Daily Clips for June 1, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

State Budget Sinks Florida Consumer Confidence, UF Says
By Kenric Ward
Sunshine State News
Excerpt: “Rick Scott ran on creating jobs, but instead he is running Florida’s economy into the ditch,” said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida. “Since this governor has been in office, we have seen him break his promise not to cut education funding, turn down job-creating projects such as high-speed rail, and today he signs a budget that eliminates thousands of jobs," Ferrulo said shortly before the budget-signing ceremony Thursday.

FEATURED STORIES

Department of Justice signs off on redistricting amendments
By Mark K. Matthews and Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
The U.S. Department of Justice has approved the language of the "FairDistricts Florida" constitutional amendments designed to restrict political gerrymandering, freeing the Florida Legislature to begin its once-a-decade redrawing of congressional and legislative districts.

Gov. Rick Scott includes 'failed stimulus' money in budget
By Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Rick Scott's stimulus flip flop -- the video
Gov. Rick Scott campaigned against President Barack Obama's "failed stimulus" program — yet the freshman politician kept nearly $370 million of the federal cash in the Florida budget he signed last week.

Scott signs bills requiring drug testing for welfare applicants, making bath-salt possession illegal
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
People applying for welfare benefits in Florida will have to pay for and take a drug test under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott.

Scott quietly signs tax cut package into law
By Gary Fineout
The Current
Gov. Rick Scott, who made a cut in the corporate income tax a key centerpiece of his budget proposal, signed a slimmed down version of his signature measure into law on Tuesday with little fanfare.

Rep. Vern Buchanan's former company violated law, Federal Election Commission says
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
The Federal Election Commission is asking a federal court to impose a $67,900 fine on a company formerly co-owned by Rep. Vern Buchanan that it says engaged in an "extensive and ongoing scheme" to reimburse employees who made contributions to the Sarasota Republican's congressional campaign.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Excuse me, governor, but have you met 'democracy?'
By Sue Carlton
St. Petersburg Times
Despite the recent budget-signing soiree during which some who disagreed were told to leave, Florida's $69 billion budget does not belong to the governor.

Local Republicans, Democrats squabble over new Florida election law
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
It’s squabbling as usual between the political parties over an elections bill recently signed by Gov. Rick Scott.

Redistricting measures get green light from federal government
By Gary Fineout
The Current
The U.S. Department of Justice has signed off on Amendment 5 and Amendment 6, the two constitutional amendments that mandate that state lawmakers follow certain standards when redrawing lines for legislative and Congressional districts.

Gov. Rick Scott signs law requiring Floridians to pass drug tests to get state benefits
By Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Floridians must submit urine, blood or hair samples for drug testing before receiving cash benefits from the state under a bill Gov. Rick Scott signed into law Tuesday.

Scott's name on Florida road signs gives warning to visitors
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
Somebody ought to defend Gov. Rick Scott's decision to spend $8,800 in state transportation funds to have his name added to the state's roadway welcome signs.

Stop silencing the wonks
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
It didn't get much attention, but the Legislature took one more step toward eliminating a small agency that watches the state government.

POLITICAL RACES

RNC Chairman appoints executive team for 2012 GOP Convention
By Christian M. Wade
Tampa Tribune
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Tuesday announced new staff to manage to oversee the 2012 Republican National Convention.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Personhood supporters argue against rape, incest exceptions in anti-abortion laws
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Though a so-called “personhood” amendment, which would criminalize abortion and some forms of birth control, has yet to gain support among Florida lawmakers, Personhood USA is still increasingly active across the country.

LGBT

Gay couples quietly adopting in Florida
By Elaine Silvestrini
Tampa Tribune
Stanley Kroh knew he was the boys' father, even though Florida didn't agree.

EDUCATION

Governor and Legislature failed to fund schools at level required by Constitution
By Julie Delegal
Florida Times-Union
Gov. Rick Scott, who originally wanted a 10 percent cut to public education, now cries crocodile tears over the Legislature's failure to hold education harmless.

State poised to OK new teacher evaluations
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
Class attendance will count.

Wanted: rock star to be Florida's top schools chief
By Ron Matus and Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Florida, the Big Man on Campus in some education reform circles, was supposed to swagger up and get the pick of the litter for a new education commissioner.

FSU students get 'Koch'ed out
By Katherine Concepcion
FSView
The debate over a controversial $1.5 million donation to the Florida State University Department of Economics by the Charles G. Koch Foundation continues to get heated, with opposing sides using Facebook to debate their positions.

400 Broward teachers shifted to new schools
By Carli Teproff
Miami Herald
With budget cuts forcing many Broward principals to downsize their staff, more than 400 Broward teachers will be moving to new assignments at a different school come this fall.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Fla. consumer confidence holds steady; US index dips
By Anthony Clark
Gainesville Sun
Consumer confidence in Florida leveled off in May after three months of declines, but the national mood toward spending took an unexpected dip in separate surveys out Tuesday.

South Florida home prices worst since crash
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
South Florida home prices in March hit their lowest level since the real estate crash, a crushing drop that reflected the nationwide trend and one that had economists declaring recent market gains artificial.

Five reasons that Florida homeowners insurance is still getting more expensive
By Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's annual, high-stakes game of hurricane lotto — will we be hit by a major storm this year or not?

Minimum Wage Increases to $7.31 an Hour
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Tomorrow 188-thousand of the state’s lowest paid workers will get a pay raise.

Sales tax holiday signed into law
By Peter Schorsch
St. Petersblog 2.0
Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Tuesday that creates a three-day holiday from the state sales tax on many items starting Aug. 12.

Rejecting high-speed rail money was big mistake
By Alcee L. Hastings
South Florida Sun Sentinel
As gas prices hover around $4 per gallon nationwide, Floridians are reminded yet again of what could have been.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

DCF chief explains how kids won't be put at risk as agency cuts 500 jobs
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
I was prepared for Florida's new secretary of children and family issues to give me all the standard lines.

Scott cuts programs for at-risk first-time mothers
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Last week, Gov. Rick Scott cut close to $2 million in health services for at-risk women and children in line-item vetoes to the state budget.

Another line-item veto: Specialized health care for low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The Apopka Family Health Center in Orange County was one of the many health care centers servicing at-risk women that received a line-item veto from the state budget last week.

Premiums cut on pre-existing condition health care coverage
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
After only a smattering of people enrolled in the pre-existing condition insurance plan created by the Obama administration's health overhaul last year, the federal government said Tuesday it will lower premiums by up to 40 percent in states like Florida and make it easier to apply.

Protestors call on Rubio to preserve current Medicare budget
By Kate Bradshaw
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Last week the U.S. Senate shot down a controversial House budget that included sweeping changes to Medicare, but critics of the proposal aren’t quite ready to rest easy.

Elton John urges Scott to save HIV/AIDS funding
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Singer Elton John is urging Gov. Rick Scott to protect a program that helps low-income HIV/AIDS patients obtain medication needed to control the virus.

Jackson Health System seeks $200 million from unions to balance 2012 budget
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
Jackson Health System executives announced Tuesday that they want to reduce salaries and benefits for the system’s 11,100 employees by more than $200 million to help shrink a budget gap for fiscal 2012.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida immigration bill's failure angers tea-party backers
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Republican politicians across Florida and the nation pounded the campaign pavement in 2010 with fiery rhetoric about the need to secure the country's borders and send illegal immigrants home.