Tampa Bay: Highest Homeless Rate in US

Facts About Homelessness and our Homeless Neighbors 2011

Homelessness in Hillsborough County

The Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County's 2011 homeless count in Hillsborough County, conducted on January 27, 2011, found:

• 17,755* men, women and children are homeless in Hillsborough County on any given night

7,336 are living on the streets, shelters and/or other places not meant for human habitation

10,424 are living doubled up with family and friends because of loss of housing and/or economic hardship 

•  23 percent are children
•  65 percent are male; 35 percent are female
•  44 percent are Caucasian
•  55 percent are African-American
•  14 percent are Latino
•  5 percent are veterans**
•  65 percent have a source of income
•  Of the 65 percent with income, the top five income sources reported are:

SSI/SSDI (19%)

Employment (17%)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (11%)

Unemployment Compensation (8%)

Panhandling (7%)

•  35 percent have a disability
•  90 percent were residing in Florida at the time they became homeless
•  51 percent are experiencing homelessness for the first time
•  16.5 percent have been homeless at 4 or more times
• The Hillsborough County Public Schools reported there were 3,109 homeless students enrolled on the day of the 2011 homeless count.

* Florida definitions of homeless, s. 420.621, was changed in July 2009 and includes persons who lack a fixed regular nighttime residence including those living on the streets, in shelters, places not meant for human habitation, living doubled up with family/friends, in motels and campgrounds due to loss of housing and economic hardship.

** The percentage of homeless veterans is believed to be inaccurate as many of the reporting agencies did not provide data on veteran status as well as an unusally low answer rate by individuals surveyed.  This situation is dcoumented by the 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, which states, "there is anecdotal evidence that homeless veterans sometimes do not divulge their veteran status to homeless program staff."

 Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County

(CBS News)TAMPA BAY, Fla. - As Republicans gather for their national party convention in Tampa, they will be aware of the stormy weather but may not see another issue clouding the city.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area has the highest rate of homelessness in the nation, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness in a report issued earlier this year - 57 homeless for every 10,000 residents.

There are about 16,000 homeless people in the Tampa area, and one in five of them are children. 

Tallahassee, Anal Crevassee of Nation

Light goes on at the Tampa Tribune.

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Study ranks Florida No. 1 in government corruption

By WILLIAM MARCH | The Tampa Tribune 
Published: May 31, 2012

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TAMPA --

An upcoming study by the new Integrity Florida watchdog group says Florida leads the nation in government corruption.

The study will be the second major production of Integrity Florida, a public interest watchdog group in Tallahassee.

The study, to be released in about a week, will show that Florida had 781 federal corruption convictions from 2000 to 2010, the most of any state, executive director Dan Krassner told the Tampa Tribune editorial board.

In five of the last 12 years, the study shows, Florida led all states in at least one category: It had the most criminal convictions among people in government.

Florida's lead is partly because of its size, Krassner said, but the numbers are still disproportionate.

"We're the fourth-largest state, soon to be the third-largest, and it makes sense that we'd be up there," he said.

But the two largest, California and Texas, each led in only three of the last 12 years, compared with Florida's five.

Zealous prosecution doesn't explain the numbers, either, Krassner said, noting the state Commission on Ethics doesn't have authority to launch its own investigations.

Ethics commission executive director Virlindia Doss said she can't judge whether the figures mean Florida is the nation's most corrupt state.

"I wouldn't be able to interpret the meaning of those numbers any more capably than anybody else who reviewed them," Doss said. "It's like any kind of data — it's hard to know what's causation and what's just correlation."

In other words, it's not clear whether the numbers are a result of ethics problems specific to Florida or simply coincidence.

The study looked at convictions won by the Public Integrity section of the U.S. Department of Justice, a data source that allows for state-by-state comparisons.

The cases included elected and appointed officials and staff, and most involved local government officials, who outnumber state government officials.

The recent conviction of former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White on bribery and corruption charges is an example but isn't included in the study results because it was too recent, Krassner said.

The figures do include the convictions of four Palm Beach County commissioners on corruption charges from 2006 to 2010 — events that earned the county the title of "capital of Florida corruption" from Time magazine.

A University of Illinois study recently ranked Florida fourth in corruption from 1976-2010, but there's apparently been an upward trend, Krassner said.

Arts Capital of My Arse

The next time you hear about how Sarasota is the art capital of Florida, or the south, or the entire world, all of which one hears (but only in Sarasota), consider this:

 31 ONLINE PREDATORS.

 Count 'em, 31 sexual predators caught seeking to seduce, solicit, or entice a child to commit sex acts.

Thirty-one -- in just 6 days of one Sheriff operation.

 Here's the Wall of Shame.

 Not that they look like they are capable of much shame. Sarasota wants your business, wants you to move here, wants you to think it's just the best thing since sliced child.

 Of course Sarasota can't have all the glory. It shares some of this lice with other bungholes -- Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Bradenton, and even California. Long may they fester.

The Penile State Penile Operator par excellence

Let's have a loud round of nasty PenileState applause for this corporate Penile Operator:

GEO Group of Boca Raton, Fla., the nation's second-largest for-profit prison corporation, ... posted a profit of $284 million last year. The Mississippi Department of Corrections pays GEO to manage this prison:

Jonathan Smith is chief of special litigation in the civil rights section at the Justice Department, which spent two years looking into conditions at Walnut Grove.

npr news investigations

Town Relies On Troubled Youth Prison For Profits

by JOHN BURNETT

"To have a prison that's chaotic, poorly run, dangerous, didn't provide services, highly sexualized and highly violent really limits the ability of the state to turn those folks around, and to ensure public safety upon their release from prison," Smith said.

Among the conditions described in the report released last month:

• Prison staff had sex with incarcerated youth, which investigators called "among the worst that we've seen in any facility anywhere in the nation."
• Poorly trained guards brutally beat youth and used excessive pepper spray as a first response.
• The prison showed "deliberate indifference" to prisoners possessing homemade knives, which were used in gang fights and inmate rapes.
• Some guards had gang affiliations — a finding confirmed to NPR last year by former inmate Justin Bowling.

"A lot of times, the guards are in the same gang," Bowling said. "If an inmate wanted something done, they got it. If they wanted a cell popped open to handle some business about some fighting or something like that, it just pretty much happened."

In which much is explained

In Florida, we practice shooting ourselves

https://occupywallst.org/

BRAVO PENILERS!

If there ever were a constituency that ought to have some say in how Florida operates, you'd think it would be the aging and aging rapidly, along with the already aged and the near dead.

But check this out

#44 in long term care in the nation, Florida is.

Truly wonderful how states manage to fuck the very people they are supposed to serve.

You go, Rick Scott! You go, Tallahassee! You go, state Reps!

Florida, Land of Slavery

Listen to this interview with a guy who bothered to look at why Florida tomatoes are like tasteless rocks, and under those rocks found slaves.

Naples! Listen up - this is your land - the land of Rick Scott - living off slaves.

Where on those god-fearing Teapippies on this? Fleeing to hell ahead of their DOOM?

Have a great Conquistador Celebration, Mr. and Ms. Asshat Penilstaters!

More here.

Actual News Photo of the Present Governor of Florida, Rick Scott

Be very afraid.

Source: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/state_news/032311-gov.-scott-overwhelmed-by-first-facebook-town-hall

Gov. Scott: Don't Pimp My Ride

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott on Friday authorized the sale of two state airplanes to out-of-state bidders for a total of nearly $3.7 million, fulfilling a campaign promise. StPeteTimes

Dear Governor Scott:

We understand your fatal attraction for billionaire perks, but you must understand: Florida, the Penile State, is not your personal Bunga Bunga room.

You are selling the public's airplanes and plan to ride around in your own, keeping your travel records secret while on state business.

This is like telling Florida: "My mistress doesn't need to drive, I'll send my chauffeur." Or, "Now you little girl just sit and look sweet while Sugar Daddy takes care of all your pretty little needs."

The public sector is not your private harlot, Governor Scott. Do not sell what we own, since after we toss you on your ear in 4 years (or before), we'll elect other folks, hopefully non-billionaires, who might occasionally do state business that could use a state plane.

While we're at it, don't sell our schools, our teachers, our community leaders, or our water, air, or underwater rights.

In fact, don't sell us, period. If we wanted to pimp our planes, we wouldn't need your teaparty illogic to do it.

Who's Dreaming Gov. Scott?

In his inaugural address today, newly installed Florida Gov. Rick Scott said "dreams are the stuff Florida is made of." He also fervently expressed his desire to remove every shred of regulatory oversight that he says hampers the private sector.

Below are some facts about fraud in Florida. Who is dreaming?

Florida Ranks No. 1 Nationally in Mortgage Fraud
Recent figures reveal that Florida ranks first in the nation as it relates to those whose mortgages are seriously delinquent. But that is not the only dubious distinction where Florida tops the nation. Now, reports indicate that Florida can also claim first place in the number of mortgage frauds.

Expect major new busts in fighting $2.5 billion Florida fraud rings
South Florida easily ranks number one when it comes to healthcare fraud in the U.S., which is why the two are holding the first of several meetings across the nation right here.

Tampa Ranks First in Auto Insurance Fraud
Wondering where the highest cases of auto insurance fraud have occurred in the past year? Look no further than Tampa, Fla. According to the Tampa Police Department, the city is number one for fraudulent auto insurance claims.

Special Agent Ellen Wilcox
Florida ranks first in the nation in mortgage fraud, and the Florida legislature has passed stringent legislation facilitating the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of mortgage fraud.

Florida Ranks Third for Identity Theft
The State Attorney’s Office says the latest statistics show Florida moving up on the list of states with high rates of identity theft.

Miami clinic owners arrested in PIP fraud sweep
The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud made more than 830 insurance fraud-related arrests in the last fiscal year.
According to a recent National Insurance Crime Bureau report, Florida leads the nation in staged accidents. In the first half of last year, Florida had 631 staged accidents.

Identity Theft Information In Florida: Don't Be A Victim!
Florida ranked 6th in identity theft rating in the entire United states. The most common locations of these thefts are Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale.

New Report Ranks Florida Number One for Mortgage Fraud

Florida AG Likens Mortgage Fraud to "State of Emergency"
Florida ranked second in the nation for mortgage fraud activity during 2008, after ranking first during 2006 and 2007, according to recent data released by the Mortgage Asset Research Institute, or MARI.

10 busted for auto insurance fraud; you're paying for it
Tampa, Florida -- The Tampa Bay area has earned a claim to fame we'd rather not have, ranking first in the state when it comes to staged auto crashes and second in the country behind Brooklyn, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.


Fraud Friendly Florida
"Retirees in Florida are losing their homes to foreclosure, not because they didn't pay their bills as required, but because the laws of Florida leave them unprotected."

STATE FARM: WE FUCK YOU VERY MUCH

Florida, Penile State extraordinaire, penetrated by the sharpsters at State Farm. See brilliant piece in the Herald Tribune.

How State Farm cashed in on a crisis

Through DaVinci, State Farm quietly continues to collect money from thousands of former customers who were told their homes were too risky to insure. MORE

One question the article does not address: Where were the "regulators?" Does the PENILE STATE actually have regulators? What do they do? How do they do it? With what budget? etc.

More Penile State Genius

Man Tied to Housing Scheme Arrested for Grand Theft

Investigators say McNair is running a business called Homes for Americans that finds houses in foreclosure and leases them to unsuspecting victims. These victims pay a membership fee to his company and pay monies to McNair to lease property that he does not own. See more here.

Penile Freedom

mysuncoast ABC 7 News Sarasota

63 small dogs abandoned on rural Florida road shar.es/XnQMu

3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Business Weak

Read the BW story about premature foreclosures:

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Attorneys general in three U.S. states are investigating foreclosures at Ally Financial Inc.’s GMAC Mortgage unit after the lender said it would halt some evictions following a discovery of faulty documentation.

Then read this:

Another distinction for Florida

A recent string of arrests of public officials in Florida has led Gov. Charlie Crist to ask for a special grand jury. It will examine whether Florida has, as the governor suggests, a "culture of corruption." Link.

More:

"It's obvious to me that something's wrong," said Crist, who noted he has removed 30 officials from their jobs since becoming governor in January 2007. "Fundamental problems within the system ... may be in fact cultivating a culture of corruption."

A similar effort a decade ago by former Gov. Jeb Bush to toughen laws that would make it easier to ferret out public corruption was largely rejected by Florida's Republican-dominated Legislature.

Crist's decision to have the high court impanel a statewide grand jury comes just two weeks after one of his top campaign contributors, Dr. Alan Mendelsohn of Hollywood, surrendered to the FBI on charges he ran a multimillion-dollar fraudulent fund raising and lobbying operation.

Three prominent politicians in Florida's second-most populous county, Democrat-controlled Broward County, were arrested last month on federal corruption charges, accused of accepting thousands of dollars in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen seeking illegal favors.

Crist issued executive orders suspending Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion - who just hours before his arrest voted on the county's annual budget in a late-night meeting - and county school board member Beverly Gallagher from office pending the outcome of the case.

The third person arrested, former Miramar city commissioner Fitzroy Salesman had lost his bid for re-election earlier this year. More...

A case that gathered far more publicity statewide involved former House Speaker Ray Sansom, a Destin Republican who was forced from his post in February after a state grand jury indicted him for perjury and official misconduct. The latter charge was recently dismissed.

Florida Stars of Tomorrow - make that Yesterday

Broward County Commissioner and Vice Mayor Josephus Eggelletion, 60, was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to help launder more than $900,000 through a Bahamas bank account from what the undercover FBI agents told him was an investment fraud scheme. For his efforts, he was paid more than $23,000.

A county school board member, 51-year-old Beverly Gallagher, is accused of accepting $12,500 - some stuffed in official board of education envelopes - to help steer school business toward FBI agents posing as representatives of glass and construction companies.

The third political figure charged, former Miramar city commissioner Fitzroy Salesman, 52, is accused of taking $3,340 from undercover agents pretending to seek contracts to replace a gymnasium floor and build a park gazebo. Earlier this year, Salesman was convicted of a misdemeanor charge after drawing a pistol in a grocery store during an argument with another shopper.

FBI corruption probe nets 3 Fla. politicians

He's not just a hate attractor, he's right behind Rockefeller:

Buchanan high on wealth list

By Jeremy Wallace

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, is one of the least senior members of Congress, but there is one area Buchanan remains among the upper echelon on Capitol Hill.

Personal wealth.

For the second consecutive year Buchanan, who is in his third year in Congress, is listed as the sixth wealthiest member of Congress, according to an analysis done by The Hill, a Washington D.C. newspaper. MORE...

Florida: A Ponzi Deliverable

Confirmation of what even wingnuts have known for quite some time:

Florida has always had a tenuous relationship with reality...It was bound to catch up with us. Gary Mormino, a distinguished historian of Florida, says our whole economy is more or less a big Ponzi scheme.

more

I Cristen thee Senator LeMieux

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