FEATURED
STORIES
House members say yes to cheap health insurance — for themselves
By Tia Mitchell
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida House Republicans last month loudly and proudly rejected billions of dollars in federal money that would have provided health insurance to 1 million poor Floridians.
Rick Scott declares victory on sales tax break for manufacturers
By Danielle Paquette
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott launched a two-day, campaign-style swing through the state Monday to celebrate the Legislature's decision to temporarily eliminate a sales tax on manufacturing equipment.
Fed up, RNC's Fla Hispanic outreach director becomes Democrat
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Presumably few Republican operatives have a better handle on the national Repubublican party's efforts to court Hispanic voters than Pablo Pantoja, a native of Puerto Rico, and Florida State University alum appointed by the Republican National Committee to oversee Hispanic outreach in Florida last year.
Bill would allow online vendors better access to public school funding
By Kathleen McGrory
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
Private online learning companies will get a better shot at Florida public school funding under a bill that won approval on the final day of the legislative session.
Nuclear recovery fee needs to go, Gov. Scott
By John Romano
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Legislator asks Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam to study costs of nuclear vs. natural gas
Not everyone believes in the warming of Rick Scott's heart.
FLORIDA
POLITICS
Rubio wants to criminalize IRS targeting of conservatives
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, an ally of the tea party movement, is pushing legislation to punish IRS employees who target conservative groups for intense scrutiny of their tax filings.
Florida reporter-turned-Rep. rips DOJ’s ‘appalling’ seizure of AP phone records
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
The revelation today that the Department of Justice secretly seized business and personal phone records of Associated Press journalists drew criticism from former TV journalist and freshman Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fort Myers.
State will go on break next year as politics trumps policy
By Douglas C. Lyons
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Okay. State lawmakers obviously dropped the ball when it came to expanding health care by failing to take federal funding for Medicaid.
Who Will Gov. Scott Pick To Replace His Former Second-In-Command?
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Tallahassee
With the 2013 Legislative Session at an end, Florida Governor Rick Scott is now searching for potential Lieutenant Governor candidates.
Miami Dolphins spent big bucks on campaign for canceled election
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
The Miami Dolphins and their owner, Stephen Ross, spent a staggering $10 million over the past six weeks on a special election that never happened.
POLITICAL
RACES
Republican Party of Florida launches “Prevent Pelosi Project”
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
With President Obama traveling to New York City last night to raise money for Democrats, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the Republican Party of Florida is announcing the launch of the Prevent Pelosi Project today to get an early start on both the finance and communications sides of protecting Republican Congressional incumbents and supporting challengers in the Sunshine State.
Rep. Matt Gaetz to run for father's state Senate seat
By Lauren Sage Reinlie
Northwest Florida Daily News
Although the election is still more than three years away, state Rep. Matt Gaetz has thrown his hat into the ring to fill his father’s Senate seat.
ENVIRONMENT
AND ENERGY
Bob Graham: Legislators gave away too much on environment
By Bob Graham
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Florida Conservation Coalition was founded after the devastating legislative session of 2011 which rolled back 40 years of bi-partisan environmental stewardship.
Federal EPA denies groups' petitions challenging 2 top Florida DEP officials
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed petitions from two environmental groups claiming two top Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials had conflicts of interest prohibited under federal law prior to being appointed.
Anti-Environmental Bill: Save Florida From Harm
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
The Florida Legislature has sent anti-environmental legislation to Gov. Rick Scott.
EDUCATION
Report: Fla. college presidents given expensive perks
Associated Press
Tampa Bay Times
A probe ordered by Florida Gov. Rick Scott has determined that the pay and benefits of state college presidents varies widely with little explanation as to why some presidents earn large six-figure salaries.
Virtual schools poised to go viral in Florida
By Allison Ross
Palm Beach Post
The calls from students usually start just after 9 a.m. for teacher Kim Bouchillon.
State starts testing school districts' online testing capacity
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
The Florida Department of Education is wasting no time in trying to determine whether the state's school districts can handle the load of increased online testing that the Common Core-affiliated PARCC promises to bring.
JOBS,
BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Talk of budget turkeys ruffles some feathers
By Steve Bousquet
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
For the past three decades, Florida TaxWatch has been a self-appointed fiscal watchdog, blowing the whistle on what it considers wasteful pork-barrel spending by the Legislature.
Lawmakers seek money for local projects via 'dark marks'
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
When Congress banned "earmarks" in 2011, House Speaker John Boehner hailed the move as proof that lawmakers were "dead serious" about outlawing pet projects and "ending business as usual in Washington."
Florida quietly shortened yellow light standards & lengths, resulting in more red light camera tickets for you
By Noah Pransky
WTSP Tampa Bay
A subtle, but significant tweak to Florida's rules regarding traffic signals has allowed local cities and counties to shorten yellow light intervals, resulting in millions of dollars in additional red light camera fines.
Sequester forces 4-week cut in jobless benefits
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Florida will soon slash four weeks of unemployment benefits to laid-off workers nearing the end of their eligibility.
Big insurer seeks no Florida rate cut, consumer groups want ‘outrageous’ forced insurance rates cut in half
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Consumer groups are pushing for rate cuts up to 50 percent for the biggest “force-placed” insurer in Florida, arguing rates scrutinized at a Monday hearing punish struggling homeowners and are inflated by massive kickbacks to mortgage servicers.
HEALTH
AND SENIORS
Hospitals could lose $500M in federal funds
Associated Press
Tampa Bay Times
Hospitals nationwide could lose half a billion dollars in federal funding for uninsured patients next year under the national health overhaul — a loss that will hit especially hard in states like Florida that decided against expanding Medicaid coverage.
More Health Issues Come into Focus After Session
Staff Report
Health News Florida
The Florida Legislature dealt with a number of health care bills this session.z
Coverage Problems Could Still Remain For Young Adults
By Michelle Andrews
Kaiser Health News
Supporters and critics of the Affordable Care Act seem to agree on at least one thing: Allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health plans until they reach age 26 is a smart move.
IMMIGRATION,
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Congressional Democrats talk immigration in North Miami
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Immigration reform: It’s not just about Mexicans. A group of Democratic members of Congress relayed that message Monday at an immigration forum in North Miami, home to one of the nation’s largest Haitian communities.
JUSTICE
AND THE COURTS
Gore Execution Scheduled
Associated Press
Lakeland Ledger
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of killing two women and leaving a third woman for dead.
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