Daily Clips for June 27, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Obama tries to lure in Hispanic votes during Miami Beach campaign stop
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
After enjoying a huge financial advantage in his 2008 campaign, President Obama told donors here Tuesday that he expects to face unprecedented spending by Mitt Romney and Republicans this year on ads blaming him for the sputtering economy.

The Cornerstone
By Beth Reinhard
National Journal
Since 1960, Hillsborough County has called every single presidential election except for one—and there’s no reason to think that voters here won’t do it again.

Florida considers stopping Voter Participation Center's registration drive letters
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
By their own estimate, officials with a Washington nonprofit have registered 200,000 voters in Florida the past eight years.

Privatization of health care in Florida prisons in peril
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The largest privatization venture undertaken by Florida's prison system is in peril, and when the new fiscal year begins Sunday, it might be doomed, in another political victory for organized labor.

Floridians' consumer confidence sinks amid fears of stalled national economy
By Donna Gehrke-White
Orlando Sentinel
Floridians' consumer confidence sank in June amid new worries that the economy was stalling, according to a University of Florida survey released Tuesday.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Florida and feds head to court over voter purge
Associated Press
Naples Daily News
Florida and the U.S. Department of Justice are squaring off against each over the state's controversial move to remove potentially ineligible voters.

Obama calls Florida governor about storm damage
By Alister Bull
Reuters
President Barack Obama called Florida Governor Rick Scott from Air Force One on Tuesday morning "to ensure the state had no unmet needs" as it responds to flooding from Tropical Storm Debby, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

PIP reform, school prayer, video voyeurs targets of new laws
By Kathleen Haughney
South Florida Sun Sentinel
After Sunday, school districts can begin allowing prayer in public schools. Police will be able to crack down on voyeuristic videographers. And major changes to the state's no-fault auto insurance system will kick in.

Governor set to speak at Republican dinner
By Laura Kinsler
Tampa Tribune
For the first time, Pasco Republicans will be treated to a keynote address from a sitting governor when Gov. Rick Scott attends the party's annual Reagan Day Dinner on Friday.

POLITICAL RACES

Obama rakes in campaign cash at Miami Beach fundraiser with Marc Anthony
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
President Barack Obama made a swing through Miami Beach on Tuesday evening to pursue two re-election campaign goals: raise money from well-heeled donors and lure Hispanic voters — on this night, with a little salsa music.

Fla Q poll: Obama 45, Romney 41; Bill Nelson 41, Connie Mack 40
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's Hispanic voters back Obama 56 - 32 percent, compared to 49 - 39 percent in a June 21 Quinnipiac University poll, conducted before Obama and Romney each made major addresses on immigration policy.

Obama prepping thousands of lawyers for election
By Mike Baker
Associated Press
President Barack Obama's campaign has recruited a legion of lawyers to be on standby for this year's election as legal disputes surrounding the voting process escalate.

Poll: Rubio top choice for VP among voters
Staff Report
Naples Daily News
Marco Rubio is the favorite choice to be Mitt Romney's Republican vice-presidential nominee among voters overall and even more so among Republicans, reports a new IBOPE Inteligência poll.

Tampa sets parade route, protest area for Republican National Convention
By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
Protesters will be able to demonstrate one block from the Tampa Bay Times Forum during the Republican National Convention, city officials announced Tuesday.

Turning the state Senate inside out
By Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
Nothing can be more irritating in a political campaign than to have powerful outside forces attempt to use their juice to sway the outcome of the race — especially when other meddlers come along to meddle in their meddling.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Proposed amendment to have homeowners pick up tax slack?
By Troy Kinsey
Tampa Bay News 9
It has been four years since the housing crisis hit by Florida's real estate market continues to suffer.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Debby weakens, but Fla. still faces flooding risk
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
Debby, the guest that wouldn't leave, is ruining things for a lot of other visitors despite weakening to a tropical depression and leaving Florida's Gulf Coast behind.

DEP issues guidelines to water districts for buying, getting rid of state lands
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Water management districts must receive Florida Department of Environmental Protection approval for major land purchases under guidelines published by DEP this month.

Stronger Sea Turtle Protections Targeted by Congress
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
Congress is weighing in on a rule that advocates say could save the lives of thousands of sea turtles every year.

LGBT

Orlando-based Christian group backs away from trying to 'cure' homosexuality
Associated Press
Orlando Sentinel
The president of the country's best-known Christian ministry dedicated to helping people repress same-sex attraction through prayer is trying to distance the group from the idea that gay people's sexual orientation can be permanently changed or "cured."

EDUCATION

College loan rate deal may ease pain for Florida students expecting tuition hikes
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Congress is fighting the clock as it considers keeping federal student loans at their current rate, a battle now looming as a key election issue in swing-state Florida, where university costs are slated to jump again this fall.

High cost of being cheap: faculty exodus
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
How much does being cheap cost? Florida State University is already finding out, even before the Legislature's $300 million cut to higher education and less-than-expected tuition increases take effect for 2012-13.

Indian River Schools join group seeking to lower stakes associated with FCAT
By Colleen Wixon
TC Palm
The Indian River County School Board joined other school districts throughout the state to adopt the Florida School Boards Association's resolution concerning high-stakes testing, namely, the FCAT.

Orange approves fundraising during class time
By Lauren Roth
Orlando Sentinel
Fundraisers that involve classroom time will no longer be forbidden in Orange County Public Schools.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Cabinet eyes insurance as Debby soaks state
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Barry Gilway has been president and CEO of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for eight days.

Debby's damaged beaches may hurt tourism industry
By Anna M. Phillips, Jamal Thalji and Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
On Tuesday morning, people in Pass-a-Grille woke up to a nauseating realization: The beach was gone, washed away by two days of pounding by Tropical Storm Debby.

Low interest rates produce state savings
By James Call
Florida Current
Taking advantage of what the head of the state Division of Bond Finance calls an extraordinary run of low interest rates, the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved refinancing two bonds: one issued for a transportation project, the other for improvements at state universities.

Florida is Growing in Life Sciences Sector
By Regan McCarthy
WFSU Tallahassee
Florida Officials says the sunshine state is becoming a destination for the life sciences industry.

Orange leaders like idea of paying nothing for $315 million train
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County commissioners appeared enthralled Tuesday with the pitch of an Atlanta area businessman to build a $315 million elevated train that would connect the convention center with Orlando International Airport.

Heads Scott Wins, Tails Obama Loses
By Dan Gelber
Florida Voices
Despite his recent claims that he doesn’t care about who gets credit, Gov. Rick Scott is in the midst of a full blown “I get the credit tour” for Florida’s reducing unemployment numbers.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Swing states would see biggest losses in coverage if court strikes health law
By Sam Baker
The Hill
Several key swing states would be hit especially hard if the Supreme Court strikes down President Obama's healthcare reform law, according to new data from Avalere Health.

Big challenge for new state surgeon general
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The state's new surgeon general says he has no delusions about the tough job before him.

Dollars and Dentists
Staff Report
PBS Frontline
FRONTLINE and the Center for Public Integrity investigate the shocking consequences of a broken dental care system.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Illegal workers' new ally: Gov. Rick Scott
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Illegal immigrants have a strong new ally in Florida: the governor.

Rules for Florida residents to avoid getting asked to ‘show your papers’
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has green-lighted the part of the Arizona immigration law that requires local law enforcement officers to ask people suspected of being illegal immigrants to “show their papers”, it’s only a matter of time before Florida’s troglodyte-infested legislature follows suit.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Fla. justices push back electronic exchanges
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida lawyers won't be required to begin exchanging pleadings with each other by email instead of on paper for another two months.

Measuring justice for the young
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Any parent knows that children are different from adults.