Daily Clips for August 26, 2010

FEATURED STORIES Rick Scott's win invokes fear among Tallahassee insiders, but Alex Sink is bigger worry By Steve Bousquet, Mary Ellen Klas and Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Related: GOP governor's race may have turned on third candidate's strong showing Related column: Why Scott won, and why he could win again Related editorial: Time for a debate on how to turn Florida around For powerful Tallahassee insiders accustomed to winning, Rick Scott represents their worst fears. Scott has a party to unite By Lloyd Dunkelberger and Gary Fineout Sarasota Herald-Tribune As the survivor of one of Florida's most bitter and costly primary battles, Rick Scott began his general election campaign for governor Wednesday, with questions lingering over whether Republicans can unite behind his cause and whether Democrats will be able to exploit their rival's divisions. Kendrick Meek calls win `a victory for everyday people' By Beth Reinhard and Adam C. Smith Miami Herald Related AP story: Meek faces tough battle in Fla. Senate race Congressman Kendrick Meek started his victory lap Wednesday morning in Hollywood at the hotel where he celebrated his U.S. Senate primary victory over billionaire Jeff Greene Tuesday night. Rubio, Meek both predict they'll squeeze Crist out in general election campaign By George Bennett Palm Beach Post On the first full day of Florida's three-way general election Senate race, strategists for Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek found common ground today. FLORIDA POLITICS Women have Harry Burn to thank By Ann Hellmuth Orlando Sentinel "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on the account of sex." More women in political spotlight, but gap remains By David Crary The Associated Press The suffragists who 90 years ago won voting rights for women would likely shake their heads in wonder at this election, with its "mama grizzly" candidates and high-stakes woman-vs.-woman showdowns. POLITICAL RACES Now it's Rubio and Meek against Crist in Senate race By Adam C. Smith and Beth Reinhard St. Petersburg Times Now it's two against one — against Gov. Charlie Crist. Charlie Crist: A man without a home By Abel Harding Florida Times-Union Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, once a rising star in the Republican party, finds himself without a home as he pursues an independent bid for the U.S. Senate. GOP tries to patch things up after contentious gubernatorial primary By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Related: Scott gets help from third candidate At sunrise Wednesday, the vice-chairwoman of the Florida Republican Party sent a message to GOP activists: "Remember, there is no past in politics." Next step for Fla. GOP leadership: Reconciling with gov candidate Rick Scott By Michael C. Bender Palm Beach Post Related editorial: Scott's priority isn't Florida's Only once in the past two decades have Florida voters elected a governor or U.S. senator who had never previously run a statewide race. Florida primary results: Can Rick Scott, GOP 'insiders' unite? By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel When Naples millionaire Rick Scott accepted the Republican nomination for governor late Tuesday night, he crowed that the "Tallahassee insiders" who invested millions of dollars in defeating him were "crying in their cocktails." Can Rick Scott win over the Florida GOP? By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union Spending $50 million of his own money to win the Republican nomination for governor might have been the easy part for Rick Scott. Backed By Mainstream of GOP, McCollum Defeat Stuns Many By Lloyd Dunkelberger Lakeland Ledger It was a stunning end to nearly three decades in political office. Who's sorry now? Scott's victory could shake up GOP and state government By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune No one in the Republican Party establishment thought Rick Scott would win. Scott a boon to state Republican Party? By Tristram Korten Florida Independent Rick Scott may not be the darling of the state’s conservative establishment, but his victory in the Republican governor’s primary yesterday may be a boon to the beleaguered Republican Party of Florida. Pollster: Unpredictable governor's race led to incorrect polls By William March Tampa Tribune Pollster Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research says angry voters, a volatile race with numerous lead changes, two unpopular candidates and an unpredictable turnout were all part of why his late polls failed to correctly predict the outcome of the Bill McCollum-Rick Scott GOP primary for governor. Florida voters stick with their elected officials The Associated Press Tampa Tribune If Florida voters were angry with their state legislators, they didn't show it on Election Day. Behind-the-scenes winners and losers in Tuesday's primaries By Abel Harding Florida Times-Union There were lots of winners and losers in Tuesday nights election results - and it certainly wasn't limited to the candidates. Florida's other winner: Robo-polling By Alexander Burns Politico Rick Scott, the surprise winner of Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary, and Joe Miller, the obscure GOP candidate poised to unseat Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, weren’t the only political newcomers to score major upsets this week. BALLOT INITIATIVES Eyes are on FL Supreme Court By Jim Saunders Health News Florida The state Supreme Court, which issues decisions on Thursdays, could rule today whether the November ballot will include an attack on federal health-care reform. Not-so-true colors on Amendment 4? By Arielle Stevenson Creative Loafing Hometown Democracy, the citizen-driven initiative to pass Amendment 4, seems to have a simple enough goal -- give voters a bigger say in Florida's growth. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Seeking answers in MMS's flawed culture By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Two weeks after BP's Macondo well blew out in the Gulf of Mexico, the federal government's Minerals Management Service finalized a regulation intended to control the undersea pressures that threaten deepwater drilling operations. Ex-MMS director advises oil spill commission on reforming industry oversight By Andrew Restuccia Florida Independent Former Obama Administration Minerals Management Service Director Elizabeth Birnbaum, who resigned amid criticism of the agency in the aftermath of the gulf oil spill, spoke publicly today for the first time since leaving her post in May. Gulf Oil Spill: Rick Steiner Got BP Disaster Right From The Beginning, Warns Crisis Is Far From Over By Dan Froomkin The Huffington Post I first spoke to Rick Steiner more than three months ago -- about two weeks into the Deepwater Horizon disaster -- after a source recommended I talk to him for a story I was writing about the spill as a teachable moment. Oil spill: Laid off cleanup crews blast BP By Travis Griggs Pensacola News Journal About 100 local oil cleanup workers gathered at Pensacola Beach on Wednesday morning to protest a BP decision that they say lays off hundreds of local workers and replaces them with out-of-town laborers. Call for More FL Panther Habitat During America's Great Outdoors Tour By Gina Presson and Deb Courson Public News Service Florida More room to roam for the endangered Florida panther is the goal of a petition being delivered to the U.S. Department of the Interior during the "America's Great Outdoors" listening session in Orlando today. Biomass project picks up support By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune Former Sen. Rod Smith of Gainesville and the Florida Wildlife Federation are among the individuals and groups voicing their support for a proposed biomass energy plant in Alachua County in advance of a hearing this week. EDUCATION Put Race to the Top money where it does most good Editorial St. Petersburg Times It took two tries for Florida to qualify for the federal Race to the Top education initiative. Collaboration Editorial Gainesville Sun This past legislative session, lawmakers and teachers were at each others' throats over an education "reform" bill that was more about ideology than the welfare of children. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Crist announces plans for Fla. tourism conference The Associated Press Tampa Tribune Efforts to overcome a slumping economy and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are among the topics that will be discussed at the 43rd Annual Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Reputed Mafioso, stung by FBI, pleads guilty in Scott Rothstein case By Jay Weaver Miami Herald A Miami Beach wine merchant portrayed by authorities as an Italian Mafioso pleaded guilty Wednesday to scheming to shred financial records and launder money for Ponzi con man Scott Rothstein.