So FL which gave rich folk 8 BILLION dollars in tax breaks by ending intangibles tax during governor JEB!'s term in ofc, now can't afford to prosecute violent crimes .
Sheesh, 'tain't rocket science folks.
My Moms taught me--approximately kindergarten-- that in times when you have plenty of $, save some for tough times. No, can't raise taxes. Cut the budget, harming the most vulnerable amongst us: children, elderly people, and crime victims.
Not with the Bush boys, however, who answer everything with their mantra, tax cuts for the rich.
[orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-murder2408jan24,0,4212890.story
Violent-crime cases swamp prosecutors
Jim Leusner and Sarah Lundy
Sentinel Staff Writers
January 24, 2008
Saying his office is drowning in murder cases and other violent offenses, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar pleaded with lawmakers Wednesday to give him $5.4 million for new prosecutors to keep up with the region's crime wave.
Just hours after the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association asked lawmakers in Tallahassee to hold the line on budget cuts, Lamar took the bold step of asking for an increase to his $22 million budget.
"We've got a lot more cops and a lot more violent crime, but we don't have the prosecutors to keep up with what we need to do," said Lamar, whose office is facing about $1 million in state budget cuts. "We are in a position of running on empty in the 9th [Judicial] Circuit. The lack of prosecutors cannot be allowed to be the missing link in the justice chain. . . ."
Standing in front of a poster with mug shots of 96 murder defendants, Lamar pleaded with citizens to call their legislators and ask for support. He said the circuit's 122 pending murder cases mostly are handled by four overwhelmed prosecutors in his homicide unit. In contrast, the nine-person homicide unit in Broward County is handling 142 murder cases.
Lamar said all of his 131 prosecutors are buried under an increasing caseload. Law-enforcement agencies have added cops and plan to add more. They are performing more crime sweeps to thwart street violence, and as a result are making more arrests.
But it is the sharp increase in murders during the past few years that is causing the most concern. In 2005, there were 71 murders reported by Orlando police and the Orange County Sheriff's Office. That jumped to 113 in 2006. Last year, there were 98 murders.
Assistant State Attorney Robin Wilkinson, who supervises the homicide unit, said at least nine new murder cases have been filed by police since the first of the year and more are in the pipeline.
"Starting [last] November 7 to December 20th, I worked every day except Thanksgiving," said Wilkinson, who is handling 37 cases. "In the old days, the homicide unit handled 10 to 12 cases apiece. We desperately need help."
Orange-Osceola Chief Judge Belvin Perry, a former prosecutor who handled murder cases in the 1980s and now hears them from the bench, said the caseload for judges and prosecutors locally is formidable.
"His homicide unit needs help," Perry said of Lamar. "These cases take more time, are more complicated and, we've learned as judges, you can't have inexperienced people handle these homicides."
But with the state facing a $2 billion budget shortfall in 2008-09, getting more money could be a long shot. Lamar said he has asked state Sen. Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, and Rep. Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, for help. Neither could be reached for comment.
Jay Corzine, a University of Central Florida sociologist who has consulted with Orange County police agencies about violent crime, said the request by Lamar appears reasonable in the wake of the murder spike since mid-2005.
"Generally, homicide trials take a lot more resources than other cases," he said.
But Lamar's move surprised the statewide prosecutor's association, which didn't know he was going to make his own, public appeal for more money.
"I feel that we are stronger collectively," said 13th Circuit State Attorney Mark Ober of Tampa. "I didn't know about what he was doing. We would have liked him in Tallahassee today. . . . We are all in the same boat."
Harry Shorstein, Lamar's counterpart in the 4th Circuit, said state attorneys offices are funded as a group. A formula, based on several factors, such as population, determines how much each circuit should get. That's why it's best for prosecutors to lobby as a group and not go it alone.
"I don't think that's an appropriate way to do it," said Shorstein, whose circuit includes Jacksonville, which is considered to be Florida's murder capital in recent years.
Legislators could decide to give Lamar $5 million by taking it away from the 19 other state attorneys -- which wouldn't be fair, he said.
"I have a problem reconciling that," Shorstein said.
Bill Vose, Lamar's chief assistant state attorney, said the $5.4 million could add 50 or 60 prosecutors and 80 or 90 support staffers.
During his news conference, Lamar said the 9th Circuit, which comprises Orange and Osceola counties, handled more felony trials during the past few years than any other in the state.
Lamar said he was requesting the new money from the Legislature to put his office in line with the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office, which he said was of similar size but had less violent and juvenile crime.
He also argued that prosecuting crimes related to tourists is not factored into his office's yearly allocation from the Legislature. The money tourists spend here, he said, helps generate sales-tax revenue for Tallahassee, which is used to help fund prosecutors' budgets.
Without the additional money and help with murder cases, Lamar said he may be forced to "cheapen our handling" of lesser crimes such as burglary and auto theft.
One person hoping for additional money and prosecutors is Lori Ilgenfritz, the sister of snack-company deliveryman Gary W. Vaughan of Gotha. The 51-year-old was shot and killed during a delivery in Parramore last month.
"We were appalled that the two individuals arrested in my brother's murder had extensive juvenile records," said Ilgenfritz, who attended the news conference with her husband. "Had they been dealt with before, maybe his murder could have been prevented."
Jim Leusner can be reached at jleusner@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5411. Sarah Lundy can be reached at slundy@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6218.
For complete chart, see printed copy.
Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel]
(emphasis added)
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