Daily News Clips for May 23, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Citizens OK’s deal for Scott donor
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Despite hundreds of insurance violations, president of upstart company could get $52 million deal from Citizens
Related Editorial: Sweetheart insurance deal hurts consumers
A startup insurance company with ties to current and former top politicians could receive up to $52 million from Citizens Property Insurance Corp., after the board voted 3-2 Wednesday to approve a “unique” and “outside-the-box” deal.

Appeals court shields lawmakers from testifying, showing draft maps in redistricting lawsuit
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
A divided appeals court ruled Wednesday that Florida legislators should not be questioned under oath about whether they "intended" to gain partisan advantage when they re-drew congressional maps last year.

LGBT activists in Doral protest U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio after gay couples left out of immigration plan
By Alfonso Chardy and Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Gay activists gathered Wednesday in front of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s Doral office to protest the Senate Judiciary Committee’s failure to include undocumented gay foreign nationals in a bipartisan immigration reform bill the panel approved late Tuesday.

Immigration bill allies aim for added support
By Ashley Parker and Julia Preston
New York Times
After its solid bipartisan approval in committee, broad legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration laws was headed Wednesday to the Senate floor, where supporters of the plan are already mobilizing to bring more Republicans on board by focusing on strengthening border security provisions in the bill.

Republicans Scramble to Save Governor in Florida Battleground
By Elahe Izadi
National Journal
The 2014 Florida governor's race is shaping up as one of the most consequential contests in the country, featuring two problematic candidates in a state President Obama won twice but where a Democrat hasn't been elected as governor in nearly two decades.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Senate president, House speaker tout legislative accomplishments during tour
By Tony Marrero
Tampa Bay Times
Maj. Gen. Emmett Titshaw didn't get far into his tour of the Brooksville armory before he brought up some trouble on his mind.

Florida ranks 23rd in electing women to Legislature
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida has actually taken a small step backwards when it comes to electing women to the state Legislature.

Chamber gives lawmakers high marks
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Not that anyone ever doubted the Florida Legislature's commitment to a pro-business agenda, but the state's major corporate lobby released a 2013 session "report card" Tuesday, indicating that lawmakers posted high marks on issues affecting the bottom line for employers.

Broward may be Koch brothers’ own ‘deal from hell’
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
As puns go, the caption was pretty vapid. “Sun Sentinel doesn’t need a Koch problem.”

Marco Rubio calls for more IRS hearings
By Breanna Edwards
Politico
Sen. Marco Rubio showed his disappointment in the lack of facts coming from congressional hearings on the IRS, calling the proceedings “outrageous” and demanding a more investigative approach.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

What spending counts as conservation spending? Analysts wrestle with proposed constitutional amendment
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A proposed constitutional amendment directing state revenue towards conservation land acquisition, management and restoration would not necessarily require more spending on those activities, state analysts say.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

You Need Phosphorous to Live—and We're Running Out
By Tom Philpott
Mother Jones
Western Sahara, a sparsely populated slice of desert on Africa's northwestern coast, doesn't get much ink as a potential crisis point in the global food system.

Congressional committee to look at state of U.S. weather forecasting
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
Though U.S. weather forecasting has improved gradually in recent years, there's a growing fear among scientists and policymakers that these gains could stall -- and perhaps reverse -- even as other nations have stepped up their ability to predict the weather.

Beachgoers, Look Out For Baby Birds, Audubon Says
By Jessica Palombo    
WFSU Tallahassee
Heading to a Florida beach this Memorial Day weekend? A wildlife conservation group is asking beachgoers to keep nesting birds in mind.

EDUCATION

Department Of Ed Overhaul Runs Into Headwinds Due To Common Core Concerns
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett is going through the Department of Education’s job descriptions to see what’s necessary, and what’s not.

Amid budget cuts, last bells ring for Brevard schools
By Britt Kennerly and Stacey Barchenger
Florida Today
On the last day of school, Mike Blake rolled into Clearlake Middle School’s parking lot in his big, bronze pickup truck, its horn blaring as he waved and shouted greetings to passersby.

The courage of teachers
By LZ Granderson
CNN
Each day more than 55 million students attend the country's 130,000 schools.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Scott says deal-making hot in Chile
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday that the Chilean company, Crystal Lagoons Corp., maker of the world’s largest swimming pool, is moving its worldwide headquarters to Miami.

Divided Citizens board approves retroactive incentive take out plan
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
By a narrow 3-2 vote, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. board members approved a plan Wednesday to give up to $52 million in surplus to nine month-old Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance Co. for taking over 60,000 of its policies.

Homeowners air beefs against insurers at forum, say state officials not doing enough
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Homeowners asked Florida’s insurance consumer advocate for help with problems involving state-run Citizens and other insurers at a Palm Beach County forum Wednesday that also featured criticism that state officials are not doing enough.

State plans do-over on bidding for I-4 makeover
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
Once was not enough for the state, which said Wednesday it is going to repeat a meeting held this week to cull the list of bidders on the $2.1 billion makeover of Interstate 4 through Metro Orlando.

Home and condo sales surge in April, boosted by cash deals
Staff Report
Florida Current
Sales of existing single family homes and condos shot up last month according to a report released Wednesday by Florida Realtors, as Florida continues to climb its way back from the housing bust.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Public in Deep South supports expanding Medicaid, poll finds, but lawmakers don’t
By Tony Pugh
McClatchy Washington Bureau
Even though governors and lawmakers in five Deep South states oppose a plan to cover more people through Medicaid under the health care overhaul, 62 percent of the people in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina support expanding the program, according to a new poll.

Nelson urges veto of Florida bill suspending state power to set health insurance rates
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson urged Florida Gov. Rick Scott to veto legislation his fellow Republicans advanced that suspends for two years the state’s authority to set health insurance rates.

Poverty Rate for FL Seniors 17% on New Scale
Staff Report
Health News Florida
Using a revised version of the Census Bureau's poverty measure, which takes into account medical expenses, the rate of poverty among those 65 and older is much higher than previously estimated, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Pam Bondi says Urban Outfitters' novelty prescription pill items go too far
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and 22 other attorneys general accused Urban Outfitters on Wednesday of "undermining" nationwide efforts to fight pharmaceutical-drug abuse because the store sells a line of drinking novelties that mimic prescription-pill bottles, boxes, pads and syringes.

We'll Post REAL Prices, Hospital CEO Says
Staff Report
Health News Florida
The CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center says he's willing to reveal the actual contractual prices that his hospital pays Aetna, Florida Blue and other insurers -- and dares other hospitals to do the same.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Gov. Scott vetoes legal aid funding for third year in a row
By Margie Menzel         
News Service of Florida
For the third year in a row, Gov. Rick Scott has vetoed funding for legal aid to low-income Floridians.