FEATURED STORIES
Republican Party of Florida officials' depositions add insight in case against ex-chairman Jim Greer
Associated Press
St. Petersburg Times
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.
Official says state health care exchanges will start on time, Florida stays behind
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Donald Berwick, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told reporters yesterday that the agency has the funds necessary to move forward with the Obama administration’s plans to create state health care insurance exchanges throughout the country.
Florida’s poverty rate rises
By Amy Sherman
Miami Herald
More than one in six Floridians are living poverty — the highest it has been in more than a decade, according to Census figures released this week.
Teachers’ union set to sue to block tying teacher pay to student test results
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
After months of promising action, the state’s largest teachers’ union looks ready to bring Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-ruled Legislature to court in an attempt to overturn a measure that creates a new merit pay standard and ends teacher tenure.
Florida may move up GOP presidential primary to beat Arizona to the punch
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Florida may be headed for another outlaw presidential primary.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Florida Elections 2012: No Time to Waste
By Deirdre Macnab
Orlando Sentinel
Related editorial: End coslty redistricting fight
I never like the smell of fire…but I especially don’t when it smells like the odor of our taxpayer money burning or legislators wasting valuable time in Tallahassee.
Cannon: Florida GOP should have paid Jim Greer his $123,000 severance
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon says the Republican Party of Florida should have paid ousted party chairman Jim Greer the $123,000 severance deal it signed then trashed.
Here comes the 2012 session
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times
Calendars are in ahead of next week's committee meetings for the sooner-than-usual 2012 session.
Scott, Carroll added to CPAC FL roster
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Though there were no signs of Gov. Rick Scott or Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll on the initial agenda of CPAC Florida, the two have recently been added to the event.
Former Scott official returns to private-sector lobbying job
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
After helping steer Gov. Rick Scott's legislative agenda, including a sweeping Medicaid rewrite that requires most managed care patients to enroll in HMOs, Hayden Dempsey is returning to his former law firm to head up the government affairs practice at Greenberg Traurig in Tallahassee.
Gov. Rick Scott should explain Joshua Perper decision
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Motivations aside, Gov. Rick Scott has a right to make appointments any way he sees fit.
POLITICAL RACES
GOP debaters focus on tax cuts, deregulation as their job-creation solution
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
As the mantra "jobs, jobs, jobs" resonates throughout the nation, the question of how to put 14 million unemployed Americans back to work wasn't specifically raised in the first-ever tea party-backed debate Monday night.
Organizations combine forces to protest GOP debate in Tampa
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
The Republican debate drew a crowd of about 150 protestors at the Florida State Fairgrounds last night.
Many GOP voices, few solutions
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Floridians are getting an unusually close look at the Republican candidates for president with Monday night's debate in Tampa and next week's debate in Orlando.
Building the perfect Republican candidate
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
On Monday night, the aspiring GOP hopefuls took the stage in Tampa.
On immigration, Rick Perry strays from tea party script
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Related: Gov. Rick Perry's vaccine quandary familiar to Florida Republicans
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry had the tea party crowd on his side at Monday night's debate, only to get booed when he espoused moderate-sounding positions on immigration.
Newt Gingrich seeks out crowd at Tampa zoo event
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
When you're Newt Gingrich and you're buried in the back of the pack of GOP presidential candidates, you need to come up with novel ways to draw a crowd.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Federal government to allow Florida less stringent water standards
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Despite complaints by environmental groups that it will lead to more pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Florida's request to change state standards for its waterways so they aren't as stringent.
Clean Water Network Weighing Suit Against EPA for Approval of FL Water Rules
By Staff Report
Bradenton Times
In light of the EPA's approving Florida's request to make changes to designated use categories for state waters, lawyers at the Clean Water Network of Florida are investigating the possibility of suing the EPA.
Gov't Set to Release BP Oil Spill Report
By Harry R. Weber and Dina Cappiello
Associated Press
A key federal report into what caused the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history was being readied for release as early as Wednesday amid revelations that BP made critical mistakes on the well and failed to tell its partners and the U.S. government when it realized it.
Farmton a 'planning travesty,' former state growth chief says in hearing
By Ludmilla Lelis
Orlando Sentinel
The former head of Florida's growth-management agency testified Tuesday that the proposed city of Farmton would be "a planning travesty" if allowed to move forward because it would bring as many as 23,000 homes to a remote, environmentally sensitive area.
LGBT
Domestic partner bill re-introduced
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
Despite a constitutional mandate restricting marriage to a man and a woman, two Southeast Florida legislators have re-introduced domestic-partnership bills to recognize couples — gay or straight — who live together but can't or won't get married.
EDUCATION
An Investment that Isn't Risky? Your Kids' Education
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
As Florida families face the start of another school year, proponents of the Florida College Investment Plan say it's the ideal time to think about building tax-free savings for college.
Council says more communication is needed between Florida's different education governing groups
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
Florida's Higher Education Coordinating Council has a list of recommendations for the legislature.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Florida takes abstinence approach to federal money
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
Don't get your hopes up. I'm talking to all those people who learned this week that President Obama's jobs plan could bring $7.52 billion to Florida, enough to create or save 63,000 jobs.
Citizens policyholders jeer sinkhole rate hikes at Tampa hearing
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
After unsuccessfully fighting a property insurance bill that led state-run Citizens Property Insurance to propose massive increases for its sinkhole policies, state Sen. Mike Fasano received a standing ovation and thunderous applause at a hearing Tuesday.
Legislators to nonprofits: The worst may be over
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The worst may be over for local health and human service agencies after years of budget cutting and rising demand, with state lawmakers telling nonprofit leaders Tuesday to expect a much better budget picture in 2012.
Tolls to rise on Turnpike
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
It is going to cost more to ride on Florida's toll roads, including the Turnpike, starting next summer.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Why wait? State asks for Medicaid extension two days before waiver expires
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Acting Medicaid Director Justin Senior sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Sept. 13 asking the federal government to extend its Medicaid 1115 waiver another two weeks, or until Sept. 30.
New data shows Florida has one of the highest rates of citizens without health insurance
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Recent information released from the U.S. Census Bureau reports that Florida had the third highest percentage of residents without insurance in 2010.
State lawmaker to speak at Personhood Florida event
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
State Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Palatka, will speak at an upcoming event for Personhood Florida, the group aiming to outlaw abortion and some forms of birth control in the state.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Palm Beach County urges state lawmakers to give back local right to restrict guns
By Jennifer Sorentrue
Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County commissioners Tuesday urged state lawmakers to reconsider a new law that is forcing counties, cities and towns across the state to repeal local rules regulating guns and ammunition.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Valle execution back onBy John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott scheduled Sept. 28 as the date for the execution of convicted Miami-Dade cop killer Manuel Valle.
Fla. Supreme Court suspends embattled judge
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Florida Supreme Court is immediately suspending without pay a Central Florida judge accused of misconduct.
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