Starratt 2R, 2B; Rachel Wright 1-3, R, RBI; Samantha Burks 1-3, R, RBI.
The Lady Aggies will host Niceville next Tuesday, 7 p.m. in the Region 1-7A semifinals.
Molino 16U Team Wins Mid Season Pace Tourney
April 23, 2015
Molino softball 16U Pensacola Honda recently won the “A bracket” of the mid-season tournament in Pace with an undefeated record. This was the first time that a Molino softball team had won a mid-season tournament in the “A bracket”. Pictured are team members (front, L-R) Kendall Enfinger, Tori Herrington, Aubree Love, Kayla Godwin, Siobaun English, (middle) Rose Flowers, Ivy New, Claire Pierce, Krystal Whitehead, Kirsten Warlick, (third row) Summer Hodo, Breana Hundley, Katie Snyder, Elyssa McQuaid and coaches (back row) David Snyder, Scott Herrington and Scott Pierce. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Man Gets Federal Prison On Armed Drug Trafficking Charges
April 23, 2015
An Escambia County man is headed to prison on federal armed drug trafficking charges.
Marheem R. Smith, 24, was sentenced to 8 ½ years in federal prison by Chief United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers for possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
In October 2014, while attempting to arrest Smith on state charges of aggravated assault and firearm violations, law enforcement officers discovered a loaded Ruger .45 caliber pistol and bags of cocaine located inside a vehicle underneath where Smith was seated. Additionally, the officers found approximately $1,000 and a digital scale on Smith’s person. Inside an apartment linked to Smith, law enforcement seized more than 34 grams of cocaine and materials to convert powder cocaine into crack cocaine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pensacola Police Department, and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office as part of the ATF Gun Crime Response Team.
Barons Beat Wahoos
April 23, 2015
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos (3-8) made it interesting in the end, but fell to the Birmingham Barons (6-6) by a score of 3-2 in midday Southern League action.
The Wahoos were in a hole early, trailing 3-0 after five innings. A pair of runs in the eighth brought them to within a run, but Barons reliever Cody Winiarski earned his first save of the season with three consecutive strikeouts in the top half of the ninth.
Birmingham starter Myles Jaye (1-1) earned the win with six scoreless innings to open the game. Wahoos starter Daniel Wright (0-2) earned the loss, pitching 5.0 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts. Wahoos reliever Layne Somsen came in relief of Wright to pitch three scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out four batters.
First baseman Marquez Smith led the way at the plate for the Wahoos, going 2-3 and scoring a run in his second consecutive multi-hit game. Catcher Chris Berset added the lone RBI of the day for the Wahoos with a single in the eighth. Right fielder Jason Coats led the way for Birmingham, going 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
The Barons struck first in the bottom half of the second with an RBI double from Coats. The Wahoos were able to avoid further damage after catching Coats in a rundown and a subsequent strikeout from Daniel Wright.
The Wahoos were able to put runners at the corners with one out in the top half of the third, but a pickoff, a walk and a fly out left two runners stranded.
The Barons were able to load the bases in the top of the fifth and capitalized with a two RBI single from third baseman Marcus Lemon. With the score at 3-0, the Barons loaded the bases once again with a Jacob May infield single. However, a strikeout and a groundout put the inning to an end.
The Wahoos got on the board in the eighth inning, as Berset was able to drive Smith home with a single to left center. After a Zach Vincej double put runners at second and third, a wild pitch from Barons reliever Onelki Garcia allowed Berset to score and make it 3-2.
The Wahoos are back in action tomorrow for the fourth game of the series in Birmingham at 7:05 pm.
Holman Prison Placed On Lockdown After Fatal Inmate Stabbing
April 22, 2015
Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore was placed on lockdown following a homicide Wednesday.
The Alabama Department of Corrections said inmate Lawrence Utley, 67, was fatally stabbed inside the facility by another inmate.
Robert Aaron Williams, 58, was detained as a suspect in the stabbing. Williams is serving a life sentence for a 2014 murder conviction in Mobile County.
Utley had served 30 years of a life sentence for a 1985 sodomy conviction in Mobile County.
One Injured In Highway 97 Rollover Accident
April 22, 2015
One person was injured in a single vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Walnut Hill.
The driver of a GMC pickup lost control on Highway 97 just south of South Highway 99 and overturned about 8:50 a.m.. The male driver was transported by ambulance to West Florida Hospital in Pensacola with injuries that were not considered life threatening. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue and Atmore Ambulance responded to the crash. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol; further details have not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Four County Bridges In North Escambia Set For Replacement By State
April 22, 2015
The Florida Department of Transportation will replace four bridges on county roads in Escambia County. Contracts will be let in the near future after the Escambia County Commission signs off on the projects, and the commission agrees that the county will maintain the bridges following construction by the state. The bridges will be replaced at the state’s expense.
The bridges have reached a level of deterioration making them next on the FDOT’s 5-Year Work Plan.
The bridges are:
- Highway196 (Barrineau Park Road) Bridge over Jacks Branch (between Highway 95A and Dewey Rose Lane) was constructed in 1949 and has an average daily traffic county of 537 vehicles.
- North Highway 99 Bridge over Pine Barren Creek (located just north of Gobbler Road/Oak Grove Park) was constructed in 1955. It has an average daily traffic count of 1,234 vehicles.
- Sandy Hollow Road Bridge over Sandy Hollow Creek (traffic count and construction date not available).
- Highway 99A Bridge (Arthur Brown Road) over Boggy Creek (near Walnut Hill Baptist Church) was constructed in 1969 and has an average daily traffic county of 537.
A construction start date has not yet been announced for the bridge replacement projects.
Pictured top: A steel truss was installed to support the bridge over Pine Barren Creek on North Highway 99 in Bratt in early 2011. Otherwise, the 60-year old bridge is supported by wood pilings. Pictured below: The North Highway 99 bridge over Pine Barren Creek. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
