Daily Clips for March 16, 2011

FEATURED STORIES Democrats try to punch holes in GOP teacher pay plan on verge of becoming law By John Kennedy Palm Beach Post Outnumbered House Democrats sought to punch holes Tuesday in a sweeping plan by ruling Republicans to eliminate public school tenure and tie teacher pay to tests of student performance. Florida lawmakers looking at steep cuts in school funding By Elaine Silvestrini Tampa Tribune Even as state lawmakers work to lessen the cuts proposed by Gov. Rick Scott in the education budget, they said the numbers they are facing don't look good. Gov. Rick Scott's new Republican-funded website focuses on tea party By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Gov. Rick Scott launched a new campaign on Thursday, once again targeting his fellow Republicans in the Legislature. Senate votes to put tax, revenue cap on the 2012 ballot By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel The Florida Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday that would place new limits on the power of future legislators to tax and spend. Spending cap doesn't serve Florida Editorial St. Petersburg Times Don't be fooled by the "smart cap" that Republicans in the Florida Senate embraced Tuesday as a way to rein in government spending. FLORIDA POLITICS House committee votes to cut oversight of about 30 professions By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau The deregulation fever consuming state lawmakers is paving the way for an end to oversight of nearly 30 professions. Marco Rubio starts building national brand By Scott Wong Politico Sen. Marco Rubio is done with the quiet freshman act. Fight for your right to know Editorial Ft. Myers News-Press Florida has some of the country's most powerful open-government laws, the result of a strong public commitment to access and accountability. POLITICAL RACES Miami-Dade voters remove Mayor Carlos Alvarez Associated Press Tampa Tribune Mayor Carlos Alvarez was ousted Tuesday by voters angry over a property tax rate increase and salary raise for county employees in a county struggling to recover from the recession. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY House moves bill to 'streamline', or 'unravel', environmental permitting laws By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times A developer-backed bill that would streamline rules to build new landfills, locate bio-fuel facilities in urban areas and limit citizen feedback in environmental permiting made its way through the first of five committees Tuesday, opening the door to what opponents warned is a substantial weakening of state environmental protections. Florida officials tout safety of state reactors By Kelly Cuculiansky Daytona Beach News-Journal As workers in Japan battled to prevent nuclear meltdown, Florida officials are ensuring residents the state's five nuclear reactors are built to withstand "earthquakes, tsunamis and the most powerful hurricanes." How would Crystal River nuclear reactor hold up in a disaster? Staff Report St. Petersburg Times Of the nation's 104 nuclear reactors, five are in Florida, at three sites, including one at Progress Energy's site in Crystal River. As drought worsens, residents likely to face more watering restrictions By Alexandra Seltzer Palm Beach Post Palm Beach County, and all of South Florida from Orlando to the Keys, is experiencing the driest dry season since record keeping began 80 years ago - and things are going up in flames, literally. Scott gets majority on South Florida water board, with fifth member's resignation By Joel Engelhardt Palm Beach Post With five appointees, Gov. Rick Scott has an opportunity to mold the South Florida Water Management District governing board into the tax-slashing, waste-conscious body he seeks. EDUCATION House poised for final vote on merit pay plan By Jim Ash Florida Capital News The House is poised Wednesday to take a final vote on a merit pay plan for teachers, the bane of teacher unions and a top priority for Gov. Rick Scott and fellow conservative Republicans who dominate the Legislature. Teacher overhaul moves forward in Florida House By Patricia Mazzei St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Opponents tried one last time — and failed — to make changes to a bill that would dramatically reform the way public school teachers are evaluated, paid and hired. The big question on merit pay: Where's the money? By Kathleen Haughney Orlando Sentinel Florida lawmakers are poised to approve a comprehensive overhaul in the way teachers are evaluated and paid, setting up a system that would give the most effective teachers a higher salary. Faced with $1.6 billion schools deficit, Fla. Senate ponders public broadcasting cuts By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Florida lawmakers have $1.6 billion less to spend on education this year than last, according to a preliminary glimpse of the Senate's education spending plan, so public broadcasting may be on the chopping block. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam wants control over school lunch/breakfast programs By Katie Sanders St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam wants control over school lunch and breakfast programs currently managed by the state Department of Education. President Obama to speak at Miami-Dade College graduation By Danielle A. Alvarez South Florida Sun Sentinel President Barak Obama is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Miami-Dade College graduation ceremony next month. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Senate saying no so far to key part of Scott's jobs agenda By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune One of Gov. Rick Scott's ambitious plans to revive the state's economy has run into a wall of opposition in the state Senate. Gov. Scott to join Florida delegation for two-day trade mission to Panama Staff Report St. Petersburg Times Gov. Rick Scott will leave Thursday for his first foreign trade mission since being elected, a two-day trip to Panama. Publix pressured to sign farm worker agreement By Lauren Sage Reinlie Northwest Florida Daily News A group of farm workers, advocates and residents asked Publix supermarket managers Tuesday to consider signing on to an agreement that raises labor standards and pay for tomato pickers in Florida and could stop forced labor in Florida’s agricultural industry. Senators worry about NASA's 'focus' but offer no ideas By Mark K. Matthews Orlando Sentinel A U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday turned into a case of déjà vu all over again. HEALTH AND SENIORS Nurses and seniors push back against healthcare reform, telephone de-reg By Tom Flanigan WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee Many nurses have rugged schedules, so it didn't seem strange that their Tallahassee strategy session got an early start. Lawmakers disagree about pill mill remedies By Carl Orth Suncoast News Dueling legislation would take very different approaches toward combating abuses of prescription drugs, especially through so-called "pill mills," pain management clinics which freely dispense powerful painkillers. Privatization of inmate health care could net state $270M News Service of Florida Florida Times-Union A preliminary cut of the Senate budget for prisons and courts banks heavily on privatization to help slice more than $270 million from the spending plan for the coming fiscal year. Dentists feel the bite from insurers By Jim Saunders Health News Florida Dentists say they are getting squeezed. Insurance companies say they are helping hold down costs for patients. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Senate drops business mandate in immigration bill By Kim MacQueen Florida Tribune The Senate Judiciary Committee officially took up its version of an Arizona-style immigration measure Monday – but watered down its employer mandate. Open Carry Law Shooting Through Legislature By Whitney Ray Capitol News Service Legislation to allow permitted gun owners to wear their guns outside their clothing passed a House committee today. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Proposed bill would move expanded Fla. Supreme Court to new 1st DCA building By Jim Ash Florida Capital News There's a possible new twist to House Speaker Dean Cannon's radical plan to reorganize the Florida Supreme Court — one that could lend a new meaning to the term poetic justice. Politicians vs. judiciary: A misguided war By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel State House Speaker Dean Cannon says they threaten the freedom and liberty of Americans. State to close Tallahassee road prison By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News The state plans to close six prisons, including Tallahassee's road prison and a Brevard County institution, in a $30-million cost-saving initiative.