PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
Progressive powerhouse Darden Rice now helping to lead ‘Protect Your Care’
By Peter Schorsch
St. Petersblog 2.0
Excerpt: She is now a staff member at Progress Florida leading the communications effort in Florida for the national ‘Protect Your Care’ campaign.
The Blu Vu September 19th Weekly Show
By Gayle Andrews
The Blu Vu: Florida's Political Reality Show
Show highlights: Gaetz gets the GOP nod in the Senate, Audry Gibson is a senator now, casinos are billion dollar babies and healthcare for the needy is a no no for Rick Scott.
AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS
Best of the Bay 2011: People, Places & Politics
Creative Loafing Tampa
BEST ACTIVIST GROUP
The Awake the State Movement
An amalgamation of activist groups and organized labor, the movement — inspired by the reality that Florida had actually lost its collective mind and elected Rick Scott as governor — was a powerful display of protests that showed that Democrats maybe, just maybe, aren’t dead yet in Florida.
FEATURED STORIES
GOP debate questions who's conservative, who's electable
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Related: Perry, Romney brawl in Florida
Related: Fact Check: Debate filled with slippery assertions
Related: A look at key moments in the GOP debate
As Florida Republicans assembled for a close look at their presidential candidates Thursday, Social Security, jobs and the performance of President Barack Obama dominated in speeches and a candidates' debate.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll says Christians persecuted politically
By Michael C. Bender and Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll gave a rip-roaring, 6½-minute speech Thursday that could substitute as a Sunday morning sermon at most any evangelical church.
Florida second in nation in mass layoffs in August
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Florida had the second highest number of mass layoff actions in the nation during the month of August, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics summary released today.
Gaetz sets out firm guidelines as redistricting panel starts process
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
The state senator leading the redistricting process said Thursday that he wants "no surprises" as his panel begins the process of drawing maps.
GOP lawmakers angered over federal request for profit cap in state Medicaid reform
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
During a committee hearing yesterday, GOP members expressed outrage with the federal government for its request that the state include a “medical loss ratio” in its Medicaid Reform Pilot.
BEST OF THE BLOGS
Is Florida Ready to Pave Over Paradise after Decimating the Department of Community Affairs?
By R.S. Pienta
Florida Progressive Coalition
The state Department of Community Affairs will no longer exist in Florida after this year.
Florida Governor Rick Scott Aiming at University Tenure
By Lisa Roney
Daily Kos
I am a tenured associate professor at one of the largest (though, let me emphasize, not one of the highest ranked) public universities in the U.S. How can I explain why it is that this often makes me want to cry?
Know Your Care: Students Get Educated
By Benjamin Kirby
The Spencerian
I was lamenting the Alex Leary and Adam C. Smith piece in the St. Petersburg Times dated today: Florida independent voters who supported Barack Obama in 2008 looking for another change.
New Tourism Slogan for Florida: Get sick from Florida's filthy waters, and we will cover all
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
When 16 year old Courtney Nash died a few weeks ago from an infection contracted while swimming in the St. Johns River, I resolved that the state legislature pass the Courtney Nash Act -- just like the Ryan White Act -- to require all Republican legislators to put their children in the water and swim, before the start of the legislative session, where Courtney Nash died.
Another Contrived Crisis for Profit: Exploiting the US Postal Service and Its Workers
By Bruce Seaman
Daily Marion
The arguments all make so much sense; the digital era has eroded the business model of the US Postal Service (USPS) and a grand old institution is nearing the end of its life cycle.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Public to get 'second bite' at Fla. redistricting
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
A state Senate leader is promising the public will get at "second bite" at Florida's redistricting lines once proposed legislative and congressional maps are drawn.
Florida GOP expected to pick new chairman on today
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Republicans gathering in Orlando will pick a new party chairman on Friday.
Shades of Latvala revolt color new committee tussle over expressway authority plan
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A fight over the "right" way to produce laws that helped wreck the end of this past legislative session is threatening to bleed into the next one.
Legislator tours Singapore casino, readies push to bring one to Florida
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
State Sen. Rene Garcia spent his summer vacation doing research — at one of the World's largest gambling resorts in Singapore.
POLITICAL RACES
At Orlando GOP debate, Republican candidates aim barbs at Obama
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Republican presidential candidates battling in Orlando on Thursday spent less time fighting one another and more going after President Barack Obama and his policies than in previous debates.
Poll: Romney's Social Security strategy not hurting Perry among Florida GOP
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
A new poll of Florida voters suggests that Mitt Romney's hammering of Rick Perry on Social Security may be a better strategy for a general election than it is for the Republican presidential primary.
Rick Perry's Florida Co-Chair: Gays Cause Tornadoes
By Tim Murphy
Mother Jones
Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his leadership team for the "Presidency 5" straw poll in Florida, scheduled for October.
Multimillionaire Mitt Romney Tells Miami Audience He's Middle Class
By Kyle Munzenrieder
Miami New Times
Miami has been hit hard by unemployment, mass layoffs, and foreclosures.
Religion a key issue for GOP candidates, delegates
By Bob Rathgeber
Florida Today
Rick Perry took to the pulpit at a football stadium in Texas earlier this summer and preached to a crowd of 30,000.
Florida primary date panel holding first meeting
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A special committee that will pick Florida's presidential primary date is holding its first meeting.
Fla. Senate candidates to address conservatives
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Four Republican Senate candidates will participate in a forum hosted by a conservative group.
Haridopolos fears a Dole '96 re-do; sitting on $2 million from Senate run
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Florida Senate President Mike Haridpolos dropped by the P5 media room and we asked if he's settled on candidate.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Agriculture official warns House panel that water wars possible
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A state agricultural official warned a House committee Wednesday of looming water wars involving farmers while an environmental group representative urged the Legislature to revisit spending cuts to water management districts.
LGBT
GOP Debate Audience Members Make Fools of Themselves by Booing Gay Soldier
By Matthew Hendley
Broward New Times
Another GOP presidential debate in Florida last night apparently presented the opportunity for audience members to make asses of themselves on national television again, this time by booing a gay soldier stationed in Iraq.
Ros-Lehtinen of Miami becomes first Republican in Congress to co-sponsor law to repeal Defense of Marriage Act
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Two major gay political organizations have announced that U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami has become the first Republican co-sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act.
EDUCATION
Obama lifts 'stifling' parts of No Child law; Florida seeking waiver
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
The Obama administration will grant states relief from the "stifling" parts of the often-criticized federal No Child Left Behind law if they pursue the serious education reforms the White House advocates, officials announced Thursday evening.
Republicans say education department should go
Associated Press
Florida Times-Union
The Republican presidential contenders say vast parts of the Department of Education would be on the chopping block — if not completely shut down.
Florida lawmakers should listen to the experts on education, Sen. Fasano says
By Jeff Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
First came the call to listen to students. Now comes a proposal to give Florida's education experts more of a voice when it comes to changing the state's schooling systems.
Colleges in Florida worry for bricks and mortar
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
Ask almost any college president what their biggest concern is going into next legislative session and the short but probably surprising answer is "PECO."
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Florida pension funds take $30 million hit as big banks profit
By Sydney P. Freedberg
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's giant pension fund took a $30 million hit from 2001-2010 because of lax oversight by a state agency and questionable trading practices by two large banks hired to safeguard the fund, records show.
Workforce Central Florida leaders resign
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Three of four senior leaders of Workforce Central Florida resigned Thursday, as did seven board members, in response to Gov. Rick Scott's call to purge the labor agency accused of mismanaging federal tax dollars.
Industry associations sue Labor Department over requiring more pay for imported workers
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
Trade organizations around the nation, including several that represent Florida firms, are suing the U.S. Department of Labor, demanding that it not raise the wages that must be paid to thousands of foreign guest workers imported every year.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Students show support for Affordable Care Act
By Gilda-Rae Grell
University of South Florida Oracle
USF students teamed up with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and a nonprofit organization to educate others on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
State senator introduces 2012 session’s first anti-abortion bill
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, has introduced the first anti-abortion bill to be considered by the Florida Legislature in its 2012 session.
Troubled Miami-Dade ALF finally shut down
By Michael Sallah and Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
After years of rampant abuse, Miami-Dade’s most troubled assisted living facility is shutting down, ending years of frustration by elder advocates to close the home and move its frail residents to other facilities.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Drug Testing Welfare Recipients
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Legislation to repeal drug testing for welfare recipients faces an uphill battle.
South Florida Democrat calls for legislative delegation to take position on immigration
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
State Rep. Luis Garcia Jr., D-Miami, called on state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, R-Miami, to schedule a Miami-Dade legislative delegation meeting to consider taking a unified position on immigration.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Private Prison Plan to CourtBy Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
A plan to let a private company operate a dozen state prisons in South west Florida will get a crucial hearing next week.
Georgia execution shows that vengeance is alive in well in America
By Daniel Ruth
St. Petersburg Times
Maybe he was no saint. But to opponents of the death penalty, Troy Davis has become a martyr sacrificed on an altar of indifference to common sense, fair play and ultimately justice.
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