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

Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Friday, February 5, 2010

Daily Clips for February 5, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Florida GOP fundraiser charged huge sums to Republican Party of Florida American Express card

By Aaron Deslatte

Orlando Sentinel

From golf-course fees to charter jets to the nation's capital, Republican Party of Florida Executive Director Delmar Johnson racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel, food and expenses to his party-issued American Express card last year.


Florida GOP fundraiser's hefty pay angers party leaders

By Mary Ellen Klas

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

A lucrative secret contract awarded to the top deputy for Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer has Republican leaders livid as they try to repair the financially ailing party during this key election year.


Rubio, Crist differ on who should be counted in Census

By Beth Reinhard

Miami Herald

U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio backtracked Thursday from his statement that the U.S. census should count only "legal American citizens," temporarily shifting his surging campaign into damage control.


Crist, Rubio oppose changing 'don't ask, don't tell' policy affecting gays in military

By Alex Leary

The Buzz Blog

U.S. Senate rivals Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio both said today they oppose abolishing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy affecting gays and lesbians in the military.


Dump 'don't ask' law

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

Political opponents of President Barack Obama ask why he would decide amid two wars to push for a repeal of the 1993 law barring gays from serving openly in the U.S. military.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Why FL just got High Speed Rail

By NoFortunateSon

Daily Kos

As a Pinellas County native, I have been waiting 25 years for the announcement heard today: $1.25 billion would be granted for construction of a Florida high speed rail.


What's Crist to do (besides dropping out and endorsing Kendrick Meek)?

By Steve Schale

Steve Schale

If I had a dollar for every question I've gotten about the Crist campaign, just in the last 96 hours, I wouldn't be driving a seven year old car with 130,000 miles.


I suspect the new kid on the block is a bully

By Geniuofdespair

Eye on Miami

The only person who signed the Corporate papers (filed January 21st) for this 501c4 is Richard E. Coates, a Tallahassee lobbyist, who also happens to have as a client Barney Bishop's "Associated Industries of Florida".


CBS Tainting Super Bowl Broadcast

By Daniel Tilson

Progress Florida

In rolling out what they claim is a new policy to begin broadcasting "approved" paid advocacy group advertisements, the CBS TV network is clearly taking the sensitive, low-key high road - airing the first such spot during Super Bowl 44, being played Sunday in our South Florida backyard, with a few additional folks tuning in from around the globe.


Six Amendments make the ballot

By Bill Newton

FCAN Blog

It will be another busy year for voters. The Legislature wants us to give up public campaign finance, and we have a chance to make Florida's election districts more fair and eliminate gerrymandering.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Florida CFO Alex Sink takes on 'The Governator'

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Florida Chief Financial Offical Alex Sink is, well, petite, but still seems quite ready to take on 'The Governator' of California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who trashed Florida on Wednesday.


Legislator will try one more time to get lobbyists to tell the truth

By Gary Fineout

The Fine Print

Sen. Alex Villalobos has had a change of heart. Just two weeks ago the Miami Republican said he was giving up and had no intention on filing his "Truth in Government" Act that would require those testifying before the Legislature to swear to tell the truth.


Law firm admits inaccuracies in applying for state pension fund work, withdraws

By Sydney P. Freedberg

St. Petersburg Times

A prominent law firm seeking lucrative pension work from Florida pulled out of the running Thursday after the firm's senior partner acknowledged making inaccurate statements to a selection committee.

POLITICAL RACES

U.S. Senate candidate puts his name in a different kind of race

By Mark Lane

Daytona Beach News-Journal

U.S. Senate hopeful Kendrick Meek announced he's in the race. Literally.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Lawmakers push for civil-rights Hall of Fame

By Shannon Colavecchio

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

Every day, people in the state's capital city pass by the historic site of a 1960 lunch counter sit-in and just see an old, abandoned brick storefront.


Census tour allays Hispanics' fears in Immokalee

By Chris Umpierre

Ft. Myers News-Press

After a long day working in Immokalee's tomato fields, Guillermo Ramos exited a beat-up bus with about 50 other farm workers and gravitated toward a blue tent across the street.


Family values crusader David Caton now takes on light rail

By Sue Carlton

St. Petersburg Times

When we last saw anti-smut, pro-family values crusader David Caton, he was exactly where you would expect him to be: criticizing the University of South Florida for a course called "queer theory" and speaking out against protections for transgender people in Tampa.


'Don't ask' policy serves bigotry, not the military

Editorial

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week to discuss the heinous policy of "don't ask, don't tell."

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Land-buying falls short in House committee

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Florida's conservation land-buying program was not included among 38 priorities identified by members of a House panel.


Sub-sea drilling technology shown to House

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Members of a House panel today were told that oil and gas production platforms built more than 13 miles offshore would not be visible from the coast.


Land deal is a loser for Florida panther

Editorial

St. Petersburg Times

In theory, the way the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service preserved 4,000 acres of raw land east of Fort Myers for the endangered Florida panther seems reasonable.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Fla. property taxes down 7.5 percent over 3 years

By Bill Kaczor

The Associated Press

Florida property taxes dropped by $2.28 billion, or 7.5 percent, over the past three years because of tax-cutting measures approved by the Legislature and voters as well as falling real estate values, according to figures presented to a legislative panel Thursday.


Court records show Florida foreclosures increasing; Palm Beach County levelling off

By Kimberly Miller

Palm Beach Post

Florida's courts tackled 398,825 foreclosure cases in 2009, an 8 percent increase over the previous year and a glut that led to a new statewide mediation rule aimed at reducing the overload.


State Farm to start sending out policy nonrenewal letters

By Jim Turner

TC Palm

State Farm has started to send letters to the holders of 125,000 policies in Florida that they will no longer be insured by the largest private property insurer in Florida just as the hurricane season approaches it peak.


Economic Development Council's 'incubator' program shows early success

By Dusty Ricketts

Northwest Florida Daily News

Sometimes everyone needs a little help getting started, even businesses.

EDUCATION

Democrats Take Aim at Republicans over Governor's Education Budget Proposal

By Lynn Hatter

WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee

The House Pre-K through 12 Committee heard a report on Governor Charlie Crist's education budget Thursday, and the proposed increases in funding are already drawing a partisan divide.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

State and feds coordinating better on Haiti relief, Florida emergency chief says

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Pressure eased off Florida as staging area for Haiti relief, as South Carolina this morning welcomed its first jetload of Americans returning from the earthquake-ravaged nation.


Crist vows to devote 'every ounce of energy' to finding Acreage cancer cause

By Michael C. Bender and Mitra Malek

Palm Beach Post

Florida will appeal to the federal government for help investigating the cancer cluster in The Acreage, Gov. Charlie Crist said Thursday, just a day after state health officials said they didn't plan to search for an environmental cause.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Court recommends formal reprimand for Dempsey's campaign errors

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey was called on the carpet by the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday for improperly using the word "re-elect" in a YouTube campaign posting and padding her legal resume.


Justice Thomas visits UF

By Nathan Crabbe

Gainesville Sun

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas presented a lighter side Thursday to a group of University of Florida law students but turned serious when discussing criticism of the court.


Florida bill protects against lawsuits

By John Frank

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

If a child rides in a race car or climbs a rock wall, a parent is typically expected to sign a company's liability waiver acknowledging the risks.

No comments:

Post a Comment