Daily Clips for March 9, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS As lawmaking session opens, Tallahassee protesters test voices By Dara Kam and John Kennedy Palm Beach Post Related: Protests in Tallahassee, West Palm Beach mirror schism seen in Wisconsin, other states Excerpt: "I've heard from a lot of people who say, 'This is going to be my first rally of any kind,' " said Damien Filer of Progress Florida, which has been planning rallies in major cities and using a Facebook page called "Awake the State." Tea Party supporters, Scott protesters, rally at the Capitol, courthouse (subscription required) By Jeff Burlew Tallahassee Democrat Related: Scott's budget priorities spur rallies for, against Excerpt: Many of the groups attending the rally at the courthouse are affiliated with Progress Florida, a nonprofit based in St. Petersburg that promotes progressive values through online organizing, media outreach and networking. Hundreds gather for Awake the State rallies in Lee, Collier By Mary Wozniak Ft. Myers News-Press Excerpt: The Awake the State rally, which began as a Facebook page, was organized by Progress Florida, Florida Watch Action and America Votes. FEATURED STORIES Gov. Rick Scott gives hard sell, brushes off critics in State of State By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Related: Gov. Rick Scott's State of the State speech Gov. Rick Scott gave state lawmakers the hard sell in a measured and positive State of the State speech Tuesday, urging them to embrace his vision of a transformed Florida that would serve as a national model of job creation with fewer taxes and less regulation on businesses. House, Senate discuss goals for legislative session By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News Senate President Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker Dean Cannon laid out their visions for the legislative session Tuesday and each challenged the lawmakers they lead to bold action. Five biggest questions for the 2011 session By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Florida lawmakers on Tuesday kicked off a potentially contentious session that in the words of Senate President Mike Haridopolos will “test the mettle of every member of the House and Senate.” In Florida, Push to Link Teacher Pay to Student Performance By Lizette Alvarez New York Times The Florida Legislature, convening its 60-day session on Tuesday, quickly set its sights on measures that would link the pay of new teachers to student performance and allow school boards to fire teachers more easily for mediocre results. Competing Rallies in Tallahassee Let Lawmakers Know They Are Under Scrutiny By Zac Anderson Lakeland Ledger Leaning against the front of his desk, state Rep. Ken Roberson smiled as 17 Tea Party activists from his home district crowded into his office, grabbing every chair and spilling into the hallway. FLORIDA POLITICS Gov. Scott: 'Don't blink' at tough calls By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News Gov. Rick Scott laid his economic development plan before Florida legislators Tuesday night and told them "don't blink" at tough choices, but grab the chance of totally changing state government. Scott calls on legislators to be bold, 'Don't blink' By Aaron Deslatte and Kathleen Haughney Orlando Sentinel Citing the corporate experience that propelled him to wealth and power, Gov. Rick Scott urged lawmakers Tuesday to pass his prescription for treating Florida's economic woes with tax cuts and dramatic slashes to state services and worker benefits. Rick Scott's caffeinated info stonewalling By Marc Caputo Miami Herald It seemed like a simple request on Saturday: Who are the lawmakers invited to have coffee with Gov. Rick Scott Tuesday and where? House Speaker Dean Cannon talks feds, pill mills, courts in session-opening speech By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau House Speaker Dean Cannon used a good chunk of his 2011 session opening remarks Tuesday to criticize the federal government for rampant spending, likening leaders in D.C. to a "fiscal heroin addict" with China as its supplier. Rival rallies on opening day could set tone for session By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Emotions ran high in Tallahassee on Tuesday on the first day of the Florida legislative session as tea party supporters rallied to demand less government and more tax cuts, while state workers, teachers and advocates for the disadvantaged rallied to protect government programs. People of all stripes unite, oppose cuts to kids, the vulnerable By Scott Maxwell Orlando Sentinel Jenny Wojcik is hardly the kind of person you'd expect to find protesting a Republican governor and legislature. Nancy Argenziano Unplugged: 'We are ... heading toward a society ruled by a corporate oligarchy' By Brandon Larrabee Florida Times-Union In something billed as a pre-response to Gov. Rick Scott's State of the State speech, former Sen. Nancy Argenziano went off on her fellow Republicans -- assuming she's still a Republican -- and her former colleagues at the PSC. House Dems choose 2012 leader By Janet Zink and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times The 39-member House Democratic caucus assembled over the lunch hour Tuesday and members cast secret ballots for the race to succeed Democratic leader Ron Saunders of Key West. Today in Tallahassee: Senate debates teacher tenure bill By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau A proposal that would make it easier to fire teachers will be debated this morning on the Senate floor. POLITICAL RACES Fla. might disrupt presidential primary schedule By Brendan Farrington Associated Press In a virtual replay of 2008, Florida is bucking national Democrats and Republicans in planning an early presidential primary, an act of defiance that creates strategic challenges for GOP candidates and could unravel the parties' primary calendar next year. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Rubio Backs Budget Rider to Block FL Water Pollution Limits By Eric Mack Public News Service Florida Florida's junior U.S. senator, Republican Marco Rubio, hopes to use the budget debate happening now in the Senate to block new pollution controls for Florida waterways. Bill would put courses designed by Jack Nicklaus in state parks By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times Florida officials have proudly touted the state's award-winning park system for years. The parks, hailed as the best in the nation, offer everything from rivers for kayaking to beaches for soaking in the sun to forest trails for extended hiking. More golf courses would not be hole-in-one for Florida By Mark Woods Florida Times-Union The state legislative session opened Tuesday. And it's worth noting that at the same time Florida's leaders are pushing to privatize things like schools, prisons and mental health hospitals, they are proposing that the government get more involved in the development of something we truly need. Scott and state's environmental agency skip Florida Forever rally By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection were absent from a rally for the state's land-buying program on Tuesday, the opening day of the legislative session. EDUCATION Is Florida's "teacher quality" bill on the high-speed rail? By Jeff Solocheck St. Petersburg Times Related: Florida teacher tenure bills would bring rapid change As Florida's teachers continue to protest bills to change their terms of employment, the buzz in Tallahassee is that the Legislature will push the measures through faster than fast. Florida bill may rekindle debate over evolution By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times Florida science teachers must offer a "thorough presentation and critical analysis of the scientific theory of evolution" under a bill (SB 1854) filed by a key state senator. Democratic law filed in Tallahassee would de-emphasize FCAT testing By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent State Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, on Monday filed a public school bill that strikes the use of FCAT as the most important student performance assessment tool beginning with 2015-2016 school year. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY GOP economic lies: Government is NOT the enemy By Stephen Goldstein South Florida Sun-Sentinel America is in the final stages of becoming a corporate socialist state — and Florida is ground zero for the revolution. HEALTH AND SENIORS Fla. Senate voting on health care amendment Associated Press Tampa Tribune The Florida Senate is set to vote on a 2012 ballot issue offered in response to President Barack Obama's federal health care overhaul. U.S. Appeals Florida Health Care Ruling By Robert Pear New York Times The Justice Department filed notice on Tuesday that it was appealing a decision by a federal judge in Florida who struck down the new health care law, saying it was unconstitutional for the federal government to require Americans to obtain health insurance. House bill would kill 'pill mills' database By Kathleen Haughney Orlando Sentinel A day after House Speaker Dean Cannon called on lawmakers to kill a prescription drug database meant to track people who purchase narcotics from "pill mills," one of his top lieutenants unveiled a proposal to do just that. Med-mal bill bolsters hospital shield By Jim Saunders Health News Florida Florida lawmakers are considering a controversial proposal that would shield hospitals from malpractice lawsuits if they contract with doctors whose errors harm patients. Medical marijuana bill filed in the House By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times Rep. Jeff Clemens, a Democrat from Lake Worth, has filed a joint resolution that if passed by the Legislature would let voters in 2012 weigh in on a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana. Former health agency chief and legislator joins health care company By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune Holly Benson, a former state lawmaker and head of the state agency that oversaw the state's Medicaid program, has taken a position at Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company that specializes in providing health care to Medicaid patients and children. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Haridopolos ‘verifies’ plans for immigration enforcement By Travis Pillow Florida Independent A tea party crowd on the steps of the old capitol greeted state Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, with chants of “E-Verify, E-Verify” today. An abuse of power Editorial Miami Herald Bashing the Muslim faith has become all too common in this country.