Daily News Clips for February 12, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Jim Greer pleads guilty to grand theft, avoids trial
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Timeline of Jim Greer and the Republican Party of Florida
After two weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling, former GOP party chairman Jim Greer walked into court Monday morning and pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges that could put him behind bars for 3½ years.

Breath-taking arrogance and entitlement in Florida politics not limited to Jim Greer
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
You could practically hear the gasp of relief from Florida Republican leaders Monday when ex-GOP chairman Jim Greer pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges, sparing them a sordid, two-week trial.

102-year-old Florida woman who waited hours to vote to join Michelle Obama for State of the Union
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
A 102-year-old Florida woman who waited more than three hours to vote before casting her ballot in North Miami will join First Lady Michelle Obama at President Obama’s state of the union address tomorrow night, highlighting his pledge to do something about the problems last fall that again cast an unwelcome spotlight on Florida elections.

House moves ahead with plan to end slush funds, raise campaign contribution limits to $10,000
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
A House plan to eliminate controversial political slush funds and raise campaign contribution limits to $10,000 in Florida won approval on a bi-partisan vote Monday.

Medicaid Expansion Savings
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
By now you may have heard how expensive Obamacare could be but now we are hearing it could actually save the state money.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Marco Rubio’s got ‘toughest gig in politics’ giving response to President Obama’s State of the Union
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
After being splashed on the cover of Time magazine as nothing less than “The Republican Savior,” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will be combating lofty expectations as well as the Democratic agenda when he delivers Tuesday night’s Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

Sen. Marco Rubio, the chosen one, still “has a long way to go”
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Marco Rubio resists being called the GOP “savior.”

Legislature's freshman class is large and in charge
By Rochelle Koff
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Who's who among the new Tallahassee legislators
The youngest is 28, the oldest 66. They are teachers, real estate agents, attorneys, entrepreneurs and farmers. And in their spare time, they fly planes, play guitar, raise sheep, write screenplays and go to their kids' ball games.

Money grubbing raised to a high art
By Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
In three weeks the 2013 session of the Florida Legislature will commence, otherwise known as the annual gathering of beagles rolling over to have their tummies rubbed by the Capitol's Sugar Daddy class.

Integrity Florida's sponsored research triggers resignations
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
The decision by the nonprofit watchdog group Integrity Florida to produce research sponsored by Americans for Prosperity has triggered a pair of resignations.

Public loses with plea deal in case of former Republican state chairman
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The happiest people in Florida are prominent state Republicans and one prominent Democrat who used to be a Republican. Anyone who believes in good government should be furious.

Come clean, Florida GOP
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Jim Greer's surprise guilty plea Monday to charges he stole and laundered more than $200,000 in Republican Party of Florida campaign contributions while party chairman should in no way end this repulsive scandal.

Guilty, your honor
Editorial
Miami Herald
After almost three years of claiming he did nothing wrong, former Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer succinctly answered the question to a judge on Monday: “Guilty, your honor.”

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Hays bill would allow government to buy land only if equal amount sold
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A key senator says he was "astounded" to learn how much of Florida is owned by government agencies, and he has introduced legislation that he said should start a conversation about how much is needed.

Everglades bill filed, described as starting point by both sides in dispute
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill was filed Monday that has been described by both sides in the dispute over Everglades water quality as merely a starting point for the upcoming debate in the Legislature.

Preserving a treasure
Editorial
Tallahassee Democrat
Despite efforts to expand Florida’s business base, the state has long relied on three pillars of economic activity: tourism, agriculture and services related to growth.

LGBT

Fla. Anti-Gay-Discrimination Bill Gets Bipartisan Sponsorship
By Jessica Palombo    
WFSU Tallahassee
It would be illegal for employers to discriminate based on employees’ sexual orientation or gender identity, if a bipartisan-sponsored bill passes the Florida Legislature.

EDUCATION

Are Florida's school grades a good gauge for other states?
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush continues to travel the country making the case for school letter grades as part of an education accountability policy.

Governor joins Machen in top-10 quest
By Joey Flechas
Gainesville Sun
The University of Florida will have to match $15 million a year in funding with private money should the Legislature approve Gov. Rick Scott's proposed support of the university's mission to be a top-10 public university this year.

FSU says it accepts decision to relocate digital arts program from West Palm Beach to Tallahassee
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Florida State University officials have accepted Friday’s committee decision to relocate their digital arts program from West Palm Beach to Tallahassee and don’t plan to present their case again before a final vote later this month.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Scott pushes budget priorities in S. Fla. speech
By Matt Sedensky
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott sought to build public support for his budget priorities Monday, pressing for teacher raises and a cut to manufacturing equipment sales taxes as keys to boosting the economy.

Florida should have “way more” factory jobs, Gov. Scott tells Forum Club of the Palm Beaches
By Jeff Ostrowski
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott boasts that Florida offers the nation’s best business climate — but he acknowledges the state lags the nation in factory jobs.

Citizens to shift coastal policies to private insurer
News Service of Florida
Tampa Bay Times
Trying to shed some major financial risks, state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. moved forward Monday with a plan to shift thousands of coastal hurricane policies to a private insurer.

Florida slashes rates by $98 million for ‘force-placed’ insurer; advocates want more
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Florida regulators said today they approved an 18.8 percent decrease in rates for Praetorian Insurance Co., one of the major insurers that cut deals with lenders to provide expensive homeowners insurance to replace customer policies that lapsed.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medicaid expansion seen as benefit to working poor but possible drag on coffers
By James Call
Florida Current
A Senate panel was told Monday that hotel maids, waiters and other service industry workers stand to reap a $1.4 billion fully paid annual benefit if the Legislature agrees to expand Medicaid, as called for in the Affordable Care Act.

Sarasota could lose $145 million without Medicaid expansion
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota could be one of the “hardest hit” counties in the nation if Florida lawmakers don’t expand Medicaid coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act, Gwen MacKenzie, president and CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System testified today.

Florida enhances program for disabled children
By Kelli Kennedy
Associated Press
Florida health officials said Monday they will assign care coordinators to about 1,600 children with disabilities amid allegations from federal health officials that the state was cutting in-home services and essentially forcing kids into adult nursing homes.

Legal loopholes fuel growth of steroid clinics in South Florida
By Scott Hiaasen
Miami Herald
Anthony Bosch’s clinic, now the focus of a widening steroid investigation, was hidden in plain sight, next to a bank in an office complex on South Dixie Highway across from the University of Miami.