Daily Clips for January 6, 2012

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Sarasota Rally Aimed at Gov. Scott, lawmakers
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The liberal activist group Awake the State is planning a rally in downtown Sarasota Tuesday on the first day of Florida’s 2012 legislative session.

FEATURED STORIES

Fla. Legislature could wrap up session early
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida lawmakers are supposed to return to the Capitol next week to start a 60-day session, and already leaders are divided over how and when to address the state's nearly $2 billion budget shortfall.

Revised gambling bill asks voters to decide fate of future casinos
By Mary Ellen Klas and Elaine Walker
Miami Herald
In an effort to win support and silence critics, the Senate sponsor of the bill to bring resort casinos to Florida wants to let voters approve any new gambling and allow counties outside of Miami Dade and Broward to compete for three mega-casino permits.

Legislator wants to make January a celebration of crisis pregnancy centers
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, has filed a bill for the upcoming session that would make January 2012 ”Pregnancy Resource Center Month.”

Environmental advocates praise Gov. Rick Scott's commitment to restore central Everglades
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
Distinguished Everglades activists, policy makers and politicians who have witnessed decades of stalled projects and broken promises applauded Gov. Rick Scott this evening when he held firm on finding $40 million in this year's state budget to spend on restoring the Everglades.

Breaking a political stalemate, helping consumers
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
In general, presidents should not circumvent the Senate confirmation process and make appointments when Congress is in recess to avoid a political fight.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

The State of the Florida Progressive Movement 2012
By Kenneth Quinnell
Florida Progressive Coalition
I started getting a little involved in politics in the state of Florida around 2002, getting my toes wet both writing about things and participating in some events here and there.

Florida Bill Would Make Abortion A Felony With A Maximum Sentence Of Life In Prison
By Tanya Somanader
Think Progress
Florida state Rep. Charles Van Zant (R) is starting 2012 with yet another radical effort to ban all abortions in the state unless the woman’s life is in danger.

Fanjuls and U.S. Century Bank: connections that rarely surface
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Florida's billionaire sugar barons, the Fanjuls, are in the news despite best efforts to stay off any but the social pages of Vanity Fair or Women's Wear Daily.

FL's "Religious Freedom" amendment would fund religious schools and churches with taxpayer money
By Floridagal
Daily Kos
A columnist in the Miami Herald recently explained how misleading language is being used in this state to direct public money to religion.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Bill to allow Floridians the right to a citizens’ veto filed today in Tallahassee
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
State Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach, and state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, today filed a bill that would “authorize and establish requirements for a citizens’ veto referendum.”

Oral arguments in anti-Fair Districts appeal coming next Tuesday
By Cooper Levey-Baker
Florida Independent
The same day the Florida Legislature meets to kick off its 2012 session, lawyers for Reps. Corrine Brown and Mario Diaz-Balart and the state House will again argue their case against one of the two Fair Districts amendments approved by Florida voters in November 2010.

Fla. Gov. wants Facebook users to help sell state
Associated Press
WINK News
Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants Floridians to help him lure companies to the state by giving him suggestions on Facebook.

Defense strategy signals weakness, Florida Republicans say
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
President Obama's new defense strategy amounts to an "appeasement" and a sign of weakness to America's foes, local Republicans in Congress said Thursday.

State's lawmaking drama needs kids at center stage
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
The concept of "women and children first" has its origin in the sinking of the HMS Birkenhead in shark-infested waters a few miles off South Africa in 1852.

POLITICAL RACES

Rick Santorum’s Most Outrageous Campaign Moments
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Rising GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is presenting himself to national audiences as a common sense conservative senator from a Democratic state with both economic and national security acumen.

Conservatives: Time to rally around a not-Romney
By Laurie Kellman
Associated Press
Prominent conservative leaders want their rank and file to quickly get behind a single presidential candidate, fearful that persistent splits will help Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination.

Study: Romney plan raises taxes on poor families
By Stephen Ohlemacher
Tampa Tribune
Republican Mitt Romney's tax plan would increase taxes on low-income families while cutting taxes for the middle-class and the rich, according to an independent study released today.

Tampa City Council approves police upgrades for 2012 GOP National Convention
By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
After months of behind-the-scenes planning but little in-front-of-the-microphones discussion, Tampa officials Thursday provided a better glimpse of security plans for the Republican National Convention.

Florida will have big voice
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
There is a very good chance that the somewhat muddied Republican presidential nomination picture will be crystal clear following the Florida primary.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Bill seeks to generate state revenue from new oil and gas drilling on state lands
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill that would seem to encourage more seismic exploration and new oil drilling in state parks and forests to generate state revenue has been filed in the Florida Legislature.

The Everglades: It’s all business
Editorial
Miami Herald
As the Florida Legislature prepares to grapple with another tight budget year, and leaders vow to continue to build an appealing pro-business environment that reduces costs for businesses to generate more jobs, there’s one jobs creator being virtually ignored that stretches from Kissimmee near Walt Disney World to the Florida Keys: the Everglades.

EDUCATION

Bill Proctor says merit-pay, higher education reform are education committee's top priorities
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
The biggest education-related food fight during the past two legislative sessions will dominate the agenda of the Florida House’s top education committee again this year.

Phys ed classes target of bill
By Chris Umpierre
Ft. Myers News-Press
Bonita Springs Middle School physical education teacher Gregg Cross can’t envision a school day without gym classes.

Look deeper than schools' letters grades
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's grades for public high schools are finally out this week and generating plenty of attention.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Rick Scott Going on Yet Another "Trade Mission" -- Spain's Up Next
By Matthew Hendley
Broward New Times
Gov. Rick Scott confirmed another vacation "trade mission" is in the works, with Spain being the next target.

New Year Brings Hope and Moving Vans Back to Sunshine State
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
This moment on the calendar provides us with not only an opportunity for personal reflection, but as businesses and governments mull over previous year’s numbers, it also offers the chance to assess our collective condition.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Sell government-run hospitals, report suggests
By Barbara Peters Smith
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
If Gov. Rick Scott pursues recommendations in a new report he commissioned on public hospitals, it could lead to the sale of government-run operations such as Sarasota Memorial Hospital, to pay for treating the poor.

Miami-Dade judge blocks cuts to disability treatment centers
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
A Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction against a plan by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) to slice millions of dollars in payments to facilities that serve people with developmental disabilities.

Fraud cited in suit against HMA
By Brittany Davis
Health News Florida
A former FBI agent who became an in-house watchdog for Health Management Associates says HMA fired him for doing his job too well.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Police arrest suspect in Pensacola abortion clinic fire
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Police today announced they have made an arrest following a fire at a Pensacola area abortion clinic early Sunday morning.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida AG lawsuit: West Palm Beach firms preyed on distressed homeowners
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Two West Palm Beach-based companies are being sued by the state for taking upfront fees to help struggling homeowners and promising them they can live mortgage-free for years.