Daily Clips for Februrary 7, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Gov. Rick Scott's budget cuts may spark fierce fight By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Excerpt: Advocates for the poor, minorities and disabled call the zeal Scott and GOP leaders seem to have for slashing $5 billion in services a callousness to the plight of working families unlike anything in recent history. "I think this crowd really represents a new extreme when it comes to the sacrifices they are willing to impose on real Floridians," said Damien Filer, political director for Progress Florida, a liberal advocacy group. Mt. Dora man circulates pro-voucher petition, urging support for Scott’s education plan By Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel Daniel Insdorf, a long-time school voucher proponent, has started a petition drive to show support for the idea floated by Gov. Rick Scott and his advisers — education savings accounts that would amount to vouchers for all public school students. Insdorf said his petition — information on it was posted on the Tri-County Tea Party-FL website yesterday – is an effort to combat the anti-voucher petition underway by Progress Florida. Legislators unlikely to act on Scott's plan to expand vouchers By Elaine Silvestrini Tampa Tribune Excerpt: But the idea has alarmed critics, including Progress Florida, a non-profit organization that promotes progressive values, which has launched a petition drive and started a Facebook page to "Stop Rick Scott's Private Voucher Scheme," describing the plan as "fiscally irresponsible, and potentially unconstitutional." Republicans looking to hammer Bill Nelson on health care reform By Kevin Derby Sunshine State News Excerpt: While Haridopolos has already set up a website for his bid, he has also drawn some fire. On Thursday, liberal groups Florida Watch Action and Progress Florida unveiled a website attacking Haridopolos, hitting the Senate president on ethics, campaign finance and his stances on the issues. FEATURED STORIES After Gov. Rick Scott stages budget rollout, he plays to skeptical lawmakers By Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Calling for billions in tax and spending cuts, Gov. Rick Scott will unveil a budget Monday that's as much a policy road map as it is a sweeping political statement. Rick Scott to present budget proposal not at Capitol, but at Tea Party rally in Eustis on Monday By Scott Powers and Martin E. Comas Orlando Sentinel The Florida tea-party movement is about to have its big moment — as the first sounding board for Gov. Rick Scott's proposed state budget and its billions of dollars in spending cuts. Sticking to the rules: Is there too much state red tape? By Jeff Harrington and Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times Is there no such thing as a good regulation? GOP urges strict rules for jobless: ‘Get real’ By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post With Florida’s unemployment rate at 12 percent, those receiving jobless benefits may soon receive less and have to do more to get that, while the amount that businesses and the government spend on benefits would be reduced. Miami-Dade GOP payments lack details By Patricia Mazzei and Scott Hiaasen Miami Herald In the final weeks before Election Day last fall, the Miami-Dade Republican Party paid $150,000 to a political consultant with close ties to the party's then-chairman, U.S. Rep. David Rivera. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jim Morin Miami Herald FLORIDA POLITICS Experts Skeptical About Scott's Tax-Cut Plan By Lloyd Dunkelberger Lakeland Ledger If Gov. Rick Scott succeeds in phasing out Florida's corporate income tax, it will mark a fundamental shift in the philosophy that has guided the state's tax policy for the past 40 years. Rick Scott's 'bold' budget out today; he knows portions will be unpopular By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union Despite Gov. Rick Scott's move to dribble out a few details about his budget for the coming fiscal year - or two - over the past few days, the contours of the plan he'll reveal today still remain relatively unknown. Two political veterans offer useful insight for Gov. Rick Scott By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times Gov. Rick Scott could learn a thing or two from Bob Martinez. Scott will learn government is not a business By Tim Nickens St. Petersburg Times Barely a month has passed since Gov. Rick Scott took office, and it is clear he views his new job as Florida's chief executive no differently than his old job as chief executive assembling the nation's largest hospital chain. Rick Scott's slow pace in appointing state secretaries troubles lawmakers By Tonya Alanez South Florida Sun-Sentinel One month into his term, Gov. Rick Scott has yet to name 14 of 25 state agency secretaries, including the people who will run the Department of Transportation, Department of Health and the Agency for HealthCare Administration. Barbers, interior designers and more: Gov. Rick Scott's appointment moves highlight obscure boards By Katie Sanders St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau In 2007, Gov. Charlie Crist invited his trusted hometown coiffeur to fill a position on the state Barbers' Board. The public gets records – but the press has to wait By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel One of Gov. Rick Scott's first acts was to re-constitute the Office of Open Government, a one-stop shop for the public to access the overwhelming amount of information and records that help illuminate what state government is up to. Major changes proposed for Public Service Commission By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune Two Senate bills filed on Thursday would alter how Florida Public Service Commission members are chosen and the agency's role in approving utility rate hike requests. Critics say bill on 'simulated' obscenity goes too far By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times Let us turn our attention to House Bill 385, filed for the upcoming session of our state Legislature. Great Scott! Editorial Gainesville Sun Memo to Gov. Rick Scott: The campaign is over, Governor, it's time to get serious. Gov. Rick Scott demonstrates unwillingness to abide by the wishes of Florida voters Editorial TC Palm The voters spoke, but maybe Gov. Rick Scott didn't hear. Or Scott heard and decided to ignore them. What is Scott afraid of? Editorial Pensacola News Journal There is no requirement that politicians love the press ... or even like it. POLITICAL RACES Sen. Bill Nelson fights off GOP efforts to tag him a liberal By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Even in the earliest moments of his 2012 re-election campaign, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson can see the windup. Debate might ignite sleepy Tampa mayoral race By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times If you buy the conventional wisdom, Tampa's five-person mayoral race is likely to be winnowed on March 1 to a contest between former Mayor Dick Greco and former City Council member and County Commissioner Rose Ferlita. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY One-third of state parks put on potential closing list after Gov. Scott calls for budget cuts By Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post Fifty-three state parks, including three in Martin and St. Lucie counties, could be closed in response to Gov. Rick Scott's call for budget cuts. Panhandle officials want BP to pay for new sand Associated Press Miami Herald Florida Panhandle officials say beach renourishment is the key to their post-oil spill recovery. LGBT Pentagon sees lifting 'don't ask' policy by year's end By Nancy A. Youssef McClatchy Newspapers The U.S. military will begin next month training its forces on how they should carry out the repeal of “don't ask, don't tell” and expects the ban on gays serving openly in the military to be lifted entirely by the end of the year, Pentagon officials said Friday. EDUCATION Florida school districts may get relief on class size fines By Kathleen McGrory Miami Herald Help may be on the way for the 28 Florida school districts facing hefty fines for not meeting the state class size mandate. Education proposal would expand on vouchers By Zac Anderson Sarasota Herald-Tribune The struggling economy dropped enrollment to just 48 students at Port Charlotte Adventist School last year, leading worried officials to aggressively promote a state voucher program for low-income students. State’s top educator visits Duval, defends himself and state law By Topher Sanders Florida Times-Union The state’s top educator on Friday toured one of Duval County’s most struggling schools, met with frustrated community members and responded to recent criticism from the School Board. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Move to cut jobless benefits grows By Jim Stratton Orlando Sentinel Jobless Floridians and their advocates are punching back against a growing legislative effort to make it harder to get unemployment and reduce the amount of time people can collect benefits. Protests won't keep benefits off Scott's chopping block By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Ethicists and debate coaches have a term, “the tyranny of the anecdote,” for information that’s hard to dispute because people hear it so much, it becomes conventional wisdom. Florida unmeployment rate remains among the highest in the U.S. By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent A Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy at Florida International University (aka RISEP) report released on Friday says that in Florida, for every person that found a job in 2010, another 25 were still waiting to get back to work. Florida investigating charges that bank defrauded state's pension fund By Sydney P. Freedberg St. Petersburg Times Florida prosecutors are investigating charges that a major New York bank hired to safeguard retirees' savings cheated them by overcharging for currency-exchange trades. Out-of-state favors come at Florida's expense Editorial St. Petersburg Times A powerful Republican state senator wants to let online travel companies skip collecting some taxes while requiring Florida hotel booking desks to collect them all. HEALTH AND SENIORS Republican lawmakers pushing health care reform repeal provide public health care to staff By Brett Ader Florida Independent As the debate over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rages on following the decision handed down by a Florida judge that the health care overhaul contains unconstitutional mandates, much of the media has ignored the fact that nearly all GOP lawmakers in Congress pushing for repeal — as well as their staffs — currently accept government-sponsored health care. Stearns leading investigation into health care waivers By Matt Dixon Florida Times-Union More than 700 waivers given to organizations exempting them from baseline provisions of the federal health-care reform package are in the crosshairs of a subcommittee chaired by U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla. Florida lawmaker says his gun bill is needed because of the health care law By Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times A freshman Florida lawmaker who wants to make it a felony for doctors to ask patients whether they own guns is trotting out the bogeyman of national politics to help make his case. An extreme abortion bill Editorial Sarasota Herald-Tribune HB 415, a bill filed in the Florida Legislature, isn't worth the time lawmakers may waste on it. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Bennett immigration bill protested by religious, Hispanic leaders By Wendy Dahle Bradenton Herald About 100 religious leaders and members of the Latin and Hispanic communities of Manatee and Sarasota counties met Saturday morning at the Palmetto Youth Center for the Faith against Racism breakfast to discuss Florida’s proposed immigration law. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Courts shouldn't have to grovel for money from legislators Editorial Orlando Sentinel Now that Florida's new governor is unveiling his policy agenda, and legislators are getting ready to take a crack at it in their annual session, it might be easy to forget there's a third, and equal, branch of state government: the court system.