Gulf1-E-Evers

Weekly Update from Senator Greg Evers - February 26, 2012

This week, I’d like to take the time to thank those who have expressed their concerns over the possibility of a toll to finance the Pensacola Bay Bridge expansion. While I understand the importance the bridge plays in the Panhandle, I cannot and will not support placing a toll on our residents to pay for the project.  Instead, I believe that exploring other opportunities, such as having the Florida Department of Transportation provide us with enough additional funding to cover the cost of the project that cannot be provided by local governments, would be a better way to go. This will be an ongoing discussion that I will continue to be a part of, as it will be at least 5 years until the actual project gets underway. By then, I am sure we will have come to a solution within our financial means that will not require us to impose or levy a tax or toll on our residents.

I want to encourage you to visit www.pensacolabaybridge.com to get any updates and more information on the 2017 Pensacola Bay Bridge project.  Also, please take the time to participate in a poll on the proposed Bridge Replacement Toll on the homepage of the website and let us know what you think.

In bill news, I am supporting an amendment to House Bill 463 that would make the reckless discharge of a firearm in a residential neighborhood unlawful. My amendment language was crafted by the National Rifle Association and has the NRA's full support. The language seeks to strike a balance between protecting an individual's Second Amendment rights and providing for greater safety of our residential communities from the reckless discharge of a firearm in a neighborhood. It is unfortunate that the acts of a few people in our local area, Martin and Hernando Counties, have forced the Legislature to step in to enforce by statute what ought to be common sense and responsible gun ownership. I believe we are applying the appropriate measures to safeguard our residential neighborhoods and families and I am very grateful to the National Rifle Association for helping and supporting me in this effort.

If you would like to read a little bit more about this amendment, I invite you to view an article summarizing it here:

Evers proposes regulation to stop firing at Gulf Breeze gun range
Pensacola News Journal
http://on.pnj.com/Awk3Mz

Finally, I would like to extend my prayers and condolences to the families of Capt. Ryan Hall, Capt. Nicholas Whitlock, 1st Lt. Justin Wilkens and Senior Airman Julian Scholten. These four members of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field were killed last weekend after completing a mission in Africa. The U28 Hero’s Fund has been established at First National Bank & Trust to help defray funeral costs and travel expenses for the airmen’s families. It is brave men and women like them who fight every day for the freedoms we enjoy. These heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice and I am honored by their service.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me directly at greg@gregevers.com or call my legislative office at (850) 487-5000. My door is always open.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Greg

Weekly Update from Senator Greg Evers - February 19, 2012

This week, I had the honor and pleasure to join our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and Representative Clay Ingram in urging our colleagues in the Florida House and Senate to support our proposals to make it a third degree felony to make and sell new forms of “bath salts” and the synthetic drug, Spice. My bill to address this, Senate Bill 1502, passed the Senate Health Regulation Committee with a unanimous vote this week, and if this legislation is signed into law, it would help our law enforcement and school districts tackle the growing problem of Spice in our communities. SB 1502 now heads to the Senate Budget Committee, its third and final stop on its way to the Senate floor. I hope to have the support and favorable vote from my fellow Senators, as this legislation is essential in banning these dangerous substances that are wreaking havoc on the lives of Floridians in the Panhandle and across our state.

For those of you who missed the press conference held earlier this week with Attorney General Bondi on this issue, I invite you to read the following articles summarizing the event.

AG Bondi Supports Evers’ Synthetic Drug Bill
North Escambia
http://www.northescambia.com/?p=83903

Bath salts shake up: Chemistry class is over, Bondi says
Palm Beach Post
http://www.postonpolitics.com/2012/02/bath-salts-shake-up-chemistry-class-is-over-bondi-says/

In other bill news, Senate Bill 206 to allow residents the right to speak up at local or state government meetings, passed out of the full Senate this week and now heads to the Florida House for a vote. I congratulate Senator Negron for filing this very good bill that I was proud to co-sponsor.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns that I can be of any assistance with, please feel free to contact my legislative office at (850) 487-5000, or email me directly at greg@gregevers.com. My door is always open.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Greg

Weekly Update from Senator Greg Evers - February 12, 2012

The Budget

The Senate is now deep into budget discussions with the first draft of the full Senate budget being published and released. That actual budget proposals can be accessed via following link:  http://www.flsenate.gov/session/appropriations#bc_PCB.  I encourage you to take a look at the budget that is before us and give us your thoughts and input as we move forward.

Prison Privatization

Also this week in Tallahassee, the Florida Senate will take up Senate Bill 2038 that proposes to privatize 28 prisons across 18 South Florida Counties.  I am opposed to the bill because I do not believe that the bill will actually save money and because I feel that it could have very bad impacts on jobs here in the Panhandle.  Below, please find Guest Opinion Editorial that was printed in today's Panama City News Herald that further sets out my concerns.

Prison privatization would be bad for Panhandle
Panama City News Herald

February 10, 2012
By SEN. GREG EVERS, BAKER

There is a proposal before the Florida Senate that I believe will cost taxpayers millions, jeopardize public safety and result in substantial job loss here in Northwest Florida.

The "prison privatization" bill, Senate Bill 2038, would turn over a half a billion dollars in state facilities to private corporations to run our prisons with little oversight. If there were real guarantees and accountability of saving tax dollars, I would reconsider my position. But I believe that these savings are likely to cost taxpayers more than they are going to save.

For example, in 2005 one of these same private prison companies was caught overbilling the state’s taxpayers by nearly $13 million. The current plan expands these private prison’s operations in Florida with no new safeguards against such fraud.

My biggest complaint against the prison privatization bill is that in the private prison corporations’ rush to pass this legislation, taxpayers have been denied an independent analysis showing any real cost savings whatsoever. As a devout fiscal conservative, I believe that is a bad risk for anyone tired of paying too much in taxes.

The plan also doesn’t save money because these corporations would still be able to cherry-pick the "cheapest" prisoners and leave the more "expensive" ones (those who are the most dangerous, elderly or sick and in need of extra medical attention) for the taxpayers to pick up the tab. Without protecting against this cost-shifting trick, I simply cannot support a measure that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

And speaking of our hard-earned dollars, we should be in the business of creating jobs, not destroying them. This measure will cost the rural areas of the Florida Panhandle hundreds and perhaps thousands of jobs — and not just for the Panhandle corrections officers who are forcibly displaced from their jobs to make way for relocating South Florida correctional officers with more seniority.

The prison closures that follow this bill will also hurt local companies and mom-and-pop businesses that have grown up around local prisons. We have seen no comprehensive study examining the financial impact of the proposed closures and privatizations, and without such a study, I cannot support this proposal.

Let me close with perhaps the most important and most troubling aspect of this bad bill. Just one year ago, I watched a family bury a son and a community bury a neighbor. Department of Corrections Col. Greg Malloy of Paxton put his life on the line to track down a man who had shot his own parents, and as a result he was killed in the line of duty.

Watching prisoners and safeguarding the public is and always will be a dangerous job. The current privatization bill has no assurances that those who are hired have adequate training, experience or the necessary resources to ensure that dangerous criminals are securely incarcerated.

At Col. Malloy’s funeral, I was reminded that our professional Department of Corrections law enforcement officers have a motto that I would like to borrow: "We never walk alone."

For taxpaying Northwest Floridians who trust me to safeguard their hard-earned dollars, for those concerned with public safety, and for those concerned about local jobs, I want you to know that I am on your side and that as long as I have a vote and a voice, you will never — EVER — walk alone.

Greg Evers represents District 2 in the Florida Senate.
Copyright © 2012 Freedom Communications  

As we head into the latter half of the Legislative Session, I hope we can tackle the issues lefts before us with the renewed commitment to living within our means and not being wasteful in spending. As always, do not hesitate to email me directly at greg@gregevers.com or call my legislative office at (850) 487-5000 with any questions or concerns. My door is always open.

I hope you are enjoying a safe and restful weekend.

Greg

Weekly Update from Senator Greg Evers - February 3, 2012

This week in the Capitol, the two proposals from the House of Representatives to redraw the House and congressional district lines for the next 10 years were voted on and approved by the full House. The maps to redraw our legislative and congressional districts now come back to the Senate for final approval to move on to Governor Rick Scott and the Supreme Court for review.  For anyone who wants to review the approved maps, I invite you to visit: http://flsenate.gov/session/redistricting/.

On bill news this week, I would like to congratulate Senator Gary Siplin on the passage of Senate Bill 98, and commend him on his effort to support the 1st Amendment freedoms of the people in Santa Rosa County and across our great state. As a proud co-sponsor of this very good bill, I want to thank my fellow Senators for their favorable vote this past Wednesday on the Senate floor. The purpose of Senate Bill 98 is to allow our students to lead or participate in prayer in secondary school events. As I quoted Ronald Reagan on the floor, "the 1st Amendment was not written to protect people and their laws from religious values; it was written to protect those values from government tyranny." I believe that by passing this bill we are doing just that.

Senate Bill 1502, which would help law enforcement and school districts tackle the growing problem of Spice in our communities, passed the Senate Criminal Justice Committee with a unanimous vote. This was its first committee of reference and I feel encouraged by the support for this bill we have seen so far, as it continues to move through the process. Also passing the Senate Criminal Justice Committee this week was Senate Bill 540 to help crack down on copper theft. This was its third committee of reference and I am hopeful it will continue to make its way to the Senate Floor.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me directly at greg@gregevers.com or call my legislative office at (850) 487-5000. My door is always open.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Greg