Daily Clips for August 1, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

U.S. Justice Department says Florida's voter purge violates federal law
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The U.S. government wants to block Florida from resuming its purge of suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls, saying it would violate federal law.

Voter suppression: 'I'm a better citizen than any of them. I'm not going to quit'
By Ed Pilkington
Guardian UK
Florida is at the centre of a concerted bid to restrict citizens' right to vote.

Embattled education commissioner Gerard Robinson resigns
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson resigned late Tuesday amid a months-long controversy over the state's testing regimen and errors on school grades that forced the department to change the marks for dozens of schools.

Medicaid: life & death politics?
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
A Harvard study that found a longer life expectancy in states where Medicaid was expanded years ago could have significant implications for Florida, with thousands of lives each year riding on a decision that until now rested only on money and politics.

Promising openness, delivering propaganda
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
In Tallahassee's politicized culture of cynicism, even an initiative touted by Gov. Rick Scott as an effort to provide unprecedented transparency has turned out to be just another betrayal of the public trust.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Insurance Commissioner McCarty travels often for nonstate business
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
In the past 19 months, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has been out of the state nearly one out of every four days – including holidays and weekends – often on trips to industry conferences that are not directly related to the Florida insurance market.

The business of being Marco Rubio is booming
By Scott wong
Politico
Marco Rubio may be slipping down the shortlist of potential Mitt Romney running mates. But Rubio Inc. has been booming.

Former Florida Speaker Ray Sansom sues state for legal costs
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
Former House Speaker Ray Sansom is suing the state, saying he should be reimbursed for the costs of defending himself against corruption charges that were eventually dropped.

In the Name of All Floridians?
By Mary Jo Melone
Florida Voices
How much could $888,000 buy for people in need?

POLITICAL RACES

PPP: Obama has razor-thin lead in Florida
By William March
Tampa Tribune
A new Public Policy Polling survey shows President Barack Obama ahead of Mitt Romney by a single point in Florida—well under the error margin—and finds that putting Marco Rubio or Condoleeza Rice on Romney’s ticket as running mate boosts him ahead of Obama.

Florida 101: 10 Things to Know About Florida for the 2012 Election
By Robert Watson
Huffington Post
The Sunshine State is important in presidential elections for several reasons, but one of them is simply that Florida is the land of butterfly ballots, hanging chads, and Katherine Harris (and her makeup).

Mitt Romney's bus tour headed to Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
CNN's Peter Hamby reports that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney plans a multi-state and city bus tour annd blitz that includes multiple stops in Florida before the Republican National Convention in Tampa at month's end.

Dave Weldon strives to make a race of it against Connie Mack in GOP Senate primary
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Yes, there still is a Florida Republican U.S. Senate primary.

Both sides of Tampa Bay preparing for Republican convention's economic impact
By Jamal Thalji
Tampa Bay Times
Bob Rohrlack Jr. remembers when Tampa Bay wasn't a region. It was a body of water.

Most downtown Tampa businesses will brave the RNC
By Ted Jackovics
Tampa Tribune
Nearly 4 in 5 downtown food and retail businesses plan to remain open during the 2012 Republican National Convention, early results of a Tampa Downtown Partnership survey show. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

State pledges funds, regulations to clean up Silver Springs
By Fred Hiers
Gainesville Sun
The question for many members of the public after a Tuesday meeting about pollution levels in Silver Springs and the Silver River was one of trust.

Another three months passes without action in possible conflict-of-interest case for DEP's Vinyard
By Bill Prescott
Florida Current
Three months have passed since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requested more information about Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr.'s employment prior to joining the department in 2011, but there has been no response from DEP.

Study: Dispersants may have hurt Gulf food chain
By Janet McConnaughey
Associated Press
A study on possible effects of the 2010 BP oil spill indicates dispersants may have killed plankton - some of the ocean's tiniest plants and creatures - and disrupted the food chain in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the nation's richest seafood grounds.

Short list of Florida Public Service Commission candidates released
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
Eight candidates have made the cut and will be interviewed to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Florida Public Service Commission, according to a short list released Tuesday by a state PSC nominating council.

LGBT

Pew poll: 65 percent of Democrats support gay marriage, compared to 24 percent of Republicans
By David Crary
Associated Press
The partisan gap over same-sex marriage continues to widen, with 65 percent of Democrats now supporting it compared to 24 percent of Republicans, according to poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

Traditional, same-sex marriage advocates to support, protest in Brevard this week
By J. D. Gallop
Florida Today
The cultural war over same-sex marriage will advance to the fast-food counter this week as activists on both sides of the issue turn one of the nation’s most popular southern-fried chicken sandwiches into a civil rights cause.

St. Petersburg's domestic partnership registry starts Wednesday
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
The city's domestic partnership registry opens today and will give unmarried couples some of the same legal rights as their married counterparts.

EDUCATION

Hillsborough School Board takes a stand on testing
By Marlene Sokol
Tampa Bay Times
It took discussions all morning at a workshop session, then a bit of a power struggle toward the evening.

Cost of college: Facing the hard truth
Staff Report
Florida Times-Union
It’s not exactly news that college loans could be the next bubble, passing the $1 billion mark.

New Board for Florida Poly Will Meet Today
By Mary Toothman
Lakeland Ledger
Florida Polytechnic University's new board of trustees will have its first meeting this morning.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

U.S., Fla. consumers upbeat, surveys show
By Ted Jackoics
Tampa Tribune
Consumers in the state and in the nation are feeling more confident about the economy, according to separate surveys released Tuesday.

Stores prep for 'second Christmas' sales tax holiday
By Joey Flechas
Gainesville Sun
Lonnie Phillips doesn't do back-to-school crowds.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Gov. Scott in Orlando today to speak at health care conference
Staff Report
Central Florida News 13
Gov. Rick Scott is making his way to Central Florida to talk health care Wednesday.

Medicaid expansion is a good business decision for Florida
By Laura Brennaman
Ft. Myers News-Press
Promoting life and preventing premature death should be paramount when our Legislature decides whether to implement the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion in Florida.

Retirees rally in support of health benefits
By Mitra Malek
Palm Beach Post
A small group of seniors crammed into a tiny office Monday waving small white laminated signs that read “Healthcare, Medicare, Retirees Care, I Care!” at each other, a couple of cameras and several onlookers.

How The Republicans Might Reshape Medicaid If They Win The White House And Congress
Staff Report
Kaiser Health News
The Los Angeles Times reports on how the GOP is readying a push to scale back the health insurance program for the poor if it takes control of the White House and Congress next year.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

I Have a Solution That Will Allow Florida to Ban Doctors From Asking About Guns
By Kevin Drum
Mother Jones
Via Ed Kilgore, I see that Florida recently passed a law making it illegal for doctors to ask their patients about gun ownership.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

A Battle for Florida’s Courts
Editorial
New York Times
Under Florida’s system of choosing Supreme Court justices, the governor makes the initial appointments, then voters get to decide every six years whether to keep them.

Can State Pay For Courthouse Photos? Fla. CFO Seeks Answer At Hearing
By Jessica Palombo    
WFSU Tallahassee
When Florida built a courthouse for the First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee two years ago, the architect’s plan for the $50 million building included miles of African Mahogany paneling, high-end light fixtures, and hundreds of framed historic photographs to hang on the walls.