Daily Clips for March 11, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Fearful of protesters, Florida Chamber of Commerce hires security, assigns threat levels By Lucy Morgan St. Petersburg Times Excerpt: Working with Progress Florida and America Votes, Susannah Randolph helped organize Tuesday's rallies at the courthouse and the Capitol. "But we have no interest in being at the chamber,'' she said Thursday. "It's hilarious that little ole me would be considered a threat.'' FEATURED STORIES Fla. Senate passes bill to kill tenure, tie teacher pay to student test scores By John Kennedy Palm Beach Post The Florida Senate approved a measure today that would eliminate tenure and instead tie teacher pay to student performance, a major victory for Republican lawmakers over the Democratic-allied state teachers' union. Republican-led Florida Legislature going after unions By Mary Ellen Klas and Katie Sanders St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau With a national wind at their back and a Republican majority in their grip, the Florida Legislature is going after unions. Committee's pension plan is moderate By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Many public employees would not have to start paying into the Florida Retirement System and higher-paid employees would have their pension contributions capped at 2 or 4 percent, under a bill approved today by a key Senate committee. It might get harder to be unemployed in Florida By Michael C. Bender and Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Florida is a tough place to be out of work. And it could get worse. Lawmaker: "I'm not the death angel. Somebody had to do this." By Kim MacQueen Florida Tribune The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted along party lines to take up a gentler version of the measure members have considered for months, designed to toughen the state's immigration laws. BEST OF THE BLOGS Rick Scott vs. the ‘pill mill’ database … a Solantic connection? By Joy-Ann Reid The Reid Report I was having a conversation with a very wise person the other day, about Florida’s governor, Rick Scott. “Nobody calls themselves a businessman” this wise person said, “is gonna invest $70 million in a political campaign and not expect to make a profit.” The State Is Awake. What Now? By Kenneth Quinnell Florida Progressive Coalition There’s lots of discussion about this in various places, and I wanted to weigh in. Today We Start To Awake The State By Daniel Tilson The Examiner Are you one of so many Americans who has been working harder and longer in recent years, while getting too damned little in return? Supreme Court Overreach: Are Scott, Legislators "Personalizing" The Courts? By Inkberries Beach Peanuts On the eve of what could become one of the most controversial legislative sessions in Florida history, we have a brand new power struggle taking shape on the horizon. Do We Save Or Deny the Everglades By Jake Rantings From Florida For those wondering why so little has appeared on this blog the last week, I got to spend most of last week in the Everglades chaperoning a class camping trip with my son. FLORIDA POLITICS Moody's isn't in love with the CEO guv By Aaron Deslatte South Florida Sun Sentinel Moody's Investor Service has apparently taken a dim view of Gov. Rick Scott's plans to slash the state corporate income tax rate from 5.5 percentage points to 3 percent this year. Today in Tallahassee: Opening week ends with talk of the budget By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau The state's $3.6 billion shortfall gets attention today as lawmakers wrap up their first week of work. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Some senators balk at repealing septic tank requirement By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune Several senators on a committee Thursday objected to a proposed bill that would repeal a statewide septic tank inspection requirement. Feds proposal to limit ATV access in national parks has environmental groups upset By Eric Staats Naples Daily News A coalition of environmental groups is ratcheting up the legal pressure on the Obama administration over off-road vehicles in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Oppose legislation to build golf courses in state parks Editorial South Florida Sun-Sentinel Don't get us wrong. We love golf. Just not in state parks. EDUCATION Senate gives final okay to teacher pay, tenure bill By Patricia Mazzei St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau A bill that would overhaul so-called teacher tenure and salaries swept through the Florida Senate Thursday, but even its most ardent supporters admitted it still must clear a key hurdle: how to pay for it. Senate OKs bill on merit pay, tenure By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Arguing that rewarding good teachers and firing bad ones is "a moral issue," Senate Republicans approved a sweeping education package Thursday that ends teacher tenure and pegs pay raises to classroom performance by students. Miami-Dade schools chief: We are on a collision course By Kathleen McGrory Miami Herald The Miami-Dade school system is bracing for unprecedented cuts to its $4.3 billion budget – reductions that could mean teacher and counselor layoffs, and the elimination of some arts and magnet programs. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Senate committee pitches its pension reform plan By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau A Senate committeee agreed with Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday to require state workers to shift a portion of their salaries into their retirement accounts for the first time in 27 years, but it sharply limited who would be required to make the payments. Families would bear brunt of cuts By Brittany Davis Health News Florida When state employee Jason DeBottis learned that his health benefits may be cut under Gov. Rick Scott’s new budget proposal, he thought of his 17-month-old daughter’s multiple ear infections. HEALTH AND SENIORS Florida House committee votes to kill drug monitoring database By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Florida's prescription drug monitoring database is headed for a showdown, with a House committee voting Thursday to kill the planned program that has vigorous support from state senators. Budget analysts say Medically Needy changes won't produce savings anytime soon By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Florida shouldn't bank on savings from a remodel of the Medically Needy program any time soon, state budget experts said on Thursday. Report on Nubia’s death cites ‘fatal ineptitude’ by DCF By Carol Marbin Miller and Diana Moskovitz Miami Herald For the three-member panel that studied the horrific death of Nubia Barahona, it came down to all the red flags — one after another after another. Proposal seeks to legalize medical marijuana in Fla. By Jeff Burlew Florida Capital News Florida residents would vote on legalizing medical marijuana if a proposal filed by Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth passes. Another misguided bid to halt state drug database Editorial Bradenton Herald ith several major developments over the past week, the groundswell of support for a prescription drug monitoring program should convince Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Dean Cannon that they are standing on the wrong side of this public safety issue. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES House committee passes Arizona-lite immigration bill By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post A House committee approved a somewhat watered-down immigration bill that would allow law enforcement officials to demand proof of citizenship during an arrest or criminal investigation and require businesses to verify that employees are in the country legally. Several Florida GOP reps pushing to end birthright citizenship By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent Seven members of Florida’s U.S. congressional delegation have signed on as cosponsors of the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, an effort to limit the 14th Amendment’s provision that all those born in the U.S. automatically become American citizens. A shameful setback on civil rights Editorial St. Petersburg Times Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the rest of the Florida Cabinet on Wednesday made a hash of civil rights restoration for nonviolent felons who are trying to put their lives back on track. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Legislators team up to take on fixed sentences for drug traffickers By Tonya Alanez South Florida Sun Sentinel An unlikely pair of South Florida legislators wants to eliminate mandatory prison terms for drug trafficking that they say stifle judges' ability to weigh the facts of each case, forcing them to impose sentences as steep as 25 years when far less would serve justice.