Sen. Bill Nelson wants better equipment for cops

WASHINGTON - Reacting to the shooting deaths of four Florida police officers in a week, Sen. Bill Nelson is asking the Department of Justice to consider giving law enforcement high-tech devices that can ``see'' through walls.

``My staff has informed me that the expanded use of appropriate technologies for agents on these federal task forces - law enforcement officers whose duties include serving warrants and apprehending wanted felons - could greatly shift the odds to the good guys, before they have to enter a building where a fugitive is hiding out,'' Nelson wrote Thursday in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Thermal imaging is one technology while devices designed for the military use radar waves to detect humans through walls or other barriers.

It's unclear whether the technology would have helped in the St. Petersburg shootings Monday, carried out by fugitive Hydra Lacy Jr. The police declined to comment on Nelson's letter.

Robots with remote-controlled surveillance cameras and other technological advances were used during Monday's siege as police searched for Lacy, who was hidden in an attic. St. Petersburg police said the equipment was provided by federal agents and the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to the two St. Petersburg officers, two Miami police detectives were killed Jan. 20 while trying to apprehend a man wanted for murder.

Some law enforcement agencies in Florida already have access to the equipment, though it's not widespread. Nelson's office said his goal was to see if more could be available. He told Holder he would be willing to sponsor legislation to create a pilot program.

Two law enforcement groups in Florida were generally supportive of the idea.

``Any and all equipment to make law enforcement operations safer is a great idea,'' said Tim Cannon, assistant executive director, of Florida Sheriffs Association and a former captain in the Orange County Sheriff's Office. ``The issue, as with anything else, is funding.''

Times staff writer Jamal Thalji contributed to this report.

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State lawmaker dials down rhetoric on immigration bill

TALLAHASSEE -- The Legislature's point man on immigration this week retreated substantially from an Arizona-style proposal, raising the possibility that law enforcement officers could only check a person's immigrant status if he or she is being investigated for criminal wrongdoing.

Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, who has been fine-tuning an immigration proposal he made several months ago, said during a legislative committee meeting that he would be willing to look at changes to his original draft, which like an Arizona law allowed police officers to ask for immigration papers from any person during any lawful stop, such as pulling over a driver for a traffic violation.

Snyder's initial draft legislation, released this past summer, would also require businesses to use the federal E-Verify database to check the status of new hires and subject illegal immigrants who commit crimes to harsher penalties than legal immigrants or U.S. citizens.

The House Judiciary Committee held a two-hour workshop Thursday to begin vetting ideas for a comprehensive changes to state immigration law, the first meeting it has had on the subject since new lawmakers were sworn into office in November. During the hearing, Snyder indicated his continued support for E-Verify but said he may be willing to raise the threshold needed before law enforcement officers ask for proof of immigration status.

``There are several policy changes we can make depending on the direction the committee wants to go,'' he told reporters. ``So I'm open to suggestions. I'm open to what we discussed today.''

The Senate has held two similar meetings, including one earlier this week during which business leaders urged senators to tread lightly because of the linkage between the state's economy and the immigrant workforce.

Among the ideas floated during Thursday's House committee meeting were the expanded use of E-Verify, immigration checks during a criminal investigation and enhanced sentencing for illegal immigrants.

The immigration issue was a top priority for Gov. Rick Scott during the campaign. One of his first acts as governor included signing an executive order that requires state agencies to screen new employees through the E-Verify system to ensure they are legal U.S. residents. State Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, has filed SB 518, which would require private employers to use the same system on new hires.

Scott Thursday reiterated his support for an Arizona-style immigration law in Florida and said the federal government has the responsibility to secure the country's borders and enact immigration policy that is comprehensive, logical and fair.

``I also believe if you are in the country and do something illegal, you should be asked (for immigration status,)'' Scott said. ``Just like I should be asked for my ID if I get a traffic ticket, they should be asked if they are legal or not. I truly do not believe in racial profiling.''

Other top Florida officials are divided on the issue. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that she would like to see a proposal as long as it did not include racial profiling and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has cautioned that an Arizona-style proposal would be bad for Florida's economy.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee largely focused on the potential of expanding E-Verify to employees throughout the state as part of any new legislation. A 2010 Government Accountability Office report said that the system effectively confirmed just more than 97 percent of about 8.2 million new hires during the 2009/10 fiscal year.

But some lawmakers remained wary that the system could adequately check all employees throughout the state. Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach, said though the error rate seemed ``miniscule'' in the big picture, it still could cause problems for a number of Florida residents who are in the country legally.

``For that individual who gets [an error], it's not miniscule,'' he said.

Snyder has been actively courting members of the state's Hispanic community to get their support for any legislation that the committee produces. He has promised the Legislature's Hispanic Caucus Chair Esteban Bovo, R-Miami, that all potential bill language will be shared with him.

Bovo, who is not a member of the Judiciary Committee but attended at Snyder's invitation, told his colleagues that he questions whether the state needs an immigration law and would hate to see a law passed ``for the sake of politics.''

``One of the issues that causes me concern is that conditions that led Arizona to create a law do not exist in Florida,'' Bovo said.

Snyder said he hopes to continue to take input and suggestions from lawmakers and the public before filing a proposal. He has not said when a bill would be forthcoming.

``If we're moderate and thoughtful, we can produce good policy that I think the business community and the immigrant advocate community will be satisfied with,'' he said.

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Rick Scott moves to delay redistrict plan

TALLAHASSEE -- Two voter-approved constitutional amendments requiring the Legislature to draw political districts along nonpartisan standards could be jeopardized by one of Gov. Rick Scott's first acts.

Three days after Scott took office, the state quietly withdrew its request that the U.S. Justice Department approve Amendments 5 and 6 as required under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, effectively stalling their implementation just as a Republican-led lawsuit challenges their constitutionality.

At the time, Scott was recruiting as his top elections advisor Kurt Browning, who actively campaigned against the two ballot measures last fall while not working for the state. Browning's spokesman said he had no role in the decision.

``One of the things that we're looking at is the amendments that were passed, how they're going to be implemented,'' Scott told reporters in Jacksonville on Tuesday. ``We want to make sure that with regard to redistricting, it's fair, it's the right way of doing it. So it's something I'm clearly focused on.''

Scott's deputy communications director, Brian Hughes, said the withdrawal letter was prompted by Scott's desire to assess all state rules and regulations.

Hughes added: ``Census data has not been transmitted to the state yet and the Legislature will not undertake redistricting for months, so this withdrawal in no way impedes the process of redrawing Florida's legislative and congressional districts.''

Voters strongly endorsed both measures, each receiving more than three million votes, while Scott and the Republican-controlled Legislature opposed them.

The move injects more partisanship into the politically charged process known as reapportionment and drew criticism from Fair Districts Now, the group that worked for the amendments' passage.

``More than 3.1 million Floridians voted for these reforms in November, and your actions seem calculated to obstruct their implementation,'' said former state Sen. Dan Gelber, the Democratic candidate for attorney general in November and counsel to Fair Districts Now.

``Further, Floridians have a right to know why their secretary of state and their governor are engaging in a course of conduct so clearly intended to frustrate their will as expressed at the polls.''

The two changes to the state Constitution require approval by the U.S. Department of Justice because they affect voting standards for racial and ethnic minorities in Florida, a process known as ``pre-clearance'' under the Voting Rights Act.

Then-Gov. Charlie Crist sent a letter to the federal government in December asking for pre-clearance. But on Jan. 7, three days after Scott took office, the Department of State sent a one-sentence letter to the Justice Department Voting Rights Section that said, ``The Florida Department of State withdraws the above-referenced submission.''

The Justice Department had no immediate comment.

The amendments are already the target of a federal lawsuit filed by U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, and Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, who contend the changes violate the voting rights laws.

On Monday, the Florida House of Representatives signed on to that lawsuit. The Florida Democratic Party plans to intervene on behalf of Fair Districts Now.

Browning, a former Pasco County elections supervisor, resigned as Crist's secretary of state in April 2010. Scott re-hired him after he was sworn in Jan. 4.

While out of office, Browning served as the unpaid chairman of Protect Your Vote, a political action committee that raised nearly $4 million, more than half of it from the Republican Party of Florida, in an attempt to defeat Amendments 5 and 6. Realtors, sugar growers, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, TECO Energy and other GOP-aligned groups also donated generously to the PAC.

Browning's spokesman, Trey Stapleton, said Browning had not yet returned to the agency when the Scott administration made the decision to withdraw the pre-clearance request.

Herald/Times staff writer Michael C. Bender contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or 850-224-7263.

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After police shootings, gun limits targeted

TALLAHASSEE -- Johnny Simms wasn't supposed to have a gun. Neither was Hydra Lacy.

Both men were felons. Each man murdered two police officers in separate cities, Miami and St. Petersburg.

The explosion of gun violence hasn't gone unnoticed in the state Capitol, where lawmakers in the pro-gun Florida Legislature say the tragedies underscore the need to loosen the regulation of guns -- rather than restrict them.

``What these cases show is that gun regulation doesn't keep guns away from criminals,'' Sen. Greg Evers said. ``It's time we get more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens so they can protect themselves. You don't bring a knife to a gun fight.''

Evers, R-Baker, is sponsoring two controversial gun bills this legislative session. One would restrict physicians from asking patients about the presence of firearms in the home. The other bill would allow holders of concealed weapon permits to wear their guns in the open -- including on college campuses. About 780,000 Floridians have such permits.

A third bill would ensure that local governments in Florida can't pass gun-control laws.

APPROVED BY NRA

All three are being pushed by the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful lobbies in the state capital. The Florida Medical Association is protesting the bill concerning doctors, saying it violates physicians' free-speech rights.

College police don't like the proposal allowing for firearms on campus, especially after a Florida State University student died in a recent accidental frat-house shooting involving an AK-47. And local governments oppose the bill limiting their say over firearms.

But many say the NRA-backed bills will likely pass anyway because gun control is a thing of the past in the Florida Legislature.

``I've tried to pass gun-control laws over the years and it just doesn't happen,'' said Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Aventura. ``With the Internet today, you can buy anything online. There's really not much we can do.''

But Margolis said she'll try, anyway. She said she plans to file a bill that seeks to ban high-volume ammunition clips, such as the one used in the recent Tucson shooting rampage.

``I don't know if it'll even get a hearing,'' Margolis said.

Gun-rights advocates like Evers say they oppose regulating the ammunition clips because it wouldn't keep them out of the hands of criminals. Neither of the recent Florida police shootings appeared to have involved the clips.

TWIN TRAGEDIES

The latest bloody chapter in Florida's police shootings began in Liberty City last Thursday when Miami-Dade detectives Roger Castillo, 41, and Amanda Haworth, 44, searched for 22-year-old Johnny Simms, a career criminal wanted in an October murder. Simms shot and killed the two officers before he was killed by a third officer.

The murder weapon, a .40-caliber Glock handgun, was stolen from a local nightclub, police said.

IN ST. PETE

On Monday, as the fallen Miami-Dade officers were being honored in Miami, St. Petersburg officers Jeffrey A. Yaslowitz, 39, and Sgt. Thomas J. Baitinger, 48, were searching for Lacy, 39. Like Simms, he was a known violent offender who ambushed the officers, killing both. He wounded a third officer, a U.S. marshal, but was killed in the ensuing melee.

Those officers in the line of fire say they wish felons didn't have guns, but they don't know how to keep them off the streets.

``It's easier for a criminal to buy a gun than a can of beer,'' said Miami-Dade Sgt. John Rivera, president of the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

`HARDENED CRIMINALS'

``We don't need more laws. We just need to deal with these hardened violent criminals,'' Rivera said. ``We have a very sick system. Not only did these officers pay with their lives, but citizens lose their lives every day because of it.''

Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

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Alaska's congressional delegation finds positives in Obama's speech

WASHINGTON — Within days of a shooting at a political gathering in Arizona that killed six, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was among the first members of Congress to call for more civil political discourse.

She did so by urging her colleagues to pick a seatmate from the other party for the president's State of the Union speech -- a call to action that, by all accounts Tuesday night, was a resounding success.

"Maybe we do need to get out of our conventional skins every now and again, and come out and do something that indicates to the rest of the country that we're not afraid to sit next to one another, there are no cooties to be had between Republicans and Democrats," she said Tuesday at a press conference with her partner in the mixed-party seating initiative, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo.

Her adage proved apt for Republican Rep. Don Young, who attended his first State of the Union address since 1974, and clearly was cootie free. Young was such a popular seatmate he had to fend off lawmakers trying to squeeze into the seats he had saved for his Democratic friends, including Sen. Mark Begich.

Begich, taking Murkowski's lead, had invited Young to the speech. The two Alaskans hung out in the rear of the House chamber, with Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., between them. Like a trio of schoolboys, the senator and the two congressmen rarely stopped grinning -- although Young judged the speech "a little flat."

Begich, the Alaska delegation's only Democrat, praised the no-nonsense, pro-jobs, "winning the future" theme of the president's speech, which called for making America more competitive globally, growing the economy by developing energy resources, and freezing some non-security federal spending for the next five years.

Begich said he thought the speech focused more on policy than "pomp and circumstance." But he praised the president's call for innovation.

"The China example he gave is right on," Begich said. "We developed the technology when it came to solar panels; they're developing it in China now. It makes no sense for us to be second-best when it comes to innovation."

Murkowski and Udall initiated the call for civility and mixed-party seating following the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and killed six people including a federal judge.

Murkowski called for people watching the speech to focus on the content of the president's remarks, rather than who had which seatmate. She left the speech early because her son needed an emergency appendectomy.

Both Young and Begich said they listened carefully when the president talked about energy goals in the speech. The goals included a proposal to double the amount of energy used from clean-energy sources, from 40 percent of overall energy consumption to 80 percent by 2035.

That "expansive" clean-energy standard will include solar, wind and natural gas as well as nuclear and clean coal technology with carbon sequestration. Promoting such a mix -- especially expensive nuclear plants -- is intended to create an atmosphere that gets businesses to invest, and get money off the sidelines, the White House said.

But the two were left cold by Obama's call for eliminating tax breaks for energy companies. Their seatmate, Rahall, clapped boisterously while both Begich and Young just smiled and looked at each.

"We have heard this before, and have not supported it twice in his last two budgets," Begich said. "This is problematic, we think, for the oil and gas industry."

Young said he liked the president's call for reorganizing government. He was especially appreciative of Obama's joke that the Interior Department is in charge of salmon in freshwater, and the Commerce Department in saltwater. But Young called the president's proposed spending freeze "a populist approach" that won't cut the deficit.

"'Just cut spending is the easy answer that does nothing and seems to be the phrase that everyone is throwing around lately as if it's the answer to our economic woes," Young said. "It is not. Just cutting the spending will not get us out of the hole; the same way cutting back your expenses doesn't magically pay your credit card bill every month."

Young said that only by reducing regulation and increasing production -- particularly of oil and gas -- will the country be competitive with China and other emerging economies.

As for his overall impression of the evening, Young said it was well worth the 37-year hiatus.

"I have to tell you something," Young said. "By being absent for so long, I was wanted."

"In a positive way, he wasn't on a poster!" Begich joked.

"It was fun," Young said. "We had a good time."

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Texas' voter ID proposal advances in state Senate

AUSTIN — Senate Republicans late Tuesday pushed ahead with legislation requiring Texans to show photo identification to vote. Democrats and minority groups charged that the bill would create one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the country.

Meeting as a "committee of the whole" -- a parliamentary procedure which had the effect of expediting the bill -- senators heard testimony from witnesses on both sides of the issue before voting 20-12 to recommend Senate passage, with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst joining the chamber's 19 Republicans in support of the measure. Democrats, as expected, unanimously opposed the bill.

The vote sets the stage for a late-night session that begins at 9:20 tonight, when senators plan to consider at least 26 Democratic amendments and move toward a final vote, which is likely to come well after midnight.

Dewhurst, the Senate's presiding officer, and Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, the bill's sponsor, said the bill will probably undergo changes before the final vote and suggested that Republicans and Democrats might find common ground on some items.

Opponents of the bill, conceding inevitable passage in the Republican-controlled Legislature, are gathering ammunition for a possible legal challenge of the measure, which must receive clearance by the Justice Department for compliance with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Dewhurst said he is confident that the bill will get Justice Department approval and said legislative leaders have been consulting with the state attorney general's office to make sure they are on firm legal ground.

To read the complete article, visit www.star-telegram.com.

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Arizona shooting suspect might escape death if convicted

WASHINGTON -- Reacting to the Arizona shooting with anger, sadness and shock, a majority of Americans think that suspect Jared Loughner should be sent to death row if he's convicted, according to one poll. But if statistics are any indication, he has a good chance of escaping execution.

Federal prosecutors have had little luck persuading juries to send defendants to death row. Of 467 defendants whom U.S. attorneys general in Washington have authorized to face the federal death penalty since it was instituted in 1988, only 15 percent have received it.

The list of criminals who've escaped federal death row includes high-profile convicted killers: Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols and Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph.

Experts say the cases reveal something about the death penalty that Loughner's attorneys undoubtedly will use to their advantage: Once juries or prosecutors know the details of suspects' lives and circumstances - even in the most heinous cases - they can be hesitant to mete out the ultimate punishment. When questions are raised about the defendant's mental state, as in Loughner's case, that decision can be even more difficult, even for staunch supporters of the death sentence.

"It's one thing in the abstract to say you're for the death penalty," said Gerald Zerkin, a senior assistant federal defender in Richmond, Va., who's represented several defendants charged with capital crimes, including convicted Sept. 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui. "It's something else entirely to hand down a death sentence."

Although the Justice Department is weighing the death penalty for Loughner, defense attorneys might persuade prosecutors to seek life in prison to avoid trial. More than 40 percent of the cases that U.S. attorneys general approved for the death penalty were settled out of court, according to the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project. Many times, prosecutors are convinced not to seek the death penalty because the victims' relatives wish to avoid trial, experts said.

But Aitan Goelman, a former federal prosecutor who helped prosecute the Oklahoma City bombing case, said Attorney General Eric Holder undoubtedly would feel pressure to seek the death penalty given that a congresswoman was shot and six people were killed, including a federal judge and 9-year-old girl.

"If you have the federal death penalty and you don't seek it in this case, what case do you seek it in? Goelman asked.

Goelman, however, acknowledged that it would be a tough call for prosecutors because of the way federal law is written. "It bends over backwards to give the defendant the benefit of the doubt," he said.

In Loughner's case, evidence has emerged that could tip the balance in either direction.

Prosecutors might seek the death penalty because of indications that Loughner carefully planned out the failed assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. On an envelope the FBI found, he's said to have written of the shooting: "I planned ahead."

However, defense attorneys are expected to argue against the death penalty by pointing to evidence that he's mentally ill. Before the shooting, a college professor and fellow student complained about Loughner's strange behavior and his college eventually booted him for such concerns.

Under federal law, prosecutors and juries are required to weigh such evidence. At the sentencing stage, "there's no bright line" in determining when mental illness is enough of a factor to save someone from the death penalty, said David Bruck, a clinical professor of law at the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse.

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Cabinet has first meeting

TALLAHASSEE -- The first meeting Wednesday between Gov. Rick Scott and his fellow Republicans on the Florida Cabinet included a photo with Smokey Bear and decanters of orange juice but little official business.

Despite the light agenda, a crowd of about 200 witnessed the historic meeting: It was the only time in more than a century that the governor and all the Cabinet members attended their first meeting as new office holders.

Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi were elected to their first public offices this year.

Bondi's Cabinet colleagues, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, are veteran politicians, but both are new to their current jobs.

As if to underscore the greenness of the Cabinet that will now meet about twice a month for the next four years, Bondi scanned the room unsure of where the American flag was located when everyone stood for the traditional Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the meeting.

Putnam, Atwater and Bondi, all University of Florida graduates, gave the moment a first-day-of-school feel. They arrived early, smiled for pictures in front of a UF banner and posed with an alligator head. Atwater wore an orange and blue tie for the photos, but rushed to the bathroom before the meeting to change into a more traditional red one.

``We all work well together,'' Bondi said of the new Cabinet. ``We were all on the campaign trail together, so we got to know each other. We all get along, which is great.''

Scott avoided the casual scene, taking a private staircase into the Cabinet room, arriving promptly at 9 a.m. His wife, Ann, watched from the front row. Scott, however, interacted casually with the Cabinet during the meeting.

After sliding on a pair of reading glasses to read a prepared welcome message to the Cabinet, Scott asked the members if they would like to address the audience. Scott referred to ``Jeff'' and ``Adam'' instead of using their formal titles, as he did for Bondi.

With decanters of orange juice decorating the dais, the first vote of the new Cabinet was a resolution honoring the 75th anniversary of the state's forest system.

After the vote, Scott and the Cabinet took a photo with Division of Forestry workers and a Smokey Bear mascot.

The Cabinet, which oversees several state departments and shares some executive power with Scott, approved Scott's appointment of Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard.

Cabinet members also voted to accept a perpetual conservation easement for 82 acres of farm land in Gilchrist County and approved a submerged lands lease for a Fort Myers Beach marina.

Michael C. Bender can be reached at mbender@sptimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelCBender.

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Miami Dolphins' stadium tax plan draws fire

Broward County commissioners have denounced a plan to send hotel tourist taxes to the Miami Dolphins' stadium, using terms like ``vile'' and ``shameful,'' and said they would effectively kill it.

Tuesday, they voted solidly against the proposal to contribute Broward hotel bed taxes toward fixing up the 23-year-old Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Their vote made stopping passage of a proposed state bill (HB 141) one of the county's legislative priorities in 2011. The proposed bill would make it legally possible for Broward to spend tourist taxes outside the county, on the stadium.

Even if the law passes in Tallahassee, however, the County Commission would still have to approve spending the money that way.

Supporters said renovating the stadium where the Dolphins play is crucial to attracting Super Bowls to South Florida. And, the argument goes, hotels and businesses in Broward County have reaped millions of dollars in benefits in the years the stadium has hosted the football extravaganza.

Broward tourism chief Nicki Grossman said last week that Broward hotels got more business from the Super Bowl than those in Miami-Dade did.

Several Broward commissioners came out against the plan last week, when the proposal was announced. But not until Tuesday was it clear that it did not have the votes to pass in Broward.

Commissioner Chip LaMarca said he is a sports fan but could never support it. He issued a statement Thursday that the Dolphins should ``focus more on winning more than one game at home during the season instead of trying to pilfer tax dollars from our local government.''

Commissioner Kristin Jacobs agreed, saying Broward shouldn't wait for the bill to pass to have this debate. ``This is the point where we stand up and say, `No. Hell no,' '' she said.

Dolphins senior vice president of media relations Harvey Greene said Tuesday the team was ``disappointed'' that Broward would snuff out debate ``long before everyone has been able to weigh the merits of a specific proposal.''

He said the team holds out hope that ``once all of the facts are known about what is at stake and what the benefits are to the local community, that a dialogue will be welcomed and a more constructive and informed discussion can occur.''

NO VOCAL SUPPORT

Dolphins CEO Mike Dee had floated the idea to hoteliers and tourism officials in Broward in recent months, but the team was unprepared to defend it or champion it when the idea became public last week. Likewise, no one stepped up to support it Tuesday.

The proposal's first step would be passage by the Florida Legislature. Then the county commissions of Broward and Miami-Dade would have to vote to implement it.

Miami-Dade's side of the equation would be a one-cent increase in the hotel bed tax to go toward stadium renovations and enhancements of the Miami Beach Convention Center. Broward could raise its tourist tax a penny, also under the proposed bill, though no one has said that would be necessary.

That Broward voted Tuesday to include its opposition in this year's state legislative priorities means lobbyists for the county will have to work in Tallahassee against the bill. That puts one prominent county lobbyist in a squeeze. Ron Book works for Broward, but also is the lobbyist for the Dolphins.

Commissioner Kristin Jacobs said she found it ``troubling'' that ``our own lobbyist is up there lobbying for the bill.'' She asked interim county attorney Andrew Meyers what could be done. He said he would check, adding that ``the potential remedy is termination'' of Book's contract.

Book was not present, but said via e-mail that he would seek a waiver releasing him from acting as the county's lobbyist on this issue. ``If they do not approve,'' he said, ``we will look at our options.''

Another of Book's recent clients, the operators and tenants of Broward's major sports venue, also are vehemently opposed. That is the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, where the Florida Panthers play ice hockey.

Sunrise Sports & Entertainment president Michael Yormark told commissioners Tuesday that the attempt to snare Broward's tax dollars was presented under a false guise as a Super Bowl issue. ``This is not about Super Bowls,'' he told them. ``This is about a roof being put on top of a facility so it can enter the entertainment industry and compete for concerts and shows and other events.''

SHARED PROFITS

The Panthers arena was built with taxpayer support in Broward. The county contributes $9 million in tourist taxes each year for 30 years in a deal that started in the mid-1990s, Vice Mayor John Rodstrom said. The arena's operators have to share profits with the county if the profits hit a certain threshold. But Rodstrom said that has only happened once.

Only two of Broward's nine commissioners -- Stacy Ritter and Rodstrom -- said they would entertain the stadium proposal. The move would need a super-majority of six Broward County Commission votes.

Five commissioners were against it outright, and two, Barbara Sharief and Ilene Lieberman, were not present to say how they felt.

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Pines to choose commissioner Tuesday after contentious race

With property tax rolls at rock bottom and municipal leaders struggling to control costs and rescue failed real estate investments, there's a lot at stake in Tuesday's special election for Pembroke Pines city commissioner.

But those issues are not what candidates Angelo Castillo and Michell ``Mike'' Rubinstein are arguing about in the final stretch of the campaign. Instead, they're engaged in old-fashioned mudslinging.

The election was forced by Castillo's resignation from the Pines Commission to run for the Broward Board of Commissioners. He lost the Democratic primary in August, and is now running to finish the three years remaining on his term.

Rubinstein, a past Pines commissioner and frequent candidate, is the sole challenger.

Rubinstein has attempted to make an issue of the estimated $80,000 cost of Tuesday's special election, blaming Castillo for not resigning early enough so his seat could have been filled in the November general election.

District 4 voters may be experiencing election fatigue. They are about to go to the polls for the fourth time in less than a year -- and voter turnout was underwhelming in March, when Castillo won his third term. Only 1,904 of District 4's nearly 27,000 registered voters -- 7 percent -- cast ballots. Castillo got 1,662 of them, or nearly 87 percent.

Both candidates have a reputation for loquaciousness on the dais and frequent sparring matches with city administrators.

Castillo has voted in the minority on several key issues, including the city's 2010-11 budget and a hike in water and utility fees. He has advocated for a commission auditor, which Pines voters approved in November, and questioned the inconsistent manner in which the city had put contracts out to bid.

Rubinstein has favored many of the same positions as Castillo. Elected to the commission in 1982, 1984 and 1995, he often challenged colleagues and city administrators on routine items, winning a loyal following in the community.

Rubinstein resigned his seat in 1996 after a political opponent filed a lawsuit claiming he did not meet the city's residency requirement for commissioners. Rubinstein never challenged the accusation, but called the city's charter unconstitutional.

In the current campaign, Rubinstein has been on the attack. In late November, he filed a complaint with the Broward state attorney's office alleging Castillo had violated state ethics laws because his employer once accepted a donation from Calvin, Giordano & Associates, a Fort Lauderdale engineering and construction firm that runs the city's building services department and has bid on numerous projects. Castillo works for Broward House, a nonprofit that helps people living with HIV.

Rubenstein's complaint also mentions an ``anonymous'' contributor to the 9-11 Memorial Foundation, a charity created by city commissioners in October 2009 to raise money for a building to house sculptures and a steel girder from one of the World Trade Center towers destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attacks.

That contributor was Calvin Giordano, according to statements Castillo made to the Herald in March 2010. The amount pledged was $50,000, Castillo said, though it is unclear how much of that has been paid.

The state attorney's office confirmed receipt of Rubinstein's complaint but had no comment on its merits or whether investigators would pursue it.

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Pam Bondi sets stage for attorney general tenure, makes notable hire

TALLAHASSEE -- New hires and changes in the structure of the attorney general's office have set the stage for Pam Bondi's tenure as the first woman to serve as Florida's chief legal officer.

Bondi said she will likely push for legislation to tighten Florida's regulation of pain clinics. BP oil spill claims, Medicaid fraud and gangs will also be areas of emphasis, she said.

Most significant: On Friday, Bondi named former state Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, to a new post focusing on prescription pill abuse.

``He's very familiar with this issue. He cares very deeply about this issue,'' Bondi, a Republican, said of Aronberg, who lost the Democratic primary for attorney general.

The fact that he's a Democrat, she said, doesn't matter.

``What I want to do is bring people together on all sides who all care about the issue,'' she said.

The position is the only post Bondi has created in an organization with more than 1,100 employees. She is otherwise streamlining the office by eliminating three high-level jobs to trim $250,000 from the budget.

Shortly after her election, Bondi signaled she planned to make pain clinics that excessively dole out prescription drugs -- so-called pill mills -- a focus of her office. She set up a transition team that included Aronberg to examine the problem.

`CRITICAL POINT'

``We're at a critical point in our state regarding the number of pill mills. The numbers are staggering. We've got to do something to stop it,'' Bondi said. ``Just the other day I had someone say that a friend's child overdosed. I said, `It was Oxycontin, wasn't it?' They said, `How did you know?' It's so widespread in our state. That's something we don't want to be known for.''

Bondi's move is likely to come as good news to people concerned that Gov.-elect Rick Scott opted to cut the Office of Drug Control. Aronberg will be based in South Florida and earn $92,000 a year as special counsel for the pill mill initiative.

Oil spill claims are another priority.

``BP has certainly risen to the top of my radar,'' Bondi said.

She said she understands that her predecessor, Bill McCollum, wanted to give BP claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg time to respond to state residents hurt by the oil spill. But his time is up, Bondi said.

One concern is documents people signed releasing BP from further claims. Bondi worries that some business owners agreed to those terms before knowing the extent of their losses.

``I want to look at the legality of the releases they signed,'' she said. A team will focus on BP, including Trish Conners, who worked on the matter for McCollum.

And then there's Medicaid fraud. Medicaid consumes about 28 percent of Florida's budget, and Bondi said curbing fraud is one way to rein in those costs. The approach is likely to change though, Bondi said, if the Legislature moves Medicaid patients into managed care programs. In the current system, fraud investigators look at such things as billing patterns by a pharmacy or doctor's office. In managed care, finding fraud requires reviewing contracts.

``We have to go to a different policing system. We'll need to have more auditors and forensic accountants involved,'' she said.

Bondi also plans to organize statewide efforts to combat gangs.

``We're going to create a statewide team,'' she said. ``That also has to include an educational component. You have to prosecute, of course, the gang members. But you also have to try to prevent kids from joining gangs.''

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Meeting to set recall election canceled

A special meeting of the Miami-Dade County Commission to set a recall election for Mayor Carlos Alvarez was canceled Wednesday for lack of a quorum.

That move strongly boosts the likelihood Commissioner Natacha Seijas, who also is facing a recall, will appear on the same ballot with Alvarez, a scenario many believe she prefers to avoid.

After the meeting was scuttled, Commissioner Joe A. Martinez, whose term as chairman begins Jan. 1, , said he likely will seek to hold a special meeting during the week of Jan. 10 to hash out details of a recall election for both Alvarez and Seijas.

``The meeting would be to consider all the people under recall,'' Martinez said.

The recall campaigns were triggered primarily by a controversial county budget that raised the property tax rate while giving raises to most county employees.

On Wednesday morning, six of 13 commissioners appeared on the dais, one short of the minimum required. They were: Chairman Dennis C. Moss and Commissioners Martinez, Seijas, Barbara J. Jordan, Bruno A. Barreiro and Lynda Bell.

Last week, seven commissioners signed a memo calling for the meeting, but one of them, Commissioner Jose ``Pepe'' Diaz, noted at the time that he couldn't attend.

Commissioner Carlos A. Gimenez, who opposed holding a meeting Wednesday, in part because it wouldn't have addressed Seijas's recall, said he intentionally stayed away. ``I wasn't going to be the commissioner to make the quorum when I was opposed to holding the meeting,'' Gimenez said.

The political jockeying began last week after Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin announced the recall drive against the mayor -- led by Miami billionaire businessman Norman Braman -- had garnered 95,499 valid signatures, far more than the 51,992 needed to call an election.

Two days later, on Dec. 23, Ruvin announced that sufficient petitions had been submitted to set a recall election for Seijas, whose District 13 includes Hialeah, as well.

NO STEPS TAKEN

Despite the certification of Seijas's petitions, commissioners didn't take steps to broaden Wednesday's agenda to include a discussion of her election, too.

``It is unfathomable that the Dec. 29th special meeting agenda has not been updated to discuss both special elections at one time,'' Vanessa Brito, chairman of Miami Voice, the political action committee that is leading the effort to recall Seijas, wrote in a letter to commissioners Monday.

Gimenez, in a memo to fellow commissioners Monday, said not considering Seijas's recall along with the mayor's could result in separate elections and unnecessary costs. ``We need to have one recall election,'' he said in an interview Wednesday.

The commission is supposed to set a recall election between 45 and 90 days after the clerk's certification that a recall vote is warranted.

Once election preparations get under way, it becomes increasingly difficult for the supervisor of elections to revise a ballot because of the processes involved and various deadlines for matters such as absentee ballots and early voting.

Lester Sola, the supervisor of elections, has indicated that normally 60 days are needed to set a countywide election. Brito said she was ``pleased'' Wednesday's meeting was canceled. ``Natacha Seijas and the mayor should be on the same ballot,'' she said.

CALLED QUICKLY

For his part, Chairman Moss said he called for the meeting Wednesday to quickly meet the board's obligation to set an election for the mayor after the clerk of courts said enough signatures had been gathered.

``You're damned if you do and damned if you don't,'' added Jordan, who said proper notice was provided for the special meeting and the panel was acting responsibly.

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