FEATURED STORIES Gov. Rick Scott alienates some black lawmakers at luncheon By Steve Bousquet Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau Gov. Rick Scott welcomed black legislators to lunch Tuesday at the Governor’s Mansion, but his choice of words left some feeling more alienated than ever. Gov. Scott gets cool reception at DCA By Jim Ash Florida Capital News Gov. Rick Scott got a closed-door briefing from the top brass, and faced some tough questions from the rank and file when he toured the state's growth-management agency Tuesday. Scott pushes for state prisons privatization By Tonya Alanez South Florida Sun-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. Medicaid 2011: HMOs rule By Jim Saunders Health News Florida Senate leaders began rolling out a plan to transform the Medicaid system Tuesday with a threat: If Washington doesn't go along, Florida could give up billions of dollars in federal money and run the program itself. Florida Chamber CEO calls upcoming Legislative session "our time" By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Forgive Mark Wilson, head of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, if he sounds supremely confident that his probusiness agenda to "realign the way government works" will largely sail through Tallahassee this upcoming session. FLORIDA POLITICS Criticism mounts for Scott budget By Timothy O’Hara Key West Citizen Florida House Democratic leader Ron Saunders has urged his brethren to not participate in a Republican-backed budget-cutting exercise this week, saying it is "premature" without knowing the state's projected revenue. State party chairmen flame war over Haridop fund raising By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Senate President Mike Haridopolos hasn’t yet officially said whether he will abstain from fundraising for his U.S. Senate campaign during the legislature’s upcoming 60-day session that begins on March 8. Did Gov. Scott pressure Pasco Sheriff White to accept budget deal with county? By Jodie Tillman St. Petersburg Times Last Friday evening, Pasco commissioner Ann Hildebrand was headed to dinner at Red Lobster when her cell phone rang. POLITICAL RACES Florida is first battleground for 2012 presidential primary jockeying By Rachel Weiner Washington Post A fight is brewing in Florida that could shed light on the shape the 2012 presidential primary calendar will ultimately take. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Rep. Rooney introduces amendment to bar EPA from enforcing Florida water-quality standards By Virginia Chamlee Florida Independent In a piece of legislation filed Tuesday, U. S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, aims to severely limit funding to the EPA to enforce the water-quality criteria it has set for Florida. Facing elimination, DCA employees question Gov. Rick Scott By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com After hearing Gov. Rick Scott speak Tuesday during a visit to the Florida Department of Community affairs, department systems programmer Robab Fayazi said she remains worried about losing her job there. At Rally for the Rivers, advocates for environment to focus on fighting Scott's budget cuts By Kevin Spear Orlando Sentinel Rock Springs Run State Reserve may not have big crowds streaming through its gate, mostly just hunters, hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders. But its lush forest banks the Wekiva River and helps define Orlando's favorite wilderness. Sen. Nelson pressures BP claims facility, gets resident paid By Dusty Ricketts Northwest Florida Daily News Related: Okaloosa accepts $1.5 million settlement offer from BP One resident who has struggled for months to be reimbursed for lost income from the BP oil spill finally received some relief Tuesday, thanks to Sen. Bill Nelson’s office. Glades money intact Editorial Miami Herald President Obama, who opened the tap to send long-promised federal dollars toward Everglades restoration in his first year in office, is commendably keeping that commitment in his 2012 budget. LGBT Adopt Equality By Steve Rothaus Miami Herald This new video features Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith, Miami Beach attorney Elizabeth Schwartz, Howard Simon of the ACLU and gay adoptive father Martin Gill of North Miami. EDUCATION Lawmakers tinkering with class size restrictions By Sherri Ackerman and Elaine Silvestrini Tampa Tribune Spurned by voters who didn't want to ease class-size requirements for Florida's schools, state legislators are mulling changes to the law that would give districts more flexibility in counting students and also apply the limits to fewer classes. SB 736 picks up another committee recommendation By Jeff Solocheck St. Petersburg Times The Senate's version of legislation to change the way Florida schoolteachers are paid, evaluated, contracted and certified won approval from another committee Tuesday morning. State ed board impressed by charter school By Angeline Taylor Bradenton Herald State College of Florida’s charter school has only been in operation for six months, but that didn’t stop the new school from catching the attention Tuesday of the State Board of Education JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Scott to state workers: Focus is creating private jobs Associated Press Tampa Tribune Gov. Rick Scott today told the state employees whose jobs may be among the most vulnerable to budget cuts that his focus is on creating private sector jobs and their agency is one he heard complaints about while campaigning last fall. State Farm Florida defends 28 percent rate hike proposal By Katie Sanders St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau State Farm Florida defended its proposal to raise homeowners' insurance rates an average of 28 percent during a public hearing Tuesday as necessary because the company's finances have dwindled amid recent hurricane-free years. HEALTH AND SENIORS Major Medicaid reforms coming, senator says By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Senate Republicans pitched the broad brushstrokes of their Medicaid reform plan Tuesday, and health-care budget chief Joe Negron ended it with a slammer: if the federal government doesn't approve the plan, the state might drop out of the state-federal Medicaid program. Proposed state law that would limit abortion access relies on disputed science By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent State Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami has filed a bill based on disputed science that would limit abortion access if the age of the fetus is 20 weeks or more. Pill mill battle heats up By Frank Gluck Ft. Myers News-Press In the face of mounting criticism, Gov. Rick Scott's office continued Tuesday to defend his efforts to repeal a new law creating a prescription drug monitoring database in Florida. Feds make more arrests in major Medicare fraud case By Jay Weaver Miami Herald A trio of doctors altered the diagnoses and medications of thousands of patients to make it look like they qualified for purported group therapy sessions at American Therapeutic’s chain of South Florida clinics, costing the taxpayer-funded Medicare program hundreds of millions of dollars, prosecutors say. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES West meets with head of anti-Muslim group ACT! for America By Virginia Chamlee Florida Independent U.S. Rep. Allen West, R- Fort Lauderdale, never one to shy away from controversy, appears to be coordinating with a highly controversial anti-Muslim group, judging by a recent article posted online by West himself.