Daily Clips for December 7, 2009

FEATURED STORIES

Haridopolos planning for a conservative 'New Senate'
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
In a spacious, glass-enclosed office where an autographed photo of President Barack Obama sits on the coffee table, future state Senate President Mike Haridopolos prepares lesson plans, grades papers -- and plots the next conservative movement in Florida.

Federal stimulus money: Many spending critics back a bill seeking billions for a bullet train
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post
Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul called lawmakers to the Capitol last week to clear a path for high-speed rail.

Success of rail deal is far from certain
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
With the House poised next week for a floor vote, most of the real work in a special session on rail issues disappeared Friday behind closed doors.

Analysis: With election near, Gov. Crist changes
By Brendan Farrington
The Associated Press
A sure sign that an election is a year away: Gov. Charlie Crist is changing again.

Near-Shore Oil Drilling: Slick Technology Sham
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
Floridians and their legislators have had many reasons to be skeptical since proposals surfaced rapidly to open near-shore waters to exploration and drilling for oil.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Union issue, South Florida Democrats' ambitions in SunRail spotlight
By Josh Hafenbrack and Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
With billions in federal transportation money at stake, the Legislature returns to the Capitol on Monday for the homestretch of a special lawmaking session with heavy scrutiny on an unlikely group: a half-dozen Senate Democrats from South Florida.

Job axe doesn't seem to be falling on lobbyists
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Lobbyists in Tallahassee still don't appear to be all that affected by the Great Recession.

State fails to verify lobbyists' pay
By Gary Fineout
Ocala Star-Banner
Florida's efforts to track how much money is flowing into the state capital to influence state laws and other public business is missing a major step: verification.

Panel dismisses ethics claims against Kottkamp, McCollum, Sink for use of state planes
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The state Commission on Ethics on Friday dismissed complaints against three high-ranking elected officials over their frequent use of state airplanes, including trips involving family members and political activities.

Before Sansom's college hire, exec given 'phased departure'
By Tom McLaughlin
Panama City News Herald
Jim Chitwood, the man state Rep. Ray Sansom replaced at Northwest Florida State College, insists he wasn't pushed into retirement by former college President Bob Richburg.

Money ties Florida's Great Northwest to public entities
By Matt Dixon
Panama City News Herald
Records of 1,600 checks released by the nonprofit Florida's Great Northwest show the group has given millions of dollars to taxpayer-funded schools and economic development groups in the past two years -- an indication of the close relationship between the group and those entities.

Grayson finds fault with Obama
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Congressman Alan Grayson has risen to national prominence by blasting Republicans and mocking their legislative ideas.

Fla. may ban texting while driving
By Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Stop clicking and drive. Or the law might come after you.

Florida's ex-Sen. Paula Hawkins shook up 'boys club'
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Paula Hawkins, the self-styled "battling Maitland housewife" who elbowed her way through a good ol' boys club to become the first Florida woman elected to the U.S. Senate, died early Friday morning.

2010 RACES

Republicans struggle for soul of their party: Crist-Rubio contest is national flashpoint
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
For Republicans, the picture is a political Rorschach test.

Crist: Federal spending bad except when it's good
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
Not that long ago - in fact it was just last October - Gov. Charlie Crist ran his first radio ads in his campaign for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Rubio says legislators should be wary of rail deal but Crist camp says "talk is easy"
By Gary Fineout
The Fine Print
After being asked about it former House Speaker Marco Rubio has weighed in on the ongoing special session.

Bondi campaign videos draw fire from opponents
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Two campaign videos Pam Bondi posted on the internet Wednesday just after she filed to run for attorney general are drawing fire from her Republican primary opponents.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Foes target growth laws months before session
By Jane Healy
Orlando Sentinel
As legislators prepare for next year's session, those in favor of weakening growth laws have started lurking the halls.

Fla. delegation weighs in on EPA water standards
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Twenty-five members of Florida's congressional delegation have signed a letter urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work closely with state officials and industry in setting limits for nutrients in Florida waterways.

Everglades restoration advocates hail beginning of Tamiami Trail bridge
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Related editorial: One big leap for Everglades restoration
How big was Friday's Tamiami Trail bridge ground-breaking for Everglades restoration advocates and managers?

Recreational Fishing Alliance challenges red snapper closure
By Jim Sutton
Florida Times-Union
The Recreational Fishing Alliance wasted no time in mounting a legal challenge to an interim red snapper closure, announced Thursday by the federal government and entered into the Federal Registry on Friday.

Interior Secretary pledges to protect lagoon
By Megan Downs
Florida Today
Ken Salazar, secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, visited the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge Saturday morning, pledging to protect the national parks and fight global warming at the worldwide conference

Seize the moment on climate change
Editorial
Miami Herald
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

State Revenue Prediction Offers Hope
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Lakeland Ledger
In one of the most hopeful signs since the state's economy began its deep slide three years ago, Florida economists said Friday that sales taxes and other revenue that support government services will expand this fiscal year and grow even more next year.

In Florida workplace, more pain, then gain
By Jim Wyss
Miami Herald
The national unemployment rate took an unexpected dip in November as companies slashed dramatically fewer jobs than at any other point since the recession began.

80,000 Floridians still waiting for jobless checks
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
The first checks from an emergency unemployment extension have started going out, but about 80,000 Floridians may not see any money for another two to three weeks.

EDUCATION

Sunshine State slowdown: Fewer students, poor economy spell pain for Florida schools
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
In its early life, Camelot Elementary was Central Florida's poster child for runaway school growth.

Florida, Tampa Bay area see boost in high school graduation rates
By Stephen Nohlgren
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's high school graduation rate continued to climb last year, even after state officials dropped students with GED degrees from their count.

Poorly funded schools are struggling to fulfill mission
By C.T. Bowen
St. Petersburg Times
The kids at Pasco Middle School are locked out of the computer labs this month.

Parents put Facebook to work against school districts
By Marc Freeman and Kathy Bushouse
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
They started with e-mails. Then they created Facebook pages. Then came a website.

Barron front-runner for FSU president
By Doug Blackburn
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida State University may have a new president as early as Tuesday.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Senate set to confront abortion in health care debate
The Associated Press
Ft. Myers News-Press
Buoyed by a presidential pep talk and intense rounds of negotiations, Senate Democrats hope to move closer to embracing a major health care bill this week by tackling the nettlesome issue of abortion.

Nelson Ready To Bust Pharma Deal: 'They Need 60 Votes, Don't They?'
By Ryan Grim
Huffington Post
Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said on Sunday that if leadership doesn't work with him on his amendment that would break the White House deal with Big Pharma, he won't be there to support the bill.

Congresswoman Kathy Castor on Healthcare (audio story)
By Arielle Stevenson
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Today in Tampa, Congresswoman Kathy Castor spoke with WMNF on the overall status of health care reform and what she anticipates happening in the Senate.

Fat-cat politicians like health care just the way it is
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Florida is full of pandering politicians who are trashing Congress' plan for health-care reform.

Federal trial will decide changes in Florida's child Medicaid program
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
A federal trial that begins in Miami on Monday could effect the medical care of 1.4 million Florida children.

Medicare tall tales
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Arizona Sen. John McCain should know better. So should Florida Sen. George LeMieux and Gov. Charlie Crist.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Rothstein's aura of wealth, power fed ego and scheme
By Jay Weaver and Amy Sherman
Miami Herald
Scott Israel, the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Broward County sheriff last year, won't ever forget his first encounter with lawyer Scott Rothstein, the big-time GOP fundraiser.

U.S. Supreme Court to decide: Were Tampa police clear about suspect's Miranda rights?
By John Frank
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Inside a small interview room at the Tampa Police Department in August 2004, an officer read Kevin Dewayne Powell his rights.

Political intrigue slows U.S. attorney pick
By Paul Pinkham
Florida Times-Union
Five months after former State Attorney Harry Shorstein of Jacksonville and two other prosecutors were named as finalists for U.S. attorney, there has been no nomination by the White House.