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.
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