Daily Clips for February 8, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida Morning: FLASH MOB
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Organize Now and Progress Florida are launching a campaign called “Rick Makes Me Sick” in response to efforts by Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Florida Legislature to gut health spending, side with insurance companies over consumers and obstruct implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

FEATURED STORIES

Ethics shortage in Florida Senate
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Related: In the Florida Senate, new signs of discord
You know the Florida Senate is in trouble when it has less regard for ethics reform than Congress does.

Florida Senate aims to restore school funding, but with social programs pared
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Senate took steps Tuesday to reverse last year's $1.3 billion cut in public school funding, which forced thousands of layoffs, program reductions and angry protests from parents and teachers across districts.

Florida Senate budget includes $129 million for tax breaks
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
The Florida Senate leadership rolled out an economic development budget Tuesday that boosts tax-breaks for corporations – but restive senators argued it was moving too fast and had too many "member projects," including some in Orlando.

Scott shrugs off Health Dept. overhaul
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday he has little interest in a fellow Republican’s plan that guts the state’s Department of Health, while also closing Lantana’s A.G. Holley Hospital.

Lawmakers join Democratic Women’s Club to denounce Legislature’s ‘attack’ on women
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Democratic legislators joined the Democratic Women’s Club of Florida at the capitol today to denounce the Legislature’s continued “attack” on services for women and children.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Gov. Rick Scott asks Facebook users for one word, gets an earful
By Aaron Sharockman
Tampa Bay Times
On Monday night, Gov. Rick Scott — really his staff — asked the nearly 80,000 people who follow his Facebook page to fill in the blank: "If you could use one word to describe Florida's 2012 legislative session, it would be ___________. COMMENT below!"

State Senate Delays Decision On Redistricting
By Bill Rufty
Lakeland Ledger
The state Senate on Tuesday postponed a decision on congressional redistricting due to a technical issue.

Legislators reject attempt to clarify state’s regulation of slot machines
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
State gambling regulators are in a bind.

Private Prisons Gain New Foes
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
There is new opposition tonight to a legislative plan to privatize more than two dozen south Florida prisons.

Dockery Hopes 5th Time a Charm For Passage of Her Ethics Bill
By Bill Rufty
Lakeland Ledger
For Sen. Paula Dockery, the fifth time for her ethics bill could be the charm, but some Florida Senate leaders appear cool to the proposal despite a unanimous approval in the bill's first committee appearance this year.

Tweets, postings trigger public records rules for officials
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Every tweet, every "Like," every photo, every status update … even who they "poke."

POLITICAL RACES

Democratic primary for West's congressional seat may heat up with Broward commissioner's entry
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Well-financed Democrats Lois Frankel and Patrick Murphy have spent nearly a year running for the same Palm Beach-Broward congressional seat, but it hasn't been much of a primary campaign.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Senate vote set on Fla. water pollution rules
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Water pollution rules that some environmentalists say are too weak are up for a final vote in the Florida Legislature.

Bills envisioning herds of African wildlife on state lands pass House, Senate committees
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Could Florida state park visitors one day see giraffes roaming Kissimmee Prairie or a herd of wildebeest joining the bison at Paynes Prairie?

LGBT

Is Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional?
Staff Report
Palm Beach Post
A federal appeals court in California has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage that voters put into that state’s constitution in 2008 violates the U.S. Constitution and is at odds with U.S. Supreme Court precedents.

Top Miami-area mayors to lunch Thursday with gay activists, business people
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Four of the most powerful mayors in Miami-Dade County will meet Thursday for lunch with the state’s leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political and business activists.

EDUCATION

Senate recommends no base tuition hike for Florida universities, 3 percent increase for colleges
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
With Gov. Rick Scott calling for no tuition increases at colleges and universities this year and the Florida House recommending an 8 percent hike, the Florida Senate is meeting them in the middle.

Number of public school employees declines
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The number of employees in Florida's public schools has declined.

University of Florida student injured in hazing incident, university says
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Not three months after a Florida A&M University student band member died in what police said was hazing, a University of Florida student suffered injuries in what UF says was "serious physical hazing."

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Citizens boosted home values to raise premiums, suit says
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Florida homeowners filed a class-action lawsuit against Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on Tuesday, claiming the state-run insurer is systematically overvaluing properties in order to raise premiums.

Florida House budget removes grants for local homeless coalitions
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Related: Lawmakers move homelessness bills
Last week, the Florida House passed an appropriations bill that removes state grants for local homeless coalitions.

Pared-back 'super exemption' property tax cut dies in House committee
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
An amendment intended to blunt its fiscal impact was not enough to save a property tax cut proposal in the House.

Senate economic development budget proposal questioned by appropriations panel
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Several members of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations greeted an $8.5 billion budget proposal unveiled Tuesday with heavy skepticism, complaining about specific appropriations within their own budget, as well as the budget process itself.

Scott rejecting rail puts Florida at caboose
By Steve Otto
Tampa Tribune
It's been a year since Gov. Rick (let's get to work) Scott said thanks but I have my own plane and turned down more than $2 billion in federal funding to construct a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Junk Food Stamps
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
State lawmakers could vote to keep people from using food stamps to buy junk food.

Florida lets kids go without health care
Editorial
Florida Times-Union
This is not new. A large number of Florida children do not have health insurance because the state does not accept federal funding.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Activists Rally in Support of Bill To Help Out Illegal Immigrants
By Chase Purdy
Lakeland Ledger
A small group of activists Tuesday stood outside state Rep. Kelli Stargel's Lakeland office to solicit support for legislation that would extend in-state tuition rates to certain illegal immigrants and U.S. born children of illegal immigrant parents.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Ex-South Florida politician to plead guilty to tax charges in federal corruption probe
By Jay Weaver
Miami Herald
A former Fort Lauderdale politician who is the only elected official charged in a major federal public corruption probe of Tallahassee’s “pay-to-play” politics has decided to plead guilty to tax-evasion offenses.

Fla. House to block closing of Panhandle prison
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Florida House wants to block the closing of a Panhandle prison.