PROGRESS
FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
The BluVu: Week of August 13th
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
The Democrats are thanking the Republicans for the Romney Ryan Dream Team, Rick Scott is still fighting the Republican Party, Progress Florida’s Damien Filer discusses Amendment 3 and more as political reality comes your way!
FEATURED
STORIES
Rick Scott, Democrats fight over Florida early voting
By Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The fight over early voting is escalating in Florida as Gov. Rick Scott seeks agreement among counties for eight days and Democrats demand 12 days.
Florida turns down $4.9 million from federal government designed to strengthen parenting
By Curtis Krueger
Tampa Bay Times
Kimberly Dudley says she is grateful for the agency Healthy Start, which sent an educator into her home to help her get off drugs and prevent her kids from being shipped to foster care.
Tea party influences GOP platform talks in Tampa
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
When Republicans nominated John McCain for president in 2008, conservative groups associated with the tea party had yet to form.
In Pinellas, Bill Nelson doesn't shy away from health care vote
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson faces one of the toughest re-election fights of his career, with outside groups having already spent roughly $10 million attacking him as a liberal and for supporting the Affordable Care Act.
Tropical depression provides added anxiety as RNC nears
By Jose Patino Girona
Tampa Tribune
It may be about 2,500 miles away, but the National Hurricane Center and local meteorologists are keeping a close watch on a tropical depression that has formed in the Atlantic and threatens to put the Tampa Bay area on hurricane alert in time for the Republican National Convention.
FLORIDA
POLITICS
NAACP Demands Early Voting Extension
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Black leaders are calling on Governor Rick Scott tonight to use his executive powers and extend early voting.
Dems plan counter-convention in Fla
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Ann Romney to headline Day 1 of RNC in Tampa
Democrats have been pretty tight-lipped about their plans to bracket the Republican National Convention in Tampa, but they have an aggressive program in the works to get their message out from outside the Tampa Bay Times Forum and in battleground states across the country.
Gov. Scott may get primetime slot at GOP convention
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott is slated to be among the first speakers on the opening night of next week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, the party announced Monday.
Billboard reminds GOP Tampa leaders are Democrats
By Kevin Wiatrowski
Tampa Tribune
When GOP delegates make their way downtown each day next week, they'll get a reminder that they're holding their quadrennial convention in a city run by Democrats.
Tampa group says voter rolls rife with felons
By Lauren Mayk
Tampa Tribune
A Tampa group that has been combing through voter rolls says thousands of felons are registered to vote in Florida.
These politicians need to pay up
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
As of Monday, 2,313 public officials still haven’t bothered to file the financial disclosure declarations required by Florida law. The forms were due on July 1.
POLITICAL
RACES
Ryan the pandering persuader
By Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
As profiles in courage go, this did not quite measure up to that solitary, lonely Tiananmen Square protester standing in front of a column of tanks.
John Patrick Julien claims electoral fraud in House District 107 race
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
In what is likely to be the closest outcome of any legislative race this season, Miami Gardens Rep. Barbara Watson edged out North Miami Beach Rep. John Patrick Julien in the contest for House District 107 by a narrow 13 votes, according to a manual recount by Miami Dade County officials.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
Audubon opposes state plan to build shooting range in Osceola wildlife area
By David Breen
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is planning to build a shooting range at a state wildlife area in Osceola County over the objections of Audubon Florida.
Is decision bad news for Florida's wetlands?
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Florida environmental officials have approved a controversial "land bank" business that would generate profits by replacing wetlands paved over by developers, even though one of their own experts warned earlier this year that the project's environmental value was inflated and could lead to a net loss of wetlands statewide.
Fla. Counties Urged To Band Together For More Control Over Oil Spill Money
By Jessica Palombo
WFSU Tallahassee
It’s been more than a month since the passage of the federal RESTORE Act, which will direct penalty money from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the worst in history, to Florida and other affected states.
PSC won't delay FPL rate hearing
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Florida’s top consumer advocate tried and failed to get state regulators to postpone the hearing on a $690.4 million rate increase request by Florida Power & Light Monday, arguing that a last-minute settlement deal threatens to taint the proceedings.
Lights out
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
If there was ever a question that the Florida Legislature should revisit a 2006 law that allows the state's power companies to charge their customers ahead of time for the costs of planning and designing nuclear power plants, Progress Energy Florida's new CEO's testimony before the Public Service Commission last week certainly removed all doubt.
EDUCATION
FCAT to be retired, replaced by more and tougher exams
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
The FCAT, long Florida's most important and sometimes most reviled exam, is headed for a retirement of sorts.
State senator calls for time-out on FCAT
By Dave Heller
First Coast News
As students headed back to school in most school districts Monday, one state lawmaker was calling for a time-out on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
New School Year Brings Big Changes To School Lunches
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
New rules on what can and can’t be served on cafeteria trays are going in effect for the start of a new school year.
Florida's schools get low grade for dealing with poor students
Editorial
Florida Times-Union
Florida is one of the three worst states in the nation for school funding equity.
Princeton Review: Florida schools rank high on sports, beer, diversity
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
In Florida, you can find colleges with plenty of parties, sports, diversity and even tree huggers, according to the new Princeton Review survey.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
State economists lower deficit projections for state worker health insurance fund
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The State Employees Group Health Self-Insurance Trust Fund will lose money this fiscal year, state economists predicted Monday, but not as much as their previous June estimate indicated.
Third extension granted for free foreclosure review as few Florida homeowners apply
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Florida residents who believe they have been wrongfully foreclosed on have until the end of the year to ask for a free review of their case after a September deadline was extended.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
Boca Congressman Deutch endorses Obama health plan, provides counterpoint to GOP VP hopeful Ryan
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Paul Ryan’s recent Florida campaign appearance with his mother proves that the Republican plan to overhaul Medicare is a bad deal for future retirees, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, told a Democrat-leaning seniors group on Monday.
Priority must shift from profit to patient
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
It will likely be months — if not years — before federal regulators determine if HCA hospitals in Florida endangered patients by performing a higher-than-average number of two popular, high-margin heart procedures.
CIVIL
RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Out from the shadows — at last
Editorial
Miami Herald
After years of crushing disappointment, young people born elsewhere but raised in this country without benefit of proper documentation have an opportunity to relieve the anxiety and desperation that comes with living with the perpetual fear of deportation.
JUSTICE
AND THE COURTS
Florida justices hit the road to make case for retention on bench
By Jacob Carpenter
Naples Daily News
With politics seeping into nonpartisan judge retention votes nationwide, three Florida Supreme Court justices are taking an unusual step this week — hitting the road to inform voters about how appellate judges are kept on the bench.
George Zimmerman fights subpoena asking for release of medical records
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
Prosecutors want more of George Zimmerman's medical records, but he's fighting back.
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