Daily News Clips for March 29, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The Blu Vu: Week of March 29, 2013
By Gayle Andrews
The Blu Vu: Florida's Political Reality News Show
The Governor says he's not a politician but he's acting like one, another bad week for Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, and Progress Florida’s Damien Filer has commentary that will make you think twice as political reality comes your way!

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

On March 5, 2013, the first day of Florida's legislative session, citizens rallied in 23 cities and towns throughout the state to fight for real election reform. After Florida's election fiasco in 2012 where too many Floridians waited hours in line to cast a ballot, concerned citizens called for elections that are free, fair, and accessible for all. Click here to see video.

FEATURED STORIES

Obama to pitch infrastructure investments in Miami
By Julie Pace
Associated Press
President Barack Obama will press Congress to pass new tax incentives and other flexibility measures aimed at attracting more private sector investment in infrastructure projects around the country, a senior administration official said.

Union leaders: Pension changes would hurt teaching profession
By Kathleen McGrory
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Senate panel approves version of state pension overhaul
Leaders of the state teachers' union held a press conference Thursday morning to blast proposed changes to the Florida Retirement System.

Despite a few bills, anti-abortion effort not a priority for 2013 Legislature
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Florida is one of at least 30 states where lawmakers this year are considering a variety of measures limiting abortion or providing rights to unborn children.

Rubio joins Rand Paul's filibuster threat over guns
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio today signed on to filibuster threat over any gun regulation, joining Sens. Mike Lee, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz in a letter to Harry Reid. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma also added his name.

How College Hoops' Cinderella Pulled Itself out of the Swamp
By Tim Murphy
Mother Jones
The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles, the first 15-seed ever to reach the NCAA basketball tournament's second weekend, are the toast of March Madness on the basis of their high-flying style (nickname: "Dunk City") and up-from-nowhere story.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Lies, Damned Lies and Bush Foundation Talking Points on Parent Trigger
By Bob Sikes
Scathing Purple Musings
Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future (FFF) just released a handy-dandy Misconception-Fact list on Parent Trigger. Let’s explore a few of their “Facts” that don’t pass the smell test.

For Second Straight Year, Florida Senate Committee Approves Bill To Speed Up Foreclosure Process
By Travis Waldron
Think Progress
Florida’s Senate Banking and Insurance Committee this week approved legislation that would speed up the state’s foreclosure process, a move that would remove some protections for homeowners and could increase the likelihood of bank fraud.

Surprise! More Voter Suppression Coming From The Florida Legislature
By Martha Jackovics
Beach Peanuts
So much for those promises of "election reform" from Florida Republicans. Yesterday the Senate pushed even more restrictions on voting.

The Most Important Legislative Race in Modern Florida History
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
The Florida Squeeze
With the legislative session in full swing the time is right to look back at what I consider the most important legislative election in past-1968 Florida.

Big Sugar's Game
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Restoring the Everglades has proven a ferociously difficult assault against public policies stacked against protecting the environment.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Both Fla. chambers budget state worker pay raises; other Legislature news
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
State worker pay raises: Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland and House budget chief, announced the House would propose the first across-the-board pay increase for state employees since 2006.

Voting barriers
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
In the past, Florida required absentee voters to include a witness' signature and address on the envelope.

Florida Senate leaders: No claims bills, or claims-bill reform, to pass this year
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Florida cities, counties, public hospitals and other “sovereign” entities have put the brakes on an overhaul of the state’s claims bill process that allows people who have been harmed or injured by local governments to get paid more than $200,000 without the Legislature’s approval.

After investing in wristband passes, Disney lobbies to rewrite ticket law
By Jason Garcia
Orlando Sentinel
Walt Disney World has spent close to $1 billion developing its "MyMagic+" system, which includes replacing conventional tickets with wireless-transmitting wristbands that serve as all-in-one park passes, room keys and credit cards.

Bill seeks to limit hours for massage parlors
Associated Press
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's massage parlors would close at midnight and face more scrutiny under a bill that breezed through a state House panel on Thursday.

Ayes cinch alimony bill sponsor's motion to marry
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Rep. Ritch Workman, chairman of the House Finance & Taxation Subcommittee, appeared to shock subcommittee members on Thursday when he made reference to a motion urging that he propose marriage to his girlfriend, Terri Anne Allerton.

POLITICAL RACES

Rick Scott's $1 million fundraising month
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
As Florida legislators sit on their hands with a fundraising ban for session, Gov. Rick Scott has been holding fundraisers and collecting cash -- $1 million of it -- for his political committee, Let's Get to Work. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Glades bill a giveaway to polluters
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
The Everglades bill speeding through the Legislature is not the sweeping victory that the unusual alliance behind it — the governor, his fellow Republicans, farmers and environmentalists — would have Floridians believe.

Environmental groups to sue over feds handing endangered species duties to state
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
With no public hearings or fanfare, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year handed over to a state agency its authority for clearing the way for development permits that might hurt Florida panthers and other endangered species.

After DEP bureau chief's ouster, Vinyard says he wants to fix "broken" cleanup program
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. said Thursday he's not happy with the length of time or cost for cleaning up thousands of petroleum contamination sites in Florida.

Experts plead for help in reducing manatee deaths
By Kristine Crane
Ocala Star-Banner
More than 400 manatees in Florida have already died this year — and some of those are due to human activity such as collisions with boats, according to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released Thursday.

Hurricane expert predicts above-average storm season
By Eliot Kleinberg
Palm Beach Post
Conditions in the tropics “look favorable for a quite-a-bit above-average season,” hurricane soothsayer Bill Gray told the closing session of the National Hurricane Conference today.

LGBT

In federal gay-marriage case, more than 1,100 benefits at stake
By Lindsay Wise
McClatchy Newspapers
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act will have implications far beyond how much same-sex couples might owe in income and estate taxes.

DOMA nears its end
By Ruth Marcus
Florida Today
Listening to the Supreme Court hear arguments in the same-sex marriage cases was like watching a novice diver inch to the edge of the high board for the first time.

Orange tax collector offers health stipend to gay workers
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph said Thursday he would offer up to a $1,300 stipend to any of his employees with a same-sex partner who suffers a tax hit on health benefits because they can't legally marry.

EDUCATION

Financial picture brighter for Florida universities, but tuition hikes still on table
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
After years of budget cuts, Florida's universities appear to be getting everything they're asking for this year from the Florida Legislature — and in some cases, even more.

Gov. Scott, Fla. House speaker clash over tuition
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott has made his opposition to tuition hikes for college students well-known in the last several months. He has repeatedly said that he worries that the cost of a college education is getting too high in the Sunshine State.

Parent trigger bill hits Senate committee calendar
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
As the hotly contentious parent trigger bill sailed through the Florida House, questions remained about whether the measure would get an airing in the Senate, where it died in 2012 and some leaders called it a distraction bill.

Legg keeps CAPE on track for Senate floor
By James Call
Florida Current
Concerns about creating a caste system for high school diplomas Thursday nearly derailed a top priority of the Senate president.

Tuition As Cheap as a Cellphone
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Florida college students pay some of the lowest tuition rates in the nation.

Florida Polytech University Fights To Stay Independent
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
Florida’s newest public university is fighting to keep its independence. University officials gave a long-awaited update to the state’s university governing board Thursday, but questions still abound over what will happen to the fledgling school, which is still in the start-up phase.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Gov. Rick Scott says federal government owes Florida for port projects
By Steve Bousquet and Patricia Mazzei
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
On the eve of President Barack Obama's scheduled visit to PortMiami today, Gov. Rick Scott criticized the president for being "late to the party" on seaport improvements.

Senate pension plan drawing some union fans
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Although most Democrats remain opposed, unions came around Thursday to support the Senate’s plan to revamp the Florida Retirement System — a milder version of the overhaul pushed by House Speaker Will Weatherford and fellow Republicans in that chamber.

Senate's tax break for motorists has insurance lobbyists up in arms
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida lawmakers want to give motorists a break by scaling back some unpopular fees they raised to plug a budget hole a few years ago, but there's a catch.

Bill advances to shrink Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund
By Jim Turner
News Service of Florida
Legislators moved another step closer to reducing the size of the state fund that backs up private insurers while trying to make its name less menacing.

Scott looks for good news in Feb. job numbers
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott is looking for more improvement when the state releases its February unemployment figures.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

House panel backs health coverage for part-time workers
Associated Press
Tampa Bay Times
A Florida House panel approved a measure Thursday to offer health insurance to 8,737 of the state's part-time employees and their family members instead of paying a hefty fine under the federal health overhaul.

Fixing the Mental Health Data Base
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Thousands of people who have been in mental institutions have been able to purchase guns because of a loophole in Florida law.

House panel backs exemption for nursing home beds in The Villages
News Service of Florida
Ocala Star-Banner
With a massive Central Florida retirement community pushing for the change, a House panel Thursday approved a controversial proposal that would create an exemption to a long-standing limit on new nursing homes.

Federal agents raid Universal Health Care headquarters in St. Petersburg
By Susan Taylor Martin, Jeff Harrington and Meredith Rutland
Tampa Bay Times
Federal agents on Thursday raided the headquarters of Universal Health Care, the once high-flying Medicare insurer plagued in recent months by allegations of fraud and embezzlement.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

'Assault Weapon Ban' Or 'Defense Rifle Confiscation'? Fla. Lawmakers Debate Gun Control
By Jessica Palombo    
WFSU Tallahassee
The national gun-control debate is echoing in the committee rooms of the Florida Legislature this week.

Panel passes drone bill
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Another Senate panel has unanimously cleared a measure that would limit Florida’s law enforcement agencies from using drones.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Zimmerman defense attorneys suffer small setback in court
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
A Sanford judge on Thursday said no to defense attorneys for George Zimmerman, who sought for a second time to require that the attorney of Trayvon Martin’s family answer their questions under oath.

Daily News Clips for March 28, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida Pension Changes Rooted in ALEC Model Legislation
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Excerpt:  A new plan that would overhaul the state’s pension system can be traced back to the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, The Palm Beach Post reported this week…According to a 2012 report by Progress Florida, about a dozen bills have been introduced in the Florida Legislature that have been based on ALEC’s model legislation.

FEATURED STORIES

Free-spending ex-Florida GOP chief Greer gets 18 months in prison
By Michael Kruse
Tampa Bay Times
Related editorial: For Greer, prison and unanswered questions
Jim Greer, hand shaker, party thrower, power seeker, former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in state prison plus one year of probation.

Nuclear cost recovery law shifts risk to customers, critic says, as legislation remains in question
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Related: Policy Note: Nuclear Power
A 2006 law that allows utilities to charge customers for nuclear plants that may never be built actually shifts the risk to utility customers and away from investors and stockholders, a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission member has told a House panel.

Digital Domain $20 million state incentive didn’t violate law, but could happen again, inspector general finds
By Jeff Ostrowski
Palm Beach Post
Related editorial: Avoid sequel to Digital Domain and the $20 million
Digital Domain Media Group, the largest failure in the history of Florida job incentives, didn’t break the law as it pried $20 million from state coffers, Gov. Rick Scott’s inspector general said in a report released Wednesday.

Abortion bills clear Florida House panels
By Bruce Schreiner
Associated Press
Bills seeking to ban sex- and race-selective abortions and to require that babies surviving botched abortions receive medical care cleared House subcommittees on Wednesday as the hot-button issue resurfaced during a legislative session that's been largely bereft of battles over social issues.

Gun-toting teachers? House education panel says 'yes'
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
A controversial bill that would allow schools employees to carry weapons on campus won the support of the House K12 Education Subcomittee on Wednesday.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Senate creates task force to review budget transparency
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Five months after pulling the plug on a $5 million budget transparency program, the Florida Senate passed a bill Wednesday to create a task force to increase transparency but moved no closer to offering the public real-time access to budget data.

Digital Domain CEO slams IG report, says it's a Scott-Crist thing
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald
The former CEO of Digital Domain is hitting back with an alternative script after an Inspector General report slammed the process that helped the now-defunct Port St. Lucie film studio get $20 million in taxpayer grants.

Repeal of international driver permit law sent to governor
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
A repeal of a state law requiring foreign visitors to have international driving permits is on its way to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk after the Florida Senate passed it Wednesday by a vote of 38-0.

Bills starting to die as session moves along
By Travis Pillow
Tallahassee Democrat
It’s the fourth week of the 2013 legislative session, and bills are dying.

Florida Senate remembers Larcenia Bullard
By Tia Mitchell
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Members of the Florida Legislature, past and present, remembered former Sen. Larcenia Bullard for her smiles and friendly personality during a memorial service in her honor.

POLITICAL RACES

Nelson says no, again, to gov’s race talk
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
In case he wasn’t heard the first time, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Wednesday again dismissed talk that he was considering challenging Republican Gov. Rick Scott next year.

Will Charlie Crist launch his gubernatorial campaign on May 11?
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
Charlie Crist will headline a joint Kennedy-King Dinner for the Hillsborough and Pinellas Democratic Parties on May 11. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

House, Senate budget proposals include money for land-buying, beach restoration
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Proposed Senate and House versions of the 2013-14 budget for agriculture and environmental agencies closely track Gov. Rick Scott's budget request on some major funding issues, but not others.

Florida House hears arguments over controversial nuclear advance fee law
By Mary Ellen Klas
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida House broke its silence on the controversial nuclear cost recovery law Wednesday and, for the first time in years, allowed a workshop hearing into the 2006 measure that allows electric utilities to charge customers for nuclear plants before they are built.

Trial over Gulf oil spill set to resume Tuesday
Associated Press
Palm Beach Post
BP's cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 will continue presenting its defense next week at a trial over the deadly catastrophe.

LGBT

Supreme Court justices question validity of Defense of Marriage Act
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
With one justice declaring there are "two kinds of marriage: the full marriage, and then this sort of skim milk marriage," the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed poised to strike down a federal law denying benefits to legally wed gay couples.

EDUCATION

Fla. House budget boosts K-12 spending, allows higher ed tuition hikes
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The Florida House would increase K-12 school spending by $395 per pupil next year while also allowing Florida colleges and universities to boost tuition by 6 percent, under an education budget released Wednesday.

Charter schools make the case for facilities funding
By Kathleen McGrory
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The House Choice and Innovation in Education Subcommittee held a workshop on Wednesday to take up the controversial issue of charter-school funding.

Florida Polytechnic fights for funding, independence
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The leader of the state's newest university would like to respectfully disagree with those who say the school may be better off as a branch to another institution, including House Speaker Will Weatherford.

More missteps at FAU
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
If you've ever been in the middle of a group of protesters, surrounded in your car, you can understand how FAU President Mary Jane Saunders might have suddenly accelerated, reportedly hitting a student with the passenger-side mirror before fleeing down the wrong way of a one-way street.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Stop assault on fair-wage laws
Editorial
Miami Herald
Will the state Legislature’s assault on people who work for a living never end? Once again, lawmakers from the north part of the state not only are trying to pick the pockets of working folks, they want to neutralize Miami-Dade County’s home-rule charter in the process.

House less stingy than Senate with incentive funds
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Related: Policy Note: Economic Incentives
The House budget would give Gov. Rick Scott more business incentives than initial Senate recommendations, but not as much as he would like.

Florida Economic Development Gone Awry
By Paula Dockery
Florida Voices
As lawmakers begin in earnest to craft the state’s budget, they are considering how much to put in the spending plan for economic development incentives.

Homeowners rankled by foreclosure money going to dorms and developers
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Struggling Florida homeowners and consumer advocates are questioning how plans by state lawmakers to spend $200 million in bank foreclosure reparations will stave off foreclosures.

House, Senate differ in approach to foreclosure settlement money
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development unveiled their plan to spend $200 million from a multi-state foreclosure fraud settlement on Wednesday, revealing a significant departure for the House.

Obama to speak on economy Friday in Miami
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
President Barack Obama will deliver an address on the economy at the Port of Miami Friday.

Miami Dolphins agree to pay back more stadium tax dollars
By Toluse Olorunnipa and Adam Beasley
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
With the clock winding down on the Miami Dolphins’ quest for a taxpayer-supported stadium upgrade, the team called an audible Wednesday, announcing a new concession aimed at boosting support for the deal.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medicaid expansion fight harms you
Editorial
USA Today
The biggest selling point for President Obama's health care law was that 30 million uninsured people would get coverage, about half through private insurance and half through an expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state program for the lowest-income Americans.

Medicaid expansion (or Healthy Florida alternative) could impact thousands of Florida veterans
By Karen Cyphers
Saint Petersblog
Nearly 42,000 uninsured Florida veterans and 13,400 spouses could gain access to health coverage through the expansion of Medicaid — or a state alternative — according to a report just released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Foster care bill would give kids more freedom
By Rochelle Koff
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Martin Gordon, 19, came to the Capitol to tell legislators his experiences in the foster care system hoping that his voice — and the voices of 26 other current and former foster children — would make a difference. On Wednesday, they got their answer.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Sen. Bill Nelson seeks money to investigate reform school
By James L. Rosica
Associated Press
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Wednesday that he's pursuing funding from a $3 million federal grant program to help identify buried remains at a defunct boys' reform school in the Florida Panhandle.

For kids in isolation, a shrug from Florida lawmakers
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
Reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been subjecting scores of immigrant detainees to solitary confinement, many of them for 23 hours a day, some for stretches of 75 days or more, brought a quick, angry response in Washington.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Groups Blast Bill Giving Governor More Power Over Judge Selection
By Jessica Palombo    
WFSU Tallahassee
Should the Florida governor get to remove and replace people from the committees that nominate judges, whenever he wants?

Crump: Judge, don't make me answer questions from Zimmerman's lawyers
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Trayvon Martin's family, has filed new paperwork, saying there's no valid reason for a judge to reverse herself and order him to answer defense attorneys' questions in the George Zimmerman murder case.

Daily News Clips for March 27, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida Must Fix Its Broken Approach to Elections
By Mark Ferrulo
Florida Voices
Florida’s elections must be free, fair and accessible. But the 2012 election in Florida, where long lines forced many voters to wait several hours to exercise their fundamental civic duty to vote, once again made Florida the poster child for election disasters.

FEATURED STORIES

Legislators ask court to shield them from having to testify over maps
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
The latest fight over the state’s congressional redistricting map came before a Tallahassee appeals court Tuesday as lawyers for the state argued that legislators and their political consultants should not have to testify about how they made their decisions.

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson calls for investigation of mortgage aid program
By Susan Taylor Martin
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for a federal investigation of Florida's Hardest Hit Fund, a $1 billion mortgage assistance program that has denied aid to thousands of desperate homeowners while helping felons, tax scofflaws and people chronically in debt.

Gov. Rick Scott calls for 'Jesus stomping' investigation
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida Atlantic University has apologized for a controversial classroom lesson that led critics to accuse the school of religious intolerance.

Debate intensifies in parent-trigger debate
By James Call
Florida Current
Jeff Wright says there’s more to the story than what's told by proponents of the "parental trigger" bill.

U.S. Supreme Court takes up gay marriage case
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
The U.S. Supreme Court moved cautiously into the gay marriage debate Tuesday, wondering if it is the right time to weigh in on a sweeping and fast-evolving social issue while signaling any ruling likely will not settle the debate.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Ex-RPOF chairman Jim Greer faces sentencing hearing
By Jim Turner
News Service of Florida
Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer, who pleaded guilty on the eve of a potentially politically salacious trial that could have aired the laundry of the state GOP and former Gov. Charlie Crist, will find out his prison fate Wednesday.

Trooper says FHP looks the other way when lawmakers speed
By Matt Dixon  
Florida Times Union
A current Florida Highway Patrol sergeant and a trooper who was fired say the department has an unspoken policy that allows state lawmakers to get away with speeding.

Eliminate slush funds
Editorial
Miami Herald
The drive to change the state’s loophole-ridden campaign finance laws continues to gather steam in the state Legislature, thanks to support from the presiding officers of the House and Senate who want to eliminate some of the most abusive practices in the system.

POLITICAL RACES

Fla. Dems Pray for Crist's Resurrection
By Jordain Carney
National Journal
There are more than 4.7 million registered Democrats in Florida, but it looks more and more like only one is a viable -- and willing -- potential candidate to challenge vulnerable Gov. Rick Scott: former GOP Gov. Charlie Crist, who joined the Democratic Party in December

2014 Gubernatorial Race Shapes Up: What Gov. Scott and Dem Challengers Are Doing
By Sascha Cordner      
WFSU Tallahassee
The 2014 gubernatorial race is shaping up, as Governor Rick Scott has released his first campaign ad this week.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Once unopposed, fracking bills gain opposition as they move in House
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
House bills that would require disclosure of certain chemicals used in oil and gas hydraulic fracturing while providing exemptions for others as protected "trade secrets" are facing increasing environmental opposition.

Time Is the Enemy in Dealing With Looming Water Woes, Florida Legislator Says
By Bill Rufty
Lakeland Ledger
The Florida Legislature is dealing with major controversies this session like Medicaid, education funding and state employee pay raises, just to name a few.

Levy County nuclear plant project clears environmental hurdle
By Ivan Penn
Tampa Bay Times
The Levy County nuclear plant project moved a step closer to securing its operating license on Tuesday after a three-judge panel ruled against an environmental challenge.

LGBT

As Supreme Court Deliberates, Jeb Bush Speaks
By Andrew Rosenthal
New York Times
Quite a few Republicans have been announcing new stages in their “evolution” on same-sex marriage, which is being debated in the Supreme Court today and tomorrow.

EDUCATION

Rival Groups on 'Parent Trigger' Bill Ratchet Up Pressure
By Bruce Schreiner
Associated Press
With a key vote looming in the Florida House, rival groups ratcheted up their arguments Tuesday on a bill that would give parents a stronger voice in charting a turnaround course for failing public schools.

Latest proposals let only best Florida charter schools set own enrollment numbers
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott’s pitch to lift enrollment limits on charter schools is drawing lukewarm support from fellow Republicans in the Florida Legislature, with many saying they are cautious about giving a green light to expansion.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Union research shows pension overhaul will cost workers, taxpayers
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Public employee unions fighting the House pension overhaul rolled out research Tuesday that says the move will cost taxpayers more — challenging the view of House Speaker Will Weatherford and other proponents that closing the traditional plan to new workers will reduce state costs.

Religious Groups, Unions Join Fight Against Anti-Sick Pay Bill
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Religious groups and unions in Florida are fighting a bill that would prohibit local governments from mandating paid sick time for workers.

South Florida Workers Protest Possible Changes
Staff Report
WIOD Miami
A protest is taking place at Florida State Representative Eddy Gonzalez's Hialeah office today.

Florida consumer confidence surprisingly rises
By Jeff Harrington
Tampa Bay Times
In defiance of conventional wisdom — and much of the rest of the country — Florida consumers are feeling more chipper about the economy, according to a monthly survey released Tuesday.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

1.7M in FL to Get Break on Premiums: Report
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
More than 1.7 million Floridians will qualify for health insurance premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, according to a national consulting company report released Tuesday by the consumer group Families USA.

You may be eligible for health-care tax credits
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
You may be one of 1.7 million low- to middle-income Floridians eligible for tax-credit subsidies worth thousands of dollars a year to help you pay for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, starting in 2014.

Study: Health overhaul to raise claims cost 32 pct
Associated Press
Ocala Star-Banner
Insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims on individual health policies under President Barack Obama's overhaul, the nation's leading group of financial risk analysts has estimated.

Business group urges Floridians to say 'No thanks' to Medicaid expansion
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald
While some of the state's top business groups have warmed up to the idea of accepting federal money and expanding Florida's Medicaid program, The National Federation of Independent Business is saying "No Thanks." 

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

New re-entry prison aims to improve inmates' chances outside
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Top officials of Florida's prison system toured their $17 million new re-entry center Tuesday and called it the next big innovation for getting convicted felons ready to return to -- and stay -- in free society.

Justices, Citing Ban on Unreasonable Searches, Limit Use of Drug-Sniffing Dogs
By Adam Liptak
New York Times
The Supreme Court on Tuesday limited the ability of the police to use drug-sniffing dogs outside homes.

George Zimmerman's lawyers file witness list with 130 names
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
Attorneys for George Zimmerman have filed a new defense witness list, and it includes more than 130 people.