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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Friday, April 9, 2010

Daily Clips for April 9, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

House passes teacher tenure bill, will Crist approve or veto it?

By Jeffrey S. Solochek, Ron Matus and Rebecca Catalanello

St. Petersburg Times

Related editorial: An arrogant attempt to reform schools

Protests reached a fever pitch Thursday as the Florida House of Representatives approved a controversial bill tying teacher pay to student performance.


After 8 hours of debate, House OKs bill abolishing tenure; bill now goes to Crist

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Gov. Charlie Crist is now at the center of the political firestorm over a contentious education bill that the Florida House voted Thursday to send him for approval.


New class-size amendment clears state House; will be on November ballot

By Cristina Silva

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

A longtime push to scale back the 2002 class-size amendment scored its biggest victory yet Thursday as the Republican-led Florida House agreed to put the question to voters this fall.


Crist: I'm running as a Republican. Period.

By Jim Stratton

Orlando Sentinel

The Charlie Crist U.S. Senate campaign sought to ends weeks of speculation Thursday with a strongly worded statement saying flatly that - despite sagging poll numbers against rival Marco Rubio -- Crist would not leave the Republican Party to run as an independent.


Florida GOP taps Enron auditor to review party finances

By Aaron Deslatte

Orlando Sentinel

Mired in a financial scandal that threatens to drag into the fall elections, Florida Republicans have tapped a firm that investigated the Enron debacle to probe credit card charges and contracts tied to ousted chairman Jim Greer.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Crist as NPA: Can he win?

By Steve Schale

Steve Schale

Related: For and Against Crist the NPA

Despite Governor Crist's continual denying of his interest in running for the United States Senate as an independent, this is the rumor that will not die.


The Greer-McCollum connection

By Joy Reid

The Reid Report

When Bill McCollum announced his eleventy-fifth run for office (this time for governor) last May, Jim Greer was at his side.


The Big Sugar War

By Geniusofdespair

Eye on Miami

The real "Clash of the Titans" is playing out this year in Florida.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Casino-gambling compact moving through Legislature

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

After three years of negotiation, court action and legislative debate, a casino-gambling compact between Florida government and the Seminole Tribe looks like a safe bet.


Seminole casino gambling deal aces initial vote in state House

By Mary Ellen Klas

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

The state's $1 billion gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe easily scaled its first legislative hurdle Thursday as lawmakers disregarded warnings from Christian groups and rival horse and dog tracks that the measure would be bad for the state.


Bipartisan vote kills bill requiring referendum to keep children's service boards

By Steve Bousquet

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Florida's nine regional children's services boards on Thursday narrowly survived what they saw as a grave threat: a plan to ask voters every six years whether to renew the tax-assisted boards or abolish them.


Citrus Memorial Hospital board members meet privately with lawmaker

By Lee Logan and Steve Bousquet

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Three members of the board that runs Citrus County's largest hospital held a private meeting this week with a state lawmaker about legislation that would overhaul the hospital's governing structure.

POLITICAL RACES

Meek petition drive certified for Senate bid

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Democrat Kendrick Meek is the first U.S. Senate candidate in state history to qualify for the ballot by petition.


Crist's Change of Direction Sparks Some Speculation

By Gary Fineout

Lakeland Ledger

Behind in the polls and marginalized by the GOP-controlled Legislature, Gov. Charlie Crist this week turned back to the populist tone that has defined his time in office.


Crist insists he's running as a Republican, despite speculation

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Amid persistent talk that he might switch to an independent Senate campaign - and indications he was making plans to leave that option open -- Gov. Charlie Crist issued a statement Thursday flatly denying it.


Sunny Charlie hits rough water

By E.J. Dionne

Washington Post via Daytona Beach News-Journal

It was precisely the sort of event that Gov. Charlie Crist loves: a nonpartisan, non-ideological chance to boost Florida, its people and its weather.


Governor takes time out to talk to college politics class

By Kameel Stanley

St. Petersburg Times

Gov. Charlie Crist played teacher in his hometown Thursday night, speaking to a politics and government class at USF St. Petersburg.


Manager, senior adviser, finance director out as Sink campaign has shakeup

Adam C. Smith and Beth Reinhard

St. Petersburg Times

Trailing in the polls and facing widespread doubts about the visibility and effectiveness of her gubernatorial campaign, Alex Sink is shaking up her team.


Gubernatorial candidate Sink visits Bay

By Will Hobson

Panama City News Herald

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink visited Bay County on Thursday, stopping to meet supporters in Panama City before talking with local business leaders at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.


Tim Mahoney's name floated as possible challenger to U.S. Rep. Rooney

By Jim Turner

TC Palm

U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, said he will continue to fund-raise and campaign as he expects the Democrats will find a candidate to challenge him before the end of the month.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Florida health care ballot measure hits roadblock

By John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

A GOP effort to change the Florida Constitution to thwart President Barack Obama's health care overhaul hit a roadblock Thursday amid questions about its constitutionality.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Crist links jobs, environment during Florida Forever rally

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday told a rally at the Capitol that the state's land-buying program is critical to the Florida's tourism economy.


160-Square-Mile Oil Spill Fouls Mississippi Delta Wildlife Refuge

Staff Report

Environment News Service

An 18,000 gallon spill of crude oil from a pipeline into the Delta National Wildlife Refuge has personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, the state of Louisiana, and the Cypress Pipe Line Company scrambling to contain the spreading mess.


House bill to implement 75-percent recycling goal is back

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

A recycling bill that was described by its sponsor as being on life support two weeks ago has found new life in a proposed committee bill.


FPL opens solar plant

By Wayne T. Price

Florida Today

The solar energy center at the Kennedy Space Center could -- and should -- be one of many throughout Florida, Florida Power & Light President and Chief Executive Officer Armando Olivera said Thursday.


Not an Everglades setback: Judge leaves room for U.S. Sugar deal to proceed

Editorial

Palm Beach Post

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno seemingly dealt a significant setback to Gov. Crist's plan to buy U.S. Sugar land for Everglades restoration.

LGBT

Westboro Baptist plans protests at Tampa schools, church, Bon Jovi concert

By Emily Nipps

St. Petersburg Times

A fundamentalist antigay church is planning to visit Tampa to protest a church, a rock concert and a handful of schools this month.

EDUCATION

House passes landmark teacher merit-pay bill (includes reader poll)

By Josh Hafenbrack and Leslie Postal

Orlando Sentinel

The Florida House passed a landmark teacher merit-pay bill early this morning that aims to put the state at the forefront of a controversial national push to tie teacher compensation to student performance.


After hours of debate, House OKs merit-pay bill

By Bill Cotterell

Pensacola News Journal

The Florida House argued into the early hours Friday before approving a plan to end teacher tenure and require county school boards to give performance pay to good instructors and pink slips to bad ones.


On teacher tenure bill, governor is key

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Gov. Charlie Crist will soon decide the fate of some of the biggest -- and most controversial -- changes ever envisioned for Florida schools.


GOP for local control, except over teachers

By Eric Ernst

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

A teacher's husband called the other day. He wanted to complain about some of the so-called education reforms making the rounds in Tallahassee these days.


Math, science rules get tougher

By Hannah Sampson

Miami Herald

The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday passed a law that requires students to take more advanced math and science courses in order to graduate, sending the bill to Gov. Charlie Crist for his signature.


Colleges pulling for Senate budget, which includes $59 million for enrollment growth

Staff Report

Palm Beach Post

Florida's state colleges could see more students next fall, but little money to cover that increase.


Department of Education: UF will not get more Bright Futures money this semester

By Thomas Stewart

Gainesville Sun

The Florida Department of Education has told the University of Florida it won't be getting any more money for Bright Futures scholarships this semester, forcing officials to find $160,000 to cover the remainder owed to students, according to UF officials.


Crist's moment

Editorial

Gainesville Sun

Nearing the end of his term, Gov. Charlie Crist won't leave much behind by way of a lasting legacy.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Kennedy Space Center to get $7.8B, but number of jobs stays hazy

By Mark K. Matthews and Robert Block

Orlando Sentinel

NASA officials announced Thursday that Kennedy Space Center would manage the agency's new effort to fly astronauts aboard commercial rockets, although it's unclear how many jobs the proposed $5.8 billion program would generate in Florida.


Sweeping drywall ruling finds for homeowners

By Aaron Kessler

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

In a landmark ruling on contaminated Chinese drywall, a federal judge in New Orleans awarded $2.6 million in damages Thursday to the owners of seven Virginia homes ruined by the tainted wallboard.


A lot of money for a lot of gambling

Editorial

Tampa Tribune

Nearly three years ago Gov. Charlie Crist made a compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that would give taxpayers a cut of gambling profits while, at the same time, preventing the spread of new casinos. The Florida Supreme Court killed the deal.


Hurricane risk

Editorial

Gainesville Sun

To avoid a political hurricane over property insurance premiums, Florida elected officials have opted to keep insurance rates artificially low while piling more and more of the risk on the state-owned Citizens Property Insurance and the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Opt-out bill runs into Galvano

By Jim Saunders

Health News Florida

An effort to exempt Floridians from a key part of the new federal health-reform law stalled in the state House today after a powerful chairman raised concerns about its constitutionality.


House bill, Cliff Notes version

By Jim Saunders

Health News Florida

When House leaders released a proposal this week to overhaul Florida's Medicaid program, it spanned 183 pages and two bills.


Chelation for autism: landmark case

By Cynthia Washam

Health News Florida

In what may be the first lawsuit of its type, a Chicago father accuses one of Florida's busiest autism specialists of harming his son with intravenous treatments the medical establishment considers risky and useless.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Catholic Church lobbying to retain the current time restrictions on lawsuits against institutions

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

A decades-old scandal in which a Wisconsin priest is accused of molesting more than 200 deaf boys could be the saving grace for a proposed change to Florida law that the Catholic Church has fought for six years and is still fighting.

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