Also, supporters contended the need for the amendment was made necessary by the numerous legal challenges across the coun- try to various states’ marriage laws. Judges were overturning laws passed by elected officials. It is highly unlikely that judges will overturn the state’s long-standing ban on oil exploration in Florida waters.

Additionally, any cost comparisons are specious, as the money spent on Amendment 2 was private dollars, not the taxpayer dol- lars being spent this week by calling the Legislature into special session to ban an activity that is already banned in Florida.

During the past 90 days residents of the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast have been in crisis as a result of an oil well blow- out off the shore in Louisiana.  The Governor’s proposal to ban an industry already banned in Florida could not prevent oil from continuing to wash up on our state’s coastlines, wouldn’t put a single new skimmer off our shores, and won’t produce any new boom to protect our coasts.But this week we salvaged a politically motivated Special Session and took action to return the focus to where it needs to be, on creating jobs as well as economic assistance and development for the Panhandle. Speaker Cretul established 6 workgroups within the House to uncover problems and offer meaningful legislative solutions to the issues created by the oil spill. The goals and guiding principles for these workgroups are:

• Assist Florida’s citizens, businesses, and state and local governments in addressing the disaster and ensuring responsible par-ties are held accountable.
• Assure legislative actions bring meaningful relief while preserving fiscal responsibility and transparency.
• Assure legislative actions add value and make efficient use of resources.
• Enhance coordination, eliminate barriers, and streamline processes within legislative authority to influence.
• Avoid duplicating or distracting from other efforts to respond to and recover from the disaster.

The House and Senate have agreed to concentrate our efforts to identify legislation that may be passed in an appropriately-called Special Session this fall to assist citizens in Florida’s coastal counties. Our plan to work quickly, analyze data and create solutions and report back with a roadmap for action based on facts on the ground is a serious approach toward beginning the recovery ef- fort.  I encourage you to follow the activities and conclusions that emerge from these workgroups and to participate as we seek solutions.

BARTOW | Gov. Charlie Crist’s budget vetoes heavily affected Polk County this year, indicating decisions were made for other than budgetary reasons, Rep. Seth McKeel said today.  Read more…

I have provided information on some recent developments in our state since the 2010 Session ended. I’ve spent the past several weeks giving legislative updates to community and professional groups. In addition to the education information I’ve provided below, I’ve at-tempted to address some of the questions I get regularly from constituents.

As always, I welcome your feedback and questions. I’m honored to serve the people of District 63 in the Florida House and humbled to have been reelected without opposition for an additional term.

During the 2010 Session the Florida House passed HM 1589 urging Congress to require the EPA to subject its proposed numeric nutrient criteria to a peer review by the Agency’s Science Advisory Board and to review by a third party such as the Government Accountability Office or the Congressional Budget Office. The EPA recently agreed to submit the methodology for some of the proposed standards to a scientific peer re-view. Accordingly, they will delay publishing standards for canals, downstream waters and estuaries until August 2012. The new regulations for coastal waters were to have been established by October of 2011.

The final EPA standards for lakes and flowing waters (streams and springs) will be published this October. The Florida Department of Environ-mental Protection and the EPA still have significant disagreements with how the EPA is calculating their standards. The EPA has been unwilling to submit the lakes and flowing water standards to a third party review.

In the interim, Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bronson and Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Sole sent a joint letter to Florida’s farmers and businesses encouraging them to sign up for the state’s Best Management Practice Program. Current law provides the pre-sumption of water quality compliance for those enrolled in the BMP program.

Locally, Polk State College and Hillsborough Community College have done a yeoman’s job in meeting our community’s workforce needs while experiencing record student enrollment. In fact, Hillsborough County ranked 20th in the nation for the number of association degrees awarded in 2009. This significant achievement shows that it is not only how much we spend on education that matters; how we spend it matters too. Florida’s open-door policy continues to prepare our students for the global marketplace. Going forward, I am committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of undergraduate education and to ensuring financial aid opportunities are available to Florida students.

Results from the Florida Department of Education:

Elementary School (Grades 3 – 5 reading and mathematics, and grade 5 science)

71% are reading at or above grade level, a decrease of one percentage point from last year, but an overall increase of 17 percentage points since 2001.

72% are demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level, an increase of 20 points since 2001, but flat compared to 2009.

49% of fifth grade students are performing at or above grade level in science, up three percentage points from last year and 21 points since 2003.

Middle School (Grades 6 – 8 reading and mathematics, and grade 8 science)

The percentage of students reading at or above grade level increased by one percentage point in grades six and seven to 67% and 68%, respectively.

The percentage of students demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level increased by one percentage point in grades five and seven to 63% and 61%, respectively and two points in grades six and eight to 67% and 68%, respectively.

43% of eighth grade students are performing at or above grade level in science, up two percentage points from last year and 15 points since 2003.

High School (Grades 9 and 10 reading and mathematics, and grade 11 science)

The percentage of students reading at or above grade level increased by one point in grade nine to 48% and two points in grade ten to 39%.

The percentage of students demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level increased by four points in grade ten to 73%.

38% of eleventh grade students are achieving in science at or above grade level, up one percentage point from last year and up five per-centage points since 2005.

District and school specific scores can be found by clicking here: http://fcat.fldoe.org/results/default.asp

The vitality of Florida’s economy demands a highly educated workforce and excellent teachers are one of the most important factors contributing to the success of our students. For years, the State of Florida has told teachers that the only way they can earn additional money is to stay put and grow old in their profession. We now have the opportunity to develop a bonus system by which we can reward quality teachers now for the hard work they do and incentivize those who undertake the greatest challenges in the lower performing schools.

Please take a look at the following attachment for more information: Teacher Merit Pay

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“At a time when more than a million Floridians are jobless and state unemployment hovers at 11.5 percent, Florida’s businesses simply cannot endure more federal regulations that threaten to put more of our residents out of work and cripple our commercial fishing and coastal tourism industries,” stated McKeel. “The unworkable regulations as dictated by Washington will impede our economic recovery.”

An avid fisherman, McKeel represents Florida’s House District 63, which includes portions of Polk and Hillsborough Counties. He is a fifth generation Floridian who graduated from Lakeland High School in 1993, and The University of Florida in 1997 with a degree in Political Science.

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“I congratulate Lakeland’s new Mayor-elect Gow Fields and City Commissioner-elect Phillip Walker. Their election is historic for our community and my party. Both men share a vision for regional economic cooperation and their election presents a unique opportunity for Lakeland to thrive in a new era where a regional economic approach with Tampa and Orlando is critical.

“I’m hopeful that Lakeland will do our part by partnering with Mayor Fields and City Commissioner Walker to enhance cooperation with our neighbors on regional economic matters. I look forward to working in partnership with them both in the years ahead.”

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