Daily Clips for March 21, 2011

FEATURED STORIES Legislators stand firm against many of Gov. Scott’s cutbacks By Gary Fineout Sarasota Herald-Tribune Related: Scott leaving state pension fund management alone Florida's budget gap now stands at roughly $3.75 billion after state economists on Friday forecast a slow recovery over the next year that will limit how much money legislators will have to balance spending with revenues. Gov. Rick Scott guided by 3 think tanks: Cato Institute, Reason Foundation, Heritage Foundation By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Individual liberty, free markets, peace. Florida faces fine lines of redistricting By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Big changes are coming to Florida’s political maps after a decade of population shifts. Legislature seeks to saw off the judicial branch By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times Why do we need three branches of government, anyway? Critics feel Scott's education budget could harm state economy By Zac Anderson Sarasota Herald-Tribune It was a big announcement for Florida's self-proclaimed jobs governor – a new company with 244 high-paying positions – and Rick Scott took the opportunity to praise Florida State University, which developed the fuel cell technology that lured Bing Energy to Florida. Teacher merit pay is an illusion By Fred Grimm Miami Herald The momentous education bill passed this week by the Legislature strips tenure protection from Florida public-school teachers. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jeff Parker Florida Today FLORIDA POLITICS Override urged for leadership funds By John Kennedy Orlando Sentinel House committee Friday urged lawmakers to override former Gov. Charlie Crist’s veto last year of legislation that would revive so-called leadership funds, strengthening the hand of House and Senate leaders from both parties in raising campaign cash. Is Scott backing down on Fair Districts? By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Three days after taking office, Gov. Rick Scott quietly put the brakes on the approval process for the two Fair Districts redistricting constitutional amendments passed by 63 percent of voters last fall. Florida vs.Texas: Gov. Scott has eye on Lone Star State as model of success By Ryan Mills Naples Daily News Gov. Rick Scott wants to mess with Texas. Media chased from Scott speech in Charlotte By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune Gov. Rick Scott was in Charlotte County to speak to the Charlotte County Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Fundraiser. The inseparable bond of former Gov. Reubin Askew, Joseph Hatchett By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times He walks with a stoop and looks a bit frail, but as he nears 83, Reubin Askew's intellect is razor-sharp, his memories vivid. After nearly two years, Ray Sansom gets his day in court By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times The heat was intensifying but Ray Sansom was calm, at least on paper. State will call Crist to testify against Sansom Associated Press Palm Beach Post The prosecutor in the trial of former Florida House speaker Ray Sansom has told potential jurors he plans to call former Gov. Charlie Crist as a witness for the state. Mularkey Meter: Sen. Mike Haridopolos’ book deal (video) By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel The verdict: Major Mularkey. Today in Tallahassee: Guns, campaign cash, abortion and more By Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Today, the first day of the session's third week, begins with a bang. POLITICAL RACES Adam Hasner may try to follow Marco Rubio's path to U.S. Senate By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Marco Rubio went from Tallahassee insiderdom as state House speaker to run a tea party-steeped outsider's campaign for U.S. Senate in 2010. Florida Democratic Party chairman discusses strategy By Jeremy Wallace Sarasota Herald-Tribune Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith is not willing to write off 2010 as just a bad year for Democrats. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Is state still trying to collect from BP? By Rob Shaw Tampa Tribune Steve Yerrid estimates he spent 1,000 hours planning Florida's legal strategy against oil giant BP in the wake of the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spill recovery proposal wins Senate approval By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News The Legislature's comprehensive oil spill recovery proposal shot out of the Senate on Wednesday with unanimous approval for $10 million in economic aid, relaxed standards for business-friendly incentive programs and a promise to focus on the eight hardest-hit counties on the Gulf Coast. Despite approval, critics question new Turkey Point reactor design By Curtis Morgan Miami Herald The next-generation reactors Florida Power & Light hopes to install at Turkey Point have been touted as simpler and safer, boasting an emergency cooling system that automatically kicks on during a power loss like the one that sparked the crisis at a Japanese plant. Florida water worries clash with cost concerns By Kevin Spear Orlando Sentinel As Central Florida's economy sizzled during the housing frenzy of the mid-2000s, the unquenchable thirst it generated filled with worry those responsible for the region's water supply. Forever means forever Editorial Florida Today In both Washington and here in the Florida capital, conservation isn't exactly Job 1. Protecting our great outdoors is being neglected, even undermined. LGBT Slim majority back gay marriage, Post-ABC poll says By Sandhya Somashekhar and Peyton Craighill Washington Post A slim majority of Americans now support gay marriage, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. EDUCATION Teachers fear merit pay will discourage college students from joining their ranks By Cara Fitzpatrick South Florida Sun Sentinel Related column: Florida teacher merit pay bill a lesson in vagueness The sweeping merit pay bill passed by the Florida Legislature has many teachers worried about their future — and the future of their profession. Uncertainty fuels debate over teacher merit pay By Allison Ross Palm Beach Post Even when business was not so great during the recession, Margaret Wilesmith made it a point to have performance-based raises and bonuses for her employees. Florida Class-Size Bill Is Misguided By Glenn Marston Lakeland Ledger Too many legislators are ignorant about the operations of public education in Florida and the constitutional requirements that bear on them. Teachers deserve better Editorial Sarasota Herald-Tribune Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith opined last week that Senate Bill 736 elevates "the teaching profession to the esteemed level it deserves." JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Rewarding Corporations While Punishing Workers The Progress Report Think Progress As a result of the Great Recession, states across the country are dealing with depressed tax revenues and record budget shortfalls, forcing them to make difficult choices to fulfill their constitutional balanced budget requirements. Pension reform opponents point to inequities in Florida's system By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Related: Experts say Florida overstates future pension returns The audience erupted in applause Thursday as speaker after speaker pleaded before the House committee to reject a pension reform bill they view as punishing all 655,000 employees in the Florida Retirement System for the excesses of a few. Speakers blast governor's policies By Rick Neale Florida Today Gov. Rick Scott is unleashing a Category 5 hurricane on the benefits of Florida's public-sector workers, says Claudie Pouncey, president of the Space Coast AFL-CIO. Florida's budget shortfall forecast grows, making tax cuts look harder By Marc Caputo St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Florida's budget continues to bleed red ink. Florida's rail hopes end as Amtrak drops out of potential bid By Janet Zink and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Related: President Barack Obama thinks Gov. Rick Scott 'was wrong' to reject high-speed rail After spending weeks on life support, Florida's high-speed rail project came to a definitive halt Friday when Amtrak officials told Sen. Bill Nelson they will not pursue a bullet train in the state. Tea Party, Scott at odds over expanding non-Indian casinos By Ted Jackovics Tampa Tribune A battle that's shaping up in Tallahassee could pit state Tea Party activists against Gov. Rick Scott and Las Vegas casino lobbyists, and state legislators against The Seminole Tribe of Florida. Bills would give local governments greater flexibility By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News While Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers work on proposals to streamline and improve state efforts to attract jobs, other bills focus on giving local government greater flexibility as well. The risk of removing regulation By Abel Harding Florida Times-Union It’s safe to say this wasn’t exactly the push towards deregulation every Florida business had envisioned. Tax cap: austerity evermore Editorial Tampa Tribune The state Senate, while still unsure what it will cut to balance this year's budget, has passed a measure that would restrict the amount of revenue available to future lawmakers. HEALTH AND SENIORS Why we should protect Planned Parenthood By Cynthia Nixon and David Eigenberg CNN Lazy ovaries, depressed vaginas, testicular cancer, breast cancer, STD tests, and fertility drugs...our show and movies covered pretty much every aspect of reproductive and women's health important topic for our viewers and for women, men and families nationwide. Unions small but gaining ground By Brittany Davis Health News Florida Even though public sentiment, state laws and court opinions make labor organizing an uphill struggle in Florida, the number of unionized health-care workers in Florida has risen by a third over the past year. House, governor blocking effective antidrug steps Editorial St. Petersburg Times A Florida House plan to ban doctors from dispensing powerful narcotics is being billed as a superior method to fight the state's prescription drug trafficking problem. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Carrying gun rights to a dangerous extreme By Daniel Ruth St. Petersburg Times It is probably not much of a stretch to suggest that if the National Rifle Association's Marion Hammer, the Lady Macbeth of Tallahassee, wanted the Florida Legislature to require every citizen to own a gun, it wouldn't be long before nuns would be forced to pack Tech-9s along with their rosary beads. First pediatricians — now NRA aims at sheriffs By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel It's a bad time to be a sensible gun owner in Florida. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Florida courts face a new day By Lloyd Dunkelberger Sarasota Herald-Tribune Florida courts are facing an unprecedented assault on their independence this year as state lawmakers push more than a half-dozen measures that could weaken judicial power and give the Legislature and governor more influence in selecting judges from the county courthouse to the Florida Supreme Court. Florida inmates are No. 1 in filing fraudulent tax returns from prison By Sally Kestin South Florida Sun Sentinel Here's another distinction Florida can do without — No. 1 in the nation for fraudulent tax returns filed from prison. A step back for ex-felons Editorial Pensacola News Journal Gov. Rick Scott took Florida a step backward in his controversial decision that makes it harder for ex-felons to regain their voting rights.