Daily Clips for February 3, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Educators, healthcare workers say state should increase revenue, not cut spending
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times
Excerpt: Jenne took his normally fiery approach when addressing the crowd at a news conference hosted by Progress Florida, a progressive advocacy organization. Attendees rewarded him with cheers and applause that caused the event to take on the air of a church service.

FEATURED STORIES

Opponents to prison privatization should hold firm
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Related column: Haridopolos plots and pouts
It's easy to tell when Florida's leaders in Tallahassee are trying to ram through legislation that would not pass on its merits.

Redistricting maps are shuffling Florida’s political landscape
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
For the last year, Broward Democratic Rep. Marty Kiar planned to run for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Nan Rich of Weston.

Casino bill appears headed for House defeat
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
A bill that could bring three mega resort casinos to South Florida appeared doomed in the House Thursday, as backers struggled to cobble together a minimum eight-vote majority on the committee that will consider the controversial legislation on Friday.

Hospitals dodge budget cuts
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Spending cuts to health programs will be less than half as much as forecast in the Senate budget, that chamber’s health-spending chief announced today.

Florida attorney general's attempt to subpoena foreclosure mills stalls
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Florida's once-heralded foreclosure mill investigations have fizzled as the attorney general's office has failed to find the right strategy to continue its pursuit and three law firms call for the cases to be dismissed.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

ALEC Exposed, for 24 Hours
By Nick Surgey
Common Cause blog
For almost 40 years now, up to 300 of the largest US corporations—including Koch Industries, Verizon, Bank of America and Exxon—have used ALEC to push model legislation, which is beneficial to their corporate interests, into law in the states.

The breathtaking audacity of the Hasner-Rooney-West shuffle
By Peter Schorsch
St. Petersblog 2.0
So Republican US Senate candidate Adam Hasner is leaving the race and will instead run for the congressional seat of Rep. Allen West, who is leaving that seat to run for Rep. Tom Rooney, who, in turn, plans to run for a new proposed seat that stretches from Charlotte to Martin County.

In Florida GOP Primary, 41% of Tea Party Supporters Voted for Big Government Republican Romney
By Jon Ponder
Pensito Review
Just two years after Florida Republicans elected a corporatist tea-party candidate Rick Scott as governor, with a narrow, 48.9 percent to 47.7 percent win over his Democratic rival Alex Sink, these same voters tacked decisively to the left in their presidential primary election yesterday.

GOP’s Pro-Python Policy Devastates Florida’s Everglades
By Pat Garofalo
Think Progress
Florida, the location of today’s presidential primary, is dealing with a host of problems, including a moribund housing market and long-term unemployment that is the worst in the nation.

GOP presidential primary: does Jeb! fit in?
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Jeb Bush has retained his popularity among voters in Florida.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Florida Prisons Bill Would Expand Private Management, Netting A Big Win For Political Contributors
By Chris Kirkham
Huffington Post
Florida this week faces a choice that is increasingly confronting much of the nation -- whether to hand over a major slice of its prison system to private, for-profit businesses that answer to Wall Street.

POLITICAL RACES

Gingrich challenges Florida GOP winner-take-all rule in attempt to get delegates
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
The fight over calendar-crashing Florida's Republican presidential delegates isn't over yet.

After Primary, Scorched Earth Remains In Fla.
By Greg Allen
NPR
There wasn't a Democratic primary contest running in parallel with the Republican race in Florida this year.

Nasty ads worked; now it's a real race
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Let's kick off the Friday Files with a recap of lesson learned in Tuesday's primary.

Tampa council earmarks $25 million for convention security
By Kevin Wiatrowski
Tampa Tribune
The city council on Thursday set aside $25 million to cover its expenses in preparation for the Republican National Convention.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Bill condemned by environmentalists as public-land giveaway is likely dead, sponsor says
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill environmentalists say would result in the giveaway of thousands of acres of state land is likely dead this session, the bill's sponsor said Thursday.

'Mother Nature doesn't care about interstate highways'
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
A series of deadly crashes Sunday on a smoke-shrouded Interstate 75 shows the challenge of a major roadway passing through Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.

LGBT

Same-Sex Partners: Local Writer Challenging Lakeland to Provide Benefits
By John Chambliss
Lakeland Ledger
A Lakeland resident plans to ask commissioners Monday to provide benefits to same-sex partners of city employees.

EDUCATION

State Senate passes bill allowing student-led prayer in schools
By David Royse
News Service of Florida
The Senate on Wednesday passed a measure that will allow school districts to let students offer inspirational messages, including prayer, at school events as long as adults stay out of the way.

Lottery money dwindles for high-performing schools
By Erica Rodriguez
Orlando Sentinel
A special lottery fund created to reward schools for boosting grades has been cut to the point that the state Department of Education wasn't sure there would be enough to go around this year.

Why Gov. Rick Scott Can’t Prevent University Tuition Hikes
By John O'Connor
StateImpact
Gov. Rick Scott has thrown out a handful of education markers for lawmakers this session, most notably threatening to veto any budget that does not increase K-12 funding.

Florida ponders need for faculty tenure
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Tenure is supposed to give educators a high level of job security, but many aren't feeling so secure these days.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

House pushing again to change state worker health insurance program
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Florida lawmakers may push a sweeping transformation of the state's health insurance plan for state workers, although the changes would not take effect for another two years.

Lawmakers weigh bills to create online sales tax
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
It’s a question that tests the Florida Legislature’s aversion to new taxes and its pro-business bona fides: Should state law require online retailers to pay sales taxes?

House prepares major property tax cut
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
A proposed "super" homestead exemption for property taxes cleared its first House committee Wednesday, making way for the Senate to advance its version.

Senate PIP reforms get warm reception
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida Senate's plan to reform the no-fault auto insurance program has already achieved what its counterpart in the House has not: unanimous approval from a committee.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Federal grant for child abuse prevention in Florida at risk, again
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The Florida House has moved to eliminate the $3.4 million in federal grant money for child abuse prevention and maternal care home visiting that advocates fought hard for last year.

CPCs again receive $2 million in state House budget
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The Florida House of Representatives yesterday passed a budget allocating $2 million, yet again, to the state’s crisis pregnancy center network.

Twenty senators join Rubio’s effort to overturn federal birth control decision
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Twenty U.S. senators have endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio’s effort to reverse a recent decision by the Obama administration to require that insurance providers — with the exception of religious employers — cover birth control as a preventive service, according to Rubio’s office.

Health care law makes Medicare stronger, more affordable
By Kathleen Sebelius
Tampa Bay Times
When President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union last week, he talked about American values — the idea that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to make a good life for yourself and family, and have something left for retirement.

Crisis erupts after Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation halts support for local Planned Parenthood
By Sonja Isger
Palm Beach Post
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation faced a fierce and growing backlash Thursday that reverberated from the Twitter-verse to Congress, in reaction to news that the cancer-­fighting powerhouse had cut off funding for women's breast exams at Planned Parenthood affiliates.