Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Florida is asking the federal government to amend a sweeping Medicaid waiver, including seeking permission to add community mental-health and substance-abuse providers to those eligible for funding.“We think this is a great thing to do,” said Melanie Brown-Woofter, interim president and CEO of the Florida Council for Community Mental Health. She noted that, if approved, the change could result in a projected $15.7 million increase in funding for community receiving facilities that treat patients for mental-health and substance-abuse disorders, including opioid addictions.Along with the change dealing with funding for mental-health providers, the state also wants permission to trim from 90 to 30 the number of days that Medicaid will retroactively cover beneficiaries’ health-care bills before they become eligible for Medicaid. Florida wants that change, which would only affect non-pregnant women 21 and older, to become effective July 1.If approved, … [Read more...] about Florida seeks to boost funding for mental-health, substance-abuse treatments

Under Florida's current rules, the governor can refuse to restore voting rights on a whim for effectively any reason. Walker held earlier this year that such a system is "arbitrary," "capricious," and can clearly be gamed to favor voters from one political party or another. Now, Walker is forcing the state to rewrite that system. Importantly, the judge held that Florida technically can still ban felons from voting automatically — but there needs to be a system in place for people to regain their rights that is fair and works according to basic rules."This court concluded that Florida’s arbitrary slow drip of vote restorations violates the U.S. Constitution — but that does not mean defendants can shut off the spigot of voting rights with a wrench, yank it from the plumbing and throw the whole apparatus into the Gulf of Mexico,” Walker wrote.The ruling is another victory for justice-reform advocates across the state, who have been fighting to fix the … [Read more...] about Judge Gives Florida 30 Days to Fix Racist System for Giving Felons Voting Rights Back

This law will impact municipalities where private properties own up to the MHWL, but the public is currently using the beach face.The beach is one of the defining facets of Miami that make this city magic. The white sands are Florida's identity — an oasis that beckons everyone and belongs to no one, not the billionaires in beach chairs or the kids skipping class and sitting on their backpacks in the sand. But that might change in some places around the Sunshine State. Gov. Rick Scott last month signed HB 631, the Possession of Real Property Bill, which on July 1 will give hotels, condos, and private residences more control over the beachfront they own, all the way to the high-tide line. Critics say the bill will ultimately give private owners more power to kick the public off their piece of paradise. "I think this bill is ridiculous," says Philip Levine, the former Miami Beach mayor now running for the Democratic bid for governor. "Why would we want to take away one of the … [Read more...] about Rick Scott Just Signed a Bill That Could Make Many of Florida’s Beaches Private

In a ruling that could have reverberations on this year's crucial elections, a federal judge Thursday ruled that Florida's current ban on former felons voting is unconstitutional and needs to be changed as soon as possible.U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a blistering ruling that says the state's current process to restore voting rights — which can take years — is flawed. The lawsuit was filed last year against Gov. Rick Scott by a voting rights organization on behalf of several people who had completed their prison sentences but had their request for voting rights turned down.Walker, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said he will decide soon what Florida should do to fix the process. His 43-page ruling blasted Scott and state officials for the current system in place."A person convicted of a crime may have long ago exited the prison cell and completed probation," Walker wrote. "Her voting rights, however, remain locked in a dark crypt. Only the state has … [Read more...] about Federal judge knocks down Florida’s voting ban for ex-felons