Florida Freedom Agenda Update

Elections

Bill McCullom, vying for the Republican nomination in the US Senate primary, accused competitor Mel Martinez for donating money to liberals. He claimed that as a trial lawyer, Martinez donated to liberals because they pandered to his needs. This is expected to become an important issue in the primary.

Taxes

Governor Jeb Bush proposed a nine day “back to school” sales tax holiday on clothes under $50 and school supplies under $10. He also wanted to begin to phase out Florida’s intangibles tax on stocks and bonds. The tax relief is expected to return $139 million to the people of Florida.

Lawsuit Abuse

Doctors in Florida have gathered enough signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment limiting lawyers’ awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. The amendment would give 70 percent of the first $250,000 to the patients, and 90 percent of everything after that minus the actual costs of the lawsuits. Trial lawyers have come out against the amendment.

The University of Miami is asking the state government to impose a $200,000 cap on medical malpractice lawsuits for doctors teaching at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The University paid out $50 million in claims last year and $32 million the year before. Without this, the University will have to end its relationship with Jackson Memorial Hospital.

School Choice

Accredited private schools in Florida are pushing for limits on school choice. They contend that vouchers should only go towards accredited schools. Vouchers only account for 6.1 percent of all students in accredited schools, but they account for 22.5 percent of the students in non-accredited schools. Governor Bush opposes these limits, saying choices should be left up to the parent.

A state-wide task force proposed putting limits on schools that receive funding from vouchers. This would stop home schooled children from receiving vouchers. Moreover, private schools would have to fill out a compliance form.