Daily Clips for July 29, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Suspicion over AG's abrupt investigator firings grows
By Kate Bradshaw
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Excerpt: (Progress Florida’s) Ferrulo said what raises a red flag for him is the fact that one of the companies the two attorneys were investigating, Jacksonville-based Lender Processing Services, was backing GOP campaigns.

Fla. lawmaker, nonprofit want investigation into Bondi's firings
By Jessica M. Karmasek
Legal Newsline
Excerpt: "It's bad enough Gov. Rick Scott is hard at work dismantling key consumer protections, but now he has a partner: our own Attorney General Pam Bondi. She seems to think her first duty is to protect some of Gov. Scott's biggest corporate pals -- the banks -- instead of hardworking Floridians," according to a page on the group's website.

FEATURED STORIES

Redistricting hearings engender little trust among the public
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Randolph to Cannon: Show me the legal fees for redistricting
Related: Haridopolos shows for redistricting hearing, urges patience, gets called out
Related column: Residents take to streets; Dorworth took to Facebook
If legislators hoped their hearings on redistricting in Orlando Wednesday would convince Central Floridians that lawmakers intend to honor them by drawing fair districts, those hopes were largely dashed.

State legislators deny voters' will on redistricting
By Jim Flateau
St. Petersburg Times
It's been said that no one should watch the making of sausage or legislation.

Policy research group: Florida made ‘unnecessarily harmful’ budget cuts
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A policy research group has included Florida in a list of states that made unnecessarily austere budget cuts this past year.

DNC Chair: How to Stop Voter-ID Laws
By Cynthia Gordy
The Root
In a speech this week during his organization's annual convention, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous railed against restrictive state voting laws, likening their rise across the country to the days of Jim Crow.

Controversial veterans Hall of Fame list changed after outrage
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Ocala Star-Banner
Gov. Rick Scott's office sought to distance itself Thursday from the embarrassment of a list of prospective inductees to the new Florida Veterans' Hall of Fame that originally included six former members of the Confederate army, a former governor convicted of intimidating black residents and Scott himself.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

The Limits of Privatization
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is dead set on proving privatization is the answer to taxpayer problems with government.

U.S. Representative Tweets About ‘Islamic Terror’ in Norway
By Trish Ponder
Pensito Review
The world is finding out about the man suspected of the worst terror attacks in Norway’s history, in which first a bomb killed at least 30 in Oslo, and then an additional 67 people were gunned down at a nearby youth camp.

A Lesson In Economics For Gov. Rick Scott
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Call me crazy, but I think when someone is elected to higher office, there should be a requirement that they know a little something about governing before you put them in charge of running the government.

Florida makes filing for unemployment more difficult
By Laura Clawson
Daily Kos
If you're unemployed in Florida—and with the state's unemployment rate standing at 10.6%, there's a good chance you are—congratulations! Things are getting worse for you.

Where is the status quo any more?
By Sherman Dorn
Sherman Dorn
I'm getting tired of people complaining about a shibboleth they call "the defender of the status quo."

FLORIDA POLITICS

Outsourcing lobbyist registration draws controversy
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Legislature's latest privatization effort is drawing attention from lobbyists and the news media, and for very different reasons.

Crist, Rubio, GOP not part of Tallahassee's 'culture of corruption, but former Black Democratic legislator Mandy Dawson is? Yes, say the feds
Staff Report
Florida Courier
Former state legislator Mandy Dawson, a well-known advocate for children and for the less fortunate, was arrested on federal tax charges last week – including failure to file tax returns, and failure to pay taxes on 2007 income of less than $31,000 and 2008 taxes on less than $46,000.

Lawmaker may push to reinstate two ousted Florida foreclosure investigators
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
An Orlando lawmaker wants two former state foreclosure investigators reinstated if performance evaluations he has requested reflect high rankings for the duo.

At redistricting hearing, residents fear process will favor incumbents
By Jeff Schweers
Florida Today
Nearly 100 Brevardians gave Florida legislative leaders an earful at a three-hour hearing on redistricting Thursday, demanding they follow new constitutional amendments meant to prevent creation of new districts that protect incumbents and the prevailing political party.

Michele Bachmann joins CPAC Florida lineup
By Alexander Burns
Politico
Michele Bachmann has signed on to participate in the regional CPAC gathering in Florida this September, becoming the fifth declared presidential candidate to join an event that looks increasingly like an essential stop in the Sunshine State primary campaign.

GOP demand for Frankel to return Catalfumo money costs Rooney $4,600
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
The National Republican Congressional Committee’s demand today that Democratic House hopeful Lois Frankel return “tainted dollars” from developer Dan Catalfumo produced some quick results — but not the ones the GOP wanted.

POLITICAL RACES

Haridopolos rips Hasner, hoping for a ‘principled conservative’ to run
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
After a legislative redistricting hearing in his home county, Senate President Mike Haridopolos didn’t mince words Thursday about the U.S. Senate race he quit last week and who he won’t be backing in it.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

No ‘Shared Sacrifice’ for Big Oil
The Progress Report
Think Progress
While the government’s coffers are nearly empty (not unlike the wallets of millions of Americans), Big Oil is still flush with cash — including some of the $4 BILLION in taxpayer-funded handouts they’ll get from Uncle Sam this year.

Water district steps up push to save Orlando-area springs, lakes
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Focusing on the plight of springs that feed the Wekiva River and some of the best-known lakes in the Orlando area, authorities on Thursday renewed a crackdown on excessive pumping from the region's main source of water, the Floridan Aquifer.

Alva residents still upset about algal bloom
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
A recent large-scale algal bloom in Southwest Florida had residents concerned about both their financial and physical well-being.

'Wind farm' gets boost Thursday, despite potential threat to birds flying through Everglades
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Plans to build a "wind farm" that risks putting towering wind turbines in the migration paths of birds flying through South Florida moved a step closer to approval on Thursday.

Turtle nesting climbs along area coastline
By Brian Kelly
Pensacola News Journal
Sea turtle nesting season is on a record-breaking pace.

LGBT

Wilton Manors officials: Don't boycott businesses over U.S. Rep. Allen West's speaking engagement
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Concerned about a proposed business boycott over U.S. Rep. Allen West's scheduled appearance Aug. 8 at the Wilton Manors Business Association meeting, the city's elected officials issued the following statement.

EDUCATION

Half of Florida's failing schools are charters
By Jeff Reece
Florida Times-Union
Charter schools have been one of the tent poles for many education reformers over the past 10 years.

Merit pay concerns prep groups
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
When lawmakers weighed whether to approve the controversial teacher merit pay bill in March, it wasn't just teachers who had a stake in the outcome.

Powerful senator's idea for new university met with open mind
By Janet Zink and Kim Wilmath
St. Petersburg Times
Related editorial: Arrogant power play on universities
The vision for the University of South Florida Polytechnic to spin off from USF and become an independent university remains a number of steps from reality.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

More lawmakers join the call for closer look at Citizens sinkhole insurance rates
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times
Sen. Charlie Dean and Representatives Will Weatherford and John Legg are joining Sen. Mike Fasano in the call for a closer look at the massive increases to sinkhole insurance rates proposed by Citizens Property Insurance.

Which Citizens are They Working For?
By John Rehill
Bradenton Times
Sinkholes have been an ongoing problem for decades.

Sen. Bill Nelson zigzags on debt ceiling votes
By Marc Caputo and Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
Bill Nelson was against raising the debt ceiling before he was for it.

Rep. West joins with House speaker to push deficit bill
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Sparking a backlash from his friends in the tea party movement, South Florida U.S. Rep. Allen West is helping House Speaker John Boehner try to secure passage of a deficit-reduction plan to avert a government default.

Capitol Hill feud involving Mica has crippled FAA
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
It's known as "the other stalemate" on Capitol Hill: a feud between two congressional lions, Republican U.S. Rep. John Mica and Democratic U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, that has turned surprisingly personal and forced a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration since July 22

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Hospital tried for years to discharge its $9.2-million patient
By Letitia Stein
St. Petersburg Times
Tampa General Hospital tried for years to discharge a young woman who would eventually rack up nearly $9.2 million in charges during a five-year hospital stay.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Officer insulted me, Guatemalan says
By Alfonso Chardy
Miami Herald
Related editorial: Examine the culture
As he tested a car he planned to repair, Homestead mechanic Mateo Gaspar was stopped by a county police officer.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Mom will get video of son’s death in lockup
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Florida’s top juvenile justice administrator said Thursday that several hours of video depicting a teenager’s death at a South Florida lockup will be released to the teen’s mother.

Lethal injection drug hearing to continue next week
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
A hearing that began Thursday morning on the use of a new anesthetic drug in Florida's lethal injections will continue next week, after a Miami judge said that scientists for both sides should testify in person or via video conference.

Daily Clips for July 28, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Group calls for investigation into dismissal of two state foreclosure fraud lawyers
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Excerpt: Progress Florida, a St. Petersburg advocacy group, says Bondi is protecting Gov. Rick Scott's "biggest corporate pals — the banks — instead of hard working Floridians." It is asking for an investigation into Bondi's actions. "We think the big banks and the financial industry have leveraged their enormous political power to have these attorneys removed," said Mark Ferrulo, executive director for Progress Florida.

Calls for Answers to Why AG Fired Attorneys Probing Mortgage Fraud
By David Royse
News Service of Florida
Excerpt: Soto's call came as liberal interest group Progress Florida this week began circulating a petition trying to get the attorney general's inspector general's office to investigate the firings.

FEATURED STORIES

Leaders call for new local congressional seat for Hispanics
By Aaron Deslatte and Jeannette Rivera-Lyles
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Orlando redistricting hearing packs the house — with the House
Related: Gaetz: Legislature will vote early on new maps
Central Florida's growth means greater congressional clout next year, and Hispanic and black leaders told lawmakers Wednesday they expect the region to be rewarded with at least one new U.S. House district likely to elect a minority candidate.

Redistricting timeline throws voters under the bus
By Deirdre MacNab and Pam Goodman
Ft. Myers News-Press
Florida voters should keep close watch on the redistricting process taking place this summer and make sure they are not caught under the wheels of the Legislature's "listening tour" bus as it rushes toward probable chaos and confusion in the 2012 election.

Amid a surge of retiring teachers, some cite Fla.'s political climate
By Allison Ross
Palm Beach Post
Margot Collins says she will always love teaching.

WellCare, United, other insurers cheat Florida kids program
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Four private health insurers who wrongly claimed they spent millions on patient care in the state's children's health care program also provided coverage to patients in Florida's controversial Medicaid privatization program.

The GOP’s state-by-state crusade to disenfranchise voters
By Katrina vanden Heuvel
Washington Post
With only a week left before the United States of America could default on its debt, it’s easy to look at the federal government and wonder how we ever made it this far.

Watch Rick Scott's CNN Implosion (Video)
By Adam Weinstein
Mother Jones
When not looking for national security news, I like to check in on Florida politics, which are a great bellwether for the nation at large.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Suit targets campaign disclosure requirements for issue groups
By Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A lawsuit that could wipe out state law requiring issue campaigns to disclose their contributors inched forward in federal court on Wednesday with both sides asking the judge to dismiss the case.

Scott’s PERC appointments include wife of a former RPOF chair
By Bob Shaw
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott today announced the appointment of Donna Poole, the labor-lawyer wife of a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, to the Public Employee Relations Commission.

Haridopolos discusses his past and future during Palm City chamber breakfast
By Jonathan Mattise
TC Palm
At his first public event since withdrawing from the 2012 U.S. Senate race last week, Senate President Mike Haridopolos recapped his first legislative session as Florida's top senator during a Palm City Chamber of Commerce breakfast Wednesday.

The art of the political insult
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
The art of the political insult is long lost in Washington, but maybe U.S. Rep. Allen West can revive it.

Rep. Soto wants answers on Bondi’s fired investigators
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Related editorial: Dubious dismissals
Orlando state Rep. Darren Soto has made a public records request of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office, seeking answers for why she fired two prominent foreclosure fraud investigators last month.

POLITICAL RACES

Buchanan Senate run would cause chain reaction in 2012 elections
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
With speculation growing that U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan will run for the U.S. Senate in 2012, area political leaders are bracing for a whirlwind of change that stands to remake the region’s political structure.

RNC: Scott won't be factor in 2012, Rubio will
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says neither Gov. Rick Scott's low approval rating nor the immigration debate will hurt the GOP as it tries to carry crucial Florida in next year's presidential election.

Early Arizona primary date could upset Florida's hopes
By William March
Tampa Tribune
It didn't take long for Florida's plans for a premier presidential primary spot to hit a snag.

RNC targets Florida Hispanics with new ad
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Republican National Committee will begin airing TV and radio ads in Florida they hope will inspire Hispanic voters in advance of the 2012 election.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Amendment sets stage for sectarian strife, discrimination
By Hans Johnson and David K. Johnson
St. Petersburg Times
Religious conservatives who dominate the Florida Legislature are taking chutzpah to biblical proportions.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Knocking on Doors for a Clean Gulf Coast
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
A year after the BP oil-spill disaster, the Gulf Restoration Network is working to engage community members in thousands of one-on-one conversations.

Nestle drops idea of water pumping near Wacissa River
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Nestle Waters North America on Wednesday told state officials the company no longer is considering a water-pumping operation along the Wacissa River in Jefferson County.

Swiftmud to discuss opening land to hunters
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's hunters are hunting for new places to track wild game and their attention has turned to the state's water districts.

LGBT

Gay leader calls for business boycott over planned appearance by Congressman Allen West
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
A business group’s plan to host U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, at a public meeting in Wilton Manors is drawing fire from the state Democratic Party’s gay caucus.

EDUCATION

Florida Stiffs School Districts Sending all $55 Million in PECO Funds to Charter Schools
By John Rehill
Bradenton Times
It might take a great deal of explaining to understand why all of the $55 million in PECO (Public Educational Capital Outlay) program funds are going to Florida's 350 charter schools while not one dollar goes to the 3,000 traditional public schools for construction and repairs.

School PTA turns back to its advocacy roots
By Marlene Sokol
St. Petersburg Times
It's not for nothing that a Tampa Bay area parents' council has adopted the slogan, "Not Your Momma's PTA."

Charter schools aren’t measuring up
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
The new governor made it clear on just his third day in office that the fix to Florida’s education woes could be found on the campus of an Opa-locka charter school.

First graduates of Broward College's teacher school face vanishing market
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
When Broward College decided to offer four-year education degrees, it hoped to fill what seemed like a dire need for teachers in the county.

States brace for grad rate dips as formula changes
By Heather Hollingsworth and Dorie Turner
The Associated Press
States are bracing for plummeting high school graduation rates as districts nationwide dump flawed measurement formulas that often undercounted dropouts and produced inflated results.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Violent Film Motivates House GOP As They Push Us Toward Default
The Progress Report
Think Progress
As we reported yesterday, Speaker Boehner is having some trouble rounding up the votes for his disastrous default bill.

In debt debate, why compromise is a dirty word
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
President Barack Obama was right: In Washington, compromise is a dirty word.

Citizens' board okays massive sinkhole rate increases
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The board that oversees Citizens Property Insurance unanimously approved massive increases to sinkhole premiums Wednesday, saying the rate hikes — which could cost policyholders thousands of extra dollars — are necessary to cover the cost of sinkhole claims.

Feds' shortcut to closing wealth gap backfired on minority homeowners
By Mike Thomas
Orlando Sentinel
Did you see the devastating numbers about the wealth of minority families?

Insurance Rate Website Re-Launch
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
The state is helping people save on their home insurance.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

An advisory group starts to help state agency overseeing Medicaid
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
An advisory panel came together to lend their expertise on how to help the Agency for Health Care Administration, or AHCA, implement the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Program.

Conservatives slam Obama’s Medicaid and Medicare Services appointee
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Donald Berwick, the administrator for the federal government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), was recently singled out in a policy memo drafted by a conservative policy leader for being “too radical.”

The Cost of Political “Consistency”
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Last week, Florida politicians lost $50 million for a child abuse prevention program, and very possibly another $100 million connected to the Race to the Top educational program.

A step toward safety for elderly, disabled
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott's administration has taken another positive step to ensure the safety of the elderly and disabled in Florida's assisted living facilities.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Judge to hold hearing on new use of drug in state’s lethal injection
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
A Miami judge will hear arguments Thursday morning for and against the new use of an anesthetic drug in Florida’s lethal injections.

Florida: Drug Laws Ruled Unconstitutional
By John Schwartz
New York Times
A federal judge in Orlando on Wednesday declared the state’s controlled-substances laws unconstitutional.

Appeals court reverses fired state worker's $1 million jury award
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
A former Department of Children and Families investigator awarded $1 million by a jury in 2009 saw that award overturned Wednesday.

Daily Clips for July 27, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Jesse Jackson, in Tampa, urges DOJ to reject new election law
By William March
Tampa Tribune
In a rally in Tampa Tuesday, Jesse Jackson likened the fight over new Florida election laws to the civil rights struggle of the 1960's, but said it's about more than race.

Scott Promotes Controversial Education Reforms
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
Controversial changes that have rocked Texas higher education system may be coming to Florida.

Reform underway at juvenile justice agency
By Gov. Rick Scott
Miami Herald
Related editorial: Transparency? Not so much
Like all Floridians, I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of a child in the Palm Beach County Juvenile Detention Center.

Florida Looks For The Lowest Bidder As It Privatizes 30 State Prisons
By Marie Diamond
Think Progress
Florida is seeking bids from private companies to take over management of 30 state prisons in an 18-country area in South Florida.

Callers deluge Florida members on debt clash
By William Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Phone lines to Capitol Hill were flooded on Tuesday when thousands of constituents called and e-mailed Florida members of Congress urging a resolution of debt-reduction talks before the nation defaults on its obligations.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Sick of shady politics? It's time to speak up!
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
We start with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who made jaws drop when it was revealed that her office ousted two of its top investigators.

Lawmakers hear from Wesley Chapel voters on redistricting
By Lee Logan
St. Petersburg Times
The Legislature brought its redistricting road show to one of the biggest hotbeds of Florida's growth Tuesday, asking Pasco voters how future political boundaries should look.

Here's a primer on congressional and legislative redistricting
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
The re-mapping of congressional and legislative districts is the hottest fight politicians will wage over the next year, and the process can leave you scratching your head.

Skepticism in order over redistricting
By Julie Delegal
Florida Times-Union
In response to public hearings held here recently, the Times-Union editorialized that Florida's once-a-decade redistricting process is off to a "good start."

Immigration tops Rick Scott’s legislative priority list
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Immigration is at the top of Gov. Rick Scott’s legislative priorities when lawmakers reconvene in January, the first-term governor told Northwest Florida conservative radio talk show host Burnie Thompson today.

Alex Sink: Rick Scott is 'clueless' in debt ceiling debate
By Michael C. Bender
Miami Herald
Alex Sink, the state's former Chief Financial Officer and the 2010 Democratic nominee for governor, took aim at former political opponent Gov. Rick Scott for his comments on Monday that Congress should not raise the federal debt ceiling.

Judge hearing challenge to Florida campaign law
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A federal judge is hearing arguments in a challenge to a Florida campaign law regulating political committees and similar groups.

Florida Senate pays $109K for Siplin's legal bills
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
The Florida Senate has picked up the $109,000 tab for state Sen. Gary Siplin's four-year legal battle over an ethics complaint lodged by a former Orange County sheriff's deputy.

POLITICAL RACES

Rick Perry inches closer to 2012 bid; has an eye on Florida
By Jonathan Martin
Politico
He's hosting a steady stream of Republican supplicants in Austin, his would-be organization is stepping up its outreach, and they're both talking to key early-state operatives and players.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Mississippi plume could threaten life in Gulf
By Kate Spinner
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
More than a trillion gallons of polluted water — a volume equal to Tampa Bay — cascaded from the flood-swollen Mississippi Delta watershed into the Gulf of Mexico daily during May.

Progress Energy, Florida Power & Light no longer required to expand energy conservation programs
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
State regulators set the clock back on energy conservation in Florida on Tuesday by reversing a rule that would have required Progress Energy Florida and Florida Power & Light to encourage customers to use less electricity.

State alters Everglades legal fight, tries to settle two lengthy cleanup suits
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
In the 20 years since the state settled a lawsuit over restoring the Everglades and then violated the settlement, a cottage industry of well-paid lawyers and consultants specializing in the Everglades cleanup has been arguing about who is to blame and how to get the job done.

Agency says it can't afford to put Florida's gopher tortoises on endangered species list
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's gopher tortoises deserve to be added to the nation's list of endangered and threatened species — but the federal agency in charge said Tuesday that it doesn't have the money to do the job.

Panel reviews cost claims for federal pollution rules in Florida
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
An independent panel of scientists is hearing from an series of business groups Tuesday in the second of a two-day public hearing on the cost of Florida complying with federal water pollution standards.

Florida parks increase visitors after drop in previous year
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Maybe the slow economy is encouraging people to rediscover nature.

LGBT

Poll: Would you honeymoon in a state where your new marriage is banned by constitutional amendment?
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
On Sunday, New York became the sixth state to allow same-sex couples to marry.

EDUCATION

The governor and his gang have Florida's public schools in their sights
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
If you don't think Gov. Rick Scott and the Republicans in the Legislature are trying to dismantle the state's public school system, then splash this cold water in your face.

Dade schools budget spares teacher jobs
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
In planning for the upcoming school year, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho managed to do what many of his peers nationally could not: Balance the budget without cutting teacher jobs.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida lawmaker delegation split several ways on debt reduction plans
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Freshman U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, emerged as an important player today as House Republicans struggled to find votes for Speaker John Boehner's revised plan to cut spending and raise the federal debt ceiling before the government's ability to borrow runs out next week.

Washington’s debt crisis: the elephant in the room for South Florida’s economy
By Douglas Hanks
Miami Herald
As Barry Johnson mingled with business leaders before a session on local finances Tuesday, the president of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce kept colliding with what he called “the elephant in the room”: fears that Washington might stop paying its bills.

How The Income Gap Plays Out For Rich And Poor
Talk of the Nation
NPR
The gap between rich and poor has widened.

Proposed sinkhole insurance rates likely will force people to drop coverage
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The state-run property insurer took a step toward imposing massive rate hikes for sinkhole insurance Tuesday, tentatively approving new premiums that would force many policy holders to either pay thousands of dollars more next year or drop coverage altogether.

Researcher: Low-wage job numbers a ’cause for concern’
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
That Florida unemployment remained steady during the month of June and added manufacturing jobs are positive signs, but according to researcher Emily Eisenhauer, jobs have been added in low-wage industries.

USDA Commits $11 Million to Fight Deadly Citrus Malady
By Kevin Bouffard
Lakeland Ledger
The Florida citrus industry has some $20 million in its pocket for the fight against citrus greening, with the promise of up to $9 million in federal money during the next three years.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Scott orders group to improve AHCA's oversight of assisted-living facilities
By Paul Flemming
Florida Capital News
Florida's Agency for Health care Administration has formed a workgroup to come up with improvements to its oversight of assisted-living facilities in the state.

Is group foster care slowly becoming extinct?
By Kate Santich
Orlando Sentinel
During the past five years, the state of Florida has reduced by more than a third the number of kids in its child-welfare system — a drop that has meant nearly 11,000 children were either never removed from their biological families in the first place or were placed in homes with relatives or adoptive parents.

Commission to address unemployment among workers with disabilities
By Paul Flemming
Florida Capital News
Gov. Rick Scott today created a commission to address high unemployment among workers with disabilities.

Is $9M hospital charge a record?
By Brittany Davis and Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Tampa General Hospital has filed a $9.2 million claim against the estate of a woman who died after spending five years in the hospital, according to Hillsborough County court documents.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Bondi asks U.S. Supreme Court to re-order execution
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Attorney General Pam Bondi has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to override the Florida Supreme Court’s stay on the execution of convicted cop killer Manuel Valle.

Guard suspended in teen’s death was fired from last job
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
When Laryell King was forced to leave her job at the Department of Juvenile Justice lockup in Orlando for “negligently” leaving a youth alone in a room, juvenile justice administrators left a clear warning in her personnel file: “NO rehire in any position.”