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

Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Friday, April 30, 2010

Daily Clips for April 30, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Charlie Crist declares independent run for U.S. Senate

By Adam C. Smith and Beth Reinhard

St. Petersburg Times

Related: What they're saying about Gov. Charlie Crist after 'independent' announcement

Related: Q&A: Charlie Crist's independent bid for the U.S. Senate

Gov. Charlie Crist didn't just walk away from the Republican Party Thursday -- he ran, saying he would abandon his lifelong GOP voter registration as he launches an independent and unprecedented campaign for the U.S. Senate.


Oil slick oozes closer, grows bigger

The Associated Press

Pensacola News Journal

Related: Six lawsuits filed against BP, other companies

Related: Oil barriers go up along local waterways

Related editorial: What 'risk' really means

An oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control with a faint sheen washing ashore along the Gulf Coast on Thursday night as fishermen rushed to scoop up shrimp and crews spread floating barriers around marshes.


Abortion measure halts action in House

By John Frank and Lee Logan

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Related editorial: Florida Senate launches assault on women's rights

With the clock ticking Thursday, an explosive bill to require women to get an ultrasound before an abortion gripped the state Senate and led Democrats to halt action in the House.


Outrage Over Arizona Immigration Law Boils Over in Florida

By Gina Presson

Public News Service

Arizona's tough new immigration law has become both the butt of late-night comedians' jokes and the flashpoint for a new push for immigration reform.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Mr. Oil Spill

By Beach Blogger

Pensacola Beach Blog

You couldn't tell it from the on-line version, but the dead tree Pensacola News Journal this morning trumpets the front page news that Jeff Miller, the incumbent Republican congressman from Northwest Florida, is doubling down in favor of Gulf oil drilling.


Crist Goes NPA: Fun While It Lasted

By Trish Ponder

Pensito Review

I might be the only Floridian who will be sad after Gov. Charlie Crist makes public his decision on whether to remain a Republican in his run for the U.S. Senate. As a Democrat, watching his fellow Republicans try to manage Charlie's eventual disclosure is truly gratifying.


Rubio, Crist still silent on 'show me your papers' law

By Joy Reid

The Reid Report

Update: Rubio comes out against the AZ law. Crist still quiet.


Deepwater Horizon: Countdown to June 10

By Gimleteye

Eye on Miami

Drill, baby, drill! The Exxon Valdez leaked 257,000 barrels of oil off the coast of Alaska. It was the worst oil spill in US history.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Fla. lawmakers bring tumultuous session to a close

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature is bringing its 2010 regular session to a close after 60 tumultuous, politically charged days.


Crist gets Florida election law changes

The Associated Press

Miami Herald

Legislation to revive and fix a law that unconstitutionally limited political speech is going to Gov. Charlie Crist - again.


Child service boards face referendums

By Richard Mullins

Tampa Tribune

Gov. Charlie Crist's signature is all that's needed to make a new law requiring children's services councils across Florida to seek direct voter approval for their continuing existence.


Bill to end fake solicitations off to Crist

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

A bill making it illegal to impersonate military veterans when soliciting donations is headed to Gov. Charlie Crist.


Insurance bill hung up on public adjusters provisions

By John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

A major property insurance bill is mired with time running short in the legislative session.


Legislature to vote on changes to DROP

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

The Florida Legislature is set to cut the interest rate on delayed-pension pots by more than half.


'Sexting' bill gets unanimous approval by Florida Senate

By Tonya Alanez

Orlando Sentinel

The Florida Senate unanimously voted, 37-0, Thursday afternoon to create penalties specifically for the titillating teen trend of "sexting," which now falls under felony child pornography laws.


Abortion sneak attack

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

Leaders in the state Senate may have set a new standard for irresponsibility and hypocrisy this week.

POLITICAL RACES

Charlie Crist's rough road to November

By David Cantanese and Jonathan Martin

Politico

Related: Crist's cash: What will donors do?

The modest crowd, low energy and slapdash feel to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's announcement Thursday underscored the needle-threading political exercise ahead for him.


Independent Gov. Charlie Crist under fire

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Gov. Charlie Crist's decision to run for U.S. Senate with no party affiliation met with sad and angry denunciation from past Republican allies, derisive skepticism among Florida Democrats and a grudging respect for his audacity Thursday at the Capitol.


Crist faces tough odds in independent Senate bid

By Jim Stratton

Orlando Sentinel

In the heart of his hometown, Gov. Charlie Crist launched an uphill battle to reinvent himself Thursday, announcing he would leave the Republican Party and make an independent run for U.S. Senate.


Three-Way Race Will Change the Game For Better and Worse, for Candidates

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Lakeland Ledger

Gov. Charlie Crist's unorthodox bid for the U.S. Senate as an independent candidate hurled his two top opponents into an unknown political world.


Breaking Down a 3-Way Race in Florida

By Damien Cave

New York Times

If Gov. Charlie Crist announces later today that he will run as an independent for the United States Senate -- as widely expected -- Florida will once again become a gawk-worthy stage of American politics, where the country's desires, conflicts and direction will play out.


Tired of 'political fighting,' Crist will run for Senate as independent

By Michael C. Bender

Palm Beach Post

Nearly 20 years after winning his first elected office as a Republican, Gov. Charlie Crist declared the political system broken today as he announced an unprecedented independent campaign for U.S. Senate.


Politicians are asked to return Rothstein donations

By Amy Sherman and Jay Weaver

Miami Herald

Attorneys handling the bankruptcy case of Scott Rothstein's law firm have written the Republican Party of Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist and other major politicians demanding that they return about $650,000 in campaign donations made by the tainted firm.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

3rd redistricting amendment may go on Fla. ballot

The Associated Press

Miami Herald

The Republican-controlled Legislature's response to two citizen initiatives on redistricting may soon be headed for Florida's Nov. 2 ballot.


Developers Poor-Mouth While Pumping Millions Into Denying People's Right To Vote

By Florida Hometown Democracy

The Bradenton Times

The real estate speculators' latest online video against Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 is a dramatic piece of work, courtesy of skilled political spinners, and it is designed to scare people away from getting their right to vote.


Better districts

Editorial

Jackson County Floridian

The battle lines are being drawn in Tallahassee, and it's begun to look like a fight between the people and the politicians.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

DEP: Response team ready to act when oil reaches Fla.

By Paul Flemming

Tallahassee Democrat

Florida emergency responders continued to monitor the massive, growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, ready to join the multistate and federal effort to contain it.


Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Florida, Louisiana face worst disaster in US history

By Maryann Tobin

Hernando County Political Buzz Examiner

In an effort to save the lives of thousands of birds, marine life and miles of environmentally sensitive coastline, the US Coast Guard is planning to set the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on fire.


Nelson calls for halt to offshore energy exploration

By William Gibson

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

While the White House promises a full-fledged effort to plug a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Senator Bill Nelson on Thursday urged President Obama to call a halt to exploratory drilling in coastal waters.


10 Animals Most At Risk from Gulf Oil Spill

By Julia Kumari Drapkin

CBS News

Oil is spreading across the Gulf of Mexico -- the result of the sinking of an oil rig last week. A spill of this magnitude so close to the wetlands, estuaries and national fisheries of south Louisiana is unprecedented.


Water bill goes to governor but springs program could get cut

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

A springs program launched in 2001 by then-Gov. Jeb Bush would be sharply cut by the Legislature in its proposed 2010-11 state budget even as the Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a bill aimed at protecting springs.


Septic tanks targeted for inspections

By Mary Ellen Klas

St. Petersburg Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Florida's 2.6 million septic tanks, half of which are more than 30 years old, will have to undergo regular health department inspections for the first time in state history under legislation sent to the governor Thursday.


Snakes bill passes House while FWC takes closer look

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

A bill that would ban Burmese pythons and five other snake species along with Nile monitor lizards was approved Wednesday by the House.


Callery Judge bid to avoid planning rules fails

By Kimberly Miller

Palm Beach Post

Callery Judge Groves lost out on a bid Thursday to let it bypass rigorous planning requirements in building on the half-century-old orange grove.


It's not worth it

Editorial

Gainesville Sun

State Rep. Dean Cannon announced last week that he was tabling a bill that would allow oil drilling between 3 and 10 miles off the coast of Florida.

EDUCATION

Union backs Florida's new Race to the Top plan

By Leslie Postal

Orlando Sentinel

When Florida tries again to win hundreds of millions of dollars in the federal Race to the Top competition, it could be holding the golden ticket missing in its first, failed bid: support from teacher unions.


Stricter Bright Futures standards await final approval

By Robert Samuels

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

If there's a message that lawmakers are sending to the 184,000 college students receiving the state's most coveted scholarship, it's this: start working harder.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

UF survey: Florida's real estate has bottomed out

By Mary Shanklin

Orlando Sentinel

Florida real estate has hit bottom and is in the process of stabilizing, according to results of a quarterly survey by the University of Florida.


Florida Probing Law Firm in Foreclosures

By Amir Efrati

Wall Street Journal

The Florida attorney general's office is investigating possible misconduct by a large law firm that files foreclosures for banks, according to a posting on its Web site.


Number of Southwest Florida foreclosures still rising

By Tom Bayles

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Foreclosure actions in the Sarasota-Bradenton area rose nearly 30 percent during the first three months of the year, compared with the same period a year earlier.


Expressway avoids $69 million cut

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Florida Senate leaders agreed on Thursday to take only $19 million - instead of $69 million - from the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, ending a standoff with Bay area Republicans who had threatened to kill the legislation in the House.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida Senate passes bill that requires women to get ultrasound before abortion

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

The emotional issue of abortion took center stage at the Legislature on the next-to-last day of the session, fueling a sharp debate in the Senate and all but shutting down the House ahead of today's conclusion.


Strict rules for pain clinics head to Gov. Crist

By Scott Hiaasen

Miami Herald

For the second straight year, Florida lawmakers have approved strict new rules for pain clinics, this time limiting the number of pills that can be sold to cash-paying patients, curbing advertising and imposing tougher standards for doctors and clinic owners.


Efforts to rein in psychiatric drugs given to children in state care going nowhere

By Carol Marbin Miller and Marc Caputo

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

When a heavily medicated foster child died of an apparent suicide, the response seemed obvious: better oversight of the way doctors prescribe psychiatric drugs to children in state care.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Who'll give the GOP's speech on race?

By Joy-Ann Reid

Miami Herald

In the spring of 2008, as Barack Obama was running for president, controversial clips from his then-pastor's sermons touched off a national fit.


Arizona immigration law fact-checked

By Louis Jacobson and Catharine Richert

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact

When Arizona's Republican governor, Jan Brewer, signed the nation's toughest immigration law on April 23, 2010, it sparked a fierce national debate.


The Fallout In Arizona

The Progress Report

Think Progress

On Friday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signed overreaching and radical anti-immigration legislation into law, attracting national media attention and fierce opposition.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Rothstein business manager testifies he had no idea investments were a fraud

By Peter Franceschina

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Scott Rothstein's business manager gave a sometimes tearful account of his time in the Ponzi schemer's world, providing an insider's view during a lengthy deposition Thursday.

No comments:

Post a Comment