Tampa Bay Gas Prices May Drop Below $2 A Gallon

With falling gas prices, it is possible that the Tampa Bay area will see gas prices fall below the $2 a gallon mark, according to the Tampa Bay Times. In Thursday's Times, business columnist Robert Trigaux writes that this is a distinct possibility ("Are Tampa Bay gas prices heading back below $2 a gallon?").

In the past year, gas prices in the bay area have dropped "an average of 91 cents a gallon," with the average price close to $2.28 a gallon, a penny less than the previous day. Last month's average was $2.51 a gallon, Trigaux writes.

The price of crude oil down "by almost 60 percent" from its 2014 peak, according to the Wall Street Journal, with prices possibly remaining low for "months and maybe years to come."

To read more of the Tampa Bay Times' article, go to http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/are-gas-prices-heading-back-to-2-a-gallon-in-the-tampa-bay-area/2242212.

HCA To Gov. Scott: Increase Medicaid Payments

Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) has called on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to overhaul the way the state pays for low-income patients, stating that the Low Income Pool in "not a long-term solution and often yields inequitable results," according to The News Service of Florida. According to the article in the Orlando Business Journal, ("HCA asks for higher Medicaid payments to replace LIP"), HCA "recommended increasing base Medicaid payment rates for hospitals," as well as possibly increasing a hospital-provider tax, which would replace the Low Income Pool program.

LIP is scheduled to expire June 30 unless an agreement in reached between state and federal officials.

Money from LIP is part of an agreement between the state and federal governments under a Section 1115 Waiver. It was originally approved to help hospitals deal with the number of uninsured adults who could not pay their medical bills, according to PolitiFactFlorida ("Rick Scott says feds are 'walking away' from funding Florida's Low Income Pool Program"). LIP, which started in 2005, was renewed until 2013. However, when the time came to negotiate an extension beyond 2014, "Florida upped the funding request to a whopping $4.5 billion to expand the program..." after reusing $51 billion in federal money to expand Medicaid over 10 years.

In the HCA letter, the hospital company stated that "it receives a disproportionately small amount of money through the Low Income Pool..."

Incidentally, before becoming governor, Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia/HCA. According to another PolitiFactFlorida article, the Florida Democratic Party's claim that Scott "oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation's history" was "Mostly True" ("Rick Scott 'oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history,' Florida Democratic Party says").

To read the articles referenced, click here for the Orlando Business Journal/News Service of Florida article, here for the first PolitiFactFlorida article, and here for the second PolitiFactFlorida article.

Dog Treat Recall; Salmonella Risk

A popular dog treat and dog toy maker has issued a recall over a possible Salmonella risk. Nylabone issued the recall for its puppy chews, according to the Palm Beach Post ("Popular dog treat maker issues recall over Salmonella risk").

A news release states that one of of the 1.69 oz. package of Puppy Start Kit dog chews is affected. The affected packages are marked with Lot #21935, UPC 0-18214-81291-3 (marked on the back of the package), with an expiration date of 3/22/18.

Consumers "should discontinue use of the product and may return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund," according to the press release. Consumers "kends covered by third-party poison control center)."

To read the Palm Beach Post article, go to http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/lifestyles/health/popular-dog-treat-maker-issues-recall-over-salmone/nk4D4/. To read the entire press release, go to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm444560.htm.

Duke Overbilling Charges Were to Reach More than $2.6 Million

Duke Energy Florida customers' overbilling charges were set to reach more than $2.6 million before the utility halted the fees following Tampa Bay Times reports. More than 165,000 customers were bumped into a higher rate tier when Duke Energy Florida added days to their billing cycles while revamping its meter ready rounds, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Florida's Public Service Commission documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show that Duke stated that the average customer affected by the overcharges would receive $5.62. While the highest credit totaled $23.62, the lowest credit amount is 2 cents.

Duke charges customers $11.34 for every 100 kilowatt hours up to 1,000 kilowatt hours. Above that, the charges shift to $13.70 per 100 kilowatt hours. The charges are before taxes and other fees. The changes in the billing cycles bumped customers into the higher range.

To read the entire Tampa Bay Times article, click here.

DOD Could Save Pentagon $108 Billion Over Next Decade

A new Congressional Budge Office report has found a way to save $108 billion over the next decade. However, veterans may not be happy with it: the savings targets veterans, according to the South Florida Business Journal. The money would come from cutting retirement pay for veterans already on disability from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

To read more about it, click here for the South Florida Business Journal article, or read more here. To view the Congressional Budge Office report, click here.

Some Florida Min. Wage Workers to See Raise

While the Florida Legislature did not raise the state-mandated minimum wage during its latest session, some minimum wage workers will soon see an increase in their paychecks. Companies including Gap and Ikea have announced or started voluntary minimum wage increases ahead of proposed legislation, according to the Miami Herald. In April, St. Petersburg-based C1 Bank raised its "living wage" to $14 an hour.

While the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, Florida's minimum wage is $7.93 an hour. A full-time employee working 40 hours a week in Florida would earn $317.20 a week, or $16,494.40 per year, before taxes. Meanwhile, Florida's poverty line for a family of four is $23,850 a year. According to the Miami Herald, "The [Florida] Legislature adjourned in May without taking up a proposed hike to $10.10 an hour."

To read the entire article, click here.

Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet Dies

Isabelle Collin Dufresne, the actress, artist and author who was better know as Ultra Violet, died Saturday. The 78-year-old, who was best known as one of Andy Warhol's "superstars", died of cancer in a Manhattan hospital, according to The New York Times.

In 1973, she had a near-death experience that she blamed on her excesses of the previous decade. She later became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She lived in both Manhattan and Nice, France, and worked as an artist until her death. A New York exhibition in Chelsea this spring featured a selection of her work, and closed three weeks before she died.

In a 2010-interview with Miami Herald's Steve Rothaus, Ultra Violet said, "Today with the explosion of the media, the Internet, everybody has 15 minutes of fame. I'm trying to get 16 minutes, and it's very hard."

To read Dufresne's obituary in The New York Times', click here. To read Steve Rothaus' interview of Ultra Violet, as well as the mention of her death, click here.