Daily Clips for December 13, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Taking Root in Unlikely Soil, Occupy Florida Gains Momentum
By Mattea Kramer
The Nation
The Florida Department of Children and Families dwindled to little more than computer kiosks, where low-income residents sign up for food stamps.

Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget includes $2.1 billion cut in Medicaid
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
When Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his proposed $66.4 billion budget last week, many people in the capital and around the state cast it as schools versus hospitals.

Brain drain? Many young South Floridians seek brighter economic prospects elsewhere
By Deborah Acosta
Miami Herald
When Christina Caldwell moved back to her native Miami after living out west for six years, she planned to remain.

Civic-minded teacher snared by new election law
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
Dawn Quarles' fate rests in the hands of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Florida group at the center of Lowe’s, All-American Muslim controversy
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
The home improvement chain Lowe’s has been hit with a popular backlash following its decision to pull ads from TLC’s All-American Muslim, a reality show centering on the lives of Muslims living in a Detroit suburb.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Sen. Bill Nelson says hearing scheduled on new election laws
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
A U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on new elections laws approved by Florida and several other states was scheduled for Jan. 27 in Tampa, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson announced Monday.

Legislative committee backs ban on texting while driving
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Florida drivers: Can u drive & txt?

Former state House speaker Thrasher speaks out
By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The former speaker of the Florida House talked about the redistricting process, the governor's proposed budget and some legislative priorities for 2012.

Occupy Tampa protests Super PACs at Tampa accounting office
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
A Tampa accounting firm services over 40 Political Action Committees.

POLITICAL RACES

Newt Gingrich calling Palestinians are 'an invented people' rankles some in Jacksonville
By Matt Soergel
Florida Times-Union
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s comments that Palestinians are “an invented people” has raised eyebrows among Jacksonville’s sizeable community of people who call themselves Palestinian-Americans.

Long-shot GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson says he won't give up
By Ben Montgomery
St. Petersburg Times
Gary Johnson is angry, though you wouldn't necessarily know it because Gary Johnson doesn't look like an angry man.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Bill would create alternative review option for larger developments
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill filed last week by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Community Affairs would create an alternative review process supported by developers for certain large development projects that remain subject to state review.

Oil drilling off Cuba prompts talks in region
By Erika Bolstad
McClatchy News Service
As Cuba embarks on a new round of exploratory offshore drilling, U.S. officials are slightly more enlightened about the island nation’s plans in the event of a catastrophic oil spill on the scale of last year’s Deepwater Horizon explosion.

Florida bill pushes drilling in old wells
By Mary Wozniak
Ft. Myers News-Press
A bill sponsored by a Naples state representative would give a tax break to companies that go back to drill in abandoned oil wells or drill new wells in fields that are more than 30 years old.

Gulf Power argues for rate hike
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
Saying it delayed a rate increase as long as possible, Gulf Power Co. on Monday began trying to convince state regulators that customers should pay an additional $93.5 million a year for electricity.

LGBT

Gays praise Orlando's approval of partner registry
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando's gay community celebrated Monday as the city became the first in Central Florida to recognize the relationships of same-sex couples.

EDUCATION

Florida graduation rates soar, but there's a catch
By Ron Matus
St. Petersburg Times
The Florida Department of Education announced a record-high graduation rate of 80.1 percent Monday, prompting school districts around the state to celebrate.

Skip new FCAT standard: Don't raise 'cut' scores without knowing why scores plummet in high school
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson, on the job 17 weeks, wants to be even tougher on Florida high school students than his advisory groups have recommended.

Brogan: It's time to revamp Fla. university system
By Kevin D. Thompson
Palm Beach Post
In a rapidly changing economy, Florida must reinvent its university system by placing a greater emphasis on graduating students in science, technology, engineering and math, State University Chancellor Frank Brogan said Monday.

J.D. Alexander's petulant politics
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
There are no limits to Sen. J.D. Alexander's petulance.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida Tourism Industry Saw Modest Growth During 2011
By Mitch Stacy
Associated Press
A flood of new visitors from Brazil and a stunning post-oil-spill rebound by Panhandle beaches were bright spots in 2011 for a Florida tourism industry that has weathered some hard times the past couple of years.

Fla. cities again push legislature to revise law requiring extra benefits for police, firefighters
By John Kennedy and Bill DiPaolo
Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County cities will join others across Florida to push the Legislature next month to revamp what has been a costly pension requirement for cities since it was promoted by then Gov. Jeb Bush for firefighters and police.

Genting: Our Miami casino won’t be the largest in the world
By Douglas Hanks
Miami Herald
The Malaysian company pushing for a massive resort on the Miami waterfront said Monday it does not want to put the world’s largest casino there, calling that idea a “myth.”

Republicans Who Said Yes to War Spending Now Say No to Job-Creating Investments Here at Home
The Progress Report
Think Progress
In the coming days, President Obama will keep his promise to bring a responsible end to the nearly nine-year long Iraq War.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medicaid care hit or miss: report
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
A consumer-group report released today on the Medicaid Pilot -- the model for a now-pending statewide program -- says some plans gave a lot of primary care, while others gave almost none.

Inspections decline as elder watchdogs are muzzled
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Related editorial: Step it up, AHCA
For five weeks, the leaders of Florida’s assisted-living watchdog group pondered what to do with volunteer advocate Bill Hearne.

Florida bill seeks to rein in liposuctions
By Bob LaMendola
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The deaths of four South Florida mothers in their 30s during liposuction procedures helped spark legislation to make the beauty procedure safer, officials said Monday.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida activists fear potential 'chaos' if Supreme Court allows states to bolster immigration laws
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
A change in U.S. policy recently spared Port St. Lucie immigration activist Manuel Guerra from deportation to Mexico.

Immigration important in 2012 elections, not so much in Florida’s legislative session
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
While some news outlets reported over the weekend that immigration enforcement will be at the center of the 2012 election season, others say it will not play an important role during Florida’s upcoming 2012 legislative session.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

South Fla. man uses Stand Your Ground defense
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A South Florida man has successfully used the state's Stand Your Ground law to escape first-degree murder charges.

Convicted Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein "naming names" in deposition
By Jon Burstein
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Ponzi schemer who was once the toast of Fort Lauderdale reappeared Monday morning from the shadow of federal protective custody, offering closed-door testimony to how he pulled off the $1.4 billion fraud.

Appeal court hears arguments in barrel racing case
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The 1st District Court of Appeal will decide whether to halt barrel races in Gretna while an administrative challenge works its way through the process, after hearing oral arguments in the case Monday in Tallahassee.