PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
Progress Florida send petitions to Pinellas for recycling
By David DeCamp
St. Petersburg Times Bay Buzz
Progress Florida of St. Petersburg e-mailed the Pinellas County Commission on Wednesday afternoon what is says are 1,028 people who want the county to move forward on the long-delayed plan to start curbside recycling pickup countywide.
FEATURED STORIES
State economist: School funding down $1 billion for next year
By Mike Salinero
Tampa Tribune
Falling property values and an influx of students displaced by the earthquake in Haiti will contribute to a $1 billion shortfall in state school funding next year, according to state economists who testified before a state Senate panel Wednesday.
Florida fighting to keep NASA jobs
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Charlie Crist, Brevard County lawmakers, astronauts and industry executives spent Wednesday fighting an old cliche -- "No bucks, no Buck Rogers."
Sink offers program to help veterans
By Shannon Colavecchio
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink unveiled an initiative Wednesday aimed at ensuring that the state's 1.7 million veterans tap into all the benefits available to them.
GOP memo reveals campaign strategy to stroke 'ego-driven donors,' play up fear card
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
A Republican National Committee memo found in a Boca Grande hotel reveals the GOP's strategy of using fear to intimidate voters and mocks donors, Politico reported today.
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
In Tallahassee today: class sizes, caps on health care damages, budget workshops
By Shannon Colavecchio
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The proposed constitutional amendment to freeze class size counts is expected to clear its final Senate committee today, paving the way for an early-session floor vote that ensures the measure makes it on the November 2010 ballot.
Senate passes bill to put gun trust fund off limits for other uses
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
The Senate today passed a bill that would put a "lock box" on a trust fund paid for by gun owners to process their concealed weapons permit applications, making it one of a select few trust funds off-limits to lawmakers.
Senate sacrifices much to stand behind guns
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
The Florida Senate asserted its priorities Wednesday afternoon. The vote was 31-9.
Leadership Fund Bill Clears Hurdle
Staff Report
Lakeland Ledger
With House and Senate leaders behind the measure, legislation re-รข‰ establishing campaign 'leadership funds' cleared its first hurdle Wednesday in a House committee.
Bill Filed by Paula Dockery Targets Open Government, Records
By Bill Rufty
Lakeland Ledger
After years of almost annual legislative attempts to close parts of Florida's open government laws, public records advocates have something to cheer about in a bill filed by state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, and Rep. Clay Ford, R-Gulf Breeze.
State weighs collecting tax for Web sales
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
When's the last time you mailed the state a check for the sales tax due on a purchase on Amazon.com or Overstock.com?
PSC ethics reforms sail through Senate, bog down in House
By Mary Ellen Klas and Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A bill aimed at tightening the ethics rules at the Public Service Commission flew through the Florida Senate Wednesday and then became snagged by a House committee, which raised red flags about some parts of the measure.
Local lawmaker's texting bill gains traction
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
For three years, state Rep. Doug Holder has proposed a bill that would prohibit drivers from reading, writing or sending text messages on a wireless device like a cellphone.
Bradenton's Rep. Galvano and Crist discuss gambling compact
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Less than 24 hours after imploring the Legislature to approve a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist met with the lead House negotiator to continue to press the issue.
House to hear 911 bill: Measure would exempt tapes from open records laws
By Paul Flemming
Tallahassee Democrat
A House member wants to block release of 911 tapes and exempt them as open records to protect victims from further trauma by public release.
POLITICAL RACES
As Democrats cheer, Crist might cringe
Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
We're all pretty much accustomed to governors slipping a few crowd-pleasing applause lines into the annual State of the State speech, or using an eye-catching prop to make a point.
Crist stays true to centrist roots
By Pamela Hasterok
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Charlie's back. MIA for the past two years, Gov. Crist showed up this week for his last State of the State address, obviously peeved at his critics and determined to be a player in Tallahassee once again.
Pot of gold that Ferre left city doesn't add up
By Amy Sherman
Miami Herald
Maurice Ferre, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, wants to convince voters that he will be a good steward of their tax dollars.
Blind decry bid to stall paper ballot
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
A group of blind residents is protesting a proposal in the Legislature to delay voting by paper ballot until 2016 for voters with physical disabilities.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
IWC Compromise Would Allow Commercial Whaling
By Kate Bradshaw
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
The International Whaling Commission is meeting in St. Pete Beach this week to discuss a possible lift of its 1986 ban on commercial whaling.
Fight could be looming over recycling bill
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Tribune
Industry groups may be fine with her recycling bill for now, but they may not be as supportive of Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda's HB 1559 if she makes the changes she says she wants to make.
Sticking with the drill: What do proponents of coastal oil exploration really want?
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Legislature's chief proponents of drilling for oil near Florida's coastline are nothing if not determined.
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Despite a new study that concludes drilling in Florida waters would produce less than a week's worth of oil for the U.S., no noticeable effect on domestic gasoline prices and nothing to lower the nation's dependency on foreign oil, Sen. Mike Haridopolos filed his bill Friday lifting the state's offshore drilling ban.
To protect vital land, restore Forever
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Last year, Floridians found out that calling something "forever" doesn't guarantee its funding will never run out. That's when the Legislature stopped paying for the popular Florida Forever program. The decision broke with a 20-year tradition of supporting the state's nationally known land-buying program, which originated as "Preservation 2000."
LGBT
Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy Filed in Senate
By Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, introduced a bill on Wednesday to repeal the ban on openly gay service members in the military, but at a hearing later in the day Republican lawmakers questioned why lifting the ban was necessary.
Palmetto Bay passes domestic-partner benefits
By Howard Cohen
Miami Herald
Citing morale and morality, several members of Palmetto Bay's council pushed for the acceptance of domestic-partner benefits for its employees.
Go, Joe, Go: Lieberman's bill is step in right direction
Editorial
Independent Florida Alligator
Joe Lieberman finally did something right.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
By Kevin Derby
Sunshine State News
Florida's House Republicans caucused Wednesday night and expressed concern about the budget and how the budget process will shape the entire session.
Property insurance bill already in trouble
By Gary Fineout
Florida Tribune
A contentious meeting of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Wednesday ended without a vote on a sweeping property insurance bill. But the rancorous debate shows that the legislation may already be in trouble early during the session.
Bill would allow easier climb for property-insurance rates
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers are again seeking to loosen rules on property insurers by allowing them to more quickly raise premiums to recoup the costs of buying "reinsurance" and other expenses.
Florida skimps on vetting law firms for plum job
By Kris Hundley
St. Petersburg Times
If you were interviewing candidates for a critical job, with billions of dollars at stake, how closely would you scrutinize their resumes?
Pembroke Pines spends stimulus money on sidewalk to nowhere
By Jennifer Gollan
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In an effort to keep the economy, and a few hearty walkers, moving forward, city officials are spending $125,000 in federal stimulus dollars to build a sidewalk to nowhere.
Florida's population bounces back - just barely
By Jeff Kunerth
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's future of slow growth may already be under way, with new estimates that the state grew by 23,000 in the past year.
EDUCATION
As public schools face cuts, vouchers may get big boost (includes reader poll)
By Dave Weber
Orlando Sentinel
A state-financed program that gives tuition vouchers to thousands of low-income Florida students to attend religious schools may get a boost in funding while cash-strapped public schools face more cuts.
Invest in students, rather than banks
By Arne Duncan
Ft. Myers News-Press
For decades, bankers have gotten a free ride from American taxpayers.
Momentum builds to pay Florida teachers on merit
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
A proposal revamping the rules for teacher pay and contracts is setting up a battle between Senate leaders and the business community on one side and teachers unions on the other.
Senate leaders want to end teachers' tenure
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
A proposal revamping the rules for teacher pay and contracts is setting up a battle between Senate leaders and the business community on one side and teachers unions on the other.
PolitiFact Florida: Crist claims highest graduation rate ever
By Lee Logan
St. Petersburg Times
"Our graduation rate is the highest it's ever been."
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Atlantic University's board of trustees has selected a new president.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Bill Would Require Restaurants to Give Calorie Counts on Menus
By Margie Menzel
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
A trio of Republican lawmakers is backing a bill that would require restaurants to provide the calorie count of their menu items. Their purpose: to combat obesity.
Don't be fooled; Dosal is Big Tobacco
By Bob Butterworth
Tallahassee Democrat
A large and looming loophole in Florida's tobacco policy is a goose that's laying golden eggs for the newest member of the Big Tobacco club: Dosal Tobacco Corp.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Lawmakers want Florida's own Civil Rights Hall of Fame
By Paul Flemming
Tallahassee Democrat
Lawmakers on Wednesday proposed creation of a Civil Rights Hall of Fame to honor Floridians.
DCF program to help former foster children comes up short
By Cristina Silva
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A state program that helps former foster children become functioning adults doesn't know how many of its youth are skipping classes or how they are spending their monthly stipends.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Fla. justices hearing appeal in execution case
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Florida Supreme Court is considering a new appeal from a death row inmate scheduled for execution next week.
Ethics Commission: state employee broke "revolving-door" law
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida Commission on Ethics has found a former employee in Gov. Charlie Crist's office likely violated a state ethics law when he helped set up a Panhandle space-tourist program and then left to take a six-figure job there.
Florida's Court System: More Cases Take Time
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
With all the Florida politicians being indicted these days, we can understand the state Legislature's reluctance to beef up the judiciary.
State courts have seen too many cuts
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
It's that time of year when the Florida Supreme says "Look, we really need more judges," and the state Legislature says "Hmm, not this year."
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