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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Daily Clips for January 12, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

In his home county, Crist loses straw poll to Rubio

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

Among the many indignities Gov. Charlie Crist has faced over the last several rocky months, this one hit home.


Sink's fundraising leads over full year

By Steve Bousquet

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum had the most successful money-raising quarter among candidates for state office, but his Democratic opponent, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, had a more successful year overall.


Capping offshore drilling

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

Offshore drilling may not be coming to Florida's Gulf Coast, thanks, it appears, to Senate President Jeff Atwater.


FLORIDA POLITICS

Crist, lawmakers call for return of annual school tax holiday

By Steve Bousquet

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Gov. Charlie Crist and leading legislators on Monday called for a revival of the annual sales tax holiday for back-to school items such as backpacks and pencils.


Legislators to public advocate in utility cases: Your job is not secure

By Mary Ellen Klas

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

In the midst of two votes over the largest rate cases in state history, the lawyer who represents consumers is on the hot seat.


Lawmakers, outsiders: No new Sunshine legislation needed

By Matt Dixon

Panama City News Herald

When Sen. Don Gaetz and Rep. Marti Coley agreed to co-author a bill clarifying how Sunshine Laws apply to economic development groups that receive taxpayer money, they pledged to get the input from several outsiders.


LeMieux calls for no delays in F-35 production

By Tom McLaughlin

Northwest Florida Daily News

U.S. Sen. George LeMieux spoke Monday against delaying production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.


Sen. Thrasher's dual role

Editorial

Daytona Beach News-Journal

As an experienced lawmaker, Sen. John Thrasher, R-Orange Park, knows there are times when partisanship becomes a serious barrier to progress.


POLITICAL RACES

Ausley edges toward state CFO race

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Former state Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, edged closer Monday to switching from a Senate campaign to a race for chief financial officer.


Five Republicans want to challenge U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor in District 11

By Janet Zink

St. Petersburg Times

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor won the 11th Congressional District office in 2006 with 70 percent of the vote, and did even better in the heavily Democratic territory in 2008.


Ronda Storms draws a Republican primary opponent in the state Senate District 10 race

By Janet Zink

St. Petersburg Times

Republican Paul Phillips, a lawyer who lives in Valrico, has filed to take on GOP incumbent Ronda Storms for the District 10 state Senate seat.


Carollo may run for state Senate

By Beth Reinhard

Miami Herald

Joe Carollo, the pugnacious former Miami mayor who narrowly lost a reelection bid in 2001, is likely to launch a Florida Senate campaign next month.


BALLOT INITIATIVES

Plan to redraw state districts called unfair

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

The resistance from sitting lawmakers, supporters of the plan say, is a misunderstanding at best or, at worst, a symptom of the inherent conflict-of-interest that lawmakers face when drawing political boundaries.


ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

PSC rejects Progress Energy rate hike request

By Jim Saunders

Daytona Beach News-Journal

West Volusia homeowners and businesses will avoid a hefty increase in electric bills after regulators Monday scuttled a Progress Energy Florida proposal to raise base rates.


Riverkeeper not consulted as judge grants confidentiality

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

The talks among Alabama, Florida and Georgia over water-sharing are confidential now under an order entered last week by a federal judge -- despite an objection from an environmental group involved in the litigation.


Lake Okeechobee water once again tapped for Gulf coast

By Andy Reid

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Lake Okeechobee water, relied on to back up South Florida supplies, will once again be siphoned off to protect west coast fishing grounds.


Whooping crane flock makes it to Florida -- finally

By Barbara Behrendt

St. Petersburg Times

The 20 whooping cranes that make up the Class of 2009 have finally made it to Florida.


Everglades momentum

Editorial

Miami Herald

Nothing talks quite like money. This helps explain the optimism at the annual Everglades Coalition's 29th annual conference this past weekend in Palm Beach Gardens.


Fund Florida Forever

By Charles Pattison

Miami Herald

The nation's biggest land-conservation program has another chance before the 2010 Legislature to renew itself and change course from the 2009 majority decision not to fund this very popular and successful effort.


JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Damage From Cold Strikes Fla. Crops

By Kevin Bouffard

Lakeland Ledger

The sting of cold weather fell on Florida citrus groves Monday morning, leaving frozen fruit in many areas of the state's citrus belt and possibly tree damage.


Sales tax holiday could return

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Heading into another difficult budget year, Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders said Monday that they will support a back-to-school sales tax break this year, even though it could cost the state treasury as much as $44 million.


Florida CFO Alex Sink says Jacksonville has potential because it's economically diverse

By Kevin Turner

Florida Times-Union

The main obstacle for small businesses in Jacksonville is access to capital, several local business owners told Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink at a meeting Monday at the Beaver Street Enterprise Center.


EDUCATION

Lawmakers Debate Spending Less on Prisons, More on Schools

By John Kennedy

News Service of Florida

Once Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were political look-alikes.


Florida lawmakers hoping to alter school curriculum

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

Northeast Florida lawmakers are offering measures that would change the course mixture for students at public schools - and how those schools are graded - in the legislative session this spring.


HEALTH AND SENIORS

When state evaluates drugs for mental health, drug makers play undisclosed role

By Christine Stapleton

Palm Beach Post

In December Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company, had its public relations firm email reporters, offering to set up interviews about the dire need for Florida's Medicaid program to "cover medications for people with mental illness, including treatment with long-acting therapy."


JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Groups must repay Scott Rothstein donations

By Daniel Chang

Miami Herald

More than $2 million in donations doled out by disbarred attorney Scott Rothstein have come back to haunt many of the South Florida charities and nonprofits that once counted on the largess of the alleged fraudster.


South Florida car dealer says he'll replace Rothstein donation

By Paula McMahon

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

When a local nonprofit group, Family Central, Inc., learned it would have to return a $25,000 donation from accused Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, charity officials feared they would not be able to make up for the loss.


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