Free Republic

Holland and Knight cuts jobs By Mark Silva Sentinel Staff Writer May 1, 2002 TALLAHASSEE -- In unprecedented belt-tightening at Holland and Knight, Florida's largest law firm and a national power after a decade of aggressive growth laid off 60 attorneys and more than 150 support staffers Tuesday. Most of the reduction in attorneys came outside Florida, where most of Holland and Knight's 1,250 lawyers are stationed. The cuts involved 25 attorneys in Florida throughout the firm's 11 state offices, including offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa, managing partner Robert Feagin said. All told, the reductions involve fewer...

Power donors support Feeney with dollars By John Kennedy Tallahassee Bureau Chief April 16, 2002 TALLAHASSEE -- House Speaker Tom Feeney raised $100,000 for his congressional campaign, mostly from powerful industries with issues before the Legislature, just days before suspending fund-raising for the two-month session. Nursing-home operators, the insurance industry and associated law firms and lobbyists accounted for more than $100,000 of the total the Oviedo Republican raised this year for his exploratory campaign committee, according to new reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission. Feeney is looking to run in a freshly drawn congressional district centered around Oviedo. "A...

McBride: Tax smokers 50¢ more to aid schools By Mark Silva Sentinel Political Editor April 13, 2002 Democrat Bill McBride, hoping to jump-start his campaign for governor, proposed raising cigarette taxes to pay for a $1 billion plan for public schools. McBride said Friday that he would use the money from a 50 cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes to pay for smaller public-school classes, better teacher pay and other remedies. McBride's tobacco tax for education marks the first detailed proposal by a major Democratic candidate for governor. It also opens the Tampa-area attorney to criticism from Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, who...

Navy secures 20-year lease for bombing at Pinecastle By Stephanie Erickson Sentinel Staff Writer April 9, 2002 OCALA NATIONAL FOREST -- Residents who live in the remote communities that ring the Pinecastle Electronic Warfare Range will hear jets roar overhead and bombs explode on the ground for at least another two decades. The U.S. Forest Service this week renewed a 20-year lease allowing the U.S. Navy to train its pilots at the bombing range near Astor. Preparing bombers during wartime takes precedence over environmental concerns and the ears of annoyed residents, federal officials said. "The world remains a dangerous place,"...

Court rules out stun-belt use Associated Press April 6, 2002 MIAMI -- Declaring that courtroom security has its limits, a federal appeals court ordered a new trial for a bank-robbery suspect who was forced to wear a stun belt during his trial. The three-judge panel was worried that defendants wearing a device capable of delivering "incapacitating pain" would become so preoccupied with potential electrical shocks that they would be unable to help their lawyers. Amnesty International has criticized use of remote-controlled stun belts in courts and jails as cruel and unusual punishment. Los Angeles paid a $275,000 settlement and restricted...

Legislature: Lawmakers change school code to allow guns locked in cars Thursday, April 4, 2002 By JACKIE HALLIFAX, Associated Press TALLAHASSEE — Legislators refused Wednesday to outlaw students from keeping guns locked in cars on school property — but it was close. By a 19-19 vote, the state Senate defeated a proposal that would have prohibited school boards from allowing students to bring guns to school if the firearms were locked in their cars. The proposal was an amendment to the massive school code rewrite bill lawmakers are working on in a four-day special session. Earlier Wednesday, the House Council...