FEATURED STORIES
Hope For Keys Fades As Spill Nears Loop
By Jeffrey Collins and Matt Sedensky
Associated Press
Related: Tar Balls Found Along Shore In Key West
Related: 27 Days In, A Plan Works To Capture Leaking Oil
With BP finally gaining some control over the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, scientists are increasingly worried that huge plumes of crude already spilled could get caught in a current that would carry the mess all the way to the Florida Keys and beyond, damaging coral reefs and killing wildlife.
BP Gives State $25M To Promote Tourism
By Jim Ash
Florida Capital News
British Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward emerged from a closed-door meeting with Gov. Charlie Crist on Monday to announce $25 million to promote Florida tourism.
Florida At Center Of Supreme Court Ban On Juevenile Life Sentences
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Calling the practice "cruel and unusual punishment,'' the U.S. Supreme Court Monday banned the sentencing of teenagers to life without parole for crimes other than murder -- a decision that offers the hope of redemption to 77 Floridians who otherwise would die in prison.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Rentboys, Cadillacs and Scandals, Oh My!
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
Dang! I left for just a few days and missed the news about the "expert" that Attorney General Bill McCollum got the state to pay $120,000 to testify in support of Florida's ban on gay adoption.
Florida House Sends Gov. Crist 45 Bills
By Michael Peltier
Palm Beach Post
Lawmakers on Monday sent Gov. Charlie Crist 45 bills, including ones dealing with sexual predators, space, spring training and hurricane insurance.
Governor To Sign Red Light Camera Bill In Lakewood Ranch
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
Gov. Charlie Crist will visit Lakewood Ranch today to sign the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, named in honor of a Manatee County motorist who died in a violent 2003 car accident caused by a red-light runner.
POLITICAL RACES
Poll: Rubio Reclaims Lead In US Senate Race
By Brandon Larrabee
Florida Times-Union
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio now holds an eight-point lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the campaign for an open U.S. Senate seat, according to a survey released by Rasmussen Reports today.
New, Mystery Conservative Group Gunning For Charlie Crist
By Adam Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Rick Wilson created this spot for a newly created 501(c)4 called The Victory Trust.
Gov. Chiles Son Feels "Compulsion" To Enter Primary
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
The son of former Gov. Lawton Chiles said Monday he feels "almost a compulsion" to run for governor and will probably enter the Democratic race by the middle of next week.
Billionaire Greene Airs First 2 Senate Ads
Associated Press
Billionaire and Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene is hitting the airwaves with two ads depicting him as a political outsider and successful businessman.
Rep. Corrine Brown Dismissive About Her Campaign
By David Hunt
Florida Times-Union
Challengers have been circling around U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, but the longtime Democratic House member said it's too early for her to campaign.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Gov. Charlie Crist Weighs Bill To Help Cities Go Green
By Howard Cohen
Miami Herald
Going green could extend to consumers' wallets if Cutler Bay Mayor Paul Vrooman's plan passes muster with the governor.
Clamp Down On Big Oil
Editorial
Miami Herald
"Maybe this disastrous spill will finally convince enough members of Congress to clamp down on Big Oil,'' Florida's Sen. Bill Nelson told a Senate panel May 11 as the BP well gushed oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the third straight week.
Former QB, Lawmakers Seeking Two Spots On PSC
Associated Press
Former professional football quarterback Gary Huff, three state legislators and the Public Service Commission's top lawyer are among 61 applicants for a pair of openings on the utility-regulating panel.
Debate Over Mine Proposal Raises Questions Of Legal Advocacy
By Bill Thompson
Ocala Star Banner
The adversarial process - two sides trying to persuade an independent arbiter - is at the heart of most legal brawls. But a proposed lime rock mine in northwest Marion County has oddly made adversaries of people seemingly on the same side.
LGBT
Milking It: The 1st Annual Harvey Milk Film Festival Aims To Entertain While Getting The Word Out About The Fight For LGBT Civil Rights
By Tim Sukits
Creative Loafing
Shannon Fortner sits in her home just north of the Rosemary District flipping through a small notebook filled cover to cover with phone numbers, hastily scribbled notes and artistic doodles.
EDUCATION
New Rules Make High School Tougher
By Linda Trimble
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Tougher graduation requirements, a new civics class for middle school students and tighter controls on restraining children with disabilities are among the changes in store for Florida schools as the result of this year's legislative session.
Martin Schools Superintendent's Plan Includes "No Job Losses"; Budget Workshop, Discussion Tuesday
By Kelly Tyko
TCPalm
Superintendent Nancy Kline's budget reduction plan proposes cutting 36 positions including moving eight employees who now work with students with disabilities into open teaching positions.
Clay School Board Faces Budget Shortfalls For Next Two Fiscal Years
By Beth Reese Cravey
Florida Times-Union
Based on projected revenues and expenses, the Clay County School Board must cut about $10.8 million from its upcoming 2010-11 budget and $16.2 million from its 2011-12 budget in order to maintain state-required reserve fund levels.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Extolling Sarasota's Pristine Sands, Amid Looming Concerns
By Kevin McQuaid
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Local officials and business leaders from around Sarasota County gathered Monday morning on Lido Beach to show prospective tourists first-hand that area beaches and waters are free of the massive oil slick fouling the Gulf of Mexico.
Crist Right To Veto Tax Break For Phony Farmers
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Charlie Crist got it right in vetoing the tax break for phony farmers that the Legislature passed this year. The bill would have enabled huge landowners and developers to avoid paying their fair share of property taxes by hiding behind an exemption meant to protect working farms.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Medicare Plan Suspended, Fined
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Quality Health Plan, based in Tampa, has been suspended from the federal Medicare program and socked with a fine of almost $600,000 following a rash of enrollee complaints, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Monday.
Panama City Woman Joins Health Care Lawsuit
By S. Brady Calhoun
Panama City News-Herald
The National Federation of Independent Business is suing over the federal health care bill and has drafted a local woman to be part of the fight.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
A judge on Monday refused to dismiss new charges of grand theft and conspiracy against former House Speaker Ray Sansom and two co-defendants.
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