MAF Weekly Report-October 26, 2012
November Ballot Initiatives – Vote Yes on 10!!!
On November 6 you will see 11 initiatives to change Florida’s constitution when you cast your vote at the ballot box. (They are numbered 1-12, but number 7 was removed from the ballot by the Florida Supreme Court.)
MAF encourages you to vote YES on Proposed Amendment No. 10 – Tangible Personal Property Tax Exemption. This amendment will grant a tangible personal property (TPP) exemption for those with TPP greater than $25,000 but less than $50,000. (You will recall we currently have in place a TPP exemption for values less than $25,000.) The new exemption would take effect on January 1, 2013. While many of you would still not be able to take advantage of this, it will help very small businesses. The bigger issue for manufacturers is the other part of the amendment that authorizes a county or municipality to provide tangible personal property tax exemptions by ordinance. This would be in addition to any statewide TPP tax exemptions. The importance of this is that those counties wishing to stimulate their local economy could offer additional TPP relief to business. This is the first time in decades that Florida has had an opportunity to change TPP law in the constitution. MAF and its political arm, Manufacturers Making a Difference, have monetarily supported the campaign to pass this amendment and MAF lobbied for this to be on the ballot. For more information visit www.yesonten.com. VOTE YES ON 10!
On a related note if any of your counties have local issues on the ballot that would allow them to reduce tangible personal property tax, please vote for them!
Regarding the other constitutional amendments, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is encouraging a YES vote on the following:
Amendment #1 –Health Care Services (Prohibits laws or rules compelling anyone to purchase health care coverage.)
Amendment #3-State Government Revenue Limitation (Changes the existing state revenue limitation from being based on Florida personal income growth to being based on inflation and population changes.)
Amendment #4 – Property Tax Limitations (Reduces from 10% to 5% the limitation on annual changes in assessments of non-homestead real property.)
Amendment #5 – State Courts (Requires the Florida Senate to confirm Supreme Court justices.)
Amendment #8 – Religious Freedom (Provides that no one can be denied governmental benefits on the basis of religion and allowing public monies to be used in the aid of religious institutions.)
Amendment #10 – Tangible Personal Property Tax Exemption (Allows local governments to provide tangible personal property tax relief in addition to state tax relief.)
To review all the details of the amendments to make an informed decision, visit http://www.flchamber.com/political/2012-election-center/amendments/.
Collecting Items for Summit Silent Auction
During the Manufacturers Summit in Orlando on December 6-7 we will hold a silent auction benefit for the MAF Center for Advanced Manufacturing Excellence. Nancy Loehr, Progress Energy, and Jayne Fifer, Volusia Manufacturers Association, will be collecting items for the auction. This is a fun way to do your Christmas shopping and contribute to the MAF Center for their manufacturing workforce education projects at the same time. Be creative with your donations! For more information or to donate, contact nancy.loehr@pgnmail.com or jayne.fifer@vmaonline.com. Thank you for Nancy and Jayne for their work on this year’s auction!
Reports Released/Highlighted This Week
Florida Target Industry Competitiveness Report, September 13, 2012 by McCallum Sweeney Consulting and Avalanch Consulting for Enterprise Florida. Key findings are that:
a) site selectors are noticing the impressive improvements to our incentive approval process in FL. However, the study pointed out that the state’s Closing Fund is underfunded and the state has a distinct disadvantage in this area;
b) Florida has a large talented workforce noting the multilingual nature of the population. Given the strengths in this area Florida needs to better market current talent assets.
c) We should continue to modernize the tax structure and streamline the permitting processes.
d) There is a need for the development and promotion of a strong Florida business brand and a need to align marketing activities to target industries.
Specifically related to manufacturing, the study says “cost continues to be a key factor in site selection, meaning labor cost and tax policy play a dominant role in a state’s ability to attract substantial projects. Manufacturing is usually capital intensive, so land, site preparation, and infrastructure costs are critical. Capital oriented incentives are important – property tax reductions and full exemption of sales tax on machinery and equipment are two areas for improvement. In addition, training incentives need to be expanded to better meet what is being offered by competitor states.” A copy of the report is attached for your convenience.
Florida TaxWatch Center for Competitive Florida Economic Commentary, September 2012. The report summarizes the investments that Florida has made over the years in seaports and more importantly the drastic increase in funding over the past 2 years. To learn more about Florida’s port projects and read this report visit www.floridataxwatch.org.
2012 Report Card for Florida’s Infrastructure, American Society of Civil Engineers September 2012. This report ranks Florida’s infrastructure as follows:
B Bridges
B – Aviation
C Highways
C Ports
C Stormwater
C Transit
C Water and Sewer
D+ Flood Control
D- Coastal Areas
D- Energy
To read the entire report visit www.fla-asce.org.
College and Career 1st, Governor Rick Scott, State of Florida, October 25, 2012. This report is partially the result of Governor Scott’s Education Listening Tour where he listened to teachers, parents and students. The report brings forth the best ideas for educating and training students to compete in the 21st century economy. Following are the goals:
#1 Maintain accountability while focusing on the successful transition to more rigorous Common Core State Standards and assessments, which better measure readiness for college and careers.
#2 Support teachers and equip them with the tools they need to improve their practice as professionals and to help students realize better educational outcomes.
#3 Allow choices and flexibility in districts, schools and classrooms that recognize the unique needs of students and teachers and support efforts to achieve improved results. To read more, go to www.rickscottforflorida.com.
Legislative Leadership Making Appointments
Will Weatherford, Incoming Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, has appointed the following to House leadership positions:
Rep. Robert Schenck, Rules Chairman
Rep. Marti Coley, Speaker Pro-Tempore
Rep. Chris Dorworth, House Majority Leader
More appointments will be made during the November organizational Session, November 20.
Short Notes
· Progress Energy Executive Roundtable – On October 17 Al Stimac, MAF President and Nancy Stephens, MAF Executive Director, participated in an Executive Roundtable with Progress Energy outgoing CEO Vinny Dolan, incoming CEO Alex Glenn, and Nancy Loehr, Progress Energy’s representative to the MAF Board. We were updated on Progress Energy/Duke Power plans and challenges for the future. Thank you to Progress Energy for the invitation!
- Hopping Green & Sams informs us that the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee (JAPC) was not convinced by FDEP’s response to JAPC’s comments regarding the underlying statutory authority for de minimis discharge cleanup in proposed Rule 62-780. FDEP staff and counsel will be discussing internally JAPC’s most recent comments on de minimis discharge cleanup as well as the other JAPC comments over the next several days to develop next steps, which will likely include additional discussions with JAPC.
- The Southwest District Office of FDEP continues to undergo significant reorganization. New appointments in that office follow. Water Facilities: Cindy Zhang-Torres; Waste Management: Yanisa Angulo and Erin Rasnake; Compliance and Enforcement: Joe Squitieri, Ilia Balcom, Brian Brown, Erin DiBacco, Susan Pelz, Michelle Duggan and Sean McGinnis; Administration: Charley O’Neal.
· At a meeting of the Florida Cabinet this week, the Division of Bond Finance reported that Florida has reduced its outstanding debt by $2 billion over the last two years.
- The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Office of Freight, Logistics and Passenger Operations (FLP) is actively seeking input from the freight community as they work to create a statewide Freight Mobility and Trade Plan. Their next round of meetings is for scenario planning, using the information they have gathered to date. This is a series of three meetings. The first is November 8, 8:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center, 1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL. The next two will be in December and March. The invitation is attached if you would like to attend.
- For quick facts about Florida, visit a new Enterprise Florida website location, www.eflorida.com/newsroom.
· Interested in adopting a school through the MAF Center’s Dream It Do It Program? Contact your regional manufacturing association or June Wolfe at june.wolfe@comcast.net. We already have some 32 manufacturers committed to the program. For more information about Dream It Do It, visit www.mafame.org.
- Know someone who should be a member of MAF? Contact nancy@mafmfg.com to provide the contact information.
Upcoming Events
December 6-7 MAF Manufacturing Summit and Marketplace and Manufacturers of the Year Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport Hotel, Orlando, FL. Now accepting sponsors and exhibitors. Go to www.mafmfg.com for more details or contact nancy@nstephens.com.
December 13 MAF Environmental Teleconference, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. E.T. Dial in number is (712) 775.7000; PIN 317371#.
Florida Administrative Register (FAR)
The Florida Administrative Weekly changed its name on October 1 to the Florida Administrative Register. Instead of publishing the information once a week, it now comes out once a day. Therefore you will see this section of our report formatted differently to accommodate the new FAR format.
FAR –October 22, 2012
Suwannee River Water Management District RULE NO.: 40B-2.331
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The purpose of the proposed rule is to provide an incentive for water use permittees to voluntarily implement the District’s water use monitoring requirements prior to expiration of their current permit. The effect of the proposed rule is to extend the duration of a water use permit if the permittee voluntarily implements the required water use monitoring program. Voluntarily implementing monitoring before a permit expires will provide needed data in a timelier manner.
SUMMARY: The proposed rule will allow existing water use permittees to voluntarily implement monitoring requirements prior to such monitoring requirements becoming mandatory. The proposed rule language will be located within rule 40B-2.331, Florida Administrative Code and within the SRWMD Water Use Permitting Guide, which is incorporated by reference in rule 40B-2.301, Florida Administrative Code.
IF REQUESTED WITHIN 21 DAYS OF THE DATE OF THIS NOTICE, A HEARING WILL BE SCHEDULED AND ANNOUNCED IN THE FAR.
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Robin Lamm, Business Resource Specialist II, SRWMD, 9225 C.R. 49, Live Oak, Florida, 32060, (386)362-1001 or (800)226-1066 (FL only)
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
RULE NO.: 62-302.532
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The proposed rules establish numeric nutrient criteria for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a in individual estuary segments for the following Panhandle estuaries: Perdido Bay, Pensacola Bay (including Escambia Bay), Choctawhatchee Bay, St. Andrew Bay, St. Joseph Bay, and Apalachicola Bay.
SUMMARY: The Department is amending Rule 62-302.532, F.A.C., to establish numeric nutrient criteria for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a in individual estuary segments for the following Panhandle estuaries: Perdido Bay, Pensacola Bay (including Escambia Bay), Choctawhatchee Bay, St. Andrew Bay, St. Joseph Bay, and Apalachicola Bay. Subsection 62-302.532(3), F.A.C., requires that the Department establish by rule or final order estuary specific numeric interpretations of the narrative nutrient criteria for TN and TP for Perdido Bay, Pensacola Bay (including Escambia Bay), St. Andrew Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, and Apalachicola Bay by June 30, 2013.
EFFECT ON THOSE OTHER RULES: The proposed amendments are not expected to have significant effects on other rules. The proposed amendments establish estuary specific numeric nutrient criteria that maintain existing conditions.
A HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:
DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 9:00 a.m.
PLACE: Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, Conference Room A, 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Eric Shaw, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Assessment and Restoration Support, MS 6511, 2600 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400, (850)245-8429 or e-mail: eric.shaw@dep.state.fl.us.
FAR- October 23, 2012
The Department of Environmental Protection announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: November 1, 2012, 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: Suwannee River Water Management District, 9225 CR 49, Live Oak, FL 32060
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: This is a technical meeting to discuss issues related to the Suwannee River Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP). The primary topic of discussion during this meeting will be the Suwannee River BMAP development process. The BMAP is the means for implementation of the adopted Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Terry Hansen, Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 3565, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400.
FAR - October 24, 2012
The North Florida- Southeast Georgia (NFSEG) regional groundwater flow model Steering and Technical Teams are made up of area stakeholders, the St. Johns River Water Management District staff and the Suwannee River Water Management District staff, to work collectively on the development of the next generation regional-scale groundwater flow model for North Florida. The Technical Team announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
PLACE: St. Johns River Water Management District Headquarters, 4049 Reid Street, Palatka, Florida 32177.
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: This is a meeting of the Technical Team described above. The purpose of the meeting is to continue the discussion of the conceptual model to be used in the development of the NFSEG regional groundwater flow model. An opportunity for public comment will be provided near the end of the meeting.
NOTE: One or more members of the Governing Board from each of the water management districts named above may attend the meeting.
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: St. Johns River Water Management District, Attention: Kristi Cushman, 4049 Reid Street, Palatka, FL 32177, (386) 329-4308, email: kcushman@sjrwmd.com or by visiting the North Florida Regional Water Supply Partnership website at www.northfloridawater.com.).
The Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Assessment and Restoration Support, announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: Thursday, November 1, 2012, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
PLACE: Webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/986139050.
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: This is a meeting of the Florida Water Resources Monitoring Council Monitoring Catalog Workgroup to discuss the metadata elements to be included in the monitoring catalog.
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Ms. Stephanie Sunderman, Watershed Monitoring Section, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS #3525, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, e-mail: Stephanie.Sunderman@dep.state.fl.us.
The Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Assessment and Restoration Support, announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
PLACE: Webinar: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/250147482.
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: This is a meeting of the Florida Water Resources Monitoring Council Salinity Network Workgroup to discuss development of indices for groundwater levels and groundwater quality.
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Ms. Stephanie Sunderman, Watershed Monitoring Section, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS #3525, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, e-mail: Stephanie.Sunderman@dep.state.fl.us.
FAR - October 25, 2012
Nothing to report.
FAR - October 26, 2012
The Water Resource Advisory Committee (WRAC) announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: November 8, 2012, 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: City of St. Cloud Marina (2nd floor), 1104 Lakeshore Blvd., St. Cloud, FL 34769.
Water Resource Advisory Committee (WRAC) - Monthly Meeting
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: A Public Meeting of the Water Resources Advisory Commission (WRAC) regarding water resources protection, water supply and flood protection issues. The public is advised that it is possible that one or more members of the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District may attend and participate in this meeting.
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Paul Millar at: (561) 682 6335 or pmillar@sfwmd .gov; or at our website: http://my.sfwmd.gov/wrac.gov.
