Daily News Clips for June 20, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Health care advocates warn that not expanding Medicaid will hurt business
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Florida’s economy will slump if the state Legislature fails to embrace some version of Medicaid expansion, advocates and business analysts warned Wednesday.

Poll: Florida voters not happy with Tallahassee, give gov and Legislature low marks
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Maybe it's the out-of-sight, out-of-mind placement of the state Capitol. Maybe it's the sluggish economy and the stubborn unemployment numbers.

Equality Florida, Freedom to Marry launch 'Get Engaged' effort to repeal state's gay-marriage ban
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Equality Florida and the national Freedom to Marry group on Wednesday embarked on a drive to rid the state of its 2008 ban on gay marriage.

Rubio Criticized for English Requirement for Immigrants
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
Advocates for immigration reform in Florida who have stood by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., are doing a double-take this week, after the "Gang of Eight" member proposed an amendment to his own immigration bill which would require that immigrants demonstrate proficiency in English before they can secure legal immigrant status.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Tea party scalds Marco Rubio
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post
The tea party returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, but this time the don’t-tread-on-me crowd trod upon one of its own.

Justin Lamar Sternad says he was duped by campaign manager
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Justin Lamar Sternad, who is to be sentenced Monday in Miami federal court for campaign-finance crimes, said in an interview Wednesday night on America TeVe that he believes former Congressman David Rivera was part of the conspiracy.  

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Supporters of paved trail across Florida to push for funding again in 2014
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott must have received bad advice when he vetoed $50 million in the 2013-14 state budget for completing a paved trail across Central Florida, a leading trail supporter said during a broadcast on Wednesday.

Ex-BP employees face new indictments over spill
By Michael Kunzelman
Associated Press
Justice Department prosecutors secured new indictments Wednesday against a former BP engineer and a former BP executive charged separately with obstructing probes of the company's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Give Everglades prompt action
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
It would be a disgrace, after all the effort that has been devoted to reviving the Florida Everglades, for a state agency to pull the plug on that momentum.

LGBT

Bill Foster signs proclamation in support of LGBT month in St. Pete
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing Tampa
Six days after he declined to sign a proclamation citing June as LGBT Pride Month in St. Petersburg, Mayor Bill Foster did so Wednesday afternoon, the first time he's done that since being elected in 2009, and the first time any St. Pete mayor has done so.

EDUCATION

With universities embracing small tuition increase, Scott focuses on fees
By Tia Mitchell
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott did some intense campaigning, but only two state universities -- Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida Atlantic University -- have agreed to forgo the 1.7 percent tuition increase required by state law.

City approves contract with Pines teachers to keep schools open
By Heather Carney
South Florida Sun Sentinel
One-by-one each of the five city commissioners pledged Wednesday to donate $1,000 to help save the Pembroke Pines Charter Schools. Even City Manager Charlie Dodge promised to write a check.

Five questions for the FEA’s Andy Ford
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
Andy Ford has been president of the Florida Education Association teachers union through a tumultuous time that has included legal and legislative battles about merit pay for teachers and how they’re evaluated.

Political meddling
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Gov. Rick Scott's renewed interest in the State University System should be both exciting and terrifying for the University of Florida.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Hillsborough OKs $225,000 incentive for Amazon
By Mike Salinero
Tampa Tribune
Enthusiastic Hillsborough County commissioners Wednesday unanimously approved the first piece of an incentive package they hope will persuade Amazon.com to build a 1 million-square-foot assembly and distribution center in the Ruskin area.

Banks lag on compliance but progress found, foreclosure fraud settlement report says
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A federal report released Wednesday shows five banks and lenders that are part of a multistate settlement over fraudulent foreclosure practices are in compliance with parts of the settlement, but some banks are lagging in providing efficient relief to borrowers.

Fast track changes to residential property insurance coverage expire Monday
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A temporary order from Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty allowing residential property insurers to make changes to their policies more quickly is due to expire Monday.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Business coalitions warn Florida's failure to expand Medicaid will hurt them
By Mary Ellen Klas
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Two business-backed health insurance coalitions sent a warning signal Wednesday to Florida's employers about the effects of rejecting Medicaid expansion for the uninsured.

Critics skeptical of official moves to safeguard Florida prescription database
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Officials say they’re tightening security of the Florida prescription drug database, after the disclosure last week that names, prescription history and other personal information of 3,300 individuals were released to lawyers of six defendants in a prescription drug fraud sting.

Lawmakers divided over abortion bill
By Bill Thompson
Ocala Star-Banner
Local lawmakers were divided over a controversial bill that seeks to ban late-term abortions because the fetus can feel pain during the procedure.

APD Funding A Step in the Right Direction
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
More than twenty thousand intellectually disabled Floridians are on a state waiting list for services.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Poll says Florida voters like background checks for gun buyers
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
A statewide survey released Wednesday indicates Florida voters strongly support the state's controversial "stand your ground" gun law, but they also approve of background checks for gun purchases.

Economic benefits of immigration reform
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
The Congressional Budget Office has underscored two key points with its rosy assessment of the Senate immigration bill.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

SCOTUS Watch: High Court Could Decide Four Major Cases
By Eyder Peralta
WFSU Tallahassee
At around 10 a.m. ET, the Supreme Court will begin handing down some of the final opinions of their 2012 term.

Zimmerman jurors reveal personal details
By Kyle Hightower
Associated Press
One potential juror at George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial belongs to the National Rifle Association.