Daily Clips for October 11, 2010

FEATURED STORIES GOP hopes for veto-proof power in state By Gary Fineout Ocala Star-Banner Millions of dollars are being spent to elect Florida's next governor, but what happens over the next four years may hinge just as much on little-noticed races going on in Gainesville, Sarasota, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Rick Scott, Alex Sink go 1-on-1 in first debate By Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald The war of words playing out over the airwaves between Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink spilled into the Doral studios of Univisión on Friday as the two major candidates for Florida governor faced off in their first televised debate. Meek trying to convince Democrats he can beat Rubio By William March Tampa Tribune A political legacy from his mother and energetically championing causes dear to Democrats gave U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek an unassailable political base in his Miami congressional district. GOP candidates lead all 3 Cabinet races By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Republicans continue to lead all three state Cabinet races, according to a statewide poll released on Saturday. Running scared over Amendment 4 By Carl Hiaasen Miami Herald Major home builders are uncorking a bombastic media blitz to scare Floridians away from voting yes to Amendment 4. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jim Morin Miami Herald FLORIDA POLITICS In 'Taj Mahal' tale, questions raised in judicial ruling By Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times When the 1st District Court of Appeal started negotiating to build the courthouse that would come to be derided as the Taj Mahal, the St. Joe Co. was in an important legal battle before the same court. Right place, Right time By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News Neoclassical columns rise into the air, capped by a dome that dominates the surrounding low-slung buildings six miles southeast of the towering Capitol. How the Legislature voted, Part 7: Abortions and ultrasounds By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times Today's entry in our "how the Legislature voted" series is more controversial; some people will think it was a good idea. My own bias is against it. Wave of public corruption scandals spurs ethics push in Broward By Amy Sherman, Carli Teproff and Daniel Chang Miami Herald This is where Broward's political world finds itself today: One year after the biggest public corruption bust in county history, elected officials are still getting hauled away in handcuffs for selling their offices. POLITICAL RACES Sink hammers Republican Scott in Fla. gov. debate By Mitch Stacy The Associated Press Related: 'Outsider' Scott makes nice with GOP establishment Democratic gubernatorial nominee Alex Sink came out swinging against Republican Rick Scott in their first debate Friday, calling him a liar, slamming him repeatedly for the fraud scandal at his former hospital company and accusing the multimillionaire of trying to buy the office. 'Unpredictable' race has Sink fighting to make history By Jim Ash Pensacola News Journal Related: Panhandle has Scott's back for governor Before the rise of the tea party, before a multimillionaire health care executive came out of nowhere to claim the Republican nomination for governor, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink easily could claim title to the most compelling political story. Poll: Sink ahead of Scott, but damaged by attack ads By Marc Caputo Miami Herald Related: The truth of attack ads Democrat Alex Sink is nursing a narrow lead over Republican Rick Scott in the Florida governor's race, according to a new poll showing that his barrage of negative ads is nevertheless hurting her candidacy. Rick Scott's IRS records show lower tax rate and higher income in 2009 on global investments By Michael C. Bender, Marc Caputo and Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Rick Scott blames President Barack Obama for the nation's economic woes, but Florida's Republican nominee for governor is doing far better now than he did in the last year of George W. Bush's presidency. Can Rick Scott's Economic Plan Work? By Lloyd Dunkelberger Lakeland Ledger Many of the questions surrounding Rick Scott's campaign to be Florida's next governor have centered on the massive fraud that occurred when he was CEO of what was then the nation's largest health care chain, Columbia/HCA. Poll: Sink has slim lead over Scott By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital Bureau News A new statewide poll Friday showed Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink with a slim lead over Republican Rick Scott in the race for governor. Religious voters convert, turn to Rick Scott By John Kennedy News Service of Florida Florida Republican lawmakers and major contributors who fiercely opposed Rick Scott during the party's August primary for governor wasted little time sliding over to support the nominee. Scott, Sink reveal agendas for education By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union While there are a few similarities in the public education plans of the two major-party candidates for governor, the agendas are focused on different paths to boosting education achievement. Florida's next governor will face key transportation issues By Brandon Larrabee With Florida's population expected to grow over the next several years, either Alex Sink or Rick Scott will be faced with ensuring the state's transportation network keeps up with the growth when one of them becomes governor after the November elections. Environment lost along with other issues in governor's race By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune 1000 Friends of Florida, a group focusing on growth management issues statewide, sent a questionnaire last month to the eight major party candidates in the state Cabinet races. Florida politics churns mud faster than a swamp buggy in the 'Glades By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times People in Florida are shocked — shocked! — that Rick Scott would stretch the truth in his TV ads. Marco Rubio's meteoric rise in Florida politics By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Marco Rubio's meteoric rise in Florida politics is a story of unremitting ambition, natural talent and powerful connections that began 14 years ago in a Miami coffee shop. A once unknown Rubio takes over lead in the Senate race By William March Tampa Tribune A year and a half ago, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio was virtually unknown outside his Miami home turf. Meek molds middle-class fighter image By Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post In his roughly 19 months of campaigning for the U.S. Senate, Kendrick Meek has made every attempt to become the candidate for Florida's working class. Bill Clinton to campaign for Kendrick Meek at USF St. Pete By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Former President Bill Clinton is set to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek on Oct. 19 in St. Petersburg. Meek looks to lock in Aaronson endorsement By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Still fighting to win votes from his own party in the final weeks of the general election campaign, Democratic Senate nominee Kendrick Meek plans to meet Wednesday with Democratic Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, who's been mulling an endorsement of independent Charlie Crist. Crist says he hasn't changed even though his party has By William March Tampa Tribune Is he Chain-Gang Charlie? Or is he the moderate populist who refused to go along with the Republican Party's sharp right turn? Wall Street Journal story about Crist/Meek deal laughable, Meek says By Tristram Korten Florida Independent A Wall Street Journal Political Diary story states that Republicans are worried that Gov. Charlie Crist, independent candidate for U.S. Senate, is working on a deal with Democratic candidate Kendrick Meek to have Meek drop out of the race and presumably endorse Crist in order to beat Republican Marco Rubio, who currently leads in the polls by about a 10-point margin. Meet Charlie Crist's unconventional U.S. Senate campaign team By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Margaret Wood cheered loudly and maybe more sincerely than most as Gov. Charlie Crist told a crowd gathered along his hometown waterfront in April that he was abandoning the GOP to run for the U.S. Senate as a nonpartisan candidate. Rubio blames Crist for the tanking economy By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Marco Rubio rarely veers much from his standard stump speech about America being the greatest country ever and her greatness being endangered by the Obama administration's agenda. Tea partiers swoon over Rubio in St. Pete By Kate Bradshaw WMNF Community Radio Tampa With less than four weeks to go until the November election, one statewide race continues to captivate Florida politicos. In Florida attorney general race, major contrasts in candidate priorities By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post For the first time in decades, Florida's next attorney general will be a prosecutor who's as comfortable in front of a judge and jury as a television camera. Health care factor in attorney general race By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Floridians can't vote on President Obama's national health-care plan next month, but they can decide whether their state should continue fighting it in court. 3 issues show differences between Bondi, Gelber By Laura Kinsler Tampa Tribune When it comes to hot-button issues such as health care, school funding and gay adoption, attorney general candidates Pam Bondi and Dan Gelber have vastly different plans for the office. Ausley demands late debate with Atwater By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital Bureau News Democrat Loranne Ausley demanded a debate with Senate President Jeff Atwater on Friday in the closing days of race for chief financial officer. Immigration issue could sway key races in Florida By William E. Gibson Orlando Sentinel Most politicians in Florida are keeping a safe distance from the explosive issue of immigration this year, but the ongoing national debate could make a crucial difference in the campaigns for governor and several close congressional races. Florida's ballot offers plenty of alternatives to Republicans and Democrats By Lee Logan St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau At a major tea party convention in St. Augustine last month, U.S. Senate candidate Bernie DeCastro wanted to address the thousands of political activists who showed up to decry a free-spending federal government. Poll: Thrasher and Gianoulis in statistical dead heat By Matt Dixon Florida Times-Union Citing, in part, an anti-incumbent sentiment, a poll obtained by the Times-Union has Democratic state Senate candidate Deborah Gianoulis in a statistical dead heat with her opponent Sen. John Thrasher. GOP spends $200,000 on Thrasher ads News Service Of Florida St. Augustine Record The Florida Republican Party has weighed in with a $200,000 ad buy for its chairman, Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who is facing a stern re-election challenge from Democrat Deborah Gianoulis of Ponte Vedra Beach. Joe Garcia and David Rivera step up attacks in TV debate By Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald The first televised debate between Republican David Rivera and Democrat Joe Garcia on Sunday highlighted the combative and contentious contest between the two congressional rivals, who barely let each other get a word in edgewise as they jostled over taxes, federal stimulus dollars and Cuba. U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, challenger Allen West fire familiar barbs in televised debate By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Republican challenger Allen West slammed Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Klein on the economy during a televised debate today, while Klein defended the federal stimulus program and blasted West's personal finances and residence outside congressional District 22. Obama returning to Miami for fundraiser By Lesley Clark Miami Herald Eager to retain Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, President Barack Obama returns today for his third Miami fundraiser of the year — this time to benefit House races, including an increasingly competitive South Florida contest. Campaigning's begun for 2012 presidential race By Beth Reinhard Miami Herald Don't look now, but while many voters have barely started digesting the slugfests for governor and Congress that will be over in less than four weeks, the 2012 presidential campaign is well under way in Florida. GOP agenda: Vote Republican, take your medicine By Stephen Goldstein South Florida Sun-Sentinel The Republican-tea party is fooling you. So, on Nov. 2, vote like an enlightened stamp-collector. BALLOT INITIATIVES Amendment 4 support slips By Anthony Man Orlando Sentinel The business-labor campaign to kill the proposed constitutional amendment to rein in growth appears to be working. A Mason-Dixon poll released Saturday shows support for Amendment 4 is dropping and is far short of passage. Amendment 4 showdown seven years in the making By Michael Peltier Naples Daily News Ali v. Fraser has nothing on these guys when it comes to pre-fight hype. This ballot fight card has been seven years in the making. How can you vote against right to vote? By Gary Borse Ocala Star-Banner Why anyone in their right mind would vote against an amendment that would give them the right to vote on local land-use issues is beyond unbelievable. Debate continues over class size amendment By Dave Breitenstein Ft. Myers News-Press The days of 35 students jam-packed into a classroom are history. Florida Amendment 8: Right Size is Wrong Choice By Thomas Bradwell The Examiner As the pivotal 2010 mid-term November elections approach, the Florida Supreme court unanimously decided last week that the controversial Republican-sponsored Amendment 8 will indeed appear on the ballot. Amendments' goals: Curb tailor-made voting districts By John Lantigua Palm Beach Post There are Florida legislative and congressional voting districts so oddly shaped they resemble your small intestine. Oddly shaped voting districts at issue By Derek Catron Daytona Beach News-Journal Florida's 3rd Congressional District starts in the part of Jacksonville where U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown lives. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Sugar land deal finally a lock By Curtis Morgan Miami Herald If Charlie Crist were a car salesman, the $1.75 billion buyout of a sprawling sugar empire he pitched as the salvation of the Everglades more than two years ago might be likened to a Ferrari Enzo. Getting U.S. Sugar land ready for Glades restoration would cost millions By Andy Reid South Florida Sun-Sentinel A more than two-year odyssey of legal fights and political battles over buying U.S. Sugar farmland for Everglades restoration may ultimately prove easier than actually putting the land to use. No escape: Climate will shape society By Larry Chamblin Pensacola News Journal Oil is no longer gushing from deep in the Gulf of Mexico, though we may feel the economic and environmental impacts of the spill for years. America moves on from spill; coast feels abandoned By Jay Reeves The Associated Press About 800 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, Dave Edmonds is struggling to remind people about the BP oil spill. Report: BP pays Feinberg and firm $850,000 a month By Andrew Restuccia Florida Independent BP is paying Kenneth Feinberg and his law firm, Feinberg Rozen, $850,000 a month to administer the company’s $20 billion oil spill compensation fund, Bloomberg reports today. Moving sea turtle eggs away from gulf oil spill proving to be a success By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times As oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster oozed close to the beaches of Florida and Alabama, state and federal officials launched a desperate effort to save a generation of sea turtles. Florida weighs reinstating bear hunting, hearing this week in Naples By Eric Staats Naples Daily News The draft of Florida’s black bear management plan has more than 150 pages and is chock full of maps and charts. Water and septic tanks By Linda Young Gainesville Sun Many Americans are growing weary of the government telling us how to live our lives and especially how to spend our money. La Niña contributes to tough Florida wildfire season forecast By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson on Friday predicted a tough wildfire season because of a long-range weather forecast calling for dry conditions. LGBT Florida Vigil: Teen Suicides and Bullying By Gina Presson Public News Service Florida On this National Coming Out Day, there is a call to remember the six young people who took their own lives in recent weeks across the country due to gay bullying. Gay bashing isn't just mean -- it can kill By Daniel Shoer Ruth Miami Herald It is hard to believe that in this century, and in this highly developed country, a rash of suicides has spread among adolescents who are relentlessly harassed for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Help Wanted: Foster care homes for gay teens By Jeff Kunerth Orlando Sentinel Alarmed by the number of gay kids who have run away from home or have been thrown out by their parents, a new organization within Orlando's gay community is trying to provide help, shelter and homes for these children. Gay couples have their day By Troy Moon Pensacola News Journal It looked like any other wedding ceremony at times. EDUCATION Barack Obama: Keep investing in schools By Abby Phillip Politico Education and the economy dominated President Barack Obama’s weekly address Saturday. Schools get creative to shrink classrooms By Kathleen McGrory and Carli Teproff Miami Herald Six weeks into the school year, thousands of students in Broward County schools are being transferred into a new classroom with a new teacher. Broward schools in a race to reform By Akilah Johnson South Florida Sun-Sentinel In order to get $37 million in federal Race to the Top dollars, the Broward School District must do much more than create a merit pay plan. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Robo-signing controversy could derail nation's entire foreclosure process By Jeff Harrington and Leonora LaPeter Anton St. Petersburg Times Related: Why Bank of America stopped foreclosures and how it could affect you and others Related: When banks get too zealous in foreclosures What began as scattered accusations of shoddy paperwork and fudged documents is mushrooming into a full-blown crisis threatening to derail the foreclosure process across the country. Foreclosure freeze widens as fears grow By Toluse Olorunnipa and Ina Paiva Cordle Miami Herald Thousands of foreclosure sales -- which have become the engine of South Florida's housing market -- have been thrown into a tailspin by jarring testimonies of bank employees who signed legal documents by the thousands without properly reviewing them. Ex-employee says foreclosure firm forged signatures By Kimberly Miller Palm Beach Post A former paralegal for Florida foreclosure giant David J. Stern describes an office where signatures on notarized documents were regularly forged, legal papers were prepared en masse in Guam and the Philippines, and closed-door screaming matches erupted when files weren't moved fast enough. U.S. jobless rate steady at 9.6% By Allison Ross Palm Beach Post When Kevin Hale landed a job in late March assisting with the 2010 Census, the Lake Worth salesman was just thrilled to have steady, full-time work. No Social Security raise in the works The Associated Press Ft. Myers News-Press As if voters don't have enough to be angry about this election year, the government is expected to announce this week that more than 58 million Social Security recipients nationwide - and an estimated 130,000 in Lee County - will go through another year without an increase in their monthly benefits. HEALTH AND SENIORS The Assault on Healthcare Reform By Nicholas Kusnetz The Nation In April 2007 an orthopedic surgeon in Arizona began a fringe fight over healthcare policy with the help of some libertarian supporters. Now, thanks to the intervention of a conservative policy group, that initiative has become a central issue of the 2010 elections. Medicare change arrives this week By Laura Green Palm Beach Post Seniors who have worried about the implications of health care reform will finally get a glimpse at how it affects their Medicare benefits come Friday when details of the 2011 plans are released. Crist wants to reform health care law, supports lawsuit By Abel Harding Florida Times-Union Gov. Charlie Crist appeared before the Times-Union editorial board and answered questions about health care reform. FL gets $25M in new grants By Carol Gentry Health News Florida Four community health centers in Florida will share $14.5 million for expansion, and five counties will share nearly $10 million for addiction treatment through federal grants announced today. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Two teens attacked at youth offender facility, suit says By Linda Trischitta South Florida Sun-Sentinel The Southern Poverty Law Center sued youth offender and treatment facility Thompson Academy in Pembroke Pines, its operator, Youth Services International of Sarasota, and the state on behalf of two teens, alleging civil rights violations. Lawsuit alleges kids were abused at Fla. lockup The Associated Press Tampa Tribune A federal class-action lawsuit claims a teenage inmate was sexually abused at a youth offender facility where other juveniles were forced to go hungry, endure hot and moldy conditions, and sleep on the floor. Clean up voter rolls by fixing process to restore civil rights By Muslima Lewis South Florida Sun-Sentinel The Sun Sentinel reported on Sept. 18 that close to 15,000 people may be listed improperly on Florida's voting rolls. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Savings lagging from expanded Fla. drug courts By Bill Kaczor The Associated Press An expanded drug court program for serious offenders will fall well short of saving Florida a predicted $95 million in prison costs unless changes are made, says a legislative report released Friday. Florida Bar Poll: Members Favor Retaining Sitting Justices By Eric Mennel WUSF Public Radio Tampa Likely voters are likely to know something about the candidates for governor and U. S. Senate. Jailed official puts hope in high court ruling By Jay Weaver Miami Herald A convicted Palm Beach County commissioner hopes to have his criminal record erased, arguing his failure to disclose a financial interest in land deals no longer stands up as illegal since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal law prosecutors used against him.