Daily Clips for December 27, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Controversy in Rick Scott’s jobs pledge
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Ending his first year in office, Gov. Rick Scott points to the creation of more than 120,000 new jobs in the state in 2011 as a significant step toward fulfilling his signature campaign promise to create 700,000 new jobs over seven years.

Courts Push Back Against GOP Agenda
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
When Republicans returned to Tallahassee in 2011 with the Legislature firmly under control and a solidly conservative governor taking over for the moderate Charlie Crist, they were emboldened to push an aggressive agenda.

Florida GOP to judge: Don't make party CFO answer Greer's questions
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
The Republican Party of Florida is asking a judge to bar ousted party chairman Jim Greer from asking wide-ranging questions of its chief financial officer, Richard Swarttz, saying he's an accountant and as such, the information he knows about party finances is privileged.

Big Florida political stories to watch in 2012
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
It's a journalistic tradition to recap noteworthy stories of the year in the final week.

While focus is now Iowa, GOP can't sleep on Florida
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
The attention may be focused on the Republican presidential contests around the corner in Iowa and New Hampshire, but the candidates ignore what's under way in Florida at their peril.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jeff Parker
Florida Today
Artist's commentary: Be All The Earlier

FLORIDA POLITICS

Fla. Gov. Scott has same goals, new approach
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott is going into his second legislative session with the same priorities - creating jobs and making the state more business friendly - and a new approach.

Gov. Rick Scott and Republican leaders may be moving toward political middle
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
After an amped-up year of major policy changes, Gov. Rick Scott and Republican leaders may be moving toward the political middle - a stance many say is a sure sign that a major election season is approaching.

Bondi's meteoric ascent
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Related: Poised to make a move?
In September, when Mitt Romney opened his Tampa campaign headquarters, one other speaker shared his stage, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Election law changes may be confusing absentee voters
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Absentee ballots for the Republican presidential primary will start hitting the mail Tuesday, but thousands of Florida voters who think they've signed up to get one may be surprised.

Despite calls for clarity, some state laws remain muddled
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A series of “gray areas” in Florida’s statutes have left some issues in a state of legal limbo, causing confusion among residents and local governments trying to abide by and enforce the law, respectively.

POLITICAL RACES

Political insiders say Sen. Bill Nelson likely to win third term
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
One reason Florida's U.S. Senate race has yet to capture much attention and excitement?

GOP convention's afterglow may linger
By Ted Jackovics
Tampa Tribune
Millions of dollars and months of preparation focus on four days in August when tens of thousands of delegates, media, protesters and hangers-on will join Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and friends at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Gingrich's assault on divided powers
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The prospect of Newt Gingrich as president grows more ominous each time the boisterous Republican candidate opens his mouth.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

In Florida, whose water is it, anyway?
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
The next time you go to your kitchen faucet for a drink, think about who owns that water.

2012 Session Outlook: Real Estate and Growth Management
By Bruce Ritchie and Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
During its 2011 session the Legislature eliminated the Florida Department of Community Affairs and made sweeping changes to growth management law.

Cuba’s oil plans raise red flags
By Melissa Bert
Miami Herald
Scarabeo-9 is en route Cuban to waters, 70 miles from Florida.

Plan for a cleaner Gulf of Mexico, healthier region
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The Obama administration did the nation — and Florida in particular — a great service by putting forth an ambitious plan to restore the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida Looks for Curbs on Some Legless Invaders
By Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
To live in South Florida is to make peace with flying cockroach behemoths, brigades of lizards that dart across walls (bedroom and otherwise) and frogs the size of cannonballs that loiter on driveways.

LGBT

Many expected to register relationships in Orlando
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Gay advocates expect a rush of same-sex couples at City Hall when this central Florida city's new domestic-partnership registry opens next month.

EDUCATION

Bill would require transparency in charter school management
By Kathleen McGrory and Scott Hiaasen
Miami Herald
A Miami lawmaker wants public charter schools to be more transparent.

The end of P.E. in public school?
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
There's a move afoot in the legislature to do away with mandatory physical education classes in middle school.

State of Florida defends its denial of tuition waivers for homeless
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post
Last December, about 40 homeless people who were living at The Lord's Place were taking classes at Palm Beach State College. This year, there are eight.

Scott, FAMU rift only the latest incident in rocky 50-year relationship
By Kathleen Haughney and Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott was furious about what was going on at Florida A&M University.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Upcoming PSC hearing on Progress Energy's $2.5 billion repair bill is unprecedented
By Ivan Penn
St. Petersburg Times
Over the next six months, five people will hear and weigh a decision that will determine how much of a $2.5 billion repair bill Progress Energy Florida's customers will have to pay.

Economic prognosticators foresee (somewhat) happy new year for Florida
Staff Report
Orlando Sentinel
Across the forecasting spectrum, from academics to some government watchers to industry groups, there's a cautious optimism about Florida's economy in the new year.

Tax Scam: The Florida Real Estate Connection
By Les Coleman and Deb Courson Smith
Public News Service Florida
The Miami Herald reports that Florida is the number one state in the country for international residential real estate sales, with almost one-third of the nation's foreign-backed property transactions.

Illegal workers pay taxes, won't benefit
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
While many Americans believe that illegal immigrants don't pay taxes, the Social Security Administration sees billions of dollars flow into its coffers every year that have been deducted from paychecks issued to undocumented workers using false names and phony Social Security numbers - money those workers will almost certainly never see again.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Loss of stimulus funds imperils social services
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Throughout the recession and economic hangover, Florida social-services advocates have warned that budget woes could unravel the safety net that supports millions of low-income families, seniors trying to stay in their homes, and people with debilitating illnesses or disabilities.

New 'med mal' reform proposal gets attention
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida has long been at the vanguard of state-level public policy innovations, so it's not surprising that a new group called Patients for Fair Compensation is pushing here for transformative changes to the medical malpractice system.

New polling suggests public can be swayed on health care reform mandate
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
According to new polling, the majority of Americans do not have definite positions on a health care reform provision requiring everyone to have health insurance.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

2012 Session Outlook: Justice and the Courts
By Travis Pillow and Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
As in previous years, lawmakers are coming into the 2012 session with a host of measures aimed at limiting civil lawsuits.

Rothstein says he bribed cops and politicians, associated with the mob
By Jon Bursein
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Convicted fraudster Scott Rothstein said he paid off law enforcement officers, judges and local politicians as he handed off about $1 million in bribes, according to attorneys who sat through his extraordinary testimony the past two weeks.