PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
More wasteful spending in Fair Districts fight
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
Excerpt: Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo issued a statement after Cannon announced his intention to appeal, articulating the big picture: “Speaker Cannon’s self-serving, taxpayer-funded crusade to defy the will of Florida voters is a case study in why Floridians are cynical about politics.” And addressing the point that taxpayers are paying legal costs on both sides of this case, he adroitly stated: “You can’t make this stuff up.” If only it were fiction.
FEATURED STORIES
Emails on Scott’s Blackberry may have been lost
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Newly released public records are showing that emails sent to a smartphone used by Gov. Rick Scott may have been lost.
Gov. Rick Scott changes the math for '700,000 jobs': Full Flop
By Becky Bowers
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact
Rick Scott, the candidate, ran on a platform of creating jobs.
Rick Scott, "Worst Governor Ever" Electee, Confirms He'll Seek Reelection in 2014
By Matthew Hendley
Broward New Times
It's no surprise by any stretch of the imagination, but Gov. Rick Scott has finally confirmed to the News Service of Florida that he's going to run for reelection in 2014.
Medicaid reform critics ramp up opposition
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Florida Public Interest Group will protest on the steps of WellCare in Tampa on Wednesday and release a report that it says shows fraudulent behavior among Medicaid health maintenance organizations in the state.
Former GOP Chairman Jim Greer says he was set up by party leaders so they could take control
By Mike Deeson
WTSP 10 News Tampa Bay
He is accused of lavish spending, forming a secret corporation, and funneling Republican Party money to his own account.
Biden visits Oakstead Elementary in Land O'Lakes, promotes American Jobs Act
By Jeffrey S. Solochek and Lisa Buie
St. Petersburg Times
Oakstead Elementary recently lost eight teachers to layoffs and is 300 students over capacity, even though the school is less than a decade old.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi calls nearly $11,000 bill for public records 'indefensible'
By Michael C. Bender and Sydney P. Freedberg
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: Friends of secrecy are no friends of Florida
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday at a meeting of the Florida Cabinet that it was "indefensible" for state Sen. Mike Fasano to receive a nearly $11,000 invoice after he requested records regarding Florida pension fund investments.
Populist Republican Senator: State Agency Has Something to Hide
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
The St. Petersburg Times was investigating an investment made by the State Board of Administration, which runs the Florida pension fund.
State GOP Picks new exec director
By Kathleen Haughney
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry named Mike Grissom as the new executive director of the state party.
Occupy Miami asks, ‘Do we live in a democracy or plutocracy?’
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Muhammad Malik, an unemployed Miami native who has worked with the ACLU and is the current spokesperson for Occupy Miami, tells The Florida Independent that Occupy members have scheduled an organizing meeting on Sunday at the Miami Workers Center.
Tell me again why we need a lieutenant governor
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
When I heard someone was calling for the impeachment of our lieutenant governor, my first reaction was laughter.
POLITICAL RACES
Scott definitely seeking re-election, promises more jobs
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
With his political account remaining open for contributions, Gov. Rick Scott made it clear today that he plans to run for re-election in 2014.
Nelson looks good in Florida
By Tom Jensen
Public Policy Polling
Every time PPP polls the Florida Senate race it's the same old story- Bill Nelson's approval numbers don't look terrribly impressive but he has a double digit lead over all of his Republican opponents anyway.
Five presidential candidates are boycotting Univision debate over Rubio
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Five Republican presidential candidates are boycotting a proposed Univision debate due to allegations that the Spanish-language media giant tried to strongarm Sen. Marco Rubio, a vice-presidential shortlister, with a controversial story about a relative.
Fla Pawlenty backers moving to Mitt Romney
By Adam C. Smitih
St. Petersburg Times
It's not yet officially confirmed but we're hearing reliable Buzz that some prominent former Tim Pawlenty supporters -- future House Speakers Will Weatherford, Chris Dorworth and Richard Corcoran -- are poised to endorse Mitt Romney for president.
Mitt Romney targets Rick Perry over Social Security during Florida campaign stop
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney returned to this vote-rich retirement complex Tuesday to reassure seniors that he would "solve and save" Social Security as president and that GOP rival Texas Gov. Rick Perry would threaten its future by letting states run it.
An absurd primary system
Editorial
Miami Herald
Critics say the decision by Florida Republican leaders to thumb their nose at the national party’s rules and elbow their way into the early presidential primary calendar next year is a mistake — an arrogant display of self-importance by egotistical pols in Tallahassee who want the spotlight for themselves.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Florida Conservation Alliance calls recent House actions a ‘nightmare for the environment’
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
In an email sent out to supporters, the Florida Conservation Alliance calls recent U.S. House actions a “nightmare for the environment,” arguing that several recently passed bills are masked as “job creators,” but are actually just “giveaways to corporate polluters.”
Fuel-stingy cars, economy put squeeze on road funds, Senate panel told
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A confluence of factors will lead to lower per capita fuel tax revenue collections in the future, and alternative funding sources must be found to pay for Florida's transportation needs, state transportation officials told a Senate panel Tuesday.
Fla. consumers to get reduced solar rebates
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Floridians finally are getting rebates they were promised for buying solar energy systems two years ago.
Concern Grows Over Plan to Drill for Oil Near Florida Keys
By Michael Deibert
Huffington Post
The news that the Spanish oil giant, Repsol, intends to begin exploratory drilling in the waters directly north of Cuba, has set off a chorus of criticism in Cuba's neighbor to the north: the United States.
LGBT
Homosexuality a choice, GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain tells co-hosts on ‘The View’
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain appeared Tuesday on ABC-TV's The View and said he believes homosexuality is a choice.
Gay Couples Seek to Become Adoptive Parents in South Florida
By Andrew Harmon
Advocate
More than 100 LGBT couples in South Florida have pending adoption cases, one year following a state court’s ruling that gay couples have the right to adopt, the Sun Sentinel reports.
EDUCATION
Vice President Biden relishes give and take with Oakstead students
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Related column: Joe Biden visits Pasco school, leaves a message: "We should do better'
Kelly Keene's fifth-graders tried to focus on their reading lesson Tuesday morning, but their attention was clearly elsewhere.
Seminole teachers say new evaluation system flawed
By Dave Weber
Orlando Sentinel
As Seminole County public school teachers negotiate their contract this school year, they are uneasy over a new state-mandated evaluation system that could, for example, cost a first-grade teacher her job because third graders did poorly in reading.
Florida House Democrats: McKay program still has flaws
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Democrats grilled a Department of Education official Tuesday and once again said a school-choice scholarship program allowed too much room for fraud.
Virtual education has Florida as leader, moving into “uncharted ground”
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Florida legislators just heard an update – nearly an hour and a half long – on the impact of bills passed last session on school vouchers and virtual education.
Obama right to give schools flexibility
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
It has long confounded education officials struggling to meet proficiency benchmarks in this era of high-stakes testing: Schools that excel in Florida under the FCAT can very often fall dangerously short under the federal No Child Left Behind guidelines.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Foreclosure problem continues to plague Florida’s economy, courts
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Rampant foreclosures remain a problem for Florida's sputtering economy, but a temporary blip in foreclosure filings is jeopardizing the state court system.
State’s recovery hits potholes as revenue from foreclosures, roads and schools lower than expected
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Economists have assured Florida lawmakers that the state faces a smooth budget road in the coming year, but Tuesday a few deep potholes emerged.
Bondi, lawmakers go after timeshare fraudsters
By Dara Kim
Palm Beach Post
Saying she’s fighting for consumers, Attorney General Pam Bondi asked lawmakers to help her tighten Florida laws to protect vacationers – especially the elderly – from timeshare resale scammers.
New study shows high income inequality slows economic growth
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A new study points to income inequality (the gap between those making most of the income and those making the least) as one of the main culprits for a country’s lagging economy.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Florida awards $172 million Medicaid data contract
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Florida has renewed a contract to manage its Medicaid Information Management System for three years and $172 million.
Changes Take Seniors By Surprise
By Brittany Davis
Health News Florida
Nearly two-thirds of seniors don't know that the Medicare enrollment period is early this year, a survey shows, and that could cost them.
State regulators predict hospice growth if state relaxes health care rules
Staff Report
Florida Current
If Florida eliminates its "certificate of need" program (CON) for health care facilities the number of hospices built in the state would increase.
A preview of health care case in court
Editorial
Florida Times-Union
Strange things were afoot last week in Florida's health care lawsuit challenging the individual mandate.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Former drug czar says Florida welfare drug testing makes no sense
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Former White House Drug Policy Coordinator Barry McCaffrey told a crowd of former and recovering addicts near Pensacola a week ago that Florida’s welfare drug testing law is a bad move.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Judge Holder’s civics lessonEditorial
Tampa Tribune
Perhaps some of the 387 people who blew off Hillsborough County jury summonses on Monday had legitimate excuses.
Find courts reliable funding
Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Florida's court system is down and out — again. What a disgrace.
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