FEATURED STORIES
Florida House OKs redraw of Senate district lines, but misgivings persist
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A sharply divided Florida House approved the Senate's second attempt at redrawing its political boundaries Tuesday -- sending the proposal to the state Supreme Court for a final review.
As Supreme Court takes up individual mandate, conservative justices have hard questions
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Related: What they're saying about the Supreme Court arguments
Related: For Chief Justice Roberts, a decision of supreme heft
The Supreme Court's most conservative justices and its crucial swing voter sharply questioned the government's right to force people to buy health insurance on Tuesday, leaving the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's signature achievement in doubt.
Dems want special session, faster action on Stand Your Ground law
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Several black state legislators are calling for faster action on the Trayvon Martin shooting than sought in Gov. Rick Scott’s order, including a special session of the Legislature to reconsider the “Stand Your Ground” law.
Florida’s New Election Law Blunts Voter Drives
By Michael Cooper and Jo Craven McGinty
New York Times
Florida, which is expected to be a vital swing state once again in this year’s presidential election, is enrolling fewer new voters than it did four years ago as prominent civic organizations have suspended registration drives because of what they describe as onerous restrictions imposed last year by Republican state officials.
Republicans seeking out Hispanics
By Alexander Bolton
The Hill
Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), the only Senate Republican of Hispanic heritage and a possible vice presidential pick, is working on an alternative version of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants who came to the country at a young age and serve in the military or attend college.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Legislature ends redistricting session, new Senate map approved
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida Legislature ended its two-week legislative session on redistricting Tuesday, sending a redrawn map of new Senate districts to the Florida Supreme Court for one last review.
State Department claims elections law not to blame for drop in Florida voter registration
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The New York Times reports today that Florida’s controversial new voting law has caused numerous third-party voter registration groups to completely suspend their efforts due to onerous new restrictions the law imposes on them.
Ham-fisted voter ID laws
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
It is reasonable to require voters to show identification before casting ballots, one of democracy's most important activities.
Two Rubio books to hit shelves June 19
By Darius Dixon
Politico
The Marco Rubio book race moved into a dead heat as the publishers of a more critical take on the Florida Republican’s life announced that it would bump up its publication date to match the release of the senator’s memoir.
POLITICAL RACES
Women, improving economy give Obama 7 point lead over Romney in Florida, poll shows
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
President Obama leads Mitt Romney 49 to 42 in Florida, a new Quinnipiac poll shows. The president bests Rick Santorum 50 to 37.
Downtown Tampa companies leaning toward business as usual during RNC
By Jeff Harrington and Stephanie Wang
Tampa Bay Times
What happens when downtown Tampa's 50,000 workers collide with up to 50,000 Republican National Convention visitors in August?
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
FPL gets go-ahead for Port Everglades plant
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
State regulators on Tuesday unanimously approved Florida Power & Light’s proposal to build a nearly $1.2 billion power plant in Broward County, saying it is the best way to meet the utility’s future needs.
Groups calling for veto of energy bill for different reasons
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Two groups on opposite ends of the political spectrum are calling for a veto of the HB 7117 energy bill for different reasons.
The spill's mounting toll
Editorial
Pensacola News Journal
The report that the 2010 BP oil spill has been identified as being responsible for the death of one of the relatively rare coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico only confirms fears about the potential environmental impact of the spill.
'Drill, baby, drill' isn't the answer
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
As Americans face sticker shock at the gas pump with prices near $4 per gallon and climbing, Republican presidential candidates see a political opportunity.
LGBT
REVEALED: The Hateful Strategy of Marriage Equality Opponents
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Secret memos exclusively released last night by the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) outline the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) shocking and hateful strategy for fighting marriage equality in states across the country.
EDUCATION
Florida Board of Education reviews new proposals for school grading formula
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Florida’s new grade formula would not lower a school’s rank more than one letter grade under a set of recommendations presented to the state Board of Education on Tuesday in Miami.
School districts warned not to adopt prayer policies
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, along with other groups, sent letters to school boards this week, warning them not to adopt policies recently allowed by the state that the civil liberties groups says will surely land them in court.
Charter Plan Change Sparks Tension
By Merissa Green
Lakeland Ledger
The Harrison arts school and Lakeland High School are in a complicated, controversial charter debate that has the schools in a tug-of-war for control.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Farm Workers Get Beat Up in Florida Fields and the US Senate
By Tom Philpott
Mother Jones
In the heart of Florida's industrial-scale fruit and vegetable fields, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has achieved the most tangible gains for US farm workers since the glory days of the California-based United Farm Workers in the 1970s.
Rick Scott to sign tax cut and jobs bills
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is signing a handful of bills that were part of his "jobs agenda" for this year.
Miami judge rules in favor of county’s anti-wage theft program
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
A Miami court today announced its decision to dismiss the constitutional challenge brought by the Florida Retail Federation against Miami-Dade County’s anti-wage theft program.
Disasters in other states boost Florida insurance premiums
By Eliot Kleinberg
Palm Beach Post
For decades, people nationwide paid higher insurance rates for catastrophic and costly hurricanes in places such as Florida.
Consumer confidence steady nationally, down a bit in Florida
Staff report
Gainesville Sun
Call it bedrock American optimism, but consumer confidence in the U.S. economy remained steady in March amid a mixed bag of economic news.
Tech firm to bring 400 jobs to Gainesville
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The India-based IT firm MindTree Limited will open up operations in Gainesville this year, creating 400 jobs over five years, Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced Tuesday.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Day 2: Justices Grill Obama Administration On Health Law
By Stuart Taylor, Jr.
Kaiser Health News
Related: Transcript: Highlights Of The Lively Arguments At The Supreme Court, Day 2
KHN contributor Stuart Taylor, Jr., tells Jackie Judd the conservative justices were especially skeptical today, asking sometimes-hostile questions of Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.
Judge orders Medicaid to cover autism therapy
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
In a case that could jolt Medicaid programs across the country, a federal judge in Miami has ordered Florida officials to cover behavioral therapy for autistic children.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Sanford cops wanted to charge Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin case
By Frances Robles
Miami Herald
Related: Tough-minded prosecutor in spotlight on Trayvon Martin case
Despite public claims that there wasn’t enough probable cause to make a criminal case in the Trayvon Martin killing, early in the investigation the Sanford Police Department requested an arrest warrant from the Seminole County State Attorney’s office, the special prosecutor in the case told The Miami Herald on Tuesday.
Congressional Democrats' hate crime forum dominated by Trayvon Martin case
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
With the parents of Trayvon Martin looking on, congressional Democrats met Tuesday on Capitol Hill to explore ways they could use federal law to prevent a repeat of the Feb. 26 shooting in Sanford that claimed the life of the Miami Gardens teenager.
Repeal the 'Stand Your Ground' Laws
By Eugene Robinson
Real Clear Politics
The "Stand Your Ground" laws in Florida and other states should all be repealed. At best, they are redundant.
Florida speeding up concealed weapon permit renewals
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida is speeding up the process for renewing concealed weapons permits to meet a growing demand from gun owners.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
A Kid, A Gun, A Murder -- What Do We Do?By Mary Jo Melone
Florida Voices
It was tragic enough that the man killed with five shots of a .380 caliber handgun was a police officer, St. Petersburg’s David S. Crawford.
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