FEATURED STORIES
More Layoffs Coming to Florida
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Last week state workers were laid off to save money, now it’s city and county governments turn to balance their dwindling budgets.
Tax cuts don't create jobs
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
It's a modicum of good news that Florida's unemployment rate has declined to 10.6 percent, the lowest since August 2009.
Elections overhaul makes it harder to challenge 2012 ballot measures
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Florida GOP legislators slipped new little-noticed rules into this year’s elections bill that make it harder to challenge the language of a ballot measure, just as two controversial amendments made their way onto the 2012 ballot.
Florida Republican leaders push for early primary date, despite threat from RNC
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Here's something new for Florida: hold an election on a Thursday or a Saturday.
Hasner mining for fear
By Daniel Ruth
St. Petersburg Times
At some point almost every political campaign enters the parallel universe phase where black becomes white, day is confused with night and interpretations of history can take on a Casey Anthony-esque approach to the truth telling.
BEST OF THE BLOGS
Guilt by Association
By Benjamin Kirby
The Spencerian
With the exception of skimming headlines, I'm proud to say I have not followed the apparent disaster of the Casey Anthony murder trial at all.
Why We’re Worried in Wakulla
By R.S. Pienta
Florida Progressive Coalition
Florida governor Rick Scott’s administration has proposed a plan to add camping, including access by recreational vehicles, to more than 50 state parks.
Hackers Access Florida Voting Database
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
How much faith do you have in election integrity in Florida?
Are teachers and police officers imaginary people?
By Chris Kromm
Facing South
Growing up, some children have imaginary friends. Today, many politicians seem to live in a world of imaginary workers.
Coddling Evil
By Jake
Rantings From Florida
Much is rightfully being made of Gov. Voldemort's robocalling madness.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Florida Cabinet mostly a millionaires club - only Bondi worth less
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
When Gov. Rick Scott and the all-Republican Florida Cabinet meet, it's mostly a millionaires club, new financial disclosure reports show.
Attorney General Pam Bondi will amend disclosure form that shows no income for 2010, no bank accounts
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
In financial disclosures filed last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi reported earning no income in 2010 when she was a candidate for office.
Florida lawmakers introduce 'Caylee's Law' in response to case
News Service of Florida
St. Petersburg Times
Orlando resident Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee on Tuesday, a controversial verdict that set off a national debate.
Florida Republicans, Democrats not ready for a debt deal yet
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
As President Obama signaled Thursday that he was willing to negotiate a wide-reaching deficit agreement that could include previously untouchable entitlement programs including Social Security and Medicare, Florida's Congressional representatives said they may not be so willing yet to strike a deal.
POLITICAL RACES
Why Obama could lose Florida
By Brian E. Crowley
The Crowley Report
Obama cartoon Ending with car crashes and a train wreck, the new Republican National Committee ad being shown in Florida more than suggests that the Obama administration has wrecked America.
Sour grapes or lemonade outta lemons? Adam Hasner explains his $560k haul
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hasner had a pretty good fundraising quarter, reporting he raised more than $560,000.
Emily’s List ramping up campaign to oust West
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The pro-abortion rights group Emily’s List is gearing up to try to oust Rep. Allen West, R-Fort Lauderdale, from his seat in Florida’s 22 congressional district.
BALLOT INITIATIVES
Personhood USA founders coming to Florida next week
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Two powerful forces on the anti-abortion circuit, Personhood USA’s Keith Mason and Cal Zastrow, will be coming to Florida on July 16 for appearances in Port Saint Lucie and Orlando.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Groups say Caloosahatchee River algae warning shows federal pollution limits needed
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Environmental groups on Thursday urged members of Congress to support federal water quality standards in Florida, citing an algae bloom on the Caloosahatchee River as an example of why the regulations are needed.
Conference on economic impact of new EPA water rules scheduled for late July
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
The chorus of voices speaking out against a set of strict pollution standards to govern state waterways continues to grow.
National Security Bill Questions for Florida, Everglades Nat’l Park
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
A U.S. House committee today is to take up a bill that would expand the powers of the Department of Homeland Security by waiving compliance with 36 environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, within a 100-mile buffer along borders and coastlines.
Pinellas legislators will meet to discuss Honeymoon Island camping plan
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Now that hundreds of residents and a park advisory committee have urged the state to keep RVs and campers out of Honeymoon Island State Park, Pinellas County's legislative delegation plans to wade into the issue too.
4 schools get $25M for oil spill health studies
By Janet McConnaughey
Associated Press
Studies at four Gulf Coast universities will focus on continuing fears that last year's oil spill is making people sick, especially if they eat lots of fish.
Beaches under threat
Editorial
Miami Herald
Last year’s gargantuan BP oil spill didn’t help things, but Florida beaches weren’t in great shape last year to begin with.
LGBT
Students react to USF's plan for gender-neutral dorms
By Kim Wilmath
St. Petersburg Times
University of South Florida officials talked to the staff, anticipated questions and had answers ready to go Thursday after announcing the college would start pursuing gender-neutral housing options.
EDUCATION
New Florida education commissioner wants schools with 'great results'
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's soon-to-be education commissioner wants schools that produce "great results" and that are part of "strong public-private partnerships."
School grades keep improving, but Legislature acts as if they're getting worse
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
It's that time of year when we congratulate schools and students for jumping through hoops they shouldn't have to jump through.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Outlook gloomy for shuttle launch, Space Coast economy
By Lona O'Connor
Palm Beach Post
Related AP story: NASA fuels Atlantis for the last shuttle launch
Looking north on State Road 3 under lowering clouds, the chances that space shuttle Atlantis would lift off as planned this morning were pretty dicey, hovering at a dismal 30 percent.
SunRail watch: How to make it work, unlike TriRail
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
The Winter Park-Maitland Observer has a feature on how Central Florida communities intend to make SunRail a draw for riders, and to succeed where its much-maligned South Florida counterpart, TriRail, has not.
Rep. John Mica proposes cuts in U.S. transportation fund
By Larry Hannan
Florida Times-Union
The Northeast Florida congressman who chairs a key U.S. House committee is pushing for large cuts in transit spending over the next six years that he says will save money and opponents say will cost jobs.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Study: Medicaid does make a difference after all
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Associated Press
Signing up for Medicaid could improve your overall health and financial security, says a surprising new study that offers clues on how President Barack Obama's health care overhaul might affect millions of low-income uninsured Americans.
What's going to happen to Social Security and Medicaid?
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
President Barack Obama's willingness to throw Social Security and Medicare on the bargaining table in budget talks with Republicans raises the prospect of benefit cuts for future retirees and smaller cost-of-living raises for current seniors.
Florida groups can compete for CDC grants
By Brittany Davis
Health News Florida
While it still isn't clear whether Gov. Rick Scott will let Florida groups accept federal disease-prevention grants if they win one, at least they can compete.
Report: Health insurers owe Fla. $3 million
Associated Press
Ft. Myers News-Press
Private health insurers overstated how much they spent on patient care and owe Florida health officials $3.1 million in refunds for a government children's health care program, according to a recent federal report.
State suspends part of tough new pill mill law
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
State Surgeon General and Department of Health Secretary Frank Farmer this week suspended a new requirement in the state’s sweeping pill mill law that requires health care providers to use an approved counterfeit proof prescription pad when prescribing drugs such as oxycodone.
Florida lawmakers' war on reform has cost patients and taxpayers dearly
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Democrats were in charge last year when Congress passed President Obama's health-care overhaul.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Two minutes with Rick Scott on immigration
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Asked if Florida should pass an immigration-enforcement law like Georgia’s recently approved H.B. 87, Gov. Rick Scott says the federal government needs to do its job: Secure the border, implement a national immigration policy and create a work visa program that actually works.
Bennett, Czaia clash over immigration
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
It was an unusually fiery session of the Manatee Tiger Bay Club on Thursday as Republican state Sen. Mike Bennett and C.J. Czaia, an attorney who is a Democrat, clashed over immigration legislation.
Harvest of hate against migrants
By Barbara Mainster
St. Petersburg Times
The children of Florida's migrant farmworkers live a particularly rugged life.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Three Wakulla Correctional employees arrested and fired for mistreating inmatesBy Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Three Wakulla Correctional Institution officers were arrested and fired this week after investigators said they falsified reports against inmates and needlessly used pepper spray against a prisoner.
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