FEATURED STORIES
At Democratic gathering, Rick Scott gets most of the attention
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Related: Chairman of Florida Democratic Party vows changes
Forget Barack Obama. The fellow really firing up Florida Democrats is Rick Scott.
Gov. Scott's actions could prove to be a boon for political foes
By Kathleen Haughney
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Helen Gordon Davis is a former state representative and senator. She championed judicial reforms, joined the NAACP as its first white female member in Florida and lobbied on behalf of homemakers who suddenly found themselves without a source of income.
Independent pharmacies raise concerns about Florida Medicaid overhaul
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The state's plan to steer almost 3 million low-income, elderly and disabled Floridians into managed care health coverage drew wide-ranging criticism Friday in the first of a series of public hearings on the proposed overhaul.
‘Utterly insane’ healthcare insurance situation
By Carl Hiaasen
Miami Herald
Legal opposition to the new federal health-care plan is focused on the part requiring almost all Americans to carry health insurance, which has widely been denounced as intrusive and unconstitutional.
It's all about Florida as Obama heads to Puerto Rico
By Frances Robles
Miami Herald
President Barack Obama will break a 50-year record Tuesday when he becomes the first president since John F. Kennedy to come to San Juan and actually meet with Puerto Ricans.
A king's ransom
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
In the Sunshine State, it seems, government has figured out how to block the public's right to know: Just price public records out of the market.
EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK
By Jeff Parker
Florida Today
FLORIDA POLITICS
Florida Democrats start 'project turnaround' to gear up for 2012 election
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
The Florida Democratic Party, badly beaten at the state level but showing signs of life in some big-city elections, brought its leaders together with some well-heeled lobbyists at an oceanside resort Friday to start a "project turnaround" effort for 2012.
Experts: Early Voting Law Could Face Legal Challenge
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Lakeland Ledger
In 2008, more than half of the African-American voters in Florida who participated in the historic election of President Barack Obama did it by voting early.
Things are worse than you may think
By Nancy Argenziano
Citrus County Chronicle
Make no mistake: This is not about liberals vs. conservatives — or Republicans vs. Democrats; it’s about what is right and what is wrong.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's teaching post at FIU draws scrutiny
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Florida International University political science Professor Nicol Rae concedes his class on the legislative process can get a little dry.
Maddow: Allegations against Buchanan ‘a mess’ for him ‘and for the Republican Party’
By Cooper Levey-Baker
Florida Independent
Rachel Maddow devoted some of last night’s program to the Federal Election Commission lawsuit against a former business partner of Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and a former dealership co-owned by the congressman.
FBI and grand jury now investigating Sansom
Staff Report
Florida Tribune
It appears that former House Speaker Ray Sansom's legal troubles are not over.
Fixing Florida will be fun to watch ... as a fan
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
There is no other Florida in the world.
Back in the day, news didn't always break on Twitter
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
We blog. We tweet. We upload video.
Our take on: Moonlighting Marco Rubio & Gov's unpopularity contest
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's fast-rising star in the U.S. Senate, Republican Marco Rubio, has repeatedly dismissed suggestions that he might jump into the 2012 race for president.
POLITICAL RACES
Central Florida's Puerto Ricans want voices heard
By Jeanette Rivera-Lyles and Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
When President Barack Obama makes the first official presidential visit to Puerto Rico in 50 years on Tuesday, he'll also be appealing to a powerful bloc of voters thousands of miles away: the 4.6 million Puerto Ricans on the mainland.
Obama will visit Miami Monday to raise money for 2012 campaign
Staff Report
Palm Beach Post
President Obama will visit Miami on Monday to raise money for his 2012 reelection campaign.
South Florida likely to lose clout after 2012 elections
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The numbers are proof positive. Broward and Palm Beach counties are about to lose some of their political muscle.
Some stumbles from Senate candidate LeMieux
By Victor Schaffner
Orlando Sentinel
Several rough patches in U.S. Sen. George LeMieux’s interview with me, which you can view here.
Redistricting questions leave Castor's opponents uncertain
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Jockeying is starting for the 2012 Tampa area congressional seats, including challengers to Tampa's Rep. Kathy Castor – but uncertainty over redrawing districts muddies the picture of who might run against her.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
No area judges on oil-claims panel
By Louis Cooper
Pensacola News Journal
None of the 25 legal experts appointed to serve on the appeals panel for the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is from areas of Florida that saw oil on their beaches last summer.
Drill, baby, drill nearer Florida?
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Remember that worst-ever BP spill? It’s so 2010. The priority now is to get as many rigs working as possible, preferably much closer to Florida.
Costs of solar give Progress Energy pause for now
By Ivan Penn
St. Petersburg Times
In a place known as the Sunshine State, it would seem solar electricity would be natural.
Orphaned Florida panther will graduate from White Oak Plantation to prowling wild
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
The kitten was a pitiful thing, scrawny and dehydrated. It hadn't eaten in days.
Scott's water grab
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
It was devastating enough that Gov. Rick Scott, with the help of easily led lawmakers in his first legislative session, gutted Florida's growth management act and eliminated funding for the state's model land preservation program, Florida Forever.
LGBT
Orlando to pursue registry for gay couples
By David Damron and Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Every time Joyce Ducas walked into a hospital room or met a new doctor treating her partner, Claudia Asbury, for lymphoma, Ducas tensed up, fearing she might have to fight just to stay by her side.
EDUCATION
A weekend interview with Diane Ravitch on teachers, testing and Florida's progress
Staff Report
St. Petersburg Times
Twenty years ago, Diane Ravitch was an outspoken advocate for more standardized testing, more accountability and as an assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush, she helped launch the back-to-basics movement.
Fla. education chief OK's teacher evaluation model
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Outgoing Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith has approved a "value added" student growth model to help evaluate teachers for a new merit pay plan.
Budget decisions show Florida not invested in kids, education
By David Lawrence Jr.
Palm Beach Post
In the newspaper business, we had a saying: "If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out!"
Mitchell High student makes plea to Gov. Rick Scott about education cuts
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Justice Greene found her niche at Mitchell High School when she discovered drama.
Report: Florida high school graduation rate below the national average
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
“Diplomas Count 2011,” a report released this week, indicates that despite improvements Florida’s high school graduation rate is still almost 10 percentage points below the national average.
Hispanic FCAT scores lagging behind scores of peers statewide
By Marlene Sokol
St. Petersburg Times
They are the largest minority group in the Hillsborough schools.
Education stakeholders praise outgoing education commissioner
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
It isn’t easy finding someone to criticize Eric Smith.
Machen proposes employees trade raises for benefits
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
The University of Florida is proposing to give its employees a 3 percent raise to offset a new state requirement that they contribute the same amount to their retirement plans, UF President Bernie Machen announced Friday.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Hundreds rally to demand jobs, criticize corporate greed
By Daniela Abratt
Miami Herald
Daniel Estinfort served in the United States military for 10 years, during which he was deployed to Iraq three times. In 2002, he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and began his pursuit of a master’s in international relations in 2005.
Florida adding jobs — despite Rick Scott
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott gets a mixed scorecard for his performance as the jobs governor so far. Voters seem to dislike him. But they're down on most politicians these days, including those in the Legislature and Congress, and lack confidence in the economy.
As state jobs depart, communities suffer
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
How do you put a price tag on the lifeblood of a community?
Debate continues on Scott plan to end Florida corporate tax
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Voters let Florida tax corporate income in 1971 after their new governor stumped the state with a pair of Sears shirts, one bought in the state and the other in neighboring Georgia, which already had that tax.
Many states show no clear link between tax cuts, jobs
By Jeff Ostrowski
Palm Beach Post
As the state's sputtering economy struggles to put nearly 1 million job seekers to work, Florida's favorable tax climate has taken center stage.
Lab leaves, taking jobs with it
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Jackson Laboratory's abrupt exit from Florida this month illustrates how Tallahassee's shortsighted fiscal policy undermines the state's future.
Farm Act Could Boost Florida Family Farm Subsidies
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
Legislation introduced in Congress could level the playing field for farmers in Florida and elsewhere.
Property insurers seeking major rate increases
By Paige St. John
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
More than half a million Florida homeowners could see their home insurance rates rise in the coming year following a wave of rate-increase requests from insurers.
In Florida, property insurance now a rigged game
By Randy Schultz
Palm Beach Post
What did we hear in 2006, after two bad hurricane seasons?
Security at Florida ports may be jeopardized after repeal of 11-year-old law
By Sally Kestin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Florida's seaports move cruise ship passengers by the boatload and tons of cargo every day largely without incident, but some say security will soon be less assured.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
How did Florida become 'pill-mill' hotbed?
By Amy Pavuk
Orlando Sentinel
For the past year, federal agents say, David Kidd and Christopher Grigg traveled almost weekly from their homes in Ohio to Florida, where they — and others working for them — doctor-shopped throughout the state, buying thousands of prescription pills during each visit.
Court records show how a pain clinic becomes a 'pill mill'
By Kate Howard
Florida Times-Union
Before they were raided last year, operators of three local pain clinics speculated that it would be years before federal law enforcement noticed the "blip on the radar" that is Jacksonville.
Florida's refusal denies health care to needy
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
It's one thing for Florida to lead the legal assault against the federal health care law and for Attorney General Pam Bondi to sit in the front row for the oral arguments before a panel of federal appellate judges in Atlanta.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Flawed new gun law costs you money, rights
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
By now, you're probably familiar with Florida's attempts to stifle free speech inside doctors' offices.
Hackers target City of Orlando over Food Not Bombs arrests
By Kate Bradshaw
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
A group that takes responsibility for engaging in cyber attacks in Ivory Coast, Egypt, Iran, and other countries with governments known for human rights abuses launched an attack on the City of Orlando Web site this morning.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Florida attorney general to appeal red-light rulingNews Service of Florida
Orlando Sentinel
Attorney General Pam Bondi's office plans to appeal a judge's ruling that said tickets issued by police officers for running a red light are unconstitutional because the fine is higher than that imposed when a driver is ticketed by a red-light camera.
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