The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 4

2A THE PALM BEACH POST WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2006 Jose Lambiefs PAGE TO Want the scoop on local newsmakers? Watch this space every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Fall, quick save, no-shows mark weekend Desired tax cuts Gov. Jeb Bush proposed $1.5 billion in tax cuts Tuesday. More details will be revealed today when the governor unveils his budget for the next financial year. Here are the cuts he wants to make: School Property Tax Reduction $570 million: A 9 percent reduction in the 'required local effort' property tax rate the tax rate the state requires local school districts to levy as part of the K-12 education funding formula.

Bush's office said homeowners with the homestead exemption would save an average of $55 a year from this tax cut Homeowners Tax Rebate $500 million: A one-time tax rebate that would send $100 checks to all resident homeowners and mobile-home owners in the state. Sales tax holidays $81 million: Covers a back-to-school sales tax holiday expected to cost $40 million and hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday of $41 million. Early stage venture capital tax credits $75 million: Tax credits for private investors and lending institutions for investment in emerging enterprises in Florida. Sales tax exemptions for machinery and equipment million: Includes a $26 million annual sales tax exemption for machinery and equipment to expand Florida's manufacturing production. The plan also includes a $40 million annual exemption for all machinery and equipment used for research and development activities.

Energy diversity tax credits $15 million: Time-limited sales tax exemptions and corporate income tax credits for hydrogen-fuel vehicles, hydrogen and other clean fuel filling stations, hydrogen fuel cells and the production of biodiesel and ethanoi. Repeal of the alcohol 'By the Drink' tax $51 million: Repeal of a tax 20,000 restaurant and bar owners must levy on each drink sold. Repeal of the Intangibles tax $161 million: The tax on stock portfolios affects, with some exceptions, only the wealthiest 2 percent of Floridians. Bush has made the repeal of this tax one of his top priorities since taking office. I 'A "'r a V.

i I The controversial chairman of the Red Cross Ball breaks his nose in a fall. A social stalwart nearly chokes to death on steak, only to be saved by a columnist And a rock star gets booted off the stage of another fund-raiser while a half-dozen celebs diss the famous lawyer who raises tons of cash. It was an Only-In-South-Florida weekend. Organizing his second Red Cross gala, pool-toy mogul Simon Fireman, 80, hopped onto the Mar-a-Lago ballroom stage, as a joke, to lead the band late Saturday. For what happened next here is Donald Trump: "It was a swan dive, no doubt" Trump said.

"Simon upstaged The Donald at that event His nose was first to hit the marble at my feet. It was a long, hard fall. If a tribute to his health that he wasn't more seriously hurt" Among a half-dozen ambassadors and some of the area's richest folks, another witness described the noise as "a pumpkin smashing on the ground." A bloodied Fireman was treated at a local emergency room and released. "I didn't hear a sound," Fireman said, "but I'm on the road to recovery." Local Red Cross chapter Executive Director Dean Dlmke said Fireman had been "under the weather" all week and was overworked. Others said Fireman seemed "disoriented" about halfway through the ball.

Friday night meanwhile, couturier Arnold Scaasl and his longtime partner, Parker Ladd, sat at the head table of the Africa-themed Palm Beach Zoo ball, also at Mar-a-Lago. Suddenly BRUCE R. BENNETTStaff Photographer International Red Cross Ball Chairman Simon Fireman and his wife, Norma, applaud as guests arrive for the evening's festivities Saturday at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Ladd, 77, turned beet-red and his eyes bulged. Palm Beach Daily News society minder Shannon Don- Bush proposes 9 tax cuts worth total of $1.5 billion nelly applied the tie- uniicn maneuver twice.

Saved! fffilF'll (--waK ttfa Nell Black By ALAN GOMEZ Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush is trying to cap his tax-cutting tenure as governor with a tax reduction package Ladd "Men are hard to come by here," Donnelly said. "Gotta save the ones you have." In Miami Saturday night attorney Roy Black held his yearly fund-raiser for a school for young delinquents. The good news: He raised a whopping $2.3 million. The bad: The celebrity content was nearly nonexistent after organizers had announced that Rush Llmbaugh, actors Harvey Keitel and his ex, Lorraine Bracco, and singer Barry Glbb would attend.

Most insulting was the absence of Limbaugh, whom Black is defending tooth-and-nail in Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krlscher's doctor-shopping investigation. "Rush doesn't really Eke galas," Black said. Motley Criie frontman VInce Nell was supposed to sing four tunes but was helped off the stage after half of one. He forgot the lines and peppered the who paid $500 for dinner with obscenities. "Vince was very tired," Black's wife, Lea, said.

"And he had some wine and no food that, if passed by the legislature, would result in over $20 billion in tax cuts over his eight years in the Capitol. Bush on Tuesday out Bush SEFJI AND HEARD TANilHIG ATTFJIDAIIT CRIES FOUL Despite ugly rumors of a split Eyes Wide Shut star Nldole Kidman did appear backstage during dant at the salon said she couldn't comment on the incident. McMahon, who starred in a wrestling show Monday night has been a longtime Boca resident He lives with wife Linda A booth attendant at a Boca tanning salon has told cops that she was groped by someone she identified as World Wrestling Entertainment boss VInce McMahon, according to two Boca beau Keith Urban concert at KISS Country's Chili Cookoff Sunday at C.B. Smith Park in west Broward. Kidman got plenty of privacy, the backstage area having been en V.

McMahon S. McMahon Bush makes up for the lost revenue in the budget proposal he lays out today. "I'll give him the benefit," said Rep. Ron Greenstein, D-Coconut Creek, after standing behind Bush during the news conference. "We do have to pray that all the needs are met If they're not, then well discuss it" Bush's plan also includes a $500 million, one-time tax rebate that would send a $100 check to every homeowner and mobile-home owner in the state.

He's pushing a $51 million proposal that would eliminate the "by-the-drink" tax that restaurant and bar owners collect and a $69 million proposal that would eliminate sales tax on machinery and equipment for research and development. Greenstein applauded all three initiatives, partly because they were first introduced by Democrats. "He's embraced a lot of our stuff, and it's really impressive," he said. Bush's inclusion of several Democratic initiatives led to an awkward situation during Tuesday's news conference because his tax-cut package left out a $500 million, one-week sale- tax holiday proposed by House Republicans. House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, jokingly chastised the governor before applauding the package as a whole.

"You're doing the Democrats' tax cut but you're not doing our super-mega tax cut we proposed. Whatever I did, I'm sorry," Bense told the governor. "I'm obviously kidding. I applaud the governor for his proposed tax relief in Florida." Bush's tax cuts, and the budget proposal he is scheduled to release today, are just proposals. The House and Senate will consider them while formulating their budget which they must pass during the regular session scheduled to start March 7.

alangomezpbpostcom Kidman Raton police sources. In a report expected to be made public this week, an attendant at Tanzabar on North Federal Highway claims McMahon, 60, came in for a routine tanning session late Sunday night But things got a little weird. "The alleged victim says Mr. McMahon first showed pictures of himself naked on his cellphone," said one source, who saw the report "Then she says he made unwelcome advances and finally cornered her in a tanning booth and groped her." at The Excelsior on South Ocean Boulevard. Apartments there fetch in the $6 million range.

McMahon couldn't be reached. But at home in Boca, Linda called the allegations "totally bizarre." His daughter, Stephanie, also a star of wrestling specials, confirmed her dad goes to Tanzabar. "Yeah, he was there the other night" she said. "I'm not aware something happened." The tanning attendant's name is being withheld until police investigate further and classify the nature lined the tax-cut portion of his budget proposal, nine cuts totaling more than $1.5 billion that would affect homeowners, burgeoning biotech companies, hydrogen-fuel vehicle owners and anybody who buys an alcoholic drink. Many of the cuts are continuations of ongoing initiatives, such as sales-tax holidays for hurricane preparedness and at back-to-school time, and the full repeal of the intangibles tax.

But the largest cut is $570 million in property taxes for homeowners and other property owners, money raised by school districts and reserved specifically for them. That cut comes as legislators face criticism for not fully funding the class-size constitutional amendment voters approved in2002. Bush said the cut would not sacrifice funding for the class-size amendment, and that his budget proposal, which he plans to roll out today, will make that clear. "We're not going to do it to the detriment of public education," Bush said. "You'll see tomorrow." The property-tax cut would reduce by 9 percent the tax that school districts are required to charge to get matching money from the state, called the "required local effort." Bush's office said it will save homeowners an average of $55 a year.

Democrats held back from criticizing the plan, saying they want to know how larged to keep out gawkers Former Apprentice star Brad Cohen, who's running against six candidates for a seat on the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, says he's learning great patience on the stump. "I knocked on this old lady's door and she recognized me," he says. "She let me in, we talked for 10 minutes. I thought I had her, then she let out 'Sorry, I'm not a registered Calls left for Tanzabar owner Amy Murray were not returned. An atten- of the alleged incident RED FACES AT THE OPERA? Tanning also has been a point of contention at Palm Beach Opera.

Word at the institution is that a production" assistant quit because of a dispute over her spray-tanning dozens of cast members of the recent production of Aida. Kathy Lugo, 22, isn't returning calls. But spies at the opera say she resigned last week after it became apparent she wouldn't get paid extra for the work. As a side business, Lugo lugs a spray-tan machine into customers' homes and makes them look sun-toasted in five minutes. In early December, she was asked to spray-tan nearly 100 pasty actors and singers preparing Aida, which takes place in Egypt "The opera paid her for the supplies she used," the source said.

"But they didn't pay her for her time and use other equipment She can charge up to $150 per person in her business." Said Sharon Runk, the nonprofit's finance director. "As far as we are concerned, this was part of Kaths work. She should have negotiated payment before the fact Besides, I don't think she was happy here." Got a news tip? Call Jose at (561) 820-4725 or e-mail oselambletpbpost.com Florida Lottery Tonight's Lotto Jackpot $3 million The Mm Beach Post A COX Newspaper 2751 South Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33405-1233 Main telephone: 561-8204100 (Tequesta to Boynton) Other araac 800432-7595 SELECTED 128: Saturday Lotto CORRECTIONS CLARIFICATIONS Because of a reporting error, The Palm Beach Post Saturday gave the incorrect altitude (4 miles) for the Challenger spacecraft at the time it disintegrated. Challenger was at 46,000 feet 8.712 miles above Earth's surface when the disaster occurred. The story ran on Page IE of the Accent section.

Because of an editing error, The Post Monday incorrectly referred to Rudolf Hoess, former commandant of the Nazi prison camp at Auschwitz, as Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's one-time deputy. In a story about Howard Triest a translator at Nuremburg whose parents were killed by the Nazis, Hoess is said to have complained of cold feet while in prison. "They were a lot colder when he was hanging," Triest said. The story appeared on the front page. 20-26-28-30-32-45 All 6 $6 million 1 5 of 6 $5,928 75 4of6 3of6 $77.50 $5 4,653 i 93,344 Prize Winners Fax: 561-820-4407 Fax: 561-265-4872 Newsroom local newt: 661-820-4401 Carolyn DiPaolo, pbmetropbpost.com South County: 561-279-3462 Pnce Patton, pbsouttipbpost.com Treasure Coast 772-223-3558 Glenn Henderson, pbtcoastpbpost.com State newt: 561-820-4583 Paul Blythe, pbstatepbpostcom FrontPage: 581-820-4449 Bill Rose, pbmetropbpost.com Butlnett newt: 561-820-4476 Rick Chrisbe, pbbusinesspbpostcom Opinion: 661-820-4447 Randy Schultz, letterspbpostcom Sports: 661-820-4441 NickMoschella.pbsporlgpbpost.com Accent 581-820-4730 Nicole Neal, pbaccempbpost.com Entertainment: 561-820-4436 Larry Aydlette, pbentertainpbpost.com living: 561-820-4494 Ken Bohannon, pbaccentpbpost.com SELECTED 125: Wednesday Lotto All 6 Prize SO Winners 0 8-12-16-23-38-41 5 of 6 4of6 3 of 6 $3,819 $60 $4 82 4,210 80,738 Fax: 561-820-4407 Fax: 561-837-8366 Fax: 561 820 4728 Fax: 561-820-4481 Fax: 561-820-4445 Fax: 561-820-4445 Fax: 561-820-4472j Fax: 561-620-4728 Customer Service (delivery, billing questions) 561-820-4663 M-F: 6:30 a.m.

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