FEATURED STORIES
Revenue outlook not rosy enough to cheer Florida lawmakers facing budget gap
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
State economists Thursday made only modest changes to their revenue forecast for the upcoming budget year, dashing hopes that an improving economy might ease a $2 billion shortfall facing Florida lawmakers.
Scott's $1 billion for schools is less than meets the eye
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott has issued a populist demand that lawmakers follow his directive to pour $1 billion more into public schools next year.
Rick Scott's budget ax targets Hillsborough women's prison
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The real-life impact of Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget cuts is hitting home as the state targets seven prisons for extinction, including all-women facilities in Hillsborough and Broward counties.
Scott signs order, bringing special districts under microscope
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott followed through Thursday on his plan to take a fresh tough look at some of Florida’s oldest governments — the 1,600 special districts that command $15.5 billion in taxpayer money.
Political Battle Brewing Over New Voter ID Laws
By Corey Dade
NPR
As the presidential campaign kicks into high gear, a fight is brewing over stricter voting laws that could affect turnout and influence general election results in battleground states.
BEST OF THE BLOGS
IG Report Whitewashes Firing of Foreclosure Fraud Investigators in Florida
By David Dayen
Firedoglake
A remarkable report from an Inspector General in Florida not only clears the state Attorney General’s office for the firings of two foreclosure fraud investigators, it accuses bloggers and advocates of dictating and controlling investigations, sometimes for nakedly personal reasons.
If Doughnuts Were Jobs: Rick Scott's State Of The State 2012
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Florida Governor Rick Scott gave his 2012 State Of The State speech this morning, but excepting some minor rhetoric, he didn't say much of anything new.
Florida Republican Muslim Declared A ‘Terrorist’ By Own Party: ‘There Was A Well-Orchestrated Campaign Against Me’
By Tanya Somanader
Think Progress
The Republican Party’s dogmatic Islamophobia is increasingly self-destructive.
The First Speech of the Rick Scott Re-Election Campaign (or Let There Be Donuts)
By Benjamin Kirby
The Spencerian
Auguste. Hospital grifter Governor Rick Scott's grandson is named Auguste. He's 8 weeks old, apparently.
Rick Scott's State Of Denial Speech Spurs Brave FL Cop Into Action (New Video)
By Daniel Tilson
West Palm Beach Liberal Examiner
In delivering his 2012 Florida State Of The State address, Governor Rick Scott kept pitching for less taxes and regulations.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Redistricting delay hurts lawmaking, voters
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers usually have more than enough to do during their annual 60-day sessions, starting with passing a state budget.
What Bondi probe didn't say
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
An outside report on Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's controversial firing of two employees who had been investigating foreclosure fraud does, and does not, vindicate Ms. Bondi.
‘Ag Gag’ passes through committee
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
An omnibus agriculture bill containing a provision written to stop animal rights activists and food justice advocates from taking pictures of farming operations in Florida passed through an agriculture committee this week.
Detert bill banning texting while driving advances
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, that bans texting while driving is on the fast track toward approval in the Senate after passing a second committee Thursday morning.
POLITICAL RACES
Stephen Colbert Enters the Presidential Race
By Lucas Shaw
Reuters
The race to be the next President of the United States might now come down to Barack Obama and…Stephen Colbert?
Laura Bush wanted Jeb to run for president in 2012
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Former first lady Laura Bush wishes there were one more candidate in the Republican presidential primary: Jeb Bush.
Latino vote crucial for Republican rivals in Fla.
By Bobby Caina Calvan
Boston Globe
Mitt Romney has aggressively established a network of surrogates within Florida’s surging Latino population, a tacit acknowledgment of the bitter lessons from his loss here in 2008 and the pivotal role the community is expected to play in the GOP’s first large-state primary later this month.
Potential VP list still starts with Rubio
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has repeatedly said he’s not running for vice president in 2012, but some in the media just can’t stop throwing him at the top of their list as potential candidates.
In Gaffney, S.C., Mitt Romney's Bain record clashes with campaign narrative
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Gayle White's antiques shop was empty, just her and a million little cups, lamp shades and dusty postcards.
Gingrich takes on Romney, immigration and Castro brothers
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Republican Newt Gingrich stopped in Miami on Thursday night to raise money, bash opponent Mitt Romney as a “Massachusetts moderate” and to position himself as the harshest critic of Cuba’s Castro regime.
BALLOT INITIATIVES
Maintain clear line between religion, state
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
The wall separating church and state has two sides: It prevents government from underwriting religion, but it also shields religion from government interference.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Renewable energy goals in cross hairs
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, in his new role as Florida's top energy official, urged lawmakers Thursday to scale back renewable energy goals to a more realistic level as they develop an energy policy for the state.
Researcher fears the unknown in Georgia-Pacific effluent
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Environmentalists and researchers have long felt fear when confronted with a proposed pipeline that will carry waste away from a Palatka paper mill and into the St. Johns River.
Should Progress Energy customers pay for new nuclear plants? A crowd in Pinellas says no
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Progress Energy customers might see even more of an increase on their electric bills by the year 2020.
LGBT
Cheers and tears as Orlando registers first gay couples
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
City Hall was filled with joyful tears, applause and even a harpist Thursday as Orlando signed up the first wave of gay couples under a domestic partnership registry adopted last month.
EDUCATION
Commissioner: Schools Need Money to Maintain Improvement
By John O'Connor
StateImpact
Florida’s falling rank on a nation education survey is evidence lawmakers need to increase school funding, state education officials said Thursday morning.
House digs into Gov. Scott's education budget
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Members of the House Education PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee reviewed Gov. Rick Scott’s education budget recommendations Thursday, and although most members applauded his newfound commitment to education spending, they criticized a plan to make nonprofit programs receiving state funding compete for grant money.
School prayer bill clears Florida Senate's Judiciary Committee
By Kathleen McGrory
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The contentious debate over school prayer is once again being played out before the Florida Legislature.
Group warns of school prayer bill’s legal problems as it moves forward
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A bill that would allow for prayer during school events passed through a state Senate Judiciary committee today.
USF Officials Vow to Seek Independence for Poly
By Mary Toothman
Lakeland Ledger
University of South Florida leaders made it clear Thursday they are dedicated to a State University System of Florida Board of Governors plan for independence for the Lakeland Polytechnic.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Attorney general throws wrench into slot-machine referendums statewide
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an opinion Thursday that could lead the state to reject proposals for slot machines at pari-mutuel facilities outside Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
PIP reforms clear first committee hurdle
By Aaron Deslatte
South Florida Sun Sentinel
A House committee advanced major changes to Florida's no-fault auto insurance law Wednesday, approving a bill that would require auto policies to cover only emergency care and services rendered within three days of a wreck.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
As the debate goes on, health care reform is already happeningBy Barbara Peters Smith
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Even though a federal mandate for near-universal health insurance coverage is still two years away, the 2010 Affordable Care Act is already changing how treatment decisions are made, three panelists agreed at Wednesday’s meeting of the Sarasota Tiger Bay Club.
State fights Medicaid mandate in health care reform
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Florida led 25 other states on Tuesday in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the health care reform law’s mandatory state expansion of Medicaid, which they argue is coercive.
Senate committee stalls hospital sale bill while a House subcommittee passes it unanimously
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater or a circuit court judge?
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