With a governor’s race, three Cabinet contests, a three-way U.S. Senate battle and a handful of congressional races in play this fall, Florida Republican Chairman John Thrasher is feverishly seeking to replenish GOP coffers at a major, post-primary fund-raising dinner next week featuring Scott, Senate nominee Marco Rubio, and Republican Governors Association Chairman Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor.

But it’s also looking likely that Scott may be forced to dig into his wallet again, building on the $50 million he and his wife, Ann, spent on his primary campaign. With less than $54,000 in the state party’s federal campaign finance account, Republican congressional candidates also could be largely left on their own this fall.

“What do they say, `in for a dime, in for a dollar?’” Palm Beach County Republican Chairman Sid Dinerstein told the News Service of Florida. “Scott’s in. If he’s come this far, he’s going to do what he has to do.

“I think it’s the same with congressional candidates. They’ve got to run their own campaigns,” Dinerstein added.

Florida Republicans are looking to regroup – and reload, financially — Sept. 10 at Disney World. Thrasher and Scott have likened the party’s coming together after the hard-fought primary as a “merger.”

But Scott is clearly entering the partnership as the deeper pocket.

According to the latest finance reports filed in mid-August, the state Democratic and Republican parties were about even in fund-raising this summer. The Florida GOP raised $7.7 million and spent $6.1 million of that money from April 1 to Aug. 19, with Democrats collecting $7.7 million and spending $5.7 million.

But the GOP’s federal campaign account – which relies on contributions from individuals, not corporate contributions – has dwindled to $53,650. The party raised $468,500 over the summer, but spent $414,850, according to reports with the Federal Elections Commission.
The federal cash is critical for paying staff salaries, party overhead, get-out-the-vote efforts and voter registration drives. The Florida GOP has opened 30 field offices this year – with the number expected to climb to 50 offices soon. But much of the financing for this out-reach effort has come from the Republican National Committee, party officials acknowledge.

Florida Democrats have $1.6 million on hand in their federal account – a rare edge for a party usually vastly out-financed by Republicans.

“I never count them out,” Florida Democratic Chairman Karen Thurman said Thursday. “Today,I’ll go back to the office and continue to raise money.”

Because corporate “soft” dollars are barred, the individual, “hard” money that’s needed to finance the federal account is tough to raise quickly – adding even more urgency to the Florida Republican Party’s Disney fund-raiser next week, where tickets start at $150-per-person.

“The money is out there,” said Ed Kennedy, Broward County’s Republican state committeeman. “But the party’s gone through a lot and people haven’t given. In the end, politics isn’t emotional, it’s very pragmatic. And we want to win.”

Republican activists say the party is still reeling from the free-spending era of indicted former Chairman Jim Greer, who is accused of skimming at least $125,000 in campaign contributions and fees from the party. Greer is scheduled for trial in October.

Thrasher, Greer’s successor, also is a state senator barred by legislative rules from raising party contributions during the two-month spring legislative session. Former House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, who was expected to play a central fund-raising role, also has been battling health problems that have kept him from contacting donors.

Then there was the Scott-Bill McCollum primary. While Scott was self-financing his campaign and drawing heat from the GOP establishment, party leaders bet heavily on McCollum, pulling in millions of corporate dollars for the losing candidate.

Meanwhile, the federal account shrunk.

“I don’t know how much the party is going to be able to do,” said Jonathan Swift, spokesman for Republican congressional candidate Rep. Sandy Adams of Orlando, who is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

Kosmas and fellow Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, challenged by former House Speaker Dan Webster, R-Oviedo, are two Central Florida incumbents Republicans have targeted this year. Kosmas and Grayson, however, have raised $1.9 million, and $2.8 million, respectively, to just over $300,000 each for Adams and Grayson, who won primaries last month.

With the Republican Party potentially hamstrung, independent, 527 spending committees are likely to play a powerful role in the fall campaigns.

Adams already has drawn advertising help against Kosmas from the independent spending committee, Americans for Prosperity, financed by the billionaire Koch family, who support a range of right-leaning causes. Another organization, American Crossroads, which includes former George W. Bush political director Karl Rove as an adviser, has announced it will spend at least $10 million on get-out-the-vote drives in Florida and seven other states.

But even these efforts are designed chiefly to supplement – not replace – Republican Party support, activists said.

“There is a crucial, boots-on-the-ground function of mobilizing the grassroots and volunteers that parties must always organize,” said Jonathan Collegio, a spokesman for American Crossroads.

“Parties have to get people to the polls. But they need money to do that,” he acknowledged.

By John Kennedy
The News Service of Florida

The largest population increases were in some of the biggest counties. Miami-Dade added an estimated 8,253 residents, followed by Hillsborough, 6,353 and Broward, 5,834.  “Because they’re the largest counties, they have fairly sizable numbers of births,” said Stan Smith, director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “They also receive a substantial number of foreign immigrants.”

The county with the biggest percentage increase were Lafayette, which grew by 5.2 percent, largely attributable to the addition of state prison inmates.

Seminole County lost 3,659 residents, the largest population decline, followed by Pinellas, 3,119, and Volusia, 2,055.  The counties with the biggest declines in percentage terms were Glades, followed by Jackson and Holmes.

Smith said he expected Florida’s population to continue to grow slowly over the next year or two, given that a quick economic turnaround was unlikely.     He added that over the next 10 to 20 years, it is possible the state’s annual population growth could be as high as 250,000.

According to OCSO:

At approximately 7:19pm the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received an emergency call from the residents of 4610 W. Oak Ridge Rd. regarding the discovery of a 2½ year old male child who had been discovered in the home’s pool. As OCSO Deputies and Rescue personnel responded, the emergency fire operator provided instructions on life saving CPR.

Deputies and first responders found the child unresponsive upon their arrival.  However, Rescue personnel immediately employed additional measures and the toddler was transported to ORMC for additional emergency treatment.

Deputies said that the child responded to resuscitation efforts, but his final condition and likelihood recovery is unknown.

Investigators are interviewing the child’s father, as well as other family members to determine the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s fall into the family pool, as well as its condition.

OCSO Forensics investigators also responded to the home to gather any pertinent information, photos or evidence deemed necessary by the detectives.

Deputies have not released the name of the toddler at this time.

Check back for more on this story.

This has been a summer of homecomings. In marking the end of the American combat mission in Iraq, we have now welcomed home nearly 100,000 of our troops from that war. Across the country, family and friends have honored these returning heroes. Spouses have been reunited, and military moms and dads have held their children once again.

But while America’s combat mission in Iraq has ended, America’s commitment to our troops and their families goes on. All of us are called to an ongoing mission: to support our troops, veterans and their families, whether they are here at home, serving in Afghanistan, or supporting the Iraqi people as they forge their own future.

Stepping up

As a country, we have come a long way in how we support our veterans and military families. In our travels to base communities from Fort Bragg to Camp Pendleton, we have seen employers creating innovative programs to support military families, classrooms adopting deployed units, faith communities providing prayers and support, and countless other acts of kindness.

Yet there is still more work to be done.

Our military families are strong, resilient and proud to serve their country.

Nonetheless, they don’t always feel that the rest of the country is part of the war effort. We’ve met National Guard families who feel isolated because they are the only members of their communities experiencing the deployment of a loved one. We’ve heard from military kids who struggle in school while their parents are deployed.

Remarkably, these same families still find time to serve their communities every day. They are troops who come home from a long deployment and coach Little League or mentor a child. They are children who tutor their younger siblings, and spouses who balance their families with jobs, school, community service — or all of the above. They are wounded warriors, survivors and veterans who continue to give so much to our country.

Guided by their stories, the Obama administration has made one of the largest investments in a generation in our veterans and military families. This includes building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs, improving care for traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, strengthening military family readiness programs, helping hundreds of thousands of veterans get a college education, and combating the tragedy of homelessness among veterans.

But government can only do so much.

That’s why we’re challenging every sector of American society to support and engage our military families. You don’t have to come from a military family, have a base in your community, or be an expert in military issues to make a difference. Every American can do something.

‘We can do this’

Businesses and organizations of all kinds can expand job opportunities and connect the work they’re already doing with the needs of military families. There are so many ways to help, and you can get started by visiting www.serve.gov to see how other Americans are helping in their communities.

One percent of our population is doing 100% of the fighting, but we need 100% of Americans working to support our troops and their families. We can do this. In every community, every day, we can find concrete ways to show our military families the respect and gratitude that each of us holds for them in our hearts. They deserve our support long after the welcome home ceremonies are over.

That’s the spirit that defines us as Americans, and it’s who we need to continue to be in the months and years ahead.

Michelle Obama is the first lady of the United States. Jill Biden is the wife of Vice President Biden.

Linda Landman-Gonzalez

The Osceola Hispanic Business Council’s Amigo Award is presented annually in recognition of those who have excelled at celebrating the diversity of Hispanic culture through music, dance and community involvement.

“We want our entire fan base to know we value them,” said Landman-Gonzalez.  “We want to continue our education on how to effectively reach every Magic fan and it’s important to understand our consumer’s needs and make everyone feel a part of our team.”

In her role with the Magic, Landman-Gonzalez oversees community relations, government affairs, multicultural insights and the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. Under Landman-Gonzalez’s leadership, the Orlando Magic has become champions in the community, celebrating Hispanic heritage and culture. The Magic host an annual Hispanic Business After Hours to honor the contributions of Hispanic leaders across Central Florida. Prior to coming to the Magic, Landman-Gonzalez spent nine years as director of diversity, community and government relations for Darden Restaurants, Orlando’s only Fortune 500 corporation.

The Orlando Magic is committed to the Hispanic community and has instituted a variety of initiatives to reach our multicultural fan base throughout Central Florida.  In July 2008, under the leadership of team President Alex Martins, the Orlando Magic created a multicultural insights department whose mission is to create an inclusive environment in which our community partners, fans and employees feel welcome, valued and appreciated.

Video of armed robber at Trustco Bank

Police said that the suspect entered the Trustco Bank on 8288 Leevista Boulevard in Orlando, with a black handgun and demanded money from a teller.  The teller complied and the suspect then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect is a black male about 6′ 0″, about 200 pounds with average build.  He was wearing a long-sleeve blue dress shirt and black tie, with black pants.  The suspect carried a black semi automatic handgun, along with a coach bag.

Police said there were no injuries.

There is no additional information at this time.   Police would only say that there were no injuries to the bank’s employees.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeLine at 1-800-423-TIPS.  Callers may remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.00.

Check back later for more on this story.

Erection of tilt-wall panel at new Evans High School, August 31, 2010 (Photo credit: Evans High School)

“Watching the walls go up as the school takes shape is so exciting for the Evans High School community and this is a milestone for the rebirth of Pine Hills,” said School Board Member Nancy Robbinson (District 6).

The new campus will have three new three-story classroom buildings which benefit from natural daylighting for all classrooms, along with other green building enhancements and energy-efficient features. A new administration building, media center, gymnasium, auditorium, music suite and cafeteria are core elements of the rebuilding project, and have been designed to accommodate current and future student enrollment.

We are building schools that reflect the needs of our communities, while at the same time being good stewards of funds entrusted to the school district,” said Superintendent Ronald Blocker. “Each school is a visible statement of our strategic plan to provide safe learning and working environments.”

Currently, all Evans High students are attending classes at the ninth grade center, about three miles west of the main campus during the construction of the new school.

The Williams Company and ACY Contractors are the construction management team overseeing the project. The new school was designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture.

Julie Gaskins, author of "Worthy: Drinking Hope from a Well of Despair"

My mother used to tell people I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. It wasn’t what I wanted, though. It was just what I did. I think I always related better to animals than I did to other humans. Animals were forgiving, accepting. When the situation was right, they were even loving.

At eighteen, I found myself, through some strange circumstances, gifted with a three day-old African Lion, and being told I needed to raise him. It was a challenge that I was a bit daunted by, but I accepted it, and as he grew, “Tiger” developed a loyalty to me that very few friends had shown.

A year or so later, I had mastered the art of bottle-feeding animals, when Wiley (what else would one name a Coyote pup?) came into my life.  I was working more than full time and feeding him on a two-hour schedule. My husband was supposed to feed him while I worked, but each day, when I arrived home, Wiley was screaming to be fed. Frustrated, I would tell my husband exactly how to hold the bottle and the pup, and he would swear to me that he did it just that way.

Finally, after two weeks of being met at the end of my work day by a howling baby coyote, I insisted that my husband show me how he was trying to feed Wiley, so I could show him what he was doing wrong.

He did it perfectly, and Wiley would have none of it. Terrified that something was wrong with my baby, I took him in my arms and offered him the bottle. He took it eagerly, from me. And so I became his mother, as well.

Somewhere along the way, my brothers blessed me with a feral cat. I don’t know what they thought I should do with a feral cat, but they said they found him and thought of me. “Bill,” as I called him, was mean as a snake, and got trapped in my front porch. He couldn’t get out unless he showed himself, so he spent weeks… perhaps months… in my porch, where he would attack me as I entered the house, shredding my jeans or my kneecaps with his claws. I patiently fed him daily, and changed his litter.

One day, I guess he decided I was all right, after all. He accepted me. He wanted to come inside the house, and from there, he took over the household and my heart.

That was the start of something wonderful, that being my lifelong love for felines. After Bill, came Scapegoat, Wendy, Mark, Bambi, Effie, Scamper-Cat… and later, S.T., Fido, Chopper, Chimer, Frank and Levi.

I began working with animals full-time in 1987, and always loved it. I loved cats most of all, and time after time, I would have cat “owners” tell me that their cat was better with me than with anyone else. We always seemed to understand each other, I guess.

I adopted Eve in 1989, and Byron in 1991. Peggy Sue found her way to me in 1993. Eve and Byron both died in 2001, and after that, it was just Peggy, until Josh wiggled and snorted her way into my heart in 2002.

They have never been buddies, but they mostly tolerate each other. Peggy is stoic and independent, but has become a lap cat in her later years. Josh is jealous, and often refuses to allow my lap to be shared until she tires of it. So I sit with Josh between Peggy and I. In the morning, I sip my coffee and the two occupy their spaces as if they were assigned.

One Sunday last year, I went to feed them in the morning, and noticed that little of their canned food from the previous night had been touched. I wondered why, but both seemed all right, if just a bit standoffish, and I didn’t think about it much. I assumed there was something wrong with the can of food, because I could not imagine Josh walking away from it under any circumstances. She is robust. Peggy has always been tall and lean. Even her tail is extra long. But she has never weighed more than nine pounds.

Josh, on the other hand, is probably supposed to be about the same weight, but I’d wager that she weighs in at about twelve pounds, maybe as much as thirteen. She has a hefty appetite, and even snacks on the dog’s food between meals.

But that Sunday, not only did they not touch the Saturday night meal, but they never touched the Sunday dry food, either. I happily gave them a new can of food on Sunday night, but it, too, went untouched.

Monday, it was the same story. Tuesday, a bit of the dry food disappeared, but I had begun noticing that Peggy was not herself. At age fifteen and a half, that should not have caught me off guard, but it did. In her entire life, she had never been sick.

After a week or so of lab tests and medication, she began eating again. In fact, she did very well for the next year. Then, a few weeks ago, Peggy (now seventeen years old) began losing weight. I could feel the difference when she jumped into my lap, and when I felt her body, could tell that she was losing muscle.

I began watching her behavior, watching her eat, and I realized that she had stopped eating her dry food. Each morning, she would jump onto their feeding table and cry for food, and when I poured it into the bowl, she sniffed it, but she never took a bite. She lost one of her canine teeth last fall, so perhaps she was having more problems with her teeth. I bought some small cans of food and decided to feed her one in the morning and see whether she would eat it. She did. Normally a nibbler, she ate the entire can before settling into my lap and purring contentedly.

After two weeks of this, I can feel the difference in her weight, her fur, her overall body condition.

Still, the most interesting thing I’ve noticed over the past two years, is this:

Josh, long-presumed to be a ravenous eater, began eating only half-portions while Peggy was sick. I fed a whole can of their Friskies, and she ate half, but I just assumed that was because Peggy got there first. When Peggy was not eating, I cut the amount I fed in half. Josh ate half of that, leaving the rest for her sister.

Since I began feeding Peggy a can of food in the morning, Josh sits and watches her eat, but never makes a move toward the dish. Sometimes, when Peggy finishes, Josh will move in and lick the bottom of the bowl, but she seems to somehow understand that Peggy’s needs must come first.

They sleep side by side, in my chair.

Josh has given up being selfish. Today, she sat patiently beside my chair, staring up at me until Peggy jumped down from my lap. Then she jumped up and nestled in, and when Peggy came back to tell me she wanted more of my time, Josh jumped down and resumed her spot beside my chair.

I am moved by this, and am not sure what to think. But, being a sister myself, I surely understand. I wish I could tell Josh that her sister will be all right. I could not, even if I spoke the language she does. Peggy may still be with us for a few more years; the oldest cat I have ever known in my work was twenty-six.

I wish I could be certain…but I suspect that instead, it will be Josh, after Peggy is gone, who will be telling me in no uncertain terms that her sister is indeed all right, and waiting patiently for us.

The Pain Truth is designed as an initial 3-month public education program, which will include a series of public service announcements, education, awareness, Internet, and community events across the state.  This full-on offensive will canvas the state and reach people at home, workplaces, schools, churches and more, leading up to a December 1 event when The SUNSHINE STATE Goes Dark for a Day.  The event is meant to recognize lives lost, by offering an official day of mourning for families and friends of thousands who have died.

“Prescription drug addiction has reached epidemic proportions nationwide and all signs point to Florida as the epicenter of this problem. If we band together as a community we will have greater power to educate, to influence, and to abate the issue,” said FSIPP board member, Sanford Silverman, MD.

Recent statistics demonstrate the importance of growing awareness of prescription drug abuse throughout the state:

* Prescription drug abuse is now the Number ONE killer of middle-aged Floridians.

* Nearly 3,000 Floridians died from prescription drug use in 2009.

*  Prescription Oxycodone was responsible for more deaths in Florida in 2009 than cocaine, heroin and morphine combined.  The increase is up 25.9% over 2008.

Throughout the campaign organizers hope to engage individuals, cities/communities, corporations, government officials, physicians/medical personnel, media and more, from throughout the state to join them. The Pain Truth will also help educate medical practitioners and the public regarding the Department of Health’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and how it will help reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion and improve patient standard of care.

Also at issue is the fact that the public, including those within the medical community, is ill informed and often doesn’t understand that there is a difference between legitimate pain management physicians and those that work at pill mills.  For the millions of Floridians who suffer pain, The Pain Truth will address this matter and will create a separate, free, searchable website to help them find a legitimate pain physician.

“This epidemic has been extremely difficult for Floridians who suffer from genuine pain. The news is full of negative stories about pain doctors and their so-called “pill mills”, and it’s left patients apprehensive.  They are unsure of where to go to get help for their very real pain. But, there are hundreds of board-certified pain management physicians who can truly help heal those in pain.   The Pain Truth program will help patients identify trusted physicians with true credentials, ” said Deborah Tracy, MD, president of FSIPP.

Those interested in learning more about The Pain Truth can visit www.thepaintruth.com, or call 407-833-9202.

Jeff Greene

Greene said in a recent interview with the New York Times that two stories about him – one dealing with a California real estate deal, the other dealing with rumored drug use on Greene’s yacht that the paper later clarified – were wrong.

Greene told the Times that he wants “to send a message to every newspaper in the country: Do your homework.”

Neil Brown, editor of the St. Petersburg Times, said in an e-mail to the New York Times that the stories were “thorough and fair, and the reporting is well-documented in public records.”

Greene, who has hired libel lawyer L. Lin Wood, said he will file a claim seeking at least $500 million in damages in circuit court in Miami-Dade County.

The News Service of Florida