Daily Clips for March 21, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Senators get snagged on thorny redistricting issues
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The day began with the Senate redistricting chairman offering bagels and cream cheese to his colleagues, but the magnanimous gesture was short-lived as Republicans intensely feuded over how to draw maps for the next decade.

'Stand your ground' self-defense gun law draws protests — and governor advises new look at it
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
In a surprise meeting with black lawyers and civil activists Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott said the shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old by a neighborhood watch volunteer raised concerns about the state's "stand your ground" law that critics say is letting some get away with murder.

Gov. Scott will hold off on state worker drug tests
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Hours after Gov. Rick Scott said agencies under his control would begin drug-testing state workers, his administration issued a memo “clarifying” that the tests won’t begin until a legal battle is resolved.

Sebelius touts health care reform benefits for women during appearance in Miami
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Related: Sebelius: Florida will have health insurance exchanges
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stopped by a community health center in Miami today to tout the progress made by the health care reform law, which was signed two years ago this week, in the realm of women’s health.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Gov. Rick Scott declares victory. Did you win too?
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
So Gov. Rick Scott has declared victory for himself.

Senate redistricting hearing exposes rivalries among Florida senators
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A daylong hearing sparked tense exchanges between lawmakers Tuesday as a panel struggled with its latest and likely last attempt at drawing new boundaries for Florida's 40 Senate districts.

State will buy 2 mansion-area lots, despite lawsuit
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott and a unanimous Cabinet voted Tuesday to spend $860,000 for two lots adjacent to The Grove, a historic site near the Governor's Mansion that was once the home of territorial Governor Richard Keith Call.

Cabinet to look into salaries of agency heads
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Spurred by comments from Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, the Florida Cabinet agreed Tuesday to look at developing a method for tying the salaries of the executive directors and secretaries of state agencies to the size of their departments.

Thrasher makes it official: Says 2014 Senate presidency fight is over
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Remember that comment from a feisty former Republican Party of Florida Chairman John Thrasher, in which he didn't want to concede defeat in the 2014 race for Senate President?

Bill Clinton's St. Augustine appearance includes support for interdependence
By Timothy J. Gibbons
Florida Times-Union
In a speech that dwelled on several touchstones of the city's history, former President Bill Clinton spent more than an hour Monday evening talking about the framework he thinks the world needs for the future.

Veto candidates offer Gov. Scott a chance to send reform message
Editorial
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott might need more than one pen if he were to veto every bad bill the Legislature passed, many of which were approved in the closing days when lawmakers have neither the time nor the inclination to put up a fight.

Ordinary citizens fuel democracy
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Complaining about special interests' hold on government is easy. Doing something about it, much less so.

POLITICAL RACES

Romney pushes GOP presidential race toward a close
By Kasie Hunt
Associated Press
Mitt Romney says he's "almost there" in his six-year pursuit of the Republican presidential nomination after defeating Rick Santorum in the Illinois GOP primary.

Some See Rubio's Rushed Book Release as Further VP Preparations
By Dennis Maley
Bradenton Times
Sen. Marco Rubio's announcement that he's moving up the release of his autobiography, Marco Rubio: An American Son, is being seen as further indication that he's positioning himself to be an attractive VP choice for the eventual 2012 GOP presidential nominee.

Rubio to headline GOP fundraising event in South Carolina
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is coming to South Carolina to address an annual Republican fundraising dinner.

Wellington election debacle has state and county officials and software experts hunting for answers
By George Bennett, Bill DiPaolo and Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Wellington's canvassing board Tuesday tossed out the village's misbegotten March 13 election results and scheduled a decision for March 27 on whether to instead accept vote tallies from a recount conducted Monday.

ACLU to hold 'Know Your Rights' forum focused on Republican convention
By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
With thousands of demonstrators expected to converge on the Republican National Convention in August, the American Civil Liberties Union is holding a "Know Your Rights" forum focused on the protesters and the journalists who will cover them.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Business groups continue to urge EPA to implement state-drafted water pollution rules
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
A slew of national organizations and businesses are continuing to urge EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to approve a set of Florida-specific water pollution standards drafted by the state, rather than set of rules promulgated by the federal government.

Environmentalists urge Scott to veto ‘Conservation of Wildlife’ bill
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
State environmental groups are urging Gov. Rick Scott to veto what they call a “rhinoceros of a bill” that would allow state conservation lands to be used as breeding grounds for exotic wildlife.

EDUCATION

Battle over Florida charter schools could lead to bargain
By Adam Kealoha Causey
Florida Times-Union
Two controversial, failed bills that would have allowed Florida charter schools to grab a good chunk of public school construction money and, potentially, some public schools themselves likely will re-emerge next year.

Religious leaders urge Scott to veto school prayer bill
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Religious leaders sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott today, urging him to veto a bill that would allow school boards to adopt policies allowing “inspirational messages,” including prayers, to be given during any school event.

Schools brace for expansion in remedial classes
By Erica Rodriguez
Orlando Sentinel
Public schools across Florida may soon have to open their classrooms to an onslaught of new students in need of remedial courses.

Sarasota school cuts likely to hit where they hurt worst
By Christopher O'Donnell
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Spending reductions in Sarasota County schools next year will cut very close to the bone.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida’s Economic Development Hoax
By Pierre Tristam
Florida Voices
I laugh when I hear Florida politicians trumpet “economic development.”

Fast foreclosure bill may return
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Florida's quickie foreclosure bill died quietly in the Senate on the last day of the 2012 legislative session, and although homeowner advocates fear it will reappear next year, sponsor Kathleen Passidomo said it may not be her pushing it.

Citizens, Florida's insurer of last resort, can drop you
By Paul Owers
South Florida Sun Sentinel
It may be hard to fathom, butCitizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-run insurer of last resort, can drop customers.

Feds: Tax fraud an epidemic in Florida and spreading nationwide
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
The IRS and federal investigators say they've redoubled their efforts to combat tax fraud from identity theft, a crime they call an “epidemic” in Florida that's spreading nationwide.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida preps for Healthcare Law at Supreme Court
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
The Federal healthcare overhaul law turns two years old this week, right before it heads to the U.S. Supreme Court.

4 GOP-appointed justices control health law's fate
By Mark Sherman
Associated Press
Here's a thought that can't comfort President Barack Obama: The fate of his health care overhaul rests with four Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Trayvon Martin case puts focus on 2005 'stand your ground' law
By Tia Mitchell and Marc Caputo
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Lawyer: Girl on phone with Trayvon Martin moments before he was shot
The death of an unarmed 17-year-old and a police department's reluctance to charge or arrest the neighborhood watch captain who shot him has stoked a national debate about a 2005 Florida law at the center of the case.

The Tragedy Of Trayvon Martin
By Brad Johnson
The Progress Report
On February 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African-American named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida. Here’s everything you need to know about the case.

Group says children were abused at Fla. jail
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
A civil rights group says it is filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of Florida children who were abused while being housed in an adult jail.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Feds consider securities charges against city of Miami after lengthy investigation
By Charles Rabin
Miami Herald
Federal authorities have informed Miami they intend to file civil charges against the city for securities violations stemming from a $65 million bond sale in 2009 — likely bringing an end to a 28-month investigation.

Pasco judge challenges constitutionality of red light cameras
By Lisa Buie
Tampa Bay Times
Thomas Filippone said he doesn't think people should run red lights.