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Briefs
Today is Day 15 of the 60-day session of the Florida Legislature.
Senator says wife's crash raises road repair issue
Associated Press
Published March 21, 2006
Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, on Monday asked the Senate Transportation Committee to address dangerous road repairs after his wife's recent accident on Interstate 75.
On March 1, Angela Crist, 31, veered slightly off northbound I-75 between Fletcher Avenue and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Tampa. The 1997 Mazda Millenia flipped at least three times after her tire caught the edge of the inside lane. She was hospitalized for five days with broken bones, a concussion and a punctured lung.
The roadway had been repaved, but not the shoulder. That created a dangerous dropoff, Sen. Crist said.
"If this happened to her, it's going to be happening to other people. I want to have a well-studied, well-thought-out, well-grounded solution to a problem."
Crist expects the issue will be studied over the summer so lawmakers can make any needed changes next year. Remedies could include requiring the Department of Transportation to repave shoulders or grade the gap between the repaved road and the shoulder, he said.
Airboat muffler proposal touted as "pro-freedom'
A proposed law to quiet airboat motors is a step toward a free society, says Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres.
On Monday he introduced a "pro-freedom" initiative that would require mufflers on airboats. That could mean freedom from noise for residents living along routes for airboats in Citrus County and other parts of the state. Or it could mean freedom for airboat owners to keep those engines running.
"This bill brings balance to airboat regulation, while still allowing this old Florida traditional pastime to continue," Aronberg said.
The bill also would force airboat owners to raise orange flags for visibility.
"It's pro-freedom. It's pro-family," observed Sen. Rod Smith, D-Alachua. "This may be the single most important vote we take this session. I'm just sad that I don't have a long speech in support of it."
Other action
VACATING RENTERS: Renters who vacate their leases early could face increased fees under a proposal that could authorize landlords to charge early termination fees equaling up to two months' rent - even if another renter has moved in. Currently, a landlord cannot earn "double rent" by collecting money from an old renter who left early at the same time the property is bringing income from a new tenant, said Walt Dartland of Florida Common Cause, which opposes the bill (SB 636 in the Senate, HB 673 in the House).
BABCOCK RANCH: The Senate Environmental Preservation committee unanimously approved a bill that would allow the state to manage a cattle ranch in southwest Florida after buying the giant swath of land where the operation sits. The bill (SB 2102) would create a corporation to manage the Babcock Ranch. The Legislature must first approve Gov. Jeb Bush's $310-million recommendation to buy the larger 74,000 acres of forest and wetlands in Lee and Charlotte counties. The purchase would provide a green corridor from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.
For information about legislation, call 1-800-342-1827 toll-free or (850) 488-4371 during business hours.
The Legislature's official Web site: www.leg.state.fl.us
Capitol Update, a half-hour TV program on the day's legislative highlights, airs weeknights on public stations. Check TV schedules for times.
[Last modified March 21, 2006, 02:30:40]
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