Daily Clips for April 30, 2012

FEATURED STORIES Florida Supreme Court validates Senate's redrawn redistricting map By Mary Ellen Klas Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau The Florida Supreme Court gave its final blessing to the state's redistricting maps on Friday, giving the Republican-led Legislature a major victory and hitting the reset button on political boundaries for the next decade. RPOF sees tea party route as way for Romney to win Florida By Bill Cotterell Florida Current Republican Party of Florida leaders think Mitt Romney can win the state's 29 electoral votes -- and the White House -- by copying the game plan that lifted Gov. Rick Scott from obscurity to the Governor's Mansion two years ago. Case against Marco Rubio for VP grows by $8,000 By Marc Caputo Miami Herald Sen. Marco Rubio just gave Republican Mitt Romney 8,000 reasons to not pick him as a vice presidential running mate. Widow refuses to attend bill signing ceremony for new law named after her husband By John Woodrow Cox Tampa Bay Times Gov. Rick Scott sat down at a brown desk and plucked the cap from a blue marker. Critics say haphazard, politically driven university system hampers Florida By Lloyd Dunkelberger Sarasota Herald-Tribune In 1980, a powerful state senator decided his hometown university needed a football stadium. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Jeff Parker Florida Today FLORIDA POLITICS Fla. Gov. Rick Scott will sign bill banning governments from hiring companies tied to Cuba By Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald Gov. Rick Scott said on Friday that he intends to sign contentious legislation that would ban the state and local governments from hiring companies with business ties to Cuba and Syria. Vote suppression laws wrong for state Editorial Florida Times-Union Vote suppression laws have received a lot of attention in Florida lately. Adios By Cooper Levey-Baker Florida Independent On Monday morning, The Florida Independent’s Ashley Lopez filed a story with a pretty shocking headline: “Scott cuts funding for rape crisis centers during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.” POLITICAL RACES Obama, Clintons deepen political and policy ties Associated Press Sarasota Herald-Tribune Once a tense rivalry, the relationship between President Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton has evolved into a genuine political and policy partnership. Rubio may be losing some ground in the veepstakes By Adam C. Smith Tampa Bay Times Marco Rubio had a great week, with a well-received foreign policy speech at the Brookings Institution and loads of buzz about his efforts to craft a new version of the Dream Act. Florida Republicans want Mitt Romney's help in seating delegates By Adam C. Smith Tampa Bay Times Okay, Mitt Romney, it's time to step up for Florida. LeMieux struggles in Senate race against Mack — but won't give up By Scott Powers Orlando Sentinel Republican U.S. Senate candidate George LeMieux insists that he's feeling the love on the campaign trail — despite public-opinion polls and campaign fund-raising that suggest otherwise. Liberal PAC opens Palm Beach County office to ‘take down Allen West’ By George Bennett Palm Beach Post A liberal PAC is opening a “Take Down Allen West Headquarters” in Palm Beach Gardens as part of its efforts to oust 10 House Republicans around the U.S. Allen West's words make him a top Democratic target Associated Press Tampa Tribune Congressman Allen West has compared Democrats to Nazis, said dozens of his Democratic colleagues are communists and called a congresswoman vile and despicable. BALLOT INITIATIVES Florida voters face choice over religion, politics By Anthony Man South Florida Sun Sentinel It sounds as appealing as apple pie: ensuring religious freedom. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Gov. Scott, Legislature revised position, loosened controls on water districts By Eric Staats Naples Daily News Gov. Rick Scott has set the stage for Florida's five water management districts to loosen their purse strings, just a year after Scott cinched them shut. Drought creating severely dry conditions statewide By Craig Pittman Tampa Bay Times The entire state of Florida was classified as suffering from drought conditions, as of last week. The rain that fell over the weekend did little to help, according to Jim Karels, director of the Florida Forest Service.  EDUCATION Gov. Rick Scott vetoes tuition "pre-eminence" bill By Kim Wilmath Tampa Bay Times After saying for months he does not believe in tuition increases, Gov. Rick Scott stuck to his word Friday and vetoed a bill that would have allowed unlimited tuition hikes at top Florida universities. Will extra money, attention help Florida's low-performing schools? By Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel More than 100 students at Memorial Middle School in Orlando arrive on campus an hour early most mornings for extra math and reading work. Charter schools get a second helping of free money By Scott Hiaasen and Kathleen McGrory Miami Herald >From the outside, it looks like a single school, with one main door, one security guard, one principal greeting students. Fallout from USF Poly investigation: resignations, a call for former leader's firing By Kim Wilmath Tampa Bay Times They asked for this six months ago: A full financial review of all spending at the University of South Florida Polytechnic under former chancellor Marshall Goodman — much like what was done by USF and made public Wednesday, asserting that Goodman facilitated financial mismanagement under a hostile working environment. Political maneuvering over Poly is deja vu By Lindsay Peterson Tampa Tribune The public took notice when the state Legislature approved an expensive new university program and pushed aside the panel created to keep empire-building politics out of state university matters. Even Wall Street agrees Florida shortchanges higher ed By Fred Grimm Miami Herald The Bond Buyer is normally not a publication that grabs my interest. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Bad-neighbor banks neglect thousands of South Florida homes, Sun Sentinel finds By Megan O'Matz and John Maines South Florida Sun Sentinel Thousands of vacant homes across South Florida have deteriorated into eyesores that violate local health and safety laws, depress property values and spread blight. The owners of these homes: some of the world's biggest banks. A new era for the Space Coast By Tia Mitchell Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Tourists began booking rooms weeks ago, making plans to see what is more than a routine rocket launch from Cape Canaveral. Florida's initial unemployment claims rise in mid-April By Marcia Heroux Pounds South Florida Sun Sentinel Florida was among states with the largest number of initial unemployment claims,  2,048, for the week ended April 14, the Department of Labor said Thursday. HEALTH AND SENIORS Rick Scott's choice for surgeon general has ties to USF, Jackson Memorial By Katie Sanders Miami Herald Dr. John Armstrong, a University of South Florida health official and former Army trauma surgeon, will be the state's surgeon general and Department of Health secretary, Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday. Governor signs bill to make everyone responsible for reporting child sex abuse By Mary Ellen Klas Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau After the Jerry Sandusky saga exposed the flaws in Penn State’s storied legacy, it revealed to victim advocates in Florida the need to fix the state’s child sex abuse reporting laws. Palm Beach County stays out of lawsuit over Medicaid billing By John Kennedy Palm Beach Post Palm Beach County — for now — is staying out of a lawsuit filed Thursday by 47 Florida counties over the Legislature’s attempt to recover unpaid and disputed Medicaid bills. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Rubio pursues DREAM, but immigration bill is a risk By William March Tampa Tribune Hoping to defuse an issue hurting Republicans among Hispanic voters, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is working on a compromise alternative to the DREAM Act, a proposal backed strongly by Democrats and Hispanics to offer a normal life to children of illegal immigrant families. A Lawmaker Lied and Trayon Martin Died By Rick Outzen Florida Voices The killing of Trayvon Martin has brought to light the role a Northwest Florida lawmaker played in the passage of the “Stand Your Ground” law that gave Martin’s killer the confidence to follow and shoot the teenager. Drop the drug test appeal Editorial South Florida Sun Sentinel It's obvious Gov. Rick Scott is hooked on drug testing — first welfare recipients, now state employees. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Bumpy road to retention for Florida Supreme Court justices By John Kennedy Palm Beach Post With three Florida Supreme Court justices already raising $500,000 and drawing heat for a near-fatal ballot snafu, this year's normally quiet merit retention contest already is sparking fireworks.

Daily Clips for April 27, 201

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott's plan to 'rank' county election bosses infuriates supervisors
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott has infuriated elections officials across Florida by rating their effectiveness based on requests for routine information from the presidential preference primary in January.

Governor vows appeal of judge's rejection of his state employee drug-testing order
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
A federal judge has ruled that Gov. Rick Scott's random drug testing of state workers is unconstitutional, raising doubts about a new state law allowing Scott's agency heads to require the urine tests without reason to believe that employees have a problem.

Scott honors director of rape crisis center after cutting her funding
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Timing has not been on Gov. Rick Scott’s side lately.

Florida senators split votes on Violence Against Women Act
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
Florida's senators split their votes on the Violence Against Women Act, with Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson voting to extend it, and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio voting against it.

Don't let politicians erode women's health coverage
By Jenna Tosh
Orlando Sentinel
It seems like a week doesn't go by without another attack on women's health.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Drug Testing Welfare Recipients Shows One Group Was Right — the Welfare Recipients
By Trish Ponder
Pensito Review
What do you do when the facts don’t support your actions, which were based on extremist rhetoric and false notions?

ALEC leader admits last week's announcement was a PR stunt
By Campaign Staff
ColorOfChange.org
Last week, ALEC acknowledged that it was reeling after its corporate sponsors -- some of which pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for membership in the right-wing group -- started dropping like flies.

The Stupidity Equation: The Rick Scott UF-USF Disaster
By Benjamin J. Kirby
The Spencerian
Maybe now we can stop pretending Florida Governor Rick Scott is anything but a back-stabbing grifter who only cares about making his rich friends richer.

Half The Lawmakers On Florida ‘Stand Your Ground’ Task Force Are ALEC Members, All Supported Stand Your Ground
By Adam Peck
Think Progress
Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) unveiled the members of his task force assigned to investigate the effects of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws that have come under intense scrutiny and criticism in recent weeks after the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin.

Standardized test security questioned
By Valerie Strauss
The Answer Sheet
Tenth-graders in Florida took the state’s standardized test in reading on a staggered schedule because there weren’t enough computers available for them all to take it at the same time, raising concerns that security of test questions could be compromised, the Miami Herald reported.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Tampa to ask governor: Let us ban concealed weapons outside RNC
By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
The Tampa City Council voted Thursday to add its voice to an appeal asking Gov. Rick Scott for help clearing the way for Tampa to ban concealed weapons outside the Republican National Convention.

Haridopolos departs Senate with head held high
By Dave Berman
Florida Today
Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos says he’s leaving elected office satisfied that he delivered on his promises to the voters and that he accomplished most of what he aimed to do during his 12 years in the state legislature.

Doesn’t pass smell test
Editorial
Miami Herald
After an 18-month investigation of U.S. Rep. David Rivera’s political finances, frustrated prosecutors have concluded that they can’t justify charging him despite uncovering a dizzying maze of questionable practices.

POLITICAL RACES

President Obama’s campaign launches aggressive Florida voter registration drive to defeat Mitt Romney
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
In a nondescript store front next to a Pembroke Pines gym, Florida Democrats launched a major offensive this week to boost their ranks despite a Republican law that makes the voter-registration push harder than ever.

Will Rubio become Romney’s Palin?
By John Dickersn
Slate
Marco Rubio is this year’s Sarah Palin.

Herman Cain spreads conservative message at USF: 'Focus on the mission'
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Herman Cain has a message for conservatives disappointed to have Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee.

Republicans debate in race to challenge Democratic incumbent Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
By Diana Moskovitz
Miami Herald
Several Republican primary congressional candidates squared off in a debate Thursday night in downtown Miami for the right to face a formidable foe: Democratic incumbent Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmental group tells Supreme Court that PSC ignored energy conservation law
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Public Service Commission ignored 2008 law changes when it approved energy conservation plans in 2011 for the state's two largest utilities, an environmental group said in a Florida Supreme Court brief filed Thursday.

Talk of Marine Reserve for Biscayne National Park Hits Capitol Hill
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
Representatives from the Florida fishing community are among those on Capitol Hill today (Friday) at a hearing to ask lawmakers to create a marine reserve in Biscayne National Park.

Better Than Earth Day, Arbor Day Gets Your Hands Dirty
By Steven Kurlander
Florida Voices
Bet you didn’t know that today is Arbor Day.

EDUCATION

Fallout from USF Poly investigation: resignations, a call for former leader's firing
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times
Related editorial: USF Poly: boondoggle and baggage
A full financial review of all spending at the University of South Florida Polytechnic under former chancellor Marshall Goodman — much like what was done by USF and made public Wednesday, asserting that Goodman facilitated financial mismanagement under a hostile working environment.

Scott to sign or veto bill allowing FSU, UF to raise tuition
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Gov. Rick Scott must decide whether he wants to let two major universities raise tuition higher than what is currently allowed.

Florida teachers to discuss dropout prevention
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Public broadcasters are inviting Florida's teachers to participate in a dropout prevention "town hall" on Saturday in Jacksonville.

Hillsborough School Board questions volume of student tests
By Marlene Sokol
Tampa Bay Times
Advanced placement tests, FCAT tests, end-of-course exams — the schedule can be overwhelming.

High School Transfers: Controversial Athletics Bill Awaits Action by Governor
By Solange Reyner
Lakeland Ledger
On Jan. 3, Polk County Athletic Director Don Bridges held a meeting at the School District office in Bartow with state Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, and about a half-dozen athletic directors from neighboring counties.

Invest in Science and Tech, Where the Jobs Are
By Heather Kenyon
Florida Voices
Recently I visited the University of Florida and had the opportunity to tour the Computer Science Department as well as the Innovation Center where they have great plans to foster entrepreneurship.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

More bad news for out-of-work Floridians: Unemployment benefits will run out sooner
By Katie Sanders
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The state's 836,000 unemployed workers are in for more bad news: Their unemployment benefits are going to start running out sooner.

Robo-signing fallout continues as Florida metros post foreclosure increases
Staff Report
Florida Current
While housing markets across the nation are gradually recovering from the burst of the housing bubble four years ago, Florida’s markets continue to suffer.

Citizens Property tables plan for big rate hikes for new customers
By Jeff Harrington
Tampa Bay Times
Citizens Property Insurance, for now, has backed off a controversial plan that would have allowed huge rate increases for new policyholders who are forced into the state-run insurer.

No-fault auto insurance bill has major gap
By Charles Elmore and John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
In their haste to meet one of Gov. Rick Scott's top priorities, Florida lawmakers left a glaring, potentially multimillion-dollar pothole in legislation revamping the state's no-fault auto insurance.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Floridians to get $148.5 million in refunds, study says
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
Thanks to the healthcare reform law, 325,000 Florida purchasers of healthcare insurance are likely to get rebates of $152 each later this year, according to a study released Thursday by the Washington-based Kaiser Family Foundation.

Counties file suit to block Medicaid billings
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
The Florida Association of Counties filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a new state law intended to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid Medicaid bills.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

With G.O.P.’s Ear, Rubio Pushes Dream Act Proposal
By Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
When Senator Marco Rubio first floated his compromise version of the Dream Act — the bill, now stalled, that would grant some students in the United States illegally a path to citizenship — the chances of reviving the politically charged issue in Congress seemed as dim as the chances of snuffing out attack ads on the campaign trail.

Scott's penchant for invading privacy
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
It's bad enough that Gov. Rick Scott insists on infringing on Floridians' personal liberty.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Gov. Rick Scott weighs investigation of Supreme Court justices for misdemeanors
By Mary Ellen Klas
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott is considering calling for an investigation into whether three Supreme Court justices are guilty of a misdemeanor in their scramble to get papers filed last week in their merit retention races.

Daily Clips for April 26, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

 
Connie Mack says, “I have always said that I would be for drilling”

By Amy Sherman
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact
Excerpt: 2006 was the year that the Florida delegation started to split on drilling. Before then, the delegation had nearly unanimous bipartisan opposition to drilling, said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida.

FEATURED STORIES

Enterprise Florida accused of conflicts, secrecy
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
A new public interest group focused on government ethics accused Florida's public-private economic development partnership of conflicts of interest Wednesday and said needless secrecy also keeps taxpayers from knowing how it spends millions of their dollars.

It’s a big risk': 3rd-party groups register voters – very carefully
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
In light rain outside a south Orlando pizza shop last week, Yohan Fonseca worked the trenches in one of Florida's most contentious political battlefields. He was registering voters.

VIDEO: Scott asked about vetoed rape crisis center funding
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
After The Florida Independent broke news on Monday that Gov. Rick Scott vetoed $1.5 million for Florida rape crisis centers during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the governor began discussing the elimination today — and he is fumbling his words.

In Florida, Higher Education Priorities Questioned
By Howard Goodman
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
My wife and I spent most of the last three years in China, and one thing that hit us again and again was how seriously the Chinese take education.

Rubio elevating profile amid VP speculation
By Bradley Klapper
Associated Press
Sen. Marco Rubio outlined his vision Wednesday of a more muscular American foreign policy, the latest salvo in his effort to elevate his profile as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney begins his search for a running mate.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Gov's failed reappointments could cost him votes in 2014
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Tallahassee
A decision to vote against a massive prison privatization effort might have cost one Senator’s son not to get reappointed to a state panel.

RNC planners sort through journalists
By Keith Morelli
Tampa Tribune
If you write a small political blog or report for a college newspaper and were denied credentials to cover the Republican National Convention in Tampa this fall — pushed aside by the big newspapers and TV stations — there might be hope.

POLITICAL RACES

Fla Poll: Romney 47%, Obama 45%
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
The latest bi-partisan Purple Strategies poll of key swing states finds Romney competitive but slightly trailing in the battleground states.

Records: Rubio's grandfather was ordered deported
By Laura Wides-Munoz
Associated Press
An immigration judge ordered U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's maternal grandfather deported back to Cuba in 1962, according to federal records obtained by The Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act request.

Marco Rubio in hawkish foreign policy speech: 'The world cannot make it happen without us'
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio presented a forceful case for more U.S. engagement overseas, including possible military strikes against Iran, in a speech Wednesday that was notable as much for the way it heightened buzz surrounding him and the presidential race.

Gingrich to end campaign next week
By Mitch Weiss
Associated Press
Newt Gingrich began taking steps Wednesday to shut down his debt-laden White House bid, setting the stage to endorse one-time rival Mitt Romney next week and rally Republicans behind their apparent nominee.

Mack's problem isn't liberals
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Connie Mack's Senate campaign is so obsessed with "liberals" that the definition extends to any Republican who doesn't love Connie Mack. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service joins FEMA in raising concerns about environmental permitting bill
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Another federal agency is raising concerns about HB 503, the environmental streamlined permitting bill that overcame opposition early in the legislative session.

Attention-getter
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
In the face of the worst drought since 1932, the Suwannee River Water Management District is calling on residents in the region to conserve water while it considers whether to impose mandatory restrictions.

EDUCATION

Tales of a UCF Grad: The Commencement Speech You Won't Want to Hear
By Anna V. Eskamani
Huffington Post
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is the largest university in Florida and the second largest in the nation.

An Alternate STEM Universe
By Paula Dockery
Florida Voices
Frequently I'm asked what a state senator does when not in Tallahassee for session or committee weeks.

UF drops proposed CISE cuts; alternative in the works
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
Following what he called an "overwhelming negative response" to the proposal, University of Florida President Bernie Machen announced Wednesday that a plan for cuts to the computer and information science and engineering department was being set aside and that an alternative was being developed.

Report details financial mismanagement at USF Poly
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Tmes
Two top administrators at the University of South Florida Polytechnic are facing dismissal after an investigation into complaints of financial mismanagement at the Lakeland campus.

Keep student loan rates down
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Americans now owe more in college student loans than on credit cards.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Citizens Insurance board to weigh higher rates for new policies
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
Homeowners who join the state-backed insurance pool after Jan. 1 could see rates more than 10 percent higher than current premiums under a proposal up for debate Thursday by Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s governing board.

Wekiva Parkway financing deal in final stages after transportation budget bill signed
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A final agreement to finance the $1.8 billion Wekiva Parkway is still being completed, even though a tentative deal was reached in November.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

If The Health Care Overhaul Goes Down, Could Medicare Follow?
By Julie Rovner
NPR
A growing number of health experts are warning of potential collateral damage if the Supreme Court strikes down the entire 2010 Affordable Care Act: potential chaos in the Medicare program.

Will Republicans Really Oppose the Violence Against Women Act?
The Progress Report
Think Progress
As soon as the Senate finishes a massive postal reform bill, it is expected to take up a bill to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act.

VA Hospital problems reflect pattern of inefficiencies
By Marni Jameson
Orlando Sentinel
While the Orlando VA Medical Center languishes well behind its promised delivery date, those most inconvenienced might take some comfort in knowing they're not alone.

Suit reveals financial incentives
By Carol Gentry and Marty Clear
Health News Florida
A Clearwater doctor has filed a “whistleblower” suit against the medical practice that employed him, saying he was fired for complaining about how patients were treated.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida Joins the U.S. Supreme Court Arizona Immigration Case
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Florida is one of 16 states that has joined in supporting Arizona’s first in the nation immigration law before the US Supreme Court.

Justices Seem Sympathetic to Central Part of Arizona Law
By Adam Liptak
New York Times
Justices across the ideological spectrum appeared inclined on Wednesday to uphold a controversial part of Arizona’s aggressive 2010 immigration law, based on their questions at a Supreme Court argument.

Fla. officials see increase in domestic violence
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
South Florida community leaders are investigating a marked increase in fatal domestic violence cases in Broward County.

Daily Clips for April 25, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The BluVu: Week of April 16^th
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
The Republicans stall in an effort to keep their Congressional seats,  the Governor's mood swing is reflected in the $70 billion budget signing, and  Progress Florida’s Damien Filer talks about the Titanic in a new way…all this and more as political reality comes your way!

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott won't dump his fortune into re-election
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday that not only will he seek a second term in 2014 — as most everyone expected — but he predicted that he won't have to reach into his own pocket to pay for a re-election campaign like he did the first time.

Why did Gov. Rick Scott cut funding for rape victims?
By Melanie Michael
WTSP 10 Tampa Bay
Put simply, Michele Wykes is heartbroken.

What's in a name? Tampa hopes new moniker gets protest zone OK'd
By Kevin Wiatrowski
Tampa Tribune
Bending to critics, Mayor Bob Buckhorn released on Tuesday a fine-tuned version of his Republican National Convention "clean zone" ordinance.

With university boondoggle, GOP gets 'A' in hypocrisy
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
I'm glad those big-spending, government-expanding Democrats in Florida didn't dream up the state's 12th public university.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Gov. Scott signs 4 new bills into law
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott signed into law four bills today, including a measure that would change who gets benefits after a divorced spouse dies.

Pinellas clerk, lawmaker's son left off Gov. Rick Scott's reappointment list
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott has sacked two people from state boards with close ties to a Pinellas County senator who antagonized Scott and his top aide on a key issue in the recent legislative session.

Threat against Sen. Marco Rubio under investigation, his office says
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is the target of a threat deemed credible enough to merit police protection in Washington, D.C., and at his home in West Miami, his office said late Tuesday.

POLITICAL RACES

Romney sweeps five primaries. promises 'better America'
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Mitt Romney laid claim to the fiercely contested Republican presidential nomination Tuesday night with a fistful of primary triumphs, then urged all who struggle in a shaky U.S. economy to “hold on a little longer, a better America begins tonight.”

Obama woos students, pushes low rate student loans
By Ben Feller
Associated Press
Courting college voters, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Congress needs to keep the cost of college loans from skyrocketing for millions of students, taking an election-year pitch to three states crucial to his bid to hold onto the White House.

What Newt Gingrich taught us: He is who he is
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Newt Gingrich has compared himself over the years to Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher, William Wallace, Moses, Pericles and Ronald Reagan. Rodney Dangerfield seems more apt these days.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Government Files First Criminal Charges In BP Oil Spill
By Eyder Peralta
NPR
"The first criminal charges in connection with the BP oil spill have been filed against a former BP engineer named Kurt Mix," NPR's Carrie Johnson reports exclusively.

Cabinet approves work plan for purchasing state lands, hears about wildfire risk
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The governor and Cabinet on Tuesday approved an interim land-buying work plan that targets 14 conservation projects, some of which would buffers around military bases.

'Reclaimed water' bill signed by Gov. Scott
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Once controversial, HB 639 promoting the use of treated wastewater was among four bills signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott.

Former Crist aide lands Glades job
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Eric Eikenberg, chief of staff to former Gov. Charlie Crist and a seasoned Republican strategist, has landed one of the state’s most influential environmental advocacy jobs.

EDUCATION

National groups call for testing rollback: Florida commissioner not planning to join the effort
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
A national coalition of education and civic groups today joined the growing effort, started in Texas, to see public schools scale back their reliance on high-stakes tests.

Fla. legislators at odds over school funding case
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
State House and Senate leaders disagree on whether the Florida Supreme Court should answer what an appellate court has called a question of "great public importance" in a school funding case.

Scott raises bar on tuition hikes
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
As Florida Atlantic University and other schools proposed dramatic cuts, Gov. Rick Scott laid out strict guidelines Tuesday for any state university seeking a tuition hike this year.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

State employees to see more retirement cuts on July 1
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Tallahassee
The retirement plans of about 100,000 Florida employees are about to change, after Governor Rick Scott signed a bill into law that allows employers to reduce the amount they pay into a 401-K type retirement plan.

Florida consumer confidence continues slide
Staff Report
Florida Current
Floridians' consumer confidence fell again in April, marking three straight months of decline, according to a monthly University of Florida survey.  

Homeowners want Scott to veto bill that forces them — not developer — to pay neighborhood repairs
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
By passing a bill that could hit some consumers’ pocketbooks and potentially run afoul of the state’s Constitution, the Florida Legislature has aroused a sleeping giant: Florida’s fed-up homeowners associations.

State: Workforce Central Florida lags on placing jobless workers
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Workforce Central Florida has helped more than 9,300 people find work in the first three months of 2012, but its overall performance has lagged behind similar job agencies across Florida.

For taxpayers' sake keep eye on business breaks
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Give Gov. Rick Scott credit for trying to convince businesses to relocate to Florida.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Scott spokesperson calls vetoed rape crisis center funding ‘duplicative’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Related: Lawmaker says Scott’s rape crisis center funding veto highlights his ‘lack of understanding’
Gov. Rick Scott’s office is claiming that the funding he vetoed for rape crisis centers was “duplicative” and that “nobody was able to make it clear to [the governor] why rape crisis centers needed the new funding.”

Analysis: If Obamacare falls, employers would be in charge
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Associated Press
If the Supreme Court strikes down President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, don't look to government for what comes next.

Health plans line up for new Florida Medicaid system
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
Preparing for Florida's shift to a statewide Medicaid managed-care system, 20 health companies and organizations are interested in competing for contracts to serve seniors who need long-term care.

Task force for drug-addicted babies convenes
By Brittany Davis
Tampa Bay Times
Attorney General Pam Bondi and health leaders from around the state met in Tallahassee today to address the flood of babies born to drug-addicted mothers.

Sarasota joins counties suing over unpaid Medicaid bills
By Carrie Wells
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The state has racked up $325 million in unpaid Medicaid bills after 10 years of computer errors and deception by patients, and the dispute over who should pick up the tab is raising concern in this region.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Rick Scott's tough talk on immigration has vanished
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Rick Scott was sitting inside the Orlando Sentinel's editorial boardroom last week sounding particularly pensive.

Sarasota GOP launches petition to pass Arizona-style immigration law in Florida
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The Republican Party of Sarasota County has launched a petition supporting the passage of an Arizona-style immigration enforcement law for Florida.

Fla. AG backs Arizona in immigration battle
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is supporting Arizona in its battle with the federal government over immigration.

Fla. 'stand your ground' panel sets first meeting
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott's task force on Florida's self-defense laws, including what's known as the "stand your ground" law, has set its first meeting for May 1.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

State cuts court funding but provides money to handle foreclosures
By Tom Knox
Daytona Beach News-Journal
When it comes to the foreclosure crisis, the Legislature giveth and the Legislature taketh away.

Libel suit against Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald dismissed by judge
By Jamal Thalji
Miami Herald
Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene’s libel suit against Times Publishing Co., publisher of the Tampa Bay Times, was dismissed by a judge on Monday.