Daily Clips for January 17, 2010

FEATURED STORIES On MLK Day in South Florida, ‘Dr. King would be pleased and surprised’ By Howard Cohen Miami Herald Georgia Jones Ayers looks at a faded picture of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s first visit to Miami's Greater Bethel AME Church in the early 1960s. Investigators look into Rep. Rivera's ’thank you’ spending By Scott Hiaasen and Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald After dropping out of a state Senate race last year to run for Congress, David Rivera set aside tens of thousands of dollars from his dormant Senate campaign account to say “thank you” to supporters of a race he never intended to finish. Optimism hits reality as Florida governor pushes his agenda By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union Standing before Republican senators in a dimly lit downtown restaurant on Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott brimmed with optimism about his agenda. Florida Republicans pick new party chairman By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel With bundles of money, Democrats routed at the polls and unprecedented control of state government, Florida Republicans severed the last ties to indicted chairman Jim Greer on Saturday by tapping former legislator Dave Bitner to lead the party. Judge behind lavish courthouse "lied'' in his testimony, legislator says By Lucy Morgan and Katie Sanders St. Petersburg Times Called before an angry Senate committee with questions about a new $50 million courthouse, 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Paul Hawkes spent a lot of time saying he could not recall the answers. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Andy Marlette Pensacola News Journal FLORIDA POLITICS Ex-lobbyist David Bitner, a former state lawmaker, to head Florida Republican party By Adam C. Smith and Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times The vicious fliers are gone, the civil war over. GOP wise to court Hispanics By Myriam Marquez Miami Herald Jeb Bush was preaching to the choir, but the message was meant to resonate far beyond the stately Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Nelson downplays state's shift to GOP By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Republicans won all five statewide races in Florida in November, knocked off four Democratic congressional incumbents and padded their already lopsided advantages in the state House and Senate. Gov. Rick Scott is straining so far to get his arms around Tallahassee By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times In business, you carry out the company's mission or else you'll soon find yourself looking for a job. New chairman targets GOP team setting up 2012 national convention in Tampa By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times There's a new Republican national chairman in office, and he's about to clean house on the team putting together the 2012 Republican convention in Tampa. POLITICAL RACES Haridopolos launches bid to take on Nelson for U.S. Senate in 2012 By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos launched his bid for the U.S. Senate this week by setting up a political committee and inviting donors to a $10,000-a-head "private strategy meeting" in Orlando. Thrasher endorses Haridopolos for US Senate By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News In one of his first political acts as ex-chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, state Sen. John Thrasher made an important political endorsement on Saturday. Candidates collected $5.8 million in public money By Scott Powers Orlando Sentinel Florida taxpayers spent more than $5.8 million to bolster the campaigns of 10 candidates for statewide office last year, giving public dollars to individuals who arguably didn't need the money but took it anyway. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Sen.Graham: Gulf oil spill a 'wake-up call' By Mary Ellen Klas Miami Herald The next big oil spill to threaten Florida could come less than 50 miles off the coast of Miami in Cuban waters, where 14 wells are expected to be tapped within the next two years, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham warned Friday. Scott's appointments are ominous news for the environment By Ron Littlepage Florida Times-Union Nervous. That’s probably the correct state of mind to be in for people concerned about Florida’s environment and quality of life. LGBT Justice Department opposes abrupt end to 'don't ask, don't tell' Associated Press Miami Herald Lawyers for the U.S. government are accusing a gay rights group of trying to circumvent a federal court ruling that put on hold a trial judge's ruling striking down the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military. Orange ponders price of domestic-partner benefits, but cost elsewhere has been small By David Damron and Mark Schlueb Orlando Sentinel A push by gay-rights activists for Orange County to offer domestic-partner benefits will likely come down to costs — a significant worry as local governments face harsh budget realities. EDUCATION Don’t endanger our schools By Betty Castor St. Petersburg Times As we begin a new year and a new administration in Florida, the education of our children remains a foremost responsibility of our state. Class Size: Fund Florida's Future Editorial Lakeland Ledger While Gov. Rick Scott and state legislators talk about funding private school vouchers, cutting taxes and reducing state spending by $3.5 billion, school district officials across the state are waiting for the other shoe to drop in regard to Florida's constitutional mandate for smaller classroom sizes. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Does Rick Scott have a stimulus problem? By Gary Fineout The Fine Print Here's what Gov. Rick Scott said last summer when it comes to the federal stimulus: "It's not free money,'' Scott told reporters during a campaign bus trip across North Florida. 'On the cusp' of job creation By Laura Green Palm Beach Post When retailer H&M opened its doors at The Gardens Mall this fall, 1,000 people applied for a 20-to-1 shot to spend hours standing on their feet amid a crush of holiday shoppers. State talking about property tax fix By Brian Liberatore Ft. Myers News-Press More than 46,000 property owners in Lee and Collier counties got a double-whammy. Analysis: NASA flails as forces pull on it from all directions By Robert Block and Mark K. Matthews Orlando Sentinel NASA's human-spaceflight program, once a symbol of America's technical supremacy, is flailing — beset by many of the same forces that once unified behind the agency to put a man on the moon. HEALTH AND SENIORS Experts: Reform good for economy By John Dorschner Miami Herald With congressional Republicans expected to push next week for the repeal of healthcare reform, major American business and healthcare leaders said Thursday at a Miami conference that reform is forging ahead because it makes sense for the nation's economy. Can Medicaid funding be ‘coercive’? By Travis Pillow Florida Independent Florida’s lawsuit against federal health care reform challenges two aspects of the law: the expansion of Medicaid and the requirement for individuals to buy health insurance. Pain-clinic crackdown stalled By Michael LaForgia Palm Beach Post Drug users in Florida are dying of pill overdoses at a rate of seven per day as measures aimed at curbing crooked pain clinics are held up in a thicket of delays and setbacks. Insurers: FL needs an exchange By Carol Gentry Health News Florida Insurance executives who spoke to 200 worried health underwriters Thursday called on them to help lobby state officials to start building a health exchange, part of the new federal health law. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Groups embrace King's vision of peace By Britt Kennerly Florida Today Juanita Davis has missed just one of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day peace marches in Melbourne in 25 years, and that was only because she was pregnant. Looser gun laws, including open carry, in Florida's legislative hopper By Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau In the aftermath of Tucson's shooting rampage, lawmakers in Florida are ready to make their stand on guns clearer: They want more people to have the right to carry them in the open and fewer government restrictions. NRA & friends totally oblivious to Ariz. tragedy By Fred Grimm Miami Herald Two days after the horror in Tucson, the Florida Legislature reacted. There's no way Florida will crack down on illegal workers By Mike Thomas Orlando Sentinel Related: Anti-immigrant law gets chilly reception There will be no Arizona-style immigration law in Florida. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS For some Florida lawyers, small courtroom wins for clients mean huge fees for themselves By Sally Kestin and John Maines South Florida Sun-Sentinel In Palm Beach County, a lawsuit ended in a judgment of $1, but the prevailing attorneys collected $5,500 in fees.