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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Daily Clips for March 18, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Is New Scrutiny Of Rubio Too Late To Save Crist?

By Mike Memoli

Real Clear Politics

One of the first public polls released after Charlie Crist entered the Florida Senate race last May showed the governor with a 35 point lead.


Rep. Suzanne Kosmas: The Florida face of House undecideds on health care

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

The smell of fresh coffee and the temptations of doughnuts and blueberry muffins greeted Florida Rep. Suzanne Kosmas on Wednesday as she entered a private breakfast with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.


Florida lawmakers seek tax breaks and fee cuts despite a budget shortfall

By Lee Logan and Mary Ellen Klass

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

After raising $2.2 billion in new taxes and fees last year, Florida legislators want to erase that memory this election year with proposals to roll back auto registration fees and steer up to $100 million to businesses in tax incentives.


Governor: You want the money, fill out the form

By Steve Bousquet

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

As millions of Florida residents open their mailboxes to find their 2010 census forms this week, Gov. Charlie Crist is using his bully pulpit to remind everyone of their ``civic duty'' to fill out the forms and return them as soon as possible.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Florida Legislature to consider bills on adoption, civics education

By Shannon Colavecchio

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

The pace of the legislative session continues to pick up Thursday with the House and Senate expected to pass legislation that includes bills requiring civics education in public schools, excusing breast-feeding moms from jury duty and banning adoption agencies from asking prospective parents whether they own firearms.


Bill would let property insurers raise premiums up to 15% without state approval

By Michael Peltier

News Service of Florida

Property insurers would be able to raise premiums without regulatory approval, but only by up to 15 percent a year, under a wide-ranging insurance approved in a House committee Wednesday.


Bill to limit gun questions in adoption probes called 'pandering to the NRA'

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Florida Rep. Mike Horner and his wife have been trying to adopt a child for more than a year.


School prayer restrictions provoke new legislation in Florida

By Cristina Silva

St. Petersburg Times

After hours of sweat-stained athletic camaraderie, Pace High School coach Mickey Lindsey must walk away from his players the moment they begin to pray.


Money and reform keep flowing

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

There's an old adage about campaign finance that says money in politics is like rainfall on pavement -- it will always find the cracks.


Lawmakers propose way to help ports get cut of new business

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Expansion of the Panama Canal means that Florida is poised to seize on new trade opportunities, say state lawmakers who want to pour $85 million into Florida's 14 ports.


House poised to end statute of limitations

By Ihosvani Rodriguez and Josh Hafenbrack

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Jeffrey Klee's mother and sister made a visit this week to the canal where his remains were found, just off Riverside Park in Coral Springs.


Lawmakers seek tougher penalties on adults providing alcohol to minors

By Cristina Silva

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Adults who knowingly provide alcohol to minors could soon be in a lot more trouble.


State lawmakers seeking criminal background checks for caregivers of most vulnerable

The Associated Press

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Legislation that would tighten screening and criminal background checks for people who work with children, seniors and disabled people is coming up for a vote in the Florida House.


DMS break-up plan clears hurdle

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

A plan to break up the Department of Management Services cleared a key Senate committee Wednesday with its sponsor saying he's not punishing employees for saving the state money.


Fla. Senate committee to support Negron bill to move up 2012 legislative session

By Jim Turner

TC Palm

Florida's Senate Reapportionment committee unanimously agreed Tuesday to support a bill by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, to move up the start of the 2012 legislative session to accommodate the once-a-decade redistricting process.


Single parents set to rally at the Capitol

By Iricka Berlinger

Tallahassee Democrat

Jennifer Stamper is the mom, dad, chauffeur, breadwinner, maid, cook, cheerleader and everything else her 9-year-old son, Brendan, needs.

POLITICAL RACES

Meek supports health care bill, dismisses criticism from Crist

By Lesley Clark

Miami Herald

The pitched wrangling over health care legislation broke into the U.S. Senate campaign Wednesday as Gov. Charlie Crist pressed his potential Democratic rival Rep. Kendrick Meek to oppose the bill.


RPOF funded Chris Dorworth mission to Vegas

By Adam S. Smith

St. Petersburg Times Bay Buzz

There were a lot of intriguing charges on the Florida GOP credit card wielded by former executive director Delmar Johnson, including the $748 charge for state Rep. Chris Dorworth at The Palazzo Las Vegas - and $1,132 in air fare - when Charlie Crist was there raising money for his senate campaign.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

'Hometown Democracy' panelists praise, condemn proposal to control growth

By Rachael Jackson

Orlando Sentinel

Hometown Democracy, the proposed amendment that would give Florida voters more say over growth, was described by opposing panelists Wednesday night as "taking a sledgehammer to a fruit fly" and as a way for the public to "take the keys back" from governments that have been "driving drunk" with development.


Florida TaxWatch: Beware of Amendment 3

Staff Report

South Florida Business Journal

Florida TaxWatch issued a report Wednesday that finds most Floridians acknowledge that the Save Our Homes amendment is flawed policy.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Bill would overhaul Florida water laws

By Kevin Spear

Orlando Sentinel

Virtually every important aspect of water in Florida, from tap to toilet and from storm runoff to bubbling spring, has a place in sweeping legislation unveiled Wednesday by state Sen. Lee Constantine.


Constantine's recycling bill would boost reuse of solid waste to 75% by 2020

By Kevin Spear

Orlando Sentinel

State Sen. Lee Constantine's longtime goal of dramatically boosting the recycling of Florida's 32 million tons a year of trash is gaining momentum.


Cement Over Miami

By Kirk Nielsen

Poder 360

In the aggregate, the federal stewards of Everglades restoration are moving quickly to preserve wetland destruction for generations to come.


Sugar deal has turned sour

By Paula Dockery

Miami Herald

Friends of the Everglades were understandably excited when Florida Gov. Charlie Crist unveiled a $1.75 billion deal to buy out U.S. Sugar two years ago, effectively closing down a major polluter of the Everglades.


What's happening to pythons bagged in state-sanctioned hunt?

By David Fleshler

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

For some Burmese pythons captured in the Everglades, the end of the line is a building in a warehouse district of Hallandale Beach.


Politics and the environment

Editorial

Pensacola News Journal

Decades of environmental recklessness have left us depending on the political system to fix problems. And that often creates a bigger mess.

LGBT

Lawmaker files bill to end ban on adoptions by gays

By Mike Salinero

Tampa Tribune

A day after Democrats lawmakers tried to bring attention to the state ban on gay and lesbian adoption, a representative from West Palm Beach announced she has filed a bill that would lift the ban.


Florida tax rebate plan could backfire

By Richard Verrier

Los Angeles Times

Seeking to be family friendly, Florida may have learned a hard lesson in how not to be Hollywood friendly.

EDUCATION

Teachers balk at merit pay bill

By Linda Trimble

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Third-grade teacher Matt Hopkins has seen a lot in his 25 years in the classroom, including smart children with supportive parents and those who struggle to get to school on time while coping with poverty, neglect or abuse at home.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida's foreclosure backlog among nation's worst

By Kimberly Miller

Palm Beach Post

A crushing backlog of foreclosure cases has pushed Florida's courts to request a one-time payment of $9.6 million to help purge the system and quicken a market recovery.


As state workers go, so goes the state

By Deette W. Preacher

Tallahassee Democrat

I do not see how a chief executive officer and board of directors can expect to operate an entity -- whether for profit, nonprofit or government -- in an economical, efficient and effective manner without capable and dedicated employees.


Officials debate tax for online bookings

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Orbitz and Expedia are trying to convince Florida lawmakers that such travel booking Web sites don't owe taxes on transactions made via their Web sites.


'Grand Central' terminal for SunRail, high-speed rail? OIA hopes so

By Scott Powers

Orlando Sentinel

When high-speed rail finally arrives in Central Florida, Orlando International Airport wants to be ready -- with a "Grand Central Station" of terminals that could include multiple rail lines, food and retail concessions, a hotel and rental-car counters, officials said Wednesday.


Making Wall Street Play By The Rules

The Progress Report

Think Progress

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) unveiled a sweeping financial regulatory reform bill Monday, designed to make the banking system work better for average Americans and help prevent another financial meltdown.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

House protects health programs

By Jim Saunders

Health News Florida

Hospitals wouldn't get hit with tax increases, and Medically Needy, mental health and substance abuse programs would avoid major cuts under an initial House budget proposal released Tuesday.


Jackson Health System stays afloat by delaying bills

By John Dorschner

Miami Herald

Dozens of Jackson suppliers are owed more than $17 million in bills that are more than 90 days old, according to documents released Wednesday under a public records request.


Florida's drug problem: 49 of top 50 oxycodone prescribers are from state

By Aaron Sharockman

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact

"Nearly all of the top 50 prescribers of oxycodone in the United States are in Florida."

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