Daily Clips for November 15, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Money and politics By Damien Filer Miami Herald If there is one thing this election has shown, it is that voters are being silenced by all the money injected into our elections. FEATURED STORIES Republican-dominated Legislature to baste lame duck Gov. Crist by overriding vetoes By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Mightier than ever, the Republican-led Legislature will send a clear message Tuesday to Gov. Charlie Crist and his replacement: We're in charge. As governor, Rick Scott likely to push big changes for schools By Leslie Postal and Dave Weber Orlando Sentinel Former Gov. Jeb Bush shook up Florida's education establishment and sparked major reforms during his eight years in office. Environmentalists, developers and others wonder what's in store from new governor Rick Scott By Christine Stapleton Palm Beach Post Of all the issues Gov.-elect Rick Scott addressed during his campaign - abortion, immigration, health care, taxes, offshore drilling, school vouchers, gay marriage, limits on lawsuits, and the $1.7 billion in Medicare fraud fines paid by his former company, the environment received almost no play. Thurman to step down as Fla. Democratic Party chair By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News The electoral rout of the Florida Democratic Party took one more casualty Friday with the retirement of state chairwoman Karen Thurman. Fair Elections Now Act needs support By Lawton “Bud” Chiles South Florida Sun-Sentinel Note: Progress Florida and Lawton "Bud" Chiles are working together to promote meaningful campaign finance reform such as the Fair Elections Now Act featured in this op-ed. Ensuring fair elections was a top priority for my father, former Gov. Lawton Chiles. While governor he toughened lobbying regulations and ushered in critical campaign finance reform legislation that included matching funds for candidates who agree to limit spending. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jake Fuller St. Petersburg Times FLORIDA POLITICS GOP legislature flexes muscle with Tuesday's one-day session By Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune GOP lawmakers say their decision to override a slew of bill vetoes by Charlie Crist is nothing personal against the governor, though relations between Florida's legislative and executive branches have been strained for months. Lawmakers target energy rebates, but there's a catch By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Floridians who doled out money for eco-friendly air conditioners or solar panels in the hope they'd get some cash back are in luck - or at least some may be. Changing of the guard in Tallahassee: Who's out and who wants to stay By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune The GOP wave that brought in a Republican Cabinet and helped Rick Scott squeeze past Alex Sink to win the governor’s race is about to wash through Tallahassee. Scott's assets compound job challenges By Jeff Ostrowski Palm Beach Post He's the richest man ever elected governor of Florida. Gov.-elect Scott, staff get course in Sunshine Law By Bob Rathgeber Ft. Myers News-Press Less than two hours after Rick Scott made his first speech as governor-elect in a Fort Lauderdale hotel ballroom Nov. 3, he and his campaign staff gathered amid confetti and discarded campaign posters. Rod Smith to announce Monday he wants to be new top Dem By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Former state Sen. Rod Smith will announce Monday he’s ready to take over the helm of the Florida Democratic Party as a replacement for Karen Thurman, who resigned today. More falsified lease documents tied to Carroll's consulting firm By Matt Dixon Florida Times-Union Related: Utility records shed doubt on company with ties to Lt. Gov.-elect Carroll Documents signed by Lt. Gov-elect Jennifer Carroll show her consulting firm leasing office space in Jacksonville that another tenant said was leased to him at the same time. Florida Sen.-elect Marco Rubio rose against odds By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times In the darkest days of Marco Rubio's quixotic campaign for U.S. Senate, it only made sense that some of Rubio's closest friends were practically begging him to drop out. Marco Rubio rollout aims to manage expectations By Molly Ball Politico As Marco Rubio arrives in Washington in the coming week for Senate meetings and orientation, the hype is almost deafening. Pam Bondi sees no conflict in Las Vegas trip with influential trial lawyer By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Four days after being elected Florida's next attorney general, Pam Bondi and her fiance flew to Las Vegas to party with one of the state's most influential trial lawyers, Tampa's Jim Wilkes. These Are the West of Times By Ralph De La Cruz Florida Center for Investigative Reporting Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been quietly making their mark politically. Nine were elected in the 2008 and 2010 elections. Test for new lawmakers: Serve people, or special interests? Editorial St. Petersburg Times Just two weeks after Florida voters delivered a veto-proof majority of Republicans to the Legislature, its new leaders are exploiting that power to try to force tax breaks for large landowners, roll back environmental regulations, help big business and rush privatization of Medicaid for the poor. POLITICAL RACES Scott strategist: Governor-elect took advantage of a 'perfect storm' By Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune The tea party was rising, President Barack Obama's poll numbers were falling, and in Florida, the GOP establishment was struggling with a mounting scandal. 2010 was shaping into a year like no other for a conservative outsider, and Rick Scott briefly flirted with the idea of running for U.S. Senate. BALLOT INITIATIVES Gaetz to chair redistricting committee By Tom McLaughlin Northwest Florida Daily News State Senate President Mike Haridopolos handed fellow lawmaker Don Gaetz a headache last week when he named him chairman of the Senate Committee on Redistricting. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Scott, GOP leaders join chorus of voices opposed to new EPA water quality rules By Brett Ader Florida Independent Gov.-elect Rick Scott has made a last-minute attempt to push for a delay in implementing new water quality standards throughout the state, sending a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that outlines his concerns that new nutrient criteria “will impose substantial regulatory and economic consequences on Floridians.” Florida panther finds new prey in ranchers' herds By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times Liesa Priddy suspected something was up when the calf disappeared. No carcass. No bones. Just…gone. How much will BP oil spill change offshore drilling in Gulf? By Kevin Spear Orlando Sentinel Florida knows all too well the kind of insidious risks that lie ahead once oil drilling resumes in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, marred this summer by the biggest offshore spill in U.S. history. Oil Spill: BP targets submerged oil By Travis Griggs Pensacola News Journal BP cleanup contractors said they will be stepping up efforts in coming weeks to collect tons of buried oil and tar beneath the surface of beaches and waterways in Escambia County. Get tough on Big Oil Editorial Miami Herald Two back-to-back headlines this week about the presidential commission investigating the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico sent conflicting messages. Can't afford it? Editorial Gainesville Sun Florida can't afford clean water. That's the twisted message being sent by Gov.-elect Rick Scott and other politicians to the federal Environmental Protection Agency in opposition to new rules that will limit the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous runoff — primarily from poorly treated sewage and farms that overuse pesticides and fertilizers — into lakes and streams. LGBT Gay rights marchers, Key West dispute flag display at veterans parade By Sean Kinney Florida Keys Keynoter Folks in Key West observed Veterans Day on Nov. 11 with the usual family-oriented parade. Legal bigotry Editorial Gainesville Sun As a matter of federal law, openly gay men and women are deemed unfit to fight and die for their country (they may only do so if they agree to live a lie). EDUCATION Future of attorney general's investigation into Florida for-profit colleges remains unclear By Matt Coleman Florida Times-Union The hits keep coming for Florida's embattled for-profit education industry. Vouchers only for the faithful By Robyn E. Blumner St. Petersburg Times Here's a question with a seemingly obvious answer: If I invite you to give $500 to a group (and you do), and then I pay you back the $500, whose money is really going to that group? JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Poverty rises, while taxes benefit wealthy By Alan Stonecipher Ocala Star-Banner The number of Floridians living below the federal poverty level increased between 2007 and 2009 by almost 550,000 — equal to the population of the cities of Orlando and Tampa combined. Florida insurers rely on dubious storm model By Paige St. John Sarasota Herald-Tribune Hurricane Katrina extracted a terrifying toll -- 1,200 dead, a premier American city in ruins, and the nation in shock. Insured losses would ultimately cost the property insurance industry $40 billion. HEALTH AND SENIORS Hey doc, want to moonlight? By Jim Saunders Health News Florida Florida's new program to inspect pain-management clinics has hung a help-wanted sign: It will pay doctors $100 an hour to go into clinics and help review patient records. Make health reform better; don't kill it Editorial St. Petersburg Times Incoming House Speaker John Boehner calls health care reform a "monstrosity" and says repealing it is a top priority for Republicans. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Florida judges may be on political hot seat By Jane Musgrave Palm Beach Post Using e-mails, websites and YouTube videos, conservative groups waged a stealth campaign against Florida Supreme Court Justices Jorge Labarga and James Perry.