Daily Clips for November 4, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Politicians are politely avoiding the Tea Party Convention
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Excerpt: Liberals say the depiction of Tea Parties as "extremists" – especially on issues like immigration – is prompting candidates to keep their distance. "A lot of politicians are worried about being painted by that association, especially as we get into the real meat of the election cycle," said Mark Ferrulo executive director of [Progress Florida.]

FEATURED STORIES

Nelson demands probe of new voting laws
By Erika Bolstad and William Douglas
Miami Herald
Related: Congressional Democrats seek to curb tough state voter-screening laws
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson on Thursday asked the Justice Department to probe whether new voting laws passed in his own state and more than a dozen others were part of a coordinated effort to suppress voter turnout among millions of people in next year’s presidential election.

Solantic looks to soften impact of move to Nashville
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Related: Does Solantic’s exit from Florida reflect badly on Gov. Scott?
Solantic, the chain of urgent-care clinics Gov. Rick Scott founded — and which just announced plans to move its headquarters from Jacksonville to Nashville, took steps Thursday to downplay the impact of the decision on Florida jobs.

State appeals welfare drug testing decision
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The state today filed an appeal to the court decision halting enforcement of the state’s controversial welfare drug testing law.

Scott administration moves forward with prison privatization despite court ruling
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott‘s administration has re-opened bids on privatizating prisons in an 18-county region in southern Florida despite a recent court ruling that the way lawmakers ordered the privatization plan is unconstitutional.

Florida's big water polluters win again
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Why is the federal government continuing to reward Florida for dragging its feet on cleaning up dirty waters?

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Socialized Pollution
By Linda Young
Eye on Miami
How would you like your government to tell all of the major polluters in your community (sewage plants, paper mills, phosphate facilities, chemical plants, etc.) that they can dump their pollution in your local waters forever and never have to account for what comes out of their pipes?

FL Teacher Faces $1000 Fine for Registering Students to VOTE!
By SemDem
Daily Kos
New Smyrna Beach High School Jill Cicciarelli is an excellent civics teacher who has been teaching for many years.

“The Banks Got Bailed Out the People Got Sold Out”
By Jon Thompson
One Miami Now blog
That was just one of the chants you heard today if you went to the Bank of America building in downtown Miami.

What's In A Name? St. Petersburg Times Becomes Tampa Bay Times
By Benjamin Kirby
The Spencerian
Okay, before I get in to this, let me just say that I am about fifty percent ambivalent on the St. Petersburg Times becoming the Tampa Bay Times, with about ten percent of me not liking it for sentimental reasons, and another five percent thinking it's a dopey name because Tampa Bay is a body of water.

New Chamber “Jobs” Agenda Continues War on Unemployed
By Bruce Seaman
Daily Marion
The Florida Chamber of Commerce has unveiled its new “Jobs Agenda” which of course won’t create any jobs except for lobbyists, like term limited legislators looking for a fat paycheck while the state pension clock ticks.

FLORIDA POLITICS

What is the Justice Department doing about Southern voting rights?
By Chris Kromm
Facing South
It's no secret: Over the last year, state legislatures -- largely those run by Republicans -- have taken up and in many cases passed a series of laws that create new obstacles for voters, especially historically disenfranchised voters and Democrats.

Fla. state Senator’s call to check Hispanic voters’ citizenship continues to draw fire
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
Two weeks after Sen. Alan Hays’ controversial remarks on the possibility of a Congressional district meant to give Latinos an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice, Hispanic lawmakers are continuing to hammer the Umatilla Republican and call for his removal from a key committee.

Scott plans 'workday' at the Port of Miami
Associated Press
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott is spending one of his "workdays" at the Port of Miami.

Hey, Gov. Scott, down here!
By Sue Carlton
St. Petersburg Times
Hey, Gov. Rick Scott. Down here. It's us, Tampa Bay.

Casino bill sponsors fight back against anti-gaming forces
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Lawmakers sponsoring the casino-gambling bill fought back Thursday against groups opposing the bill, saying they want to reform -- not necessarily expand -- gaming in Florida.

Jones picked as Senate point man on professional deregulation
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, told members of the Senate Republican Caucus on Wednesday that Sen. Dennis Jones, R-St. Petersburg, will be the point man for a revived professional deregulation measure.

State senator says she will look out for ‘right-wing agenda’ in 2012 legislative session
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State Sen. Nan Rich told reporters at the Associated Press Florida Legislative Planning Session that she is concerned the GOP-led Legislature will continue to push “right-wing” legislation in the upcoming legislative session.

POLITICAL RACES

Cain struggles to overcome allegations controversy
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain struggled to overcome the storm of controversy from sexual harassment accusations on Thursday as the threat of a damaging written statement by one of his accusers and his own shifting explanations left his efforts and even his candidacy in doubt.

Tampa hoteliers deny inflating rates for RNC convention
By William March
Tampa Tribune
The head of the local hoteliers association denied Thursday that its members are seeking inflated rates for rooms during the 2012 Republican National Convention, and said the group has seen no evidence to justify the convention host committee's request for lower rates and higher booking fees.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Wasserman Schultz 'sounding alarm' on personhood movement, rips Romney
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz tore into the movement to place "personhood" amendments on state ballots, including Florida, calling the effort "the most extreme assualt on a woman's right to choose in a generation."

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Mixed reception in Washington for Everglades refuge
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
A proposed wildlife refuge north of Lake Okeechobee that is a big piece of the Obama administration’s shifting Everglades restoration strategy got a mixed reception Thursday on Capitol Hill.

Commission moving toward adoption of proposed water quality rules
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Florida Environmental Regulation Commission members heard presentations and public comments Thursday on proposed new water quality standards without appearing to raise major concerns that would prevent their adoption in December.

Port of Miami tunnel drilling postponed
By Andres Viglucci
Miami Herald
The start of drilling for the $1 billion Port of Miami tunnel, scheduled for next week, has been held up temporarily by a Key Biscayne councilman who, apparently acting on his own, filed a last-minute letter with the state erroneously suggesting the village was considering a legal challenge to the project on environmental grounds.

Seahorses may be heading toward decline
By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun Sentinel
They are whimsical symbols of the beach, appearing on key chains, murals, logos and postcards.

EDUCATION

Education cuts felt in test results
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Education isn't free. And the failure to spend enough on public education can be expensive, indeed.

UCF private-fundraising drive part of a national trend
By Denise-Marie Balona
Orlando Sentinel
At University of Central Florida, President John Hitt wants to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from alumni and others in hopes of hiring faculty, expanding the library and paying for other needed projects, in part to help offset steep cutbacks by the Florida Legislature.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Senate GOP Puts Protecting Millionaires Before Creating Jobs (Again)
The Progress Report
Think Progress
The third time was not the charm today when it came to persuading Senate Republicans to abandon their never-ending quest to prevent the wealthiest Americans from having to pay their fair share and to instead join with Democrats to put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work.

Fla. businesses to pay out more for unemployment
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida's businesses that are already grappling with the toll of the recession and a high unemployment rate could get hit with a massive tax hike next year.

SunRail closes deal on tracks
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
The state bought 61 miles of track today from the CSX railroad company for $150 million.

Calculating revenue from new casinos is complicated
By Nick Sortal
Orlando Sentinel
The two legislators who filed bills that would add three "destination" casinos in South Florida say their proposal is about many issues. But there's one it isn't about: Money.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

AARP latest to weigh in against state’s Medicaid overhaul
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
AARP became the latest organization to fire off a letter urging federal authorities to reject the vast Medicaid overhaul approved by the state’s Republican-ruled Legislature last spring.

High court may take Florida health case next week
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
The Supreme Court will almost certainly hear Florida's legal challenge to federal health care reform, according to a panel of legal scholars who spoke Thursday at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative political power that has led opposition to the law.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida Tea Party Convention rescinds invitation to Muslim organization
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Hassan Shibly of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been disinvited by organizers of the upcoming Florida Tea Party Convention.

Fla. Senate panel proposes child protection bill
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Casey Anthony could have gotten up to 20 years behind bars instead of just four for lying to police who were investigating the disappearance of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, under a bill proposed Thursday in the Florida Senate.

Marco Rubio uses Senate platform to call attention to human trafficking
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
In Immokalee, a dozen Hispanics spent long days in the fields then were forced to sleep in a rental truck.

Worried about detention center planned in Southwest Ranches? Get details on Saturday
By Susannah Bryan
South Florida Sun Sentinel
People can learn more about a controversial immigration detention center that might be built in Southwest Ranches during a 10:30 a.m. meeting Saturday at Southwest Regional Library, 16835 Sheridan St. in Pembroke Pines.