FEATURED
STORIES
Florida lawmakers far apart on how to cover uninsured poor
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A Senate budget panel Wednesday sought to forge a deal with the House on a plan to draw billions of dollars in federal money to provide health insurance to 1.1 million low-income Floridians.
Former secretary of state calls Senate elections proposal ‘bad public policy’
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Former Secretary of State Kurt Browning called a provision included in the Senate’s election package yesterday allowing the secretary of state to dock election supervisors pay and essentially put them on probation “bad public policy.”
After gun bill falters in Congress, Fla. Legislature sends 'Hands off our guns' memorial to Obama
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald
Related: Obama lambasts Senate gun vote as 'shameful day'
Though gun control efforts in the U.S. Senate appear to stall Wednesday, the Florida Legislature is sending a message to Washington just in case: Hands off our guns.
Bipartisan bill could help 740,000 undocumented immigrants in Florida
By Erica Werner
Associated Press
The U.S. immigration system would undergo dramatic changes under a bipartisan Senate bill introduced Wednesday that puts a new focus on prospective immigrants’ merit and employment potential, while seeking to end illegal immigration by creating legal avenues for workers to come here.
Pull plug on Florida's nuclear tax
By Mark Cooper
Tampa Bay Times
Florida is one of just three states that made the mistake of allowing utilities to bill consumers in advance for the construction of nuclear reactors.
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Nelson thrusts himself into the spotlight
By Mark K. Matthews and Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
What's gotten into U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson lately?
Drone bill heads to Gov. Rick Scott's desk without opposition
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A bill that would limit how law enforcement uses unmanned drones for surveillance is headed to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott, who says he'll sign it into law.
Some say texting-while-driving bill doesn't do enough
By Meredith Rutland
Tampa Bay Times
A ban on texting while driving appears to be gaining favor in the Legislature, but those who have lost loved ones to texting accidents say the bill is too weak.
Gambling opponents raise doubts about independence of company hired to write report
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Despite hours of testimony hearing about the state's gambling industry, and two years debating whether to open Florida to resort casinos, the Florida Legislature this year decided to spend $388,000 in taxpayer money to hire an outside consultant to study the state's gambling market.
POLITICAL
RACES
Expenses already climbing in Scott re-election effort
By Gary Fineout
The Fine Print
Here's an interesting couple of tidbits that jumped out in going through last week's campaign finance reports.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
So Far, Another Bad Year for the Environment
By Paula Dockery
Florida Voices
It’s always been a lonely fight as a Republican in the Florida Legislature when it comes to environmental policy.
Lawmakers ease rules on sewage outflow that will save South Florida $1.6 billion
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee bureau
The Florida House voted Wednesday to ease the rules on discharging treated sewage into the ocean — a measure that could save Miami-Dade and Broward counties as much as $867 million and $620 million, respectively, and Hollywood as much as $174 million.
Petroleum tanks bill gets massive rewrite but senator remains concerned
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill that would allow the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to conduct competitive bidding for cleaning up petroleum contamination sites passed a Senate committee Wednesday despite concerns raised by the sponsor of an amendment that rewrote the bill.
Revive Florida Forever
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
After years of neglecting Florida Forever, it is encouraging to see the budgets of the state House and Senate include funding for the land-acquisition program.
LGBT
LGBT groups say they won't give up inclusion of gay people in comprehensive immigration reform
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Several leading LGBT groups have reacted to gay people being left out (at least for now) from proposed immigration reform.
Tweak in state bill could thwart proposed gay-straight middle school group
By Erica Rodriguez
Orlando Sentinel
Just when supporters thought they had won their battle to start a gay-straight club at a Leesburg middle school, a small change in state law could alter their plans.
Despite Setbacks, Gays, Lesbians Achieve Office
By Susan Clary
Florida Voices
Two steps forward, one step back. That’s how you could characterize Florida’s strides to elect openly gay men and women to public office.
EDUCATION
Florida school superintendents complain about pay law
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
Superintendents expressed frustration Wednesday with the state’s teacher evaluation law during a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott, a day after teachers filed a federal suit to overturn the law.
Scott and Bennett hear from county school chiefs
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott and Education Commissioner Tony Bennett assured county school superintendents Wednesday the state will help them allay parental fears about "Common Core" school standards that have caused rumblings among conservative Republicans who worry about intrusion on states' rights and parental influence in schools.
Allen West, FAU stadium protesters exchange accusations of threatening behavior
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Former U.S. Rep. Allen West accused student protesters of harassing his wife, a Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees member, and warned them in a Facebook post Wednesday to stop or “you will face me, the side of me that you do not want to see.”
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Weatherford's pension overhaul in doubt
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
With a little more than two weeks left in the Legislative session, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford’s plan to overhaul the state’s pension fund appears in doubt.
Hands off retirement plan
By David Clinkscales
Florida Today
As a public employee with the state of Florida, I am proud of the work I do every day providing quality service to my fellow citizens.
Despite panel vote, time running out to scrap state’s no-fault car insurance system
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
A Senate committee voted 10-0 to ditch the state’s no-fault auto insurance system after more than 40 years, but the clock is quickly running out on a chance to make a big change in 2013.
Omnibus insurance bill clears House, but concerns remain over nonrenewal notices
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A bill with several provisions preferred by both the insurance industry and state regulators passed through the House on Wednesday by a vote of 100-17, but not before some lawmakers raised concerns over changes that would allow insurers to issue nonrenewal notices during hurricane season.
Public-Private Partnership Bill Wants To Entice More Public-Private Projects
By Thomas Andrew Gustafson
WFSU Tallahassee
A bill creating statewide guidelines for public-private partnerships passed through the House Appropriations Committee today Wednesday.
State House unanimously passes for tax fraud bill
By Elaine Silvestrini
Tampa Tribune
When the state House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to make it easier to arrest identity thieves, at least one legislator had a personal reason for his yes vote.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
Senate advances competing Medicaid alternatives
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Members of a Senate committee approved two different alternatives to expanding Medicaid on Wednesday, saying they want to keep their options open as they work to strike a deal with House Republicans.
Rare, unanimous support for abortion bill in Florida House
By Rochelle Koff
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Temporarily setting aside debate over the legality of abortion, the Florida House unanimously passed a measure Wednesday that would require doctors to provide emergency care if a failed abortion somehow produces an infant who is born alive.
House Approves Letting Pharmacists Oversee Six Times As Many Technicians
By Jessica Palombo
WFSU Tallahassee
A bill the House passed on Wednesday would increase the number of pharmacy technicians each pharmacist can supervise.
IMMIGRATION,
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Gun zealots winning in Congress despite national outcry for gun control
By Joy-Ann Reid
Miami Herald
With so many failures to its credit, it is no longer sufficient to say Congress is “broken.” It is on the brink of utter uselessness.
45 Senators Side with Gun Lobby As Newtown Families Look On
The Progress Report
Think Progress
You’d think that more than 90 percent of the American people and 55 senators — a majority — in favor of something would be enough to get it done.
Bill aims to keep guns away from mentally unstable
By Bruce Schreiner
Associated Press
Legislation backed by gun-rights advocates to plug a loophole to guard against gun purchases by people with mental illness won overwhelming approval from the Florida House on Wednesday evening.
Immigration reform proposal finally released
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Evelyn Rivera boiled inside as she watched her mother being put in the police car.
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