FEATURED STORIES
Hospitals, lawmakers oppose Gov. Rick Scott's budget plan to cut Medicaid
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to pay less to hospitals to control spiraling Medicaid costs drew skepticism from some lawmakers and hostility from hospitals Thursday.
Most of Gov. Scott’s $1 billion for education goes to fill shortfall
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
In unveiling his budget Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott highlighted his call for $1 billion in new education spending for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, but most of that “extra” spending would fill an anticipated shortfall in K-12 funds.
Scott budget sweeps banking and insurance trust funds
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Banking and insurance regulators will have to do more with less if Gov. Rick Scott is able to persuade lawmakers to sweep $57 million in trust funds from state regulators.
House maps create more compact districts, some competition
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
If a goal of the proponents of the Fair Districts amendments was to make legislative seats more competitive and diverse, the House redistricting maps released this week may inch closer to that ideal.
Gingrich's Florida organization gels as poll shows him leading Romney in state
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Newt Gingrich's surge to the top of Republican presidential polls might seem improbable to those who remember his 1998 flameout as House speaker or his 2008 love-seat appearance with Nancy Pelosi or this year's implosion of his political organization while his campaign was languishing in single digits.
BEST OF THE BLOGS
Florida Budget Said to Highlight Education Dramatically Cuts Education
By Benjamin Kirby
The Spencerian
Florida's Governor, the hospital grifter Rick Scott said just yesterday: "In spite of this bleak budget picture, I am committed to increasing Florida's investment in the education of our young people."
Law Makers Have to Live With Consequences of Their Own Gun Laws
By Trish Ponder
Pensito Review
Guns were king during the last couple of legislative sessions in Florida.
The Urban Development Boundary: yesterday at the County Commission
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
I wish there were some way to hard-wire the facts of suburban sprawl-- and how it wrecked the economy-- to the citizens inhabiting the sad tent city outside County Hall, Occupy Miami.
Congressional Redistricting, Take Two. The Florida House weighs in.
By Steve Schale
Steve Schale
Last week, the Florida Senate unveiled its first run at a Congressional map, as well as a proposed State Senate plan, and today, the Florida House joined suit, though in quite an unconventional way---by laying out seven different Congressional proposals and five different State House proposals.
Gov. Rick Scott Admits The Amazon Tax Loophole Is ‘Not Fair,’ Wants To Keep It Anyway
By Zaid Jilani
Think Progress
There is currently a special loophole in the tax codes of most states that allows online retailers like Amazon.com and Overstock.com to avoid charging the very same sales tax that brick-and-mortar stores are required to collect from customers.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Top Florida Republicans come out against casinos
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam are joining those opposing a plan to bring mega-casinos to South Florida.
When 'Daily Show' asks Attorney General Pam Bondi to pee in a cup, she hands them a cup
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Attorney General Pam Bondi was ready when Daily Show personality Aasif Mandvi approached her Thursday in the Capitol.
Protestors sought meeting with Rubio
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
After three days of waiting for a meeting with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a delegation that’s been lingering in the Florida senator’s office finally decamped for Miami.
Scalping bill stalled amid price gouging protests
By Tia Mitchell
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A proposal in the Legislature to allow customers to purchase and then resell an unlimited number of tickets to sporting and arts events has stalled over protests about price gouging.
POLITICAL RACES
Florida insiders expect GOP nominating contest to extend beyond state's primary
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Florida all but clinched the Republican presidential nomination for John McCain in January 2008 and state leaders set a similarly early primary for 2012 with the goal of again ensuring outsized influence for Sunshine State Republicans.
Romney strikes back as poll shows Gingrich ahead in GOP race
Staff Report
Tampa Tribune
Newt Gingrich is no longer just the Republican "flavor of the month."
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Florida regulators approve water pollution rule
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
State regulators on Thursday approved a pair of water pollution rules that are being administratively challenged by environmentalists who say they are too weak to stop algae blooms that are choking Florida's waters.
Arctic Explorer Steger Treks to Warn about Climate Change
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
Arctic explorer Will Steger is parking his dogsled to speak out across the country about the threat of climate change - and he says there's no mistaking what he's seen on his many journeys.
LGBT
Furious gay GOP conservatives out Rick Perry/Rick Scott pollster Tony Fabrizio of Miami Beach
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Jimmy LaSalvia and Chris Barron, co-founders of GOProud, the Washington, D.C.-based group of gay conservative Republicans, have outed Tony Fabrizio, the Miami Beach-based pollster for Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, according to gay blog Towleroad.
EDUCATION
Despite objections, passing the FCAT likely to get tougher
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Passing the FCAT is about to get harder.
University President Faces Reprimand in Hazing Investigation
Associated Press
New York Times
Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees voted Thursday to reprimand the school’s president rather than place him on leave after the death of a band member in an episode that detectives say was related to hazing.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
High court to mull role of bad papers in foreclosures
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Supreme Court said Thursday it will rule on an already settled Palm Beach County foreclosure case because the opinion could impact the "mortgage foreclosure crisis throughout this state."
Senate panel to draft Internet sales tax bill
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Finance and Tax intends to come out with a proposal to implement a sales tax on Internet purchases next month.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Grand jury calls for tougher regulation of assisted living facilities
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
A grand jury from Miami-Dade County investigating abuses at assisted living facilities issued a final report on Thursday, calling for an overhaul of state regulations.
ALF watchdog: I was dumped for doing my job
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Volunteer watchdog Bill Hearne predicted he’d be fired when he told a roomful of colleagues that their program was being deliberately dismantled by Tallahassee bosses who had become too cozy with the nursing home and assisted living facility industries they oversee.
Hospital cuts pushed by Scott come under fire
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
The biggest hospitals in the largest cities are some of the biggest losers under a new plan to reimburse hospitals for treating the poor, uninsured and elderly that Gov. Rick Scott unveiled as part of his 2012-13 $66.4 billion budget.
Scott budget seeks to resurrect prison health care watchdog
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott's budget proposal seeks to resurrect an independent watchdog to oversee health care services in state prisons.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
GOP Senate candidate says he opposes immigration detention center for South Florida
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
GOP Senate candidate George LeMieux issued a statement today opposing a publicly funded, privately managed immigration detention center to built in South Florida.
County should defy law-ignoring Scott on guns
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County commissioners ought to dare Gov. Rick Scott to remove them from office and fine them each $5,000.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Judge affirms union can sue over Fla. drug testingAssociated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A federal judge has affirmed a labor union's right to challenge Florida Gov. Rick Scott's order for drug testing state employees.
No comments:
Post a Comment