Daily Clips for September 13, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Mystery surrounds what some say could be another gulf oil spill
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Excerpt: Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo says the denials by BP are “eerily reminiscent of the early stages of the first BP oil gusher disaster…if BP is our only source of factual information, then we’re in trouble,” says Ferrulo.

FEATURED STORIES

Rivals assail Perry in GOP debate in Tampa
By William March and Christian M. Wade
Tampa Tribune
Related: Analysis: GOP foes seek cracks in Perry's record
Related: Dems, protesters and birther show up before debate
Under fire from his opponents over Social Security, immigration and other issues in Monday night's debate, Republican presidential primary frontrunner Rick Perry moderated his stance on Social Security but didn't back down on several other issues.

Obama's jobs plan touts $7.5 billion, up to 63,000 positions for Florida
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
Related editorial: Take bucks, don't pass them
Florida could haul in $7.52 billion used to create or save 63,000 jobs through President Obama's proposed American Jobs Act, according to projections released by the White House.

Jennifer Carroll's top aide criticizes Rick Scott, his chief of staff
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Days after a spokeswoman was let go for publically trashing the lieutenant governor's office, audio has surfaced of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll's top staffer saying that Gov. Rick Scott's chief of staff is scared of Carroll.

Social Security concerns unnerve Florida seniors
By Jane Sutton
Reuters
Florida seniors were so rattled by proposed changes to Social Security emerging in the U.S. political debate that their consumer confidence levels plunged more than that of any other age group in August, an economic survey showed.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Scofflaws frustrate Florida ethics watchdogs
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
The Florida Commission on Ethics has suffered its share of criticism over the years for being feckless, a toothless tiger.

The Confessions of a Gerrymanderer
By Dick Batchelor
Orlando Sentinel
One matter that commands increasing attention is the give-and-take regarding redrawing district lines for the Florida Legislature as well as Congress.

Depositions released in Jim Greer's case
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
The state senator who succeeded Jim Greer as head of the Republican Party of Florida signed a severance agreement that promised the disgraced party chairman tens of thousands of dollars.

POLITICAL RACES

At GOP debate in Tampa, Texas Gov. Rick Perry draws attacks from all sides
By Adam C. Smith and Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times
Related: Breaking down the GOP presidential debate in Tampa
Related Politifact article: Fact-checking the CNN/Tea Party Express GOP debate
Republican presidential frontrunner Rick Perry strolled into Monday night's CNN/Tea Party Express debate with one mission: Don't slip up.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

EPA approves new waterway classification for Florida despite environmental opposition
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a new waterway classification system that some environmentalists say will allow more water pollution.

South Florida drinking water faces saltwater threat
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Summer rains can't wash away a growing underground threat to South Florida's water supply.

Former St. Joe executive tapped to lead DEP's Division of State Lands
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A former St. Joe Co. executive on Monday was named director of the Division of State Lands at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Drilling for trouble in the Glades
Editorial
Northwest Florida Daily News
Gov. Rick Scott has some oily swampland he’d like to sell us.

EDUCATION

On FCAT, keep erasures to a minimum, Florida education officials warn
By Jeff Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Hoping to further deter cheating, the Florida Department of Education last week held a conference with district testing coordinators to review the state's latest methods for reviewing FCAT answer sheets.

Board: State must provide matching funds, or we'll lose university donations
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
The board overseeing the state’s 11 public universities says the state hasn’t met its obligations to private donors due to its inability to provide matching funds for both programs and facilities for the last five years.

Florida student loan defaults rise
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
More Florida students can't afford to pay their student loans and are defaulting at higher rates than a year ago, due to the economic malaise, higher interest rates and the rise of for-profit colleges, which often charge higher tuition than public colleges.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Citizens board approves caps to sinkhole premium increases
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
Related editorial: Citizens takes a step back from ridiculous rates
Responding to pressure from homeowners, lawmakers and some high ranking state officials, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. board members on Monday voted to cap proposed sinkhole rate hikes at 50 percent for the coming year as they try to make the state-backed program financially sound.

Florida's chief financial officer urges legislators to reform tax code, balance budget
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
Florida's chief financial officer is well aware that the state has had a "clear wake-up call" with increasing unemployment rates and underwater mortgages.

Top slots at new Department of Economic Opportunity are being filled
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Doug Darling on Monday announced that 10 top positions had been filled, most of them with officials from agencies that are being moved into the new department.

Playing politics out of the blocks
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
State House Speaker Dean Cannon's reaction to word that Florida could receive up to $7.5 billion in grants for schools, public works, and foreclosure relief under President Obama's proposed jobs initiative was predictably partisan.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida Near the Bottom in Long-Term Care, Support for Seniors
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
Florida is near the bottom on a first-ever scorecard by AARP that ranks states on how well they provide long-term health care for seniors and people with disabilities. Florida is No. 41 overall, and in some sub-categories, the state ranks even lower.

Legal battle over state employee health insurance quickly ends
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
A legal skirmish over the future of the state employee health insurance plan took an abrupt turn in the wake of a last-minute ruling by the administrative judge handling the case.

Legislature turns away millions for comprehensive sex education
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The state Legislature turned away $2.8 million in annual funding from the federal government for comprehensive sex education in Florida.

Key Florida children's agency official quits amid fraud rulings over her company
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
High-ranking Department of Children and Families administrator Nancy Dreicer resigned under pressure today, after The Palm Beach Post reported that a judge ruled she fraudulently tried to stiff creditors.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

More accused hope to use 'Stand Your Ground' law to gain freedom
By Alexia Campbell
South Florida Sun Sentinel
It was historic when Michael Monahan walked out of the Palm Beach County Jail last week a free man.

Florida Supreme Court to lawyers: Be civil
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Supreme Court is never short on opinions — having ruled in the past on everything from the size of paper used in the court system to cases carrying much greater weight.