Daily Clips for November 8, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Property tax cuts could be ‘devastating’ for schools By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent Related: School districts prepared to sue if hit with class size fines Excerpt: Damien Filer, political director of Progress Florida, an organization that opposed Amendment 8, tells The Florida Independent, “Legislators have refused to fund class size reduction. Last year they estimated $350 million to fund class size reduction, but didn’t approve a penny and now they’ll penalize school districts.” Filer adds that legislators lost their push to secure passage of Amendment 8, and now they have to fund class size reduction or go to court. FEATURED STORIES Governor-elect Rick Scott's agenda: smaller, limited government By Steve Bousquet and Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Rick Scott's improbable journey from political unknown to Florida governor took just seven months. Keeping his many promises will take much longer. Gov.-elect Rick Scott expected to turn Tallahassee on its head By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Rather than hunkering down in the Capitol basement and redrawing organizational charts, Gov.-elect Rick Scott is running his transition from Fort Lauderdale. Scott wants to clean house? Lotsa luck By Carl Hiaasen Miami Herald “Today is the end of politics as usual in Tallahassee.” 10 things Alex Sink should have done differently By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times That Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink came within 65,000 votes of Rick Scott in a huge Republican-dominated midterm election perhaps is testament to how strong a campaign she ran. Haridopolos touts most conservative Fla. Senate ever, claims mandate for GOP goals By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post With Tuesday's elections fulfilling incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos' goal of a more conservative Florida Senate, it appears political moderation in the state is out the window for the next two years. 106,000 jobless Floridians face benefit loss By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Related editorial: Jobless, not the wealthy, need help The clock is ticking for about 106,000 unemployed Floridians. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jim Morin Miami Herald FLORIDA POLITICS How far to the right will Florida go after election? By David Hackett Sarasota Herald-Tribune Now that Florida voters have given conservative Republicans almost unchecked control of state government, the big question is: How far will the GOP go? Observers say Scott may have some scrapes with GOP legislature By Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune Someone up there must like Rick Scott. Rick Scott likely to find governing isn't simple By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Republican Gov.-elect Rick Scott is bound to discover soon that changing a behemoth state government is not as simple as it sounds on the campaign bus. Florida Democrats back to drawing board in Tallahassee By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Tuesday’s election all but eliminated the Democrats’ influence in Tallahassee. Florida Legislature to put the executive branch on shorter leash By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times We have a lot of laws in this state. But the government also has a lot of rules that Floridians have to obey. Rubio's party loyalty is clear: GOP not tea By Alex Leary and Beth Reinhard Miami Herald Related: Rubio in GOP weekly address: Republicans share blame for big spending When a French TV station set out to understand the American phenomenon known as the tea party, it sent a reporter to Florida, down a dusty country road, past a bug-swarmed pond, and into a Pasco County pasture filled with people waving American flags. Rubio urges bold ideas By Bart Jansen Tallahassee Democrat Washington Bureau Florida Sen.-elect Marco Rubio said in a national radio address Saturday that Republicans must pursue bold ideas like simplifying the tax code and reducing the national debt, and have the courage to fight for them. Rubio's rock star status carries rewards, risks By William March Tampa Tribune Florida's new U.S. Senator Marco Rubio will take office with a political stature beyond that of a typical new U.S. Senator, as the leading representative of Republican outreach to Hispanics and most prominent winner in Tuesday's GOP wave. Florida Tea Party remains hopeful after elections By Michael Peltier News Service of Florida The tea party, the movement, had a great week. The Tea Party, the party, not as much. Ten years later, infamous 2000 election ballot recount still defines Palm Beach County to many By Frank Cerabino Palm Beach Post There's a climate-controlled floor in the state archives building in Tallahassee where two distinct collections are kept for posterity: the case files of convicted murderers, and the ballots for the 2000 presidential election. An unneeded session Editorial Orlando Sentinel On Nov. 16, the day they're sworn in as Florida's legislative leaders, Rep. Dean Cannon and Sen. Mike Haridopolos plan to get to work. Impartial regulation, not prayers, needed at PSC Editorial South Florida Sun-Sentinel In July, the credibility of the Public Service Commission took another major hit. Torrents of cash Editorial Florida Today Two of the biggest threats to America’s body politic are gerrymandered districts that give parties the edge to retain power, and special-interest money that makes winning candidates beholden to certain groups. POLITICAL RACES Nationally, the Republican wave was not quite a tsunami By Louis Jacobson St. Petersburg Times Last week on the front page of Perspective we invited you to guess the size and strength of the Republican wave based on 10 factors to which we assigned a range of points. From Naples to Tallahassee: Rick Scott's improbable rise to Florida's governor By Ryan Mills and Leslie Williams Hale Naples Daily News On the first Saturday in April, State Rep. Tom Grady sat with his friend, neighbor and campaign finance chairman, Rick Scott, at a local Starbucks, chatting about politics and business. Florida Democrats blame lack of unified message in election-day beat-down By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Telling voters they've lost their minds probably isn't an effective comeback strategy for Democrats. After election loss, Alex Sink calls White House 'tone-deaf' The Associated Press Tampa Tribune Fresh off a narrow loss in Florida's gubernatorial race, Democrat Alex Sink is expressing some frustration with the White House. Rod Smith reflects on Democratic ticket's defeat in the governor's race By Nathan Crabbe Gainesville Sun Rod Smith was back in his Gainesville law office Friday, reflecting on an election that cost him his latest bid for public office along with most other Democrats in the state. Hard work, perfect timing drove Attorney General-elect Bondi By Colleen Jenkins St. Petersburg Times Pam Bondi had no political base and no political ambitions. Rep.-elect West says Congressional Black Caucus could use some ideological diversity By George Bennett Palm Beach Post With his convincing victory over Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, Allen West will be the first black Republican congressman in Florida since Reconstruction and one of only two black Republicans in the House, joining just-elected GOPer Tim Scott of South Carolina. Winners, obvious and not so obvious By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times So many winners and losers this week, obvious and not so obvious, there's no way could we pick just two. Who's biggest loser? It's you if you didn't vote By Beth Reinhard Miami Herald It's a post-election tradition, as ingrained as hangovers, exhaustion and grudges: the roll call of Winners and Losers. On the trail with Charlie Crist, full of charm and chutzpah By Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times Charlie Crist sits at the back of a mostly empty bus, holding an iPhone to his right ear. BALLOT INITIATIVES Redistricting a setback for GOP By Jim Ash Florida Capital News Florida Republicans enjoyed a near total sweep on Election Day, winning the governor’s mansion, all three Cabinet posts and veto-proof majorities in the state House and Senate. A few amendments the only setback for Florida GOP in election tidal wave By Jane Musgrave Palm Beach Post When Floridians woke up on Tuesday, they looked out on a fairly balanced political landscape. Twenty-four hours later, they were looking out on a sea of red. Debate over class-size limits far from over By Jeffrey S. Solochek St. Petersburg Times Related: A weekend interview about class size with Ron Meyer Even though Floridians voted down a measure to ease class-size requirements on Tuesday, the debate isn't done. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Myths about the EPA's new water rules By Linda Young Gainesville Sun Related editorial: Don't repeal good law Confusion and name-calling continue to find fertile ground around the issue of Florida's polluted waters and what to do about them. Water standards needed to save the St. Johns By Neil A. Armingeon Daytona Beach News-Journal We are destroying what we love about Florida -- our rivers, estuaries, lakes and springs. Will oil bring death to Gulf's rich web of life? By Kate Spinner Sarasota Herald-Tribune For birds, fish, sea turtles, marine mammals and ocean-based economies on the Gulf coast, the immediate catastrophe from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill has ebbed, but the long-term effects have yet to unfold. Independent panel to share findings on Gulf spill By Dina Cappiello The Associated Press The causes of the massive Gulf oil spill will be laid out for the first time Monday by investigators for President Barack Obama's independent commission, potentially shifting the blame and weighing in on disputes between companies over the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. New rules will tighten manatee regulations in Kings Bay By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times For 40 years tourists have flocked to Crystal River to swim with the manatees in Kings Bay, the only place in the country where you can legally pet one. Gulf Oil Well Rupture: BP Backpedals; U.S. Must Not Editorial Lakeland Ledger There's great uncertainty about the long-term impacts of the BP oil well rupture in the Gulf of Mexico. LGBT Gates, Obama urge repeal of military's gay ban By Philip Elliott The Associated Press Defense Secretary Robert Gates is encouraging Congress to act before year's end to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. EDUCATION Florida teachers brace for a new version of SB 6 By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times In the wake of Tuesday's election results, teachers across Florida are growing anxious that nothing can stop another version of Senate Bill 6, the controversial tenure reform measure that passed the Republican-dominated Legislature in the spring but was dramatically vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist. Public does not support SB 6 principles By Donna Mutzenard Ft. Myers News-Press Throughout much of this year no matter where I go, when I speak to an educator, or someone from the community, the conversation comes around to Senate Bill 6, a bill proposed during the 2010 legislative session. None of the conversations revolved around support for SB 6. More low-income students in Florida passing AP exams By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times If you're following the Florida AP debate closely, here's another dimension you should consider: The percentage of low-income students in Florida who are passing AP exams is growing fast and now exceeds regional and national averages, according to this new report from the Southern Regional Education Board. Charting the future of charter schools By Thomas Marshall St. Petersburg Times Call them an undertested experiment or the key to America's educational success. Saving our schools Editorial Florida Today Excerpt: Rick Scott said he’d cut property taxes that pay for schools 19 percent next year with no guarantees the state would replace the money from general revenue. He also wants to phase out the state corporate tax that brings in $1.8 billion annually to pay for state services, again with no promise the loss would be made up. Both moves would starve Florida schools, put the future of children at risk, force massive layoffs of educators and damage the state’s ability to rebound from the Great Recession. By Jeff Parker Florida Today JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Snappy slogans aside, can Rick Scott rejuvenate Florida's job-wary economy? By Robert Trigaux St. Petersburg Times ‘Let's get to work." The slogan worked like magic for candidate Rick Scott. Economy adds more jobs; jobless rate still stuck By Greg Gordon and Kevin G. Hall Miami Herald U.S. employers added a better-than-expected 151,000 workers in October, the most upbeat jobs report in months, and the Labor Department made downward revisions that wiped out more than 100,000 of the job losses it had reported in the previous two months. After light rail tax defeat, doubts about Tampa-Orlando high-speed rail line By Robert Napper Florida Independent Voters in Hillsborough County not only struck a blow to hopes for light rail in the Tampa Bay area by refusing a penny sales tax increase; the overwhelming defeat now has high-speed rail plans in the area under fire. Has GOP roadblock fallen on tracks of Florida's high-profile rail projects? By Mike Thomas Orlando Sentinel You are a fiscal conservative, a Republican politician well versed in attacking federal spending, and there, sitting on the table in front of you, is $2 billion for your state, with love from Barack Obama. HEALTH AND SENIORS Florida Republicans already pitching Medicaid overhaul By Kathleen Haughney The News Service of Florida The wheels are already turning in a legislative plan to craft a Medicaid revamp that would include major limits on lawsuits, something that is firmly in line with Governor-Elect Rick Scott's proposed plan to make it more difficult for patients to sue doctors. Republicans Vow Push to Undo Health Care Reform By Bruce Drake Politics Daily Republican leaders acknowledged Sunday that an outright repeal of the health care reform law -- something they told voters during the campaign they would try to do -- was not within their power while President Barack Obama is in office, but they vowed to pursue a strategy of taking it apart piece-by-piece. Cancer probe ends in The Acreage with no cause identified By Mitra Malek Palm Beach Post The state probe into what might have caused a cancer cluster in The Acreage is over — with no cause found. Mend health care law, don't end it Editorial Palm Beach Post Democrats still control the Senate. Barack Obama is still president. Wrong diagnosis Editorial Sarasota Herald-Tribune In the afterglow of the Republicans' election triumph last week, John Boehner was still cranking out anti-"Obamacare" campaign rhetoric.