Daily Clips for November 30, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

GOP base flees Charlie Crist for Marco Rubio
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Google the words Charlie Crist and vomit and you'll find an item that illustrates just how badly things have been going for Florida's governor and aspiring U.S. senator.

Crist, others get major medical subsidy
By Beth Reinhard and Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Top Florida lawmakers are balking at Congress' plans to help more poor people get healthcare, though they've protected an entitlement of their own: free insurance premiums.

For Gov. Charlie Crist, it's not easy being green
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
What happened to the man they once called "Governor Green"?

Faulty promises in bid to drill off Florida?
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The oil industry makes its case for drilling within a few miles of Florida's coast by trumpeting a new kind of drilling that is "virtually invisible" on the coast.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Legislators plan for Dec. 3 start of rail special session
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
State lawmakers are penciling in next week as the starting point for a special legislative session to pave the way for Central Florida's $1.2 billion SunRail commuter train project.

Bills run gamut from class size to crack pipes
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
Everything from a repeal of class size limits to a surtax on pipes used to smoke crack has been proposed so far by local lawmakers for the Florida Legislature's spring session.

Florida's gambling fever: Contrasting attitudes fuel expansion debate
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Gambling has not always been legal in Florida but it has always existed here.

Florida's elder affairs chief racks up $70K in travel bills
By Steve Bousquet and Lee Logan
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Florida's elder affairs chief has racked up nearly $70,000 in travel bills in less than three years, much of it by driving his car between the capital and Orlando, where Douglas Beach owns a home and where his wife lives.

John Thrasher girds for new battle with trial lawyers
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
A bill limiting legal fees for outside attorneys handling state cases is one of the first measures sponsored by Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, setting up a new battle between the new senator and the trial lawyers who tried to derail his election this year.

2010 RACES

Senate hopeful Meek aims for a strong start
By Rebecca Ross
Pensacola News Journal
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek wants to be seen as more than a politician.

Claim that Rubio 'never' raised taxes doesn't hold up
By Aaron Sharockman
St. Petersburg Times
Marco Rubio is all of a sudden a darling of the American conservative movement in his U.S. Senate primary against Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

In Senate race, Republican Bob Smith is running to right of Rubio
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Only one candidate running for the U.S. Senate truly has the experience to hit the ground running in Washington, but few people are paying any attention to him.

Newly appointed senator supports Crist
By Beth Reinhard and Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Since joining the Senate three months ago, Republican Sen. George LeMieux said he's made good on his promise to look out for the state's interests.

Unstimulating Charlie: Why Rubio should win the GOP Senate primary
By Jac Wilder Versteeg
Palm Beach Post
I proudly endorse Marco Rubio in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Conservative beliefs clash in race
By William March
Tampa Tribune
In the Republican primary for Florida agriculture commissioner, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow seems like a natural.

Brown-Waite challenger: Democrats gaining steam
By Tony Marrero
St. Petersburg Times
As epic battles go, U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite's Democratic challengers have failed to bring it in general elections.

Cape Coral Democrat to vie for Mack's House seat
By Betty Parker
Ft. Myers News-Press
A new opponent is in the wings for U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers, as Cape Coral Democrat Jim Roach says he plans to enter the race.

Ensuring smooth state elections
By Kurt S. Browning
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding the voting-system vendor Elections Systems and Software and its pending merger with Premier.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

On amendments, signatures abound
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Today
Some county elections supervisors, including Brevard County's, are being swamped with voter petitions for twin constitutional amendments that would fundamentally change Florida politics.

Two ballot proposals stir fears
By Gary Fineout
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida voters may get a chance next year to shake up their government, but it won't have anything to do with who goes to the governor's mansion.

A chance for Floridians to redraw rigged districts
By Daniel A. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
What are incumbent state lawmakers afraid of? Could it be ... competition?

Zygote fanatics push Personhood Amendment
By Gary J. Whittenberger and Richard Hull
Tallahassee Democrat
According to legend, one night in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride and shouted, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" inspiring the Sons of Liberty to action.

Hometown Democracy's troubling poster child
By Robert M. Weintraub
Tampa Tribune
In 1985 Gov. Bob Graham's administration placed an important legal framework in place in Florida to control rampant, undisciplined growth that threatened wetlands, induced traffic congestion and promoted random sprawl.

Citzens deserve to vote on growth
By George Niemann
Orlando Sentinel
After more than 1 million concerned Floridians signed petitions, Florida Hometown Democracy/Amendment 4 will be on the November 2010 ballot.

Leave class-size limits alone: They work
By Mike Thomas
Orlando Sentinel
If at first you don't succeed, keep screwing up. That seems to be the mantra of some Republican legislators as they gear up once again to overturn the class-size amendment.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE, AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Orlando may include transgenders in anti-bias law
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando may extend anti-discrimination protection to transgenders, adding a class of people that until now has been left out as too politically controversial.

In Support of Abortion, It's Personal vs. Political
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
In the early 1950s, a coal miner's daughter from rural Kentucky named Louise McIntosh encountered the shadowy world of illegal abortion.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

St. Joe Company mum on offshore oil drilling
By Jim Ash
Ft. Myers News-Press
Northwest Florida, proud home of turquoise waters and sugar-sand beaches, has become ground zero in the fight against the Legislature's push for offshore drilling.

Plentiful, green energy goes untapped in Florida
By Ken Kaye
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Sunshine State receives enough rays to power every home from Key West to Pensacola.

Protecting consumers
Editorial
Florida Today
Turns out, it's perfectly legal for Florida's Public Service Commission to cozy up to the utilities the agency regulates, including by communicating off-the-record while critical debates about possible rate hikes are under way.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Union leaders fight rail plans
By Brent Kallestad
The Associated Press
A bill that would help create a commuter rail system in parts of Florida is being challenged by union leaders who call the proposal an attack on organized labor.

Florida insurance market still a house of cards despite slow hurricane season
By Michael Peltier
Naples News
As the 2009 hurricane season uneventfully draws to a close at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, insurers, regulators and state officials are looking ahead to bolster the house of cards that is Florida's property insurance market.

Costly political workings of high-risk state insurer
By Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is a bane to some people, a necessity to others.

Regulators going after internet sales tax
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida's first aggressive attempt to collect sales taxes on Internet purchases is off to a modest start, with regulators turned Web cops raking in $44,897 in the last four months.

Creating jobs in Florida takes more than rhetoric
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Sometime next year, Alex Sink and Bill McCollum plan to get serious about creating jobs.

Rail idea on wrong track
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Charlie Crist wants to hold a special legislative session in December to cut a deal on commuter rail.

EDUCATION

State pushes high-school end-of-course tests
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida, never shy about using standardized tests, is stepping into the latest trend: end-of-course exams for high-school students.

Schools need more integrated teaching of black history, group says
By Dave Weber
Orlando Sentinel
Florida schools may have been desegregated 40 years ago, but the curriculum still is not integrated, says a statewide panel studying how African American history fits into the classroom.
New state universities chancellor Brogan tries to mend ties with Legislature
By Shannon Colavecchio
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Frank Brogan sits in the basement-level cafeteria of the state Capitol and greets by name most of the people who walk by.

State of education in Florida: High quality?
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
The groundswell of dissatisfaction over the state of education in Florida is reaching tidal wave proportions.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida's a model for Medicare fraud and the fight to stop it
By William E. GibsonSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel
The nation's leaders are looking to South Florida, a cauldron of swindles by and against the elderly, for lessons on how to stem Medicare fraud to help pay for a health care overhaul.

Is scope of Chinese drywall problem exaggerated?
By Duane Marsteller
Bradenton Herald
As the Chinese drywall saga unfolded during the past year, one figure has been widely and often repeated: 100,000.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Rothstein lawsuit names more defendants
By Sally Kestin and Peter Franceschina
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Related: Bankruptcy lawyers to Florida charities: Give Rothstein money back
Hiding out in Morocco as his alleged Ponzi scheme imploded in late October, Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein received an urgent e-mail from representatives of his largest investment consortiums, offering to help keep the scheme going, according to new allegations in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Supreme Court to hear Florida beach-property rights case
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Florida's beaches -- the blindingly white shores of the Panhandle, the bikini dotted sands of South Beach -- are the state's signature attraction.

Without black judges, blind spots exist
By James V. Cook
Tallahassee Democrat
In slavery times, housing patterns in the South were mixed because white folks wanted their servants close by.

Florida pays a heavy cost for locking up its children
By Bud Chiles
St. Petersburg TimesThere's a real teen crime problem in Florida, and our state politicians are making it worse.

Daily Clips for November 25, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Political heavyweights may be called as witnesses in House case against Sansom
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio and ex-Senate President Ken Pruitt could be called as witnesses in the House case against Rep. Ray Sansom, according to new documents that foreshadow a high profile, politically charged spectacle.

Florida planners face legislative scrutiny on growth
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
State planners say it would take 268 years of population growth to use up the new home lots that already are allowed in Tallahassee and Leon County.

'President Palin?' Fans cheer the possibility
By Mark Schlueb and Stephen Hudak
Orlando Sentinel
Related AP story: Enthusiastic Crowd Greets Palin
Former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin rolled through Central Florida on Tuesday, finding raucous fans in a conservative retirement community before ending her day in Orlando to cheers of "President Palin."

FLORIDA POLITICS

Workshop on PSC brings renewed calls for openness
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A 1992 grand jury report that proposed ways to improve the integrity of the Public Service Commission was dusted off and embraced as a good idea Tuesday by consumer advocates and lawyers for electric customers, nearly two decades after state regulators rejected most of the ideas.

Sen. LeMieux decries 'culture of corruption' in South Florida
By Marc Caputo and Beth Reinhard
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A slew of South Florida political scandals have uncovered "a culture of corruption'' that must be stamped out, freshman Florida Sen. George LeMieux said Tuesday.

Senator Nelson slams Obama, Gulf drilling
By Betty Parker
Ft. Myers News-Press
Florida's Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson didn't hold back on his criticism of the Obama administration's handling of the economic crisis, nor of his opposition toward any easing of Florida's offshore drilling ban in a Fort Myers speech Tuesday.

Florida's Great Northwest turns over checks
By Matt Dixon
Northwest Florida Daily News
Less than a week after a Santa Rosa County man requested check ledgers from the economic development group Florida's Great Northwest, the organization released a record of hundreds of checks written over the past two years.

2010 RACES

Dark-horse DeLand candidate for governor has eye on reform
By Ludmilla Lelis
Orlando Sentinel
In 2001, Michael E. Arth moved into a drug-infested slum in DeLand and, with no money and lots of doubters, rebuilt it into a quaint tree-lined enclave of historic homes.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Jackson Memorial employees deny anti-gay bias
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
In a case that for two years has reverberated nationwide with accusations of anti-gay bias at Jackson Memorial, nurse Natalee Wrisk retains a vivid memory: examining the chart at the bedside of Lisa Marie Pond, a 39-year-old woman who was close to death, unconscious and on a ventilator.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Florida's move to drill could sway Congress
By Jim Ash
Pensacola News Journal
The immediate debate in the Legislature is about drilling in waters controlled by the state in the narrow band up to 10.3 miles from the coast.

Offshore oil drillers now looking at Florida's east coast
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
Wildcat wells might one day spring up off the Space Coast.

Florida ranks third in nation for coal power plant pollution (audio story)
By Sean Kinane
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
A new report released today lists Florida as the third worst state for power plant pollution.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Under Water Mortgages Threaten Recovery
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
A new study shows nearly half of Florida homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

EDUCATION

Mothers know best: Pols are ruining education
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Normally, Florida politicians are among the least sympathetic creatures to inhabit the Sunshine State.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Toy Safety (includes audio)
By Mark Anderson
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
A press conference was held today at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg for the release of the 24th annual Trouble in Toyland report.

Investigate drugmakers' grab for cash
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The pharmaceutical industry is gouging American consumers and taxpayers in advance of health care reform, and it should not get away with it.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Investor pumped millions into Rothstein's scheme
By Jay Weaver and Scott Hiaasen
Miami Herald via St. Petersburg Times
George Levin, a wealthy Fort Lauderdale investor with Wall Street connections, thought Scott Rothstein's confidential legal-settlement deals were a sure thing.

Florida bar looking at four Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler attorneys
By Amy Sherman
Miami Herald via South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Florida Bar has opened investigations into four attorneys at Scott Rothstein's now defunct law firm.

FEATURED STORIES

After 'rough patch,' Crist vows to turn up heat on Rubio
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
"Man, it's been a rough patch,'' Gov. Charlie Crist said as he sat down with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board Monday.

Drilling bill would likely pass House but not Senate
By Bill Cotterell
Gannett Florida Capital Bureau
Related: Lawmakers are wary of oily beaches
Related: Real prize could lie in waters controlled by US government
Related: Oil drilling: the players
The push for the Florida Legislature to approve near-shore Gulf Coast drilling in its 2010 session is like oil exploration itself -- surveys and projections, expert opinions, test wells to take the political pulse and throwing around plenty of money in search of a gusher that ends in a positive vote.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Plan to tap transit fund helps push Florida legislators toward special session on rail
By Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A special lawmaking session on high-speed and commuter rail inched closer Monday as legislative leaders and the governor said they were ready to tap surplus money in the transportation budget rather than raise taxes on rental cars to help pay for the transit projects.

Crist appoints replacement for Eggelletion
By Amy Sherman
Miami Herald
Al Jones, who was born in a black-only hospital and grew up at a time when the idea of a powerful black politician was a dream, was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist Monday to fill the spot of suspended Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion.

2010 RACES

In Broward, Crist hits back at Rubio
By Adam Smith and Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times
In a widely anticipated speech to the Broward Republican Party, Gov. Charlie Crist sought to regain momentum in the U.S. Senate race Monday by portraying his surging Republican competitor as all talk and no action.

Democrat wants ag commissioner race to address oil drilling
By Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
Related: Ag commissioner candidate wants conservatism to be issue in race
Democrat Scott Maddox said today that he wants to make the debate over offshore oil drilling a major issue in his 2010 race for the office of state agriculture commissioner.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Anti-Islam shirts draw suit
By Harriet Daniels
Gainesville Sun
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued a central Florida school district. The lawsuit claims the Alachua County School District violated students' rights by not allowing them to wear T-shirts with an anti-Islamic message.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Southwest Florida's tourism industry OK with rigs, just not close to beach
By Laura Ruane
Ft. Myers News-Press
Southwest Florida's lifeblood tourism industry, which promotes itself as the "Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel," has mixed views about offshore drilling.

Manatee Deaths on Pace to Break Record
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
2009 is on track to be the deadliest year for Florida manatees, with an estimated 4-hundred deaths so far.

Florida CFO Sink announces "paperless" initiative
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Florida CFO Alex Sink says her department's efforts to reduce the use of paper and printing have saved state taxpayers $1 million since 2007

Toward clean water
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
A federal judge was right to step in last week and clear the way for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish limits on pollution in Florida's lakes, rivers and bays.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Insurers reducing, eliminating discounts for storm fortifications
By Beatrice Garcia
Miami Herald
If you got a discount from your windstorm insurance company for installing shutters and other hurricane protections on your home, you might soon have to give some or all of it back.

October home sales booming in Southwest Florida, state, U.S.
By Laura Layden
Naples News
Home sales surged for the second month in a row in October, climbing to the highest level in 2½ years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of what they thought was an expiring tax credit.

Florida's jobless tax system broke and broken
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
The Florida Legislature's short-sighted and tax-reluctant ways continue to undermine progress in the state, this time because of a historically underfunded and now bankrupt Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund.

EDUCATION

Senate looking at class-size change
By John Kennedy
News Service of Florida via Northwest Florida Daily News
The Florida Senate, which steadily has resisted any attempt to overturn or soften state class-size restrictions, is looking more ready to deal.

Culture of failure
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
There are plenty of reasons to question hinging the success of public education on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

GOP Sen. LeMieux says Democratic health care legislation will probably pass
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
barely clearing its first procedural hurdle in the Senate on Saturday night, Democratic health care overhaul legislation probably will pass and leave a system that's "bad for America," Republican U.S. Sen. George LeMieux told a business group this morning.

Crist: Democratic health care plans must be stopped
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Gov. Charlie Crist on Monday sharply criticized efforts by President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress to overhaul the nation's health care system.

Feds find association between drywall, corrosion
By Brian Skoloff
The Associated Press
The federal government said Monday that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Feds: Scott Rothstein Ponzi scheme paid salaries at law firm
By Jay Weaver and Scott Hiaasen
Miami Herald
Attorney Scott Rothstein tapped into millions of dollars from his massive investment scam to cover payroll costs at his expanding Fort Lauderdale law firm, federal authorities said in court records released Monday.

Feds seizing even more Rothstein assets
By Paula McMahon, Sally Kestin and Peter Franceschina
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Attorney Scott Rothstein had his fingers - and maybe his toes too - in a lot more business pies than was evident when the $1 billion Ponzi scandal surrounding him first broke three weeks ago, according to new documents filed in federal court Monday.

Daily Clips for November 23, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Crist faces a tougher primary as luster dulls
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Gainesville Sun
Heading into the Halloween weekend, Gov. Charlie Crist was racking up his frequent flier points.

Will donor scandals doom Crist's Senate bid?
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Charlie Crist has capitalized on huge campaign finance advantages to win three statewide elections in the past decade, and he's off to a quick start in his latest campaign.

Senate looking at class-size change
By John Kennedy
News Service of Florida via Northwest Florida Daily News
The Florida Senate, which steadily has resisted any attempt to overturn or soften state class-size restrictions, is looking more ready to deal.

Lobbyists pay out as oil issue heats up
By Paul Flemming
Gannett Florida Capital Bureau
Related: Some leery of the revenue promised by oil
Related: Energy industry political contributions database
Money makes things happen in this capital city. Consider Florida Energy Associates LLC, the entity behind the current push for drilling in Florida waters.

1 in 8: Florida leads nation in percent of houses in foreclosure
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Florida topped the nation in the percent of home loans in foreclosure for the third quarter of this year with banks taking back 12.74 percent of the state's mortgages.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK



By Jeff Parker, Florida Today

RELATED EDITORIAL:
Yes to fishing ban, but it has to have teeth
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In Florida, one of the world's biggest fishing destinations, some of our fish are disappearing, victims of an over-exuberant fishing industry.

FLORIDA POLITICS

U.S. Senate steered by the power of the hold
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Related editorial: Partisan politics isn't service
George LeMieux has been a member of the U.S. Senate only two months but has managed to jam up legislation on oil drilling, a bill cutting funding for Radio Marti and President Barack Obama's nominee for ambassador to Brazil.

A year of woes for Ray Sansom
By Tom McLaughlin
Northwest Florida Daily News
One year ago, at a ceremony celebrating Ray Sansom's swearing in as speaker of the Florida House, Destin's favored son advised his fellow legislators to "live smart, think smart and make smart decisions."

AG could chime in on Florida's Great Northwest
By Matt Dixon
Panama City News Herald
Two state lawmakers said Friday they intend to ask Attorney General Bill McCollum if Florida's Great Northwest falls under state Sunshine Laws.

Sarah Palin appears Tuesday in Orange Park
By David Hunt
Florida Times-Union
By going rogue, Sarah Palin is drawing a lot of attention.

Cuba Travel Ban Inspires Passionate Debate in House
By Mary Beth Sheridan
Lakeland Ledger via Washington Post
At a tempestuous hearing, one House member after another criticized a growing campaign to lift the ban on American tourists traveling to Cuba.

Enough stalling: Toughen ethics rules
Editorial
Miami Herald
As corruption scandals mount involving city commissioners, county officials and school board members in Broward and Miami-Dade, loopholes in state and local ethics laws have finally come into focus for public officials in denial.

2010 RACES

Election message? Call an interpreter
Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Republicans won widely watched governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey this month.

Rubio speaks at Edison
By Betty Parker
Ft. Myers News-Press
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, who's mounting a challenge to Gov. Charlie Crist in the U.S. Senate GOP primary, made a stop in Lee County Saturday to speak to Lee County's Republican Executive Committee.

Boyd Beatable in North Florida? Yup, poll shows
Staff Report
News Service of Florida
Blue Dog Democrat Allen Boyd is beatable in next year's Democratic primary for his wide-ranging North Florida congressional district -- says opponent Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee.

GOP still divided against itself over Crist-Rubio Senate race
Editorial
Ft. Myers News-Press
Another week, more folderol from Florida Republicans.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Growth Rush of 2009
By David Catron and Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Developers seek land-use approvals before Hometown Democracy goes to voters.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE, AND SOCIAL ISSUES

DCF lawyer: Put gay man's kids back up for adoption
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
All along, everyone involved in Martin Gill's adoption of two foster boys agreed that the best possible home for the children was with Gill and his partner.

South Florida man at forefront of effort to legalize gay adoption
By Susan Spencer-Wendel
Palm Beach Post
For Starbucks manager Steven Mayer, 29, it's a dream: a gay man in Florida one day adopting a child.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Florida coalition targets pending federal pollution rules
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
After losing on the legal front, a powerful coalition of agriculture and business interests, wastewater utilities, water managers and tax watchdogs is mounting a lobbying assault on pending federal rules that could force Florida to clean up pollution fouling lakes, canals, streams and beaches statewide.

Gulf of Mexico drilling proposal worries conservationists, tourism officials
By Jim Waymer
Gannett Newspapers
Related: Oil & Water: The debate over drilling in Florida
Related: Military bases could feel drilling's impact
Related: Where will they drill? ... and other questions
Related column: Why risk damaging tourism?
Oil spills kill fish, birds and tourist reservations.

Lots of risk, no reward in drilling off the coast of Florida
By Carter Hall
TC Palm
The siren song of big oil is seductive and enticing. It promises many things for Floridians: cheaper gas, more gas, new jobs, help with Florida's budget problems and finally, safe technology with no spills.

It's just not worth it
Editorial
Pensacola News Journal
The News Journal Editorial Board has long opposed drilling within 100 miles of Gulf Coast beaches -- even 150 miles, as proposed during congressional negotiations in 2006. Certainly not in state waters, within 10 miles of the coastline.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Fla. unemployment climbs to 11.2 percent in Oct.
By Bill Kaczor
The Associated Press
Florida's unemployment rate continued its steady upward climb in October to 11.2 percent - a mark last seen in the 1970s and a tenth of a percentage point higher than September's adjusted rate, state officials said Friday.

Citizens Property Insurance to go up 5.4 to 11 percent in 2010
The Associated Press
Orlando Sentinel
Mobile homeowners insured by state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will see an 11 percent increase on their insurance policies in 2010.

Insurance based on credit scores stirring controversy
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
Despite efforts at the capitol in recent years to end the practice, property and automobile insurance companies in Florida are allowed to use a customer's credit history in setting premiums, something opponents say could ensnare more Floridians as the economy weakens.

Florida aims to boost credit to small businesses with `Economic Gardening'
By Jim Wyss
Miami Herald
A long-awaited pilot program designed to offer training and loans to thriving, mid-stage Florida companies is beginning to take shape -- and take applications.

Fates of SunRail, South Florida's Tri-Rail run on parallel tracks
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
Veronica Jackson pored over a training notebook as she sat in a Tri-Rail commuter train one day last week.

Workers feel the pinch while bosses just get richer
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
There's new evidence of the outsized greed Wall Street allows for corporate executives.

Employer tax hike is lawmakers' fault
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
No employer can be happy with Florida's nearly 12-fold increase in unemployment compensation taxes next year.

EDUCATION

Can you win a lawsuit accusing the Legislature of doing a lousy job?
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
Can you win a lawsuit that accuses the Florida Legislature of doing a lousy job?

Brevard needs hundreds of new teachers to meet mandate
By Megan Downs
Florida Today
Of course, Brevard County School Board Chairwoman Amy Kneessy would prefer if none of her son's high school classes had more than 25 students -- the goal set by the state.

Kids deserve better
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Over the 10 years since Florida voters wrote that requirement into the state constitution, the Legislature has reduced state funding for education dramatically, shifting the burden of public schools to local taxpayers and reducing overall per-student funding.

Words matter
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
In 1998, 71 percent of Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment that said providing a "high quality" public education for all children is the state's "paramount duty."

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Historic Health Care Bill Clears Senate Hurdle
The Associated Press
New York Times
Related: Centrist Senators Say They Oppose Health Care Bill
Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama.

Cancer-screening changes fueling reform paranoia
By Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald
Cancer screening guidelines for women pulled a Palin this week.

Doctors' group blasts Senate healthcare bill in front of Freedom Tower
By Jose Pagliery
Miami Herald
As U.S. senators prepared for a critical vote on the healthcare bill Saturday morning, dozens of dissenting physicians and nurses protested at the Freedom Tower in one of 24 rallies staged nationwide.

Child mental care swamped
By Deborah Circelli
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Hundreds of children are waiting for outpatient mental health services and may not be able to get help for several months.

Tobacco tax
Editorial
Tallahassee Democrat
When the Legislature was debating last spring whether to raise money by substantially boosting the taxes on tobacco, a couple of arguments were all that caused even a pause in enthusiasm for this "sin tax."

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scott Rothstein: Scope of scandal emerges
By Peter Franceschina and Sally Kestin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Related: Bank helped Rothstein in fraud scheme, lawsuit alleges
Wealthy Fort Lauderdale businessmen, hedge funds, money managers for the ultrarich -- the sweep of Scott Rothstein's alleged $1 billion Ponzi scheme is beginning to emerge.

Daily Clips for November 20, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Florida's senators: Room for improvement in health care reform bill
By Lee Bowman
Naples News
Both of Florida's senators say there's plenty of room for improvement to the health care reform bill being brought to debate by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Cut services? Hike taxes? Recession has GOP in a fix
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
For decades, Floridians have essentially bought government on the cheap, satisfying a swelling appetite for expanded services with taxes paid in large measure by visitors and newcomers.

Tampa City Council passes antidiscrimination rules for transgender people
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times
Related column: In the end, Tampa council upholds idea of equality
Men who live as women, women living as men, clergy members, mothers and grandparents packed the Tampa City Council chambers Thursday to debate a new ordinance that would protect transgender people from discrimination.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Kiss of Death? Palin Might Endorse Rubio in Florida Senate Race
By Trish Ponder
Pensito Review
Most people were stunned when, after weeks of auditioning the Republican party's best and brightest, Sen. John McCain chose the unknown and inexperienced Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign.

On health care reform, letter writing, and form letter responses to constituents...Senator Nelson's office = fail.
By R.S. Pienta
Florida Progressive Coalition
I have been doing some letter writing to elected officials in the wake of recent Congressional activity.

Hey Rep. Kosmas! Stand Up to Big Banks and Payday Lenders
By Progress Florida
Daily Kos
Activists today delivered a letter signed by more than 200 constituents urging Rep. Suzanne Kosmas to stand up to special interest lobbyists by supporting strong, comprehensive financial reform.

St. Petersburg should move its elections back to the Spring, but when exactly?
By Peter Schorsch
St. Petersblog 2.0
The numbers do not lie: in March of 2001, more than 34% of voters turnout to choose the Mayor of St. Petersburg.

FLORIDA POLITICS

No, really, they're happy to book the governor
By Paul Flemming
Tallahassee Democrat
Another week, more folderol from Florida Republicans.

Amigos from across the aisle
By Anne Schroeder Mullins
Politico
Freshman Rep. Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) returned to his office and found his entire staff abuzz. "Congressman Tom Rooney stopped by," they excitedly told him.

2010 RACES

Daily Kos/Research 2000 Florida 2010 Poll
Poll Results
Daily Kos
Margin of error 4%; poll conducted Nov 16, 2009 - Nov 18, 2009.

Reagan to pass on state Senate
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
State House Speaker Pro Tempore Ron Reagan, R-Bradenton, confirmed Wednesday that he will not run for the state Senate when his current term expires.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Conferences offering opposite views on homosexuality to converge in West Palm Beach
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post via Miami Herald
One group believes that homosexuals can be cured and runs programs aimed at putting gay men and lesbians on a straight path.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Regulating growth now much harder, Pelham says
By Nathan Crabbe
Ocala Star-Banner
Making his second run as secretary of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Thomas Pelham said the process of regulating growth has taken a turn for the worse.

Industry reps slam DEP bag ban recommendation
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Representatives of stores and packaging industries slammed the Department of Environmental Protection today for a draft report's recommendation to tax and then ban plastic and paper bags in Florida.

Investing in nuclear power
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Say you want to build a nuclear power plant. It won't be easy, cheap or quick. Nor has it been done for three decades in the United States.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Retailers Will Ask for Relief With Unemployment Tax
By Bill Kaczor
The Associated Press
Some Florida businesses want to partly roll back an increase in their unemployment compensation tax after being shocked by its magnitude.

Florida posts nation's largest drop in new unemployment insurance claims
By Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
Florida is leading the country on the jobless front-- in a good way.

Solar energy plant at KSC generates jobs
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
Kennedy Space Center plans by late next year to start building one of the largest solar power plants of its kind in the world, bringing 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 50 long-term science and engineering jobs.

EDUCATION

State rates teacher prep programs
By Ron Matus
St. Petersburg Times
Out of the blue, the FCAT has a new job: measuring the programs across the state that produce teachers.

Crist's ex-teacher retires from Palm Beach County schools, citing discouragement with changes
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
Charlie Crist's fourth-grade teacher is frustrated and tired. And she's not taking it anymore.

Florida schools on trial
By Mark Lane
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Florida voters, bless their changeable hearts, voted overwhelmingly in 1998 to put an amendment into the state constitution declaring that running quality schools is a basic job of state government.

Education violation
Editorial
Tallahassee Democrat
In 1998, when 71 percent of Florida voters endorsed a constitutional amendment to make it a "paramount duty" of the state to provide quality education to students in our public schools, it was anticipated that several years might pass before this well-intended concept had enough meat on its bones to be enforceable.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

FL Medicaid Health Info Network
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Today the Agency for Health Care Administration launched the Florida Medicaid Health Information Network, becoming the first state in the country to make the move toward a paperless system.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Fla. jury awards $300 million in ex-smoker's suit
By Christine Armario
The Associated Press
A South Florida jury on Thursday ordered Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million to a former smoker, agreeing that the tobacco company's negligence was the cause of her emphysema.

First Chinese drywall trial is set for January
By Aaron Kessler
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The first Chinese drywall trial is now scheduled, and it will involve a manufacturer controlled by the Chinese government itself.

Daily Clips for November 18, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Crist taking off gloves earlier than expected
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Faced with an onslaught of bad news for his U.S. Senate campaign, Gov. Charlie Crist is starting to fight back.

Lawsuit claims Florida is failing its schools, wants new education plan
By Ron Matus
St. Petersburg Times
Florida is violating the state Constitution by not pouring enough money into schools and relentlessly focusing on high-stakes testing policies that aren't getting good results, says a lawsuit expected to be filed today in Leon County circuit court.

CFO Questions Gay Adoption Ban
By Whitney Ray
Capital News Service
In Florida gay and lesbian couples can be foster parents, but there's a state law keeping them from adopting. That law is being tested in court, and as Whitney Ray tells us, the gay adopting ban is now becoming a hot button issue in the governor's race.

Health-care bill offers peace of mind
By Alan Grayson
Orlando Sentinel
The U.S. House of Representatives has acted to end a national tragedy.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Crist hopeful about special session
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday he is "hopefully optimistic" about having a special legislative session in December or January on high-speed and commuter rail projects.

Florida juvenile justice leader racks up flight expenses
By Steve Bousquet and Lee Logan
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
At a time when state employees face travel restrictions to save money, Florida's top juvenile justice official racked up $44,000 on travel -- much of it for commercial flights between his office in the capital and St. Petersburg, where his family lives.

Politicians Still Cashing in on Free Trips
By Amy Keller
Florida Trend
In 2007, after a scandal involving Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff revealed how lobbyists were using lavish trips to curry favor and buy face time with lawmakers, Congress enacted stricter rules governing privately funded travel.

Crist calls for ban on texting while driving
By Josh Hafenbrack
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday endorsed a statewide ban on texting while driving, joining a growing chorus trying to curb the risky practice popular among generations glued to their BlackBerrys and iPhones.

Under the Gunster
By Art Levy
Florida Trend
When Gov. Charlie Crist tapped his trusted friend George LeMieux to replace U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, he also nudged the Gunster law firm out of its comfort zone.

2010 RACES

Attorney General Candidates: Field of Dreamers
By Amy Keller
Florida Trend
Gov. Charlie Crist set off statewide political jostling that opened up every Cabinet post earlier this year when he announced his decision to run for the U.S. Senate.

Rubio renews calls for debates, Crist camp begins push-back in GOP Senate primary
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, who's getting lots of national conservative love but trailing in money-raising and name-recognition to Gov. Charlie Crist in their GOP Senate primary race, has renewed his call for a series of debates.

Rubio draws cheers and checks at Stuart luncheon
By Jim Turner
TC Palm
Former state House speaker Marco Rubio didn't disappoint enthusiastic supporters here Tuesday when he brought his campaign challenging Gov. Charlie Crist as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate to a local hotel dining room.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Hometown Democracy: Pols fear power of the people
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
You know who really scares Buddy Dyer and the rest of the folks down at Orlando City Hall?

Full speed backward on growth management
By Robert M. Weintraub
Gainesville Sun
In 1985, Governor Graham's administration placed an important legal framework in place in Florida to control rampant, undisciplined growth that threatened wetlands, induced traffic congestion, and promoted random sprawl.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Transgender vote may draw crowd
By Christian M. Wade
Tampa Tribune
The city council's decision two weeks ago to extend Tampa's anti-discrimination laws to include transgender individuals was a move long overdue, its supporters say.

Broward County swears in first openly gay mayor
By Laura Figueroa
Miami Herald
Ken Keechl, 47, was sworn in Tuesday as Broward County's first openly gay mayor.

Not good enough
Editorial
Florida Today
At last, one of the Sunshine State's elected leaders is standing up against the cruel hypocrisy of Florida's ban on gay adoption.

Protect Tampa's transgendered
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The days of denying a person a job, housing or even service in a restaurant solely on the basis of bigotry are not entirely gone.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Cabinet approves land-buying bonds, Keys oversight
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet today approved a resolution issuing $250 million in bonds for buying conservation lands, representing the last money approved by the Legislature for the program.

Releasing two captive manatees stirs controversy in Homossasa Springs
By Barbara Behrendt
St. Petersburg Times
When Amanda is hungry, she rolls onto her back and makes a coy little flipper gesture toward her mouth.

Half-inch crack found inside containment wall while Crystal River nuclear plant closed for maintenance
By Richard Danielson
St. Petersburg Times
Progress Energy and federal officials continue to investigate the cause of a half-inch-wide crack recently found inside a containment wall at the Crystal River nuclear plant.

Consumer advocate, FPL make last argument in rate-hike battle
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Customers of Florida Power & Light deserve a rate decrease, not an increase, because the company's request for a $1.3 billion annual hike is ``a conglomeration of extreme positions and excessive demands,'' Florida's consumer advocate argued in a final brief filed Monday with state regulators.

Whooping cranes make annual journey to Fla.
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
A group of whooping cranes is making its way from Wisconsin to Florida for the winter.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida lawmakers weigh end of stimulus money
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
As lawmakers grapple with a shortfall for the coming fiscal year that could total as much as $2.7 billion, there's another financial headache looming on the horizon: The pending expiration of the federal stimulus money that the state used to patch holes in its $66.5 billion spending plan for the current spending year.

SunRail hits new snag -- how to pay for TriRail
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers' efforts to rush through legislation authorizing the SunRail commuter train in a special lawmaking session next month may have hit a new snag -- convincing federal transportation officials the state can pay for its end of the deal.

Fla. unemployment tax to skyrocket
The Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
Unemployment compensation taxes paid by Florida businesses will skyrocket next year due to the state's high jobless rate -- 11 percent in September.

EDUCATION

In new exam, a sign of FCATs on the wane
By Christopher O'Donnell
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Some Florida students will take math tests this year that state officials say will likely replace the math and science FCAT for high school students.

Hundreds protest for Broward teacher raises
By Kathy Bushouse
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Come January, Denise Elbaum will pay another $200 a month for health insurance for her two daughters.

Seminole college president retiring for month to 'double dip' -- will get $390K pension payment
By Luis Zaragoza
Orlando Sentinel
Seminole State College President E. Ann McGee is retiring next month, but hang on to that congratulatory card.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

If conservatives ran healthcare . . .
By Maggie Mahar
Miami Herald
If you're a progressive like me, and you're upset by the Stupak amendment, which bars federally subsidized insurance from covering abortions, consider this: What if we had a single-payer health-care system and someone like Jeb Bush or Sarah Palin were running the country?

Lobbying for prayer insurance
By Ruth Morris
Health News Florida
Little noticed in the noisy healthcare debate, Robert Clark of Belleair has been criss-crossing the state, meeting with lawmakers and other government officials, as part of a growing campaign by the Christian Science Church seeking coverage for prayer treatments.

Experts criticize new advice on mammograms
By Judith Graham
Miami Herald
In a highly controversial move, an influential government-sponsored organization is recommending against routine annual mammograms for healthy women in their 40s.

Nation Gets a "D", Florida Receives "F" on March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card
From the March of Dimes
WCTV CBS News Tallahassee
For the second consecutive year, Florida earned a "F" on the second annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scott Rothstein Ponzi case turns to raids on banks
By Jay Weaver, Scott Hiaasen and Amy Sherman
Miami Herald
Perched in his bunker-like Fort Lauderdale office, attorney Scott Rothstein raided hundreds of millions of dollars from the trust accounts of more than 20 investment groups with a few keystrokes on his computer -- all within the last three months, according to court records and sources familiar with an FBI investigation.

Rothstein asks to voluntarily give up law license
By Sally Kestin, Paula McMahon and Peter Franceschina
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Fort Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein has asked to voluntarily surrender his license to practice law, the latest fallout of his alleged $1 billion Ponzi scheme.

Daily Clips for November 17, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Sink, McCollum scale back use of state airplanes
By Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The two leading candidates for Florida's governor have grounded their high-flying ways on state-owned airplanes.

Crist puts brakes on travel costs
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Charlie Crist is requiring state employees to get high-level approval for out-of-state trips, to carpool on in-state travel and to stay at cheap hotels.

Democrats scouting for CFO hopeful
By Catherine Dolinski
Tampa Tribune
Next year could be a watershed for Florida Democrats, who have an opportunity to regain parity or even take the lead on the state Cabinet.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Crist's communications director makes resignation official
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Charlie Crist's communications director formalized her resignation late Monday, warmly thanking the governor for about three years of interesting work but giving no indication what she plans to do next.

Ousted House speaker's defense: Legislature approved the money, not just me
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Former House Speaker Ray Sansom says it was all there for any member of the Legislature to review: millions in taxpayer dollars stuck in the state budget for a Panhandle college.

Sansom case could wind up before the Supreme Court
By Gary Fineout
The Fine Print
One potential bit of fallout from the ongoing legal case involving ousted House Speaker Ray Sansom is that it could actually have an impact on Florida's existing anti-corruption laws and it could easily wind up before the state Supreme Court.

2010 RACES

When a hug becomes a kiss of death
By Carol E. Lee
Politico
Charlie Crist is getting killed by a hug.

Rubio ad in Fla. Senate race mimics Obama ad
By Brendan Farrington
The Associated Press
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, who criticizes Gov. Charlie Crist for being a fan of President Barack Obama's stimulus package, is himself a fan of one of Obama's campaign ads.

Senate candidate Marco Rubio delivers a right swing during Naples stop
By Carrie Wise
Naples News
Republican senatorial candidate Marco Rubio thinks the title of senator sounds nice.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

A stand against hypocrisy
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Alex Sink raised the bar in the race for Florida governor Sunday by calling for the state to end an outright ban that prevents gays and lesbians from adopting.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Feds to Set State Pollution Limits
By Bill Kaczor
The Associated Press
The federal government will attempt to set Florida's water pollution standards - the first time it'll try that for any state - under an agreement approved Monday.

Florida Keys, land-buying on Cabinet agenda
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The Cabinet could have a somewhat busy agenda today on environmental issues.

Nuclear companies face reactor design problems, ethics questions
By Sue Sturgis
Facing South
Federal regulators have expressed serious safety concerns about the design for 14 of the nation's 25 proposed new nuclear reactors, raising questions about the future of what the industry calls its "renaissance."

Florida Preservation: Forever's Time Runs Out
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
Forever, as it turns out, arrived in 2009. That is when the shortsighted members of the Florida Legislature managed to kill all funding for the Florida Forever program.

Sunshine Amid The Clouds
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
Florida's prospects for producing clean, renewble energy are growing brighter.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Santa Claus is Coming to Florida
By Whitney Ray
Capital News Service
Florida retailers are preparing for a busy holiday shopping season a year after posting the worst sales numbers in 40 years.

Space Coast economic leaders propose using Shuttle Logistics Depot for military refurb work
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Space Coast economic leaders are asking NASA to allow a private company the indefinite use of a building full of high-tech equipment in the hope of saving hundreds of high-skill jobs when the space shuttle program ends.

EDUCATION

Mass Teacher Protest Set for Tonight
By Gina Presson
Public News Service Florida
Protesters say they'll surround the K.C. Wright Building in downtown Fort Lauderdale starting at 5 p.m. today.

School grades: Still an F
By Randy Schultz
Palm Beach Post
Related: Should Florida abolish school grades?
What happened this year in the Palm Beach County School District began 10 years ago in Tallahassee.

Brevard schools spend FCAT bonuses
By Megan Downs
Florida Today
Most Brevard Public School employees will receive a bonus in Friday's paycheck because of their work that helped boost school grades and improve FCAT scores.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Two Senators Seek Medicaid Change
By John Kennedy
News Service of Florida via Lakeland Ledger
Two Florida senators said Monday the state should consider dropping out of the federal-state Medicaid program to avoid a planned expansion and create its own health care system for low-income residents.

Seniors feel squeeze of Medicare hikes
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
Cynthia Greenberg has been automatically renewing her Medicare HMO policy for three years and had been relatively happy with it.

Did $1-a-pack tax get smokers to quit -- or get more creative?
By Josh Hafenbrack
Orlando Sentinel
Cigarette sales have fallen sharply across Florida since Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law a $1-a-pack tax increase this summer, plunging nearly 50 percent in some counties.

SWAT regroups its tobacco prevention effort
By Marc Valero
Tampa Tribune
By placing 88 small crosses on lockers in their school's main hallway on Thursday, a few Lake Placid High School students want to illustrate the message that 88 people die each day in Florida from smoking-related causes.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida's Innocence Project partners with Stetson University to help free the wrongly convicted
By Lisa Marzilli
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
A new alliance between Stetson University and a Tallahassee legal defense organization could hopefully mean freedom for some of the wrongfully convicted trapped in Florida prisons.

Attorney Rothstein explored countries without extradition treaties for 'client'
By Paula McMahon, Sally Kestin and Peter Franceschina
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Ten days before Scott Rothstein flew to Morocco as his alleged Ponzi scheme was about to implode, he sent an e-mail to every attorney in the Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm.

Daily Clips for November 16, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

A Florida Republican Becomes a Right-Wing Target
By Kate Zernike
New York Times
In retrospect, even Charlie Crist admits that "the optics" of The Hug are not great.

Go right or do right? Crist should pick the latter
By Thomas Tryon
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
If Florida's governor and candidate for U.S. Senate had a theme-song contest, the leading contender would be "Good time Charlie's got the blues."

Erin Isaac looks like a sacrificial lamb for Crist's image woes
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
For nearly four years, Erin Isaac was a constant, hard-working presence at the side of Charlie Crist, loyally serving spin and positive imagery for a governor who until recently performed capably as his own best spokesman.

Republicans divided when they need focus
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Earth-shattering news: the Florida GOP is a party divided.

State should beware of drilling promises
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
State lawmakers and the people of Florida should see it is an affront to conservative government and fiscal prudence to risk priceless resources and the state's economy for the dubious promises of a secret group of oil interests.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK


By Jim Morin
Miami Herald

FLORIDA POLITICS

Former Gov. Lawton Chiles' son repeats his father's famous walk
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
Nearly 11 years have passed since the death of former Gov. Lawton Chiles.

Money affects Cuba policy
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Supporters of the U.S. embargo against Cuba have contributed almost $11 million to members of Congress since 2004 in a largely successful effort to block efforts to weaken sanctions against the island, a new report shows.

Trend of 'political downsizing' hasn't hit Florida
By Rick Hampson
USA Today via Tallahassee Democrat
A move to "downsize" local-government boards and councils -- something that's happening right now mostly in the state of New York -- hasn't taken hold in Florida.

Senator visits with port, aircraft carrier on his mind
By David Bauerlein
Florida Times-Union
U.S. Sen. George LeMieux on Friday made his first trip to Jacksonville since being appointed two months ago and said dredging the Jacksonville port and bringing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be high on his agenda.

Does Florida's Great Northwest fall under Sunshine Law?
By Matt Dixon
Panama City News Herald
Related: What is Florida's Great Northwest?
Its members include state lawmakers, economic development officials, and industry leaders - all of whom praise its efforts.

Florida may restrict texting while driving
By John Kennedy
News Service of Florida via Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Measures banning motorists from text messaging and using cell phones are becoming hot topics this fall for Florida lawmakers intent on making a U-turn on legislation that formerly went nowhere.

Crist hesitant to appoint replacements; a vote next?
By Charles RabinMiami Herald
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Friday he's likely to defer naming a commissioner to one of Miami's two vacant seats -- potentially sending the city into further tumult and bringing a costly election.

Palin returning to Florida for book tour
By Fred Hiers
Gainesville Sun via Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin heads a list of three conservative icons who will make The Villages part of their whirlwind book tours during the next two weeks.

New voting-machine blues
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Elections Systems & Software -- the company now responsible for Sarasota County's optical-scan voting machines -- has some explaining to do.

2010 RACES

Florida candidates take campaigns to Facebook and Twitter
By Shannon Colavecchio
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio is about to go on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

Charlie Crist loses his mojo
By Alex Isenstadt
Politico
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is witnessing a sharp downturn in his political fortunes, imperiling his standing as the presumptive next senator from Florida and leaving Washington and Tallahassee wondering if the seemingly invincible Republican has lost his way.

Conservatives invite Rubio to be keynote speaker at Washington event
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
The Club for Growth finally made it official this month and endorsed Marco Rubio for the Senate over Gov. Charlie Crist.

Rubio wants supporters not to feel too confident
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Republican Marco Rubio has gone from being a long shot candidate against Gov. Charlie Crist to one of the most talked about candidates in the state.

Paula Dockery refuses to let party anoint the next Governor
By Brendan McLaughlin
ABC News Tampa Bay
If State Senator Paula Dockery of Lakeland succeeds in her run for Governor, she would be the first female and first Italian American to hold the job -- which begs the Sonia Sotomayor style question: Would a strong Italiana be more effective as Governor than the long line of men who precede you?

So far, no big name for GOP to fight Grayson
By Mark K. Matthews and David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Few targets in the country are more appealing to Republicans than freshman U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando.

Some timely tips for candidate Crist's new aide
By Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald
First of all, welcome aboard. I imagine it's been quite an adjustment, coming from the office of Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

Crist's missteps multiply with LeMieux gone
By Mike Thomas
Orlando Sentinel
Charlie Crist sent more than George LeMieux to Washington back in August. He sent his brain.

Charlie Crist: Focused on himself
Editorial
Florida Times-Union
What is Charlie Crist?

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Growth debate pits amendment backers, detractors
By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Both sides see something wrong with Florida's growth patterns, but the question of how to fix it could fuel one of the biggest political fights Florida has ever seen.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE, AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Sink backs adoption by gays, lesbians
By Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald
Alex Sink, Florida's chief financial officer and the leading Democratic candidate for governor, told the state's largest gay rights group Sunday that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt if it's in the children's ``best interest.''

UF study: Religious left emerging to oppose right
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
A new University of Florida study finds the religious left is emerging as an alternative to the Christian right.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Drilling: wrong way to go
By Waldo Proffitt
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
You will remember, I hope, that last week this space was occupied by the story of a huge oil spill 155 miles off the coast of northern Australia -- how that spill came from a 2-year-old drilling rig using the latest technology, how it spread an oil slick over a vast area of the Timor Sea, and how a spill of such size off the Gulf coast of Florida would endanger both hundreds of miles of white, sandy beaches and billions of dollars worth of income from tourism.

Gore's presentation on climate change draws 800 as 200 protestors gather outside
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Confused Palm Beach County voters helped thwart Al Gore's 2000 bid to become president of the United States, but he was introduced as "president of the planet" when he returned here Saturday night to deliver an environmental lecture.

Judge hears objections to Fla. pollution agreement
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A judge is considering objections to an agreement by the federal Environmental Protection Agency to set surface water pollution standards for Florida.

FSU Professor studying impact of Gulf of Mexico 'dead zones' on marine life
By Doug Blackburn
Tallahassee Democrat
Kevin Craig may have the largest lab of any biology professor at Florida State University.

FDA delays raw oyster ban, Florida reaction mixed
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today backed off a proposal to ban the sale of raw oysters from Gulf states during summer months by 2011.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Closing corporate annual report loophole may bolster Florida budget
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida's constant search for more money could mean a tougher approach to businesses that fail to file annual reports on time.

Shrinking Florida faces tough choices as residents flee, jobs vanish
By Jeff Kunerth
Orlando Sentinel
Rick Desrochers is leaving. And he's not coming back.

Insurer Citizens' $60M no-bid contract draws anger
By Kris Hundley
St. Petersburg Times
The board of state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. approved what is likely the largest no-bid contract in its history last month, awarding $60 million to a software company in Jacksonville.

Regulators shut 2 banks in Fla., 1 in Calif.
By Stephen Bernard and Marcy Gordon
The Associated Press
Regulators shut down two banks in Florida and one in California on Friday, boosting to 123 the number of U.S. bank failures this year as loan defaults rise in the worst financial climate in decades.

EDUCATION

State of Florida facing shortage of residency programs
By Angeline J. Taylor
Tallahassee Democrat
Courtney Whittington was raised in Tallahassee, and she hopes her 2-month-old daughter, Linnea, also will grow up in Florida.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Health-care reform and abortion coverage: Questions and answers
By Alec MacGillis
Washington Post
After the House passed its health-care bill last weekend, debate exploded over an amendment by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) that restricts abortion coverage.

Many in S. Florida could face `Cadillac' healthcare tax
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
A key provision in the main Senate healthcare reform bill could cause many South Floridians to pay taxes on their employer-based insurance on the theory that they're expensive ``Cadillac'' plans.

Medicare warnings ignored, records show
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
For three years, the federal agency in charge of preventing Medicare fraud repeatedly ignored internal watchdog warnings about swindlers stealing millions of dollars by scamming several programs, documents show.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Ex-partner: Rothstein `financial serial killer'
By Susan Spencer-Wendel
Palm Beach Post
As former Palm Beach Circuit Judge William Berger resigned Friday from the law firm at the heart of an alleged massive investment scandal, he depicted Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler's lead partner as a ``financial serial killer'' whose actions harmed not just investors but less well-heeled victims.

Two more names added as possible Circuit judge
By Karen Voyles
Gainesville Sun
At the request of Gov. Charlie Crist's staff, two more names have been submitted as possible judges for the 8th Judicial Circuit.

Don't throw kids away
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Florida is ground zero for a question that the U.S. Supreme Court was pondering this past week: Is it constitutional for judges to send children to prison for the rest of their lives for crimes other than murder?