Daily Clips for January 31, 2011

FEATURED STORIES Florida Lawmakers Honing In on School Cuts By Kathleen Haughney News Service of Florida Teacher layoffs. Few if any electives. School supplies that only last a school a few months. Lawmakers see savings in pension modification By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Forced to plug a budget hole of nearly $4 billion, state legislators see pensions as a source of big-bucks savings. Gov. Rick Scott puts SunRail on full stop By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Gov. Rick Scott has slammed the brakes on Central Florida's $1.2 billion SunRail project, putting a hold on $235 million in project contracts. U.S. Rep. David Rivera denies wrongdoing as fellow Republicans fret over controversy By Lesley Clark and Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald Republicans in Washington and Miami are growing increasingly anxious about the ongoing state investigation into U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, with some urging him to explain his finances while others are already talking of potential GOP successors to replace him. Should Florida courts have less power to kick amendments off the ballot? By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times Florida has a rule saying you can't lie to the voters, or try to trick them, on the ballot. Enforce rules in managing state growth Editorial St. Petersburg Times Gov. Rick Scott told a group of editors and reporters this month that Florida needs to manage growth, but his actions suggest he is headed in a different direction. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Andy Marlette Pensacola News Journal FLORIDA POLITICS A high-flown hobnob for state's pension chief By Sydney P. Freedberg and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times On Monday, Florida pension chief Ash Williams plans to be the keynote speaker for some of the world's most powerful hedge fund managers and financial executives. Sen. Marco Rubio hires Cesar Conda to be chief of staff By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Friday named a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney and adviser to 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney as his chief of staff. GOP brass owes us, West assures tea partyers By George Bennett Palm Beach Post John Boehner came to West Palm Beach in October to provide a high-profile campaign boost for Allen West, but West says it's Boehner who is indebted to West and other House Republican freshmen. Among thousands of ideas before the Florida Legislature, here are three to watch By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times The start of the 2011 session of the Florida Legislature is little more than a month away, and the bill hopper is filling up fast. Democrats criticize Scott over redistricting move By William March Tampa Tribune Political opponents are accusing Gov. Rick Scott of a political ploy to delay implementing two constitutional amendments intended to limit gerrymandering of congressional and state legislative districts. Cannon: No plan to challenge 2nd remapping measure Associated Press Miami Herald House Speaker Dean Cannon says he has no plans to challenge the second of two new state constitutional amendments on redistricting - at least not yet. Heed will of Florida voters Editorial Miami Herald When they came to Florida constitutional Amendments 5 and 6 on the November ballot, voters spoke decisively and deliberately. POLITICAL RACES In tough 2012 Republican Senate primary, Adam Hasner may be one to watch By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Republicans are bracing for a tough 2012 U.S. Senate primary pitting such political heavyweights as a former U.S. senator, a sitting Florida Senate president and the congressman son of a Republican icon. Powerful Florida business group wants Bill Nelson out in 2012 By Abel Harding Florida Times-Union One of Florida's most influential business organizations has set its sights on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Oil spill victims, lawmakers irate as claims remain unfulfilled By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Hundreds of Florida Panhandle residents stood in line this month with scraps of paper in their hands, desperately seeking an audience with the man who holds the key to their future. Scientists: EPA 'race' to protect Florida rivers could leave science behind By Steve Patterson Florida Times-Union New clean-water standards affecting the St. Johns River in Jacksonville may be hard to finish on schedule without cutting corners on the science behind them, some members of a federal science panel are warning. Florida lawmakers take on local fertilizer bans By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau The fight over fertilizer is on again. Sobel's spoiled beach trip leads to bill to investigate water quality By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune A senator whose summer beach trip was spoiled by high bacteria levels has filed a bill directing the state to investigate possible sources of beach water contamination. Atlantic Fish Closures Aimed at Boosting Threatened Species By Eric Mack Public News Service Florida A comeback is now underway off the Atlantic coast of Florida. Florida Forever needs Gov. Scott�s backing Editorial St. Petersburg Times In urban Florida, the state's land conservation program can seem to be an abstraction. Beware DCA's demise Editorial Orlando Sentinel Despite reports that indicate Florida's extremely friendly to business, Gov. Rick Scott and legislative leaders continue to accuse the Department of Community Affairs of making the state inhospitable to those who want to work here. LGBT Court won't suspend 'don't ask, don't tell' lawsuit By Lisa Leff Associated Press A federal appeals court has denied the government's request to suspend a lawsuit challenging the military's ban on openly gay servicemembers. EDUCATION Teacher pay bill is back, but less scary than in 2010 By Jeffrey S. Solochek and Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times State Sen. Steve Wise looked over those gathered in Tallahassee for his workshop on teacher contracts and pay and tried to break the ice. Florida teachers weigh in on merit pay talks By Kathleen Haughney News Service of Florida The Senate's key player in the movement to reform teacher pay said Friday that there are still several major issues that the Legislature needs to resolve before pushing forward, including how it will fund merit pay and how teachers of special needs children will be evaluated. A weekend interview with state Rep. Bill Proctor, chairman of the Florida House K-20 Education Committee By Jeff Solochek St. Petersburg Times The Florida Legislature renewed its discussion on teacher quality and performance pay issues this past week, with several hearings in both the Senate and the House. Summit: Education reform should mean supporting public education By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent As reform looms over Florida�s education system, almost all the participants in an education summit organized on Wednesday in Boca Raton by state Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, supported investing in public education, better pay for teachers and limiting the scope of standardized testing. School 'reforms' don't make the grade By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel We're hearing some interesting ideas for "reforming" schools nowadays � from a legislator's desire to grade parents to gubernatorial advisors who want taxpayers to cut checks for home-schoolers. Parents of bullied kids hiring lawyers, suing school districts By Rene Stutzman Orlando Sentinel Ned Charles IV has a form of cerebral palsy. The 15-year-old is in special-education classes. So was the boy who hit him, grabbed his neck and pushed him to the ground while waiting for a school bus two years ago at Tuskawilla Middle School. Florida Prepaid college plan deadline is today By Scott Travis South Florida Sun-Sentinel Thinking about buying a prepaid college plan before the prices go up again? You have until 11:59 p.m. Monday to enroll. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Scott wants state workers to help fund their pensions By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Teachers, police and even legislators could start seeing � for the first time ever � a chunk of their paycheck going into their retirement accounts if Gov. Rick Scott and legislators get their way. South Florida lawmaker proposes selling naming rights for roads, statewide attractions By Andy Reid South Florida Sun-Sentinel Florida should sell naming rights to everything from state roads to beaches to help cover its budget shortfall, according to state Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton. State Farm wants 28 percent rate increase in Fla. Associated Press Tampa Tribune The state's largest private property insurer wants to hike rates by an average of 28 percent. Fewer people moving to Florida, census estimates show By William E. Gibson South Florida Sun-Sentinel Faced with a dramatic decline in the number of Americans moving to Florida, community boosters are promoting the Sunshine State as a cluster of research and technology, not just a balmy place to live. Some state regulations are genuine job builders Editorial St. Petersburg Times Florida Gov. Rick Scott's message on regulations has been consistent: They are job-killers that needlessly raise the cost of doing business in Florida. HEALTH AND SENIORS Emergency summit addresses AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding shortages, both now and long-term By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent Tom Liberti, director of the state Department of Health�s Bureau of HIV/AIDS spoke over the weekend at an AIDS Drug Assistance Program emergency summit in Fort Lauderdale, and told The Florida Independent the department has not yet reached an emergency agreement to supply 6,000 Florida Drug Assistance Program patients their medications through the end of March. Battle over Florida tax on cheap cigarettes heats up By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union A battle could once again be looming at the Capitol about a tax that would affect dozens of cigarette manufacturers but is aimed largely at a South Florida company that sells low-priced smokes across the state. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Florida physicians take on NRA in gun privacy issue By Jeremy Cox Florida Times-Union Over the past three decades, Jeff Goldhagen has counseled countless parents on how to keep their kids safe around guns. Florida should pursue more gun control, not less Editorial St. Petersburg Times As the nation still reels from the Tucson shootings and Tampa Bay mourns the deaths of St. Petersburg police officers, now is the moment for sober reflection on the need for serious, reasonable, intellectually honest dialogue about sensible gun control policy. Florida's approach on immigration is wrong: Only feds can fix problems Editorial Palm Beach Post For every good reason to reform our immigration laws, there is a bad way to go about it. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Plan to slash prison funds defies tough Fla. tradition By Lloyd Dunkelberger Gainesville Sun Florida's get-tough policy on crime over the past few decades is set to collide with an austere budget and a conservative governor pledging to take bold steps to save money. Supreme Court turns down request from Millview families suing St. Joe Co. Staff Report St. Petersburg Times The Florida Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from 75 mostly poor African-American property owners of polluted land in Port St. Joe whose fight became linked to the "Taj Mahal" building scandal.