Randy Fine files several controversial bills in midst of Congressional run
Randy Fine is one of three Republicans who have entered the special election for former congressman Mike Waltz’s seat, but he has president-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement. So, if he’s hoping to switch jobs, why is Fine still working on legislation?
The three bills Fine has filed so far are issues Fine has pushed before and he says he plans on filing more measures.
University of Central Florida Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewitt says he believes Fine’s reason for filing these measures is boosting his congressional bid.
“By filing these conservative, controversial bills, he's getting A lot of news, and he'll be able to run on that issue, those issues, when he's running for Congress, and that's something that his opponents won't be able to do because they don't have a high profile Florida Senate seat.”
It’s unclear what will happen to Fine’s measures if he leaves office. Florida Senate President Ben Albritton says he’s unsure what that process would look like.
Open carry bill draws backlash
A controversial bill would allow Floridians to openly carry firearms in the state. It’s received scrutiny from both sides of the aisle.
The proposal removes open carry bans in schools, colleges, and polling places.
Cecile Scoon is the co-president of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
She says the bill will escalate fears of gun violence in the state.
“I believe in guns, but they just need to be used safely. We’re not saying ‘don’t have weapons and don’t protect yourself’, we’re just saying let’s all try to use them in the most safe way that we can.”
Florida Senate President Ben Allbrittion says he is against the measure as police oppose it too.
EPA will allow phosphate byproduct to be used for test road project
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to let Mosaic Company conduct a test using phosphogypsum for road beds at one of its mines in Polk County. The roughly one-mile-long road would use about five hundred tons of the material. It's a byproduct of fertilizer production that produces radioactive gas that may cause lung cancer.
Ragan Whitlock is with the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity, which has opposed the plan.
EPA has now accepted a cancer risk threshold that is three times higher than what is the regulatory ceiling, and this is the first time that this material will be put in roads in decades since the science emerged showing the cancer risk to road workers and harm to environment.
Mosaic has said this would be one way to whittle down gypstacks, which have caused several environmental catastrophes in recent years due to spills into waterways. Whitlock said this would be a tiny fraction of the amount now stored in those manmade mountains.
Florida Jobless Rate Up to 3.4 Percent
After holding steady at 3.3 percent since April Florida’s unemployment rate ticked up to 3.4 percent in November.
That’s 7,000 more than in October. Florida got hammered this year by 3 Hurricanes leading to temporary unemployment claims increases.
But state economist Amy Baker says the state is still in good shape.
“Even though it’s coming back up, at this point in time it’s still on the good side of coming back to normal.”
The national unemployment rate last month was 4.2 percent. Florida’s unemployment rate one year ago was 3.1 percent.
More: www.floridatoday.com
