Daily Clips for January 4, 2012

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Florida activists plan rallies in Tampa, St. Pete and throughout the state on the first day of the legislative session
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing
Excerpt: There are 19 such events currently scheduled across the state…organizers are calling out Scott's proposals to find $2 billion in cuts to the state's budget, which they say will focus disproportionately on health care reductions for the state's children, poor, and seniors.

FEATURED STORIES

The high art of disenfranchisement
Editorial
Miami Herald
Attorney General Eric Holder says the U.S. Justice Department will move aggressively to review the plethora of new voting laws that state legislatures across the nation have passed in recent years to exclude minority voters.

Occupy Florida groups take action on campaign finance, free speech rights
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Occupy Orlando today launched an effort to end corporate personhood.

Senator’s data request answered
By Lindsay Peterson
Tampa Tribune
State Sen. JD Alexander asked for it, and Tuesday he received an answer to his request for information from the state universities — 583 pages from the University of South Florida alone.

Romney beats Santorum in Iowa by 8 votes; Paul a close third
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
In many ways distinctly different, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney took near opposite paths to twin victories in Iowa's presidential caucuses.

FLORIDA POLITICS

The Game of Redistricting
By Amy Keller
Florida Trend
The contentious and unpredictable redistricting process will be even more dramatic than usual this year as legislators try to integrate new requirements imposed by a pair of 2010 ballot amendments into an already complicated, agenda-laden process.

Broward Republicans say redistricting proposals for Allen West are unconstitutional
By Cooper Levey-Baker
Florida Independent
The Miami Herald today published an “open letter” from Broward County GOP chairman Richard DeNapoli to the Florida Legislature’s redistricting committees.

Jacksonville man pushes petition to recall Florida elected officials
By Adam Kealoha Causey
Florida Times-Union
A Jacksonville man wants other Florida voters to join him in demanding the right to kick state officials out of office.

State representative gives views on legislative session
By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News Journal
State Rep. Dwayne Taylor met Tuesday with The News-Journal editorial board as part of an ongoing series of interviews before the start of the legislative session next Tuesday.

POLITICAL RACES

Officials say registrations, ballot requests foretell big turnout for GOP primary
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The Iowa caucuses coincided with Tuesday's deadline for Floridians to register for this state's Republican presidential primary on Jan. 31.

Fired up in Iowa, Santorum says he’s ‘absolutely’ ready for Florida
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Rick Santorum, who's risen at just the right time for tonight's caucuses, says a strong finish will propel him to Florida.

RNC: Fla primary will remain winner-take-all for delegates
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
There's been a fair amount of chatter/concern that the importance of Florida's Republican primary could be dramatically diluted if the RNC further penalizes the state for its early primary by allocating its delegates proportionally, rather than winner-take-all.

Our take on: Iowa illogic
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
The process of picking a Republican candidate to face Barack Obama formally begins with today's Iowa caucuses, just three days into the new year and 10 months before the general election.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Revised Fla. religion amendment not challenged
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Opponents of a proposal that would repeal Florida's ban on public funding of religious organizations aren't challenging a revised ballot summary.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Bill would block higher utility charges that penalize water hogs
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill filed by a Senate budget subcommittee chairman would prohibit the Public Service Commission from allowing private utilities to charge customers higher rates for using large amounts of water.

EPA proposes delaying water quality standards
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has proposed delaying the implementation of a set of Florida-specific water quality standards for 90 days, allowing for the approval of a set of replacement rules drafted by the state.

BP says it is entitled to payment from Halliburton
By Kevin McGill
Associated Press
BP is reiterating claims first made last April that it is entitled to payment from contractor Halliburton Energy Services for expenses and lost profits resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon offshore oil well disaster.

Don't let Florida Forever fade into oblivion
By Eric Ernst
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
It's gone by several names. In the 1980s, it was CARL, the Conservation and Recreation Lands program.

Hope on Everglades’ horizon
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Despite their political differences, key Florida leaders are showing a united front on behalf of the Everglades, which should encourage citizens who care about the state's natural wonders.

EDUCATION

2011 Florida high school grades being released today
Associated Press
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida high schools are finally getting their grades.

Six Florida colleges name best value
By Michael Vasquez
Miami Herald
Florida’s state universities have long been among the nation’s best values, but the past few years put that reputation to the test, as budget cutbacks forced both academic program eliminations and repeated tuition increases.

Standardized testing opponents call for National Opt Out Day
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Public school advocates who oppose mandatory standardized testing to determine teacher salaries and state and federal funding for public schools have called for a National Opt Out Day.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

For lowest-paid, a step up
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
For a small fraction of Florida's workforce, this week is more than the start of a new year — it also marks an increase in pay.

Casino bill 2.0 to regulate internet cafes, roll back pari-mutuel tax rate
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, would like to ban all internet sweepstakes cafes in the state, and bring the Department of the Lottery into the gaming commission that would be created by her SB 710.

Number signing up for public assistance increasing
By Anne Geggis
Gainesville Sun
The number of Alachua County residents using food stamps has increased 75 percent in the past five years — 14 percent of county residents are now getting them — prompting the state to find a more efficient way to communicate with recipients.

State economists reduce 2012 property tax value projections
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
This year was less than three days old Tuesday when state economists nudged down their projections for Florida property tax values.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Scott panel cannot compare Florida hospitals
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
A panel appointed by Gov. Rick Scott, who once headed the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, told him on Tuesday that it could not determine whether Florida's public hospitals provide better or worse care than private ones.

Fla. doc won’t stay free in corruption appeal
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A South Florida eye doctor snared in a federal corruption probe will not stay out of prison while he appeals his four-year sentence.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

High cost of gun recklessness
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
A 12-year-old boy who was shot while innocently watching New Year's fireworks is the victim of a gun owner's reckless disregard for the safety of others.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Judge orders Hollywood power broker Alan Mendelsohn to prison by Friday
By Paula McMahon
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Former Tallahassee power broker Dr. Alan Mendelsohn can delay no more and must go directly to prison by noon Friday, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

Collier judge upholds ‘Stand Your Ground’ defense in teen’s bus stop stabbing death
By Victoria Macchi
Naples Daily News
A 15-year-old who fatally stabbed his school mate will no longer face criminal prosecution.