PROGRESS
FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
On ethics reform, 'one step forward, two steps back'
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: On ethics, get the details right
A leading ethics expert in Florida said Monday that the Legislature's efforts to strengthen state ethics laws are "one step forward and two steps back" and in some cases would make things more lax than they are now. Attorney Phil Claypool, the retired executive director of the Commission on Ethics, appeared at a news conference with Integrity Florida, the Tea Party Network and Progress Florida -- all groups that say the current ethics proposals before the Senate and House are not strong enough.
Groups: Ethics Legislation Not Strong Enough
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
Excerpt: "We feel this is an historic opportunity and a critical opportunity to see meaningful ethics reform, and we really want to make sure that that happens this time around," said Damien Filer, political director of Progress Florida, a liberal organization.
Groups concerned that ethics bills are flawed
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Current: Coalition calls for ethics improvements
WCTV Tallahassee: Liberals, Tea Party Come Together Demanding Ethics Reform
WFSU Tallahassee: Bipartisan Coalition Urges Ethics Reformers To Go Further
Representatives from The Tea Party Network, Progress Florida and Integrity Florida joined a former executive director of the Florida Commission on Ethics on Monday to point out what they believe are flaws in the bills.
FEATURED
STORIES
Partisan sparks fly as Senate panel OKs voting bill
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The bipartisan cooperation that marked early work on an elections bill vanished Monday as Democrats on the Senate Ethics & Elections Committee repeatedly forced roll-call votes on amendments the Republican majority opposed.
Jennifer Carroll's inaccurate financial disclosures cited as reason for reform
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Florida Senate committee approves ban on Internet cafes
Related: Did anyone know Jennifer Carroll had done such a 'fantastic' job?
Former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll followed Florida's financial disclosure law when she revealed her work for a charity linked to Internet gambling.
Surplus means more spending on education, but showdown on teacher pay looms
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
An improved economy and six years of relentless budget cuts have produced something that had been as rare as unicorns: a surplus.
Sen. Negron Unveils Alternative Plan
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
"Healthy Florida," Sen. Joe Negron's plan to cover 1 million low-income working adults, is now in writing and has been placed on the agenda for Thursday's meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Florida Beats U.S. Jobless Rate for First Time in Five Years
By Kyle Kennedy
Lakeland Ledger
Florida outshined the national unemployment rate in January, the first such occurrence in five years.
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Jennifer Carroll Financial Disclosure Flawed
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned last week after talking with law enforcement investigators over consulting work she did for Allied Veterans of the World – the internet cafe operator that skimmed hundreds of millions of dollars that should have gone to charity.
Another scandal in Tallahassee? You bet!
By Carl Hiaasen
Miami Herald
Related editorial: Lessons from ex-Lt. Gov. Carroll’s fall from grace
In Florida, not much is asked of the lieutenant governor.
Do We Actually Need a Lt. Governor? Nope
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Voices
Being lieutenant governor of Florida is like being the best basketball player on that team that loses to the Harlem Globetrotters every night.
Bipartisan voting reform effort comes to an end in Florida Senate committee
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Senate Ethics and Elections Committee Chairman Jack Latvala hoped for a unanimous thumbs-up on a measure designed to fix the election woes highlighted by long lines at voting sites last November.
Sample online ballots in Florida spur clash on privacy
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Voting, like everything else, is discovering the digital age.
Gov. and Cabinet sue attorney in land dispute
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Cabinet are suing an attorney who has been a frequent critic of the administration.
Florida's Top Lobbying Firms
By Amy Keller
Florida Trend
Find out which are the largest lobbying firms in the state, who their clients are, and how much revenue they make.
POLITICAL
RACES
PPP poll: Charlie Crist 52%, Rick Scott 40%
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
A new Public Policy Polling survey set for release today finds that Governor Rick Scott still suffers from a low approval rating and trails a handful of potential Democratic opponents.
Scott committee collects $809,825
News Service of Florida
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
While speculation abounds that the fallout from Gov. Rick Scott’s change in position on Medicaid could harm his 2014 re-election, the group building his campaign account hasn’t been troubled finding donors.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
Senate committee hears pro-nuclear views on cost-recovery law
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A Senate committee on Monday heard for two hours from the Nuclear Energy Institute, Florida Power & Light Co. and Progress Energy Florida.
Scientists puzzled by manatee deaths on Florida's east coast
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
Even as a Red Tide algae bloom is wiping out a record number of manatees in southwest Florida, a mysterious ailment is killing dozens more manatees on the state's east coast.
LGBT
Registry helps ease the 'insult'
By Mary Ann Lindley
Tallahassee Democrat
That Leon County Commission Chairman Nick Maddox and my fellow commissioners signaled a unanimous “yes” to establishing a domestic partnership registry Tuesday night didn’t do a lot to soften the bias that many men and women experience because of their sexual orientation.
EDUCATION
Senate education panel offers little insight into charter-school funding
By Kathleen McGrory
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Senate Education Committee on Monday devoted an hour to discussing the 12 charter-school proposals floating through upper chamber.
Florida colleges have $26.6B economic impact
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida's College Sytem, the 28 schools formerly known as the community college system, have a collective economic impact $26.6 billion each year, according to a recent study.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
House Speaker’s Budget Plan Includes New Dollars
By Regan McCarthy
WFSU Tallahassee
Florida’s House Speaker, Will Weatherford is unveiling his plans for the state’s new budget.
Atwater warns against 'ripping off rate cap' for Citizens, says current law is working
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater isn’t a fan of proposals in the House and Senate aimed at decreasing the policies and risk of Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Stealing control
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
If someone robbed your home, you would call for a local law enforcement officer to investigate.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
|Florida's Medicaid expansion alternative bill is in the works
By James Call
Florida Current
The Florida alternative to Medicaid expansion could emerge in the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting scheduled for Friday.
Florida’s GOP-led Legislature in race to bottom on Medicaid
By Nan Rich
Miami Herald
Florida’s legislators faced a critical moral decision as they began the 2013 legislative session.
Florida Senate panel endorses health insurance for part-time state workers
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A Florida Senate committee moved ahead Monday with expanding the state employee health insurance program next year to cover temporary, part-time workers, as lawmakers look to avoid a $318 million penalty under the federal Affordable Care Act.
Did Concordia Care profit from political ties?
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
Five years ago, the Florida Legislature voted to put state-paid mental health and substance abuse services under managed care, saying the change would control the state’s costs, coordinate patients’ care and provide services to more people.
29 States Get F On Disclosure Laws For Health Care Prices
By Russ Mitchell
Health News Florida
Wonder why you can't get a straight answer on how much a treatment or test will cost you?
IMMIGRATION,
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Two-hundred mile march for farmworker's rights doesn't hurdle Publix roadblock
By Lenka Davis
WMNF Tampa
About 1500 farmworkers and their allies completed their 200 mile, two week March for Respect, Rights and Fair food yesterday in Lakeland.
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