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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Friday, June 25, 2010

Daily Clips for June 25, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Offshore Drilling Foes to Stage Global Demonstrations

By Anne C. Mulkern

New York Times

Tar balls started washing up on the sand this week in Seaside, Fla., a wealthy hamlet between Pensacola and Panama City where Dave Rauschkolb owns three waterfront restaurants and near where he lives, fishes and surfs.


Despite concerns, dispersant use continues on gulf oil spill

By Craig Pittman

St. Petersburg Times

Related: Even relief wells are a dicey proposition to stanch oil spill

Related: Bob Graham promises objective, thorough assessment by oil spill commission

Related editorial: Lessons for Tampa Bay from Pensacola beaches

A month ago the Environmental Protection Agency ordered BP to stop spraying so much dispersant on oil gushing from the Deepwater Horizon well and to find a less toxic alternative to the chemical it was using.


Beaches cleaner a day after onslaught of oil

By Jennifer Lebovich and Carol Rosenberg

Miami Herald

Related: Pensacola cleanup: last stand against Gulf oil spill

Related: Storm threat could mean worse gusher

Red flags of warning kept swimmers from the water Thursday as workers plucked coin- to fist-size tar balls from the coast.


Hypocrisy and stimulus are latest buzzwords of Scott-McCollum battle

By Lee Logan and John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miamik Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Rick Scott has made it clear there's no way he would have accepted federal stimulus money as governor.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Geography-Impaired Tourists

By Beach Blogger

Pensacola Beach Blog

For decades we have marveled at the unmitigated gall of tourism promoters who seek to sacrifice public education to their lust for profits.


The Bush legacy and the decline of the United States

By Gimleteye

Eye on Miami

In The New York Times, Jeb Bush offers a rare glimpse of what we have been missing since the former governor of Florida-- and putative lynchpin of the Karl Rove/Grover Norquist wing of the GOP-- left office.


Gelber, Fitzgerald and Kriseman urge Crist to call Summer Special Session

By Peter Schorsch

St. Petersblog 2.0

State Senator Dan Gelber (D-Miami Beach) and State Representatives Keith Fitzgerald (D-Sarasota) and Rick Kriseman (D-St. Petersburg) today sent a letter to Governor Charlie Crist urging him to convene the legislature in a summer special session to address the complex challenges from the BP oil spill.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Crist's Tardiness Vexes Citrus

By Kevin Bouffard

Lakeland Ledger

Related: Crist Blames Tardy Citrus Commission Appointments On Lack of Applicants

Stung by Gov. Charlie Crist's vetoes of a bill protecting a property tax break for agricultural land and $1 million to battle citrus greening disease, some state citrus executives are attacking the governor for missing appointments to the Florida Citrus Commission by the Feb. 1 deadline as required by law.


Crist makes ceremonial stop, signs bill to aid condo owners

By Samantha Frank

Palm Beach Post

Gov. Charlie Crist was on the photo op express today, signing the same bill three times in a two-hour period.


Judge again rejects Sansom's motion to dismiss charges

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

A judge has again rejected former House Speaker Ray Sansom's attempt to dismiss the criminal charges against him stemming from a $6 million budget appropriation prosecutors say was going to benefit a private developer.


Tea partyers clash, accuse each of other of intimidation

By Mark Schlueb

Orlando Sentinel

A group of Tea Party activists who say the "Tea Party" name has been hijacked for nefarious purposes tried to have a news conference Thursday -- but it was hijacked.


Private versus public in the social network age

By Brad Dickerson

Highlands Today

It boasts over 500 million users and is one of the most popular ways to stay in touch with family and friends in the 21st century.

POLITICAL RACES

Rick Scott responds to 'profiting from abortions' tag, would have signed ultrasound bill

By Cooper Levey-Baker

Florida Independent

Attorney General Bill McCollum thumped Republican primary opponent Rick Scott the other day with an ad accusing the former health care executive of "profiting from abortions," and now Scott is defending his pro-life bona fides.


Health issues focus of Oct. debate

By Jim Saunders

Health News Florida

With Florida facing major questions about how to tame Medicaid costs and reduce the number of uninsured residents, the state's gubernatorial candidates likely will have to offer answers during a televised debate in October.


The year of the interloper

By Joy-Ann Reid

Miami Herald

Hours after their truly nasty debate in Palm Beach, I asked the Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene campaigns if their candidate would endorse the other, should their own candidacy fall short on Aug. 24. A spokesman for Greene said, ``Jeff is a Democrat and will support the Democratic nominee.''


Florida: 'Toss up' state

By Tristram Korten

Florida Independent

When the polls are averaged, Florida is coming up undecided in almost all seats for Congress and governor.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Time for Control

By Lesley Blackner

Florida Thinks!

More often than not, growth management doesn't work in Florida, even though a law requiring it has been on the books for 25 years.


Three-dot: Decided elections

By Mark Lane

Daytona Beach News-Journal

When the candidate qualifying deadline ended last week, your correspondent, like many political junkies, hit the spreadsheets.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Gulf Tar Balls May Lurk Beneath the Sands

By Steve Newborn

WUSF Public Radio Tampa

As oil continues to coat beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, a new study paints a grim outlook for the sugary sands to return to their pristine condition soon.


Gulf oil leak threatens baby turtles' food

By Jim Waymer

Florida Today

While researchers scoop up endangered sea turtles coated in oil in the Gulf, a scientist warns that this summer's fragile turtle hatchings could choke on tiny tar balls as they feed off the Space Coast.


Oil brings anguish, need for counseling, for landlocked fishermen

By Christine Stapleton and Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

The suicide of an Alabama charter boat captain on Wednesday came as waves of trauma washed over fishermen and their families throughout the Gulf Coast.


Florida needs an all-out effort for renewable energy

By Deirdre Macnab

St. Petersburg Times

The invasion of Normandy by Allied forces took planning, collaboration and sacrifice.


Tourists are playing hit or miss with spill on Panhandle beaches

By Thomas Becnel

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Chris and Lindsey Stockmann got lucky. The St. Louis couple were married at the beach on Tuesday -- the day before BP's Gulf oil spill blackened the local shoreline.


State wildlife officials: Delay snapper ban

By Dinah Voyles Pulver

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Florida wildlife officials want the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to delay approval of a proposed new rule that prohibits bottom fishing in thousands of miles of the Atlantic Ocean off the state's coast.


State board balks at budget provision approved by Legislature

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

A divided state panel on Thursday refused to set aside $2 million towards a Citrus County conservation purchase that had been tucked deep inside the new state budget.

LGBT

Why gay parents are good parents

By Jennifer Chrisler

CNN

This month we celebrate Gay Pride. But I'd like to suggest that we take this opportunity to celebrate gay parent pride.


The Rekers effect: How the choice of anti-gay adoption "expert" Dr. George Rekers backfired on Bill McCollum

By Mitch Perry

Creative Loafing

If Attorney General Bill McCollum is able to escape the Rick Scott onslaught and face Alex Sink in the fall, he'll have to answer to Sink on a number of issues.

EDUCATION

Tardy FCAT scores ready for release

By Hannah Sampson and Kathleen McGrory

Miami Herald

Related: Florida seeking $3 million for late FCAT scores

Finally, Florida schools are going to get the FCAT scores that allow them to plan for next school year.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Oil Puts Stop to Condo Sales in The Panhandle

By Brendan Farrington

The Associated Press

This was the year, Alicia Hollis and her fellow real estate agents thought. After a nasty batch of hurricanes and the bursting of the housing bubble, this was the year that condo sales along the Florida Panhandle's brilliant white beaches were going to rebound.


South Florida cities begin slashing pension costs

By Jennifer Gollan

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Once they were considered a sacred perk for public sector employees.

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