Daily News Clips for May 9, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

State budget packs millions in legislative leaders’ districts
By Jim Turner
News Service of Florida
When asked about a $14 million line item for a college building in his home district that started out at $300,000, Senate President Don Gaetz, responded “I would expect it doesn’t hurt that the senator from Northwest Florida is also the president of the Senate.”

Florida Senate president’s former company sued for Medicare fraud
By Mary Ellen Klas
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
The U.S. Department of Justice has sued the hospice company founded by Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, accusing the company of engaging in Medicare fraud for more than 11 years, including during the time Gaetz was vice chairman.

Democrats Call for Special Session to Expand Medicaid
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Florida’s 2013 legislative session ended last week without state lawmakers agreeing on a plan to accept federal money for expanding Medicaid in the state.

Amid huge profits, activists slam Disney fight against paid sick time
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
The Walt Disney Co. announced impressive quarterly profit results Tuesday, but it was bitter news for the activists at odds with the company over its opposition to a mandatory paid sick time referendum in Orange County.

Florida delegation proves real immigration fight looms in House
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
The Senate immigration bill will be fed through the grinder today when scores of amendments, from adding rights for gay couples to even more border security, are considered.

FLORIDA POLITICS

State high court to hear redistricting arguments
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
For more than a year, a quietly simmering legal battle over the partisan intentions of Florida's Legislature and Fair Districts backers has been playing out in court filings and evidence-gathering.

Rubio says super PACs helped drive his push for moving Florida primary
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio helped persuade Florida lawmakers to move back the state's presidential primary in 2016, drawing speculation about his motives.

Rubio says he'll 'strongly oppose' Obama's labor secretary nominee Perez
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio said today he'll "strongly oppose" the confirmation of Thomas Perez as labor secretary.

Fla. Hispanics voted at a high rate
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
Hispanics in Florida voted at a much higher rate than those nationwide in last year's presidential election, and they also voted at a rate that exceeded other states with large Latino populations, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.  

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmental representatives lament budget for land-buying, question outcome of land sales
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Some environmental group representatives on Wednesday cast doubt on whether the state could sell $50 million worth of land to buy more conservation land as provided in the 2013-14 state budget approved by the Legislature.

Fishermen want looser limits as red snapper makes comeback
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Over 18 years of running Old Dixie Seafood in Boca Raton, Larry Siemsen has seen supplies of locally caught red snapper dwindle and prices double, thanks to decades of over-fishing and recent federal restrictions to help the popular fish recover.

LGBT

Charlie Crist: I support gay marriage
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Potential/likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist is taking some heat for having backed a Florida gay marriage ban during his 2006 Republican primary for governor.

David Richardson, Florida's first openly gay legislator, to be honored Friday by SAVE Dade
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Forensic accountant David Richardson, Florida’s first openly gay state lawmaker, planned to take things slowly when he got to Tallahassee this year for his legislative debut.

EDUCATION

Dept. of Education will look into Brevard school-bias claims
By Mackenzie Ryan
Florida Today
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will examine allegations of race-based discrimination in Brevard Public Schools.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Low-wage jobs bulk of gains, report says
By Marcia Heroux Pounds
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Sunshine State is growing faster than the nation but is gaining mostly lower-wage jobs such as restaurant servers, according to an economic report released Wednesday by Wells Fargo.

Manufacturers welcome sales tax elimination, if it sticks
By Marcia Heroux Pounds
South Florida Sun Sentinel
South Florida manufacturers say they're thrilled that the Legislature passed a bill that would eliminate the sales tax on machinery and equipment, which would help them make capital investments and add business and jobs.

Politics of ‘sequestration’ has Gov. Scott worried about hurricane preparedness
By Eliot Kleinberg
Palm Beach Post
In the case of an emergency, any furloughs for groups such as the Florida National Guard that were prompted by the federal budget “sequestration” situation might be called off so those groups can respond.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Hospitals Bill 3-to-5 Times Medicare Rate
Staff Report
Health News Florida
Data being released by Medicare for the first time allow the public to see just how absurdly inflated most hospital bills have become -- bearing little relationship to what Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers actually pay.

Experts recommend overhaul to state trauma system
News Service of Florida
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
When a team of experts came to Florida early this year, they found a trauma-care system that needed change.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Immigration reforms supporters, foes demonstrate near Rubio’s Palm Beach Gardens office
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Supporters and opponents of the bipartisan immigration reform bill championed by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio took to the streets near Rubio’s Palm Beach Gardens office today.

Rubio gets good news on immigration: Overall effect 'positive,' feds say
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
A Senate bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration laws would help ease financial strains in the Social Security retirement program, government actuaries said on Wednesday in an estimate that marked the latest salvo in a debate over the legislation's impact.

11 Awful GOP Amendments to the Immigration Bill
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee officially kicks of the process of amending and working through what could be an historic reform of our broken immigration system.