Daily Clips for September 13, 2010

FEATURED STORIES Florida GOP leaders at annual dinner vow to let go of past disagreements and back Scott By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Since its last annual dinner, the Republican Party of Florida has seen former Chairman Jim Greer indicted, watched Gov. Charlie Crist bolt the party and witnessed the defeat of establishment favorite Bill McCollum by outsider Rick Scott in a tumultuous governor's primary. GOP: Audit links Charlie Crist to state party's financial scandal By Jim Stratton Orlando Sentinel State Republicans moved the three-way U.S. Senate race to a new level Saturday, with party leaders pointing to an audit of their books they say implies Gov. Charlie Crist — now an independent candidate for U.S. Senate — ran up potentially "hundreds of thousands" of dollars in inappropriate charges. Crist says that he's still on call as governor By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau In his final months as governor, Charlie Crist is phoning it in — literally. Sink & Scott: yin & yang By Jim Saunders Health News Florida When it comes to health care, the Florida governor's race offers voters a clear choice. The Oil Spill Endgame: 'A Work in Progress' By Bryan Walsh Time Magazine Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen doesn't like to give deadlines for operations on BP's blown Macondo well anymore—and you can't really blame him. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jeff Parker Florida Today FLORIDA POLITICS Florida GOP trying to move past scandal By Gary Fineout Sarasota Herald-Tribune Republican Party of Florida chairman John Thrasher stood before a crowded ballroom at Walt Disney World and, in strong language, told hundreds of party loyalists and deep-pocketed donors that the GOP was ready to put scandal behind it and begin anew. State GOP accuses Gov. Charlie Crist of misspending but doesn't release audit By Adam C. Smith and Beth Reinhard St. Petersburg Times In a move denounced as "the same old political games," the Republican Party of Florida accused Gov. Charlie Crist and two former party bosses of misspending hundreds of thousands of dollars but declined to offer proof Saturday by releasing a long-awaited audit of the party's finances. RPOF to dig deeper into spending By Jim Ash Florida Capital News After a night of rousing victory speeches and serious fence mending, Florida's top Republicans focused Saturday on a lingering financial scandal and decided to do some more house cleaning. AG candidate Gelber calls for strike force to target corruption in Fla. Government By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post A former federal prosecutor vying to be Florida's next attorney general says the state needs a multi-jurisdictional anti-corruption unit to clean up government. How the Legislature voted on a 'foul thing' By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times What our Legislature does in the first year of our two-year cycle is too easily forgotten by the next election. Lt. Gov. Kottkamp perseveres as time in limbo as No. 2 nears end By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times Even in the best of times, being lieutenant governor can be a lonely existence. POLITICAL RACES Discordant Florida GOP tries hard to harmonize for general election By Beth Reinhard and Adam C. Smith Miami Herald Florida Republicans declared themselves one big happy family at their annual gathering Friday, seeking to banish any hard feelings lingering from a divisive governor's race before the high-stakes Nov. 2 election. GOP raises $2 million while embracing Scott candidacy By William March Tampa Tribune Some 800 Republicans poured $2 million into their party's coffers Friday, aimed largely at what state and national party leaders consider the most important contest on Florida's November ballot – the race for governor. Florida governor's race: Scott, Sink tout plans for economy, jobs, taxes By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Unlike any election in modern Florida history, this fall's gubernatorial contest pits two private-sector professionals with contrasting economic visions against each other. Florida's independent voters take a shine to Alex Sink By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Rick Scott may be blessed with virtually unlimited campaign money and a Republican wave looming over November, but two numbers stand to be giant obstacles to him winning the governor's race: 13 and 600,000. GOP looks to link Obama to Alex Sink By Lloyd Dunkelberger Sarasota Herald-Tribune He's not on the ballot this fall, but President Barack Obama has become a central figure in Florida's race for governor. Rick Scott raises just $43,000 after primary; Alex Sink pulls in $525,000 By Lee Logan St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Who wants to give money to a multimillionaire? Not too many people, apparently. Funding Florida governor's race is an 'inside' deal By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Republicans and lobbyists for Florida's biggest industries and interest-groups who gathered around their new gubernatorial nominee this weekend in Walt Disney World are opening their wallets to fund Rick Scott's expected $50-million general election campaign. Florida government jet doesn't fly with Scott By Bill Cotterell Ft. Myers News-Press With the fresh approach of a newcomer and the fervor of a reformer, Republican Rick Scott is determined to be a governor without an executive jet. In `Muzak' race, candidates stick to script By Beth Reinhard Miami Herald Has Florida ever produced a pair of low-talking, say-almost-nothing candidates for governor like Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink? GOP candidates play Obama card in fight against Dems By George Bennett Palm Beach Post President Obama won't be on the ballot in November, but Florida Republicans are trying to inject him into just about every race. Bondi limiting debates against more experienced Gelber By Laura Kinsler Tampa Tribune Tampa Republican Pam Bondi is staying close to home when it comes to debating her Democratic opponent for Florida attorney general. Two Florida ag commissioner candidates say they are environmental advocates By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com The two candidates vying for the post of Agriculture Commissioner are both trying to maintain they would help Florida's environment if elected. Two more nonprofits attack House Democrats, including Boyd, Grayson, Kosmas By Jesse Zwick Florida Independent The Associated Press reports that two additional nonprofits that support conservative causes — Americans for Job Security and the 60 Plus Association — have joined the election spending fray in a big way, buying $5 million in advertisements attacking Democrats in House races in swing districts across the country. Boyd Defends Record By James Call WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee The U.S. Chamber is the country's largest business lobby and plans to spend $75 million in this year's election. Path to reelection steeper for U.S. Rep. Ron Klein By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Related: 'That's how men talk,' GOP challenger West says Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Klein won his Palm Beach-Broward congressional seat in 2006 by nationalizing his campaign against former Rep. Clay Shaw, relentlessly tying the Republican incumbent to former President George W. Bush and the Iraq war. GOP wary of Fla. tea party hopeful By Alex Isenstadt Politico The Republican Party’s push to weed out tea party candidates who are suspected Democratic plants forges on. Where do they stand on campaign reform? Editorial St. Petersburg Times With independent candidate Bud Chiles out of the Florida governor's race, there's no one left standing on the high ground of campaign finance reform. BALLOT INITIATIVES Judge keeps class-size amendment on the ballot; teachers union to appeal By Cara Fitzpatrick Palm Beach Post A proposed class-size amendment isn't misleading to voters and can remain on the Nov. 2 ballot, a circuit judge ruled late today in a decision that the state's teachers union has said it will appeal to the Florida Supreme Court. Class-size bill makes for strange political alliances in Florida By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union An amendment seeking to revise the state's class-size standards is creating unusual political arrangements as voters near a potential November vote on the proposal. Amendment 4: Should voters have a say in development? By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News Proponents and opponents alike say Amendment 4 offers a straightforward question to voters in November. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Scientists monitor crucial seaweed for tar By Kate Spinner Sarasota Herald-Tribune On the surface of this cobalt blue ocean, where waves swell and crash at odd angles against the Florida Current, a single mat of seaweed becomes a living oasis crowded with penny-sized crabs and dime-sized fish. DEP working on criteria for selling or trading state conservation land By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is developing criteria for agencies to use in deciding whether they want to get rid of conservation land following controversies over the Suwannee River Water Management District's proposals to sell or exchange land. States can work together to solve water conflict By Sally Bethea Daytona Beach News-Journal Georgia, Alabama and Florida have been battling over future water allocation in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin which straddles their borders. Probing the Gulf disaster Editorial Sarasota Herald-Tribune The inadequacy of an internal report issued last week by BP reinforces the need for a thorough, independent analysis of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and thoughtful recommendations for preventing -- or, at least, mitigating -- a repeat. Keep Gulf oil spill on the radar Editorial St. Petersburg Times The BP oil disaster remains a pressing public concern, and three developments Wednesday show why. LGBT Florida Gov. Charlie Crist prepared to endorse broad swath of gay rights By Steve Rothaus Miami Herald According to RawStory.com, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, locked in a tough battle for U.S.Senate, is “is prepared to issue a ringing endorsement of gay rights.” Fourth gay Floridian emerges as adoptive parent to child By Marcella McCarthy Miami Herald Robert Lamarche spends his days at the Alliance for Children, a private adoption agency, deciding which prospective parents are fit to raise children in Florida. EDUCATION Programs push fiscal responsibility in the young By Brett Graff Miami Herald This week in her after-school program, teen coordinator for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Miami Diana Perez will introduce junior-high kids to a few real-life financial skills -- such as knowing the difference between wanting an iPod and needing one. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Obama has right idea on tax cuts Editorial St. Petersburg Times President Barack Obama found his voice last week. HEALTH AND SENIORS Showdown in court this week with healthcare lawsuit By Michael Peltier Naples Daily News In what may be his most lasting legacy as Florida’s Attorney General, Bill McCollum will take his case to federal court in Pensacola this week to defy President Barack Obama’s national health care plan that would require all citizens to carry some form of health care insurance. DCF to look for ways to improve oversight of child care facilities By Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post The state Department of Children & Families announced on Friday the creation of a committee of state leaders to find ways to improve oversight of child care facilities in Florida. Bed Bugs Make Comeback in FL: What You Can Do By Gina Presson Public News Service Florida Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite... A saying with new meaning these days as bed bugs make a comeback in Florida and elsewhere. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Gainesville Quran uproar ends with peaceful protest march — but no burning By Stephen Hudak and Jon Busdeker Orlando Sentinel Protesters marched a mile and chanted, a woman was arrested for trespassing and two gun-toting observers were turned away Saturday, an underwhelming conclusion to the global tale of a small church that planned to burn Islamic scriptures as an insult on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Pastor cancels Quran burning By Nirvi Shah Miami Herald After two-days of flip-flopping, a presidential plea and an unanswered ultimatum, a Gainesville pastor's plans to burn copies of the Muslim holy book on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were canceled Friday. 'Progressive' Gainesville's embarrassment over Quran furor matches fear from 1990 killing spree, residents say By Daphne Duret Palm Beach Post The last time the Rev. Milford Griner witnessed such a commotion here, an army of news reporters had come to follow a swarm of local, state and federal authorities as they hunted a serial killer. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Commission hears testimony about wrongful convictions The Associated Press Florida Capital News A state commission looking at wrongful convictions heard Friday that bad identifications and the mishandling of evidence by authorities are the chief culprits in a legal system that too often sends innocent people to prison. Experts say court ruling on online comments sets precedent By Duane Marsteller Bradenton Herald A judge has quashed an attempt to force the Bradenton Herald to reveal the identities of several people who posted comments on the newspaper’s website.