Daily News Clips for August 16, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

David Richardson: 'I am the first openly gay legislator in the history of Florida. And forever will be'
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
David Richardson, a 55-year-old forensic accountant and political newcomer, says he’s comfortable having made Florida history on election night.

Longtime Florida Rep. Cliff Stearns undone by his own party, horse doctor Ted Yoho
By Alex Leary and Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times
For two years, U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns has used newfound clout in Washington as a spear against the Obama administration, heading probes into Solyndra and Planned Parenthood that have made him one of the most reviled figures among Democrats nationwide.

Redistricting changes contour of Florida politics
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
Conservative candidates came up with a teacup half-full in Florida congressional races Tuesday.

Rick Scott Administration Vows New Voter Purge In Florida Before Election
By Josh Israel
Think Progress
Gov. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) handpicked Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced yesterday that their administration intends to begin another voter purge in the near future.

New 350-acre 'shooting park' with gun ranges, clubhouse proposed for state wildlife area
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A proposal to put a 350-acre "shooting park" within a state wildlife area in Central Florida is raising concerns with Audubon Florida about state conservation land being used for purposes other than conservation.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Disabled and Elderly Voters Face New Hurdles at Polls
By Emily Nohr and Alissa Skelton
News21
Sami McGinnis remembers walking into a polling place and casting her vote for the first time.

Florida yet to release delegate list for Republican convention
By Jacob Carpenter
Naples Daily News
Several Southwest Florida Republicans will be seated on the floor of Tampa Bay Times Forum later this month, representing the area at the party's national convention.

POLITICAL RACES

Fla Poll: Romney-Ryan 48%, Obama-Biden 47%
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
The bipartisan Purple Strategies outfit has a batch of new battleground state polls, and in Florida the news is pretty good for Romney and his vice presidential pick.

Primary results prove 'a wake-up call' for political pros
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Related: Goodbye primary, hello general election
Three men in dark business suits fall to their hands and knees, grunting as they elbow pigs away from a filthy trough and literally sling mud in a frenzied, funny television spot that a tea party-backed newcomer used in the biggest political upset of this week's Florida primaries.

Senate leader posts a clean sweep
By James Call
Florida Current
Senate President-designate Don Gaetz posted a clean sweep in Tuesday’s primary election.

Palm Beach County elections officials await state decision on recount date for Clemens-Bernard state Senate race
By Willie Howard
Palm Beach Post
State Rep. Jeff Clemens maintained a 34-vote lead Wednesday over fellow state Rep. Mack Bernard in the race for the District 27 state Senate seat after the canvassing board counted provisional ballots.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Abortion issue in Florida heats up
By Jade Belecza
WTXL Tallahassee
Floridians on both sides say they don't want this issue overlooked.

Amendment is Common-Sense Approach to Conservation
By Eric Draper
Florida Voices
Florida lawmakers have cut conservation spending more deeply than any other part of government.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Putnam Kicks Off Florida Energy Summit in Orlando
By Sascha Cordner      
WFSU Tallahassee
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is hosting the second Annual Florida Energy Summit in Orlando, which started Wednesday.

Florida counties plan for BP oil spill fines
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Representatives from Florida's 23 Gulf Coast counties are deciding how to best spend billions of dollars in fines that are expected to come from the massive 2010 BP oil spill.

LGBT

Jacksonville council denies human rights ordinance expansion
By David Bauerlein       
Florida Times-Union
In a cliffhanger decision, the Jacksonville City Council by a 10-9 vote Wednesday rejected a bill expanding the city’s human rights ordinance to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination.

EDUCATION

Florida's test score gains are real, study says
By Cara Fitzpatrick
Tampa Bay Times
Another day, another argument about the validity of Florida's academic progress.

Miami-Dade School Board OK's ballot question for $1.2 billion bond
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Business leaders, teachers, parents, students and residents strongly endorsed a $1.2 billion school bond referendum at the Miami-Dade School Board’s meeting Wednesday.

Florida universities under pressure to improve graduation rates
By Denise-Marie Ordway
Orlando Sentinel
The University of Central Florida's four-year graduation rate is just 35 percent, which means that a little more than a third of students who entered as freshmen graduated in 2010-11.

Robinson Confirmed As Interim FAMU President; Univerisity Begins New Search
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
One of the first issues before FAMU’s Presidential search committee is to decide what kind of candidate it wants to lead the 124-year-old institution.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Most swing state economies faring better than U.S.
By Douglas Hanks
Miami Herald
In a state President Barack Obama needs to win, the incumbent should be pleased by the sales report from Tom Sarach’s staffing firm in southeast Virginia.

Loan relief for deeply underwater homeowners in Florida finally flowing
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Thousands of severely underwater homeowners in Florida have benefited from a revamped federal refinance program, but mortgage brokers say a spring momentum has stalled with banks less willing to look at loans outside their own portfolios.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

How the Affordable Care Act improves Medicare
By Kathleen Sebelius
Palm Beach Post
Related: Sebelius to tout Affordable Care Act in West Palm Beach today
I’m visiting West Palm Beach today to meet with seniors and talk about how the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, is making a difference in their lives.

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius extols Affordable Care Act's virtues
By Beth Reese Cravey  
Florida Times-Union
The father of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was a member of Congress in 1965 when Medicare was created.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Application process for 'deferred action' launches nationwide
By Laura C. Morel
Tampa Bay Times
Related editorial: A humane first step on immigration
Nanci Palacios spent her summer vacations in middle school traveling with her parents to work in fields of blueberries, apples and oranges, sometimes missing the first days of class back in Tampa.