Daily Clips for December 1, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Legislature calls special session on SunRail to begin Thursday
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida's hunt for a $2.5 billion federal windfall for high-speed rail lurched ahead with Monday's official call for a special legislative session to begin Thursday.

New Attempt to Pass Sunrail Bill Called "Union-busting" (includes audio)
By Gina Presson
Public News Service Florida
The Florida legislature has announced a special session beginning Thursday, to consider the Sunrail legislation, a proposed $1.2 billion plan to bring commuter rail to greater Orlando.

Florida Supreme Court rejects Crist's petition for grand jury to investigate corruption
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Charlie Crist's call for a statewide grand jury to investigate political corruption was rejected Monday by the Florida Supreme Court as too vague, so the governor's office quickly refiled its request.

Democrat Senate hopeful visits Panhandle
By Tom McLaughlin
Northwest Florida Daily News
While two high-profile Republican candidates battle for headlines in the race for a Florida U.S. Senate seat, Democrat Kendrick Meek has the luxury of building a voter base from the ground up.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Florida lawmakers call special session to talk about rail plans
By Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Millions more dollars for commuter rail. A new agency to oversee a bullet train. An agreement to spare taxpayers from some major lawsuits.

Florida Democrat appointed ambassador to Portugal
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Allan Katz of Tallahassee, a Democratic Party activist and early supporter of President Barack Obama, has been nominated ambassador to Portugal.

Ex-Dunedin legislator will take job as PSC counsel
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida Public Service Commission picked former state senator and Tallahassee lobbyist Curt Kiser to serve as the agency's general counsel Monday, vowing to make a "clean break'' at the embattled agency.

Leaders settle on jobs, space
By Rick Neale
Florida Today
Jobs and space: Considering NASA's murky future, these should be the top priorities of the Space Coast legislative delegation this year in Tallahassee, local leaders agreed Monday.

Mary Call Darby Collins remembered as a 'great Floridian'
By Gerald Ensley and Angeline J. Taylor
Tallahassee Democrat
Mary Call Darby Collins, descendant of one Florida governor and widow of another, died Sunday after a long illness.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Dividing up fairness
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
You live in Daytona Beach near the mall. Your state senator, John Thrasher, lives in Jacksonville.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

PSC to try setting Fla. conservation goals - again
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Public Service Commission is taking another stab at setting energy conservation goals for Florida's major electric utilities.

Florida commission considers sewage sludge rule changes
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The Environmental Regulation Commission on Tuesday will consider changes to regulations dealing with "biosolids."

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Lawmakers Hopeful on Economy
By Michael W. Freeman
Lakeland Ledger
Facing slumping tax revenues and an economy still mired in recession, state lawmakers need to find ways to boost revenues or face the difficult task of cutting a budget that has already been described as little more than skin and bone.

Florida still not ready for big hurricane
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
As of this morning, Florida has escaped another hurricane season.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Nothing to lose
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Some of our top politicians in Tallahassee, including Gov. Charlie Crist, have been slamming President Barack Obama's health care reform plans.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Rothstein expected to be arrested, charged Tuesday
By Jay Weaver and Amy Sherman
Miami Herald
Scott Rothstein, the flashy Fort Lauderdale attorney who authorities say ran a $1 billion investment scam while acting like a philanthropic tycoon, is expected to be arrested Tuesday on a federal racketeering charge, sources familiar with the case said.

In major fraud hot spot, agency sets an example
By Matthew Doig
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
If there were any doubts that Miami-Dade's Mortgage Fraud Task Force filled a need, the cases that poured in upon its creation two years ago erased them.