PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
GOP-led legislature passed wide range of bills this session
By Jerome R. Stockfisch and Lindsay Peterson
Tampa Tribune
Excerpt: "If making it harder to vote, gutting public schools, (imposing) salary cuts for first responders and paving paradise were what Floridians wanted, Gov. Scott and this Legislature deserve a standing ovation," said the liberal group Progress Florida.
Florida Legislature 2011 leaves mark — and scars
By Michael Mayo
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Excerpt: "Worst. Session. Ever," wrote Mark Ferrulo, head of Progress Florida, a liberal grassroots group.
Session over: Who were the winners and losers of 2011 legislative session?
By Ryan Mills
Naples Daily News
Excerpt: “This legislative session was the most unabashedly partisan, out of touch, feeding frenzy of folly that I’ve witnessed in my 20 years of public interest advocacy,” said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of the liberal nonprofit Progress Florida.
FEATURED STORIES
'Back-door' deals, 'silly games' mess up end of 2011 legislative session
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Related: Legislature ends a session of potentially historic measures
Related: Success of GOP's jobs focus unclear
Related: Countdown to a meltdown: 2011 legislative session timeline
The velvet ropes lined the fourth floor Capitol rotunda.
Conservative priorities win in GOP-controlled Florida Legislature's long final session
By Aaron Deslatte and Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Despite rocky start, Gov. Rick Scott got much of agenda passed
Related: Cannon, Haridopolos engineered a conservative revolution
Related: Business community won big in Florida Legislature — many others lost
Republican lawmakers forced a business-dominated session into overtime Saturday as they pushed through a vast array of conservative priorities, from repealing growth laws to handing over most of the state's Medicaid patients to health-maintenance organizations.
Florida Medicaid undergoes major rewrite, to shift 2.9 million people into managed care
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Lawmakers approved a sweeping rewrite Friday of the state's $22 billion Medicaid program, seeking federal approval to steer almost 3 million low-income, elderly and disabled Floridians into HMOs and other managed care coverage.
Florida lawmakers wipe out 30 years of growth management law
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida legislators hit environmental advocates with a one-two punch in the final two days of the session, wiping out 30 years of growth management law and passing measures to restrict the public from challenging controversial development projects in the name of economic development.
Immigration proposals die on final day of session
By Brent Kallestad and Laura Wides-Munoz
Associated Press
Florida legislators adjourned Saturday without an agreement on a tough immigration bill sought by the governor and attorney general.
Legislature reckless and wrong
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Related: Legislature votes against the voters
The 2011 Legislature was one of the most conservative and reckless in modern history, as the veto-proof Republican majority ran roughshod over reasonable policy and treated compromise as a dirty word.
EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK
By Jim Morin
Miami Herald
FLORIDA POLITICS
Democrats to protest Republican policies in Florida
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Democrats are taking their complaints about Republican policies to the streets for another round of "Awake the State" rallies on Tuesday.
Lawmakers fight deep into the night before passing $70 billion state budget
By Bill Cotterell and Jim Ash
Florida Capital News
Related: Scott's agenda largely met as session ends
Related: How the legislative session will impact you
Related: That's a wrap: Key issues as they stand at the end of session
Related: Who won and who lost in Fla.'s 60-day 2011 legislative session?
Florida legislators fought to a sloppy finish of the 60-day-plus session in the early hours of Saturday with a House and Senate brushfire of inter-chamber fighting before approval of a $70 billion budget.
Legislative session melts down, finally ends just before 4 a.m.
By Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Florida Legislature's meltdown: How it happened
Sine Die on the 2011 legislative session came at 3:35 a.m. Saturday when the Florida Senate approved a tax package that became an odd point of contention in a day of odd points of contention.
Rancor, political games take toll on Mike Haridopolos in lawmaking session
By Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Senate President Haridopolos faces harsh criticism by Republican rivals
The end of the lawmaking session Saturday should have been Mike Haridopolos' triumph — a celebration of the Republican agenda that the Florida Senate president touts in his U.S. Senate race.
GOP-led legislature passed wide range of bills this session
By Jerome R. Stockfisch and Lindsay Peterson
Tampa Tribune
A state Legislature facing the biggest budget gap in decades used its overwhelming Republican majority to pass a broad slate of bills that will touch the lives of every Floridian who votes, buys insurance and receives public education, Medicaid and state retirement benefits.
Fla. Gov. Scott calls first session a success
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
Republican Gov. Rick Scott is calling his first legislative session a success, pointing at tax cuts, changes to the Medicaid program, education bills, a measure requiring state employees to pay into their pensions and more as victories that will make Florida more attractive for businesses.
Legislature’s zaniness pales next to Scott’s
By Carl Hiaasen
Miami Herald
Having a radical wingnut for governor has proven to be a blessing for other top Florida Republicans.
Bill Nelson warns Rick Scott: veto election bill or I’ll call in the feds
By Joy-Ann Reid
The Reid Report
Senator Bill Nelson doesn’t mince words in a letter to Florida governor Rick Scott: veto a controversial election bill, or prepare to answer to the Justice Department.
Mike Bennett sets a new standard for hypocrisy
By Mike Lafferty
Orlando Sentinel
This is too rich. State Sen. Mike Bennett has set a new standard for hypocrisy in the Florida Legislature, and that already was a pretty high bar.
They use our money to fight us
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
Don’t worry. Despite the most brutal budget cuts in state history, the taxpayers of Florida still have millions set aside for their epic battle against the taxpayers of Florida.
Putting a muzzle on the watchdogs at the Capitol?
By Gary Fineout
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida's Republican-led Legislature has greatly curtailed the independence of one of the watchdogs meant to keep tabs on taxpayer money and whether government programs work.
Florida refuses to compensate citizens severely hurt by governmental negligence, incompetence
News Service of Florida
Florida Courier
A $12 million award for a Broward man paralyzed when he was hit by a sheriff's deputy speeding to work died with the end of the legislative session Saturday morning.
Is Alan Grayson eyeing a comeback?
By Alex Insenstadt
Politico
Former Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson is no longer a member of Congress, but he’s just as ubiquitous and raucous as ever.
POLITICAL RACES
With session over, attention turns to Senate race
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
With the Florida legislative session over, attention is turning to the U.S. Senate race and the Republican primary to determine who will challenge Sen. Bill Nelson next year.
Early voting begins in Miami-Dade mayor election
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Early voting kicks off in the special election to pick a new Miami-Dade County mayor.
BALLOT INITIATIVES
Legislature passes 7 ballot items for 2012
By Gary Fineout
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida lawmakers, who carried out an aggressive, conservative agenda during the 2011 session, did not stop with just passing hundreds of bills.
Lawmakers allow repeal of religious aid ban to go to 2012 ballot
By Patricia Mazzei
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida lawmakers sent the emotional debate over the separation of church and state to the ballot on the last day of the legislative session Friday, signing off on a constitutional amendment dealing with spending public money for religious groups.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Session could have been worse but it was still bad, environmentalists say
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The Florida legislative session went off track early Saturday, taking several bills with it that were supported by business and industry groups and opposed by environmentalists.
Kick in the ribs to taxpayers: Impact fees don't cover road-building requirements from growth
By Lauren Ritchie
Orlando Sentinel
Think of a vicious fistfight on television: Two bloodied guys are slugging away at one another, and one goes down.
Sick fish in Gulf are alarming scientists
By Kimberly Blair
Pensacola News Journal
Scientists are alarmed by the discovery of unusual numbers of fish in the Gulf of Mexico and inland waterways with skin lesions, fin rot, spots, liver blood clots and other health problems.
EDUCATION
Bills allow larger school class sizes, end tenure, expand school choice
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
In their final week of work, Florida lawmakers passed bills that would allow public-school class sizes to get larger, give charter schools approval to expand and end tenure contracts for teachers who don't have them by July 1.
Lawmakers deepened hole for Florida's schools, but also passed major reforms
By Patricia Mazzei
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
For schools, the annual legislative session left in its wake a $1.1 billion funding cut — and, unlike in years past, a slew of new policy reforms to go with it.
School bullying widely underreported
By Rebecca Catalanello
St. Petersburg Times
It's been three years since Florida passed a groundbreaking law requiring schools to do a better job of identifying and reporting bullying.
Feds: All kids, legal or not, entitled to K-12 ed
By Christine Armario
Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to districts around the country Friday, reminding them that all students - legal or not - are entitled to a public education.
Buzz lacking in search for new commissioner of education
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
With a national reputation as a leader in education reform, and more aggressive changes on the way, Florida should be an easy sell for those seeking a new education commissioner.
Better yet, let's drop idioms as we pull up pants
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
Now that Florida is on the brink of having a "saggy pants" law - a state law that would compel public school principals to make sure their students pull up their pants - I think it's fair to wonder if this is just the beginning.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Florida Legislature passes austere $69.7B budget
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Special education teacher Hal Krantz hasn't had a raise in two years, but he'll be among 650,000 public employees whose paychecks will be cut to help balance an annual state budget that also slashes spending by nearly $4 billion.
2011 session a tough one for state employees
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
It was a tough legislative session for state employees.
Deal struck to further cut Florida unemployment benefits
By Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Out-of-work Floridians would receive fewer state benefits while businesses pay less tax under a controversial proposal approved Friday by a divided Legislature.
After legislative session, state outlook on jobs still questionable
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
When state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott talk about their priorities, creating jobs in Florida always ranks at the top.
Labor agency inks $5 million in deals with board members' companies
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
During the past six years, Workforce Central Florida has paid millions of dollars to companies and organizations controlled by or tied to agency board members, records show.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
On final day, Florida lawmakers approve bill to crack down on pill mills
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A deal struck in the early-morning hours of the session's final day saved lawmakers from the embarrassment of failing to pass legislation aimed at cracking down on pill mills that have earned Florida the nickname "OxyContin Express."
Scott should act to protect vulnerable
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott has a legal and moral obligation to come to the rescue of the state's elderly and mentally ill who have suffered shocking neglect and abuse in the state's assisted living facilities.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Fight to crack down on illegal immigration in Florida is over
By Patricia Mazzei
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The fierce fight to crack down on illegal immigration ended — for this year — in the Florida Legislature on Friday when House and Senate lawmakers reached the end of the 60-day session without an agreement.
Florida Police: 'We're Not ICE Agents'
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
Who is going to enforce an 'Arizona Copycat' law in Florida to question and detain undocumented immigrants?
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Justice denied to Florida men after lawmakers quarrelBy Patricia Mazzei and Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Eric Brody and his parents arrived in the state Capitol at 10 a.m. Friday, waiting for lawmakers to sign off on a special act to compensate the 31-year-old man for a Broward Sheriff's Office crash that paralyzed him 13 years ago.
Standing Up for Florida’s Courts
Editorial
New York Times
A handful of Republican state senators in Florida bucked G.O.P. leaders last week to help Democrats block a brazenly partisan court-packing plan from gaining a place on next year’s ballot.
No good reason to squander $400,000 to study a Supreme Court makeover
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
House Speaker Dean Cannon's politically driven proposal to divide and pack the Florida Supreme Court is dead — for now.
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