Daily News Clips for March 1, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Progressives: saving local wage, benefit efforts high on agenda
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Excerpt: A coalition of progressive groups released its upcoming legislative agenda, and killing bills that block local wage and benefit measures sits near the top of it’s list...The groups behind the goals are Florida Watch Action, Progress Florida, and America Votes.

FEATURED STORIES

Automatic spending cuts set to start after Congress fails to act
By William Douglas and Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Sometime Friday, the federal government will take the first step toward cutting spending in dozens of departments and programs after the two major parties each tried and failed to muscle partisan alternatives through the Senate.

Activists to lawmakers: Just do more on election reform
By James Call
Florida Current
A coalition of groups representing ministers, seniors, students and civil rights activists say reform bills gaining traction in the Legislature do not go far enough.

With High Rate of Uninsured, Florida Prepares for Health Care Reform
By Mc Nelly Torres
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
The numbers are deplorable. One of every 13 uninsured kids in the United States lives in Florida.

New York Republican rips Rubio for raising Wall Street money after voting against Sandy aid
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Congressman Pete King was not pleased with his fellow Republicans who opposed the federal Hurricane Sandy relief package.

Meet Harry Sargeant, Florida Republican money man
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
Former Gov. Charlie Crist calls him "a great patriot.''

BEST OF THE BLOGS

US Senator Marco Rubio: A Light Weight On The Most Pressing Issue Of Our Times: Global Warming and Climate Change
By Gimleteye
Eye On Miami
Why is climate change the most pressing issue of our times? It seems an absurd question obligating an answer.

Students Occupy University President’s Office To Protest Naming Stadium After Private Prison Company
By Adam Peck
Think Progress
Last week, the administration of Florida Atlantic University raised eyebrows when officials announced that they had sold the naming rights to the school’s new football stadium to the GEO Group, the nation’s second-largest private prison company.

The Sequester Grift
By Benjamin J. Kirby
The Spencerian
Happy Sequestration Week!  As you may -- or may not, (though, really, given the full court press coverage, how could you not?) -- know the massive budget cuts called "sequester" are set to kick in on Friday.

Right Wing Rubio: Not a Hint of Moderation To Be Found As Iowa Posturing Continues
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
The Political Squeeze
Republican “savior” Marco Rubio has had the type of week to make conservative salivate. Let’s recap.

For-Profit Charter School Fights Back Against Parents Who Rejected Them In Sarasota
By Bob Sikes
Scathing Purple Musings
Blogger David Safier has more on Imagine Charter Schools’ battle with Sarasota parents and local school leadership over their decision to secede from the nation’s largest charter school provider.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Fixing Florida's voting system
By Janet Cruz
Tampa Bay Times
Florida has a long history of botching elections and suppressing minority votes. Enough is enough.

New members of Congress hire aides who used to lobby
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Two of freshman U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel's top staffers have come through the "revolving door" to work for her.

Florida House to reveal new smart phone app
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
With an enticing, but cryptic, press release today, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford invited the media to his special announcement outside of the House of Represenatives chambers on Thursday entitled, “Democracy on the Go.”

Texting while voting
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Message to public officials: Turn off your cellphones at a public meeting.

POLITICAL RACES

Weatherford Tries To Quell Rumors He'll Run Against Gov. Scott in 2014
By Sascha Cordner      
WFSU Tallahassee
Some are speculating that current Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford has plans to unseat Governor Rick Scott in 2014, after the Republican Governor upset many of his colleagues with the Medicaid expansion announcement.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Earned Sick Pay Ballot Measure Wins Place on Orange County Ballot in 2014
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
After a long and difficult fight in Orange County, an earned sick pay measure that was left off the 2012 ballot will be put to voters next year.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

BP probe of Gulf spill didn't explore cost cuts
By Michael Kunzelman
Associated Press
An internal BP probe of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico didn't explore whether decisions by upper-level management or cost cuts had a role in causing the disaster because investigators didn't have access to its partners' employees and records, a BP executive testified Thursday at a trial designed to assign blame to the companies.

Crystal River nuclear plant had flaw in safety procedures for over a decade
By Ivan Penn
Tampa Bay Times
For more than a decade, Progress Energy Florida had a serious flaw in the safety procedures at its Crystal River nuclear plant.

Rep. Patronis is back with another permitting bill -- and some groups are not thrilled
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Rep. Jimmy Patronis is back for the third straight year with a comprehensive environmental permitting bill that is backed by business groups and raising concerns with other groups.

Everglades National Park proposes new rules targeting boater damage
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
A glimpse of the “preferred’’ future for visitors to Everglades National Park.

LGBT

Obama urges court to overturn gay marriage ban
By Julie Pace and Mark Sherman
Associated Press
In a historic argument for gay rights, President Barack Obama on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban and turn a skeptical eye on similar prohibitions across the country.

EDUCATION

Teachers question fairness of new evaluation system at hearing
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
The official purpose of the meeting sounded dry and bureaucratic: Take public input on drafts of two state rules.

Florida not listed on 'top heavy' school list
By Dave Breitenstein
Ft. Myers News-Press
A national report released today shows Florida is one of 30 states that employs more teachers than non-instructional employees in public schools.

At FAU, opinions divided over naming stadium for prison company that pledged $6 million
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
Florida Atlantic University students both in favor and opposed to “Owlcatraz” are expected to flock to a meeting with their school president Mary Jane Saunders tomorrow to debate the issue roiling their campus.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Federal budget ax threatens jobs, services … eventually
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Uncle Sam's self-imposed belt-tightening starts today — a spending diet known as a "sequester" that doesn't look too painful at first but will gradually squeeze aid, services and jobs for a wide range of Floridians.

Nelson backs bill to dock Congress if workers furloughed
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson says he’ll co-sponsor filing legislation to dock paychecks for Congress members by the same percentage as any federal worker furloughed as a result of sequestration.

Gov. Scott touts advantages of cutting taxes for manufacturers
By Drew Harwell
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott talked up tax cuts for manufacturers at a St. Petersburg tech manufacturer Thursday, touting his top legislative priority as a key to creating jobs.

Florida class action case takes aim at Citizens' re-inspection program
By Jay Weaver and Toluse Olorunnipa
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Thousands of Florida homeowners buffeted by higher windstorm premiums have sued state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to recover potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in "back-door" rate increases driven by "arbitrary" re-inspections of their residences.

Raise for lowest-paid would benefit entire U.S. economy
By Karen Woodal
Orlando Sentinel
In one of the highlights of his State of the Union speech last month, President Obama called upon Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 per hour by 2015.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Panel backs health coverage for part-time workers
By Kelli Kennedy
Associated Press
Members of a Florida House panel reluctantly agreed Thursday that they would rather extend health coverage to part-time employees than pay a roughly $300 million fine under President Barack Obama's federal health care law.

Legislators move closer to Medicaid expansion decision
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Monday could be the day when House and Senate committees studying the health care law make a recommendation on whether the state should accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid.

Session Outlook: Health Care
By James Call
Florida Current
Although the Florida Legislature goes to work next week, the bill expected to generate hot debate during the 2013 Session has yet to be filed.

Experts try ways to keep troubled children from becoming severely ill adults
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
While recent discussions on mental health have focused on how to keep guns away from those with mental illnesses, Dr. Aude Henin’s focus is to keep children with mental illnesses from becoming adults with severe psychiatric disorders.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson to make pitch for immigration reform
By Eloísa Ruano González
Orlando Sentinel
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson is expected to make an impassioned call for immigration reform during an appearance this morning in Orlando while surrounded by Central Florida Hispanic leaders.

Rep. Combee files bill protecting 'warning shots' from prosecution
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A bill filed this week by Rep. Neil Combee, R-Polk City, would protect those who fire “warning shots” in self-defense from prosecution.

Fla. Civil Rights Hall of Fame inductees announced
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Two married civil-rights activists - killed Christmas 1951 when a bomb exploded beneath their house as they slept - have been inducted into Florida's Civil Rights Hall of Fame.

Scott Should Target Corporate Welfare Cheats
By Rhonda Swan
Florida Voices
Florida green lighted $430,000 in tax incentives for a cocaine dealer, but Gov. Rick Scott is more concerned that the state might give a weed-smoking mother of two less than $4,000 a year in welfare.

Scott wasting state’s money on failed push for welfare drug testing.
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott’s administration has now received two stern rebukes from federal judges about his unconstitutional push to drug-test Florida’s welfare applicants.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Abuse charges dog GEO prison company
By Pat Beall
Palm Beach Post
In just a matter of days, backlash over GEO Group’s proposed $6 million stadium naming deal with Florida Atlantic University has put the Boca Raton private prison firm on the defensive, raised the hackles of civil rights groups and prompted questions about inmate conditions.