Daily Clips for May 25, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The BluVu: Week of May 21^st
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
The Governor won't take no for an answer, they're checking Marco Rubio's baggage, it's bombs away for the FCAT, and Progress Florida’s Damien Filer brings us the story on sick leave in Orlando as political reality comes your way!

Exclusive Fla Insider Poll: Who's the best VP choice? Not Marco Rubio
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Note: Progress Florida’s Mark Ferrulo and Damien Filer were among those polled.
Mitt Romney's smartest vice presidential choice would come from Florida, say an overwhelming number of more than 100 of Florida’s smartest politicos.

FEATURED STORIES

Voting rights groups ask Scott to stop non-citizen voter purge
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
A coalition of voting rights groups is asking Gov. Rick Scott to stop a statewide effort to purge thousands of potential non-citzens from the voting rolls, and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, also plans to ask the governor to stop the scrub.

Gov. Rick Scott’s ’I’ve never shot an elephant gaffe with Spanish king caught on video
By Marc Caputo and Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
Related AP story: Fla gov talks about faux pas with Spain's King
Gov. Rick Scott became a punchline in Spain this week after a televised gaffe with the King of Spain, who’s reeling from an elephant-shooting scandal.

FCAT: Thousands of third-graders at risk of being held back
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
About 9,000 South Florida third-graders are at risk of being held back because they failed Florida’s reading exam, according to results released Thursday by the state Department of Education.

Groups claim thousands being denied jobless benefits in Florida
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
A national workers’ rights group has filed a federal complaint over Florida’s revamped unemployment compensation system, claiming that the Sunshine State has become the most difficult place in the nation for unemployed people seeking benefits.

Polls show U.S. Senate race a tie in Florida
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
In one of the most competitive Senate contests in the nation, Democrat Bill Nelson is in for the tightest race of his U.S. Senate career against Rep. Connie Mack, two new polls show.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Florida Congressman Demands Gov. Rick Scott ‘Immediately Suspend’ Voter Purge
By Judd Legum and Ian Millhiser
Think Progress
Related: How Governor Rick Scott Is Preventing Eligible U.S. Citizens From Voting In Florida
Florida Congressman Ted Deutch (D) told ThinkProgress today that Gov. Rick Scott was engaging in a “blatant attempt to suppress voter turnout.”

Quick Take on Florida Q Poll
By Steve Schale
Steve Schale
It didn't take long following the release of the Florida Q poll for my phone to blow up this morning.

NAACP's Evolution on Marriage Equality Began Decades ago
By Nadine Smith
Equality Florida
This isn't the first time the NAACP has stepped out on principle for an issue that affects the lives of LGBT people.

Romney’s education vision
By Valerie Strauss
The Answer Sheet
Anybody who thinks President Obama’s education policies have been unfriendly to public education should pay close attention to Mitt Romney’s newly announced school reform vision.

2012 Netroots Awards
By Kenneth Quinnell
Florida Progressive Coalition
It’s that time of year again, the 2012 Netroots Awards are about to begin.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Poll: Scott's ratings improving with Florida voters
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
A voter survey released Thursday suggests Gov. Rick Scott's efforts to improve his image may be swaying some voters who are not closely alligned with either major political party.

Temple Israel cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
Miami's Temple Israel on Thursday cancelled a program featuring Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz after a high-profile Republican donor quit the congregation to protest the top Democratic congresswoman's speech.

Poll: Floridians disagree with Tampa's bid to ban guns at RNC
By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
Floridians disagree with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's proposal to ban guns outside the Republican National Convention, a Quinnipiac University poll shows.

Sen. Siplin to admit guilt, pay $3,000 in settlement of campaign violations
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, has reached a tentative agreement with the Florida Elections Commission over alleged campaign finance violations during his 2008 re-election campaign.

Florida Voter Polls: Purges And Politics
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
When it comes to fair voting, will Florida ever learn to do it right? Once again, the state is courting problems as it seeks to purge supposedly ineligible people from voter rolls.

POLITICAL RACES

Marco Rubio plans to sell books in swing states
Associated Press
Ft. Myers News-Press
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of West Miami is planning a swing-state summer bus tour that will also roll through South Carolina, the early presidential primary battleground.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmentalists battle DEP, industries on two fronts
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Environmentalists said Thursday they will ask the Florida Supreme Court to require the governor and Cabinet to decide on a plan for a pollution pipeline into the St. Johns River approved by the state.

Tropicana gets OK to connect new generator to FPL
By Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post
Tropicana's Fort Pierce citrus processing plant has received state approval for a plan to connect a 1.6-megawatt generating facility to Florida Power & Light Co.'s system.

Santa Fe green
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
This week a stretch of the Santa Fe River near Poe Springs began to run green with algae.

LGBT

Tampa domestic partnership registry opens June 25 to both gay and unmarried heterosexual couples
By Dustin Chase
WFTS Tampa
Unmarried couples will soon be able to register as domestic partners with the City of Tampa beginning next month.

ACLU sues Yancey, School Board
By Vishal Persaud
Ocala Star-Banner
On behalf of two Vanguard High School students, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida filed suit against School Superintendent Jim Yancey and the School Board on Thursday.

EDUCATION

FCAT reading, math scores released, but change in standards could lead to more confusion
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Florida students earned about the same results on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests for reading and math, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Education.

Fewer third-graders pass critical FCAT reading test
By Cara Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Thursday was a rough day at San Jose Elementary School in Dunedin.

Too many answers missing
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Department of Education has opened a new hotline to address confusion about the FCAT, and Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is holding a series of "Conversations with the Commissioner" – including one tonight at 6 at Boca Raton High School - to explain the test.

Applicants Still Needed for Florida Polytechnic University's Board
By Mary Toothman
Lakeland Ledger
It's no lines, no waiting for those interested in serving on the board of the new Florida Polytechnic University, but applications need to be submitted by the end of the month.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Citizens considering rate hike on new policies, but director voted for cap
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Tom Grady, interim director of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., has said he thinks the state-owned company’s plan to raise rates for new policies above the 10 percent cap put in place by lawmakers in 2009 is legal.

Workforce board picks new CEO
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Workforce Central Florida board members want a Connecticut workforce development administrator to become agency's new president and CEO.

Facebook, JPMorgan gaffs erode faith in Wall St.
By Christina Rexrode and Pallavi Gogoi
Associated Press
Wall Street appears bent on convincing Main Street that the game is rigged.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Lawsuit Alleges Toxic Exposure at Florida Prison
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
More than 160 current and former employees and family members are suing the federal prison agency over ailments they blame on exposure to toxins at an electronics recycling facility at a penitentiary in the Florida Panhandle.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Zimmerman wants evidence private in Martin case
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
Both sides in the Trayvon Martin murder case want some evidence kept private until trial.