Daily Clips for January 18, 2011

FEATURED STORIES Republican party, Rick Scott's inaugural committee rake in big bucks By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Fundraisers for Rick Scott's inaugural committee did double duty last month, raising money for the new governor's three-day inaugural bash but also asking donors to write a second check to replenish the state Republican party's depleted coffers after the November elections. Prosecution records: Jim Greer was writing a book that promised 'intimate knowledge of Governor Crist' By Rene Stutzman Orlando Sentinel Buried in the thousands of pages of evidence that state agents gathered as they built a case against ousted Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer are some nuggets: Greer was trying to sell a tell-all book, "Betrayal and Vengeance," which included "intimate knowledge of Governor Crist". Rubio after first Afghan trip: No timetable By William March Tampa Tribune Winding up his first foreign trip as a senator, 4½ days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marco Rubio said today the U.S. shouldn't have a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan, and that nation-building is the U.S. goal there. Florida labor and business interests mobilize to push mass transit, high-speed rail By Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post Although a recent report advises Florida's new governor to pull the plug on the state's high-speed rail projects, and budget shortfalls could mean less money for regional transportation, advocates statewide are mobilizing to propel at least some state and federal money toward transportation initiatives. FLORIDA POLITICS Bipartisan proposal would lengthen Florida's legislative terms By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Related column: Longer term limits for Legislature might be an improvement Just weeks after winning the Nov. 2 election, dozens of Florida lawmakers filed to run for re-election in 2012, including several freshman legislators. Your government at work: Notes from last week’s state legislative meetings By Travis Pillow Florida Independent State senators began to mull plans for immigration reform, holding their first of at least three information-gathering meetings on the topic. Sen. Marco Rubio visits Pakistan, Afghanistan; criticizes Obama's drawdown plan By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Sen. Marco Rubio spent the weekend in Pakistan and Afghanistan and said he found encouraging signs, but he criticized the Obama administration's goal of beginning to withdraw U.S. troops this summer. Southerland: Accountability on the way By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Newly elected U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland predicted Monday night that growing Republican power in Washington will restore competitive economic values and government accountability that he said President Obama's administration has eroded. Jeff Miller eager to oversee VA By Carlton Proctor Pensacola News Journal U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller wants the Department of Veterans Affairs to get used to someone looking over its institutional shoulder. At the halfway mark, Obama still working to keep his promises By Angie Drobnic Holan, Louis Jacobson and Robert Farley St. Petersburg Times PolitiFact As a candidate, Barack Obama vowed to fix the "broken politics in Washington," reinvigorate government and restore the nation's reputation overseas. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Calling DCA a ‘job killer' unfair, unfounded By Tom Pelham Ocala Star-Banner The Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Florida's land-planning agency, is frequently blamed for the state's economic woes. EDUCATION In Florida, Virtual Classrooms With No Teachers By Laura Herrera New York Times On the first day of her senior year at North Miami Beach Senior High School, Naomi Baptiste expected to be greeted by a teacher when she walked into her precalculus class. More lottery money goes to Bright Futures scholarships than to the classroom By Kelly Tyko TC Palm It's one of the most common questions school officials are asked: what about the lottery money? Stop funding private schools with state vouchers By Sandra Parks St. Augustine Record On Tuesday, Jan. 18, the Florida Board of Education will meet in Pensacola to hear appeals from 35 counties regarding $43 million in fines for failure to comply with the class-size amendment. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY As Gov. Scott pauses, two studies question viability of high-speed rail project By Bill Varian St. Petersburg Times Gov. Rick Scott's decision to hit the pause button on high-speed rail in Florida has created a void that is quickly getting filled with reports questioning the viability of the project. Jacksonville-to-Miami rail plan in search of federal aid By Larry Hannan Florida Times-Union Having failed to get federal stimulus money to establish new Amtrak passenger rail service from Jacksonville to Miami, the Florida Department of Transportation wants to spend $118 million out of the state's transportation trust fund. Attorney: Fla. insurance on Chinese drywall axed By Matt Sedensky Associated Press Florida's public insurance company has again reversed course on its coverage for homes with tainted Chinese drywall, telling some owners it will suspend such policies, an attorney for the victims said Monday. HEALTH AND SENIORS Health care lobby mum on repeal By Kate Nocera Politico The health care industry’s biggest trade groups have remained uncharacteristically neutral on the Republican effort to repeal the health care reform law, choosing instead to save their political capital for smaller, more targeted changes that have a chance at becoming law. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady imposes order to prevent another 'Taj Mahal' By Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times There may never be another "Taj Mahal'' courthouse in Florida. Foreclosure lawyers' misdeeds ignored in Florida? By Todd Ruger Sarasota Herald-Tribune Florida courthouses are rife with evidence of errors and fabrications made by attorneys handling foreclosure cases, and yet so far no lawyers have been disciplined.