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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Daily Clips for July 29, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Economic fallout from BP oil spill will haunt Florida for years, reports say

By Jeff Harrington

St. Petersburg Times

A pair of reports Wednesday -- a long-term economic forecast from the University of Central Florida and a University of Florida survey -- stoke concerns that the economic fallout from the BP oil spill will haunt the state for years.


Federal judge blocks toughest parts of Arizona immigration law

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration law, a last-minute, if temporary, reprieve for opponents who have called the measures extreme and want a federal approach to the problem.


Arizona immigration ruling provides relief to some in South Florida, but hope to opponents

By John Lantigua and Ana M. Valdes

Palm Beach Post

South Florida immigrants viewed with relief a federal judge's decision Wednesday to block provisions of an Arizona law that would step up enforcement against people suspected of being in the country illegally.


Florida's Wasserman Schultz leads Democrats' campaign to tie GOP to Tea Party

By William E. Gibson

Orlando Sentinel

South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will help lead a nationwide Democratic campaign this fall that will try to tie Republican candidates to extreme elements of the Tea Party movement.


Florida GOP sued for donations from Scott Rothstein's law firm

By Amy Sherman

Miami Herald

The Republican Party of Florida was sued Wednesday for $237,000 it received from Scott Rothstein's defunct Fort Lauderdale law firm.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Jailhouse recordings reveal bewildered Jim Greer

By Marc Caputo

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

On the day Jim Greer was jailed for alleged fraud, the former Republican Party of Florida chairman found himself in a strange world as he scrambled to find a bail bondsmen, his lawyer, a suit for his first court appearance and his kid's tennis coach to cancel a lesson, according to recordings of his phone calls from the Seminole County Detention Center.


Sen. George LeMieux may be key to small biz bill

By David Rogers

Politico

With President Barack Obama pounding the stump, the fate of a small business aid package in the Senate Thursday could turn on a Republican short-timer from Florida with political ambitions of his own in 2012.

POLITICAL RACES

'Outsiders' Lead In Florida Primaries, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Scott Up In GOP Gov Race, Greene Leads In Dem Senate Bid

Press Release

Quinnipiac University

Florida businessman Rick Scott holds a 43 - 32 percent lead over State Attorney General Bill McCollum for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of likely primary voters released today.


GOP business support divided

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Florida's top two business trade groups have split on the governor's race, with the Florida Chamber of Commerce endorsing Bill McCollum for the Republican nomination, and Associated Industries of Florida backing both McCollum and Rick Scott for governor.


Statewide Scott-McCollum TV debate in GOP governor's race looking doubtful

By Steve Bousquet

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Rick Scott is all over TV, spending his millions on ads promoting himself as an outsider candidate for governor against "career politician" Bill McCollum.


Meek to begin campaign tour in Orlando

By Bill Cotterell

Florida Capital News

From the place where he started his petition campaign in Orlando to the Wausau Possum Festival, from Pensacola's beaches to an early voting date in his hometown of Miami, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek plans an 11-day statewide bus tour in his U.S. Senate campaign.


Meek won't pledge to back Greene

By David Cantanese

Politico

Rep. Kendrick Meek, who has been branding himself as the only authentic Democrat in the Florida Senate race, stopped short Wednesday of saying he would support rival Jeff Greene in November if the billionaire defeated him for the party's nomination.


More stores close under Greene bankruptcy

By Beth Reinhard

Miami Herald

The latest on the gas station chain bought less than one year ago by Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene from The Johnson City Press.


Rubio a big spender as well as big fund-raiser in U.S. Senate race

By Michael C. Bender

Palm Beach Post

Republican Marco Rubio collected $4.3 million from April 1 to June 30, a record for a U.S. Senate candidate in Florida. But he spent $4 million during the same period.


Grayson bills taxpayers for DVD of term's highlights

By Mark K. Matthews and Mark Schlueb

Orlando Sentinel

If U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson were a rock star, his latest PR blitz -- a DVD sent to tens of thousands of Central Florida residents -- would be called Grayson's Greatest Hits.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Bigger classes, less funding

By Andy Ford

Orlando Sentinel

The Sentinel was off the mark in its editorial Tuesday about the class-size initiative the Legislature placed on the ballot this November and the Florida Education Association's opposition to it.


St. Petersburg's cynical plan to thwart Amendment 4 (redux)

By Howard Troxler

St. Petersburg Times

With St. Petersburg's final decision not until September, let's take another look at that city's attempt to thwart Amendment 4.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Gulf oil spill: 100 days, 10 lessons

By Curtis Morgan and Fred Tasker

Miami Herald

As the Gulf of Mexico oil spill hit the 100-day mark Wednesday, clear lessons have emerged from the stained waters.


Oil spill luck may run out

By Nathan Crabbe

Gainesville Sun

University of Florida coastal and oceanographic engineering professor Peter Sheng said the state has been lucky in regards to the BP oil spill, but that luck is bound to run out.


Feinberg to oil spill task force: BP has done some things well, but 'data isn't one of them'

By Travis Pillow

Florida Independent

Speaking at a meeting of Gov. Charlie Crist's Gulf Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force, Kenneth Feinberg said Wednesday that he wished he could predict the future.


State oil spill task force asks BP for 'our seafood is safe' marketing money

By Tom McLaughlin

Northwest Florida Daily News

BP officials sat quietly and nodded Wednesday as members of the governor's Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force berated them for not getting Florida money to market itself.


Fishermen see brighter days ahead as waters closed by spill reopen

By Stephen Nohlgren and Craig Pittman

St. Petersburg Times

Down at the docks, grouper boats are lined up and waiting. Many have been waiting for a while -- waiting for the part of the Gulf of Mexico closed by the oil spill to reopen, waiting for the crews and captains to return to fishing.


Crist's recycling mandate could hit roadblocks in South Florida

By Jennifer Gollan

Palm Beach Post

Being green is not easy, especially in South Florida.


Tax break gusher

Editorial

Gainesville Sun

"Oil production is among the most heavily subsidized businesses, with tax breaks available at virtually every stage of the exploration and extraction process," The New York Times reported recently.

EDUCATION

FCAT result variables within historical ranges, preliminary report shows

By Mary Kelli Palka

Florida Times-Union

The results of two independent audits of this year's Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results aren't finalized, but the reviews so far show variables in the test scores are within historical ranges, state officials said Wednesday evening.


School grades held for flawed test results

By Joe Callahan

Ocala Star-Banner

Uncertainty over the accuracy of this year's FCAT results has prompted state officials to hold off on releasing school letter grades.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

U of Florida study points to real estate gloom from oil spill

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

More then 100 days after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in the Florida panhandle, a University of Florida study shows that the disaster is creating real estate market uncertainties far from the original spill site.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Facing steep odds, 128 House Democrats revive the public option

By Sahil Kapur

Florida Independent

Four months after President Barack Obama enacted the Affordable Care And Patient Protection Act, House Democrats have revived a top liberal priority that was eliminated from the sweeping health care law in the latter stages of a grueling year-long debate: the public option.


FL plan wins top Medicare rating

By Lottie Watts

Health News Florida

Florida is one of just three states with a top-rated, five-star Medicare Advantage plan.


Doctor shopping explodes in Florida

By Kris Wernowsky

Pensacola News Journal

Lakeview Center psychologist Irvin Williams evaluated a patient this week addicted to the painkiller OxyContin.


Miami VA: remaining veterans notified of disease exposure

By Fred Tasker

Miami Herald

The Miami Veterans Administration hospital said Wednesday it has reached all 79 local veterans it failed to contact last year when it learned that colonoscopies performed at the facility between 2004 and 2009 might have exposed them to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.


South Broward Hospital District, HMO fight over new fee

By Bob LaMendola

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

About 36,000 Medicaid patients can no longer use the tax-assisted South Broward Hospital District or its doctors as a result of a contract dispute between the district and an HMO.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Arizona immigration law ruling throws monkey wrench in other states' plans to copy law

The Associated Press

Orlando Sentinel

States that had been watching Arizona's immigration law in hopes of copying it received a rude awakening when a judge put most of the measure on hold and agreed with the Obama administration's core argument that immigration enforcement is the role of the federal government.


Florida Republicans bummed out at judge's ruling on Arizona immigration law

By Mitch Perry

Creative Loafing

After a federal judge Wednesday blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration enforcement law from going into effect, thousands of miles away, some Florida Republicans reacted with outrage.


Arizona's D-Day

The Progress Report

Think Progress

Ninety days after it was signed into law, Arizona's new immigration law -- SB-1070 -- is set to take effect tomorrow.


Florida church to host 'Jihad in Jacksonville' event

By Virginia Chamlee

Florida Independent

Glad Tidings Church, located in Jacksonville, is set to host a "Jihad in Jacksonville" training conference on July 31.

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