Daily Clips for December 22, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

4 Senate candidates try to woo Cuban-Americans
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The four top candidates in the race to become Florida's next U.S. senator vied today to show the state's politically powerful Cuban-American community why each would be the best to fight for democracy in Cuba.

New information undercuts Sansom's defense
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
As the Florida House prepares for an unrivaled investigative hearing into its former leader, new information undercuts key parts of Rep. Ray Sansom's defense.

Destroying the Everglades at 25 Cents Per Ton
By Alan Farago
Counterpunch
In early December, on an unseasonably hot and humid Florida day, I sat under a large tent in a crowd of hundreds at the edge of a man-made canal draining the Everglades.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Greer shoots back, says he won't give in to threats, "hateful lies"
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Embattled state Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer has shot back with a letter to state party leaders saying he won't give in to "hateful lies" being spread about him by resigning from his position.

Crist aide departing to be Chamber's chief
By Shannon Colavecchio
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Dale Brill, director of transportation, tourism and economic development for Gov. Charlie Crist, is leaving to serve as president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

E-mails out of the public eye
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Did state Department of Transportation officials try to evade Florida's public records laws by mislabeling thousands of e-mails concerning an expensive commuter rail proposal?

2010 RACES

Florida's U.S. Senate candidates unified on Cuba
By Wilfredo Cancio Isla
Miami Herald
The four leading candidates for Florida's open U.S. Senate seat in 2010 were in the same room for the first time Monday at the U.S.-Cuba Democracy Political Action Committee's annual luncheon -- where they staked out their positions on the future of Cuba and its relations with the United States.

What Crist won't forget: your name
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist stepped to the microphone at a recent Sarasota Republican Party meeting and immediately began dropping names.

In Rubio-Crist battle, GOP allies becomes foes
Staff Report
St. Petersburg Times
Members of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans Club say the split between supporters of Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist in their U.S. Senate race has become personal.

Little light is shed in a visit by Gov. Crist
By Daniel Shoer Roth
Miami Herald
For the first time in all the years I have worked at The Miami Herald, a short circuit left the newsroom in the dark Friday morning.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Businesses leaders plan Amendment 4 fight
By Scarlet Sims
Panama City News Herald
Business community leaders last week took the first step toward organizing to fight an amendment that would allow residents to vote on all zoning changes to city and county comprehensive land-use plans.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Judge tosses out Seminole demand for cash over river fight
By Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
A state administrative judge has rejected a utility's request to make Jacksonville and the Johns Riverkeeper pay attorney fees the utility spent on a court fight to take drinking water from the St. Johns River.

Waging a global war on climate change
Editorial
Miami Herald
Was the climate summit in Copenhagen worth the two years of preparation and expense, or just another wasted exercise in over-hyped bloviating by bureaucrats and their heads of state?

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Rail bill overcharges taxpayers, inflates employment claims
By Paula Dockery
Ft. Myers News-Press
Counterpoint by Gov. Charlie Crist: Rail projects create jobs Floridians need
Special interests won the day when Gov. Charlie Crist signed the new rail legislation into law.

Florida's job market got ice cold during the recession
By Scott Andron
Miami Herald
When the job market gets tough, the tough get going -- back to school.

Protect state funds
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
With more than $100 billion in investments, Florida has the nation's fourth-largest pension fund.
EDUCATION

Crist could improve his ranking of Florida schools
By Aaron Sharockman
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Charlie Crist says Florida has a good story to tell when it comes to K-12 education.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Health care bill: Florida will feel effects of reform
By Frank Gluck
Ft. Myers News-Press
Florida could see its health insurance rolls increase by 2.4 million by 2019, and almost a million of its seniors would be blocked from proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, according to a landmark $871 billion health care reform package expected to win Senate approval Thursday.

Senate gears for second critical health vote
By Erica Werner
The Associated Press
One 60-vote hurdle down, two to go for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul in the Senate.

Heart doctors protest Medicare cuts, say patient care will suffer
By Richard Martin
St. Petersburg Times
Cardiologists from across the state have been banding together, bending the ears of lawmakers in Washington and even holding a rally in Orlando, all to protest Medicare cuts that they say will have devastating consequences for their patients and their practices.

Senate health care bill is dealmaking, not reform
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
On Christmas Eve, Senate Democrats intend to leave under the health insurance industry's tree 31 million new customers at significant taxpayer expense.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Leaders seek FDLE probe of Adderley-Rothstein link
By Jon Burnstein
South Florida Sun-Sentinel via Miami Herald
Two Fort Lauderdale city commissioners have asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate allegations against Police Chief Frank Adderley arising from his relationship with Ponzi scheme suspect Scott Rothstein.

Judiciary: A little balance, please
Editorial
Florida Times-Union
A local man, Circuit Judge Waddell Wallace, is one of four nominees to fill a vacancy on the state's 1st District Court of Appeal.