Daily Clips for June 30, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Progress Florida launches petition calling for Haridopolos to return book money
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Progress Florida has launched a petition aimed at state Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, asking him to return $152,000 he received from taxpayers to write a book about the “political history of Florida.”

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Activists announce plans for Florida Press Association event in St. Petersburg
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing Tampa
Much of the official Florida political establishment will be in St. Petersburg later this week for the two day Florida Press Association taking place at the Vinoy Renaissance hotel on June 30-July 1…There will be a protest outside the hotel this Friday beginning at 12:30 p.m., with a news conference to follow at 1 p.m. Activists with the group Awake the State say with a plethora of new laws to take effect that day, those who are personally going to be affected by such policies will speak out.

FEATURED STORIES

Many new Florida laws reflect GOP philosophy
Associated Press
Gainesville Sun
Florida will take another step into an era of declining expectations from its cash-strapped state government this week when the most austere in a series of tight annual budgets goes into effect.

Poll shows Gov. Rick Scott with 33 percent approval rating
By William March
Tampa Tribune
A new Public Policy Polling survey shows 33 percent of voters approve of Gov. Rick Scott’s job performance, and 59 percent disapprove—an increase in the disapproval figure from the company’s last Florida poll in March.

Florida Supreme Court hears arguments in lawsuit challenging Gov. Rick Scott
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
For the second time since Gov. Rick Scott took office in January, his attorney appeared before the Florida Supreme Court to defend him.

Judge strikes down Florida campaign finance matching law
By Aaron Sharockman
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A Florida federal judge has struck down a provision of state campaign finance law that attempted to negate an advantage for millionaire candidates like Rick Scott by providing matching tax dollars to their opponents.

U.S. appeals court upholds Obama health care law
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
In the first ruling by a federal appeals court on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a panel in Cincinnati affirmed Wednesday that Congress can require Americans to have minimum insurance coverage.

Florida rejects millions more in federal health-care grants
By Linda Shrieves
Orlando Sentinel
When she thinks about how much care $35 million would buy, Mary Ellen Grant shudders.

FLORIDA POLITICS

New laws require pension contributions, ultrasounds
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
When Paul Goodland decided in 2000 to leave his corporate job as a chemical engineer and return to teaching, it cut his salary roughly in half.

Scott's actions belie his claims about ratings
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he doesn't care about his historically low approval ratings, but his actions tell a different story.

Fla. Gov. Scott completes sale of his Solantic urgent care chain to N.Y. equity firm
Staff Report
Palm Beach Post
Solantic, the urgent care chain founded by Gov. Rick Scott, said Wednesday it had completed the sale of its privately owned medical care centers to New York-based equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.

Weatherford denies $30 million pot exists for redistricting: False
By Amy Sherman
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact
Redistricting will be a messy battle in 2012. And that means legislators need money to protect their turf.

Sen. Don Gaetz's crowning as Senate president is set
By Janet Zink
Miami Herald
Sen. Don Gaetz's ascension to the Senate presidency came one step closer Wednesday when Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, announced that the Republican from Niceville will be offically designated to the post for the 2013-2014 term during ceremonies on Sept. 19.

Stephen Colbert fans respond to Rick Scott
By Mike Lafferty
Orlando Sentinel
A week or so ago Gov. Rick Scott’s web site posted a form letter so his fans could write newspaper editors and express their admiration for the job he’s doing.

Florida justices to decide whether Gov. Scott is exceeding his powers
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's highest court now must decide whether Gov. Rick Scott has overstepped his powers by ordering state agencies to stop issuing new regulations until his office has reviewed and approved the results.

Gov. Rick Scott hosts event for NASCAR officials
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott hosted a reception at the Governor's Mansion to celebrate NASCAR and its economic and historical significance to Florida.

POLITICAL RACES

Republicans lust for a 2012 ticket with Marco Rubio on it
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
It happens almost every time Sen. Marco Rubio sits down for a national TV interview. Will you be on the Republican presidential ticket in 2012?

Florida State Fairgrounds to host CNN/Tea Party Express debate
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
The Florida State Fair Authority announced Wednesday that the State Fairgrounds in Tampa has been selected as the host site for a Sept. 12 Republican presidential debate hosted by CNN and the Tea Party Express.

Nelson up double digits
By Tom Jensen
Public Policy Polling
Different month, same story when it comes to Bill Nelson's poll numbers: his approval rating is mediocre but he has a double digit lead over all of his Republican opponents.

Putnam not interested in Scott challenge – for now
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says he's happy in his new job and not thinking about a 2014 Republican primary challenge to Gov. Rick Scott.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Fasano to Scott: Park privatization proposal ‘needs more review than it has been given’
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, yesterday penned letters to both the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Gov. Rick Scott, asking for a more extensive review of a proposal for privately owned campsites in some state parks.

Bulldozing our parks
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott's administration, which thought it a grand idea to build golf courses in state parks, now wants to transform parks into RV lots.

NRDC releases beaches scorecard; Florida scores well except for effects of BP oil
By Kate Bradshaw
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Tampa Bay Beaches will likely be packed this holiday weekend, and an environmental study out today ranks beaches nationwide on pollution and closures.

Don’t Light the Way for Florida Turtles
By Glen Gardner
Public News Service Florida
Some very simple things Florida residents can do will help sea turtles survive and thrive.

PSC members to suggest five for interviews from list of 120 executive director applicants
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Public Service Commission members on Wednesday agreed to give themselves a month to identify those who will be interviewed for executive director from among a group 120 applicants.

Open the refuge
Editorial
Florida Today
Few know it exists — and even fewer have been there.

LGBT

Obama praises NY gay marriage law, won't endorse it
By Patricia Zengerle
Reuters
President Barack Obama on Wednesday praised New York's move to legalize same-sex marriage but stopped short of endorsing it himself, maintaining a stance that has frustrated many liberal supporters.

EDUCATION

Florida releasing school grades today; scores based on tougher FCAT
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida's schools should find out Thursday whether tougher FCAT standards will lead to fewer As and more Ds and Fs in this year's school grades.

New Florida teacher evaluation guidelines take effect Friday
By Kelly Tyko
TC Palm
Florida teachers who don't have tenure by now are out of luck.

Colleges urge Florida Bright Futures scholarship recipients to heed new FAFSA rule
By Marissa Lang
St. Petersburg Times
The phones have been ringing off the hook at college financial aid offices across Florida.

Thank state lawmakers for tuition rate hikes that will put more grads in debt
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's 11 public universities, has granted every institution its request to raise tuition by 7 percent, adding to an 8 percent increase ordered by state lawmakers.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Legislature turn cost-cutting attention to law enforcement
By Steve Bousquet and Emily Nipps
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
After eliminating thousands of rank-and-file jobs from the state work force, Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature are turning their cost-cutting attention to a more politically sensitive area: law enforcement.

SunRail's fate should be known soon
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Republicans and Democrats Agree…but will Gov. Scott Listen?
The five-month wait is almost over for the SunRail commuter train.

Forcing Florida employees to contribute to their pension is unconstitutional in many ways
By Andy Ford
Florida Today
Last week, the Florida Education Association joined with other groups to file a lawsuit challenging the Florida Legislature's mandate regarding the pay of 655,000 teachers, law-enforcement officers, firefighters and other workers who serve the citizens of our state.

Florida not as business friendly as some, analysis shows
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott wants Florida to become the national leader in jobs but the state still has a ways to go in its quest to be the most business friendly in the nation.

Annuity probes drop in Florida — sparking questions
By Richard Burnett
Orlando Sentinel
By the time she asked for help, the 70-year-old Lake County widow had lost so much money in her variable annuity, her life savings had been nearly wiped out.

Buyouts could save water district $12 million in salaries, benefits
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
Thursday is the final day of employment for 123 workers at the South Florida Management District who accepted the district's hastily arranged buy-out rather than risk losing their jobs to layoffs expected in August.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Decision Day: Federal Appeals Court Upholds the Affordable Care Act
The Progress Report
Think Progress
In exciting (and hugely important) news that broke earlier this afternoon, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the health care law, including the key individual responsibility provision that requires everyone to purchase health insurance, as constitutional.

Feds extend controversial Medicaid project
By William Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Federal officials have agreed to extend Florida’s controversial Medicaid pilot project by one month while deciding whether to give the state permission to turn health care for the poor over to HMOs.

Florida’s Medicaid Overhaul Drops Patient Counseling
News Service of Florida
West Orlando News
When Florida lawmakers approved a Medicaid overhaul last month, they decided almost all beneficiaries should enroll in HMOs or other types of managed-care plans.

Groups call on nursing homes to maintain staffing
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Advocates for nursing home patients and the workers who care for them are calling on facilities to maintain their current staffing levels even though more lax standards go into law Friday.

State seeks to shutter New Port Richey ALF
By Carol Marbin Miller, Michael Sallah and Rob Barry
Miami Herald
Declaring that residents of a New Port Richey assisted-living facility are in serious danger, state regulators are seeking to shut down the home where breakdowns in care led to an outbreak of violence among two dozen residents — including the reported rape of a disabled 27-year-old by her own caregiver.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

DREAM Activists: Despite detentions, protests will continue
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
On the heels of the first ever Senate hearing on the DREAM Act, six undocumented students were detained Tuesday in Atlanta during a protest against H.B. 87, Georgia’s immigration-enforcement law.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Contractor for "Taj Mahal" courthouse sues the state over unpaid bills
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
A Tallahassee businesswoman on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the Department of Financial Services and the Department of Management Services over an unpaid bill in connection with the construction of the controversial 1st District Court of Appeal courthouse.

Judge bars enforcement of Florida campaign law
Associated Press
Miami Herald
A federal judge has issued a final judgment banning enforcement of a part of Florida's public campaign financing law challenged by Gov. Rick Scott.

When Florida Fugitives Flee the Country, Justice Rarely Follows
By Tristram Korten
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Has the economic crash made it harder for Florida authorities to go after criminals who flee the country?

Recent court decisions underscore an alarming assault on the Fourth Amendment
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
If the home indeed is a castle, Americans may want to start investing in moats.

Daily Clips for June 29, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Pink slips flowing throughout state government
By Gary Fineout
Florida Current
Nearly 2,000 state workers -- and maybe more -- have been told they are losing their jobs at the end of the week.

Gov. Scott attended private weekend retreat hosted by influential Koch brothers
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott acknowledged Tuesday what his staff had refused to disclose: He flew to Colorado over the weekend to attend a secretive policy retreat hosted by powerful conservative donors Charles and David Koch.

Looking for support, Gov. Scott gets on the phone — and dials you
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
The calls have been coming most every week, the same amiable voice on the other side of the line.

Critics label redistricting hearings a "sham"
By James Call
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
Deidre McNabb, president of the League of Women Voters, does not like the rules lawmakers are following for redistricting hearings.

Proposal to put privately run campgrounds in Florida state parks draws opposition
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
A controversial proposal to let private contractors build and operate campgrounds at Florida state parks, including allowing recreational vehicles at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, is drawing fire from fresh quarters this week.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Scott warns on SunRail as his decision nears
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: SunRail tests Scott's principles
Facing an end-of-the-week deadline to decide the fate of a controversial commuter rail project, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday sent his top transportation adviser to Central Florida to warn local officials that they'll be on the hook if the project ultimately fails.

Lawyers arguing Rick Scott's Florida rulemaking suspension
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Florida Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in a challenge to Gov. Rick Scott's suspension of state rulemaking.

Gov. Scott makes headlines on 'The Colbert Report'
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
Gov. Rick Scott’s self-congratulatory little letter to Florida newspaper editors has grabbed some national network attention, but probably not the kind the governor would write home about.

Fla. Gov. Scott attended meeting hosted by billionaire Koch brothers in Colorado
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Florida Gov. Rick Scott attended an invitation-only meeting hosted by conservative billionaire GOP donors David and Charles Koch outside Vail, Colo., the governor's staff confirmed Tuesday.

Groups urge federal denial of voting-law changes
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
Three groups sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Tuesday, urging the federal government to reject the latest changes to Florida election laws.

Ruling in ACLU elections lawsuit could be imminent
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
Last week, lawyers for Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of State Kurt Browning responded to the case brought in federal court with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, which seeks to block implementation of a sweeping set of changes to state elections laws.

New voter registration laws don't stop everyone
By Aubrey Whelan
St. Petersburg Times
Standing inside the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office early Tuesday morning, Vince Cocks proudly handed over 13 completed voter registration forms.

First Bill Nelson's, now Marco Rubio's Jacksonville office targeted
By Dana Treen
Florida Times-Union
For the second day in a row the Sheriff's Office bomb squad was called to a U.S. senator's Jacksonville office for a suspicious letter, this time Sen. Marco Rubio's.

POLITICAL RACES

Fla. leaders may set presidential primary for first Thursday, Friday or Saturday in March
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Florida Republican leaders may set the state's 2012 presidential primary on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday in early March in hopes of giving the Sunshine State early election clout while avoiding the wrath of national GOP calendar enforcers.

American Conservative Union plans regional CPAC in Orlando
By Alexander Burns
Politico
The American Conservative Union will announce today that it plans to hold the first regional Conservative Political Action Conference this fall in Orlando, potentially making “CPAC FL” a key stop in the 2012 presidential primaries.

PPP poll: Charlie Crist, as a Democrat, would 'crush' Rick Scott
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Rick Scott was already tied with John Kasich as the least popular Governor in the country in PPP's polling but now he has that designation all to himself.

Gimenez elected Miami-Dade mayor
By Matthew Haggman, Patricia Mazzei and Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Related: New Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez faces heavy agenda
Carlos Gimenez, a former Miami city manager and county commissioner who touted himself as the candidate with the experience to solve the most nettlesome problems, will be Miami-Dade County’s next mayor after defeating former Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina by a slim margin.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Progress Energy customers will have to pay for some Crystal River nuclear plant repair costs
By Ivan Penn
St. Petersburg Times
Progress Energy customers can expect pay as much as $560 million in costs the utility incurs as it repairs the Crystal River nuclear plant.

Resistance building to state plans to add campgrounds in four state parks
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Proposals by state park officials to build new campgrounds at four state parks faced a growing wave of opposition on Tuesday.

Feds may reopen St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge to public after 40 years
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
This light-green sea of waist-high grass west of Titusville once coddled the last of the dusky seaside sparrows.

Shark-killing ban proposal spurs controversy
By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Seated on the beach in the late afternoon sun, William Fundora reeled in his fishing line as his pole bowed with the weight of something very, very big.

Georgia wins a major victory in water wars with Florida and Alabama
Staff Report
Florida Current
Georgia on Tuesday claimed a substantial victory in the two-decade old water wars with Alabama and Florida.

Takeover of Florida water shuts out citizens
By Tom Swihart
St. Petersburg Times
Recent state power grabs have overturned four decades of making key water management decisions at the local and regional level in Florida.

Florida’s disdain for protecting water quality
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
Florida is heading down a dangerous path with policies that imperil the quality of the water in the state’s rivers, lakes and estuaries.

LGBT

Gay marriage opponents just don't make sense
By Gary Stein
South Florida Sun Sentinel
I'm still having trouble understanding the problem with same-sex marriage.

Gay marriage: Did Florida make a mistake?
Reader Poll
Orlando Sentinel
Last week New York became the sixth state, and the most populous so far, to legalize gay marriage.

EDUCATION

Statewide boarding school approved by Gov. Scott
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
Marking his final bill action of the 2011 session, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed a bill that creates a state-funded, statewide boarding school for at-risk youth, but added a caveat that he was concerned about the cost to taxpayers.

Bright Futures pays less, requires students do more
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
Florida college students are being required to do more to obtain Bright Futures scholarships and will get less from them, a trend that will continue over the next few years.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida expected to lay off 1,600 state workers as new budget year begins Friday
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Pink slips are going out to more than 1,600 state workers by Friday, the human toll of the austere spending plan approved by lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott this spring.

Groups join together to help laid off state workers
Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
Hundreds of state employees in the Big Bend are facing layoffs in the new fiscal year, with an economic impact of about $160 million on the capital area, so local government and business officials today announced a Web site designed to help them find new jobs.

Sen. Fasano wants to close loophole on homeowners associations foreclosures
By Susan Taylor Martin and Kris Hundley
St. Petersburg Times
Despite repeated efforts, real estate agent Colleen Tuttle had no luck swinging a short sale on behalf of a client who offered the bank $800,000 in cash for an Apollo Beach home with a stunning view of Tampa Bay.

Consumer confidence in Florida keeps dipping
Staff Report
Florida Tribune
A new University of Florida survey released Tuesday showed that consumer confidence among Floridians had dropped for the fourth time in five months.

If Rick Scott keeps his word, SunRail's a goner
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Signs point to Scott boarding SunRail
For rail watchers, this is a suspense-filled week. Will Rick Scott keep or kill SunRail?

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida task force to help improve troubled assisted living facilities
By Carol Marbin Miller, Michael Sallah and Rob Barry
Miami Herald
Just weeks after ordering a crackdown on troubled assisted living facilities, Gov. Rick Scott is launching a rare task force to search for ways to improve homes that have left frail residents to fend for themselves in squalor and dangerous conditions.

WellCare papers ordered released
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
In a setback for WellCare Health Plans, a federal judge in Tampa ordered the government Tuesday to turn over company documents to the lone whistleblower still fighting for a hearing.

Dental association pushes back against university dental schools
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
Several Universities are exploring plans to build new dental schools in Florida.

Progress and setbacks in fight against AIDS
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
It began in June 1981 as a diagnostic conundrum for doctors: a stubborn form of pneumonia seemingly resistant to traditional therapies was claiming the lives of young, healthy gay men.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

DREAM Act supporters and opponents face off in first ever Senate hearing
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
A few minutes into the the first ever Senate hearing on the DREAM Act, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the subcommittee holding the meeting, had to tell supporters to not applaud any comments.

Hackers attack Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's campaign website
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
The computer hacker group Anonymous — credited with crashing the websites of Visa and MasterCard in support of Wikileaks — launched what it called "Operation Orlando" on Tuesday, disabling a tourism website and the mayor's own campaign site.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Fla. says US judge erred in death sentence ruling
By Curt Anderson
Associated Press
A federal judge who declared Florida's method of imposing the death penalty unconstitutional made several key legal and factual errors that should force a reversal, the state attorney general's office said in a new court filing.

Daily Clips for June 28, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Mike Haridopolos earns Brevard CC $488 on $152,000 book deal
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
After Senate President Mike Haridopolos recently said his unusual book deal with Brevard Community College would earn the school some money, the liberal group Progress Florida took that as a challenge. It asked Brevard how much revenue has been produced by Florida Legislative History and Processes. Grand total: $487.90. That leaves about $151,512 left before Haridopolos book pays off…Progress Florida has dogged Haridopolos for months and launched a website, Dirty Hari, to chronicle every slip and hit.

Brevard CC: $152K Haridopolos book deal nets college $487.90
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
Related: WMNF Community Radio Tampa audio interview
State Senate President Mike Haridopolos said recently at a Tampa Tiger Bay Club luncheon that while Brevard Community College did pay him $152,000 for penning the e-book Florida History & Legislative Processes, all proceeds from the sale return to the college. So how much has the school received so far? That’s what left-leaning Progress Florida asked BCC recently in an email exchange, some of which PF has kindly provided today to reporters. See BCC’s response below. The short version: a $152K book deal has so far netted the college $487.90.

Mike Haridopolos, author, earns state college $487
By Abel Harding
Florida Times-Union
Related: Capitol News Service: Progress Florida Questions Haridopolos Book
Related: Palm Beach Post: School makes $488 so far on $152,000 Haridopolos book
Related: Florida Capital News: Haridopolos picks up endorsement for GOP Senate nomination
Senate President, and U.S. Senate hopeful, Mike Haridopolos wants to talk about his endorsement from U.S. Rep. Connie Mack this morning. But that news has been overshadowed by a follow up to an Associated Press story about a cushy book deal the Merritt Island lawmaker got from Brevard Community College. After the book made waves around the state - 1 book, 1 copy = $152,000 - the college announced plans to make it available via the Amazon Kindle. That plan has earned the college $487.90, according to an e-mail sent from the school to Progress Florida, a liberal blog that has targeted Haridopolos.

FEATURED STORIES

Scott signs bills boosting private and charter schools
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Education bills signed by Gov. Rick Scott on Monday will deepen public school cutbacks in Florida during the most austere budget year in memory, while providing a boost to private and charter schools.

Scott signs bill linking Florida unemployement benefits to jobless rate
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Florida is now the only state in the nation to link unemployment benefits to the state's jobless rate under a bill signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott Monday.

Sinking Poll Numbers May Put Florida in Play
By Don Van Natta Jr. and Gary Fineout
New York Times
In the past few weeks, Gov. Rick Scott has traveled around the state extolling the accomplishments of the recent legislative session and promoting his success in pushing Florida down a more conservative, financially sound path.

Florida's Scott Unfazed by the Critics
By Arian Campo-Flores
Wall Street Journal
Gov. Rick Scott swept into office in January vowing to lure businesses, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and make Florida a model of limited government.

Florida could be the real GOP prize
By Susan Page
USA Today
The first steps on the path to the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 seem destined to produce a split decision in a divided party.

FLORIDA POLITICS

U.S. Supreme Court ruling could help Scott's re-election bid
By Gary Fineout
Florida Current
A divided U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision on Monday that guarantees the end of a key part of Florida’s public financing system for campaigns.

Gov. Scott vetoes three bills, including one loosening requirements of assisted living facilities
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times
Propelled by a Miami Herald investigation that revealed horrific stories of neglect at assisted living facilities, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a bill that would have eased some reporting requirements for those facilities.

Sarah Palin's emails less valuable than Florida's
By Brian E. Crowley
Crowley Political Report
You should be outraged. These are the prices each state charged recently for public records.

Top lobbying firm announces another expansion
Staff Report
Florida Tribune
One of the top lobbying firms in Tallahassee -- which just saw the departure of one of its key partners -- announced on Monday that it is expanding its operations.

POLITICAL RACES

Florida tea partiers embrace news that Michele Bachmann's running for president
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Michele Bachmann's formal announcement of her candidacy for president was met with this response from Florida tea partiers: Amen.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Cuba’s oil, our potential mess
By Cammy Clark
Miami Herald
In about five months, Spanish oil giant Repsol is scheduled to begin a risky offshore exploration in Cuba’s North Basin, about 60 to 70 miles from Key West and even closer to ecologically fragile waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

In oil drilling gamble, Florida has more to lose than others
By Rick Harper
Pensacola News Journal
President Barack Obama's Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force was created in October of last year in response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

DCA's Buzzett helping plan the end to his department and his time in state government
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Department of Community Affairs Secretary Billy Buzzett said Monday he plans to quit state employment in October after his department is eliminated but he added that the state's role in growth management won't be eliminated.

Environmentalists want FPL out of Everglades National Park
By Laura Edwins
Miami Herald
The federal government should buy Florida Power and Light’s land in Everglades National Park to protect wood storks and other wading birds, local environmentalists told park officials last week.

Progress keeps Crystal River nuke plant open
By Fred Hiers
Ocala Star-Banner
Progress Energy Florida told state regulators on Monday that the utility plans to repair its damaged Crystal River nuclear power plant, ending speculation it might close the 35-year old facility.

Under the radar attack on state parks
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Displaying contempt for the public and the environment, Gov. Rick Scott's Department of Environmental Protection has provided only scant notice of its plan to turn over portions of up to 56 state parks to private corporations to build and run campgrounds.

LGBT

Scott: No gay marriage law coming to Florida
By Danny Valentine
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott was in St. Petersburg Monday to hold a ceremonial signing of several education bills.

Marriage Equality: After New York, What Now For The GOP?
By Amanda Peterson Beadle
The Progress Report
After the 33rd “yes” vote was counted in New York’s Senate Friday night, it was momentous not in the least because the Legislature had passed marriage equality – the state House had already approved the measure — but also because they passed it with four Republicans voting in favor of the historic measure in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Living up to promise of equality
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The remarkable and encouraging step by New York in becoming the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage gives gays and lesbians the same right as everyone else to form legally secure families with the person they love.

EDUCATION

Scott signs Thrasher’s charter school expansion bill into law
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Over the opposition of Democrats and teachers unions, Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Monday making it easier for “high-performing” charter schools to expand.

Gov. Rick Scott signs education choice bills
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Surrounded by charter-school students, Florida Gov. Rick Scott touted school choice this morning during a bill-signing ceremony intended to praise programs that offer parents options for their children outside traditional public schools.

FSU professor to study: Is Bright Futures working?
By Kim Wilmath
St. Petersburg Times
This story could have been written 12 years ago. Or nine years ago. Or seven or six or four or two years ago or last year, too.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

A Congressman’s Pet Project; a Railroad’s Boon
By Eric Lipton
New York Times
Here in sun-parched Central Florida, workers are ready to break ground this summer for a 61-mile commuter rail project that the federal government ranks as one of the least cost-effective mass transit efforts in the nation.

Expect competing claims as SunRail tour starts Tuesday
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
The great SunRail commuter train barnstorming tour will start Tuesday in Volusia County and end in Osceola County, with plenty of competing claims likely to be made at each stop.

Florida Highway Patrol Almost Disbanded
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
The Florida Highway Patrol has been patrolling Florida roadways since 1939.

Scott signs bill reducing unemployment benefits
By Marcia Heroux Pounds
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed into law legislation that reduces unemployment benefits in the state when the jobless rate falls to 5 percent or lower.

South Florida homeowners seeing big increases in renewal notices for property insurance
By Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post
When Paul Hobson received his State Farm Florida renewal this month, he was shocked to find the annual premium to insure his 2,200-square-foot house had increased to $2,715 from $1,092.

Balancing act
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
One subject — erasing a budget deficit of $3.8 billion — overwhelmed this year's annual March-to-May legislative session.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Nurses union supports equal access for all
By Jean Ross
Orlando Sentinel
The view from the hospital floor where nurses give care 24/7 is quite a distance from the halls of Congress, which is consumed with debates on debt ceilings.

Med students to train in home care
By Brittany Alana Davis
Health News Florida
Medical and nursing students will be able to get credit for home-care training for the chronically ill under a law that will take effect on Friday.

Medicare fraud nets 20-year prison sentence for Miami physician
By Jay Weaver
Miami Herald
A Miami-Dade doctor convicted of pocketing more than $1 million for writing phony prescriptions for unnecessary HIV treatments was sentenced Monday to almost 20 years in prison, for his key role in a massive Medicare fraud conspiracy.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

DCF: Positive drug test will lead to child abuse hotline referral
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
Starting next month, Florida's social service agency will refer every welfare applicant who fails a drug test to a child abuse hotline.

Anonymous Declares War On The City Of Orlando
By TechCrunch.com
Washington Post
The hacktivist group Anonymous may be setting its sights on the city of Orlando, Florida next, if an anonymous press release which has landed in our inbox is to be believed.