Daily Clips for July 26, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The BluVu: Week of July 23^rd
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
The Governor and Lt. Governor have become the pariahs of the GOP, Genting is buying it's way to dominance in the gaming world, Progress Florida’s Damien Filer tells us what's wrong with the FCAT…all this and more as political reality comes your way!

FEATURED STORIES

Jim Greer denounces Florida Republican Party officials as liars, 'right-wing crazies' in deposition
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
In a wide-ranging deposition that spanned two days in late May, former Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer denounced some party officials as liars and "whack-a-do, right-wing crazies'' as he described turmoil in the months before his resignation.

Will Florida's Voter Purge Cost Obama the Election?
By Molly Ball
The Atlantic
It is November 7, the day after the 2012 presidential election, and Barack Obama has narrowly lost his bid for reelection.

Tampa business owners who criticized Obama's comments about business live off government work
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
The Mitt Romney campaign offered up an inspirational tale of two local companies Wednesday as a way to cast President Barack Obama as an out-of-touch, big government apologist who doesn't understand how business works.

Jeb Bush wants Rubio for vice president
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush thinks Sen. Marco Rubio is ready to be vice president and he shared those thoughts with presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, he said today.

Connie Mack's campaign violated election law, filing says
By Alex Leary and Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
A Jacksonville lawyer has filed an FEC complaint against Connie Mack's Senate campaign for allegedly violating federal election law through the purchase of Brooks Brothers clothing.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Is Crist contemplating a political comeback in 2014?
By Joe Henderson
Tampa Tribune
Charlie Crist isn't saying he plans to run for governor in 2014, but he isn't saying he won't. Read into that what you will.

Where in the world is Rick Scott visiting?
Associated Press
Florida Today
Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s office isn’t saying much about his vacation.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about voter ID laws
By Suevon Lee
ProPublica
Voter IDs laws have become a political flashpoint in what's gearing up to be another close election year.

POLITICAL RACES

‘You didn’t build that’ fight heats up in Florida with Romney attacks, new Obama ad
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Republican criticism and mockery of President Obama for his “you didn’t build that” remark about businesses has clearly struck a nerve.

Election 2012: Romney nearly doubles Obama's fundraising in SW Florida
By Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Naples Daily News
Southwest Floridians donated more than $652,000 to presidential candidates over a three-month period in 2012.

Connie Mack’s staff tied to anti-Hugo Chávez group
By John Bresnahan
Politico
For years in the House and in his current bid for Senate, Florida GOP Rep. Connie Mack has attacked Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez with a zeal possibly unmatched in Congress.

Florida fares well in election technology thanks to paper ballots; falls short when it comes to auditing those ballots
By Pat Beall
Palm Beach Post
As the white-hot presidential contest heats up in this battleground state, a newly released national voting equipment study singles out Wellington for special notice, even as it gives Florida passing marks.

Tampa will hold three town halls on impacts of RNC on residents and businesses
By Seán Kinane
WMNF Tampa
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced Wednesday that he will host three town hall meetings in August on the impacts of the Republican National Convention on residents and businesses. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Everglades restoration plan evokes concerns at public hearing
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
The proposed $880 million plan to restore the Everglades drew concern from all sides at a public hearing Wednesday, from environmentalists saying it didn’t provide enough guarantees, to a water district board member who called the plan impractical and “a financial train wreck.”

Mercury pollution must drop 86%, Florida says
By Kate Spinner
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
To eliminate the risk of poisoning from eating too much fish in Florida, the amount of mercury pollution entering the state's lakes, rivers and estuaries needs to drop 86 percent, a new analysis by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows.

LGBT

Gay rights group wants Carroll to apologize
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times
Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, has launched an online petition campaign demanding an apology from Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who drew the group's criticism by telling a Tampa television station on July 14 that "usually black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that."

Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith answers calls about LGBTQ issues
By Seán Kinane
WMNF Tampa
Wednesday on Last Call we discussed human rights issues in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

EDUCATION

The DOE fails
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
We're not sure if our children are showing adequate progress under Florida's ever-changing FCAT tests, but the state Department of Education sure seems to be failing.

Charters, traditional schools and “equitable facility funding” purpose of new state task force
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
A new state task force has been tapped to make recommendations to the Florida Legislature on “more equitable facility funding for charter schools and schools operated by a school district.”

Higher education task force to 'brainstorm' in St. Pete today
Staff Report
Tampa Tribune
"Brainstorming" is on the agenda for Gov. Rick Scott's Florida Blue Ribbon Task Force on State Higher Education Reform.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Report criticizes Florida for no measurable goals in program meant to help people in foreclosure
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
A federal inspector general report critical of a $7.6 billion foreclosure prevention plan specifically mentions Florida as failing to set measurable goals for its Hardest Hit program.

Florida insurance panel grills State Farm over rate increase request
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
State insurance officials and consumer advocates on Wednesday pressed State Farm Florida Insurance Co. over a proposed 57.3 percent increase in rental property premiums when the company is still not writing any new business.

Insurers line up for PIP changes, but not rate changes
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Automobile insurers are clamoring to take advantage of new legislation passed this year to combat fraud involved in Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, but are not as keen on adjusting their rates in kind.

Miami mayor plans to declare ‘financial urgency’ so he can rework union contracts
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado is expected to announce plans to declare “financial urgency” at a city commission meeting Thursday.

Senate OKs extending tax cuts to everyone except rich
Staff Report
Tampa Tribune
Democrats pushed a yearlong extension of tax cuts for all but the highest-earning Americans through the Senate today, giving Democrats a significant political victory on a measure that is fated to go no further in Congress.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

|Medicaid Expansion Reduces Mortality, Study Finds
By Matthew Fleming
Kaiser Health News
As states decide whether to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income childless adults, the impact of their choices became clearer today in a study showing a reduction of mortality in states that have already made that move.

13 States Cut Medicaid To Balance Budgets
By Phil Galewitz and Matthew Fleming
Kaiser Health News
Thirteen states are moving to cut Medicaid by reducing benefits, paying health providers less or tightening eligibility, even as the federal government prepares to expand the insurance program for the poor to as many as 17 million more people.

FL hospitals score best. And worst.
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
When it comes to the revolving-door syndrome, Florida hospitals are among the best and the worst.

Obama and Insurers Join to Cut Health Care Fraud
By Robert Pear
New York Times
President Obama and health insurance executives plan to announce a new joint effort on Thursday to crack down on health care fraud by sharing and comparing claims data, administration officials say.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Concealed Weapons Permits Continue to Rise
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Concealed weapon license applications are increasing by ten thousand a month, and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, Florida is on track to have more than a million concealed license holders by this fall.

Reasonable gun limits overdue
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
A week ago tonight, they went to the movies to escape and were killed by a heavily armed gunman who police say bought thousands of rounds of ammunition by mail order.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Judge dismisses lawsuit aimed at closing primary election loophole
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
If the winner of a Democratic or Republican primary in Florida won't face opposition in the general election, then that primary is open to all voters without regard to party registration under a state constitutional amendment passed overwhelmingly in 1998.

Court: State law doesn't bar pregnancy discrimination
News Service of Florida
Ft. Myers News-Press
Nothing in Florida law prevents discrimination against women on the basis that they're pregnant, an appeals court ruled Wednesday, although federal law does.