FEATURED
STORIES
Allison Tant elected chairwoman of Florida Democratic Party
By Adam C. Smith and Marc Caputo
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Staff Writers
In the most bitter and closely fought party election in decades, Florida Democratic leaders elected former Tallahassee lobbyist Allison Tant as their new state chairwoman Saturday.
More money, but still problems for Florida's budget
By Steve Bousquet and Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott this week will send the Legislature a proposed budget that's a blueprint for spending and a road map to his re-election campaign — complete with potholes.
Reeling GOP seeks connection with voters in Florida
By William March
Tampa Tribune
After a lost election and weeks of futile budget wrangling, the public image of the Republican Party nationally has sunk to what pollsters are calling unprecedented lows.
Despite Gov. Rick Scott’s low poll number, Democrats say he’ll be tough to beat
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Rick Scott’s poll numbers look dismal. His finances don’t.
Conquering voices on the right, Sen. Marco Rubio moves to bridge GOP's immigration gap
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Conservative radio host Mark Levin was ranting about Republicans suddenly talking about immigration reform, voice dripping with disgust as he wondered, "How did this become the big issue after the election?"
EDITORIAL
CARTOON OF THE WEEK
By Jim Morin
Miami Herald
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Florida needs an election overhaul
By Howard Simon
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott has announced that he now supports reforms to address problems voters faced during the November elections.
Scott campaigns for the votes he once tried to suppress
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
It is satisfying to see Gov. Rick Scott and state lawmakers so enthusiastically eating crow.
'Satanists' stage mock rally for Gov. Rick Scott over school prayer bill
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
There were death metal music and devil worshipers, but the only thing sacrificed was time.
Florida legislative leaders want to leave legacy of ethics reforms
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
After rounds of failed legislation, lawmakers are poised this year to pass what they are calling Florida’s most significant ethics overhaul in decades.
In Florida, the real economic stimulus influence
By Randy Schultz
Palm Beach Post
Floridians got revealing examples last week of how their state works.
Officials from across Central Florida delete texts, review finds
By Jason Garcia and David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Leaders of some of Central Florida's largest governments have been deleting text messages that likely would be considered public records under Florida law, an Orlando Sentinel review of records has found.
POLITICAL
RACES
The GOP Plan to Steal Elections
By Michael Tomasky
The Daily Beast
I’m optimistic about the Republican Party. Does that surprise you? Well, let me qualify that.
Former Miami mayor among Democrats eyeing Gov. Scott's job
By Adam C. Smith and Marc Caputo
Tampa Bay Times
Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz looks ready to run for governor and has spent the past three weeks lining up support from strategists, financiers and elected officials.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
Florida's aquifer models full of holes, allowing more water permits and pollution
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
During a dry day in April 2010, scientists trying to trace the source of pollution in Silver Springs dropped 30 pounds of fluorescent dye into several wells and sinkholes a few miles away.
'All-or-nothing' provision in state water rules causing heartburn for feds
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A provision in state water quality rules supported by industry and utility groups may require the Legislature to take up the rules again this year, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said this week.
State seeks to sell off some protected parcels
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Only government can wheel and deal on the scale of the real-estate extravaganza unfolding now in Florida over public lands.
Environmental group’s idea: Lease parts of reefs for caretaking, let owners charge user fees
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
Private companies and nonprofits could lease plots on Florida’s reefs and charge fees to dive boats, fishing charters and others to use them under a proposal raised for discussion by an environmental group of influential conservatives and libertarians.
Time to act on climate change
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
With record high temperatures in the United States last year and a nation still reeling from Superstorm Sandy, President Barack Obama seized the moment by underscoring in his inauguration speech last week that he intends to make dealing with climate change a national priority.
EDUCATION
Sen. Gaetz says teacher eval system doesn't make sense
By James Call
Florida Current
The Florida Legislature requires school districts this year to use a complicated formula to evaluate a teacher’s performance in the classroom.
Teachers deserve the respect of a salary raise
By Dan DeWitt
Tampa Bay Times
Having been lucky enough to help choose the new Hernando County Teacher of the Year, I can offer this informed, thoughtful opinion about whether educators in this state and county deserve more money: Of COURSE they flippin' do!
Teacher pay raise pitched by Gov. Scott likely to come with strings attached
By Eve Samples
TC Palm
It didn't take long for the balking to start.
For Rick Scott and students, school tours not always comfortable
By Lisa Gartner
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott arrived at a St. Petersburg high school on Friday morning wearing a round white pin which aimed to explain, at least in part, why he was there: "I (Heart) Books."
Price increase, other changes coming to GED tests
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post
The clock is ticking for potentially thousands of Palm Beach County residents who dropped out of school and want to go back and finish.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Scott budget proposal aims to boost school spending, cut company taxes
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott said he plans to “double-down” on the state’s investment in education — proposing teacher pay hikes as a central part of the 2013 budget he intends to roll out this week.
Free-market conservative leads Gov. Rick Scott’s jobs agency
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The Department of Economic Opportunity is one of the most critical agencies in Gov. Rick Scott’s administration, and it has run through four directors — two permanent, two interim — since it launched 16 months ago.
Could Another Change To Florida's Pension System Result In Another Court Battle?
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Tallahassee
A legal battle between the state and employee unions has come to an end, after a Florida Supreme Court decision validated changes to Florida’s Retirement System.
Workers deserve better treatment in the Sunshine State
By Pierre Tristam
Florida Voices
It’s not been a good couple of weeks for unions.
Rep. Passidomo to try again with bill to speed up foreclosure process
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Last year, when the average foreclosure took 676 days to move through Florida’s court system, Rep. Kathleen Passidomo’s bill to speed up the foreclosure process failed to get through the Legislature.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
FL Voters Back Medicaid Expansion
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Florida voters by a wide margin support expanding Medicaid to cover more of the state's uninsured, according to a poll sponsored by the American Cancer Society.
Should Florida expand health coverage for a million uninsured citizens?
By Dave Heller
WTSP Tampa Bay
State lawmakers are trying to decide if Florida should expand its Medicaid program as part of the federal health care law so an extra one million uninsured Floridians can get health coverage.
Obamacare implementation vexing Florida regulators
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
Florida insurance regulators are grappling with how to carry out the federal Affordable Care Act, as they face conflicting legal requirements and what one described as a “torrential rain” of filings by health insurers.
Thurston: Cannon's letter stopped PPACA prep
By James Call
Florida Current
A House committee meeting on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act showed how difficult it can be when going up against the establishment.
Reaction vs. identification: Lawmakers will look at how state treats mentally ill
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Faced with increasing number of cases, shrinking state funding and the transition to a new system that has irked providers, Florida lawmakers will use this year’s session to assess the priorities of how the state deals with its mentally ill.
CIVIL
RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Senators reach agreement on immigration reform
By Erica Werner
Associated Press
A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws.
Florida lawmakers’ kissing up to gun industry is real scandal
By Fabiola Santiago
Miami Herald
I propose a new nickname for Florida: State of the Absurd.
No comments:
Post a Comment