Daily Clips for February 15, 2011

FEATURED STORIES Drug monitoring program that Scott rejects works in other states By Meg Laughlin St. Petersburg Times A Kentucky State Police sergeant noticed a silver Chevy Cavalier weaving on Interstate 75 near Richmond, Ky., last week and pulled it over. Florida's Medicaid proposal could put $24 billion from feds at risk By Stacey Singer Palm Beach Post Florida officials plan to privatize Medicaid and cut benefits even as some federal officials worry they are jeopardizing about $24 billion in federal health reform subsidies. Senate president: "Superior" state worker benefits need to be brought in line By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Senate President Mike Haridopolos made it clear on Monday that changing state employee benefits -- including both pension benefits and health insurance benefits -- will be a part of his agenda for the upcoming session. Budget proposal splits Fla. leaders on party lines By Lesley Clark Bradenton Herald Florida members of Congress split along party lines over President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget proposal – with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., saying it doesn’t go far enough and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., suggesting it’s a good first step. FLORIDA POLITICS Floridians pessimistic about future, says Leadership Florida poll By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau A majority of Floridians are increasingly pessimistic about the future of the state and agree with Gov. Rick Scott's focus on wasteful spending and jobs, according to a new poll commissioned by Leadership Florida. Ethics commission dismisses complaint against pension chief Ash Williams By Sydney P. Freedberg St. Petersburg Times The Florida Commission on Ethics has dismissed a complaint against pension chief Ash Williams, finding no indication he violated conflict of interest laws. TIA would face barrier to Cuba flights with Rubio amendment By Steve Huettel St. Petersburg Times On track for federal approval to launch new flights to Cuba, Tampa International Airport has hit a political speed bump. Former Gov. Charlie Crist and Carole Crist make plans to live full time in St. Petersburg By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Charlie Crist is trading his downtown bachelor pad for a family pad, where he and his wife, Carole, will live full time. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Federal takeover? Legislators aren't told about Florida's role in water standards battle By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune Florida legislators who made angry comments about new water quality standards for Florida weren't being told about the state's key involvement in the issue two years ago. 'It is the exact opposite of what we have been told' By Bill Gamblin Northwest Florida Daily News State Rep. Doug Broxson traveled to Dublin, Ohio, on Monday to take a firsthand look at the Gulf Coast Claims Facility office there and discover why BP oil spill claims are not being paid. Ban offshore drilling Editorial Pensacola News Journal After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year, it should be a no-brainer to ban oil drilling in Florida waters. EDUCATION School leaders fear impact of Scott's budget proposal By Elaine Silvestrini Tampa Tribune hen Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his budget plan last week, the sheer size of the proposed revenue reductions knocked the wind out of school officials across the state. New civics course to start in middle schools By Katie Tammen Northwest Florida Daily News Florida middle school students will soon have to take a civics course and then pass a standardized test about what they’ve learned before they can go on to high school. For-profit colleges: Everest, Kaplan have highest number of complaints before Florida attorney general By Scott Travis South Florida Sun-Sentinel They tell stories of broken promises, overly aggressive sales tactics, harassing phone calls, bungled financial aid and insurmountable debt. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Florida's Scott takes businessman's ax to budget By Tom Brown Reuters Many newly elected Republican governors have pledged to run their states like a business as they grapple with low revenues and multibillion-dollar budget gaps with little relief from a fragile U.S. economic recovery. As Obama announces cuts in block grants, local officials calculate aftermath By Michael Van Sickler and Richard Danielson St. Petersburg Times It has paid to help rebuild a historic elementary school in St. Petersburg, financed water and sewer projects in Hillsborough County and paid off debt for Tampa's Centro Ybor. NASA budget picks fight with Congress By Mark K. Matthews Orlando Sentinel President Barack Obama on Monday released a $18.7-billion budget proposal for NASA that immediately reignited a heated battle with Congress over the role that commercial rocket companies should play in blasting astronauts into space. Obama budget does not include Port of Miami project funding By Lesley Clark Miami Herald President Barack Obama’s budget plan on Monday was a mix of good and bad news for South Florida. In Palm Beach, Rubio blasts Obama's budget By Jeff Ostrowski Palm Beach Post U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio bashed President Obama's $3.73 trillion budget as an irresponsible proposal that could create a "vicious debt spiral" by next year. Florida jobless benefits among leanest in U.S. By Jim Stratton Orlando Sentinel As Florida lawmakers push to contain unemployment costs, the system they are targeting already has some of the lowest benefits and participation in the nation. State Farm's bid to raise homeowners rates 28% faces public hearing By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times State Farm will make its case in Tallahassee on Tuesday to hike insurance rates an average of 28 percent for its roughly 700,000 homeowners policies statewide. HEALTH AND SENIORS Rick Scott says health care law is biggest tax increase in U.S. history: False By Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact Florida Gov. Rick Scott's new job isn't getting in the way of his old hobby -- criticizing the federal health care law. Florida’s fight over health law a pain for health-care industry By Jeremy Cox Florida Times-Union Joe Gordy, the head of St. Augustine's Flagler Hospital, sees the expansion of Medicaid eligibility under last year's federal health-care reform law as a challenge - and an opportunity. Governor, Senate President disagree on whether Fla. needs drug database By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Gov. Rick Scott and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, both Republicans, are at odds about whether Florida needs the prescription drug database that the legislature mandated two years ago to help control the flow of addictive drugs in the state. Doctors won't get a pay raise this year By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Senate President Mike Haridopolos said on Monday that he won't be able to increase reimbursement rates for doctors who treat Medicaid patients but that lawsuit limitations -- another priority for Florida doctors -- is on the top of his agenda. Treasurer says Jackson faces train wreck By John Dorschner Miami Herald The grim news that Jackson Health System lost another $11.1 million in December and has a dwindling supply of cash to meet its payroll prompted Marcos Lapciuc, treasurer of the Public Health Trust that oversees Jackson, to warn Monday that “there’s a train at 200 mph heading straight at us.” CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Immigration laws: Law enforcement says bills wouldn't change checking citizen status By Ryan Mills Naples Daily News One by one the graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Report: Latinos lag behind other groups in Internet, broadband access By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent A Pew Hispanic Center report released last week not only shows that in 2010 Latinos had lower rates of Internet use and broadband access when compared with whites, but that income, education and language also mark digital disparities among Hispanics. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Scott pushes for state prisons privatization By Tonya Alanez Orlando Sentinel For years lawmakers have toughened Florida's sentencing laws and created the nation's third-largest prison system, but Gov. Rick Scott is seeking to shrink the number of state-run facilities for Florida's convicts. Florida Supreme Court sides with a Legislature that often criticizes it By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times When folks complain about "activist" judges, it usually just means they don't like the outcome of a case.