Daily Clips for January 27, 2011

FEATURED STORIES An end run around will of the voters Editorial St. Petersburg Times Related: Arrogant state House tries to throw out 'fair districts' rule Florida voters made their intentions clear when they amended the state Constitution in November to change how legislative and congressional districts are drawn. New teacher merit pay bill begins to take shape By Kim MacQueen Florida Tribune It was Teacher Merit Pay Day in the Florida Legislature Wednesday as both the House and Senate hosted members and visitors to help flesh out "Son of Senate Bill 6" as it's drafted. State ethics commission may forgo $300,000 fines By John Kennedy News Service of Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Florida lawmakers are struggling to find dollars to close a $3.6 billion budget shortfall, but a state agency is considering walking away from more than $300,000 in fines owed by almost 300 former public officials. Sen. Marco Rubio's first real day on the job By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday joined a club of conservative Republicans that wants to slash government spending and opposes most of President Barack Obama's ideas. FLORIDA POLITICS You can learn a lot about new Florida Gov. Rick Scott in one day By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Scribbles in my notebook after a day with new Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who capped off a four-day road trip with a pair of public appearances in Jacksonville on Tuesday. Governor has no problem ignoring will of voters By Fred Grimm Miami Herald Elections have consequences. Rick Scott's supporters fend off critics of the governor's radical and unsettling policies with a simple truth: Voters cast ballots on Nov. 2 expecting real changes. Senate president won't join House in fight against Fair Districts By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Senate President Mike Haridopolos said on Wednesday that the Florida Senate has no plans to get involved in a federal lawsuit that aims to block a constitutional amendment on redistricting. House Speaker John Boehner addresses David Rivera controversy By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times House Speaker John Boehner addressed the growing controversy surrounding Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, for the first time Wednesday at a news conference but said he is reserving judgment. Senator Rubio Wise to Avoid Tea Party Caucus By Dennis Maley Bradenton Times It appears that the Senate Tea Party caucus, which convenes for the first time this Thursday, will be absent the brightest star associated with the movement, popular freshman Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Matt Gaetz drops out of speaker's race By Tom McLaughlin Northwest Florida Daily News State Rep. Matt Gaetz will not be Florida’s House speaker in 2017-18. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY House panel approves growth rewrite to address court ruling By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com A House panel on Wednesday passed three bills that are intended to address a court ruling that threw out 2009 legislation that revamped the state's growth management laws. Septic-tank inspection repeal could allow local option By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel The Senate has started to work on undoing a septic-tank inspection mandate passed last year to deal with thousands of leaky septic tanks potentially fouling Florida lakes and streams. FPL bills on rise as state regulators approve fuel charges By Susan Salisbury Palm Beach Post Florida Power & Light Co. customers, prepare yourselves. Higher charges are coming your way, mostly due to increased fuel costs. Sea Turtles Win in FEMA Settlement By Eric Mack Public News Service Florida A settlement announced Wednesday means endangered and threatened sea turtles will have a "voice" when it comes to development along parts of Florida's coast. Arguments set in tri-state water wars case Associated Press Tampa Tribune An appeals court will hear arguments on the state of Georgia's request to overturn a ruling that could severely restrict metro Atlanta's water supply. Orlando might turn to South Carolina for nuclear power By Kevin Spear Orlando Sentinel Orlando residents could be using electricity in coming years imported from nuclear-power reactors proposed for a site 450 miles and two states away. EDUCATION Teacher merit pay: 'What a difference a year makes' By Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel Crafting a teacher merit-pay bill for Florida this spring is "not going to be like last time," a key state lawmaker promised today. At South Florida education conference, reforms don't pass the test By Cara Fitzpatrick South Florida Sun-Sentinel The goal was to learn more about such controversial school reforms as merit pay, vouchers and charter schools. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Florida lawmakers turning toward pension plan cuts By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union With a state shortfall likely to top $3.6 billion in the coming fiscal year and pledges from legislative leaders not to raise taxes to fill the shortfall, lawmakers are increasingly looking at the state's pension plan as one avenue to reduce spending. State official: FRS is bouncing back By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News State investments supporting the Florida Retirement System have bounced back to within about $1 billion of their pre-market collapse level, the state's top money manager told state legislators Wednesday. Business groups say unemployment system unfairly favors jobless By Travis Pillow Florida Independent As companies in Florida face an increase in minimum payments for unemployment insurance, business groups are looking to convince lawmakers to impose stricter standards on laid-off employees seeking jobless benefits. Florida consumer confidence posts big, unexpected improvement By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Florida's consumer confidence index unexpectedly zoomed seven points to a nine-month high in January, according to a University of Florida survey released Tuesday. Major fix to PIP insurance may wait until next year By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune A recurring battle over auto insurance and a requirement that motorists must carry $10,000 worth of personal injury protection (PIP) returned to the Capitol on Wednesday. HEALTH AND SENIORS Lawmaker predicts House Medicaid rewrite won't be popular By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune After more than two hours of public testimony on Florida's Medicaid program Rep. Robert Schenck, R- Spring Hill, made a prediction: when the 2011 session comes to an end there will be people who “will not be happy.” Hospitals want to take on HMOs By Jim Saunders Health News Florida With an expansion of Medicaid managed care appearing inevitable, Florida's hospital industry pressed Tuesday for changes that could help it compete with HMOs throughout the state. With emergency order, Fla. Attorney General outlaws bath salt used as drug By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Hoping to fend off a rash of overdoses in Florida during the upcoming spring break, Attorney General Pam Bondi has outlawed a synthetic drug cocktail masquerading as "bath salts" that has apparently give users super-human strength and has similar effects to LSD, heroin and cocaine. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Dream Act redux: Could path to citizenship be revived? By John Lantigua and Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Many Americans watched and listened closely to President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night, searching for clues about the immediate political future. Snyder to move forward with Ariz.-style immigration bill after Thursday review By Jim Turner TC Palm State Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, said a debate is needed on immigration enforcement and he expects to finish drafting an Arizona-style immigration bill on the topic after his Judiciary Committee reviews the issue Thursday morning. Mississippi senator introduces federal anti-abortion bill with parallels to Florida ‘personhood’ amendment By Virginia Chamlee Florida Independent Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., introduced a bill yesterday that aims to undo abortion rights by extending constitutional rights to the unborn — a legislative move that is similar to Florida’s proposed “fetal personhood” amendment. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Senators clash on continuing courthouse scrutiny By Lucy Morgan and Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times Sen. Mike Fasano says Senate President Mike Haridopolos ordered him this month to drop further scrutiny of the lavish new courthouse critics call the "Taj Mahal."