Daily News Clips for March 14, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigns
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: For Gov. Rick Scott, Jennifer Carroll was political liability
Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll abruptly resigned Tuesday after law enforcement officials questioned her about ties to a purported veterans charity at the center of a $300 million illegal gambling investigation.

Resignation could inspire GOP challenger to Scott
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Related: Voters won't overlook Scott's errors in judgment
Related editorial: A shameful departure
The resignation of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll in an Internet gambling scandal is the latest political blow to Gov. Rick Scott and could fuel interest in a Republican primary challenge to his 2014 re-election campaign.

Internet cafe probe snags dozens, could doom industry in Florida
By Mary Ellen Klas and Leonora LaPeter Anton
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: State Sen. John Thrasher wants Internet cafes shut down
Owners of dozens of Internet gambling centers in Florida were arrested Wednesday as part of a three-year investigation into Jacksonville-based Allied Veterans of the World, a purported charity group that authorities say collected millions of dollars for itself and little money for veterans.

Fla. charity probe to next focus on campaign money
By Mike Schneider and Gary Fineout
Associated Press
The next phase of an investigation into a veterans charity accused of being a front for a $300 million gambling operation will focus on the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on lobbying and campaigns donations, authorities said.

Florida scores low on access, transparency, public corruption
By Barbara A. Petersen
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's open-government laws have long been the envy of other states, and indeed other nations, struggling toward the transparency their citizens deserve.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Fla. Lt. Gov. Carroll resigns; won’t be replaced till after legislative session
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday that Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll “did the right thing for the state and for her family,” by abruptly resigning amid a wide-ranging criminal probe into a purported charity operating internet cafes in Florida.

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carrroll's resignation should leave a legacy of ethics reform
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
If ever there were a need for government ethics reform, look no further than Wednesday's surprise resignation of Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll leaves unfulfilled expectations in her wake
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Rick Scott rightly dubbed Jennifer Carroll a "history maker" when he introduced her as his running mate during his 2010 campaign for governor. With Scott's election, Carroll became Florida's first African-American lieutenant governor.

Scott, Caroll lampooned at skits
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott yukked it up last night for the first time at the Capitol Press Corps Skits, the “sometimes” annual roasting of all things Tallahassee.

Scott, Weatherford, Rubio celebrate "non-partisan" James Madison Institute
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
If Ayn Rand were alive and living in Florida, she would have paid $125 for a ticket and attended The James Madison Institute’s 25th anniversary gala Wednesday night.

Man who taped Romney's '47 percent' remark is 'regular guy' from Broward
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Who shot the infamous "47 percent" video, surreptitiously recorded west of Boca Raton, was one of the biggest lingering mysteries of the 2012 election season.

Senator simulates accident to show why texting ban is needed
By Jennifer Curington
Orlando Sentinel
A state senator attempted to text and drive in the Capitol Wednesday -- and hit two deer.

Orange's 'textgate' legal costs grow at up to $250 an hour
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Five months into the Orange County "textgate" legal struggle, records released Tuesday show taxpayers face up to $250 an hour in future attorney fees for a case that already has cost $70,500.

Funeral protest ban clears state House
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The Florida House has approved legislation that would expand a current ban on protesting to all types of funerals.

POLITICAL RACES

Sen. Bill Nelson ‘cannot envision’ a 2014 run for governor
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Have you heard the one about Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson running for governor in 2014? 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Officials collect ideas on how to spend oil spill money
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
In New Orleans, a federal trial has been grinding away, aimed at deciding who caused the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and how much those responsible should pay in fines.

Bill seeking to rein in local transportation fee systems passes House subcommittee
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill that would restrict how counties can collect fees to pay for road improvements passed a House subcommittee on Tuesday with substantial changes but continued opposition from counties.

Public can review state's plans for Fla. species
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Wildlife officials are asking the public to review the state's conservation plans for imperiled beach-nesting birds.

EDUCATION

High School Graduation Overhaul Clears Senate Hurdle
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
Senate President Don Gaetz has said he wants to see education become more relevant to workforce needs and demands and a bill clearing the Senate’s Education Committee would do just that.

All it takes is a little word play to fix issues with FAU’s $6M stadium donation from GEO Group
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
It’s time to launder the money. I’m talking about that $6 million donation the private prison company GEO Group has offered to Florida Atlantic University in exchange for getting the naming rights to the university’s new football stadium.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Weatherford's pension overhaul hits snag in Senate
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
One of Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford’s top priorities appears to be troubled two weeks into session.

Senators vote for more disclosure, closer scrutiny of economic incentives
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers are advancing a sweeping package of reforms of state economic incentives that would require more transparency about the tax breaks companies have received to create jobs and scaling back some that don't work.

Groups rally behind Cat Fund bill, but progress hard to come by
By Gray Rohrer and Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A coalition of business, insurance and environmental groups are pushing for legislation to reduce the coverage of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund because they say the state fund provides cheaper reinsurance than the private market and subsidizes coastal construction.

Obama finds no budging on budget in talks with Republicans
New York Times
Tampa Bay Times
President Barack Obama's meeting with a restive and resistant House Republican majority Wednesday underscored their deep divisions over fiscal policy as both sides acknowledged that an overarching budget compromise was in doubt despite a new push by the White House.

Paul Ryan’s latest budget disappoints again
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is more a preacher than a policymaker. He’s not
convincing as either.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida's Alternative to Medicaid Expansion
By Carol Gentry
WUSF Tampa
Medicaid expansion for 1 million low-income adults in Florida may technically be dead, after committees in both the House and Senate voted to kill it.

Democrats, Republicans Clash Over Health Care Savings
By Jackie Judd
Kaiser Health News
Republican and Democratic leaders from both chambers of Congress this week offered competing budget proposals that both look for savings in health care.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Farmworkers march to Tampa to challenge Publix to honor the Fair Food Program
By Lenka Davis
WMNF Tampa
Wednesday the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their allies pass through Tampa on their 200 mile march from Ft Myers to the headquarters of Publix in Lakeland; the marchers are calling on Publix to honor the social responsibility agreement for farm labor reform known as the Fair Food Program.

Uncovering the truth about Dozier abuses
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Finally, Florida families whose sons and brothers died at the infamous Dozier School for Boys in Marianna may learn what happened to them.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Wrong is wrong on the left or the right
By John Romano
Tampa Bay Times
Sometimes, outrage is justified. Sometimes, it is misplaced.