FEATURED
STORIES
Rick Scott's new ideology? 'Getting re-elected,' some say
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Two years ago nobody would have dreamed that Rick Scott, the multimillionaire political outsider crusading against Obamacare, would end up heading into a re-election campaign looking like the sort of pragmatic, moderate Republican tea party activists loathe.
Fla. Gov. turnabout on health care angers allies
By Gary Fineout and Kelli Kennedy
Associated Press
Minutes after Florida Gov. Rick Scott made a surprise about-face decision to expand Medicaid, social media lit up with complaints from tea party loyalists and core conservatives who said they felt betrayed by a leader who campaigned on his opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
Republicans stunned, Democrats happy with Scott's Medicaid decision
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Democrats were derisive and Republicans were repulsed -- even revenge-minded -- Thursday by Gov. Rick Scott's decision to support a three-year extension of Medicaid access for nearly a million poor Floridians.
Governors Fall Away in G.O.P. Opposition to More Medicaid
By Abby Goodnough and Robert Pear
New York Times
Related: States planning to expand Medicaid
Related: Rick Scott Accepts Reality
Under pressure from the health care industry and consumer advocates, seven Republican governors are cautiously moving to expand Medicaid, giving an unexpected boost to President Obama’s plan to insure some 30 million more Americans.
House gives Dems minimum number of early voting hours
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
A House committee gave Democrats a victory in the hard-fought effort to find a fix to the long lines at the polls that embarrassed the state during the last election.
BEST
OF THE BLOGS
Public Servants Being Kicked to the Curb
By Sandspur
SWFWMD Matters
The legislature, led by Will Weatherford, son-in-law of former House Speaker Allen Bense, is moving to end the existing opportunity for public employees to get a reasonable pension after decades of dedicated public service.
Universal Theme Park Will Drop Health Coverage For Its Part-Time Workers To Avoid Obamacare
By Tara Culp-Ressler
Think Progress
Universal Orlando, a theme park resort in Florida that generates more than $1 billion dollars in annual revenue, plans to drop insurance coverage for its part-time employees at the end of this year — a tactic to avoid providing its workers with adequate health benefits under Obamacare.
Rick Runs: Kriseman Runs for Mayor of St. Petersburg
By Benjamin J. Kirby
The Spencerian
I am incredibly excited about Rick Kriseman running for Mayor of St. Petersburg.
They've Only Just Begun: Rick Scott And Republicans Are Killing Florida
By Martha Jackovics
Beach Peanuts
If you live in Florida, you already know much of the story published in this month's Mother Jones: What's It Like to Wake Up From a Tea Party Binge? Just Ask Florida!
Rick Scott bows to reality in Medicaid decision
By Joan McCarter
Daily Kos
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's reversal on accepting Obamacare's Medicaid expansion funding is contigent on a couple of things.
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Gov. Scott's about-face on Medicaid is one of several changes in direction
By Kathleen Haughney
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott swept into office on the 2010 tea party wave. He wanted to slash spending, cut taxes and kick out illegal immigrants.
House Democrats: We can work with Scott
By James Call
Florida Current
House Democrats said Thursday that they are willing to work with Republican Gov. Rick Scott on major social service issues.
Suspect in David Rivera campaign-finance scandal to be charged Friday with federal crimes
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
A former candidate under FBI investigation with former U.S. Rep David Rivera is scheduled to be charged Friday with federal crimes over his campaign finances, sources tell The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald.
Bipartisan ethics and elections tone absent from push for campaign cash overhaul
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
A duo of sweeping ethics and election reform bills, both top priorities for legislative leaders, have so far been met with bipartisan support and little opposition.
Crist, now a Democrat, to speak in Lakewood Ranch
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist will make his first major speech as a registered Democrat before a Sarasota-Manatee audience in Lakewood Ranch in March.
Ethically exempt
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
A Florida Senate committee approved sweeping ethics reforms Tuesday, but — as the Legislature is inclined to do — the senators carved out an exemption for themselves.
POLITICAL
RACES
Scott Could Face Political Challenge
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Governor Rick Scott has reversed course on accepting federal money to cover nearly a million more people under Medicaid.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
Tampa Bay senators say they will propose law dealing with nuclear plant charges
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Four Tampa Bay area senators announced Thursday they are working on legislation dealing with nuclear cost recovery by utilities but not a repeal of the 2006 law.
Sugar Farmers Attack Everglades Water-Pollution Report
By Jessica Palombo
WFSU Tallahassee
South Florida sugar farmers are attacking an Everglades water-pollution report being circulated among lawmakers as flawed and misleading.
BP Oil Disaster Trial Set for Monday
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
Billions of dollars and the health of Florida's Gulf Coast are on the line as the civil trial against BP begins on Monday in New Orleans.
LGBT
Why the GOP Should Embrace Gay Marriage
By Eric Sasson
The New Republic
That the Republican Party is in the midst of an identity crisis was made all the more clear by the competing responses to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech, one by the party's parched "savior," Marco Rubio, and another by Tea Party darling Rand Paul, purveyor of spending cut proposals.
EDUCATION
Report: Florida made big gains in math, reading compared with other large states
By Lisa Gartner
Tampa Bay Times
A first-time report released Thursday on the nation's five most heavily populated states, or "megastates," shows that Florida students made some of the most significant gains over 19 years on closely-watched federal tests.
Sen. Legg files bill to offer more pathways to graduation
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
As he promised back in December, state Sen. John Legg has filed legislation that would give high school students more course options that count toward graduation.
FAMU still negotiating to end hazing lawsuit
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida A&M University, which had a previous settlement offer rejected, is still trying to resolve a lawsuit filed by the family of a drum major who died following a hazing ritual.
State Asks Poly Board to Justify $25 Mil. Request
By Mary Toothman
Lakeland Ledger
The State University System Board of Governors wants a detailed accounting of why Florida Polytechnic University's leaders intend to ask for an additional $25 million to set up the school.
Board orders Fla. State digital film school moved
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Florida State University must move its digital film program from West Palm Beach to the school's main campus in Tallahassee, the Board of Governors decided Thursday.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Palm Beach County Dem congressmen urge support for Obama’s ‘balanced’ fix for deficit
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
With across-the-board federal spending cuts set to take effect next week unless Congress and President Barack Obama strike a deal, three local House Democrats urged Republicans Thursday to abandon their cuts-only approach to deficit reduction and support closing tax loopholes and deductions for corporations.
Senate Democrats call on Gov. Scott to push regional insurance compact
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Senate Democrats want Gov. Rick Scott to rally support in other states for a regional insurance compact that would spread risk among Gulf and Atlantic coast states.
Cat Fund provisions stripped from Senate insurance bill; fate uncertain
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee is cobbling together a large property insurance bill with several provisions aimed at reducing the state’s imprint on the private market, but on Thursday provisions shrinking the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund were stripped out of the draft bill.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
Scott takes right step with Medicaid expansion
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott made the right decision by endorsing the expansion of Medicaid that would provide health care to more than 1 million uninsured Floridians, including perhaps 225,000 in Tampa Bay.
Medicaid numbers add up
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott, a numbers man, has finally allowed math to trump political ideology.
Scott’s Medicare flip a tipping point for Affordable Care Act
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
President Barack Obama’s health care law had no more vocal critic than Gov. Rick Scott.
Obama admin. encouraged by health law progress
By Associated Press
Miami Herald
A day after Florida's Republican governor endorsed a key part of the federal health care overhaul, the Obama administration says it's encouraged by the progress.
Florida hospitals seek fairness in Medicare payments
By Nicole Gaudiano and Ledyard King
Florida Today
Florida hospitals say they're getting cheated out of tens of millions of dollars in federal reimbursements for treating Medicare patients.
Bill to Ban Beach Smoking Changes
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
State lawmakers want to bring the Clean Indoor Air Act outdoors.
CIVIL
RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Visualized: Gun Money in Florida
Staff Report
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Gun control will be in the crosshairs when the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing Feb. 27 on the federal assault weapons ban.
Drones over Florida? Part 1: state legislators aim to protect privacy
By Janelle Irwin and Sean Kinane
WMNF Tampa
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are already being used in Florida -- and more may be coming.
JUSTICE
AND THE COURTS
Faith Leaders Call On Gov. Scott To Stop Execution Of Man Soon Slated To Die
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Tallahassee
A man convicted of causing the death of a state trooper is expected to die next week.
Judge allows military home to stay open despite abuse complaints
By Alexandra Zayas
Tampa Bay Times
Despite a list of state findings that includes, most recently, bizarre punishment and a broken bone, a self-titled "colonel" and his unlicensed Port St. Lucie military academy can continue to house and discipline boys for 16 more months with no oversight.
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