Daily Clips for March 23, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Happytown
By Billy Manes and Erin Sullivan
Orlando Weekly
March 23 marks the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, y'all, and…to honor the weeklong occasion of this tiara toddler's extended celebration, the Know Your Care campaign at Progress Florida is popping up all over the state to appeal to different demographics about what they know regarding their care.

FEATURED STORIES

Senate revamps redistricting map; critics say it remains flawed
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Using a historic court ruling as its road map, the Florida Senate voted 31-6 Thursday for a second and final redistricting plan that leaders said would create an unprecedented number of minority senators and a more politically competitive chamber.

Tally of "stand your ground" cases rises as legislators rethink law
By Ben Montgomery and Connie Humburg
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Embattled Sanford police chief steps down; special prosecutor named
Related: Democrats warned about 'stand your ground' in 2005
The controversial law that police have cited in their decision not to charge the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has been invoked at least 130 times statewide since 2005.

Trayvon Martin: Thousands in Sanford park join Rev. Al Sharpton calling for 'justice'
By Jeff Weiner, Jon Busdeker and Martin Comas
Orlando Sentinel
They came by the busload from Atlanta. They came by the carload from throughout Central Florida and the rest of the state.

Regular ol’ parents … with ties to Jeb Bush, John Thrasher
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
I am constantly amazed at the lengths to which Florida officials will go to avoid hearing from the rank-and-file people they supposedly represent.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Death and Trayvon Martin: The Streets We Walk
By Benjamin J. Kirby
The Spencerian
The speed with which the tragic Trayvon Martin story has gained critical mass has been stunning.

The Future for Florida Democrats
By Kenneth Quinnell
Florida Progressive Coalition
I’ve been batting this one around in my head for a while and I’m not sure that my thoughts on it are fully-formed.

Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) funding anti-gay lies with your tax dollars
By Scott Wooledge
Daily Kos
Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) is wasting your tax dollars to distribute inaccurate and incorrect information to his district.

Redistricting Saga: Senate Still Does Not Get It
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
The Political Hurricane
The release of the new Senate maps on Saturday led to a frenzy of speculation regarding the fate of sitting Senators and ambitious House members.

Cliff Stearns Isn't A Doctor, But He Plays One In Congress
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Cliff Stearns (R-You-Kidding-Me?-FL) knows very little about women's health and even less about birth control, but one thing he's sure of?

POLITICAL RACES

Republican National Committee won't wait for presidential nominee
By Maggie Haberman and Emily Schultheis
Politico
The Republican National Committee isn’t waiting for a de facto nominee before beginning its general election ramp-up.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Douglas Barr becomes last of five water district directors to go in past year
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Northwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director Douglas Barr on Thursday told his district board that he is leaving the agency, an agency spokeswoman said.

Windfarm OK'd by county to generate power, jobs in struggling Glades region
By Jennifer Sorentrue
Palm Beach Post
Florida's first wind farm can be built on 12,900 acres of agricultural land east Belle Glade, Palm Beach County commissioners unanimously agreed Thursday.

Get the lead out
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
It is time for the Environmental Protection Agency to get the lead out.

LGBT

Marriage remains top gay issue, Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart says
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
When Kevin Cathcart took the reins of Lambda Legal in 1992, the gay rights movement was slowly recovering from the poundings received by Anita Bryant’s anti-gay campaign in the 1970s and AIDS in the 1980s.

EDUCATION

UF withdraws proposal for new undergraduate fee
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
The University of Florida withdrew its proposal for a new undergraduate fee before the Board of Governors got a chance to vote Friday on the measure.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

New rail link between Miami, Orlando planned by 2014
By Alfonso Chardy
Miami Herald
A company whose affiliate operates a rail line for cargo trains announced plans Thursday to run passenger trains between Miami and Orlando by 2014.

Florida tops in delinquent mortgage loans, report says
Staff Report
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida has more delinquent mortgage loans backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae than any other state, according to a new report.

Senate's transportation bill beats House's
By Ray Judah
Ft. Myers News-Press
Congress is racing toward a March 31 deadline to pass a much-needed update to our national transportation program.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

ACA Turns Two
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Tomorrow marks two years since President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, making it the law of the land.

As Vice President Joe Biden's South Florida visit nears, Democrats attack GOP health-care plan
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Ratcheting up the rhetoric on the eve of Vice President Joe Biden's visit to a South Florida senior community, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz today likened Republican Medicare proposals to "a tornado through America's nursing homes."

Florida doing bare minimum to implement new standards for health insurance plans
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
According to a new study conducted by The Commonwealth Fund, Florida is among 15 states that are “taking subregulatory action to require or encourage compliance with the early market reforms,” required through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Governor calls for special prosecutor, task force to investigate 'Stand Your Ground' killing of black teen
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi have appointed a special prosecutor to take over the investigation of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, responding to increased pressure from national civil rights leaders outraged over the killing of the unarmed, black 17-year-old.

Sink blasts Scott over handling of Trayvon Martin case
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Alex Sink, former and possible future Democratic candidate for governor, blasted Gov. Rick Scott over his handling of the controversial shooting death of a Sanford teenager in a speech to a political discussion group Thursday.

Too Many Deaths in Name of Self-Defense
By Susan Clary
Florida Voices
You have to wonder if they lose sleep over the vote they cast that day in 2005.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Court clerks fear layoffs, case backlog after $30 million budget cut
By Lise Fisher
Gainesville Sun
A backlog dealing with civil cases involving foreclosures, wills and divorces.

Appellate court refuses to strike down local ban on Internet cafes
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
In a decision released Wednesday, a federal appeals court in Atlanta opted not to grant a preliminary injunction against Seminole County’s ordinance banning so-called Internet sweepstakes cafes, but the statewide dilemma facing lawmakers is far from settled.