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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Daily Clips for June 2, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Oil Spill: Person picked to help sue BP for state also a former BP lobbyist (includes video)

By Preston Rudie

WTSP 10 Connects Tampa Bay

Excerpt: "If you had a neighbor who had destroyed your lawn and you were going to hire an attorney to represent you, you'd probably want to know if your attorney used to have a financial relationship with your neighbor before you hired them," Executive Director of Progress Florida Mark Ferrulo told 10 Connects.

FEATURED STORIES

Oil spill may reach Florida Panhandle beaches by end of week

By Craig Pittman

St. Petersburg Times

Related: Oil spill disaster marked by BP mistakes from the outset

The latest projections say the Deepwater Horizon oil spill's leading edge could ooze onto Pensacola's beaches sometime late this week, marking the spill's first official landfall in Florida.


U.S. Opens Criminal Inquiry Into Oil Spill

By Helene Cooper and Peter Baker

New York Times

Related: Cleanup Costs and Lawsuits Rattle BP's Investors

Related: A Waiting Game for Fishermen

Related: Deep Underwater, Oil Threatens Reefs

The Obama administration said Tuesday that it had begun civil and criminal investigations into the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, as the deepening crisis threatened to define President Obama's second year in office.


Crist vetoes insurance bill; Atwater blasts governor saying he "mischaracterized" bill

By Dara Kam and Kimberly Miller

Palm Beach Post

Deepening an already substantial rift between himself and the legislature, Gov. Charlie Crist tonight vetoed a property insurance bill saying it would likely increase rates.


For Senate candidate Marco Rubio, no swing to the left

By Jeremy Wallace

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

At a stage in the campaign when many statewide candidates would be trying to moderate their message to appeal to general election voters, Senate candidate Marco Rubio continues to emphasize a platform that appeals to conservative Republicans and the Tea Party movement.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Abortion bill may be political land mine for Crist

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

While most of the heated debate around an abortion measure passed in the waning hours of the 2010 legislative session has focused on a provision requiring a woman to have an ultrasound before undergoing an abortion, the legislation also includes a potential political land mine for Gov. Charlie Crist.


Crist signs condo reform bill

By Paul Owers

Orlando Sentinel

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law Tuesday a sweeping condominium reform bill that's expected to help associations devastated by financial problems.

POLITICAL RACES

Democratic Florida Senate candidate Jeff Greene hasn't yet released tax returns

By Beth Reinhard

Miami Herald

Related: In new ads, U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene lets mom do the talking

Unlike his U.S. Senate rivals, Democrat Jeff Greene -- who reaped millions off the subprime mortgage market that helped wreck Florida's economy -- is not releasing his tax returns.

Jeff Greene's lavish lifestyle and celebrity friends have garnered national media attention, but what is his political agenda?

By Virginia Chamlee

Florida Independent

Despite polling numbers far behind those of Rubio, Crist and Meek, self-made billionaire and Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene has nevertheless managed to acquire a good amount of media exposure for himself.


Here's one Democratic stronghold that could go for Crist

By Gary Fineout

The Fine Print

It probably didn't get much notice outside of Leon County, but Gov. Charlie Crist did something last week that may have given him an edge in at least one Democratic stronghold.


Rick Scott launches campaign to deflect HCA fraud attack ads

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott is not shrinking away from attacks on him for having headed a company that committed Medicare fraud.


New campaign finance law could cause difficulty for Republican-linked interest group funding anti-Scott ads

By Luke Johnson

Florida Independent

Related: Health care workers respond to Rick Scott campaign

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed H.B. 131 -- a new elections law requiring that "Electioneering Communications Organizations" (ECOs), including 527s, disclose more information than they were previously required to -- Friday without comment, possibly causing difficulty for an opaque interest group currently running ads against Republican candidate for governor Rick Scott.


Sink steps up South Florida campaign

By Anthony Man

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

After devoting much of the year to raising campaign money, Alex Sink brought her campaign for governor to South Florida on Tuesday.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Opponent disputes Corrine Brown's district

By David Hunt

Florida Times-Union

There's a civics lesson in Scott Fortune's congressional run, one that has political insiders curious about how well he'll come across to voters.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

State Fights Public Perception of Oil Spill

By Gina Jordan

WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee

Public perception about the spill in the Gulf may do more damage to Florida businesses than the oil.


Florida attorney general not invited to meeting to discuss Gulf oil spill

By Brendan Farrington,

The Associated Press

Attorney General Bill McCollum wasn't on the invitation list for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's meeting Tuesday with Gulf state attorneys generals and U.S. attorneys after his tour of areas affected by the massive Gulf oil spill.


Bills dealing with yard waste and petroleum contamination sites vetoed

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday vetoed bills related to yard waste in landfills and petroleum contamination sites.


Lack of money means no new Florida Communities Trust application cycle

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Grant programs at the Florida Department of Community Affairs will not be accepting new applications this year for local parks and working waterfronts projects.


28 candidates to interview for spots on PSC

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Three former utility regulators, the Public Service Commission's former director, its top lawyer and an ex-professional quarterback are among 28 applicants who received invitations today to interview for a pair of PSC appointments.


FPL customers to receive nearly $14 million refund

By Julie Patel

Orlando Sentinel

The Public Service Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to require Florida Power & Light Co. to refund $13.9 million, including interest, to customers for costs related to a 2008 outage that left as many as 3 million Floridians without electricity.

EDUCATION

As Florida vies again for federal schools grant, some still worry about union support

By Ron Matus

St. Petersburg Times

In recent weeks, a flurry of Florida teachers unions signed a pact to show they're behind the state's second bid for a $700 million federal Race to the Top grant.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

South Florida property values, cities take big hit

By Matthew Haggman

Miami Herald

Taxable values declined steeply for the third straight year across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, as the region continues to wrestle with a recession that has cost thousands of workers their jobs and sent real estate prices tumbling.


Drywall tax breaks take effect in Florida

By Duane Marsteller

Bradenton Herald

Floridians with corrosive Chinese drywall in their homes will get property-tax breaks under a bill that Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law Tuesday.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida has taken steps to combat its prescription drug abuse problem, but the funding still hasn't arrived

By Marcos Restrepo

Florida Independent

The Florida Medical Examiners Report for 2008 shows that every day six people die from prescription drug overdoses, and the president's first National Drug Control Strategy, released earlier this month, acknowledges that prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States.


Veto on workers' comp decried

By Jim Saunders

Health News Florida

Gov. Charlie Crist signed off Friday on bills that could lead to revamping the Florida Department of Health and extending a controversial Medicaid managed-care pilot program.


Hope Fades for State to Get Extra Medicaid Money

Staff Report

Lakeland Ledger

The odds on close to $1 billion in extra Medicaid money which Florida officials have been banking on for months have gone from looking like a sure thing to what one observer said Tuesday was "50-50 at best."


Shands scrambling after $9.7M veto

By Diane Chun

Gainesville Sun

On the first business day after Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed nearly $9.7 million in funds for Shands at the University of Florida, hospital and university officials are already trying to decide how the safety-net hospital can continue to meet the needs of uninsured or underinsured patients.

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