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.