Metro Jacksonville

The heat is on again today and sticks around through the weekend.  Afternoon temps are in the mid-90's with the heat index into the triple digits.  We have a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms each day.

Today's interview lineup:

At 7:23 we heard Fox's Jared Halpern on the reasons why people in the mid-Atlantic are asking about changing the power grid after the weekend severe storms.

http://www.wokv.com/Player/101438791
(http://www.wokv.com/Player/101438791)
At 7:30 Mayor Brown was in studio and answered how much it's going to cost to pay for his downtown development plans, and when he wants to have pension reform passed. 
http://www.wokv.com/Player/101438911/
(http://www.wokv.com/Player/101438911/)
In addition to the widespread damage brought on by our recent tropical storms, they're also creating another kind of nuisance.  Mosquitos are breeding in all of the standing water.  The worst of it is likely in the next few weeks when the bugs mature.  The city of Jacksonville says it's out in full force larviciding ditches, swamps and other potential breeding sites.

100 mile an hour wind gusts are blamed for the damage to the Mathews Bridge as Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall.   We just received the results of an investigation by the Department of Transportation.  It says 16 percent of the overhead platform was damaged.  The platform is there to repaint the bridge.  A wind meter on the bridge recorded maximum sustained winds of 37 miles an hour and gusts over more than 100 miles an hour early on Memorial Day.  See the full report here. 

Our Top National Story:  Hot and impatient.  Nearly two million people are still without power in several mid-Atlantic states following Friday's wicked storms that killed at least 26 people.  Utility crews are warning many residents they will likely have to endure several more days of of triple digit heat.  JEA is helping out with the restoration effort, sending crews up north.

Our Top Local Story:  A question of cost.  Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown says the next step for the city needs to be revitalizing downtown.  He says we will get a good return for our investment, but stopped short of detailing the costs or that return.  Bringing those activities will largely fall to the company who manages city facilities like Everbank Field and Veterans Memorial Arena. The city is right now considering who should get that responsibility and it looks like a split decision between some advisors and the Jaguars.  We will ask the Mayor where he stands today live in the studio at 7:30. 

Up to 1,500 Jacksonville city workers cannot access their own money through the flexible spending account. The city had contracted with EBS Atlanta for the past 15 years.  But the company shut down without warning after its bank shut down its accounts amid bookkeeping and accounting problems.  The city says it has contracted with another company to handle employees' accounts and may sue EBS.

A boost to Jacksonville's economy.  CitiBank is adding 400 new employees to its huge southside offices.  We're told CitiBank has already hired 200 of the new employees and will hire an additional 200 in the next few months.   No city incentives were provided to Citibank as part of this deal.

We'll have to see if there's any head-butting between the City and the Jaguars over which company will manage Jacksonville's entertainment venues. A subcommittee just recommended the job go to Global Spectrum.  But the Jaguars are backing the current team from SMG.  The full committee is expected to make their recommendation for the Mayor on Thursday.

Senator Marco Rubio says he agrees with Governor Scott's decision not to expand Medicaid and create state run insurance exchanges under Obamacare.  Rubio was in Orange Park Monday night to sign copies of his new book An American Son.
There could be a setback for firefighters battling wildfires in the West.  The deadly crash of a military cargo plane fighting a South Dakota wildfire has forced officials to ground seven other air tankers.  President Obama signed a bill last month speeding up the addition of more large tanker planes to the nation's aerial firefighting fleet, but the first ones won't be ready until mid-August.

Joe Paterno's family is calling on officials to release all e-mails and records related to the probe of the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal. They say a leaker, or leakers, have used selective emails to smear the late coach and university officials.
He's out.  Anderson Cooper publicly acknowledges that he's gay.  He confirmed that in a lengthy e-mail to a longtime friend of his who writes for the Daily Beast website.  The CNN host said he refrained from discussing his sexuality for as long as he did because he wanted to maintain some level of privacy in his life.

I suppose Rick Scott knows from experience why Medicare costs are high...

QuoteColumbia/HCA fraud case details
On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[21] The Columbia/HCA board of directors pressured Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO following the inquiry.[22] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.[23][24][25] In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.

In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[4][5][6][7][8]

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[26] In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[27]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott#Columbia.2FHCA_fraud_case_details