Daily Clips for May 11, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Scores hit Fort Myers street, rip state policies, call for less strife
By Evangelina Ganosellis
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.

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Republican agenda victories stir Democratic protests across Florida
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: The Palm Beach County rally, organized by unions and Democratic activists, was one of more than 20 "Awake the State" events scheduled around Florida.

Protesters blast Scott, legislators over cuts
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Excerpt: "Never has Florida's middle class been more under siege than we were during the 2011 legislative session," said Barbara DeVane, a veteran labor organizer and retired teacher. She wore a loop of crime-scene tape around her neck and waved a big sign that said "CSI: Tallahassee" at passing drivers.

Florida Teachers Get Grassroots Support
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
Excerpt: Awake The State claims the recent legislative session went after a lot of programs that support the middle class, from public worker pensions to medical care for the disabled and elderly.

Protestors give Brandes failing grades at anti-Scott rally
By David DeCamp
St. Petersburg Times
Excerpt: More than 100 people lined a St. Petersburg block to protest at state Rep. Jeff Brandes' office Tuesday afternoon, part of the latest round of the "Awake The State" rallies in Florida.They attacked Gov. Rick Scott as much or more than Brandes, who is serving his first term in the Florida House.

Group protesting governor's budget in 10 cities
Staff Report
NBC 2 News Ft. Myer
Excerpt: Critics of the governor's nearly $70-billion budget are making their voices heard across Southwest Florida by holding simultaneous Awake the State rallies.

FEATURED STORIES

FSU defends grant-for-hire agreement with billionaire Koch
Associated Press
Gainesville Sun
Florida State University President Eric Barron said Tuesday that the school did not compromise its academic integrity when officials there agreed to create an economics program with professorships paid for and chosen in part by a billionaire libertarian.

Koch gift too costly for Florida State
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Florida State University's economics department needs to reconsider its relationship with billionaire Charles G. Koch, who pledged $1.5 million to the school as long as professors hired with the money hew to Koch's Libertarian philosophy.

Labor groups say session policies will lead to more layoffs
By James Call
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
State leaders said their top priority for the just concluded Legislative Session was to create more jobs.

For promises of saving us money, Florida Legislature's work is going to cost us
By Dan DeWitt
St. Petersburg Times
Maybe the $62 million for road improvements from the developers of the Quarry Preserve won't really cover the transportation costs of a new town 6 miles from Brooksville.

Voting Legislation: Veto Anti-Voter Bill
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has asked Gov. Rick Scott to veto the Legislature's 150-page voter-suppression bill, CS/CS/HB1355.

FLORIDA POLITICS

The real frauds are backers of bad election bill
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
I've never been a big fan of early voting.

Fla. lawmakers say business interests played major role in killing immigration control
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Immigration was one of the hot-button issues of the Florida campaign trail last year, contributing in large part to former Attorney General Bill McCollum's loss to Rick Scott in the GOP primary for governor.

No clear winners or losers in Florida on tort reform
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
There were no clear winners or losers on lawsuit reform in this year's legislative session.

A Concise Guide to What Passed in the 2011 Florida Legislative Session
By Dennis Maley
Bradenton Times
This year's state legislative session was a frantic whirlwind of controversial legislation that reached a broad spectrum of policy area.

Democratic process suffers if groups end voter registration drives
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
As expected, Florida's GOP-controlled Legislature rammed through a not-so furtive ploy last week to tighten the party's hold on power.

POLITICAL RACES

Potential presidential candidate Jon Huntsman makes a stop in St. Petersburg
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Maybe what it takes to shake up the humdrum Republican presidential contest is a super-rich foreign policy ace who rides a Harley, cuts taxes and supported legislation to allow civil unions for gay couples.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

If passed, ‘Religious Freedom’ amendment would help state outsource services to faith groups
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Last week the Florida Senate passed the “Religious Freedom Act” — a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would repeal language that bans using public money to fund religious organizations.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmental groups seek long shot veto of growth management bill
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Tribune
Related: Appeals court overturns another lower court decision on growth management
Environmental groups are asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto a growth management overhaul bill while Audubon of Florida also is asking him to kill three additional bills that environmentalists opposed.

28 Florida species among 251 feds would consider for endangered species list under deal
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
A partial truce between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and two environmental groups requires the agency to decide within six years whether 251 imperiled species, including 28 plants and animals in Florida, belong on the endangered species list.

Florida business leader trashes EPA and invokes God and communists over water standards battle
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Tribune
Associated Industries of Florida CEO and President Barney Bishop said Tuesday that federal environmental chief Lisa Jackson "talks to God" and that the Earthjustice environmental law firm is a "liberal, left-leaning, communist-inspired environmental organization."

Governor names four to South Florida Water Management board, two from Palm Beach County
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott filled four seats on the board of the South Florida Water Management District on Tuesday, all Republicans, and two of them from Palm Beach County.

LGBT

DOMA: The Sinking Ship
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists have resigned themselves to not seeing any substantial legislative progress toward equality while Republicans control the House of Representatives.

EDUCATION

Hillsborough sees rush of early teacher retirements
By Tom Marshall
St. Petersburg Times
Hillsborough County school district officials are bracing for a wave of teachers retiring early this spring following changes to Florida's pension system, a tougher evaluation system and political attacks on their profession.

Florida school districts get reprieve on co-enrollment funding
By Jeff Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
During the Florida legislative session, Pasco County school officials had a top priority of protecting the nearly $1.5 million the district gets to cover the costs of high school students making up credits in adult education courses.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Jobs and the New State Spending Plan
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
A spending plan full of spending cuts and tax breaks is awaiting the governor’s approval.

New Florida law would make airport business less transparent
By Steve Huettel
St. Petersburg Times
Dealing with public matters in private has led to several recent controversies at Tampa International Airport.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Bill to rein in pill mills has loopholes
By Bob LaMendola
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The pill mill bill passed by the Florida Legislature with great fanfare carries three sizable loopholes that may blunt the state's crackdown on rogue pain clinics.

Report: Up to 44M more uninsured under GOP budget
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The House Republican budget would leave up to 44 million more low-income people uninsured as the federal government cuts states' Medicaid funding by about one-third over the next 10 years, nonpartisan groups said in a report issued Tuesday.

Miami lawmaker protests state Rep. Scott Randolph
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Miami state Rep. Daphne Campbell joined anti-abortion demonstrators to again call for an apology from fellow Democratic Rep. Scott Randolph outside his Orlando office on Tuesday.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Failed Florida immigration bills spark national response
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Several state and national organizations have released statements about the immigration-enforcement bills that failed in the Florida legislature this session.

Dream Act supporters to try again -- Bill Nelson, Ros-Lehtinen vow support
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
In the wake of President Obama's push for immigration reform, Senate Democrats plan Wednesday to reintroduce legislation aimed at keeping some children of illegal immigrants in the country -- either to study or serve in the military.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

"Playing games?" Commissioners forced to leave after inaction by Scott and lawmakers
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Tribune
Two of the three members of the Florida Parole Commission will have to leave office by June 20 unless the governor and Cabinet recommend keeping them between now and then.