PROGRESS
FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
The BluVu: Week of July 30th
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
Corrine Brown challenges voter suppression in federal court, Lt Governor Jennifer Carroll apoligizes to the Lesbian community and Progress Florida’s Damien Filer has the scoop on Amendment 8. All this and more as political reality comes your way!
FEATURED
STORIES
Jim Greer: Republican Party tried to pay me hush money
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
The Republican Party of Florida has not attempted to settle a civil suit filed against them by former GOP chairman Jim Greer, according to a lawyer for the party.
At Rollins, Obama calls Romney's 'trickle-down' tax plan 'fairy dust'
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
President Barack Obama, speaking to 2,400 screaming supporters at Rollins College on Thursday, said the 2012 election offers "two fundamentally different visions for America," between what he called Mitt Romney's tax cuts for the rich versus his own defense of the middle class.
In Orlando area, President Barack Obama and Sen. Marco Rubio hold a debate of sorts
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
For as much as they disagree on policy, Barack Obama and Marco Rubio have an awful lot in common.
8-day early-voting period for primary election starts Saturday
By Anika Myers Palm
Orlando Sentinel
Starting Saturday, Central Floridians who want to vote early and avoid lines during the Aug. 14 primary election can head to the polls at times and places they might find more convenient.
BEST
OF THE BLOGS
Youth activists infiltrate Florida immigrant detention center, find people wrongly held
By Sue Sturgis
Facing South
Activists with the National Immigrant Youth Alliance intentionally placed themselves in deportation proceedings in order to enter the Broward Transitional Center, an immigration detention facility in Florida -- and they say they found scores of detainees who shouldn't be there under the Obama administration's revised deportation policies.
Gov. Rick Scott Kept Official State Email Account Off Public Records Site
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Because Florida Gov. Rick Scott began his term by deleting his transition emails due to "an error," his announcement last May that he was making his emails public on a website called "Project Sunburst" all in the name of "transparency," the news was met with a certain amount of skepticism.
Georgia Lawyer Thinks She Knows Better Than Florida Law Enforcement
By Brughart
Hrrumph
Florida Supreme Court Justices standing for merit retention never draw much attention…until 2010 when groups actively campaigned against two of the four justices who were then standing for merit retention at that time.
Dr. Knight shines the light of truth brightly on the Adena Springs Ranch application for a water use permit
By Sandspur
SWFWMD Matters
Make statements of fact that aren’t and then publish them as if they are.
Former FL GOP chair calls party officials liars, "whack-a-do, right-wing crazies''
By DavidKC
Daily Kos
Lost amid the Olympics and Romney's gaffe-a-thon is some stunning Republican Party in-fighting here in Florida - just in time for the RNC Convention in Tampa!
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Gov. Scott to blog for left-leaning Huffington Post
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott is adding a stint as blogster for a liberal online news site to his resume.
POLITICAL
RACES
Sen. Nelson ad slams likely GOP opponent Mack
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is attacking Rep. Connie Mack IV's character in his second campaign ad, pointing out in the spot that began airing today that his likely Republican opponent used to do Hooter's promotions and has a history of getting in trouble at bars.
GOP hopes to stay out of trouble in Tampa
By Aaron Sharockman
Tampa Bay Times
House Republicans are officially worried that lawmakers and staffers will stray off the straight-and-narrow path at the GOP convention in Tampa this month.
Hialeah absentee-ballot broker Cabrera arrested; state attorney recuses herself from ongoing case
By Patricia Mazzei, Daniel Chang, Charles Rabin and Christina Veiga
Miami Herald
A Hialeah boletera at the center of a weeklong absentee-ballot investigation that muddied the Miami-Dade mayor’s race was arrested Thursday after police say she fraudulently obtained an absentee ballot from a terminally ill woman in a nursing home.
BALLOT
INITIATIVES
|Florida Amendment Could Remove Restrictions On Funding Religious Schools
By Casey Michel
TPM
Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) has not shied from introducing religion into the public sphere, most recently implementing a state law that would allow students to offer “inspirational messages” during all nonmandatory school events.
A closer look at secret plan to beat sick-leave measure
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando-area business groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block voters from weighing in on a ballot measure aimed at securing stronger sick-leave policies for Orange County workers.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
DEP says springs funding has doubled but some scientists are skeptical
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A year after the Legislature eliminated funding for its 10-year-old springs initiative, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is saying that springs restoration funding has doubled in the past two years under Gov. Rick Scott.
PSC, DEP come out against federal regulations, saying they could discourage new coal-fired power plants
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Five years after plans for new coal-fired power plants were scrapped amid opposition from then-Gov. Charlie Crist, two state agencies are raising concerns that a proposed federal rule could make it more difficult for utilities to build such plants.
Repair costs rise at Crystal River nuclear plant
By Ivan Penn
Tampa Bay Times
The cost to fix the broken Crystal River nuclear plant appears to be on the rise.
LGBT
|Chick-fil-A sets 1-day sales record amid gay flap
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Chick-fil-A set a one-day sales record on Wednesday amid an ongoing controversy over a company executive's public stance against same-sex marriage, company officials said Thursday.
Chick Fil A: Gay kiss protest planned for Friday
By Theresa Collington
WTSP Tampa
In response to Wednesday's Chick-fil-A appreciation day, gay rights supporters are now planning a "National Same-Sex Kiss Day at Chick-fil-A" to take place this Friday (August 3).
EDUCATION
Board selects interim education commissioner
By James Call
Florida Current
The Florida Board of Education Thursday selected K-12 Chancellor Pam Stewart to be interim education commission when Gerard Robinson leaves on Aug. 31.
StudentsFirst Organizer Defends Giving Gift Cards To Online Commenters
By John O'Connor
StateImpact
Betrayed. That’s how regional StudentsFirst organizer Catherine Robinson felt when an email she sent to a small group of supporters wound up published on education blogs.
Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday comes early this year
By Patricia Potestades
Palm Beach Post
Florida’s annual sales tax holiday arrived early this year, more than two weeks before Palm Beach County schools open.
Lightning rod
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson is headed for the exit.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Scott joins chorus of GOP governors demanding gridlocked Congress avert defense cuts
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott joined a chorus of fellow GOP governors in a contentious partisan squabble over federal lawmakers’ failure to avert $110 billion in mandatory spending cuts to defense and domestic programs set to kick in in January.
Scott: $5 million, 100 jobs on the way at Cape Canaveral
By Patrick Peterson
Florida Today
A $5 million state contribution announced Thursday by Gov. Rick Scott will help create 100 federal jobs and, more importantly, secure a key component of Brevard County’s military economy for decades to come as the U.S. Navy upgrades and refurbishes its missile testing facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Universal asks for 22 percent hike in homeowner insurance rates
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Citing large losses from sinkhole claims and uncertain results of legislation aimed at curbing them, officials from the Universal Insurance Co. of North America asked state regulators Thursday for a 22 percent statewide average increase in homeowner policy rates.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
Medicaid bill for counties cut in half, though objections remain
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The amount of money the state says counties owe for unpaid Medicaid bills has been cut nearly in half.
Florida's infant mortality rate hits historic low
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
The infant mortality rate in Florida has fallen to a historic low of 6.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, state health officials said Tuesday.
FL Doctors Asked to Screen for Domestic Violence
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
Florida doctors can now screen patients for indications of domestic violence, as one of the eight preventive care tests available at no additional cost under a section of health care reform that just became effective this week.
Government report: Tax cheats getting paid by Medicaid
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Thousands of Medicaid health care service providers still got paid by the government even though they owed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxes, congressional investigators say.
JUSTICE
AND THE COURTS
A 28-year first: Florida's prison population shrinks
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Ocala Star-Banner
The surest sign of Florida's plummeting crime rate: For the first time in 28 years, the Sunshine State will have a smaller prison population than the previous year.
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