Click here to subscribe for free to the best daily news roundup in Florida.

Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Daily Clips for February 24, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

TV war starts in governor's race with 2 attack ads

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

The television ad war in the governor's race kicked off with two attack ads, one criticizing Democrat Alex Sink's banking career and the other saying Republican Bill McCollum voted four times to raise his own salary while the national debt soared.


GOP choice for House speaker in 2014 faces personal financial troubles

By John Frank and Marc Caputo

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

A top Republican selected Tuesday as the future speaker of the Florida House can't get his own financial house in order.


Proposal has state workers pay for insurance

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Two House members announced plans Tuesday to make all state employees, including legislators, pay for health insurance.


End secret deals with taxpayers' money

Editorial

Miami Herald

Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom finally resigned his seat in the Legislature, more than a year after he should have stepped down.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Chris Dorworth as House speaker: What a joke

By Scott Maxwell

Orlando Sentinel

State Rep. Chris Dorworth's life has been a bit of a mess lately.


Regulating the regulators? Tougher PSC rules pushed

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Regulatory hearings on Florida Power & Light's proposed $1.4 billion rate hike were a bust not only for the utility, but also could mean tougher rules for state regulators and their staff.


Martin County leader tasked to help oversee transition of Florida's GOP leadership

By Jim Turner

TC Palm

Attorney Mark Klingensmith, the chairman of the Martin County Republican Party, has been named to a special committee to oversee the transition of Florida's GOP leadership.


Bense named chairman of Florida military council

By Daniel Carson

Panama City News Herald

Former House Speaker Allan Bense expects a new statewide military advocacy council to take an active role in securing state and federal support for Florida's bases.


Dalai Lama urges U.S. to spread democracy

By James D. Davis

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Voicing admiration for American values, the Dalai Lama on Tuesday called for the United States to spread freedom to other lands.


Neo-con nuts define right-wing movement

Editorial

Pensacola News Journal

Ann Coulter last week told the media there was hope for the conservative movement in America.


Slippery Sansom slinks away

Editorial

The Tampa Tribune

Former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom - typically - showed concern only for himself in resigning from the Florida Legislature the night before a House ethics panel was to begin investigating his conduct.

POLITICAL RACES

Republican Governors Association blasts Sink's record, compensation as bank executive

By Louis Jacobson

St. Petersburg Times

On Tuesday, the Republican Governors Association -- the gubernatorial campaign arm of the national GOP -- fired a shot at Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida.


Bush: Crist 'unforgivable' on stimulus support

By Alexander Burns

Politico

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made his strongest statement to date on the Republican Senate primary unfolding in his state, telling the conservative publication NewsMax in an on-camera interview that he considers Gov. Charlie Crist's support for last year's stimulus bill "unforgivable."


Cruz wins special election for Florida House seat

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Unofficial results show that Democrat Janet R. Cruz has won a special election for state House District 58 in Hillsborough County.


State House candidates: Sansom scandal has not been an issue

By Tom McLaughlin

Northwest Florida Daily News

To be sure, no one seeking to replace Ray Sansom in the District 4 state House seat is going to run on his coattails.


GOP challengers stack up against Kosmas

By Ron Hurtibise

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Miller Another Republican has entered the race for the congressional seat held by Suzanne Kosmas.


Sansom's vast lefty conspiracy

Editorial

Northwest Florida Daily News

Ray Sansom's career in the Florida Legislature is over, sunk by ethics complaints and criminal charges, but the Ray Sansom conspiracy machine is fueled up, revved up and still chugging merrily along.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Amendment 4 campaign manager named

By Tom Palmer

Lakeland Ledger

Julie Hauserman has been hired to head the campaign to get voter approval for Amendment 4, the Florida Hometown Democracy measure, the St. Pete Times Political Buzz reports.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Nelson wades into fisheries debate

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

In advance of a protest in Washington by recreational and commercial fishermen, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said today he will file legislation to address red snapper fishing restrictions.


Florida must take advantage of biopower

By Charles H. Bronson

Tallahassee Democrat

As Florida's agriculture and consumer services commissioner, one of my proudest achievements is Florida's status as a leader in the biofuel industry.


Fox pens are inhumane and a threat to public health

Editorial

Pensacola News Journal

Imagine the outcry from animal activists if the state decided to regulate dog fighting instead of banning the barbaric practice like it rightly has done for decades.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Most already know the middle class is leaving

By Jackie Bueno Sousa

Miami Herald

As census surveys begin arriving at our homes in the coming weeks, many people will be eagerly awaiting the results.


Trouble for SunRail? Amtrak wants new deal on liability

By Dan Tracy

Orlando Sentinel

The chief executive of Amtrak is again threatening to scuttle the SunRail commuter train planned for Central Florida before it picks up its first passenger.


NASA chief will fight moon-rocket supporters

By Mark K. Matthews

Orlando Sentinel

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden has bluntly told Congress that his agency is making preparations to dismantle the Constellation moon-rocket program -- despite warnings that NASA is bound by law to get congressional permission before cutting the program this year.


Workforce agency responds to state claims it misspent money

By Steve Andrews

Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Bay Workforce Alliance has denied that it misspent about $81,000 called into question by a state inspector general.


Taxpayers to pick up most of tab for new jobs

By Rebecca Basu

Florida Today

A Rockledge company is in the process of hiring 500 customer services representatives to work at a new call center.


Stimulus jobs created on the First Coast? Unknown

By Larry Hannan

Florida Times Union

The federal government's official Web site says the stimulus has created 225 jobs in Jacksonville.


Stimulus is working

Editorial

Florida Today

One year later, the $862 billion federal stimulus package is doing its job -- helping stabilize the economy and avert another Great Depression.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Group: Health Care Reform Affects Florida's Physical and Fiscal Health

By Gina Presson

Public News Service Florida

Floridians have a lot at stake in President Obama's bipartisan summit on health care reform, which begins on Thursday.


FL gets grants for kids

By Jim Saunders

Health News Florida

Trying to boost the quality of health care for children, federal officials will send $100 million in grants to states over five years --- including about $11.3 million to a partnership between Florida and Illinois.


Fat, but not happy. A look at obesity in Florida and the nation.

By Stacey Singer

Palm Beach Post

Remember 1985, when you were skinny? We all were.


Florida fails dental checkup

By Iricka Berlinger

Tallahassee Democrat

At least one in five U.S. children go without annual dental care and most states, like Florida, lack key policies to ensure access to cost-saving preventive treatments, according to a study released today by the Pew Center on the States.


Health system failing U.S., especially the middle class

By Linda Merrell

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Lost in the war of words about health care reform is the fact that reform is not just for the uninsured.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Five years after Jessica Lunsford's killing, legislators rethink sex offender laws

By John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

The brutal killing of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, which happened five years ago today, fueled the creation of a boogeyman in Florida politics: the sex offender.


Ruling bolsters criminal cases

By Elaine Silvestrini

Tampa Tribune

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with the Tampa Police Department over a disputed Miranda rights form, a decision likely to benefit the state in some high-profile prosecutions, including a notorious sex torture case.

No comments:

Post a Comment