Daily Clips for October 29, 2010

FEATURED STORIES Charlie Crist asked Clinton camp to suggest Meek drop out, source says By Greg Sargent Washington Post Charlie Crist personally called a top adviser to Bill Clinton and asked if the former president would discuss with Kendrick Meek the possibility of dropping out of the Florida Senate race, according to a source close to Clinton. Dems release ad slamming Bondi for keeping Katrina dog from family that lost him By Tristram Korten Florida Independent The Florida Democratic Party is airing an ad in which a New Orleans woman who lost a dog after Hurricane Katrina recounts the legal battle she and her family went through to reclaim the animal from Pam Bondi, the Republican candidate for Florida attorney general, who had adopted it from a shelter. Fla. govenor hopefuls charge into final weekend By Mitch Stacy and Tamara Lush The Associated Press Hurtling toward Election Day in a governor's race that's too close to call, Rick Scott and Alex Sink embarked Friday on a final weekend of statewide campaign stops to rally supporters and, more importantly, try to get more of them to the voting booth. New polls show a skintight governor's race By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Florida's nasty gubernatorial contest has come down to this: If Republican Rick Scott is going to win the keys to the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee, GOP voters must turn out in large numbers — and put aside their reservations about his business past. BEST OF THE BLOGS The Florida Doomsday Scenario: A Cautionary Tale By Benjamin Kirby The Spencerian Despite a long night for some counting votes in several close races, including the race for Florida governor, most results were far clearer than expected: by overwhelming majorities, the Republicans in Florida have been ushered into unprecedented power. Attention Rick Scott: cheating’s really not a good issue for you By Joy-Ann Reid The Reid Report The St. Pete Times offers some much needed context to the now officially “overblown even more than Juan Williams is milking his firing” textgate dust-up. FL22: Tea Party’s Allen West Once Said GOP Was Corrupt, Now Schmoozes with Boehner, Takes Bucks from Bailed-Out Corporations, Lobbyists By Jon Ponder Pensito Review One of the oddest aspects of the 2010 midterms is how swing and right-leaning independent voters seem to be so willing to overlook troubling character flaws in fringe candidates, as long as the candidates repeat the tea party’s false narratives about bailouts, the Stimulus and the size of government. Ban? What Ban? Meet Haridopolos’ Newly Hired Six-Figure “Double Dippers” By Inkberries Beach Peanuts In spite of the state ban on “double dipping” where state employees collect a paycheck while also collecting a state pension, incoming Republican Senate President Mike Haridopolos (R-Drill-Baby) has announced that he has hired three veteran staffers to come on up to Tallahassee and double-dip anyway! Rick Scott, pack your bags: DCA isn't killing jobs, the Growth Machine is By Gimleteye Eye on Miami Florida has three industries: tourism, agriculture, and construction/development. POLITICAL RACES Senate race turns into political theater with Clinton, Meek, Crist and Rubio By Beth Reinhard, Lesley Clark and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Related: Meek calls report 'inaccurate at best' Related Washington Post story: Florida's U.S. Senate race turned into late-night political theater, as Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek scrambled at his Miami Gardens campaign office Thursday to quash reports that his mentor and most important political ally, former President Bill Clinton, urged him last week to quit the race. Sink asks fellow Democrats to talk up campaign, urge friends to vote By Jim Ash Florida Capital News Related: Scott shrugs off poll results, pushes 'jobs' message through Space Coast With the day's polls showing her running nose-to-nose with her Republican rival in the governor's race, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink spent Thursday in Democratic strongholds preaching to the choir. Polls show a real nail-biter in Florida governor's race By Marc Caputo, Mary Ellen Klas and Lesley Clark St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau With Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott making multiple campaign stops Thursday, three new polls show the Florida governor's race remains a tough-to-call nail biter. Rick Scott would pick agency head, but vows to stay clear of any state Solantic probe By Liz Freeman Naples Daily News The state Department of Health won’t discuss its handling of a health-care fraud complaint against Solantic, a chain of walk-in centers co-founded by gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott in 2001. The right-wing roots of Scott’s press strategy By Tristram Korten Florida Independent Florida newspapers have so far unanimously endorsed Democrat Alex Sink for governor over Republican Rick Scott. Poll: Scott battling Sink, image By Jim Saunders Health News Florida In the final days of this fall's neck-and-neck race for Florida governor, Republican Rick Scott faces two foes: Democrat Alex Sink and an unfavorable image among many voters. Smith says Democratic ticket for governor more centrist By Christopher Curry Gainesville Sun Rod Smith made a brief stop in his hometown of Alachua County Thursday to cast his ballot before Election Day arrives and meet with a contingent of political supporters downtown. Ad bashing Gelber in attorney general race has circuitous link to rival Bondi By Jay Weaver Miami Herald Powerful lawyers accustomed to throwing their weight around the courtroom have pounced on recent attack ads accusing Dan Gelber, Democratic candidate for Florida attorney general, of being "toxic to Jewish education." Feisty CFO race features Senate president and ex-lawmaker By Lee Logan St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau In a statewide race that's received little public notice, chief financial officer candidate Loranne Ausley has resorted to a 400-mile bike ride to get her message out. Grayson, Kosmas plan final TV-ad blitz By Scott Powers Orlando Sentinel U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson and Suzanne Kosmas are presenting barrages of TV commercials this week in the closing stretch before Election Day as they bid for re-election against Republicans Dan Webster and Sandy Adams. Get your absentee ballots in the mail — and be sure to sign them By Anthony Man South Florida Sun-Sentinel Voters casting their ballots by mail need to get them back to the Supervisor of Elections Office by Tuesday at 7 p.m. BALLOT INITIATIVES State Rep. Gaetz: Amendments 5 and 6 would blunt ‘conservative comeback’ By Cooper Levey-Baker Florida Independent Related: Republican Party dumps another $867K into anti-Fair Districts group In a guest editorial published in Northwest Florida Daily News, state Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, makes an explicitly partisan argument for the newspaper’s readers to vote down Amendments 5 and 6 — the so-called “Fair Districts” amendments that would create rules limiting politicians’ power to gerrymander districts. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Critical test not done on cement before blowout The Associated Press Tampa Tribune Halliburton Co. acknowledged that it skipped a critical test on the final formulation of cement used to seal BP's oil well before it blew out catastrophically in the Gulf of Mexico. Reminders Of BP's Oil Spill Linger Along Gulf Coast By Debbie Elliott NPR The Gulf of Mexico oil spill isn't making the headlines it did this summer, but that doesn't mean the oil is gone. Appeals court blocks questioning of EPA official By Curtis Morgan Miami Herald In a divided decision, an appeals court in Atlanta on Thursday rejected a Miami federal judge's request to personally grill a top federal environmental chief on persistent pollution problems in the Everglades. DCA rejects massive development planned for Hernando By Barbara Behrendt and Dan DeWitt St. Petersburg Times In a rare move, the Florida Department of Community Affairs has put Hernando County on notice Wednesday that it intends to find the proposed Quarry Preserve project “not in compliance.” LGBT Department of Education says bullying could violate federal civil rights laws By Bianca Fortis Florida Independent Last week The Florida Independent took a look at Florida’s anti-bullying law and found that, despite being a strong law, it is still lacking, especially in regard to LGBT protections. EDUCATION No raises in the works for school employees Staff Report Orlando Sentinel The state's public education system is requesting more than a $650-million increase for next year to pay for higher enrollment, plus special reading and technology initiatives. Fla. university tuition still one of lowest The Associated Press Tampa Tribune Tuition at Florida's 11 public universities continues to rank third-lowest in the nation even after 15 percent increases in each of the last two years. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Colors of Great Recession: Black, Brown and Pink (Slips) By Ralph De La Cruz Florida Center for Investigative Reporting Among the first things to go when times get tough are good intentions. Budget cuts could doom extra shuttle launch By Mark K. Matthews and Robert Block Orlando Sentinel Just weeks after President Barack Obama signed into law a new blueprint for NASA -- one that was supposed to add another space shuttle launch next year -- the compromise is in danger of coming undone by a lack of money. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Living in fear, in Miami By Felipe Matos Miami Herald It seems like it was yesterday when I arrived in Miami. I was only 14 then, but now I'm 24. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Florida high court approves longer prison terms for gun crimes By Stephen Hudak Orlando Sentinel In a divided opinion, the state Supreme Court today said judges can dish out sentences that exceed a crime's maximum penalties in cases involving guns.