Daily News Clips for October 2, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Florida elections supervisors wonder how to deal with GOP voter registrations
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Why did Republican Party hire voter registration firm with dubious ties?
With less than a week before the deadline to register to vote in the November election, Republican state leaders who had made voter fraud a top issue are offering little insight into how they are handling the increasing numbers of suspicious registration forms being found throughout Florida.

Protesters: Florida amendment will slice spending on social services
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Florida religious leaders, labor unions and senior citizens marched to the state Capitol on Monday to protest a proposed constitutional amendment they say will lead to massive cuts to education and social services.

Proposed abortion amendment rekindles debate on limits
By Jerome R. Stockfisch
Tampa Tribune
The culture war over a woman's right to an abortion will play out at the polls in November as a measure billed as a ban on public funding of the procedure – which could have much more far-reaching implications – appears on Florida ballots.

PIP rates go up for some insurers despite promised savings under state law
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
The payoff for one of Gov. Rick Scott’s top legislative priorities in 2012 was supposed to be lower auto insurance rates after sharp reductions in Personal Injury Protection benefits, but early returns show PIP rates increasing in at least half the cases.

Amid FBI probe, GOP prepares for Rivera indictment, loss and future successors
By Manny Garcia and Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Bracing for embattled U.S. Rep. David Rivera to be indicted or lose his election, Republicans have started lining up potential successors to regain the seat in 2014 if the congressman’s Democrat opponent defeats him in November.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Fla. election supervisor won't reinstate voters
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A Southwest Florida election official is sticking with a decision to remove nearly a dozen voters from the voting rolls, even though the state no longer suspects them of being ineligible.

Fort Lauderdale judge hears arguments in voter-purge case
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
A federal judge in Fort Lauderdale heard arguments Monday — but likely won’t rule until later this week — in a lawsuit challenging Florida’s contentious noncitizen voter purge.

Deutch demands GOP voter registration fraud probe
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott today demanding an immediate, bipartisan investigation of the “apparently growing voter fraud scandal engulfing the Republican Party of Florida.”

New evidence released in busted brothel that listed Rep. Horner as a client
By Jeff Weiner
Orlando Sentinel
About 50 pages of evidence released on Monday provide new details about a complex prostitution bust that led to the arrest of an alleged brothel owner who listed State Rep. Mike Horner of Kissimmee as a client.

Scott mouthpiece Wright heads to APD
By Kathleen Haughney
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott spokesman Lane Wright left the governor's office Friday for a new role at the Agency for Persons With Disabilities, according to an email he wrote to his colleagues.

Smaller Occupy Tampa movement marks first anniversary
By Keith Morelli
Tampa Tribune
The numbers didn't add up to what they were one year ago.

Washington still needed to protect voters' rights
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
The United States Supreme Court opened a new term Monday in which it is expected to consider overturning a key portion of the Voting Rights Act.

POLITICAL RACES

Step 1 in presidential politics: win over the base
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
John McCain will stump for Mitt Romney today in a part of Florida where Republicans usually don't need much outside help.

Gov. Scott on Fox News: Mitt Romney needs to 'do what I did' and focus on jobs
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott was in New York today making the media rounds and offered up a bit of advice for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Marco Rubio campaigns with Senate candidate Connie Mack in Tampa
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack IV imported some star power into his campaign Monday, traveling around the state with Sen. Marco Rubio at his side.

Political ads will ramp up during your favorite TV shows
By Johnny Diaz
Orlando Sentinel
If you thought there were a lot of presidential ads on your TV sets this summer, hold on to your political hat.

Maverick pollster continues to show tight Senate, presidential races in Florida
By William March
Tampa Tribune
While numerous pollsters are showing Sen. Bill Nelson with a comfy lead over challenger Rep. Connie Mack IV, and President Barack Obama narrowly leading challenger Mitt Romney in Florida, a Winter Springs-based political consulting firm stands by its differing results.

Frankel, Hasner run for Congress on experience, philosophical divide
By Andrew Abramson
Palm Beach Post
If Adam Hasner is to defeat Lois Frankel and head to Washington, he’ll have to do what Allen West wouldn’t attempt — win as a Republican in a congressional district with a significant Democratic advantage.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

GOP-themed ballot issues may boost voting
By Joe Henderson
Tampa Tribune
Amendments to the state's constitution have to be approved by a vote of the people.

Abortion amendment attracts big-dollar opposition
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
A battle among religious groups, abortion providers and conservative politicians over taxpayer support of abortions is drawing big checks this election season — despite the fact that Florida doesn't spend tax dollars on abortion services now.

Preachers say no on Amendment 3
By James Call
Florida Current
About 50 protestors marched on the state Capitol Monday to protest a proposed revenue cap on the November ballot.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Florida Bears Looking for Food in Fall
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
The 3,000 black bears that live in Florida are busy at this time of year, foraging for food to last them through the winter. 

EDUCATION

Readers Poll: Scott's education tour didn't make grade
Staff Report
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott started his administration making few friends among Florida's public school educators.

More applications for Florida education commissioner arrive
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Another 18 applications for Florida education commissioner have come in since the State Board of Education extended its search for two more months.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

State pension's assumptions may change
By James Call
Florida Current
Florida has an adequate amount of money in its public workers' pension fund, but state economists are not comfortable with the assumptions that determine the fund’s solvency.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida Misses Target To Outline Benefits Under Healthcare Overhaul Law
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
The target date for states to spell out what benefits health insurance companies have to offer under the healthcare overhaul law was Monday.

Hospital pay changing
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Today, Medicare launches a double-barreled effort to get more for its money from hospitals.

Florida to Close Controversial Juvenile Detention Center
By Susan Ferriss
Center for Public Integrity
The state of Florida plans to close a large privately-run juvenile offender home that a group of public defenders alleged was rife with problems.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

How the DREAM Act Will Grow Our Economy, Create Jobs
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Even though President Obama’s administration has used executive authority to implement deferred action for DREAM-eligible youth, up to 2.1 MILLION young Americans still lack a path to citizenship and the sure footing they need to make the maximum contribution to our society.

‘Penn State’ abuse-reporting law takes effect in Florida
By Margie Menzel
News Service of Florida
A Florida law that some call the toughest in the nation for reporting child abuse took effect Monday, a result of the scandal that rocked Penn State University and college football last year.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Aging Supreme Court justices may open seats for next president
By Michael Doyle
Miami Herald
Senior citizens dominate the Supreme Court. Some will leave in the next four years, and this year’s election for president will determine who’ll fill any vacancies on the court, President Barack Obama or President Mitt Romney.

Keep politics out of justices’ retention
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
David Lucius McCain died of cancer in 1986, a fugitive three years on the run who had skipped out on a million-dollar bond rather than face trial on dope-smuggling charges.

Florida's Independent Judiciary at Stake
By Martin Dyckman
Florida Voices
This has become one of the most important elections in Florida's history, but many of those who vote for president or U.S. senator may overlook the campaigns that make it so.