Daily Clips for February 29, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Early sparring aside, Florida House and Senate appear closer on narrowing their budget gap
By Dara Kam and John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
After opening the day with tough talk that fueled speculation that the Legislature was headed toward overtime, House and Senate budget-writers ended Tuesday working toward closing a $1.5 billion difference between their spending plans.

Redistricting is creating rifts in the state’s non-partisan high court
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: New districts need court's scrutiny
As the Florida Supreme Court opens redistricting arguments Wednesday over the Legislature’s proposed redistricting maps, recent deliberations of the normally subdued court have signaled an internal feud over how to handle the issue.

Blocking the Vote
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Ruthelle Frank, an 84-year-old resident of a small town in Wisconsin, is suing her home state because, for the first time in her adult life, she might not be able to vote.

Jim Greer sues two law firms over RPOF ouster, consulting contract
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
Former GOP Chairman Jim Greer has filed lawsuits against two Tallahassee law firms seeking damages for advice he says he got before he lost his job as head of the state party.

The mauling of Florida's environment
By Pam McVety
Tampa Bay Times
Let's take a minute to assess how the Legislature would like to maul the environment.

FLORIDA POLITICS

After years of bashing, Scott sends Obama ‘thank you’ letter on taxes
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Republican Rick Scott has spent much of the past few years ridiculing President Obama — leading the Conservatives for Patients Rights campaign against the federal health care overhaul and — as governor — refusing millions of dollars in federal grants linked to the effort.

Florida lawmakers defeat proposed increase in their health insurance rates
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Sen. Joe Negron wants Florida legislators to pay as much for health insurance as state employees do.

Dog-Lover Bondi New Pit Bull For Extreme Right
By Mary Jo Melone
Florida Voices
Few people other than Tampa political junkies know of the terrible event that took place under a city highway overpass in November 2000.

Ranks of moderate Republicans shrink with Sen. Dennis Jones leaving after 32 years
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Never known to bask in the limelight, Dennis Jones promised he wouldn't make a big deal about his farewell speech to the Florida Senate on Tuesday.

POLITICAL RACES

Victories give Romney pre-Super Tuesday momentum
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Mitt Romney is trying to capitalize on twin victories in Arizona and Michigan as the GOP nomination race expands to the 10 states that vote on Super Tuesday.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Growth bills moving in House, Senate as opposition fades
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A pair of growth management bills that had raised concerns with regional planning councils and environmentalists were amended to reduce opposition and passed by a Senate committee.

Swiftmud to open more land to hunters next year, but not as much as they'd like
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
In a move that left people on both sides dissatisfied, the Southwest Florida Water Management District voted Tuesday to open two of its preserve properties for hunting but keep two others closed.

LGBT

Domestic partner registry may be coming soon to Tampa
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Tampa
Tampa city council member Yvonne Yolie Capin has proposed an ordinance that would give unmarried couples some similar rights to those who are married.

EDUCATION

Report: New standards would crash school grades
By Christopher O'Donnell
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Even with the same teachers, learning materials, students and FCAT results, hundreds of Florida schools could find themselves with a lower school grade this summer.

Botched vote silences critics of 'parent empowerment' bill
By Ben Wolford
Naples Daily News
A state Senate panel botched voting rules and shut down public input on a bill Tuesday that would give parents more say in school district decisions.

State overturns Orange, Seminole charter-school rejections
By Dave Weber
Orlando Sentinel
Orange and Seminole school districts should be forced to allow two charter schools they turned down, the state Board of Education ruled Tuesday.

University tuition bill clears two more hurdles
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
Plans to let the University of Florida and Florida State University to break free of the state’s tuition caps moved forward in both the House and Senate Tuesday. Lynn Hatter reports.

USF president Judy Genshaft, Sen. JD Alexander differ on accreditation time line for USF Poly
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times
University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft went to Atlanta on Tuesday, where she and other state higher education leaders met with the president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

No Matter No Students, JD Wants New University
By Florence Snyder
Florida Voices
The Battle of USF Poly surprises nobody who has been paying attention to higher education in Florida since the mid-20th century.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Legislature set to pass $124 million in tax cuts
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Special tax breaks are in the works for industries ranging from airplane manufacturers to fruit packers and broad reductions are planned for corporations throughout the state under a $124 million tax cutting plan nearing final passage in the Legislature.

PIP changes stall in Senate, but leaders remain hopeful
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Heavy lobbying by massage therapists temporarily derailed one of the major issues of the legislative session: the high level of fraud in Florida's no-fault car insurance program.

Jacobs asks for breakdown of business-group funding
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs has become the second official to ask for an accounting of public money going to the parent organization of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

State consumer confidence dips, faces critical test
By Anthony Clark
Gainesville Sun
Florida consumer confidence dropped one point to 76 in February after two months of increases, equaling last year’s trend, according to a University of Florida survey.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Health care legislation divides House
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
A divided Florida House on Tuesday waged a fierce and bipartisan fight over a lengthy health care bill.

House tackles kickbacks in lab tests
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
In Florida, where drug-testing is a growth industry, the rush for market share in urine has led some companies to pay doctors for the right to grab the cups as soon as they’re filled.

Jackson Health System to cut 1,115 jobs
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
Jackson Health System announced Tuesday it is cutting 1,115 jobs, for a net savings of $69 million annually in an attempt to turn-around the struggling public hospitals that have lost $420 million the past three years.

Blame game starts on VA hospital delays
By Marni Jameson
Orlando Sentinel
Touring the much-delayed VA Medical Center construction site at Lake Nona on Monday, U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-R-Winter Park, said, "I didn't come to point fingers."

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Scott-backed state employee drug-testing bill clears committees
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A bill backed by Gov. Rick Scott that would allow state agencies to adopt a random drug testing policy passed its last committee stop in the Florida Senate today – moving it closer to a final vote in the Senate.

Senate panel passes anti-sharia bill without public testimony during ‘Muslim Day’ at Capitol
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A Senate panel ended emotionally today after a group of people attending “Muslim Day” at the Capitol were shut out of speaking against a bill aimed at outlawing “foreign law” in family court cases.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scott signs death warrant for serial killer Gore
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott is ordering the execution of a central Florida serial killer who raped and dismembered five women before murdering a teenager almost 30 years ago.

Florida government slow to right wrongs on claims bills
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post
By any measure, Carl Abbott should be dead.

No crony courts for Florida
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Another year, another terrible bill from the Florida House that would give the governor too much control over the state's court system.

Daily Clips for February 28, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Florida House and Senate leaders look to reconcile budget conflicts
By Dara Kam and John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Differences about spending on road-building projects and whether to squeeze state universities' reserves are the main sticking points in GOP House and Senate leaders' budget talks, quietly going on before the conference committees begin to meet.

Lawmakers listen to Jeb Bush, whose foundation affects education in Florida
By Kathleen McGrory
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
When Sen. David Simmons needed his colleagues' support on the education budget last week, he dropped a powerful name on the Senate floor.

Hospitals, families lobby against state's proposed funding cuts
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Susie Elmore's daughter Brooke was born at 29 weeks. Two weeks later, she became septic and her organs began to shut down.

Anti-abortion bill with ‘fetal pain’ language nears final House vote
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A bill containing a slew of anti-abortion rights measures, including a highly controversial “fetal pain” provision, is on its way to a final vote on the House floor.

Bill to break up foreclosure backlog heads to Senate floor
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A measure designed to speed up the foreclosure process in Florida is headed to the Senate floor, despite vocal opposition from distressed homeowners and a narrow 6-4 vote in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Monday.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Detzner confirmed as Florida's new Secretary of State
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Radio Tallahassee
The Senate has signed off on a new chief elections officer for Florida. Lynn Hatter reports Ken Detzner has been confirmed as the new Secretary of State.

Vern Buchanan: Exonerated or tainted?
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Nearly four years have elapsed since complaints were first filed with the Federal Election Commission that U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan received illegal campaign donations that supported his first two campaigns for Congress.

POLITICAL RACES

Gaffes, miscalculations weigh on Romney after Florida win
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Florida crowned Mitt Romney the unofficial Republican nominee last month. Now he’s on the precipice of losing the race in Michigan, his native state.

GOP's Christie, Barbour: Contested Tampa convention possible
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Two key Republicans could not rule out the possibility that their party's presidential race may end in a contested convention in Tampa.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Hearing begins on challenge to proposed state water quality rules
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A scheduled eight-day hearing on a challenge to proposed state water quality rules began Monday with a marine scientist testifying that the guildelines would not protect coral reefs or prevent toxic red tides.

Florida zoos could be allowed to breed herds of giraffes, rhinos and elephants on state land
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's state-owned lands already are coping with pythons, monkeys and walking catfish.

Special interests trump Florida's environment in wetlands bills
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
It would be one thing if Florida lawmakers genuinely tried to improve an ineffective wetlands mitigation policy.

EDUCATION

University budget cuts divide lawmakers
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
With time running out on the 2012 session, Florida House and Senate leaders said Monday that they remained at odds on how deeply to cut Florida's colleges and universities.

Florida school officials: $1 billion not enough
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
From the earliest days of this year’s Legislature, the conversation surrounding public education funding has been driven by Gov. Rick Scott.

Commissioner Robinson offers changes to proposed school grading rules
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Several proposed rule changes for Florida's school grading system riled educators and parents.

Bills could wreak havoc on high school sports
By Linda Robertson
Miami Herald
If you think recruiting in high school sports is rampant now, wait and see what happens if two bills snaking their way through the Florida House and Senate become law.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Labor activists speak out against proposed state legislation that could slash servers' pay
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Radio Tampa
A proposed state bill would cut tipped workers’ wages by more than half; from $4.65 per hour to $2.13.

Keep hands off Miami-Dade ordinance
Editorial
Miami Herald
Some employers refuse to pay their workers after the job’s been done.

Publix to build $188.5M distribution center in Orlando, add 156 jobs
By Sandra Pedicini
Orlando Sentinel
Publix Super Markets will get $3.6 million in taxpayer money from the state and city to build a distribution center in south Orlando that is expected to employ 156 people.

Records: Workforce contract skirted state restrictions
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
When the region's taxpayer-funded jobs agency decided last year to give $50,000 to a project led by a Central Florida business group, its leaders realized the deal needed state approval.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Healthcare groups ramp up criticism of proposed hospital cuts
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A long list of healthcare advocacy organizations have joined together to lobby against proposed budget cuts they say will be devastating to hospitals and have a trickle down effect to Florida families.

Children’s Hospitals Face Life-threatening Cuts
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Florida’s fourteen children’s hospitals are facing cuts ranging from 98 million in the Senate budget to just under 50 million in the House budget.

State moves forward with revamp of health department -- and possible A.G. Holley closing in Lantana
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The state's stalled effort to close A.G. Holley Hospital, the last of its tuberculosis sanatoriums, edged closer to reality Monday, with the sponsor of a House proposal predicting this would be the 62-year-old facility's final year.

State lawmakers continue to risk federal intervention as they delay creating state exchanges
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
With the end of this legislative session a mere two weeks away, state lawmakers are no closer to implementing a state health insurance exchange program that is mandated through the Affordable Care Act.

Poll: Public Opinion Sharply Divided On Health Law Repeal
Staff Report
Kaiser Health News
Politico reports on a new poll that shows the nation is almost evenly split on whether, if elected, a Republican president should repeal the health law.

Florida’s AIDS drug program has the longest waiting list in the U.S.
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Advocates launched a campaign to urge the Florida legislature to secure funding for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, the same week it was announced that almost 1,100 Floridians who live with HIV are on the drug assistance programs waiting list.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Bill bans kickbacks in urine testing
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
In Florida, where drug-testing is a growth industry, the rush for market share in urine has led some companies to pay doctors for the right to grab the cups as soon as they’re filled.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

For some, justice; for others, anguish
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
How much is a man's life worth? For William Dillon, it's $1.35 million.

Daily Clips for February 27, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

February 20th Weekly Show
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu: Florida’s Political Reality Show
Political espionage causes a power shift in the Florida Senate, a Florida court sends a clear message about political influence in redistricting, the House passes another drug testing bill targeting state employees, and Damien has the final word on fat cat lobbyists.

FEATURED STORIES

Court to decide: Did Florida GOP stack deck in redrawing political lines, or is it just geography?
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The state Supreme Court this week will be the first battleground in a courtroom fight over Florida's future political map, which Democrats say has contours drawn to favor Republicans.

State worker drug test bill heads to House floor
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A key legislative priority of Gov. Rick Scott’s which would let state agencies randomly drug test 10 percent of their employees is heading to the House floor after clearing its last committee Friday.

Bondi's needless contraception crusade
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Attorney General Pam Bondi is dragging Florida into an unnecessary moral crusade.

For GOP, anti-abortion focus has benefits now, risks in November
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Abortion opponents admit they're doing everything they can to make the procedure more difficult for women in Florida to obtain.

With GOP nomination undecided, did Florida mess up by holding its primary early?
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Michigan? Arizona? All those Super Tuesday states?

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jim Morin
Miami Herald

FLORIDA POLITICS

What Florida's top power broker is planning next
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Mark Wilson gets a report on his desk every morning at the Florida Chamber of Commerce headquarters on expected vote counts and opposition to the 60 bills his team of three dozen lobbyists tracks in the Legislature.

Haridopolos learns the hard way about running the state Senate
By Mary Ellen Klas and Tia Mitchell
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
When Mike Haridopolos was elected Senate president, he vowed to make the traditionally moderate chamber more conservative — in his own image.

Senate presidency fight could have lasting effects
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Legislative leadership fights -- fueled by personal ambitions, conflicting corporate-versus-populist agendas and shifting allegiances -- always make for interesting palace intrigue, if not much popular relevance.

Gov. Rick Scott drops Florida's membership in governors group
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
Governors attending an annual meeting this weekend will take up the theme of "Growing State Economies," an initiative they hope will boost hiring and create jobs in their home states.

It's the fourth quarter in Tallahassee
By Michael Peltier
Naples Daily News
When lawmakers gathered six weeks ago, there was much talk about the difficulties of passing any controversial legislation during an election-year session that also was notable for the once-a-decade redrawing of political boundaries.

Legislators Referee Among Competing Business Interests
By Lloyd Brown
Florida Voices
Much of the legislation that passes through the sausage factory in the state Capitol is related to internecine warfare between various business interests.

Bad bills still lurking at Capitol
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Doctors take an oath to do no harm. The same should be required of Florida legislators.

Norman signs admission of guilt for not reporting $500,000 loan
By Mike Salinero
Tampa Tribune
State Sen. Jim Norman has signed a consent order with the Florida Commission on Ethics admitting he violated the law when he did not disclose a $500,000 loan from a political supporter to his wife.

POLITICAL RACES

A brokered GOP convention in Tampa? Prospect no longer looks inconceivable
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Among Florida politicos, skepticism for Marco Rubio as VP
Jeb Bush calls it an unbelievable scenario. Karl Rove says life on Pluto is more likely.

Reports: Jeb Bush says 2012ers are 'appealing to people's fears'
By Tim Mak
Politico
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday that he found it “troubling” that the 2012 presidential candidates are “appealing to people’s fears and emotion” on the campaign trail, according to reports.

West's millions rank him No. 2 in U.S. House
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Boosted by conservative fans across the country, South Florida U.S. Rep. Allen West has raised more money for his re-election campaign than any other House candidate this year except for Speaker John Boehner.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

BP oil spill trial delayed for settlement talks
By Tom Bergin and Jonathan Stempel
Reuters
The trial to decide who should pay for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been delayed by a week, to allow BP Plc to try to cut a deal with tens of thousands of businesses and individuals affected by the disaster.

Energy bill passes final House committee stop with substantial changes
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The "modest" House energy bill containing recommendations from Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam passed its final committee stop on Friday with several changes.

Permitting bill as passed by House would expedite hearings on challenges to port dredging projects
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Environmentalists who may want to challenge Gov. Rick Scott's proposals to improve Florida's seaports could face a higher hurdle under a bill passed by the House this week.

Wood Stork Nesting Season Appears to Be a Bust
By Kevin Lollar
Associated Press
"Some simply don't nest. Other birds will occasionally move to another colony.

LGBT

Gay, transgender candidates wade into Central Florida politics
By Mark Schlueb and David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
When Randy Ross was running for Orange County School Board in 2000, he had a secret.

Same-sex couples excluded from benefits of filing taxes jointly
By Donna Gehrke-White
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Each tax season long-time partners David Bloom and Damian McNamara come face-to-face with a double standard.

Parents worry over gay Florida A&M University drum major's hazing death probe
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
In the three months since a gay Florida A&M University drum major was beaten to death, his parents have waited as authorities arrested seven people in a pair of other hazing cases tied to the school's renowned Marching 100.

EDUCATION

Charter schools could gain power to take over public schools
By Zac Anderson
Gainesville Sun
Charter schools would receive more construction money, greater freedom to expand and the ability to take over struggling public schools at the request of parents under two bills still in play as the legislative session winds down.

Florida schools brace for tougher new grading system
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Like students assigned to a tough new teacher, Florida's public-schools administrators are jittery and looking for a schedule change as the state gets ready to revamp its A-to-F school-grading system.

UF, FSU students could face big tuition increases
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida's top public universities could become a lot more expensive under a legislative plan that could also erode the value of Bright Futures scholarships and potentially end the state's prepaid tuition program.

South Florida’s colleges provide an economic jolt to the region
By Michael Vasquez
Miami Herald
Construction has long been a staple industry in South Florida, but the Great Recession and its associated housing crash made building cranes a rare sight in recent years.

State Sen. Jim Norman: USF's unlikely hero in Tallahassee
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
State Sen. Jim Norman sat hunched at his desk, reviewing spreadsheets and crunching numbers, trying to save the University of South Florida from outsized budget cuts.

Short-sighted approach to excellence
Editorial
Miami Herald
Legislators need to do more homework before tackling the latest legislative version of a special tuition increase narrowly tailored to apply to the University of Florida and Florida State University.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

End of the line for pension changes this session?
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
The House sponsor on Friday tabled a pension measure that already has stalled in the Senate, likely closing the door on any controversial changes being made this session to public employee retirement benefits this session.

Florida taxpayers would pay tab for damages caused by train crashes
By Michael Van Sickler
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
A 2008 train crash in California’s San Fernando valley drew national headlines for its grim toll: 25 killed, more than 100 injured.

Among state cuts, one thing survives — budget turkeys
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
It's turkey season in Florida's Capitol.

No storms, but insurers keep socking it away
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
To Florida homeowners, it seems like there is only one thing worse than a bad storm to make them dread opening their insurance bills: Years of calm.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida Officials Throw Elbows in Contraception Clash
By Howard Goodman
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Jumping on the issue that sprung to the forefront of Republican attacks on the Obama administration, Florida Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi has joined a federal lawsuit to oppose the administration’s mandate that health insurance policies cover contraception.

Florida legislators passing ceremonial bills denouncing health care reform
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Despite a continuing public legal challenge waged by the state of Florida, state lawmakers are still dedicating a significant amount of time to passing memorials (mostly ceremonial bills) urging the federal government to repeal its health care reform bill.

Brevard's NOW chapter protests pro-life bills
By Don Walker
Florida Today
Anger fueled by an onslaught of pro-life legislation in Tallahassee prompted a demonstration by more than three dozen sign-toting protesters Thursday in front of state Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ Suntree office.

House offers concessions to doctors in no-fault auto insurance fix
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Florida's medical doctors won concessions on Friday in the latest fix offered for the state's no-fault auto insurance law.

WellCare: Free at last?
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
After holding out for years, the chief whistleblower in the long-running case against WellCare Health Plans has removed his objection to a settlement of civil fraud charges with the federal government and nine states.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Blacks' voting-rights issues echo 60 years later
By Jeff Kunerth
Orlando Sentinel
Throughout the 1940s, Clifton Tobias Williams sat amid the avalanche of paper on his roll-top desk inside Williams Dry Cleaning & Shoe Repair Service and typed letters to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, NAACP special counsel Thurgood Marshall, Orlando Mayor William Beardall and Charles Stuckie, head of the White Voters Primary Committee.

Closing the gap
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
February, African American History Month, is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the people of extraordinary grace and bravery who pushed the nation toward racial equality.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

House bill would give Rick Scott more power to pick judges
By Katie Sanders
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida House approved a proposal Friday that gives Gov. Rick Scott the power to fire many of the people who help select the state's judges, a move Democrats say will lead to a more politicized judiciary.

Private vs. public prisons: Where's savings?
By Roberto Hugh Potter
Orlando Sentinel
There's a magical belief that corporations can run prisons more efficiently and more cheaply than the state.