Daily News Clips for December 20, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Charlie Crist testifies in D.C. on Florida elections; Gov. Rick Scott supports changes
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Former Gov. Charlie Crist condemned Florida's election law before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, accusing the Republican-controlled Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott of bringing changes "designed to encourage a certain partisan outcome."

Sorry, Rick Scott, You Can’t Shift Blame For 6 Hour Voting Lines
By Ian Millhiser
Think Progress
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) signed a law cutting early voting days in what was widely viewed as an effort to frustrate voters who tend to vote both early and Democratic from casting a ballot.

Poll: Voters pan most Florida education reform ideas
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
From higher tuition for arts degrees to race-based standards, a new poll suggests Florida voters are adamantly opposed to education reforms floated by Florida policymakers that essentially treat students differently.

Lawmaker's suggestion to arm teachers met with resistance by educators
By Ben Montgomery
Tampa Bay Times
State Rep. Dennis Baxley's suggestion on Monday that schools would be safer if more people in schools had guns was dismissed on Wednesday by an assortment of people who work in schools and teach children.

Democrat files bill to limit Florida ‘stand your ground’ law
By Michael Peltier
Palm Beach Post
Armed citizens would not be able to automatically cite “stand your ground” protections if they provoke or pursue their assailants following confrontations, under a bill filed Wednesday by the Florida Senate’s Democratic leader.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Crist testifies in Senate that there was voter suppression in Florida
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
In a nation with a growing number of laws restricting voting practices, Florida stood as exhibit A in a hearing Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Miami-Dade elections report: County to blame for some problems
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
The waits of up to seven hours at some Miami-Dade polls during last month’s presidential election occurred in part because the county failed to estimate how much time it would take to fill out 10- to 12-page ballots, did not open more early-voting sites and decided not to draw new precincts this year as planned, a report issued Wednesday concluded.

State asks judge to toss Senate map challenge
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
Lawyers for the Legislature asked a Leon County judge on Wednesday to throw out a lawsuit seeking to scrap the current districts for the Senate because the Florida Supreme Court had already rejected a challenge to the lines.

Four ousted in Blind Services after audit discloses sweetheart deal
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Bureau
Thousands of state workers haven't received pay raises in years, but Division of Blind Services worker Caroline McManus was due for a $97,000 boost overnight.

Atwater asks for Cabinet oversight of Citizens inspector general
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater sent a letter Wednesday to Gov. Rick Scott asking for the proposed inspector general for Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the troubled state-run insurer that is the subject of two investigations, to be under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet.

Rubio, Nelson get high approval marks
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson may be in different parties, but in both cases, a majority of Floridians believe they are doing a good job.

Floridians split on gay marriage, oppose legalizing pot
Associated Press
Miami Herald
A new poll says Florida voters are split on gay marriage, but they oppose legalizing marijuana.

POLITICAL RACES

New poll is 'just plain awful' for Gov. Scott, encouraging for Charlie Crist
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
A statewide survey of Florida voters released Wednesday gave Gov. Rick Scott "just plain awful" job-approval ratings as he cranks up his two-year campaign for re-election -- against a probable challenge by an increasingly popular ex-Gov. Charlie Crist.

Around Florida: Scott, Crist already trading jabs in advance of 2014
By Matt Dixon  
Florida Times-Union
In the otherwise quiet days leading up to the holidays, the Tallahassee discussion last week centered on election reform.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Lack of genetic diversity threatens manatees, study says
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
The population of Florida's manatees, which have been on the endangered species list since 1967, has grown to somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.

LGBT

Scott Herman, a longtime gay Republican, becomes a Democrat after 2012 legislative loss in Broward
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Scott Herman of Wilton Manors, a gay Republican who this fall got clobbered in a run for a seat in the Florida Legislature, is now a Democrat.

EDUCATION

Front & Center with Tony Bennett: In tune with school accountability
By Darryl E. Owens
Orlando Sentinel
Last month, Tony Bennett lost his bid to remain state superintendent in Indiana.

Florida must realign its education reform efforts, Senate chairman says
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Florida has several education reform initiatives taking effect over the next two years. Perhaps too many, state Senate education policy committee chairman John Legg says.

13th Grade: ‘Common Core’ Standards Aim To Smooth The Path From K-12 to College
By Sarah Gonzalez
StateImpact Florida
In Florida, a high school diploma is not the same thing as a certificate of college readiness.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Benefits about to dry up for 113K in Florida
By Ledyard King and Mary Ordnorff Troyan
Ft. Myers News-Press
Unemployment benefits for more than 113,000 Floridians will end abruptly on Dec. 29 unless Congress extends an emergency program for people who have exhausted their state unemployment benefits.

Florida's minimum wage going up 12 cents per hour
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
Florida's minimum wage is going up by 12 cents per hour to $7.79 on Jan.1 due to an increase in the cost of living.

Employees Affected By Prison Health Care Suit May Have To Reapply For State Benefits
By Sascha Cordner      
WFSU Tallahassee
As the state continues its battle to privatize the state’s prison health care services, some employees, who are still in limbo, may now have to reapply for their state benefits.

Boehner goes off-track in avoiding ‘fiscal cliff’
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
House Speaker John Boehner’s spokesman on Wednesday called President Barack Obama’s promise to veto Rep. Boehner’s “Plan B” “fiscal cliff” proposal “bizarre and irrational.”

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Next Challenge for the Health Law: Getting the Public to Buy In
By Abby Goodnough
New York Times
On its face, the low-key discussion around a conference table in Miami last month did not appear to have national implications.

DCF chief inspects Miami Gardens nursing home where girl died
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Florida’s top child-welfare administrator visited children Wednesday at a troubled Miami Gardens nursing home that is under investigation over its treatment of medically fragile children in state care.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

It's official: Florida passes 1 million threshold in concealed weapons permits
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Former Gov. Charlie Crist shifts on guns, supports new restrictions
Florida officials don't know when, but sometime in the last 24 hours someone received the 1 millionth concealed weapons permit in Florida -- making it the first state to reach that milestone.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Fla. Attorney General ends bid to force testimony
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is dropping her effort to force a newspaper reporter to testify in a criminal case involving a former aide to Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.