Daily Clips for March 2, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Florida budget cutters focus on public employees By Bill Kaczor Associated Press Excerpt: "Awake the State" protests against Scott's proposals are being organized in Tallahassee and elsewhere in Florida on the Legislature's opening day by liberal groups such as Progress Florida and America Votes. FEATURED STORIES Supreme Court fast-tracks Fla. senators' suit to stop Scott from refusing federal rail money By Dara Kam Palm Beach Post Just short of three months on the job, Gov. Rick Scott is being challenged in court by two senators, one a fellow Republican, over his rejection of $2.4 billion of federal funds for a high-speed rail project. Rick Scott Competes With Scott Walker For Most Isolated GOP Governor By Sam Stein Huffington Post The theatrics of Wisconsin's ongoing budget protests have left the impression that there is no more isolated governor in the country than Scott Walker. Florida Governor Rick Scott: Sanford, Minus Sex Scandal By Tim Padgett Time Magazine Florida Governor Rick Scott gives off a wide-eyed glow of certainty about everything he does. Jeb Bush to team up with Obama to promote education reform By Lesley Clark Miami Herald President Barack Obama will share a political stage at a Miami high school Friday with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, giving the president's education initiative a bipartisan boost. The writer's life: Haridopolos' actions speak volumes Editorial Tallahassee Democrat Within a week, the Florida Legislature convenes for what may be one of the most contentious sessions ever. FLORIDA POLITICS Sens. Arthenia Joyner, Thad Altman sue Gov. Rick Scott over high-speed rail By Janet Zink and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Barely two months after taking office, Gov. Rick Scott's increasingly tense relations with the Legislature landed him in the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday when two state senators filed suit arguing he has overstepped the limits of his authority by rejecting federal money for high-speed rail. House leader “concerned” over investigation of Rep. Rivera By Lesley Clark Miami Herald The investigations into Rep. David Rivera’s finances have top House Republicans worried and looking to distance themselves from the freshman lawmaker. Haridopolos book betrays right wing stuff By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel Our very own state Senate president is becoming a national joke. Caught in the cookie jar? Ho-hum, more of the same Editorial Pensacola News Journal The hits just keep coming from Tallahassee, don't they? POLITICAL RACES 2012 hopefuls heading to Florida for conservative gathering By Peter Hamby CNN Three Republicans seriously considering 2012 presidential bids are heading to Florida this weekend to participate in a closed-door gathering of fiscal conservatives. Rubio stands by early Florida primary By Juana Summers Politico As the gridlock between national Republicans and the Florida GOP leaders continues over the presidential primary calendar, Sen. Marco Rubio is firmly on the Sunshine State's side. Braynon defeats Celestin in Florida Senate race By Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald Democrat Oscar Braynon II handily won a seat to the Florida Senate Tuesday, defeating Republican Joe Celestin in a rout in a special legislative election. Ferlita to face Buckhorn in runoff; Greco edged out By Christian M. Wade Tampa Tribune The political career of Dick Greco came to a dramatic end Tuesday, as former Tampa City Councilman Bob Buckhorn edged out the former mayor for a spot in the runoff. BALLOT INITIATIVES Putting power back in the hands of the people By John Hedrick Tampa Tribune Signs abound of citizens' dissatisfaction with their local and state governments. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY USF study finds beaches essentially cleaned of oil By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times The goopy oil and sticky tarballs that once tainted Florida's sugar-white beaches have been thoroughly cleaned up, and even the layers of buried oil beneath the sand are gone, according to a new study by University of South Florida scientists released Tuesday. First Deepwater Drilling Permit Since BP Spill Goes to … a Well Co-Owned by BP By Marian Wang ProPublica Offshore drilling regulators this week approved the first deepwater drilling permit since BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, and as many have pointed out, it’s going to a well owned and operated by Noble Energy. Opponents of growth ballot measure take new aim at Florida enviro groups By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com The group that led the opposition to the "Hometown Democracy" Amendment 4 last November said Tuesday that environmental groups continue to "wage a campaign of unchecked misinformation" Mysterious Florida panther deaths have officials concerned By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times Is it open season on Florida panthers? Conservationists hail Everglades court ruling Associated Press Palm Beach Post Conservationists are hailing a court ruling against the construction of a home improvement store on the edge of the Everglades in Miami-Dade County. LGBT Obama Advances Equality The Progress Report Think Progress Last Wednesday, in a sharp reversal of policy, the Obama administration announced that it believes that Section 3 of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- which prohibits the federal government from recognizing marriages of gay couples -- is unconstitutional and said that it would stop defending the law. Project SOS founder says she won’t work with ‘Kill the Gays’ pastor ‘in the foreseeable future’ By Andy Kopsa Florida Independent Responding to a Florida Independent story revealing ties between Project SOS, a federally funded Jacksonville abstinence education program, and Martin Ssempa, a controversial Ugandan pastor who supports a law in that country that prescribes the death penalty for homosexuality, program founder Pam Mullarkey says she wants to “dissociate and distance” herself from “allegations” about Ssempa made by “the US media.” EDUCATION Another effort to scale back Florida's school class-size mandates By Jeff Solochek St. Petersburg Times While some Florida lawmakers focus on making it easier for schools to meet the state's 2002 class-size rules, others are looking to make it less expensive to not meet the mandate. Florida school districts still over-criminalizing kids, says ACLU and NAACP By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times Despite much-touted changes in state law in 2009, Florida school districts are still severely punishing too many kids for minor infractions, and still referring too many to law enforcement and the juvenile justice system, says a report due out today from the ACLU of Florida, the Florida State Conference of the NAACP and an outfit called the Advancement Project. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Gov. Rick Scott pushing tourism during cold states trip Associated Press South Florida Sun-Sentinel Florida Gov. Rick Scott is touting his state's sun, sand and even oysters as part of a pre-spring swing through cold-weather cities in a bid to lure more tourists south. Florida's future: Cloudy forecast Editorial Florida Times-Union In a way, the results are more revealing than surprising. HEALTH AND SENIORS DOH plan cuts 1,600 jobs By Jim Saunders Health News Florida Under fire from lawmakers, the Florida Department of Health has proposed a sweeping plan to reorganize --- and shrink -- its operations. Trujillo says science on fetal pain is inconclusive, still pushing forward on anti-abortion bill By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent State Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, said he filed House Bill 321 because he’s “pro-life, a devout Catholic and based on the scientific evidence,” he believes “you can have a debate on when a child can feel pain and when that fetus is viable.” Fla. Democrat wants to stop Medicaid privatization Associated Press Tampa Tribune Democratic state Rep. Elaine Schwartz is holding a hearing to dissuade federal health officials from allowing state lawmakers to privatize Florida's Medicaid system statewide. Medicare racket cashed in on recruited patients, feds say By Jay Weaver Miami Herald Leon Ciolkowski has struggled with alcoholism for much of his life. But with that disease, the 63-year-old man was not going to qualify for costly group therapy sessions at American Therapeutic Corp. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Fla. AG Bondi meeting with ACLU on felon rights Associated Press Tampa Tribune American Civil Liberties Union officials are meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi to discuss her proposal to end the automatic restoration of voting and other civil rights to nonviolent felons in Florida. Florida Legislators Push Immigration Bills By Laura Wides-Munoz Associated Press Tallahassee lawmakers are pushing for a watered-down version of Arizona's tough illegal immigration laws, saying it's part of a broad effort by states to enact laws that will force Washington to create a uniform set of immigration reforms. Palm Beach County urges state to ban Arizona-style high-capacity ammo clips By Jennifer Sorentrue Palm Beach Post Palm Beach County commissioners agreed this morning to urge state lawmakers to ban the sale of high-capacity gun magazines like the one used in the Arizona shooting that killed six and wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Rehwinkel Vasilinda files bill to abolish state's death penalty By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News State Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda wants to abolish Florida's death penalty. Juvenile Justice Secretary favors therapeutic approach By Tonya Alanez South Florida Sun-Sentinel The state's new head of juvenile justice wants to duplicate across the state the results she helped bring about in Miami-Dade County, where juvenile arrests were cut in half and re-arrests plummeted.