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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Monday, February 15, 2010

Daily Clips for February 15, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Hands Across the Sand


Hundreds line Pinellas County beaches to protest near-shore oil drilling

By Curtis Krueger

St. Petersburg Times

Hundreds lined Pinellas County's beaches and many more came to more than 70 coastal locations around Florida to protest the idea of drilling close to the state's shoreline.


Rubio questions climate change

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Senate candidate Marco Rubio said Friday that he doesn't accept the scientific evidence for global warming - a stance Rubio has hinted at before, but which the campaign of Gov. Charlie Crist said is a switch for Rubio.


Recession causes pain for many as others coast

By Bob Herbert

New York Times via Daytona Beach News-Journal

There is a great tendency in this country to refuse to see what is right in front of everybody's eyes.


Ten unanswered questions about the Fla GOP saga

By Adam Smith

The Buzz Blog

Ten questions we may or may not see answered in the coming weeks and months.


Keep tabs on party cash

Editorial

Tampa Tribune

Folks who donated to the state Republican Party have reason to wonder how much of their money was used to help defeat Democrats and how much was squandered on personal luxuries for the leadership cabal and favorite friends.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK


Editorial cartoon of the week


By Andy Marlette

Pensacola News Journal

FLORIDA POLITICS

Democrats critical of attorney general

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Alex Sink, Democratic candidate for governor, told a hometown crowd of Tampa Democrats that her Republican opponent, Bill McCollum, needs to "wake up."


Grayson hopes to mitigate ruling

By Bill Thompson

Ocala Star-Banner

Democrats on Capitol Hill have unveiled their plans to mitigate the effects of a controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling that critics claim, provides Big Business with unfettered influence over elections.


Diaz-Balart's departure no surprise

By Beth Reinhard

Miami Herald

Related: Diaz-Balart aims to maintain fight for a free Cuba

Thursday's announcement by archenemy Lincoln Diaz-Balart that he's retiring from Congress has got to be the most delicious news Martinez has heard since they named city hall after him.


Lakeland Commission Refuses to Pick Rail Stop From Five Possible Locations

By Rick Rousos

Lakeland Ledger

The five spots identified by the Florida Department of Transportation as possible stops for the bullet train are all in Lakeland.

POLITICAL RACES

Lawmakers: Elections won't distract from duties

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

At a meeting with reporters ahead of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Larry Cretul noted that he might be different than many other members of the Legislature in what he was running for.


Sink has money, but fans want a message

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

Veteran political pros and Democratic party activists across Florida increasingly fret that the woman once viewed as a sure winner for governor is proving to be a hypercautious candidate without a potent message or viable political operation.


McCollum blasts Democratic rival as 'in lockstep with liberals'

By George Bennett

Palm Beach Post

Republican Bill McCollum sought to put his race for governor in a national context tonight, mentioning Scott Brown's surprise Senate win in Massachusetts and saying Democratic rival Alex Sink is "in lockstep with liberals in Washington."


Uncomfortable spotlight now on Rubio

By Carl Hiaasen

Miami Herald

Marco Rubio's campaign to win the Republican Senate primary revolves around the now-famous hug that Gov. Charlie Crist shared with Barack Obama during a presidential visit to Fort Myers last year.


Welcome back to the job, Gov. Crist

By Steve Bousquet

St. Petersburg Times

Is it the scary poll numbers? The chorus of critics in the Republican base? The bad-mouthing by columnists and pundits?


Florida Democrat Meek revs up his advertising

By Brianna Keilar

CNN

NASCAR stock cars have long been traveling billboards for motor oil, whiskey, even mayonnaise and trashbags, but one of the cars whizzing Saturday along the Daytona International Speedway was a marketing vehicle for a politician.


Rubio rolls out web videos as CPAC nears

By David Cantanese

Politico

In the run-up to one of the most closely watched conservative events of the year, Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio is launching a series of web videos designed to place the insurgent Republican in a relaxing, informal, unfiltered setting where he can tell his story in his own words.


Aw -- Crist sends Rubio a Valentine

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

Gov. Charlie Crist sent former House Speaker Marco Rubio, his opponent in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, a Valentine on Friday.


In diverse 2nd district, money becomes an issue

By Matt Dixon

Panama City News Herald

When it comes to Panhandle politics -- in both physical stature and clout -- Al Lawson looms large.


Special U.S. House election in Florida's 19th District proves costly to taxpayers

By Anthony Man

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler left office in January, but taxpayers are still racking up bills because of his decision to resign with a year left in his term.


District 58 voting is starting Monday

By Kathy Steele

Tampa Tribune

Democratic and Republican primary elections last month in state House District 58 had one of the lowest voter turnouts in Hillsborough County election history.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Class-size limits may get 2nd legislative look

By Linda Trimble and Jim Saunders

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Theresa Hobbs' daughter will start kindergarten in August, just in time for voter-approved limits on class sizes to take full effect.


Redistricting drama: lawmakers show fear of fairness

Editorial

Tallahassee Democrat

There's nothing like a good old-fashioned power-and-turf struggle to kick off another legislative season.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE, AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Empty store could illustrate history as civil rights museum

By Tony Hill, Alan Williams and Bob Rackleff

Tallahassee Democrat

Our state leaders can go beyond the usual rhetoric about today's 50th anniversary of Florida's first lunch counter sit-in demonstration in Tallahassee.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Protesters draw line in sand over oil drilling

By Sarah Owen

Panama City News Herald

Chains of hand-holding Floridians stretched across shorelines from Pensacola to Key West to show solidarity in their opposition of offshore oil drilling.


Hundreds hold 'Hands Across the Sand' to protest oil drilling off Florida's coast

By Adam Playford

Palm Beach Post

The man on the stage says it's time, and Ian, who is 8, is ready.


Protesters across Florida rally against offshore oil drilling

By Maria Herrera

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

They looked like dark spots of tar freshly washed upon the shore.


Protesters gather at the beach

By Todd Ruger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

More than 250 people joined hands on the famous powdery sands of Siesta Public Beach on Saturday to show opposition to oil drilling as close as three to 10 miles offshore.


Econ River polluted? It's in eye of beholder

By Kevin Spear

Orlando Sentinel

The Econlockhatchee River, inky from decaying baldcypress needles and cradled in deep swamp, is intensely studied by biologists who think of the "Econ" as still much like what nature originally created.


'Snowmageddon'

Editorial

Gainesville Sun

Washington just experienced a blizzard so heavy that some headline writers termed it "Snowmageddon."

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

A new look at foreclosures and mediation

By Kevin Turner

Florida Times-Union

The Florida Supreme Court and Florida's banking industry agree there's a logjam of foreclosure cases clogging the state's circuit courts, but they disagree on what to do about it.


Judge: homeowners must fight for rights

By Todd Ruger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

A federal judge has issued a warning to Florida's homeowners in foreclosure: You'd better fight if you want your rights.


Florida takes its time spending federal stimulus money

By Scott Powers

Orlando Sentinel

A year ago this week, President Obama signed into law the controversial $787 billion stimulus plan intended to pour billions of dollars into all 50 states and create millions of jobs.


Floridians pay for vacant state jobs

By Josh Hafenbrack and John Maines

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Florida's state government workforce now includes about 5,500 positions that have been vacant for at least a month - jobs that Floridians pay to keep open even as legislators hit them with billions in fee and tax increases.


State has slashed funding to help people buy, repair homes

By Missy Diaz

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Ruth Duvall moved to South Florida from Bogota, Colombia, nearly three decades ago in search of the American Dream.


Short-sale buyers race to seal deal before tax credit expires

By Mary Shanklin

Orlando Sentinel

Rachel Nacion-Ograyensek and her husband are getting nervous.


Child-care center a casualty of budget cuts

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

The lilting laughter of children at play lightened the dismal morning chill in the lobby of the Gwen Cherry Child Development Center as parents signed their kids in and hurried off to work Friday, but the adults were deeply worried about finding new child care in just 11 weeks.

EDUCATION

State lawmakers may consider expansion of school voucher program

By Colleen Wixon

TC Palm

Some Treasure Coast students are getting their private school education partially paid for with public dollars.


Fleecing college students

By Waldo Proffitt

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Among the more sleazy activities for which I hope the American financial industry will be held accountable is the intensive and expensive campaign it is now waging to be able to keep on gouging college and graduate students to the tune of $8 billion or so in the course of the next 10 years.


UF puts end to enrollment cuts

By Nathan Crabbe

Gainesville Sun

The University of Florida is halting enrollment cuts as a way of dealing with budget cuts.


Testing for reform

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks. And no more FCAT?

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida legislative proposals for medical care

By Jeremy Cox

Florida Times-Union

Don't expect any sweeping, Congress-style health-care overhauls when the Florida Legislature convenes next month.


Profits for the five largest U.S. health insurers' rose 56 percent in 2009

By McClatchy Tribune

St. Petersburg Times

As the nation struggled last year with rising health care costs and a recession, the five largest health insurance companies racked up combined profits of $12.2 billion -- up 56 percent over 2008, according to a new report by liberal health care activists.


Congressman honored for helping missionaries in Haiti

By Sara K. Clarke

Orlando Sentinel

Worshippers at the First Baptist Church of Orlando honored U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, Sunday for his role in helping rescue students and adults who were on a mission trip to Haiti when the country was rocked by an earthquake last month.


Florida Department of Children & Families Secretary George Sheldon ready for a challenge

By Carol Marbin Miller and Shannon Colavecchio

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

On a warm recent Saturday, George Sheldon is in a conference room with doctors and nurses from Miami Children's Hospital who are treating injured children from Haiti's killer quake.


Patients decry C-section rate

Staff Report

Health News Florida

Once a C-section, always a C-section" is a dictum that became obsolete decades ago, women's health advocates say. But in Florida, that notion still rules, now more than ever.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Crist, others support inmate rehab programs in tight budget

By John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Gov. Charlie Crist, once known for his support of prison chain gangs, is embracing an inmate rehabilitation effort often seen as "soft on crime."


Groups call on Crist to halt execution of man who killed wildlife officer in Pinellas

By Curtis Krueger

St. Petersburg Times

Related: After 25 years, family of fallen officer comes to Florida for killer's execution

A coalition of death penalty opponents called on Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday to stop the scheduled execution of Martin E. Grossman, who killed Florida wildlife officer Peggy Park in Pinellas County in 1984.


Fla. program diverts troubled kids from court

By Bill Kaczor

The Associated Press

Nigel Thomas was what authorities call a "status offender" as a teen, the oldest of five children in a Tampa family struggling to make ends meet.


Feds see rise in suspected Ponzi cases in Florida

By Amy L. Edwards

Orlando Sentinel

Hundreds of gold bars. Luxury cars. And cold, hard cash.


The cost of getting tough

Editorial

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Florida's crime rate dropped by 7.9 percent during the first half of 2009 -- and the declines were across the board, with lower rates of felonies and violations of probation.

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