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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Daily Clips for July 7, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Potential Arizona-style immigration law divides Florida public, law enforcement

By Cristina Silva

St. Petersburg Times

Related: Poll: Would you support an Arizona-style immigration law in Florida?

Related editorial: Arizona immigration law is wrong for Florida

Neil Lewis' cramped immigration law office reverberates from the ring of yet another telephone call.


McCollum: I'm happy to give deposition

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Attorney General Bill McCollum said Tuesday he will be glad to give a defense deposition in the trial of Jim Greer, the ousted Florida Republican party chairman being prosecuted on six felony counts by McCollum's office.


The Mire Next Time

By Ryan Tracy

Newsweek

BP and federal officials have conjured parts of their oil-spill response plan from scratch and changed them by the day, often failing to act with the speed and decisiveness an emergency demands.


BP claims czar Kenneth Feinberg drawing fire from Attorney General Bill McCollum

By Marc Caputo

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

With the authority to dole out $20 billion to BP oil spill victims, Kenneth Feinberg has yet to provide exact details about who gets money and who doesn't.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Time for a Vote on Oil Drilling Ban and Renewable Energy?

By Gina Presson

Public News Service Florida

Time is running out for Gov. Charlie Crist to call a special session of the Florida Legislature to consider a constitutional amendment banning oil drilling near Florida beaches.


McCollum unconcerned about being witness in Greer case

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Attorney General Bill McCollum said Tuesday that he's ready to face a defense attorney's questions about former Republican Party chairman Jim Greer.


Feds approve Seminole gambling deal

By Josh Hafenbrack

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

It's finally - and officially -- a done deal: The federal government has signed off on Florida's blackjack gambling deal with the Seminole Indian tribe.

POLITICAL RACES

Senate candidate Meek says wars need public focus

By David Hunt

Florida Times-Union

With more than 1 million Floridians out of work, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek said on the U.S. Senate campaign trail that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a back seat to job creation.


Chiles' Run for Governor Could Cost His Father's Party

By Margie Menzel

WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee

Lawton "Bud" Chiles III -- son of the late Democratic icon -- says he jumped into the governor's race because none of the other candidates was saying what he wanted to hear.


Bud Chiles finances worsen

By Tristram Korten

Florida Independent

When Lawton "Bud" Chiles, III, independent candidate for governor of Florida, filed his financial disclosure form last month, he listed his annual income as $143,000, his net worth as $1.3 million and an additional $1,763,546 in assets as of Dec. 31, 2009.


Buchanan's path gets smoother by the day

By Jeremy Wallace

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

A series of lawsuits that were once considered a threat to U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan's political career are quietly fading away, strengthening Buchanan's bid to win his third term this fall.


GOP up in air over Kosmas' seat

By Dave Berman

Florida Today

Undecided leads the crowded field in the Republican primary in the 24th Congressional District that includes northern Brevard County, a candidate's survey indicates.


Political gurus transform candidates into winners

By Anthony Man

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

They are political kingmakers, the behind-the-scenes consultants who put the polish on lackluster campaigns and dress candidates for success.


Military voters to get earlier ballots this year

By J. Hunter Sizemore

Bradenton Herald

Deployed military and overseas voters should be among the earliest voters in Florida primary election history starting Friday when absentee ballots are expected to be distributed.


Voter information available online

Staff Report

Daytona Beach News-Journal

With the August primary elections just around the corner, the Florida Department of State recently announced a new online voter information system.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Nelson says more skimmers on the way to Florida, Gulf to battle oil

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

More oil-skimming vessels are on the way to the Gulf of Mexico while the BP oil spill is not expected to affect Florida this week, state officials said Tuesday.


BP: $1.9M check on way to Escambia

By Jim Ash

Pensacola News Journal

Money from energy giant BP will begin flowing faster to local governments that are battling the effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson promised on Tuesday.


Nothing Off the Table at Summit on Energy Future

By Sen. Mike Haridopolos

Florida Thinks!

Two weeks ago, I joined Citizens for Clean Energy in their announcement of a summit focused on bringing together experts from across the state and nation to discuss Florida's energy future.


Trade groups band together for renewable energy

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

An informal coalition of renewable energy trade groups have developed a policy statement that they hope will push the Florida Legislature to take action on renewable energy.

EDUCATION

Report: More than a third of Florida high school grads to skip college

By Scott Travis

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Related: Education in Florida too often ends with high school

Justin Kilburn spent most of his high school years focusing on girls and partying, and he had no clue what do once he received his diploma.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Shrinking labor force masks deepening unemployment crisis

By Annie Lowrey

Florida Independent

Michele Walker lost her job working for a rental management company in the Pittsburgh area in the spring of 2008


Oil spill hits housing market, Fitch confirms

By Jane Wooldridge

Miami Herald

Fitch Ratings has confirmed what Floridians already suspected: Homeowners battling high unemployment and decreased home values have a new enemy in the Gulf oil spill.


Jobless benefits running out for 147,000 Floridians this week

By Jim Stratton

Orlando Sentinel

More than 147,000 Floridians will run out of unemployment benefits this week because the U.S. Senate, before leaving on a weeklong summer vacation, was unable to reach an agreement on how to keep payments flowing.


Space Coast jobs: Proposals aim for part of $40M in grants to create jobs after shuttle

By Scott Powers

Orlando Sentinel

With $40 million in federal grants on the table, Space Coast entrepreneurs, companies and local government agencies had no shortage of proposals Tuesday of how to spend it to bring jobs to an already-struggling region that is bracing for deep NASA cuts.


Doubling down on pensions

Editorial

Orlando Sentinel

Facing big deficits in their public-employee pension systems, some cash-strapped local governments in Florida have come to a politically difficult but mathematically inescapable realization: They must pare back generous benefits for their retirees.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medical records go online, but at what cost to privacy? .

By Fred Tasker

Miami Herald

You're a South Florida resident on vacation in Boise or Bogota.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

South Fla. police chief cleared in Rothstein probe

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Fort Lauderdale's police chief has been cleared of wrongdoing after an investigation into his involvement in a car wreck linked to a disgraced attorney who ran a $1 billion Ponzi scheme.

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