Daily Clips for August 5, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

RNC chair: Florida the granddaddy of them all
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
Florida is the biggest prize in the 2012 election, so it's no coincidence that the GOP nominating convention will be in Tampa, Sen. Marco Rubio is being discussed as a possible VP pick and there are Floridians in leadership roles at both national parties.

Poll: Debt battle erodes Obama support, especially among Florida independents
By Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related AP story: Poll shows Scott’s popularity improving slightly
Most Floridians say President Barack Obama doesn't deserve a second term after an emotional debate over the national debt ceiling, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday.

Rick Scott Lets His Pals Run a Monopoly on State Employees' Health Care Coverage
By Matthew Hendley
Broward New Times
​Earlier in the week, the state Department of Management Services announced they were consolidating the number of HMOs offered to state employees to one per county.

Democratic lawmakers launch probe of fired AG investigators
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
Two Democratic lawmakers continued Thursday to hammer state Attorney General Pam Bondi with questions and records requests concerning her dismissal of two foreclosure fraud investigators in May.

Coming changes send state workers rushing into early retirement program
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
Changes by the Florida Legislature to the state's early retirement system appear to have prompted a surge in enrollment in the program.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Instead Of Creating Jobs, Scott Pretends To Work For A Living
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
For a governor who has a tendency to pay his staff much more than those who came before him, Rick Scott seems to be getting the least bang for the most bucks from his PR staff.

An Open Letter to the People of Florida's 13th Congressional District: Draft Keith Fitzgerald
By Benjamin J. Kirby
The Spencerian
Dear citizens of Florida's 13th Congressional District: You don't remember me. You don't even know me. I don't even live in your district (I'm in the 10th, but that's a story for another day).

Debt Less Important Than Jobs
By Jake
Rantings From Florida
I have heard so much belly-aching in the past few weeks about how the reason America's economy is in the tank is because of our debt.

Chamber versus Amazon: Ahem. Donation, please.
By Bruce Seaman
Daily Marion
Florida Chamber CEO Mark Wilson, tool of mega-corporations in the market to buy Florida’s legislature, recently published an Op Ed in the Orlando Sentinel claiming that there is a new state tax that is needed. To which we all say, ‘Holy excrement! There is?’

Rock mining in Palm Beach suffers rare defeat
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Rock mining is one of the wealthiest, most secretive industries in the state of Florida.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Voting Rights Act ... HB 1355 hinders the voting rights of Floridians
By Rod Smith
Naples Daily News
First it was students and teachers. Then public employees, firefighters and policemen. Now, Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature are taking aim at Florida voters.

Court should reject Florida voting changes
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
If Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning is so sure the state's new election law has no adverse impact on minority voters, why did he abruptly sidestep a U.S. Justice Department review and ask a federal court to rule instead?

How the GOP Is Fast Becoming the Poll Taxing Party of Jim Crow
By Karl Frisch
Huffington Post
For much of the last century it was common practice across the southern United States for politicians to impose poll taxes, literacy tests, and other absurd laws designed to keep African Americans, Native Americans and poor whites -- all legal citizens -- from voting. That was life under Jim Crow.

The job Scott should attempt is governor
By Daniel Ruth
St. Petersburg Times
It would seem when it comes to understanding the full range of duties associated with the job that Rick Scott entered office knowing less about the details of governor stuff than Wile E. Coyote contemplating some-assembly-required Acme nuclear missile.

Secretary of Senate leaves job to take over watchdog agency
By Gary Fineout
Florida Current
Philip Twogood, who has been secretary of the Senate since November 2008, has left his job to become the new head of the state office that keeps tabs on taxpayer money and whether government programs work.

Collins Center president forced out, Stierheim is temporary replacement
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
The head of the Collins Center, one of Florida's most well-respected think tanks, is being asked to resign in the face of serious cash-flow troubles and frustration by a board of directors that demanded answers it wasn't getting.

POLITICAL RACES

Compromise primary date in the works?
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Florida and national Republican Party leaders appear to be seeking a compromise over the state's 2012 presidential primary date, with a primary sometime in the first five days of March.

Mike McCalister early favorite in Florida's GOP Senate race
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A new poll shows retired Army Col. Mike McCalister shoring up his support in a four-way race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Is former Florida state senator barred from running as a Democrat?
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
A massive elections law passed by the Legislature this spring appears to bar former state Sen. Nancy Argenziano from running for office as a Democrat, imperiling her plans to challenge freshman Republican Congressman Steve Southerland.

With Huntsman confirmed, all 9 GOP presidential candidates now committed to address CPAC-FL
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
With a firm commitment from former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, the American Conservative Union now has pledges from all nine major Republican presidential candidates to address the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando next month.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warms up Republicans for next year's GOP convention in Tampa
By Richard Danielson
St. Petersburg Times
For a hint of what the speeches at next year's Republican National Convention in Tampa will sound like, listen to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Q&A with Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
From talking gay marriage to global warming, immigration to taxes, Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, visiting Florida, talked to the Miami Herald about the issues of the campaign and his record as Minnesota governor.

Report: Huntsman camp in chaos, or disgruntled ex-friend drama?
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Politico is reporting this morning that the staff for the Orlando-based Jon Huntsman presidential campaign is lurching through chaotic infighting that has led to several major departures and internal uncertainty.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Don't dilute the Clean Water Act
By Barbara B. Ketchum
Florida Times-Union
Several weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (H.B. 2018) sponsored by Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., and Rep. Nick Rahall, D- W.Va., that would severely limit the protections offered to our nation's waterways by the Clean Water Act.

Progress Energy customers could soon pay much more for Levy County nuclear plant
By Ivan Penn
St. Petersburg Times
For Progress Energy customers upset over paying about $5 a month in advance to build the proposed Levy County nuclear plant, just wait.

Putnam begins to assert himself on renewable energy
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Thursday he's renaming the annual "Farm to Fuel" summit to focus on his department's new broader energy mission.

Counsel says Florida vulernable to diseases linked to climate change
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
Florida may be especially vulnerable diseases linked to climate change.

Feds: Ocean sand can restore Miami-Dade beaches
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
Miami-Dade County will be allowed to use up to 500,000 cubic yards of sand from federal waters to restore 14 miles of shoreline, the agency that oversees offshore drilling announced Thursday.

Hurricane season could get busier
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
With the first two months already running ahead of pace, federal forecasters on Thursday bumped their hurricane season predictions upward.

LGBT

In wake of Rep. Allen West flap, new Broward group called CoFFE forms 'to protect civil rights'
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Last week, liberal gays and lesbians became outraged to learn that U.S. Congressman Allen West would speak Aug. 8 at the Wilton Manors Business Association.

EDUCATION

Lingering questions about Florida’s eligibility for new Race to the Top money
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
It remains unclear whether Florida will be eligible to apply for a federal Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant.

Cheating scandal should be lesson for Florida
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
A national school reform movement that's increasingly built upon high-stakes testing was rocked by revelations that educators at nearly half of Atlanta's public schools cheated on Georgia's standardized tests.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

One Recession, ‘Two Societies’
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Everybody’s hurting. But, as usual, the level of hurt isn’t quite equal.

Wanted: John Mica, Job Killer
The Progress Report
Think Progress
You’ve probably never heard of Rep. John Mica (R-FL), but he’s someone every American should know about because if he get his way, thousands of people in your home state will lose their jobs in the next year.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

FMA: Reject Medicaid waiver
By Brittany Alana Davis
Health News Florida
The Florida Medical Association voted to publicly oppose the state's Medicaid overhaul and write a letter of concern to the federal government, according to three members of the organization.

Primary care programs could get cut if feds cut off health care money
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Hospitals aren’t the only health care providers impacted by the recent questions surrounding the continuation of Florida’s billion pot of money from the federal government to cover health care costs.

HIV/AIDS infections an epidemic among African-Americans
By Josh Holton
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Florida HIV infection rates have increased recently in two groups: gay and bisexual males, and African-American females.

The Tea Party Is Coming For Your Medicare (Again)
The Progress Report
Think Progress
In August of 2009, the Tea Party tried to run the health care bill off the rails.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Restoration of rights should be automatic for ex-felons
By Desmond Meade
Orlando Sentinel
About 1 million taxpaying citizens in Florida are prohibited by law from voting.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Primary sources: Why prison guards are suing to stop privatization
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
Last month, the Florida Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents prison guards and other corrections officers, filed a lawsuit calling for a judge to strike down budget language that would privatize prisons in 18 South Florida counties.

Attorneys seek dismissal of hundreds of local drug cases
By Kameel Stanley, Curtis Krueger and John Barry
St. Petersburg Times
Tampa Bay defense lawyers are asking judges to free hundreds of people from local jails and throw out their drug charges because of a recent ruling by a federal judge.