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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Daily Clips for March 9, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Many Florida coastal communities resolved against drilling

By Abel Harding

Florida Times-Union

ProgressFlorida.org, a progressive blog, has compiled a map that provides a visual of all the coastal communities in the state of Florida who have announced opposition to offshore drilling.

FEATURED STORIES

Gambling, budget top priorities for Florida Legislature

By Josh Hafenbrack

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Related AP story: Florida lawmakers today get a hard look at money available for state budget

On the Week Two agenda for the Florida Legislature: gambling and the budget.


Crist's influence could wane in final session

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

It was hard to miss last Tuesday as Gov. Charlie Crist gave his final State of the State address: Democrats, a minority in the GOP-dominated Legislature, seemed to applaud more frequently and heartily during the governor's speech than his fellow Republicans.


Crist defends Glades deal

By Jim Ash

Tallahassee Democrat

Gov. Charlie Crist fired back Monday at critics who pummeled him for a $536 million Everglades land deal that they describe as a giveaway to U.S. Sugar Corp.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Lawmakers look at savings possible by slashing state worker benefits

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Florida taxpayers could save hundreds of millions by severely cutting pension and insurance benefits for state employees, the head of the Legislature's fiscal watchdog agency told House and Senate members Monday.


Getting public records could be easier under bill developed by Crist panel

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Open government advocates and a state senator who's had her own problems obtaining public records are backing a sweeping bill making it easier for people to get government records.


Lawmakers to consider: Is it time to close the Dozier School for Boys?

By Ben Montgomery, Waveney Ann Moore and John Frank

St. Petersburg Times

Florida's oldest reform school has survived a century of failure and scandal.


Not all crime victims pleased with Fla. House speaker's bill to keep 911 calls off the air

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Peggy Lee and her husband, Mark, cried last week for two days straight.


Governor, lawmakers have an opportunity to bolster image as open-records proponents

Editorial

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Florida has long been a leader in open government and records laws. Now state lawmakers should seize the opportunity and approve one of the broadest extensions of such laws in years.

POLITICAL RACES

Charlie Crist Entering the Senate Race Made a Marco Rubio Win All the More Possible

By Kyle Munzenrieder

Miami New Times

Poor Charlie Crist. The man who actively encouraged him to run for Senate in the first place, Sen. John Cornyn, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is now painting Crist's role in the election as that of a political sacrificial pawn.


Crist Visits Home Town, Slams Rubio

By Kate Bradshaw

WMNF Community Radio Tampa

Ultra-conservative South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint praised U.S. Senate hopeful Marco Rubio at Saturday's Lincoln Day dinner in Tampa.


Florida Gov. Crist Revamps Message In Senate Race

By Robert Siegel

NPR

Gov. Charlie Crist likes to tell Florida voters that he could have sought re-election this year and conceivably run unopposed.


Tops on our Crist wish list: Make it a three-way!

By Pat Rice

Northwest Florida Daily News

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's political party has largely abandoned him.


No 2012 plans for Romney till November but West Palm speech has stump feel

By George Bennett

Palm Beach Post

In remarks that had the feel of a 2012 presidential campaign preview, former Massachusetts Gov. and 2008 Republican White House aspirant Mitt Romney today said Democrats have taken the country in the wrong direction, but fed-up voters will "get America back on the right track."


National GOP leader targets West Palm area in cable TV ads

By George Bennett

Palm Beach Post

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele unveiled a TV spot aimed at wooing GOP donors here and in four other media markets around the U.S.


Settlement aims to prevent ES&S voting machine monopoly

By Marc Caputo

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

The nation's largest voting machine company probably won't be called a monopoly for much longer in Florida and other states.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Hometown Democracy debate sure to heat up

By Pat Hatfield

West Volusia Beacon

Expect debate over Amendment 4 to help heat up Florida's already-hot summer.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Sugar deal sparks call for oversight

By Michael Peltier

News Service of Florida via Miami Herald

With lawmakers already frustrated over a lack of oversight, recent reports on the state's landmark $536 million Everglades agreement with U.S. Sugar Corp. may add momentum for a legislative response in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the controversial deal, a key House lawmaker said Monday.


Military may be critical 'no oil' ally

By Michael Peltier

Naples News

Environmentalists, coastal business and tourism-related enterprises have a formidable ally in the fight against offshore drilling in the Gulf that is not normally associated with wading birds and preserving the pristine.


Python season opens on state lands; all you need is a license and $26 permit

By Sonja Isger and David Fleshler

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

At a deserted Everglades hunting camp, Shawn Meiman creeps along a weathered boardwalk, armed with a revolver loaded with shotgun shells -- powerful enough to kill something big, with a wide enough spray to allow for less-than-pinpoint accuracy.


January chill killed corals in Keys, less damage to Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast areas

By Cammy Clark

Miami Herald via Palm Beach Post

January's big chill led to widespread death of corals in many near shore and mid-channel reefs from Biscayne Bay to Summerland Key, but most of the popular offshore diving and fishing reefs in the Florida Keys were spared.

LGBT

Florida bill to reward 'family-friendly' films is derided as 1950s-style moral censorship

By Michael C. Bender

Palm Beach Post

Related: Democrat drops support for bill that could make movies with gay characters ineligible for tax credit

Movies and TV shows with gay characters could be ineligible for a "family-friendly" tax credit in Florida under a little-noticed provision tucked into a $75 million incentive package that Republican House leaders hope will attract film and entertainment jobs to the state.


Tax money for movies - hetero-only movies, please

By Scott Maxwell

Orlando Sentinel

The weirdest story to emerge out of Tallahassee so far has to be talk about extra tax dollars to Hollywood and the movie industry -- but only for movies that don't feature gay people.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Obama Plans Florida Forum to Discuss NASA's Future

By Kenneth Chang

New York Times

President Obama will spell out his vision for the future of American astronauts in space at a conference that the administration is planning for Florida next month.


2.5 million Floridians on food stamps

By Josh Hafenbrack

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

There are now 2.56 million Floridians on food stamps.


Florida fails to get its fair share of census aid

By Chris Umpierre

Ft. Myers News-Press

The Fort Myers-Cape Coral metropolitan area received the second-least per capita census-guided federal assistance in the country in 2008, according to an academic study released today.


Road to Nowhere: Money available for road-building is dropping

By Gary Fineout

Florida Tribune

On a recent sunny day in South Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist took a shovel of dirt and hurled it on the ground to celebrate the start a massive $1.8 billion project to add reversible toll lanes to Interstate 595.


More new Florida property insurers in trouble

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Several more small startup property insurers in Florida are headed for insolvency, leaving tens of thousands of homeowners looking for a new company as hurricane season approaches June 1.


Dozens See License Renewal Effort Stall Over New Federal Documentation Guidelines

By Suzie Schottelkotte

Lakeland Ledger

After standing in line for nearly 45 minutes Friday, Diane Vierra finally presented her documents to the state examiner to renew her driver license.

EDUCATION

Union: Bill uses merit pay as weapon

The Associated Press

Daytona Beach News-Journal

The sponsor calls it a "hammer." The head of Florida's statewide teachers union says it's more like a "nuclear weapon."


Collier superintendent calls state bill requiring merit pay for teachers a disaster

By Katherine Albers

Naples News

The sponsor calls it a "hammer," while the head of the state teacher's union calls it "a nuclear weapon." In Collier County, the Superintendent is calling it a disaster.


Florida community colleges face crunch, can't meet student demand

By Luis Zaragoza

Orlando Sentinel

Navid Saint and thousands of other students at Florida's cash-strapped community colleges have learned a vital lesson about signing up for classes during the state's budget crisis: Don't procrastinate.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Senator hears from both sides at health care forum

By Bob LaMendola

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Republican U.S. Sen. George LeMieux called his own town meeting on the health care Monday, then heard from both factions of the national debate.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Adora Nweze: Census must reach the 'hard to reach'

By Adora Nweze

Gainesville Sun

Those of you reading this will probably answer the 2010 Census.


Florida, U.S. would benefit economically from a modernized immigration policy

Editorial

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

It's good to hear a bid for immigration reform is in the wings. Unfortunately, the vital reforms have now been relegated to a last-ditch effort in an election year.

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