I made it very clear to these two outstanding young people how impressed I was with their dedication and commitment to early voting.  Emily, the audio engineer, told me that this was her second polling place that she had visited that morning.  The other poll was at Broward College and was longer than the Pompano Beach public library. She had a family day planned to watch a football game with her family that kicked off at 1pm. Several of us were taking bets on when we would get into the building,  Emily took 12pm, I took 1pm and another woman took 2pm. Unfortunately, I did not win the bet, but then again, none of us won.  However, it did not matter, we all had fun and were making history by standing in the heat, with hundreds of other people waiting in line to cast our vote for our candidate.

Now back to my early voting experience.  To my amazement, there were mostly Democratic supporters at the polls passing at literature.  I saw only the Republican Senator Jeff Atwater's campaigners passing out literature on the Republican side. The Obama Campaign had massive volunteers passing out Crystal Springs water in Publix reusable shopping bags.  I must add that they only handed out water and did not solicit for Obama. They had Obama, hats and pins on, so you could not miss the fact that they were with the Obama Campaign for Change as they were passing out water to people. I could not help but wonder where were the McCain Palin supporters?  I was there several hours and did not see anyone out there for John McCain and Sarah Palin handing out waters to the die hards standing in line for hours waiting to cast their vote.  I do not know if this will make a difference in the outcome of the election, but it did stand out in the minds of my three new early voting friends, the teacher, audio engineer, and the attorney.

By 1pm, we were very close to the front door. We all phoned our friends and family and told them that we were still in line waiting to go in to vote.  It was not until 2:15pm, that we stepped foot into the Pompano Beach Public Library. However, Amy, the staffer from the Supervisor of Elections informed us that all 38 of us, would go in, take a seat and wait a little while longer before we could go into the back to cast our vote. We sat down and waited in the center of the library for about 15 min. The Librarian made a pitch for the Library's services. And then the entertainment came, two staffers from the Supervisor of Elections Office, were so funny, when they explained how to fill in the paper ballot.  I wish that I could have taped it, because they were funny, telling tales of how people could not shade in the oval circles. There was one incident, where an elderly gentleman came up to them after he submitted his ballot and asked where is the ballot for voting for President?  The staffer explained that after a ballot is submitted into the polling machine, it can't be changed. Once a ballot is submitted, it is official, there is no going back.

As I stood at the voting booth filling out my four page ballot, I knew that my one vote could make a difference. My standing in the heat for several hours was not in vain. I walked over to the finish line, placed my yellow folder on the table and the Senior staffer, walked me over to the machine to submit my ballot. One by one, I submitted all four pages. When I was finished, I was handed an I voted sticker. I took one extra, so that I could wear it on Tuesday, the actual Election Day...

I put on my I voted sticker and walked out of the building, at 3pm o Sunday, the line was still long.  I told the people standing near the door, that they were almost there. Only a few more steps and they would be in the nice Air conditioned building.  I smiled to myself and thought, I have made a difference. I voted for my candidate. I am also thankful that we have early voting in Florida and excellent poll workers, both paid and volunteers.

Now the question is Have you voted?  If you did not, you have one more day... Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 4, 2008.  I implore you, to make a difference and let your voice be heard. Vote, on Tuesday, November 4 at your designated polling place. We know one thing for certain that on Wednesday, November 5th either we will have a new President. It will either be John McCain or Barack Obama, President of the United States of America. 

Have you voted for your Presidential Candidate?

It is important to note that the Florida Legislature regulates court fees and not local officials. The Court fees have not been adjusted since 2004. The list includes Traffic Court Information such as Speeding Ticket fines. If you are always in a hurry and get a lot of speeding tickets, it will cost you a lot more for speeding.  Driving 20 miles over the Speed Limit will cost you at least 231 and driving 30 miles over the Speed Limit will cost you $331. Ouch... That is a $100 difference between 10 miles.  Be wise and don't Speed.

If you take the Florida Turnpike or other Toll Highways and fail to pay the toll, it will now cost you $181, plus the toll amount.  Keep your Sunpass Transponder updated and fully loaded.  Otherwise, the Florida Turnpike and our Toll Highways will start to become just as painful as it is to fill up your pump.  Be Wise, keep change in your car and keep your Sunpass funded. The auto-replenishment method, is starting to sound like a bargain.

 Click on the following link to view a list of the new court fees. 

The House Insurance committee endorsed reviving PIP with the implementation of anti-fraud measures. The anti-fraud measures suggested Cap payouts to medical-care providers to a fee schedule and limits the providers to specific doctors and health clinics.

The Bill has an uphill battle in the Senate, where it has a 50-50 chance of passing according to Ellyn Bogandoff, (R) Ft. Lauderdale.

All eyes are on Tallahassee during this Special budget cutting session, which is scheduled to end next Friday. Our valiant Governor Charlie Crist, has made restoring PIP law a priority in this session.

Let's hope our Legislators come to an agreement that works best for the public and clamps down on fraud.

Click here to read more on the PIP debate from the Business Review, Sun Sentinel, Palm Beach Post

 The Bill seeks to prevent an estimated 100 deaths each year that are caused by carbon monoxide poisoning in Florida. Carbon monoxide is a gas that is odorless, colorless and tasteless and can build up rapidly without notice and lead to serious injury and even death. It has been estimated that in the United States more than 40,000 people seek medical attention each year for non-fire related carbon monoxide poisoning. Although considered the most preventable of all types of poisonings, more then 500 lives are lost each year by carbon monoxide in the United States alone.

Thanks to the valiant efforts of  groups such as Florida Justice Association and Past FJA Presidents Ira Leesfield and Greg Barnhart, this bill was passed with the hopes of preventing future tragedies to others. It is great to have a Governor like Charlie Crist on the side of Floridians. Charlie Crist is truly one of the best Florida Governors of all time. We support you Charlie Crist. 

Click here to read more from the Florida Justice Association on Senate Bill 1822.

The House Bill 359, a bi-partisan effort sponsored by Senator Dennis Jones (R-Seminole) and Representative Rick Kriseman (D-St. Petersburg), requires those with a history of driving under the influence to carry bodily injury (BI) coverage in the amount of $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 ($100,000 per person, $300,000 per incident and $50,000 in property damage).

According to NHTSA, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving accident related deaths nationwide were 25,052, out of 59,104 involved in fatal crashes, this represents 42 percent of the total for 2005. In Florida, the total was 3,543 traffic fatalities.

Celebrity DUI arrests and charges have been all over the news of late. A few known celebrities in the news regarding DUI include: Lindsay Lohan (car chase), Nicole Richie (driving the wrong way),  Al Gore III (pills and speeding) Shemar Moore, formerly of the Young Restless.  Thankfully these celebrities did not kill anyone while driving(some allegedly) driving under the influence. They just managed to shatter their stellar reputations and set a bad example for the people that look up to them. Such a bad example for society. Drinking driving is a serious issue, it would be nice to see these stars use their celebrity and fame to promote how important it is "not to drink and drive" while intoxicated. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes and try to turn it into a positve.

Our very own Esther Uria LaBovick   understands the prosecution of DUI criminals and the impact they make on society. While she was an Assistant State Attorney, working under Janet Reno, she was in a special program that prosecuted DUI drivers.  She heard countless testimonies of people trying to justify why they should not be charged or sent to jail. Unfortunately, she also had to see the other side of the lives that were shattered  because of the deaths that the drunk drivers caused.

Word to the wise: Drink and Drive Responsibly in Florida, or you will pay for it in addition to serving time. Spread the word: Do not drive while intoxicated. This message will help save lives.

The LaBovick Injury Law Blog is presented as a service of the Private Law Firm, LaBovick & LaBovick, P.A., Civil Justice Prosecutors.