Daily News Clips for July 31, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The BluVu:  Week of July 28, 2013
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
Two and a half weeks later, the Trayvon Martin verdict is still motivating a movement for change in the Stand Your Ground law.  Progress Florida’s Damien Filer has the facts on the Affordable Care Act:  Obamacare is working, but Republican lawmakers are dead set against it.

FEATURED STORIES

Indiana school grades scandal casts doubt on Florida education commissioner
By Kathleen McGrory and Jeffrey S. Solochek
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Accountability expert: Bennett should step down
Nationally celebrated education reformer Tony Bennett was wooed to Florida in January to bring stability to the state Education Department. Months later, his tenure as education commissioner could be in trouble.

7 kids' deaths on DCF's watch demand reform
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Debacle at DCF
Related: Do not shift all child investigations in Florida to law enforcement
Two-year-old Jayden Antonio Villegas-Morales couldn't stop vomiting, so his overwhelmed father shook him until he died.

Protesters hold mock session with Rev. Jesse Jackson, pursue Plan B
By Kathleen McGrory and Rochelle Koff
Times/Herald Tallahasse Bureau
Related: Dream Defenders earning political credibility
The student activists known as the Dream Defenders held a mock session of the Florida Legislature on Tuesday — a well-orchestrated spectacle that drew a half-dozen news cameras and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to the Old Capitol.

FLORIDA POLITICS

GOP Gov. Scott endorses Obama tax plan…partly
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
He didn’t bestow a Charlie Crist-style man hug, but Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday applauded at least part of an economic proposal by President Barack Obama that drew jeers from other Republicans.

Rubio's line in sand over Obamacare making some Republicans uneasy
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee went on the Senate floor this afternoon to continue their campaign to defund Obamacare – a stance that has opened divisions among the GOP.

POLITICAL RACES

John McCain says Charlie Crist would be 'very competitive' candidate for governor
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. John McCain says Charlie Crist would be a tough candidate if he decides to challenge Gov. Rick Scott, as expected.

EDUCATION

School grading system gets an F
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
Maybe the best thing that can be said about the school grades released last week by the Florida Department of Education is, they could have been worse.

Bush's foundation backs Bennett
By Lisa Gartner
Tampa Bay Times
Embattled Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett received support Tuesday from Foundation for Florida's Future, the education organization helmed by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Collier among counties to pay for school aid
By Kristine Gill
Naples News
Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature’s plan for more money in Florida’s classrooms means more money out of the hands of Collier County taxpayers.

Palm Beach County teacher raises likely to fall short of $2,500 average, district says, as new contract talks open
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post
While Palm Beach County teachers enter this school year knowing they will get a raise, just how much more money the district can put in their checks remains unclear.

Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday goes 'techie'
By Linda Trimble
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Rick and Stephanie Grinstead plan to stock up on the usual school supplies for their five children during Florida's sales tax holiday this weekend, but the DeLand couple are adding something new to their shopping list this time around.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Obama and Rick Scott unite in Amazon adoration
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
On his national jobs tour, Pres. Barack Obama stopped Tuesday at an Amazon fulfillment center (née warehouse order center) in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Florida remains No. 1 in seizures
By John Hielscher
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida remains tops in the nation for the highest percentage of distressed homes and the number of completed foreclosures, a new report has found.

Internet-cafe law trips up Orange concert giveaways
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County has given away Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and other hot tickets to the Amway Center, but officials now fear the online drawings might violate a new Florida law aimed at shutting down Internet cafes.

Consumer confidence falls after 4-month climb
Staff Report
The Florida Current
After four months of ratcheting upwards, Florida's consumer confidence dropped three points to 78 in July. Four of the five components in the report fell.

DOT won't change bid procedures despite judicial criticism
By Gray Rohrer
The Florida Current
The Department of Transportation won’t be altering its policies regarding bid procedures even though an administrative law judge criticized its lack of specific rules for delaying bid deadlines.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida advocate for elderly placed on leave
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Florida’s top advocate for the elderly and nursing home residents was placed on “indefinite” leave last week amid an internal investigation into unspecified alleged wrongdoing, plunging the state’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Program once again into controversy.

Rubio's Obamacare defunding plan not going well
WTSP.com
Senator Marco Rubio's plan to shut down the government if Congress doesn't defund the Affordable Care Act is going up in smoke in the nation's capital.

Community Health Agrees to Buy H.M.A. for $3.6 Billion
By Michael J. De La Merced
New York Times
Related: Deal reached for sale of Bayfront Health System parent HMA to Tennessee company
Related: Merger of Hospital Companies Involves 3 Polk Hospitals
Related: $7.6 billion HMA deal includes Venice, Charlotte hospitals
Community Health Systems agreed on Tuesday to buy Health Management Associates for about $3.6 billion in cash and stock, in a long-expected union of two for-profit hospital systems.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Despite DCF contact, two more kids die
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Summer Stiles had no idea her toddler son had been missing for much of an hour.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Speaker Weatherford open to 'stand your ground' change
By William March
Tampa Tribune
State House Speaker Will Weatherford said Tuesday he's willing to consider legislation changing the state's "stand your ground" law but first would have to see a consistent, unified message from law enforcement officials on what changes are needed.

Daily News Clips for July 30, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Fla Ed Commish changed donor's school grade
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Former Indiana and current Florida schools chief Tony Bennett built his national star by promising to hold "failing" schools accountable. But when it appeared an Indianapolis charter school run by a prominent Republican donor might receive a poor grade, Bennett's education team frantically overhauled his signature "A-F" school grading system to improve the school's marks.

PolitiFact: 'Pants on Fire' rating for Rubio's comments on Obamacare
By Angie Drobnic Holan
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio says Obamacare should be stopped, but one of his talking points is way off base:  Rubio has said that "75 percent of small businesses now say they are going to be forced to either fire workers or cut their hours" because of the law.

Gaetz: No need for a special session
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Senate President Don Gaetz doesn't see the need for a special session on the state's Stand Your Ground law, he told reporters Monday.

Times may have changed, but former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew hasn't
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Times change. Reubin Askew doesn't. The oldest living former Florida governor views government as a force for good, not evil, rates personal integrity as a cornerstone of public service, and encourages young people to get involved in politics.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Grayson pushes worker wages and benefits at Orlando town hall
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
With much of the political talk in Washington focusing on issues ranging from gun control to immigration or deficit reduction to health-care insurance, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson returned to Orlando Monday night to push reforms for workers' wages and benefits.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' political group attacks Miami lawmakers – again
By PatriciaMazzei
Miami Herald
The billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins has unleashed his second round of attacks against three Miami lawmakers he blames for standing in the way of a proposed $350 million renovation to Sun Life Stadium.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Group Gathering Signatures To Restore Land Conservation Funding
By Jessica Palombo
WFSU
A coalition of Florida environmental groups is ratcheting up its campaign for a state constitutional amendment setting aside money for land conservation.

EDUCATION

Use turmoil from Florida’s school grades to eliminate them.
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
By now, everybody knows that Friday’s release of school grades was a fiasco.

Florida remains on the fence as other states recommit to PARCC
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
In the face of numerous stories about defections -- Georgia left last week, and Indiana announced its plan to quit on Monday -- leaders of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Governing Board held a press call Monday to stress that the testing consortium remains vital.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

In Florida's Banking Debacle, Plenty of Blame to Go Around
Special Investigation
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Almost 70 banks failed in Florida during the last five years.

Martin David Kiar, Broward County Commissioner, Reflects on Living on Minimum Wage for a Week
By Dennis Bovell
The Daily Pulp
Broward County Commissioner Martin David Kiar recently volunteered to accept the current federal minimum wage for a week in an attempt to bring more attention to the issue.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Video: Florida Blue argues for taking Medicaid expansion money
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Florida Trend spoke with Patrick Geraghty, Chairman and CEO for Florida Blue (formerly Blue Cross Blue Shield), about why he thinks Florida should take the $51 billion in federal Medicaid funding.

Canvassers For Health Coverage Find Few Takers In Boca Raton
By Phil Galewitz
Health News Florida
Tammy Spencer did a double take when she read the address on her paper and looked at the house in front of her.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Marchers rally in Cocoa for 'Justice For All'
Staff Report
Florida Today
About 300 people participated in a “Justice For All” march and rally Sunday night, starting at 7-Eleven on Dixon Boulevard and leading to Provost Park.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scrap Florida's Stand Your Ground law or face possible tourism boycott in aftermath of Trayvon's death, say critics
By Mike Clary
Orlando Sentinel
Backlash from the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin echoed across Florida on Monday with a call from the leader of a black lawyers' organization to repeal the state's Stand Your Ground law or face a possible economic boycott.

Gov. Scott, Gaetz, Weatherford get more pressure for a special session on SYG
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
Six black Hillsborough County elected officials are asking Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford for a special session to repeal or change the 2005 “stand your ground” law they blame for a looming economic crisis caused by a boycott of Florida.

Les Miller regrets SYG vote, says he would repeal it today
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller was one of 14 Senate Democrats who unanimously approved the “stand your ground” law in 2005, but he says it’s the one vote he most regrets making in his 14-year career as a legislator.

Protesters plan ‘special session’ as Gov. Scott returns to capital
By Jim Turner
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott held his first workday in the Capitol since the second week of July, days before a group of protesters began an ongoing siege of his office.

Daily News Clips for July 29, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Florida’s Medicaid debacle requires special session of the Legislature
Editorial
Miami Herald
From our It’s Worse Than You Think File: Not only does Florida refuse to take federal funds to expand Medicaid — spurning $51 billion over the next decade — but it now turns out that it also trails nearly every other state when it comes to accepting federal grants from Washington for healthcare reform.

Sit-in grows in Capitol; Belafonte spends Day-O with stand your ground protesters
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Related: Protesters seek major reforms
Urged on by singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, a boisterous, multi-generational crowd of 200 chanted inside the Capitol Friday afternoon, the 11th day of a sit-in outside Gov. Rick Scott’s office, as many of them prepared to be locked in for a second weekend.

Rubio unsettles immigration reform supporters
By Caren Bohan
Long Beach Press-Telegram
Republican Senator Marco Rubio's repeated criticism of parts of the sweeping U.S. immigration bill he helped craft has unsettled immigration reform advocates and others who support its passage.

Florida releases padded school grades amid outcry over testing
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's elementary and middle schools saw unprecedented — yet unsurprising — declines in their state-issued grades released Friday.

Voter law ruling stirs action in Florida
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court struck a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, state and federal officials and civil rights groups across the country have jumped into the legal void the ruling created.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Rubio shifts focus to fight abortion and Obamacare
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Turning away from the bruising debate over immigration reform, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is seeking to shore up support from disgruntled conservative allies in Florida by becoming a leading crusader against abortion and "Obamacare."

G.O.P. Senators See an Upside in a Problematic Issue: Abortion
By Jeremy W. Peters
New York Times
It reads like a who’s who of the next generation of Republican Party leaders: Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rob Portman.

Florida GOP feels conservative backlash over Common Core
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Long after he left the Governor's Mansion in 2007, Jeb Bush remained the strongest force in shaping Florida's education policies, stronger than his successors, Charlie Crist and Rick Scott.

Grayson, feeling secure in his seat, looks to elect others
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
Want proof that the comeback of U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson is complete?  Just look at his fundraising.

The politics and costs of divisiveness
Editorial
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott’s call for a day of prayer last week in pursuit of racial harmony among Floridians outraged/elated/rattled by the George Zimmerman verdict and the vociferous aftermath was a deft touch. Perhaps thousands of people across the state followed his counsel.

POLITICAL RACES

|Scott's personal assets shielded from public
By Gary Fineout
Tampa Tribune
Floridians had access to more information about Gov. Rick Scott's substantial wealth when he was a candidate three years ago than they do now.

Rich brings her uphill run for governor to Tallahassee
By Bill Cotterell
The Florida Current
Nan Rich is running for governor pretty much the way she ran the Senate minority caucus in her final two years as a Florida legislator.

GLBT

Florida will watch same-sex marriage fight from the sidelines
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida is home to some of the most gay-friendly locales in North America. So, it might seem odd that the state is sitting on the back burner of the legal fight to legalize same-sex marriages.

Rubio continues hold on gay black judicial nominee
Washington Blade
By Chris Johnson
LGBT groups are pressuring the Senate to push forward with the confirmation of the first openly gay black male to the federal bench now that a hold from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the only hold up in the process.

EDUCATION

More school money means tax increase for some
By Gary Fineout
Palm Beach Post
Florida Gov. Rick Scott and state legislators have traveled the state this year boasting about the extra money they steered toward schools and teachers.

More Florida parents using state scholarships to send children to private schools
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Zobeyda Morales felt helpless when her daughter Kyra struggled in kindergarten.

Rubio comes out against Common Core, putting him at odds with Jeb Bush
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio has joined growing criticism of the education standards known as Common Core, putting him in conflict with Jeb Bush at a time when Rubio is sharpening his conservative credentials.

Education chief faces his biggest test
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett should proceed with caution.  Florida was one of the early leaders of a group of states developing tests for the Common Core State Standards, and it manages the money for the group, which is funded by a federal grant.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida economic growth trails most states, Fed says
Miami Herald
Florida’s economy is growing, but at a slower rate than seen by most states, according to an index by the Federal Reserve

Cash to lure jobs: County reaps the most
By Jeff Ostrowski
Palm Beach Post
Florida has doled out more than $1 billion in job incentives over the past 17 years, and Palm Beach County has emerged as the undisputed champ at landing subsidies from Tallahassee.

Computers make list for Florida's annual tax-free holiday
By Emily Roach
Palm Beach Post
The back-to-school tax holiday has gone wired, as computers join the slate of clothing and notebooks that will be tax-free next weekend.

Miami-Orlando train plans gain steam
By Alfonso Chardy
El Nuevo Herald
Managers of the project to operate a premium Miami-Orlando passenger train service say they are close to putting out bids to design the railroad corridor stretching from downtown Miami to the Orlando International Airport.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

State opens door for higher health insurance rates, requires disclosure of cost of reforms
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
The next front in the national battle over health care reform: your mailbox

Feds ban some Medicare providers in crackdown
By Kelli Kennedy
Tampa Tribune
For the first time in history, federal health officials said Friday they will ban certain types of Medicare and Medicaid providers in three high-fraud cities from enrolling in the taxpayer-funded programs for the poor as part of an effort to prevent scams.

Authorities: Lavish spending, possible crimes led to Universal Health care's demise
By Susan Taylor Martin and Jeff Harrington
Tampa Bay Times
Six months after Universal Health Care Group declared bankruptcy, authorities are piecing together how extravagant spending and possible criminal conduct led to the demise of the once-thriving Medicare insurer.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Rubio pushing "dumbest idea I've ever heard" says veteran GOP Senator
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
It's one thing when a member of the opposing party says you're acting like a fool. It's quite another when the comment comes from a veteran statesman within your own ranks.

Interim DCF Secretary calls for examination of children's deaths
By Rochelle Koff
Tampa Bay Times
Esther Jacobo, the interim director of the state Department of Children and Families, has directed Pete Digre, assistant deputy secretary of operations, to conduct a "thorough review of all child fatalities due to abuse and neglect in 2013 where there was prior involvement by the department," a measure she calls the agency's "Number One Priority."

Could DCF lose its job over child deaths?
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The deaths of five children, ages 4 and under, since mid-May has led to the ouster of the state’s social services chief and is now fueling rising demands for reform – with Rick Scott the latest in a long line of Florida governors facing a crisis over what critics call a failed child protection system.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Few stood against 'stand'
By Michael Van Sickler and Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Florida has become a broad national target for its "stand your ground" law since the July 13 acquittal of George Zimmerman.

'Stand your ground' can't be yanked soon enough
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
President Barack Obama is talking about it, and so is the attorney general. There are marches in Florida and across the country, and protesters have been camped inside the state Capitol for more than a week.

What we think: Don't keep disabled kids stuck in nursing homes
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
If Pearl Buck was right, and "the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members," Florida got a failing grade this week.

Florida gave federal government no choice but to sue over vulnerable children
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Why would Florida put children in nursing homes? Good question. Because the state doesn’t have a good answer, the Department of Justice last week correctly sued Florida.

Is There Another Reason The State Denied USF Request To Exhume Bodies At Dozier?
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU
The University of South Florida is awaiting a response from the state about whether the school’s researchers can dig up the human remains of boys believed to have died over a 60-year period at the infamous Dozier School for Boys in north Florida.

FDLE gets barrage of calls after protest group says food is denied
By Kathleen McGrory and Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was inundated with hundreds of phone calls Saturday after a group of protesters outside Gov. Rick Scott's office tweeted that Capitol Police were denying them food and water and urged people to call the agency in protest.

Rally urges activism in wake of Zimmerman acquittal
By Daphne Duret
Palm Beach Post
As Tracy Martin walked across to the pulpit at Hilltop Missionary Baptist Church Sunday night, a group of boys, about half his son Trayvon’s age, gathered near a second-floor balcony, elbowing past each other so they could see him.

Daily News Clips for July 26, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Obama raises the heat on ‘deadbeat’ Congress
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
President Barack Obama continued his economics road show on Thursday, coming to the Jacksonville Port Authority to underscore his commitment to infrastructure investment and bash Republicans for delaying progress.

Florida to resume voter roll purge
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida’s efforts to screen and remove non-U.S. citizens from the voter rolls will soon be revived.

FL Near Bottom on Federal Grants
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Since the Affordable Care Act was signed, most state governments have made the most of the federal grants flowing from Washington for health-system reformrong>

Rubio Pushing Gov’t Shutdown To Stop Obamacare
CBS Miami
Florida Senator Marco Rubio and a group of GOP Senators are prepared to bankrupt the United States and possibly plunge the world into a depression if they don’t get their way to defund the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

King of Calypso to join Dream Defenders Capitol takeover
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Support is swelling for the Dream Defenders Florida Capitol sit-in as state and national leaders plan to join in on the protest outside Gov. Rick Scott’s office.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

How an ACLU Report Card Helped Fulfill a 31-Year-Old Promise to Immigrant Students
By Mariel Graeber
Blog Of Rights
Public education “provides the basic tools by which individuals might lead economically productive lives to the benefit of us all."

With Voting Rights Act Gutted, Florida Set To Resume Voter Purge
By Aviva Shen
Think Progress
Florida’s controversial initiative to screen for suspected non-citizens and purge them from the voter rolls is allowed to officially resume, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Rick Scott Goes AWOL
By Martha Jackovics
Beach Peanuts
Rick Scott avoided SYG protesters and the capitol as long as he could last week, only to meet with the Dream Defenders to tell them he favors the shoot-to-kill Stand Your Ground law and won't lift a finger to change it by calling a special session.

Greenland and sea level level rise
By Gimleye
Eye On Miami
I understand that Miami readers ... the principal source of readership for this blog ... find it difficult to comment on the impact of climate change.

Remembering Charley Johns and his Committee: Shameful Florida Legislative History
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
The Florida Squeeze
Senator Charley Johns (D-Starke) is one of the best known figures in the Florida Political History for multiple dubious reasons. The leader of the infamous “Pork Chop Gang”.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Democrats ask Fla. Gov. to block voter purge
Palm Beach Post
Two Democratic members of Congress are asking Florida Gov. Rick Scott to call off plans to restart a voter purge.

Americans For Prosperity sets national conference in Orlando
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Republican U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin are among headline speakers announced for the upcoming "Defending the American Dream Summit" conference the conservative action group Americans for Prosperity Foundation plans for Orlando in late August.

Rand Paul leads GOP 2016 primary poll
By Hada Gold
Politico
Sen. Rand Paul has surged in a poll released Thursday of possible 2016 Republican candidates for president, while Sen. Marco Rubio has dropped to sixth place overall.

Galvano in line for top position -- in 2018
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
One of Southwest Florida's top politicians is in line to assume one of the most powerful posts in state government by 2018, giving the area a leading voice in major public policy decisions.

POLITICAL RACES

Dems seek to expose "the real Rick Scott"
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Who is the real Rick Scott?

Attacks begin before gubernatorial candidates declare
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Fifteen months before Election Day, the 2014 gubernatorial campaign has begun.

Democrat Rich to join protesters at Capitol
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Democratic gubernatorial contender Nan Rich plans to be the first statewide political candidate to join protesters at the Florida Capitol, saying she shares the concerns of those now in their 10th day outside Gov. Rick Scott’s office.

No love lost between Florida, federal officialdom
By Gray Rohrer
The Florida Current
In gearing up for the 2014 gubernatorial election, the Republican Party of Florida slammed President Barack Obama for another “pivot” to the economy Thursday during his trip to Jacksonville, while the party contends Gov. Rick Scott is adding new jobs to the state.

Fla. Political Experts Advice To GOP, Dems: ‘Don’t Underestimate NPAs In 2014 Race!'
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU
Don’t underestimate the state’s Independent voters! That’s the advice some Florida political experts have for the two main political parties ahead of the 2014 gubernatorial election.

GLBT

Equal Marriage Florida: 'Guaranteed freedom to marry, guaranteed religious freedoms'
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Equal Marriage Florida, the group seeking to put gay marriage back on the statewide ballot in 2014, has released this video explaining the proposal guarantees 'freedom to marry' and 'religious freedoms.'

EDUCATION

Florida school grades due out Friday
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
The Florida Department of Education plans to release long awaited and much challenged 2013 school grades on Friday, a half week earlier than commissioner Tony Bennett's self-imposed July 31 deadline.

Leon County Schools seeks 500 new mentors
By Travis Pillow
Tallahassee Democrat
Leon County Schools this morning announced a recruiting blitz to bring at least 500 new mentors to volunteer in the district.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Retailers gear up for sales tax holiday
By Gray Rohrer
The Florida Current
Florida retailers are readying for a three-day back-to-school sales tax holiday which begins Aug. 2, hoping the discounts will drive traffic to their stores and boost their bottom lines.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Opponents urge state to reject Florida Blue plan, say it shows customers overcharged by billions
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
The proposed reorganization of Florida’s largest health insurer will transfer $1.6 billion of the nonprofit company’s $2.8 billion surplus to a for-profit stock company and should be “rejected by regulators and protested by policyholders and the public,” one group opposing the plan says.

Rubio to Senate: Last best chance to de-fund ObamaCare
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Emerging as one of the leading critics of “ObamaCare,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio implored the Senate on Thursday to use the power of the purse to deny funding that would carry out the nation’s new health-care law.

Humana to Buy Eldercare Firm
Health News Florida
American Eldercare Inc., the only statewide winner of Florida Medicaid long-term-care managed-care contracts, is about to become part of Humana, the latter company said in a news release.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Congressman’s comments anger South Florida colleagues
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Miami’s three Cuban-American members of Congress have a message for fellow U.S. Rep. Steve King, who said more DREAMer immigrants are drug mules than valedictorians: Be quiet.

Verify accuracy of E-Verify for immigration to work
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
“E-Verify” sounds like an anachronism, a clunky relic haunting some corner of the federal bureaucracy. To an extent, it is. The federal government’s online employee-verification system has been around in some form since 1997, but most businesses still don’t use it. Given the concerns about accuracy, that’s largely a good thing.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Juror says she owes Martin's parents apology
Palm Beach Post
The second juror to speak publicly told ABC News in an interview made available Thursday that she feels George Zimmerman got away with murder for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin, but that there wasn't enough evidence at trial to convict him under Florida law.

Capitol sit-in grows as busloads of supporters arrive
By James Call
The Florida Current
When police officers locked the doors to the state Capitol at the end of business Thursday more than 100 protesters remained inside. Among the group were about 30 high school students and young adults from Philadelphia and at least six pastors from across the state, all planning to spend the night with the Dream Defenders.

Sen. Bill Nelson: change Stand Your Ground, Florida
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson appeared on MSNBC today and spoke with Andrea Mitchell about the self-defense law connected to Trayvon Martin's shooting last year by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted July 13 of second-degree murder.

Strange reasoning on Dozier School
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott surely doesn't want his administration entangled in the sordid history of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, where juveniles were abused.