Daily News Clis for February 27, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida’s Top Political Tweeters
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
Excerpt: This is SaintPetersBlog‘s ranking of Florida’s Top Political Tweeters for February 2013…And @ProgressFlorida at #19 is the top ranked organization.

FEATURED STORIES

Poll: Rick Scott no pushover vs. Charlie Crist in Florida
By Alexander Burns
Politico
A Democratic poll taken in Florida earlier this month raises questions about former Gov. Charlie Crist’s strength as a 2014 challenger for Republican Gov. Rick Scott.

Federal court blocks Florida drug-test law, but Gov. Scott vows appeal to Supreme Court
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott is vowing to to take his case for drug-testing welfare applicants to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal appeals court refused to lift a ban on the 2011 law he pressed into passage.

Federal sequestration cuts loom over state budget
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
On Friday, $85 billion in federal spending will be cut if President Barack Obama and Congress can’t reach a deal to stave off the “sequestration” cuts.

South Florida would feel squeeze from federal cuts
By Douglas Hanks and Martha Brannigan
Miami Herald
At PortMiami, federal dollars fund Customs agents, security operations and cargo inspectors.

5 GOP Myths About the Sequester
The Progress Report
Think Progress
The only reason that the damaging sequester cuts exist is because Republicans took the entire economy hostage in 2011.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Keep sharp watch on voting rights
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
The last election cycle demonstrated that if given a chance, lawmakers will manipulate rules for voting and elections for partisan advantage.

Florida shows why nation still need key part of Voting Rights Act
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today about whether the nation still needs two key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Fla Dem chair rewards supporters with leadership posts
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
If there are lingering hard feelings among supporters of Alan Clendenin for Florida Democratic party chairman, Allison Tant doesn't appear too worried about trying to smooth over divisions.

Who is Florida’s most liberal member of the U.S. House?
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
After analyzing the votes for 2012, The National Journal put out their annual list of the most conservative and liberal members of the U.S. House last week.

RPOF: Never mind that disclaimer, this ain’t ours
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
The Republican Party of Florida appears a little touchy about playing any role in a policy rift that has opened between two of its stars, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Gov. Rick Scott.

Politics in Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford's Blood
By Brent Kallestad
Associated Press
It took Will Weatherford 10 years to catapult from political novice to one of Florida's most influential legislators.

Law does not require citizen input at government hearings
By Mackenzie Ryan
Florida Today
Some parents and community members were left seething after a Brevard School Board meeting earlier this month in which school leaders denied requests to speak on the issue of school closures.

POLITICAL RACES

‘Draft Adam Putnam for Governor’ appears
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
In the past couple of days the prospect of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam challenging the re-election of Gov. Rick Scott in a Republican primary has attracted a lot of chatter, and a denial from his staff.

Rick Scott in cross hairs of his own party
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Let's say you're a Republican worried that Democrats are going to take out your party's governor next election.

Dems tap Frankel to recruit female candidates
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Seeking to build on their strong showing with women voters in 2012, national Democrats have tapped freshman U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, to help the party recruit more female congressional candidates for 2014.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Orange leaders put sick-time measure to voters
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County leaders voted 6-1 this afternoon to put a paid sick-time measure on the August 2014 ballot. A three-judge panel ordered commissioners to do that just that earlier this month, ruling that the board had violated the "plain meaning of its charter" by denying the referendum a spot on the Nov. 6 ballot.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

BP executive testifies at Gulf oil spill trial
By Michael Kunzelman
Associated Press
A ranking BP executive testified Tuesday that the London-based oil giant and its contractors share the responsibility for preventing blowouts like the one that killed 11 workers and spawned the nation's worst offshore oil spill in 2010.

Coal ash waste would be exempt from hazardous waste regulation under bills
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Legislation filed in Florida would exempt coal ash from power plants and cement kilns from being classified as hazardous waste.

LGBT

Big push to support gay marriage at high court
By Mark Sherman
Associated Press
Prominent Republicans, retired military leaders and U.S. businesses are among the factions ready to ask the Supreme Court to support marriage equality in two cases up for argument next month.

EDUCATION

Millions in cuts stand to hit neediest Palm Beach County students the hardest, officials say
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post
Programs serving thousands of Palm Beach County’s neediest public school students could lose millions of dollars next school year if Friday’s automatic federal budget cuts take effect.

$10,000 bachelor's degrees may benefit few students
By Denise-Marie Ordway
Orlando Sentinel
For months, Gov. Rick Scott's office has been sending out news releases announcing that more colleges are agreeing to offer bachelor's degrees for the low, low price of $10,000.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Rubio on Fox: Sequester not ideal but better than raising taxes
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio appeared tonight on FOX News Channel’s The O’Reilly Factor.

Gov. Scott holding work day at Tigers game in Lakeland
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is spending the day at the park. The ball park.

Florida's consumer confidence drops again
Staff Report
Florida Current
Florida's overall consumer confidence shed one point in February, repeating January's slide and bringing the score to 74, the same level as after the presidential elections, according to the University of Florida's Survey Research Center in the Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Scott has company, another GOP governor calls for expanding Medicaid
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has company when it comes to Republican governors willing to expand Medicaid, a key element of President Barack Obama’s health care reform law.

Pam Bondi criticizes 'surrender' on Medicaid expansion
News Service of Florida
Miami Herald
A chorus of opposition is starting to take hold in the Florida Cabinet to Gov. Rick Scott’s stunning support for expanding Medicaid, with Attorney General Pam Bondi saying she objects to the idea.

Healthcare Providers Want More Authority To Treat Patients
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
Some Florida healthcare providers are pushing lawmakers to make changes that would allow them to offer more services to patients.

Millionaires' Defense: Blame the State
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
The day that WellCare Health Plans dreaded for years arrived on Tuesday: The criminal trial of four company ex-executives began in earnest in Tampa's federal court, with lots of accusations about health fraud and conspiracy.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Lawmakers Still Seeking Stand Your Ground Repeal
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Despite a Task Force Report ordered by Governor Rick Scott, that the Stand Your Ground law should remain on the books, state lawmakers say they will continue to seek repeal of the law.

Trayvon Martin family attends NY anniversary vigil
By Deepti Hajela
Associated Press
Trayvon Martin's family marked the anniversary of his shooting death with a candlelight vigil in the city.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Justices affirm stay for Florida trooper's killer
By Tamara Lush
Associated Press
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to lift a stay of execution for a South Florida drug trafficker convicted of killing a state trooper with a pipe bomb, its decision issued hours before the inmate was set to die by lethal injection Tuesday.