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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Daily Clips for April 6, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Despite eight hours of scolding and pleading from teachers, a House panel advances the merit pay bill along party lines

By Michael C. Bender

Palm Beach Post

Public school teachers packed a Florida House hearing today hoping to flunk a Republican proposal that would overhaul how the state gives annual raises to its 175,000 educators.


Protests are backdrop in legislative vote to reshape Florida's education system

By Cristina Silva and Hannah Sampson

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Related: Politifact: Sorting out the truth in politics: GOP schools plan an `unfunded mandate'?

After 13 years as a public school teacher, Kenneth Blankenship's professional future may soon rest on the academic prowess of his teenage students.


In Tallahassee today, Crist must act on leadership funds bill

By Steve Bousquet

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Related editorial: Crist should veto phony reform on slush funds

Gov. Charlie Crist must decide Tuesday whether to sign into law a bill that would allow a few legislators to create powerful new fundraising machines known as leadership funds to influence future election cycles.


Florida GOP chairman's promised 'forensic audit' of spending stuck at start

By John Frank and Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Related AP story: Crist asks feds to separately investigate Fla. GOP

Six weeks after newly elected GOP chairman John Thrasher promised an immediate "forensic audit," the state party has yet to hire a firm to conduct the exhaustive review.


Florida GOP: A party out of control

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

The party of fiscal responsibility? For the Florida GOP, how about Party Central?

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Bill would speed foreclosure

By Shannon Behnken

Tampa Tribune

A controversial bill in the Legislature would speed up foreclosures in Florida and remove the process from the court system.


House negotiator says gaming pact would put $435 million in this year's budget

Staff Report

Palm Beach Post

Rep. Bill Galvano, who led House negotiations with the Seminole Tribe for a gambling revenue sharing deal, said Monday that lawmakers and the tribe have tentatively reached a deal that would put $435 million to $438 million in the budget that would go into effect July 1.

POLITICAL RACES

Rudy Giuliani endorses Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate

By Adam Beasley

Miami Herald

Former New York City Mayor and GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Monday endorsed Marco Rubio in his U.S. Senate Republican primary race against Gov. Charlie Crist.


Romney doesn't rule out 2012 presidential bid; urges Vero Beach crowd to oppose big government

By Janet Begley

TC Palm

While the first primary contest of the 2012 presidential race is still two years away, former Massachusetts governor and Republican Mitt Romney is already sounding like a candidate.


It's Tea time in Florida

By Gary Reese

Southern Political Report

Interesting new research gives evidence that the national tea party movement may be both more and less than its sometimes portrayal as a fringe group of repressed Timothy McVeighs.


Rubio to address Indian River Tea Party at post-Tax Day rally before heading to Stuart

By Jim Turner

TC Palm

Marco Rubio, ahead in the Republican U.S. senatorial campaign, will be the keynote speaker at the Indian River Tea Party's post-Tax Day rally, according to the local group.


Political contributions flow from Ponte Vedra Beach owner of controversial state printing contract

By Matt Dixon

Florida Times-Union

Through 19 companies he controls, a Ponte Vedra Beach businessman who holds a controversial state printing contract has given nearly $370,000 in campaign contributions over the past decade, a Times-Union analysis has found.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

County to urge 'no' vote on 4

By Deborah Buckhalter

Jackson County Floridian

The Jackson County Commission is expected next week to consider a resolution that, if passed, would urge citizens to vote against the proposed Amendment 4.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Opportunity Knocks For FL Preservation

By Glen Gardner

Public News Service Florida

Those hoping to preserve quickly-vanishing wildlife habitat in Florida will be delivering a message at the State Capitol Wednesday, centering on the Forever Florida program, which is the largest land-buying program in the country.


Castor says Florida 'too special' for offshore oil drilling

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, today sent a letter to President Obama objecting to his plan for more offshore oil drilling in Florida, saying the area is "too special" to risk environmental damage.

EDUCATION

Merit pay bill gains momentum

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

With new questions being raised over the cost of the reforms, a House council on Monday endorsed a controversial teacher pay bill after more than six hours of testimony, including opposition from dozens of teachers from around the state.


House committee OKs merit-pay plan

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

A plan to base raises on student performance and make it easier to fire bad teachers won party-line approval Monday in a key House committee.


House candidates share opinions on Senate Bill 6

By Katie Tammen

Northwest Florida Daily News

Democrat Jan Fernald and Republican Matt Gaetz may not see eye-to-eye on every issue, but both said they would vote against a proposal currently under discussion in the Legislature to overhaul how teachers are evaluated.


Coalitions concerned about threat to VPK budget

By TaMaryn Waters

Tallahassee Democrat

Early learning coalitions statewide are breathing a bit easier in the fight against state budget cuts, but funding for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten programs remains uncertain.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

TaxWatch: Florida one hurricane away from financial ruin

By Jim Ash

Tallahassee Democrat

Florida is one major hurricane from financial ruin, insurance companies need more freedom to raise rates, and lawmakers need to rein in Citizen's Property Insurance, the state-run behemoth that has become the largest property insurer in the state.


A rush to buy failed Florida banks

By Martha Brannigan

Miami Herald

John Kanas was at breakfast at the Four Seasons on Brickell Avenue recently when he bumped into Daniel Healy, his former right-hand man who had helped him build a big, profitable New York bank that sold for a princely sum.


Florida's 'cash for clunkers' appliance rebates may run out fast

By Diane C. Lade

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Friday, April 16, is opening day for Florida's cash-for-appliances rebate program.


Florida land values continue to fall

By Abel Harding

Florida Times-Union

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences says some areas of rural land in Florida lost as much as half of their value in 2008.


Hurting Unemployed Americans For Political Purposes

The Progress Report

Think Progress

Last week, the Labor Department announced the good news that the U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in March, "the most created in nearly three years."

HEALTH AND SENIORS

House to unveil Medicaid plan Tuesday; expects it to be part of end-game

By John Kennedy

News Service of Florida via Palm Beach Post

The House will unveil a wide-ranging, multi-year effort Tuesday to revamp Florida's costly Medicaid program -- a plan that surpasses the Senate's already ambitious approach to expand managed-care coverage for low-income Floridians, according to those familiar with the proposal.


Mount Dora doctor never dreamed the storm he created

By Stephen Hudak

Orlando Sentinel

Dr. Jack Cassell, the urologist who sparked a national debate about medical ethics and politics with a message on his office door - "If you voted for Obama...seek urologic care elsewhere" - figured his small orange sign might stir passions among his patients, but he didn't anticipate a national media storm.


Health care reform and how it affects everyone

By Jeremy Cox

Florida Times-Union

You don't have to look far to find someone who will be impacted by the new health care reform law.


Wasserman Schultz holds town hall on health care, economy

By Anthony Man

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Outside, hundreds of people gathered for democracy YouTube style -- with shouting and hostility from dueling camps.


Frist tells UF health care reform is a 'mixed bag'

By Nathan Crabbe

Gainesville Sun

Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist gave a more favorable review to federal health care reform Monday than his old Republican colleagues, saying the legislation was 80 percent positive but the rest negative for failing to reverse rising costs.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Repugnant 'church' shows America's strength

Editorial

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The many freedoms Americans enjoy came with a lot of pain over the years.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Clerks: Budget cuts could have dire consequences

By James A. Jones Jr.

Bradenton Herald

Florida clerks of circuit courts are warning that a proposed $23 million slash in their state funding will make it difficult to do their jobs, keep the public waiting much longer and hit hard through the judicial system.


Fla. High Court now on Twitter

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

The Florida Supreme Court adheres to tradition, with its black robes and Latin motto and tall columns, but even the law has to keep up with the times.

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