Daily Clips for July 7, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott’s plutocratic Florida
By Joy-Ann Reid
Miami Herald
There’s a reason no amount of robocalls and prefab letters to the editor will save Rick Scott from his dismal poll numbers: the nagging suspicion, including among a growing number of Republicans, that whatever his motivations, Mr. “777” isn’t in this for the Sunshine State.

Gov. Rick Scott says Florida economy headed in the 'right direction'
By David Bauerlein
Florida Times-Union
Gov. Rick Scott said today in Jacksonville that Florida's economy is "headed in the right direction" based on five straight months of job growth this year.

Butt out on redistricting, Florida legislators tell Congress
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
Members of Congress are the kind of people who like to be in charge.

Has Adam Hasner gone off the deep end?
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
We'd started to grow accustomed to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hasner railing against the imminent threat to America from Sharia law.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Bill Clinton calls out Rick Scott on ex felon voting rights
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Politico covered Bill Clinton's address to a conference of young liberal activists in Washington.

Surprise! As CEO, Rick Scott Also Had "Fatal Flaws"
By Lisa Rab
Broward New Times
"People close to Mr. Scott characterized his downfall in terms suitable for a Greek tragedy, portraying him as a brilliant and incisive businessman who was undone by his fatal flaws.

Gov. Rick Scott pledges to spend more time with Florida media organizations
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott said he'd make himself more available to Florida's media corps during a luncheon appearance last week at the Florida Publishers Association and Florida Society of News Editors joint annual meeting.

POLITICAL RACES

Readers think Rick Scott will draw Republican challenger in 2014 election
Staff Report
Florida Current
If Gov. Rick Scott sticks with his plan on running for a second term in 2014, he may have a challenger from his own party.

Progressive Youth Frustrated by President They Helped Elect
By Amy Bingham
ABC News
After four years as the leader of the establishment, President Obama may have a hard time convincing Americans, especially young voters, in the 2012 election that he still stands for hope and change.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

State-appointed advisory group criticizes Honeymoon Island camping plan
By Drew Harwell
St. Petersburg Times
Related editorial: Heed the public's voice on campgrounds
Less than 10 hours after a crowd jammed a public hearing to slam a plan for campsites at Florida's most popular state park, a newly appointed park advisory group met on Honeymoon Island and mirrored that disapproval.

Hundreds pack into DEP public hearings on proposals for campgrounds in state parks
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Hundreds jammed into public hearings on Tuesday to protest a Department of Environmental Protection proposal allow companies to build campgrounds in four state parks.

Florida environmental commission is a shell of its former self
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Gov. Rick Scott last month reappointed Cari Roth to the state Environmental Regulation Commission.

Glades Utility in financial trouble; who will pay to keep drinking water plant running?
By Jennifer Sorentrue
Palm Beach Post
The problems facing the fledgling Glades Utility Authority are mounting, and some officials now say it will be impossible to keep afloat the agency that provides drinking water to the county's hardscrabble western communities.

Big Oil Welfare
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Oil from a ruptured ExxonMobil pipeline is coursing through the picturesque Yellowstone River as we speak, but Big Oil’s real gusher is located on Capitol Hill.

LGBT

Are Florida schools doing enough to protect gay students from bullying?
By Ron Matus
St. Petersburg Times
It's no surprise that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students in middle and high schools are bullied as much if not more than other students.

Court orders immediate halt to gay military ban
By Lisa Leff
Associated Press
A federal appeals court ordered the U.S. government on Wednesday to immediately cease enforcing the longstanding ban on openly gay members of the military.

EDUCATION

87 Duval teachers lose their jobs
By Topher Sanders
Florida Times-Union
Eighty-seven Duval County Public Schools teachers were laid off recently as part of the district’s plan to make up a $91 million budget shortfall.

New Manatee schools budget plan calls for salary cuts
By Angeline Taylor
Bradenton Daily Herald
A new budget proposal by School Superintendent Tim McGonegal slashes some employee salaries by as much as 5 percent, establishes furlough days for others and calls for a spring-break shutdown to help create overall cuts for the district worth about $14.04 million.

Saving future of education
Editorial
Florida Times-Union
It's the gap that can swallow America's future. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education released data that found the educational opportunity gap persists.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

House action casts shadow on SunRail funding from feds
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
It's been only days since Gov. Rick Scott gave his blessing for SunRail to move forward and already there are concerns about whether a slice of federal funding for the $1.2 billion project will materialize.

Is Selling Off America's Infrastructure Something to Worry About?
By Dennis Maley
Bradenton Times
Cash-strapped governments are increasingly turning toward privatization as a way to balance budgets.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen’s ‘hopelessly complicated’ abortion bill
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Florida GOP lawmakers recently introduced federal legislation requiring each state to uphold other states’ parental notification before abortion laws in both chambers of Congress.

PPPoll: Ryan Medicare plan is a loser for GOP, winner for Dems (Haridopolos?)
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
"If Democrats want to take back the House next year they're going to have to pick up some seats in Florida and there's good news for them on that front: right now Florida voters prefer the party by a 45-40 margin on the generic Congressional ballot over the Republicans.

Managed Care Enters The Exam Room As Insurers Buy Doctor Groups
By Christopher Weaver
Kaiser Health News
Even if UnitedHealth Group isn't your insurance company, there’s a good chance it touches you in some way.

Section of pill mill law temporarily suspended
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida's surgeon general has temporarily suspended part of the state's new "pill mill" legislation.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Police say hackers targeted Orlando mayor
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando police said Wednesday they are treating a photo taken by computer hackers outside the mayor's house as a threat.

Rooney files funeral protest bill in reaction to Supreme Court free speech decision
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
In response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in March that appears to threaten a Florida law making it illegal to disturb military funerals, state Rep. Pat Rooney, R-Palm Beach Gardens, has proposed a bill that would create a 500-foot buffer around military funerals.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

After Casey Anthony found not guilty of murder, defense attorney speaks out against death penalty
By Sean Kinane
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
This afternoon in an Orlando courtroom a Pinellas County jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murdering her 2-year old daughter.

Florida death penalty procedures need review
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's death penalty is costly to administer, fraught with legal pitfalls and, according to at least one federal district judge, unconstitutional.