Daily Clips for December 1, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS 'No Labels' No Way to Win, Conservatives Say By Kenric Ward Sunshine State News Excerpt: "We saw a low-turnout election, and the result was that the moneyed interests largely had their way. The more people are involved, in whatever party, the better it will be for everyone," Filer said. FEATURED STORIES Fla. Sen. Mike Bennett files Arizona-style immigration bill By Jim Ash Florida Capital News Sen. Mike Bennett, a Republican from Bradenton and one of Senate President Mike Haridopolos' top lieutenants, is putting immigration reform on the front burner this spring, but he insists his Arizona-style bill will not promote racial profiling. Critics warn that new rule-making law rewards ‘bad actors’ By Virginia Chamlee Florida Independent Critics are arguing that the Florida legislature’s passage of a state law originally vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist in May could spell trouble for the ecology of Florida — specifically, its waters. Rick Scott's long list of challenges By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune A beaming Governor-elect Rick Scott and his wife, Ann, showed up at the governor’s mansion on Monday night where they joined Gov. Charlie Crist and First Lady Carole Crist for a symbolic menorah lighting ceremony. Va. judge dismisses challenge to Obama health care By Larry O’Dell The Associated Press A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Liberty University's lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's new federal health care law, declaring that a provision requiring most individuals to obtain insurance is constitutional. FLORIDA POLITICS Andrew Gillum keeps on plugging away against Rod Smith By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Most of the Florida Democratic party activists we talk to say Rod Smith already has the votes locked up to win the state party chairmanship Jan. 9. GOP likely to abandon early primary, may revive straw poll By William March Tampa Tribune Florida Republicans likely will abandon their effort to force the state into the ranks of early presidential primary states in 2012. Legislature pays down solar rebate backlog, but deficit remains By Travis Pillow Florida Independent Last week, the Florida legislature approved the use of $31 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for a portion of two energy rebate programs begun under Gov. Charlie Crist: one for rooftop solar panels and the other for energy-efficient air conditioners. Several agency heads ask to stay on with Scott administration By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Scores of top employees in the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist formally turned in their resignation letters after being ordered to do so by the governor. Jeb Bush says Obama can win again By William Gibson South Florida Sun-Sentinel Jeb Bush says President Obama could win re-election in 2012 and that Republicans have yet to offer a “compelling alternative” to current policies. The last scapegoat Editorial Gainesville Sun They won't have Tom Pelham to kick around any more. Party time, party favors Editorial Ocala Star-Banner Gov.-elect Rick Scott's decision to resurrect the inaugural ball after an eight-year hiatus has critics accusing the millionaire political newcomer of being tone-deaf to the struggles of millions of Floridians weathering some of the nation's highest unemployment and foreclosure rates. POLITICAL RACES Dick Greco files papers to run for mayor of Tampa By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times Facing a room full of gleeful supporters, former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco on Monday evening formally announced a fifth run for mayor. Palm Beach County may ask state for more time to handle election recounts By Adam Playford and Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post The Palm Beach County Commission, burned by yet another difficult election results episode, may lobby the state for more time on vote recounts, while considering pushing for touch screen machines. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY First public meeting about spill mostly about process By Tom McLaughlin Northwest Florida Daily News State and federal officials met the public Tuesday at the Emerald Coast Conference Center to present information on plans for calculating damages suffered to public lands by the BP oil spill and seeking reimbursement. Nuclear power plant's restart delayed again By Fred Hiers Ocala Star-Banner For the third time, Progress Energy Florida has pushed back the date it will fire up its Crystal River nuclear power plant after more than a year of down time. Debates persist over ‘threatened’ species By Curtis Morgan Miami Herald After a decade of wrestling over the protected status of the manatee, Florida wildlife managers adopted a new system of assessing extinction risks last year that essentially put them out of the controversial, litigious business of declaring things “endangered.” NOAA announces Gulf of Mexico grouper fishing restrictions By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com Federal fisheries managers on Tuesday announced they are imposing temporary restrictions on recreational and commercial fishing for gag and red grouper, two of the most important fishing species in the Gulf of Mexico. South Florida water manager Estenoz named U.S. Interior director for Everglades restoration By Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post Shannon Estenoz, board member of the South Florida Water Management District, today was appointed Director of Everglades Restoration Initiatives for the U.S. Department of the Interior. LGBT Pentagon study dismisses risk of openly gay troops By Anne Flaherty The Associated Press Related: Pentagon crafts 'don't ask' repeal to satisfy opponents Related: Read the report: Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' The Pentagon's study on gays in the military has determined that overturning the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on serving openly might cause some disruption at first but would not create widespread or long-lasting problems. EDUCATION Jeb Bush urges education leaders to follow Florida's lead By Tom Marshall St. Petersburg Times Related: Go slow on following Florida reforms, researcher says He's still mad, pounding-on-the-table mad. Florida school districts get class size compliance notifications By Jeff Solochek St. Petersburg Times The Florida Department of Education has released its findings as to whether school districts are in compliance with the final phase of the 2002 class size amendment. 35 school districts face penalties for violating Florida's class-size law By Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel More than half of Florida's school districts have not complied with the state's class-size law and now face steep penalties, the Florida Department of Education announced late Tuesday. Fla. education chief on Jeb Bush foundation panel The Associated Press Tampa Tribune Florida's Eric Smith is among education chiefs from five states on a panel created by former Gov. Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education to push for public school policy changes. Grad rates up; Thank you, teachers By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel I know it's not terribly popular nowadays. But I thought I'd take a moment to say thanks and congratulations to one of Florida's favorite punching bags — the public school teacher. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Property Insurance Rates By Whitney Ray Capitol News Service Today marks the end of the Atlantic Hurricane Season and another year without a hurricane hitting Florida. Senate rejects earmarks spending ban By Lesley Clark and David Goldstein Miami Herald Two weeks after extolling the benefits of earmarking, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson reversed himself, voting Tuesday for a proposal to temporarily ban the practice. NASA's human spaceflight program is 'adrift' as budget cuts may doom deal By Robert Block and Mark K. Matthews Orlando Sentinel Just seven weeks after members of Congress applauded themselves for brokering a grand compromise on the future of NASA, the new law — meant to broadly benefit the aerospace industry and key NASA states — is in deep trouble. Opposing SunRail could cost Scott By Beth Kassab Orlando Sentinel Even a multimillionaire who financed his way into the Governor's Mansion has to be thrifty when it comes to spending his political capital. Unemployed and Unnoticed The Progress Report Think Progress Today, Congress sets a new record; in the last 40 years, it has never allowed extended unemployment benefits to expire when the unemployment rate was above 7.2 percent. HEALTH AND SENIORS Florida could lose more than $500 million in Medicaid money By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Florida will have less federal money to spend on Medicaid than initially anticipated this summer under new guidelines that were posted by the federal government earlier this month. Fasano: We'll Stop the Medicaid HMO Bill By Scott Finn WUSF Public Radio Tampa A Republican state senator says he’s confident the Legislature will reject a plan by his own party leadership to shift Medicaid recipients into a Health Maintenance Organization, or HMO. Deficit Reduction Plans Would Squeeze Medicare By Mary Agnes Carey Kaiser Health News Spurred by growing concerns about the federal deficit, plans to curb Medicare spending are proliferating -- setting the stage for potentially bruising battles between seniors’ advocates and budget cutters. Food safety bill passes Senate; small producers would be exempt By Susan Salisbury Palm Beach Post The Senate passed a sweeping bill Tuesday that calls for the first overhaul of food supply safety in decades. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Advocates push bill that would legalize immigrants brought to U.S. as minors By Victor Manuel Ramos Orlando Sentinel Immigration-reform advocates in Orlando joined a national push Tuesday to grant legal status to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors. Jacksonville ACT! head discusses call to oust Muslim man from Human Rights Commission By Virginia Chamlee Florida Independent The Florida Times-Union ran a piece this morning on a Jacksonville groups’s renewed call to oust a Muslim man from the city’s Human Rights Commission, and now a man associated with that group is speaking out. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS 2 prison guards charged in Fla. inmate collapse The Associated Press Palm Beach Post Two north Florida state prison guards are facing felony charges in the collapse of an inmate allegedly ordered to exercise in 86-degree weather without adequate water breaks.