Daily Clips for October 15, 2010

FEATURED STORIES Florida once sued would-be Gov. Rick Scott, accusing him of insider trading By Marc Caputo and Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Rick Scott wants to be governor of a state that once filed suit accusing him of insider trading. Legislator: Scott Backs Ban on Abortions By Gary Fineout Lakeland Ledger A state legislator claims in a new message to supporters that Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott has pledged, if elected, to throw his support behind a bill that would make abortion illegal in Florida in nearly all instances, including rape and incest. Judge OKs challenge to health care law By Kris Wernowsky Pensacola News Journal A federal judge will allow portions of a lawsuit that challenge the controversial health care law to proceed. Selling out justice for a big-screen TV By Daniel Ruth St. Petersburg Times Who would ever have supposed that the fetid cesspool of cronyism, good ol' boyism and classic condescending elitism that is Tallahassee would find at its very wellhead a bunch of imperious judges who traded in their robes for…60-inch flat-screen television sets? WEEKLY BEST OF THE BLOGS Is Marco Rubio’s Campaign Receiving Foreign Funding? By Inkberries Beach Peanuts The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been in the news a lot lately and for good reason. Rivera Won't Disclose Who Really Pays Him By Michael Froomkin Discourse.net David Rivera has a problem with the truth. A big problem. And the Miami Herald has Rivera in its sights. Dear Democrats: Stop telling Kendrick Meek to drop out! By Joy-Ann Reid The Reid Report It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Congressman Kendrick Meek. Voters Have to Hunt for Charlie Crist’s Name on Florida Ballots By Trish Ponder Pensito Review With polls showing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist at about 30 percent in his race for U.S. Senate against Tea Party Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek, the newly independent candidate is already swimming upstream. Media Accountability: Assaulting Labor By Kenneth Quinnell Florida Progressive Coalition George Bennett of the Post on Politics blog writes a story about Ron Klein today that is loaded with right-wing anti-labor language and talking points. FLORIDA POLITICS Legislature may change laws in wake of Crist GOP defection By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Gov. Charlie Crist’s decision to bolt the GOP and run for the U.S. Senate as an independent candidate could spur changes to Florida’s election laws. 'Taj Mahal' courthouse flap finds new target By Paul Flemming Pensacola News Journal State Sen. Mike Haridopolos on Thursday demanded the resignation of the head of the state's property management agency because of "runaway spending" on the politically charged 1st District Court of Appeal courthouse. 'Taj Mahal' courthouse: A horror story Editorial Florida Times-Union In the era of the Great Recession, excessive spending by government is a big story. POLITICAL RACES Two new polls put Sink ahead of Scott in governor’s race By Tristram Korten Florida Independent A new poll released today that surveyed 700 likely voters, equal numbers Democrat and Republican, puts Democrat Alex Sink 6 points ahead of Republican Rick Scott in the race for Florida governor, and shows Scott’s number slipping among crucial independent voters. Sink campaign accuses Scott of insider trading By William March and Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune Alex Sink's gubernatorial campaign is touting a 1997 lawsuit that accused Rick Scott of insider trading — dumping Columbia/HCA stock just before news broke about the federal investigation of the hospital chain. Scott's campaign no longer emphasizing immigration By Laura Wides-Munoz Miami Herald Judging by Florida's Republican primary, one could be forgiven for thinking that after the economy, the state's biggest issue was, well, Arizona and its new immigration law. Increasing Medicaid Rolls and Higher Costs a Challenge for Next Governor By Bill Rufty Lakeland Ledger Shannon Baxley and Brian Alvear and their two children receive health care through Medicaid. Democratic state senator calls on Charlie Crist to drop out of U.S. Senate race By Anthony Man South Florida Sun-Sentinel Tired of the whispering campaign from some Charlie Crist fans that Democrat Kendrick Meek should drop out of the race for U.S. Senate, Broward state Sen. Jeremy Ring said Thursday Crist is the one who should drop out. Confident GOP Cancels Rubio Funding to Focus Elsewhere Staff Report Lakeland Ledger Senate Republicans are canceling $4 million in TV ads for Florida's Marco Rubio to put more money toward winning Democratic-held seats in California, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Libertarian looks to surprise Rubio, Crist, Meek By David Hunt Florida Times-Union Applause flowed freely as Libertarian Alex Snitker, a feisty former U.S. Marine scrapping his way through a U.S. Senate campaign, told the crowd what he was all about. Offspring of former mayors vie for Attorney General By Laura Kinsler Tampa Tribune This year's attorney general race pits a telegenic career prosecutor from Tampa against a seasoned politician from South Florida. Mark Woods! Hey! It's about the punctuation, stupid By Mark Woods Daytona Beach News-Journal After months full of absurdity on the campaign trail, some in Tallahassee finally have cut through the mudslinging and gotten around to tackling the issues that I’m sure you and your neighbors have been talking about. National Dems pulling out of Kosmas race By Mark K. Matthews Orlando Sentinel National Democrats are abandoning the re-election campaign of U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, deciding Tuesday to cancel plans to spend $650,000 on television ads for the freshman Democrat in the final week before Election Day. House Republican leader visits "friends" in Florida, says 4 Democrats will lose By Gary Fineout The Fine Print House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, made a surprise visit into Tallahassee on Thursday where he stopped by the private Governor's Club for a lunchtime event. Jeb Bush backers aren’t worried about George W. Bush fatigue By Alexander Bolton The Hill Supporters of Jeb Bush say Bush fatigue will not be a significant problem if the former Florida governor decides to make a presidential run. BALLOT INITIATIVES Amendment 4 will return power to the people By Richard T. Walker Panama City News Herald Just why is Amendment 4 on the Nov. 2 ballot? Recommend ‘Yes’ on Amendments 5 and 6 Editorial Ocala Star-Banner In the last 10 years, 505 incumbent Florida legislators have stood for re-election, the Florida Times-Union reported recently. Only 10 of them have lost. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Everglades land deal celebrated, but restoration hurdles loom large By Andy Reid South Florida Sun-Sentinel Sheet cake and the ceremonial handing off of deeds for 26,800 acres of farmland marked the celebration Thursday of a newly completed Everglades restoration land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp. LGBT US urges delay in 'don't ask, don't tell' ruling The Associated Press Miami Herald Related: Obama: 'Don't ask, don't tell' ending on his watch After two days of silence, the Obama administration urged a federal judge on Thursday to let the military press on with its "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving openly in the military. Still, President Barack Obama insisted the policy that has divided the nation for two decades "will end on my watch." EDUCATION Arne Duncan praises Hillsborough's reforms, union collaboration in Tampa visit By Tom Marshall and Rebecca Catalanello St. Petersburg Times If America wants to transform public schools, look no further than Hillsborough County. Can 'Superman' fix what ails public schools? By Roger Moore Orlando Sentinel For filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, it's rarely just a movie. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Florida could soon become No. 1 state for foreclosures By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Florida isn't quite the foreclosure capital of the country. But it's getting closer. Investigating Foreclosure Fraud The Progress Report Think Progress Yesterday, all 50 state attorneys general opened a joint investigation into the ongoing foreclosure fraud scandal that has led some of the country's biggest banks to suspend foreclosures, as they sort out whether or not they improperly threw borrowers out of their homes. Senate report says caps may be needed on local sales taxes By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune A new Senate report says that state lawmakers may want to make changes to Florida’s tax laws in order to keep cities and counties from raising sales taxes higher. HEALTH AND SENIORS Judge: Suit over health overhaul can go to trial By Melissa Nelson The Associated Press Crucial pieces of a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's health care overhaul can go to trial, with a judge ruling Thursday he wants to hear more arguments over whether it's constitutional to force citizens to buy health insurance. Department of Health offers minimal oversight of state-funded crisis pregnancy clinics By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent Department of Health records obtained by The Florida Independent show that oversight of Florida’s state-funded crisis pregnancy clinic chain mainly rests in the hands of the two organizations contracted by the state to run those clinics — the nonprofit Florida Pregnancy Care Network and the for-profit Uzzell Group. Republican exaggerations about cutting Medicare By Angie Drobnic Holan St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact During the debate over health care reform, Republicans often complained the Democratic plan would cut Medicare. Pain doctors' limit: 150 Rx/day By Carol Gentry Health News Florida Doctors who work in Florida pain clinics should write no more than 150 prescriptions a day for potentially addictive and dangerous drugs, a state panel decided today. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Florida Supreme Court Rules Against Parole Commission Staff Report Lakeland Ledger The Florida Supreme Court has ruled prison inmates cannot be required to pay court filing fees when appealing Parole Commission decisions on presumptive release dates.