Daily Clips for August 9, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Attorneys' Ouster From Fla. AG's Office Stirs Controversy
By Julie Kay
Law.com
Excerpt: The public interest group Progress Florida started a petition calling for an independent investigation into the lawyers' departure..."We can't say it's a fact that they were fired for political reasons," (Ferrulo) said. "But it doesn't pass the smell test. These attorneys had just received glowing reviews. As soon as the new administration took over, the tables were turned on them. They did what they were supposed to do, which is fight for the rights of Floridians …"

FEATURED STORIES

TV news roundup of Gov. Scott's "work day" at a Tampa doughnut shop:


Now you can robocall Rick Scott
By Aaron Sharockman
St. Petersburg Times
Fed up with those RPOF-paid for Gov. Rick Scott robocalls? Now you can robocall Scott back. The group, PinkSlipRick.com, is letting people record 60-second phone calls that they will then send to Scott's office on Aug. 15.

Florida economists more concerned about stock market free fall than S&P downgrade
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Friday's downgrade of the nation's creditworthiness is unlikely to affect Florida's finances, but the Wall Street plummet that followed it Monday could have a negative effect on the state's long-term recovery if the panic lingers, state money experts say.

Reversing nation's direction
By Mike Williams
Florida Today
From the recent debates about the debt ceiling and deficits, you wouldn’t know that America has, for the last two generations, led globally in modernizing medicine, developing the Internet and providing top-notch higher education.

No Papers, No Scholarship: Undocumented Students Could Lose Out
By John O'Connor and Sarah Gonzalez
WUSF Public Radio Tampa
Florida students unable to document citizenship for themselves or their parents may lose their Bright Futures college scholarships because of a new paperwork requirement.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Attorney General Pam Bondi juggles home life, sudden celebrity
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi has completely upended her life in the past 18 months.

Collins Center replaces president, looks for new CEO
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
There's been a major change in leadership at the LeRoy Collins Center for Public Policy.

POLITICAL RACES

In Senate race, LeMieux tells Tampa GOP he's 'terrified' over country's future
By Jodie Tillman
St. Petersburg Times
George LeMieux asked Tampa Republicans on Monday for their help getting him another job with what he called "the most broken, dysfunctional and bizarre institution I've ever been affiliated with."

Rick Perry's prayerful politics
By Daniel Ruth
St. Petersburg Times
Prayer, it is said, is good for the soul. And presidential politics, too.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

List of witnesses for hearing on EPA water rules dominated by industry names
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, will host a hearing on a set of federally mandated water pollution rules tomorrow in Orlando.

Senator says "patchwork" of beach water testing would be bad for Florida tourism
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A South Florida senator said Monday the Florida Department of Health's decision to reduce beach water testing statewide is a step backwards and she will raise the issue with Gov. Rick Scott later this week.

Oil-impacted counties looking at $10 million in development funds
By Louis Cooper
Pensacola News Journal
The Florida counties impacted directly by the BP oil spill will be in line for $10 million a year for the next three years in extra economic development funds, but that could just be the beginning.

LGBT

Gay activists, Democrats (and a Republican) denounce Congressman Allen West
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Gay activists and Democratic leaders from throughout Broward gathered Monday evening to denounce U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation.

EDUCATION

UF, FSU among Forbes' list of top best college buys
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Tuition at Florida's universities has been rising steeply in recent years, but the state still has many of the best bargains for a college education, according to a new survey from Forbes Magazine.

University of Florida takes steps to ease pension contribution mandate
By Ana Goni-Lessan
Florida Current
In a move to soften the blow from recent state pension changes, the University of Florida is considering cutting a week of all full-time employees' personal vacation time in exchange for a three percent raise for some.

Inmates' path to GED gets harder
By Jackie Alexander
Gainesville Sun
Nathan Jennings pored over his worksheet, figuring how to graph the change in water depth over a period of time.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Wall Street clouds South Florida’s recovery
By Douglas Hanks and Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald
Ann Machado’s staffing business took a turn for the worse in recent weeks. She blames Wall Street and Washington.

Plans for new state agency begin to take shape
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The new state Department of Economic Opportunity will be headquartered in the Caldwell Building one block south of the Capitol, said Doug Darling, an aide to Gov. Rick Scott who will become the department's executive director.

The Tea Party Downgrade
By Igor Volsky
Think Progress
On Friday night, Standard & Poor took the unprecedented step of downgrading the nation’s long-term sovereign credit rating to AA+ from AAA, claiming that “the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short” of what is “necessary to stabilize the government’s medium-term debt dynamics.”

Race to the Right
Editorial
New York Times
It is far too simplistic to blame the loose coalition of Republicans known as the Tea Party for the debt-limit debacle.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

State lawmaker criticizes assisted-living facility owners
By Carol Marbin Miller, Michael Sallah and Rob Barry
Miami Herald
Related: As ALF task force meets today, some suggest it may get derailed
Owners of Florida assisted living facilities wanted a state panel investigating reports of resident abuses to understand one thing about their business: Most homes treat their residents with kindness and respect.

On the radio, Scott talks federal health care grants
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Related: Rejection of federal health care money leaves Osceola community centers out millions
Gov. Rick Scott recently sat down with WUSF/Healthy State for an interview about federal health care grants.

Gun Query Off Limits for Doctors in Florida
By Erin N. Marcus, M.D.
New York Times
As a primary care physician, I regularly ask patients questions that many people would consider rude, inappropriately nosy or just irrelevant in polite conversation.

DCF plans to shut down many Tampa Bay area offices
By Waveney Ann Moore and Eric P. Newcomer
St. Petersburg Times
In a cost-cutting move, the Department of Children and Families plans to close offices across the Tampa Bay area.

Pain physicians say new laws could eliminate 'pill mill' reputation
By Ray Reyes
Tampa Tribune
They walked into the clean, red brick medical offices and demanded prescription painkillers.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Lawmaker, civil rights advocates continue to decry rollback of felon voting rights
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
It’s been months since Attorney General Pam Bondi and members of the Florida cabinet voted to roll back the state’s policy of automatically restoring the civil rights of felons, but the changes are still drawing scrutiny from civil rights advocates concerned about the impact they will have on offenders’ right to vote and efforts to prevent them from reoffending.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scott: I'll Make Court Funding a Priority
By David Royse
News Service of Florida
Money to pay for an adequate court system will be a priority for the Scott administration, Gov. Rick Scott told prosecuting attorneys Monday, but also challenged the court system to be efficient.