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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Daily clips for January 5, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

More GOP lawmakers want Greer out as boss

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Nine former legislative leaders whose service spans the Florida Republican Party's rise to power bluntly demanded GOP Chairman Jim Greer's resignation Monday.


Prosecutor plans revamped Sansom criminal case

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

A state prosecutor said Monday that he is convinced Rep. Ray Sansom misused tax dollars and will continue to press the criminal case against him.


With billions at stake, U.S. Census wants you to count

By Kevin Wiatrowski

Tampa Tribune

With 2009 drawn to a close, the U.S. Census Bureau is gearing up for its big day: April 1.

FLORIDA POLITICS

As pressure builds, Greer says Florida GOP raised $4.5 million

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

As pressure builds for him to step down as chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer announced Monday that the party raised a hefty $4.5 million in the final three months of 2009.


The man behind RedState.com shakes up the Republican Party

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

Between pecks at his laptop, Macon City Council member Erick Erickson ticked off some of his goals for the new year.


Fla. emergency management director resigns

By Brendan Farrington

The Associated Press

Florida's top emergency management official resigned Monday against his will, saying an investigation into allegations made against him would have found he did nothing wrong.


Florida lawmakers consider bill to make DUI arrest easier

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

As the time of the year when motorists have a reputation for being more likely to drive drunk passes, a pair of Northeast Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it easier for police to make a DUI arrest without a warrant.


2010's Dead Floridian Walking is...

By Mike Thomas

Orlando Sentinel

The ballots are in for the 2010 Dead Floridian Walking award, bestowed on the politician set up to take the biggest fall in 2010.

POLITICAL RACES

Critics take aim at GOP endorsement of Evers

By Tom McLaughlin

Northwest Florida Daily News

State Sen. Don Gaetz's decision to name Greg Evers as his choice to join him in the Florida Legislature's upper chamber in 2010 has been greeted with some skepticism.


State House candidate runs on former name

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Is she Janet Cruz or Janet Rifkin? Or maybe Janet Gonzalez?

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Promises of jobs, revenues from offshore drilling just don't add up

By Scott Maddox

TC Palm

I am strongly opposed to allowing near-shore drilling for oil off Florida's coast. In coming to this conclusion, I considered several questions.


U.S. Sugar shareholder suit ends in $15.9M settlement

By Paul Quinlan

Palm Beach Post

If there was any doubt that U.S. Sugar Corp. was worth as much as its brass claimed, those doubts dissipated in June 2008 when Gov. Charlie Crist unveiled his extraordinary, $1.75 billion bid to buy the company and its land to restore the Everglades.


DEP says incineration, innovation can help reach 75-percent recycling goal

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Florida can increase its recycling rate to 75 percent within 10 years by requiring more recycling at construction-waste landfills, implementing innovative new programs to reduce waste disposal and by counting waste-burning as recycling, according to a state report issued today.


Florida report wants deposits on bottles, business recycling

By Steve Patterson

Florida Times-Union

Dime deposits on reusable bottles and extra fees on tires, light bulbs and landfill dumping should all be on the table to meet Florida lawmakers' goal of recycling more trash, a state agency report released Monday says.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Steep rise in jobless tax hitting Florida businesses

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Florida businesses are being hit by a sharp increase in unemployment compensation taxes coming due just as many of them are struggling to emerge from the Great Recession.


Fla. population shrinking or expanding? Not even movers or demographers agree on stats

By Duane Marsteller

Bradenton Herald

Are more people moving out of Florida than moving in from other states?

EDUCATION

Path to diploma gets tougher

By Joe Callahan

Ocala Star-Banner

The bar students must reach to graduate high school just got higher -- especially for those who struggle in reading.


Stimulus money sends youth back to school

By Grace Gagliano

Bradenton Herald

A Manatee County educational organization has received more than $200,000 in stimulus funds to send out-of-school youth back to the classroom.


Five Florida colleges are praised for their value

Staff Report

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Five Florida colleges, including Sarasota's New College, have been named as providing the best educational values in the country by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Lawmakers Aggressively Tackle Healthcare Fraud

By Amy Keller

Florida Trend

When George LeMieux, Florida's new senator, was setting up house in Washington, D.C., recently, he went to Best Buy to pick up a television.


Medicaid Class-Action Lawsuit Resumes in Miami (audio story)

By Margie Menzel

WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee

Back underway in Miami Tuesday: a class-action lawsuit that claims Florida is violating federal Medicaid requirements by providing inadequate care to hundreds of thousands of children.


Tests find antibiotic, other contaminants in Tampa's drinking water

By Christian M. Wade

Tampa Tribune

The tap water that Tampa residents consume is contaminated with low levels of antibiotics, nicotine byproducts and a chemical used to produce firefighting foams.


State of sabotage

Editorial

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

You didn't expect the health-care industry to let reform succeed without a fight, did you?

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Prosecutors frustrated by outrageous law

By Fred Grimm

Miami Herald

John Timoney's concerns about Florida's ``stand your ground'' law in 2005 sound like prophecy in 2010.

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