Florida counties stand to lose nearly $300 million in state revenue over the next few years, a punishment of sorts for what the state says are unpaid Medicaid bills.

But counties say much of what the state categorizes as delinquent bills are actually erroneous charges created by a faulty state billing system, and that the state's decision to collect is masking a ploy to shift additional costs to local governments.

Under the controversial proposal, the state would withhold revenue sharing dollars from counties equal to a portion of the delinquent bills as well as any future payments counties owe under the Medicaid program. Currently, counties are allowed to dispute the amounts they owe and pay what they think is fair.

Miami-Dade could lose an estimated $31 million in revenue sharing in the upcoming fiscal year with the new system and Pinellas could see an $8.6 million decrease, according to the Association of Counties. ... Read more

Early learning advocates came to Tallahassee on Wednesday to oppose several bills moving through the Florida House.

Their chief concern: HB 7119, which would revise the School Readiness Act. They say the proposal would water down the state's high standards for school readiness providers -- and prescribe a one-size-fits-all model to Early Learning Coalitions across Florida.

"What is at stake here is making genuine progress in helping children to succeed in school and life," said David Lawrence Jr., chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida.

Evelio C. Torres, the president and CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, said the coalitions need flexibility to meet the unique needs of their communities. He noted that even Miami-Dade and Monroe have different needs.

"This is an all-out attack from Tallahassee on local communities," Torres said. ... Read more

Students from public universities across the state on Thursday will protest what they see as "aggressive attacks" on higher education in Florida. That includes tuition hikes and cuts to universities' funding -- both of which are currently being considered by the House and Senate as they work out a final budget.

The Florida Alliance for Student Action is advertising events on seven university campuses:

Students from the University of Florida will rally outside Senate President Mike Haridopolos's office on the UF campus, where he teaches a political science course. Florida State University and Florida A&M University students will march from their Tallahassee campuses to the Capitol. University of South Florida students will stage a walkout from classes then walk across campuses. Florida Atlantic University students and teachers will hold a joint teach-in. University of West Florida students will gather on the campuses' main lawn, and at the University of Central Florida, students will construct a "Wall of Debt" out of bricks representing individual students' loan burdens. 

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With the House and Senate still hammering out the final budget cuts coming to the state university system, the University of South Florida continues to lobby for an additional $3 million for its pharmacy program still on the chopping block. 

The fledgling program was formerly funded through the USF Polytechnic budget, but a bill slipped into the Senate's budget a couple weeks ago would immediately break off that Lakeland branch campus from USF -- taking its money with it.  The school says it needs $6 million to continue operating in Tampa. An amendment negotiated by Sen. Jim Norman, R-Tampa, would give back the school $3 million of that.

If the school doesn't get back that additional money, it could "totally decimate everything we've been able to accomplish," said Kevin Sneed, dean of the program.

Sneed held a news conference Wednesday to highlight those dismal implications. But he would not give specifics, instead saying, "I don't even want to consider what could happen." ... Read more