Daily Clips for June 4, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida voter purge gets pushback from elections supervisors, U.S. Justice
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: Progress Florida Political Director Damien Filer: "The fact is Rick Scott is carrying on a disgraceful GOP legacy of disenfranchising voters in Florida. And he's doing it on purpose. Sadly, Florida is once again a late-show punch line. Jon Stewart and Jay Leno are no doubt thrilled. Florida voters, not so much."

FEATURED STORIES

All 67 Florida Election Supervisors Suspend Governor Rick Scott’s Voter Purge
By Judd Legum
Think Progress
Related: Meet Archibald: The Second 90-Year-Old WWII Veteran Targeted By Florida’s Voter Purge
On Thursday, the Justice Department demanded Florida Governor Rick Scott end his extensive purge of registered voters from the rolls because it was in violation of federal law. Scott still hasn’t formally responded but his county election supervisors have already taken action.

Rick Scott: state is "absolutely not" targeting minorities in noncitizen voter purge
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Related: Investigation of two noncitizen voters may bolster Scott’s fight with feds
Related: How Obama aided and abetted Scott’s voter purge mess
Gov. Rick Scott said his administration is “absolutely not” intentionally targeting minorities as part of a noncitizen voter purge that the U.S. Department of Justice has ordered Florida to halt.

The GOP, demographics and voter suppression
By Leonard Pitts Jr.
Miami Herald
Related column: Beer lobbyist knows little about voting
Bill Internicola had to show his papers.

Wisconsin recall election has Florida implications
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker survives a recall election Tuesday, it could give his Florida counterpart more breathing room to pursue a similar agenda here before facing re-election in 2014.

Fight to control leadership of state Senate looms over this year’s elections
By Mary Ellen Klas and Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The road to the future of the Florida Senate goes through Tampa Bay in November.

Out of office, Jeb Bush retains major influence on education policy
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Former Gov. Jeb Bush is six years out of office, but his influence over the state's education policies may be greater than ever.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jeff Parker
Florida Today

FLORIDA POLITICS

Voter purge, election changes concern some
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
Related editorial: The feds step in
U.S. Army Maj. Robert Lowen is a native of Canada who came to Gainesville to earn his doctorate in entomology and nematology at the University of Florida.

Deutch seeks records on state voter purge
By William March
Tampa Tribune
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton has filed a public records request for documents related to the state's attempted voter roll purge, which is targeting alleged non-citizens illegally registered to vote.

Darkness in the Sunshine State
By Charles M. Blow
New York Times
Florida ought to know better. And must do better, particularly on the issue of voting and discrimination.

Temper tantrums in Tallahassee
By John Romano
Tampa Bay Times
At least once a month, I have a conversation with my 8-year-old that sounds something like this: "Stop that.''

Eavesdropping at the Governor’s Mansion
By Mary Jo Melone
Florida Voices
If it were possible, Rick Scott would be tearing his hair out right about now.

Judge stops assault on democracy
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
All Floridians, especially Gov. Rick Scott and state lawmakers, should consider the sensible findings of U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle, who last week threw out part of an overreaching elections law.

Reprieve for voter drives
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Next time Florida lawmakers are tempted to meddle with voter registration drives, they might want to read up on the First Amendment and the freedoms it protects.

Please pass the sunshine
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Shady officials have, in copious numbers, left a cloud of ethical suspicion over Florida's state and local governments.

While Florida struggles, Congress dithers
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
To the frustration of many Floridians, Congress has spent relatively few days in session this year and accomplished little while Republicans and Democrats grapple for advantage in the fall elections.

Sen. Marco Rubio earning respect in Senate for foreign-policy work
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Marco Rubio had just stepped off the plane from his first visit to Cuba, the homeland of his forebears, a land at the heart of his political identity.

POLITICAL RACES

Qualifying for Florida elections beginning Monday
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Now is the time for Florida political candidates to get serious about where they're running.

It's hurricane season -- and it may cost you
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
If you place stock in surveys of voters who still have two years to change their minds, former Republican-turned-Indy Gov. Charlie Crist could beat current Gov. Rick Scott by a double-digit margin.

Romney's ticket won't include baggage, er, Rubio
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Despite having enough baggage to make him look like a suitcase manufacturer, Marco Rubio remains the favorite of pundits trying to figure out whom Mitt Romney will pick to be his running mate.

State Democrats gather in Tampa to select delegates for convention
Staff Report
Tampa Tribune
Just weeks before the nation's Republicans gather in Tampa to make Mitt Romney their presidential candidate, the state's Democrats are in town to choose delegates for their convention.

State Rep. Jeff Brandes files to run for Florida Senate
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
State Rep. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, filed to run for the Florida Senate on Friday, setting up a potentially bruising primary that could pit him against either Rep. Jim Frishe, R-St. Petersburg, or Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Push for mandatory paid sick days goes countywide
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
A group of workers' rights activists who launched a petition initiative to require Orlando businesses to provide employees with paid sick days said Friday they are now taking their effort countywide.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Failure at the top in protecting Florida's wetlands
By Bill Maxwell
Tampa Bay Times
Imagine Gov. Rick Scott as Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 landing on the pristine La Florida ("place of flowers") shore in the vicinity of the Caloosahatchee River.

Conservation lands in Volusia, Flagler under review for other uses
By Dinah Voyles Pulver
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Over 35 years, the St. Johns River Water Management District bought 605,000 acres to protect and improve the St. Johns River and its tributaries, to safeguard freshwater supplies and prevent homes from flooding.

Water district's plans to lease land for hunting draws fire
By Christopher Curry
Gainesville Sun
The 836-acre tract straddling the Santa Fe River and the Alachua/Bradford county line is known as Mud Swamp.

On first day, new Northwest Florida water chief says "conspiracy theories" are untrue
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
New Northwest Florida Water Management District Executive Director Jon Steverson on his first day on the new job on Friday said he's heard the "conspiracy theories" about a DEP takeover of the water management districts but they're not true.

Get on with it
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
After the Santa Fe River ran green with algae, we asked in an editorial "Where's the EPA," and why isn't it enforcing the Clean Water Act in order to protect Florida's waterways from nutrient poisoning?

LGBT

Gay married couples look to high court on benefits
By Denise Lavoie
Associated Press
Fresh from a favorable ruling by a federal appeals court, Dorene Bowe-Shulman can't wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether same-sex married couples should get the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples.

Court's positive step for marriage equality
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
In another positive step toward equality for all, a federal appeals court last week declared the federal law that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman unconstitutional.

EDUCATION

Statewide algebra test trips 52 percent of 9th graders
By James Call
The Florida Current
More than half of the ninth graders in Florida public schools need to retake an algebra class if they want to graduate from high school.

State begins push to link FCAT to new nationalized education curriculum
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is touring the state and talking with parents and local school officials about the results of this year’s FCAT test and end-course exams.

FCAT validity questioned after scoring changes, lowered marks
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
FCAT scores can determine everything from teacher pay to housing prices, but frequently changing standards are causing some to question how valid the results actually are.

Failing on FCAT
By Brad Rogers
Ocala Star-Banner
Rick Roach is something of a cult hero among Floridians who think the FCAT is doing more harm than good in our public schools.

The high cost of higher education
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
A college education is not nearly as affordable as it used to be.

Joe Biden to address Cypress Bay graduation at Marlins Park today
By Georgia East
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Vice President Joe Biden threw Cypress Bay High School a bit of a curveball when he announced he would deliver the keynote address at the school's graduation ceremony.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Workers: State blocks unemployment benefits
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
With Florida's unemployment rate at a three-year low of 8.7 percent, Gov. Rick Scott says his policies are helping drive the state's economy on the "path to recovery."

Insurers, agents see rates as key to shrinking Citizens; others wary
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Board members for the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. got feedback from insurance companies, agents, consultants, lawmakers and Realtors during a meeting Friday in Tampa on how best to reduce its number of policies, but many speakers echoed one theme: Rates must increase faster.

Company to offer passenger rail from Miami to Orlando with possible expansion to Jacksonville
By Larry Hannan
Florida Times-Union
Florida East Coast Industries is planning to offer passenger rail service from Miami to Orlando within the next two years.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Drug-bill battle is lucrative for lobbyists, legislators
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
It's a fight between Capitol insiders with pocketbook implications for thousands of injured workers, a battle between doctors selling marked-up medications and insurers trying to protect their bottom lines.

State accommodates counties on Medicaid billing, but sticking points remain
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
Representatives of Florida's counties say that although they are still suing the state to block a Medicaid bill-collection scheme that became law this year, they have been able mitigate some of the new law's contentious effects.

Expert at DOH abruptly resigns
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Health News Florida
Florida’s main agency charged with protecting the health of residents continues to deal with the departure of many of its high-ranking officials.

A.G. Holley State Hospital to go, but issue of TB patients remains
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Department of Health's plan for closing A.G. Holley State Hospital, released to the public Friday, offered only a rough outline of what is to become of its 37 tuberculosis patients, hinting at the difficulty the state has had finding medical homes for patients whose care is costly and prolonged.

Contractors: VA missed chance to speed hospital work, save jobs
By Marni Jameson
Orlando Sentinel
Lost in all the shouting going on among VA officials, contractors and politicians about the Orlando VA Medical Center's much-delayed opening are the workers getting hurt most by the project's poor oversight.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Drones could soon be flying in Florida skies
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
Drones that have killed hundreds, if not thousands, of suspected terrorists in the tribal regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan soon may be patrolling the skies over Florida and the rest of the United States.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida 'stand your ground' law yields some shocking outcomes depending on how law is applied
By Kris Hundley, Susan Taylor Martin and Connie Humburg
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's "stand your ground'' law has allowed drug dealers to avoid murder charges and gang members to walk free.

George Zimmerman back in jail, defense expected to file request for his release
By Amy Pavuk
Orlando Sentinel
George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with fatally shooting teenager Trayvon Martin, woke up once again at the Seminole County Jail on Monday, where he returned over the weekend after a judge revoked his bond.