Debt Settlement battle at the Florida Legislature

You have seen the ads late at night on TV - "have lots of debt; call this number and we will take care of all your debt by getting your debt reduced." Currently Florida law provides for a very reasonable fee for debt settlement services like this. But the national debt settlement industry would like to be able to charge much higher fees in Florida. The industry needs higher fees, paid as soon as they can get them, since most consumers are unable to meet the payments on their debt and the high fees, so after a few months of high fees and paying on their debts, they are unable to continue. Consumers end up worse off than they were before. The FTC recently passed new regulations to try to control this industry since nationally their have been so many complaints. SB 336 and HB 67 have been filed for the 2012 Florida legislative session. These bills should not pass. SB 336 will be heard in Florida Senate Banking and Insurance on Wednesday, December 7. Let your state legislators know you oppose these bills.

FCAN, FNM, ON, Rainbow Push, Humanists, Veterans demand City of Tampa support for Occupy protestors

[This letter was delivered to the Tampa City Council on Nov. 3, 2011 and signed by Organize Now, Florida New Majority, Rainbow Push, Tampa Humanists, Veterans for Peace, and FCAN.]

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November 3, 2011

Tampa City Council Members

We, the undersigned organizations, representing thousands of city residents, request that the City of Tampa, after consideration of the Constitution of the United States, especially the First Amendment, which recognizes free speech and spells out the “right peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” officially recognize the following facts:

• The Occupy Tampa movement, in solidarity with other Occupy groups including Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, is citizens of Tampa using their First Amendment rights to protest and seek redress of grievances. The means of expression is to peaceably occupy publicly owned land 24 hours a day 7 days a week, for instance, holding a constant vigil at Curtis Hixon Park.
• The park is public property where the rights of citizens to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances is protected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the Constitution and should also be protected by the City of Tampa.
• The Constitution and the rights of protesters supersede any and all City of Tampa ordinances as long as the protest is peaceable, and does not endanger public safety. The Occupy Tampa protest has been peaceable and endangers no one.

We request that the City take the following actions:

• The Tampa Police Department should protect the rights of the protestors and ensure their safety. The police should not interfere in the exercise of constitutional rights in any way. The police should not arrest peaceful protesters on public property, attempt to control the protestors, awaken the protestors (sleeping in the park is an integral part of the protest) and avoid taking any position on what is or is not an expression of free speech.
• The City of Tampa should provide needed services for the citizens exercising their 1^st Amendment Rights at Curtis Hixon Park by providing sanitation (Porta-potties), electricity, trash removal, potable water, and other city services as needed.

In this way, the City protects and serves its Citizens as they exercise their rights, freely express their opinions, and seek redress of grievances. These actions would place the City in a neutral position rather than one of opposing the protestors or intentionally making their occupation uncomfortable or difficult.

Respectfully,

Florida Consumer Action Network
Rainbow Push Coalition
Organize Now
Florida New Majority
Veterans For Peace
Tampa Humanist Association