Daily Clips for November 18, 2010

FEATURED STORIES 4 years after Crist nixed inaugural ball, Scott restores party at $95 a head By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Gov.-elect Rick Scott has resurrected the inaugural ball after an eight-year hiatus and plans two days of festivities in the capital city and around the state to celebrate his Jan. 4 swearing in. Smith's bid to lead Democrats strengthened By Chad Smith Gainesville Sun An officer of the Alachua County Democratic Party stepped down Wednesday to make room for Rod Smith in his bid to become chairman of the state party. Fla. lawmakers mull how to transform Medicaid into managed health care for poor By Kathleen Haughney News Service of Florida Florida's newly installed lawmakers Wednesday began considering ways to cut what they fear could be a $20 billion Medicaid bill in the coming year, including shuttling more low income patients into private managed care programs and setting caps on the amount of money spent on each patient. The new, no-tax Legislature approved a tax on its first day in power By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Fresh off promising that the Florida Legislature won't raise a dime in taxes, lawmakers on Tuesday enacted a law that allows citrus growers to triple the 1-cent-per-box tax on oranges and grapefruits to pay for disease research. Pardon Bid for Jim Morrison Relights Old Fires By Dave Itzkoff New York Times It was a classic skirmish of the 1960s culture war, pitting a nonconformist rock star and his bohemian fans against clean-cut defenders of acceptable behavior, the counterculture against the mainstream, and Jim Morrison against Anita Bryant. FLORIDA POLITICS Florida Legislature: GOP Moderates an Endangered Species By John Kennedy News Service of Florida The Florida Senate's political right turn was marked on its opening day by the occasional red light - with a dwindling number of Republican moderates voting "no" on several veto overrides sought by leaders. Lt. Gov. Kottkamp asked state to send trooper with him to Italy By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau To celebrate his 50th birthday, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp took a two-week trip to Italy at his own expense, but he sought help from taxpayers. Let's talk about Sunshine By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Open government is really a state of mind. Scott sets up website for job applicants By Jim Ash Florida Capital News For those keeping count – and the next occupant of the Governor’s Mansion is the kind who does – between 4,000 and 5,000 e-mails, phone calls and resumes have poured in to Gov.-elect Rick Scott’s transition team. AG-elect Bondi taps bipartisan AG primary losers for transition team By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Attorney General-elect Pam Bondi enlisted two losing attorney general primary candidates to her transition team, which will be chaired by former St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker,her predecessor Attorney General Bill McCollum and former House Speaker Larry Cretul. No Senate Panel Assignments for Paula Dockery By Bill Rufty Lakeland Ledger Sen. Paula Dockery did not make the team. Claims bills could be casualty of new Senate rule By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Sen. Frederica Wilson hasn't officially left office yet, but a new Senate rule could put several pieces of legislation that she filed in jeopardy for the upcoming session. Battle over GOP's Steele spills over into 2012 Tampa convention By Christian M. Wade Tampa Tribune A behind-the-scenes feud between Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele and party officials who are trying to oust him has raised questions about funding for and the direction of the 2012 GOP convention, which will be held in Tampa. BALLOT INITIATIVES GOP Florida state senator says he'll help Corrine Brown in lawsuit By Michael Peltier News Service of Florida Florida voters may have spoken, but at least one Republican state senator says he will help a Democrat, U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, in her quest to derail a constitutional amendment that would change the way political boundaries are drawn. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY EPA Finalizes New Florida Clean Water Standards By Gina Presson Public News Service Florida The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing new water quality rules to reduce contamination from sewage, manure and fertilizer in Florida's fresh-water streams, rivers and lakes because those pollutants can trigger toxic algae outbreaks. LGBT Medicare finalizes new hospital rules for patient visitation rights, including same-sex domestic partners By Steve Rothaus Miami Herald Following the 2007 death of Lisa Pond at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, President Barack Obama in April ordered Health and Human Services to craft rules that would allow same-sex domestic partners full visitation rights at hospitals. EDUCATION Arne Duncan to headline Jeb Bush education conference By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times Strange bedfellows? Peas in a pod? JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Report says Florida's state pension fund has recovered from recession Staff Report St. Petersburg Times Florida's State Board of Administration said Wednesday that it beat its investment objectives last year, with its giant pension fund leading the way. Passenger Rail Commission: High-speed rail in jeopardy without private funding By Robert Napper Florida Independent Republican critics of plans for a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando wasted no time after the Nov. 2 elections questioning the project, and now Democrats are also voicing concern. Commuter rail alternatives eyed By Alfonso Chardy Miami Herald Leaders of Miami-Dade's transit-planning board will meet Thursday to vote on the future of a new South Florida public rail system that would run from downtown Miami to Jupiter. IRS looking to give back almost $20 million in undelivered refunds Florida By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Payback time: the Internal Revenue Service is on the hunt for 11,278 Florida taxpayers who are due refund checks worth a combined $19.7 million. Florida unemployment comp tax going up again The Associated Press Florida Today Unemployment compensation taxes will nearly triple next year for some Florida employers, although the maximum rate will remain unchanged. HEALTH AND SENIORS Lawmakers take on Medicaid reforms By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News The solution to Florida's runaway Medicaid costs is not forcing poor patients into a one-size-fits-all managed-care system, doctors and patients told state legislators Wednesday. Medicare, Medicaid quality plan unveiled By Noam N. Levey Orlando Sentinel The Obama administration on Tuesday announced new initiatives to boost the quality of medical care that Americans receive, laying the foundation for what many experts think could be one of the most far-reaching benefits of the new healthcare law. Case of Cholera in Florida Is Linked to Haiti Outbreak By Jacqui Goddard New York Times The first known case of cholera in the United States linked to the outbreak in Haiti was confirmed Wednesday by health officials who said a southwest Florida woman contracted the disease while visiting family in a region at the heart of Haiti’s epidemic. Troubled past? No problem By Carol Gentry and David Gulliver Health News Florida Related: Still on payroll despite fatal mistakes You might think that when a major pharmaceutical company pays a doctor to promote its medicines, it would not choose someone whose mistake killed a patient. Scott names Health and Human Services Transition Team Staff Report South Florida Sun-Sentinel In his second announcement Wednesday afternoon, Gov.-elect Rick Scott unveiled his 40-member Health and Human Services Transition Team. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Is the South the 'HQ of hate?' By John A. Tures Southern Political Report Growing up, you’ve probably been fed a steady of diet of films either glorifying or vilifying the South’s history, from “Birth of a Nation” and “Gone with the Wind” way back to “Mississippi Burning” and “Ghosts of Mississippi” nowadays. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Fla. Supreme Court justice says court foreclosure proceedings must be public By Robert Napper Florida Independent The chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court has issued a memorandum to all Florida judicial circuits ordering that foreclosure proceedings be open to the public. Florida attorney nominated for federal judgeship The Associated Press Tampa Tribune President Barack Obama has nominated central Florida attorney Roy B. Dalton Jr. for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.