Florida

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama, commencing face to face consultations with congressional leaders Monday, is embracing an unexpectedly large tax cut of up to $300 billion. Obama said the country faces an “extraordinary economic challenge.”

Besides $500 tax cuts for most workers and $1,000 for couples, the Obama proposal includes more than $100 billion for businesses, an Obama transition official said. The total value of the tax cuts would be significantly higher than had been signaled earlier.

“The reason we are here today is because the people’s business cannot wait,” Obama said as he arrived on Capitol Hill in late morning for talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

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TALLAHASSEE — Lawmakers will have to make deeper spending cuts than anticipated because December tax collections fell $100 million below forecast, Senate President Jeff Atwater said as the Legislature convened Monday in special session to confront a growing budget deficit.

If the December trend continues through June 30, when the budget year ends, Florida could be another $600 million to $700 million in the hole, said Atwater, R-North Palm Beach.

During the special session, the Republican-controlled Legislature is looking at a combination of options including spending cuts, reserves, and higher court fees and fines to close at least a $2.3 billion budget deficit.

Tax increases, though, are off the table for the special session.

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• BCS Championship Preview

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• Chasing The Championship

David Baumann, Bright House Sports Network

The title contending college football teams have arrived in South Florida. Breathe easy Gator Nation, Florida super playmaker Percy Harvin should be good to go for the BCS National Championship.

Harvin says he’s about 90 percent healed from the ankle injury he sustained against Florida State University six weeks ago.

“From the trainers, they say this was one of the baddest ankle injuries they’ve seen,” Harvin said.

(Read the full post about ‘Gators Set To Take On Sooners In BCS National Championship’…)

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ORLANDO – The beer is no longer free at SeaWorld Orlando.

In a statement Monday, Busch Entertainment Corporation said it will begin changing their hospitality centers to restaurants at both SeaWorld and Busch Gardens early this year.

Beer will still be available for purchase by guests of legal drinking age, but the new facilities will not include beer sampling.

The sampling area at SeaWorld Orlando is scheduled to close for a period starting Feb. 1, to be converted into a new restaurant.

Employees affected by the change will continue to be employed by the company.

DAYTONA BEACH — If your New Year’s resolution is to find a new job, don’t ditch the one you have, if you’re lucky to have one, that is.

Furniture Row, a Denver-based company, is opening up its first megastore in Florida along Interstate 95. They also need employees, so company representatives are in town conducting interviews.

On the first day, they had more than 300 people show up with another 600 or so submit resumes online.

A local job expert said, believe it or not, it’s good to know we’re in a recession now, and that these few jobs could be the first steps in a long recovery process.

“Historically, recessions turn around and economies kick back.

(Read the full post about ‘New Furniture Store Bringing Jobs To Daytona Beach’…)

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• Solving Parking Problems

WINTER SPRINGS — Some residents are parking on their lawns because they can’t park their cars on the street.

Currently, it’s legal to park on lawns, but it might not be for much longer.

At the city’s request, an ordinance is being drafted that would ban anyone from parking on their front yard.

Revising the code, however, won’t solve the problem of where people should park if there’s no room in their driveway and they can’t park on the street.

That’s where Winter Springs police comes in.

Capt.

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• Previous Story: CNN Wants Melinda Duckett’s Records

LEESBURG — Lawyers suing CNN and Nancy Grace on behalf of Melinda Duckett’s estate will not object to the release of the young mother’s mental health records.

The psychiatric records are relevant to the estate’s wrongful death claim against the cable giant and Grace, whose grilling interview of Duckett preceded the 21-year-old mom’s suicide in 2006.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, CNN asked a federal judge to force Lifestream Behavioral Center in Leesburg to surrender documents detailing its treatment of Duckett, the mother of missing toddler Trenton Duckett. 

The mental health center has refused to honor a defense subpoena.

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• Previous Story: Suspect In Child Porn Case Remains On The Run

NEW SMYRNA BEACH – A Flagler County man wanted on child pornography charges was arrested Monday morning at a hotel.

Deputies had been looking for Alton Smith, 46, since Dec. 30 on dozens of counts of posession of child pornography. 

U.S.

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DAYTONA BEACH – A fire ripped through an apartment complex Monday, destroying two units.

According to the Daytona Beach Fire Department, the fire started on the third floor of The Overlook in Daytona at Seabreeze Boulevard and Halifax Avenue just after noon.

No one was hurt, but 150 people were evacuated from the building.

Authorities don’t know yet how the fire started, but neighbors told authorities that a man and woman were arguing in the apartment before the fire started.

Police told News 13 the man inside the apartment was arrested after getting upset with someone trying to film the woman who lives with him while she was crying after the fire.

He was charged with resisting arrest without violence.

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• Smoke-Free Campus

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• St. Cloud Regional Medical Center

ST. CLOUD — For the first time since it opened in the 1960s, St. Cloud Regional Medical Center is now smoke-free.

It’s a growing trend a lot of hospitals across the country are now following.

This policy extends not only to the hospital campus itself, but to the 10+ adjacent acres the hospital also owns. This means anyone, whether it’s a visitor or employee who wants to smoke, would have to drive beyond that perimeter.

Officials said they hope this will be an added incentive for people to quit.

“People are willing to go along with the rules, and if that makes them healthier and do better in their health, that’s great!

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