Daily Clips for January 21, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Rick Scott "jackass" retweet caps off governor's "Twitter Town Hall" By Noah Pransky WTSP 10 TV Tampa Bay News video excerpt: But the executive director for Progress Florida, Mark Ferrulo, was disappointed Scott avoided fielding any tough questions. "Unfortunately, this really follows the pattern of this governor wanting to control the atmosphere," Ferrulo said, adding that Scott chose not to answer countless questions about school vouchers, women's rights, and minimum wage. Notes from Rick Scott’s Twitter Town Hall By Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune Excerpt: Tweeted questions not answered by the governor so far include: -ProgressFlorida Will you take resources from cash-strapped public schools and give them to private companies? FEATURED STORIES A new frontier for Florida's governor: Twitter town hall By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau For 38 minutes Thursday night, @FLGovScott sat in front of the laptop at his desk in the Governor's Mansion library, suit jacket on the back of his seat, and fired away answers in fewer than 140 characters. Gov. Scott must respect state's open government laws Editorial South Florida Sun-Sentinel Government must be open in Florida — no ifs, ands or buts about it. House speaker wants to restrict high court's powers By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel While professing not to have a concrete plan just yet, House Speaker Dean Cannon said Thursday that his chamber would try this year to strengthen the Legislature's hand in proposing changes to Florida's constitution. In letter blasting water quality rules, Associated Industries of Florida cites studies paid for by polluters By Virginia Chamlee Florida Independent A group of Florida lobbyists, along with agriculture and industry executives, are once again pushing hard against EPA water quality rules, using cost estimates written in part by potentially affected industries to make their case. BEST OF THE BLOGS Florida’s Unsung Civil Rights Legend: Jack Orr By Kevin Cate KComm blog As we celebrate the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. today, I want to shine a light on one of Florida’s unsung civil rights heroes, John B. Orr, Jr. Florida’s Answer To Shootings: More Guns! Less Restrictions! By Inkberries Beach Peanuts In the wake of the shootings in Arizona, and the one at Florida State University last week where a drunk student accidentally killed his girlfriend’s twin sister with an AK-47, you might think that logic would dictate the idea of tightening notoriously permissive gun laws in Florida. Will jerking around the press hurt Rick Scott? By John Fleming Tone and Habit My own advice to people is to be as accessible as you can, provide as much information as you can, and always return press phone calls before deadline. Elections have consequences: Rick Scott adoptions stance, appointee spark worries By Joy-Ann Reid The Reid Report Florida Governor Gollum Rick Scott says adoptions should be reserved for married couples. The Frustrating Existence of Rick Scott By Jake Rantings from Florida I spent a lot of time on this blog in advance of the election saying Rick Scott shouldn't be governor because he was a lousy crook. FLORIDA POLITICS Nelson, Rubio plan to sit together during State of the Union speech Staff Report St. Petersburg Times Sen. Bill Nelson and his new colleague Marco Rubio will walk together to the State of the Union speech and plan to sit together, Nelson told members of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce on Thursday at Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach. Fla. probes finances of new US Rep David Rivera By Laura Wides-Munoz Associated Press State authorities said Thursday they are investigating financial dealings by South Florida U.S. Rep. David Rivera, who failed to report loans from his mother's gambling-related marketing company before the election. Scott should loosen press restrictions Editorial Daytona Beach News-Journal Rick Scott didn't exactly have a warm relationship with the press during his campaign for governor. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY How to prepare for the next oil spill By Steven Murawski and William Hogarth St. Petersburg Times Last week the federal Oil Spill Commission — co-chaired by former Gov. and Sen. Bob Graham and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William Reilly — released its final report on the Deepwater Horizon incident. Century Commission says it should develop Florida strategic plan By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida says it wants to help Florida develop a strategic plan as suggested by Gov. Rick Scott. Federal lawsuit contends panthers and other Florida species threatened by pesticides By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune Two national environmental groups on Thursday filed a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had failed to consult with wildlife agencies on regulating pesticides that are harmful to endangered species, including the Florida panther. LGBT Bill to delay ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal introduced in House, Reps. Miller, West sponsor By Luke Johnson Florida Independent The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the U.S. military’s policy of banning openly gay servicemembers, was signed into law late last year. 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy cost Pentagon more than $193 million in six years, GAO concludes By Nancy A. Youssef McClatchy Newspapers The U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving openly in the military cost the Pentagon more than $193 million over six years, the Government Accountability Office reported Thursday. EDUCATION As Legislature cuts school budgets, it may revive local option tax By Denise-Marie Balona Orlando Sentinel As public schools in Florida brace for big budget cuts next school year, key state lawmakers will consider allowing local districts to keep charging an optional property tax introduced two years ago. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Rep. Mica: Private funds should pay for high-speed rail By Travis Pillow Florida Independent John Mica, the Central Florida congressman who oversees the U.S. House transportation committee, took a position on the high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando that appears increasingly fashionable among Republicans: He supports it, as long as private companies pony up the state’s share of funding for the project. Senator wants to bring back sales tax holiday this year By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Despite a sizable budget gap that may thwart any talk of tax breaks, the chairman of the Senate tax-writing panel wants to try to bring back the sales tax holiday in 2011. Florida Tax, Budget Cuts: 'Make It So Is Not Enough' Editorial Lakeland Ledger Rick Scott's confidence -- plus a sharply honed message, millions of dollars for television advertising and a statewide backlash against Democrats -- helped him get elected governor of Florida. Send help for farmworkers, too Editorial Miami Herald Help is on the way for Miami-Dade County's frost-besieged farm operators, say county officials, and that's good news for the local economy. Getting Florida its fair share Editorial St. Petersburg Times Facing a $3.6 billion deficit, Republican state leadership is contemplating which services to cut. HEALTH AND SENIORS Medicaid providers look for tax break By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Medicaid mental health providers are asking the Legislature for a tax break. Cost of pill-mill rules: $65M By Carol Gentry Health News Florida The cost of implementing now-frozen regulations on Florida’s pain clinics would be about $65 million a year, an economic study concludes. Officials: Florida ‘very close’ to a solution to HIV/AIDS medication funding crisis By Travis Pillow Florida Independent Officials are working out the details of a temporary solution to the funding shortfall for the program that supplies medications to more than 10,000 low-income HIV/AIDs patients in Florida. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Doctors: This gun bill could be downright deadly By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel On Sunday, we took a look at freshman legislator Jason Brodeur's far-out idea to arrest and fine doctors who ask their patients questions about gun safety.