Daily Clips for May 10, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Obama's support of gay marriage seen as political wash in Florida
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Social significance aside, President Obama's announcement that he supports same-sex marriage may prove to be a political wash in America's largest swing state, some Florida experts and operatives said Wednesday.

Tallahassee insiders call for competition, except when it's inconvenient
By John Romano
Tampa Bay Times
Competition is healthy. It breeds success. By gosh, it's American.

State data lead to questions about nearly 2,700 voters
By Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Nearly 2,700 potential non-U.S. citizens are registered to vote in Florida and some could have been unlawfully casting ballots for years, according to elections data.

Affordable Care Act working even before it fully kicks in
By Susan Lynch
Orlando Sentinel
I am a nurse practitioner. One of my roles is to provide free primary care at the Good Samaritan free clinic in DeLand.

The New Poor: More Floridians Find Themselves in Need of Help
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
More Floridians are having to ask for help because of the recession's ongoing impact.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Ethics panel: Rep. Buchanan may have broken law
By Larry Margasak
Associated Press
A congressional ethics panel has concluded there is substantial reason to believe Rep. Vern Buchanan tried to get a former business partner to lie to the Federal Election Commission in violation of federal law and a House rule.

A defiant MacNamara defends his record, says he's not leaving -- yet
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott's chief of staff, Steve MacNamara, sat down with the Herald/Times Wednesday to rebut elements of a series of articles about his tenure as the governor's top adviser and the contracts he signed when he was chief of staff in the Florida Senate.

POLITICAL RACES

Obama’s embrace of gay marriage makes it a big campaign issue
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Gay marriage is poised to play a pivotal role in American politics this year with President Barack Obama becoming the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage.

Should Democrats pull their convention out of North Carolina?
By Gary Stein
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
North Carolina voters passed one of the most restrictive anti-gay marriage amendments in the country this week. It will be interesting to see if the Democratic Party says they don’t want their convention there this summer.

Mailer sent by Connie Mack violates House rules
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Mack says violation of official mail privilege was 'unintentional'
A government mailer sent to voters across Florida by U.S. Rep. Connie Mack violates House rules barring distribution outside his district and raises questions about his U.S. Senate campaign, which features the penny-pinching plan that was the subject of the mailer.

U.S. Chamber targets Florida Democrats in ad push
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Seeking to capitalize on the unpopularity of the federal health care law in Florida, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching an ad campaign in the Sunshine State that targets Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Democratic congressional hopefuls Lois Frankel and Alan Grayson. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Apalachicola Riverkeeper asks governors in three states to hold emergency meeting on drought
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Apalachicola Riverkeeper group is calling on the governors of Alabama, Georgia and Florida to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the region's drought.

Water problems
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
It's official. Both our regional water managements have figured out that we're having a water problem.

LGBT

President Barack Obama endorses same-sex marriage
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
President Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first president to endorse same-sex marriage, ensuring that the polarizing issue will be part of the 2012 election debate.

South Florida activists -- liberal and conservative -- reflect on Obama gay marriage
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
What do we preach? We preach to everyone that we’re all equal.

Anti-discrimination bill drawing friends, foes for political scuffle at Jacksonville City Hall
By Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
Advocates on both sides of a bill to ban discrimination based on sexual preference appeared Wednesday to be preparing for a debate that could stir impassioned arguments at Jacksonville City Hall.

EDUCATION

Not all Florida university cuts being covered by reserves
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
State universities are taking a variety of approaches to handle a one-time $300 million budget cut, but many are considering reductions beyond spending down reserves, the solution favored by the Legislature in debate over the plan this past winter.

Live With Courage, Stand Up For What You Believe
By Paula Dockery
Florida Voices
This is an edited version of the commencement speech given by Sen. Paula Dockery before the first graduating class of USF Polytechnic in Lakeland, a campus state lawmakers this year turned into a freestanding university despite its lack of accreditation.

Another Florida school district joins anti-testing movement
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
With Teacher Appreciation Week as a backdrop, the St. Lucie School Board on Tuesday unanimously adopted the national resolution that urges state and federal lawmakers to reduce the emphasis placed on the testing of students.

State overrides districts on charter schools
By Dave Weber
Orlando Sentinel
The Florida State Board of Education on Wednesday overruled the decisions of local school boards in deciding that five charter schools rejected by Central Florida districts should be allowed to open.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Mortgage delinquency down nationally, but Florida rate is highest
Staff Report
Florida Current
A report released Wednesday by Chicago-based TransUnion, a financial information and management firm, shows that the national 60-day mortgage delinquency rate for the first quarter is 5.78 percent – a drop of 3.83 percent from the previous quarter, and a decline of 6.62 percent compared to the first three months of 2011.

If Florida's recovery is so bland, why is tourism setting records?
By Robert Trigaux
Tampa Bay Times
As economic rebounds go, Florida's is no barnburner.

Affordable housing developers challenge state housing group over federal tax credits
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Seven affordable housing developers are challenging the way the Florida Housing Finance Corp., a private entity that uses state and federal funds to administer housing programs, scored their applications for millions of dollars in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

Bill says everything about Republicans' priorities
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Repeating a tired and disappointing script, House Republicans are poised to pass a bill today that would shred the social safety net for struggling Americans in order to protect defense spending.

Contracts must avoid conflicts
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
When reports last year exposed taxpayer-funded deals among insiders at a Florida's job-training agency, Gov. Rick Scott made no secret of his disapproval.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Healthcare group says Florida small buisnesses missing out on healthcare tax credits
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
About 70 percent of small businesses in the U.S. are  eligible for healthcare tax credits under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Health board to mull taking over local clinics
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
Responding to political pressure to get state government out of the medical business, the Palm Beach County Health Care District board agreed Wednesday to consider taking over most local public clinics operated by the Florida Department of Health.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Fla. Supreme Court hears class action argument
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
A pay day loan company's lawyer argued Wednesday that the Florida Supreme Court must uphold a contract provision prohibiting customers from banding together in class action arbitration cases against the firm because of a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court decision.