Daily News Clips for June 3, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Scott searching for a lieutenant governor
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
A year before the official start of his re-election campaign, Gov. Rick Scott is nearing a crucial decision in his race for a second term: picking a political partner for what will be a costly, challenging contest.

Carroll would have liked talk with Scott before exit; will still back him
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll doesn’t seem too happy about the way she was ushered out of office but says she’ll support Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election in 2014.

Florida lawmakers-turned-lobbyists fuel revolving door of politics
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Connie Mack took a big gamble running for U.S. Senate last year and lost, surrendering a safe House seat.

Progressive women ask Scott to veto ban on paid sick leave
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
A roster of prominent progressive women have signed a letter asking Gov. Rick Scott to veto legislation that would block local communities from passing mandatory paid sick time measures, such as the one pending in Orange County.

Miami congressman's chief of staff implicated in phantom absentee-ballot requests scheme
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia's chief of staff abruptly resigned Friday after being implicated in a sophisticated scheme to manipulate last year's primary elections by submitting hundreds of fraudulent absentee-ballot requests.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jeff Parker
Florida Today

FLORIDA POLITICS

Legal battle continues over redistricting communications
By James Call
Florida Current
A retired Florida Supreme Court justice will review nearly 2,000 documents and decide whether they should be made public and potentially used as evidence in a lawsuit concerning the Florida Senate redistricting plan OK'd by the Legislature in 2012.

Former RNC chief Steele: ‘Nothing against old white men, but America is more than that’
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Michael Steele, the African-American who was Republican National Committee chairman from 2009 to 2011, said the GOP doesn’t need a lot of high-priced consultants to diagnose its problems with blacks and other minorities.

'Arduous' ethics saga of Frank Peterman finally nears end
By Steve Bousquet
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
It has been more than three years since Frank Peterman's extensive taxpayer-funded travel first captured the attention of the Commission on Ethics.

POLITICAL RACES

Charlie Crist takes steps toward comeback
By Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman
Politico
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has spoken in recent weeks with multiple national political consultants about assembling a team to run for governor in 2014, accelerating his deliberations about a possible comeback bid, according to several Democratic sources closely watching the race.

In possible 2014 primary, Nan Rich says she’s ‘true Democrat’ against Charlie Crist
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
The Florida Democratic Party knows it needs Nan Rich.

GOP gets early start on attacking Crist
Staff Report
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist still has not announced if he is running for governor in 2014.  

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

State's environmental cop sheds rules, enforcers
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's environmental cops are undergoing a quiet, behind-the-scenes restructuring that Gov. Rick Scott's administration attributes to fewer businesses running afoul of regulatory roadblocks.

A Fight Over Water, and to Save a Way of Life
By Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
If these were ordinary times, Leroy Shiver would be scissoring his heavy tongs along the shallows of Apalachicola Bay and hauling up bushels of oysters for hours on end.

National battle over timber certification rages as bill passes Florida Legislature
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A nationwide battle over forest certification standards continues to be played out nationally and in Florida with legislation passed this month.

Scott signs bill repealing requirement that gasoline contain ethanol
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill that repeals the state ethanol requirement was signed into law Friday by Gov. Rick Scott.

Will lawsuit flush secret billboard deal into the light?
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The mystery over which legislator is responsible for a 2012 law allowing the state’s water management districts to install billboards on public land could be solved by a lawsuit against the Orlando businessman set to profit from the stealth measure.

LGBT

Repeal biased county policy on gay events
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Hillsborough County has a chance Wednesday to join the growing national march to give gays the dignity and decency all humans deserve.

EDUCATION

Rick Scott calls tuition hikes a tax increase, but signed on to them in past
By Tia Mitchell
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott continued to pound against university tuition increases on Friday, saying in a column published on a conservative news website that raising tuition is the same as raising taxes.

New standards mean change for students, schools
By James L. Rosica
Tampa Tribune
It seems that every well-meaning change from state lawmakers brings more uncharted waters for students, teachers and administrators to navigate.

Record charter school closings prompt calls for more accountability
By Karen Yi
South Florida Sun Sentinel
When Next Generation Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes abruptly closed its doors in April, the Broward School district was left scrambling to find classrooms for the 160 students that suddenly had no place to learn.

Florida colleges to drop remedial classes for thousands
By Denise-Marie Ordway
Orlando Sentinel
For years, men and women wanting to take classes at their local community colleges have been discouraged to learn they must complete a remedial program before enrolling in college-level courses.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Despite no hurricanes, many 'takeout' insurers fail
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Despite Florida having no major hurricanes in the past seven years, one-third of the insurance companies that have taken over policies previously held by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. have gone belly up — and cost taxpayers $400 million.

Sequester Cuts Could Hamper Hurricane Recovery
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Wind and water are on the minds of emergency managers across Florida as hurricane season begins Saturday.

Storm ‘tax’ slammed as scare tactic
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Nothing and $8. That’s the projected “hurricane tax” to bail out state-run insurer Citizens if the worst storm in modern Florida history, Hurricane Andrew, were to return in the 2013 hurricane season that began this weekend.

Scott signs new pension law
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
The state officially washed its hands of all financial shortfalls of city and county pension funds, under a new law signed Friday by Gov. Rick Scott.

Scott may lure California jobs
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida may post billboards in California in a bid to convince businesses there to relocate here.

Fla. Gov. heading to Japan for fall trade mission
Associated Press
St. Augustine Record
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is heading to Japan this fall for a trade mission.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Scott among GOP governors battling own party on healthcare
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
It's Republican vs. Republican in the latest round of political battles over health care.

10 Insurers File for New Marketplace
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Ten Florida health insurers have filed documents indicating they want to compete for shoppers on the Affordable Care Act marketplace when it opens Oct. 1, state records indicate.

Scott rebuffs Nelson on health insurance rate bill
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a bill that removes the ability of state regulators to challenge health insurance rates for a two-year period.

Improving heath care reform
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Americans have much to look forward to as the Affordable Care Act goes into full effect in January.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Ad war over immigration bill heats up
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
The YouTube cartoon stars U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, but he is depicted with a Pinocchio nose.

Immigrant rights groups to rally at Sen. Marco Rubio's office as part of national week of action
By Roberto Roldan
WMNF Tampa
The Tampa Dream Defenders, along with other immigrant rights organizations, are demanding amnesty and equal rights for all 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S .

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

 
After three-year 'unprecedented crisis,' Rick Scott signs bill pulling court clerks from state budget
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
After three years of dealing with an “unprecedented crisis,” Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation last week laying out a new system for dealing with the roughly $1 billion state clerks of court collect annually.

Defense backtracks on Trayvon Martin fight video
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
George Zimmerman’s attorneys released a statement Sunday backtracking on what they said about a video of a fight found on Trayvon Martin’s cellphone.

Gov. Scott should veto bill that speed up death penalty punishments
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida is the state most likely to send the wrong person to death row.