Daily Clips for January 12, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Senate committee finalizes redistricting maps as Democrats split
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
After a bitter debate over a last-minute map produced and withdrawn by Democrats, the Senate Reapportionment Committee on Wednesday voted out its proposals to redraw the political lines for the state Senate and Congress for the next 10 years.

Casino gambling debate money boosts state fundraising totals
By David DeCamp
Tampa Bay Times
Lobbying interests forked over nearly $20 million worth of reasons for lawmakers to go their way leading up to the 2012 legislative session.

Kurt Browning resigns as Florida's secretary of state
By Steve Bousquet and Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Secretary of State Kurt Browning resigned Wednesday as Florida's chief elections official and said he may run for superintendent of schools in Pasco County, where he has lived all his life.

The education of Florida governor Rick Scott
By Tory Newmyer
Fortune
The scandal-tarred CEO turned Tea Party darling is learning that running a state isn't at all like running a company.

Robbing Medicaid to pay schools
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott's "state of the state" address reiterated 2-for-1 deal in his proposed budget: Make $2 billion in Medicaid cuts in order to pump $1 billion in "new" money into public education.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Casino bill still stalled in House
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
The gambling bill that would allow three casinos to open in Florida remains stalled in the House after a second workshop on the proposal Wednesday afternoon.

House bill gives governor new power over agency rules
By Aaron Deslatte
South Florida Sun Sentinel
House lawmakers are advancing a response to the Florida Supreme Court ruling last summer that Gov. Rick Scott overstepped his bounds by creating a new rules office and freezing agency rulemaking on his first day in office.

Bill gives the public the right to be heard
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Florida's citizens would get the right to be heard on public issues, not just be seen, at meetings of local government and state executive branch bodies under a bill that cleared a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.

State hotline to improve government efficiency proves inefficient
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
One tipster suggested the state cut heating bills by forcing government workers to wear more clothes.

Hastings faces further inquiry into harassment allegations
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
South Florida congressman Alcee Hastings faces further investigation by the House ethics committee into sexual harassment allegations made by a former staff member of a human-rights group under his supervision.

Kinder, gentler but not enough
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
Many who heard Gov. Rick Scott’s State of the State speech on Tuesday came away with a feeling of what a difference a year makes.

POLITICAL RACES

Polling results dismal for South Florida U.S. Senate candidates
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Latest poll results are dismal for the South Florida candidates seeking their party's U.S. Senate nomination.

Romney close to securing nomination even before Florida primary
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Florida’s Republican primary is starting to look as if it will be decided before the polls even open.

South Carolina may be last stand for Mitt Romney's rivals
By Alex Leary and Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related: 5 things we learned in the New Hampshire primary
South Carolina may be the best and last chance for Mitt Romney's rivals to halt his momentum toward the Republican presidential nomination, but they went on the defensive Wednesday for attacking Romney's record as a venture capitalist.

Romney and Paul get jump on Fla. absentee voters
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
The Florida presidential primary is on.

States' rights? RNC punishes Florida GOP with second-class hotel rooms, etc. for early primary
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Second-class hotel rooms. A poor view on the Republican National Convention floor in Tampa. A loss of VIP passes.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmental permit streamlining bill moves on despite opposition and concerns
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
An environmental permit streamlining bill passed another House committee on Wednesday despite concerns raised by some groups and opposition from some Democrats.

Judge wants update on Everglades pollution fixes
By Curt Anderson
Associated Press
A federal judge in Miami has summoned federal and state environmental officials to a hearing on whether progress is being made to restore the Florida Everglades.

Bill to OK sale of naming rights for state trails passes through committee
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A bill that would allow companies to sponsor state recreational trails passed a House committee on Wednesday despite concerns voiced about commercializing state parks.

Cuba's offshore oil drilling platform gets OK from Coast Guard, BSEE
By Juan O. Tamayo
Miami Herald
U.S. Coast Guard and environmental safety officials have inspected and OK’d an offshore oil drilling platform headed to Cuba, under an unusual arrangement designed to allay concerns about a possible spill that could foul the U.S. coastline.

Stork status set to be settled soon
By Kevin Lollar
Ft. Myers News-Press
More than four years after U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists recommended the endangered wood stork be reclassified as threatened, the agency is expecting to make a final decision on the species early this year.

LGBT

Group wants federal probe into FAMU hazing death
By Denise-Marie Balona
Orlando Sentinel
A national civil rights group has started an online petition urging the federal government to investigate whether the hazing death of Florida A&M University student Robert Champion was an anti-gay hate crime.

EDUCATION

Florida drops to 11th in national education ranking
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida dropped in a national education ranking this year, falling from its coveted fifth-place spot and out of the nation's Top 10 for the first time in four years.

Many high-poverty schools 'shortchanged' in Central Florida
By Lauren Roth
Orlando Sentinel
At Hiawassee Elementary in Orange County, where nine out of every 10 students lives in poverty, the school district spent about $2,065 per student on teachers and other staff during the 2008-09 school year.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Foreclosure filings fall in Florida, Tampa Bay area
By Elizabeth Behrman
Tampa Bay Times
Foreclosure filings in Florida plunged in 2011, but the already long process of resolving those cases has gotten even longer.

House panel approves overhaul of PIP system
By Tia Mitchell
Miami Herald
Voting along party lines, the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee approved a new no-fault auto insurance system that would require people injured in accidents to make emergency rooms their first stop.

House panel considers business lobby's plan to reduce unemployment tax hike
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee heard the outlines of a plan Wednesday from major business lobbying groups to reduce the planned increase in the unemployment compensation tax.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Health care reform lawsuit: States file legal arguments against Medicaid expansion
By Jennifer Haberkorn
Politico
Twenty-six states on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to overturn the health care reform law’s mandatory state expansion of the Medicaid program, a sleeper issue in the health care reform lawsuit that could determine how much leverage the federal government has with the states on any issue.

Scott Health Care Cut Criticized
Staff Report
Lakeland Ledger
A health care advocacy group said Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to cut more than $400 million in general revenue from the state's health care budget is short-sighted because it would cost the state another $1.2 billion in federal money that would instead go to other states.

State hospital funding cuts mean longer waits, advocates say
By Anne Geggis
Gainesville Sun
The deepest budget cut that Northeast Florida State Hospital has endured in more than 20 years has meant more mental patients per clinician at the hospital, but there is not a larger backlog of patients seeking treatment, hospital administrators say.

AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list likely to grow again through 2012
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The waiting list to enroll in Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program grew to almost 1,200 people in early January, according to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, known as NASTAD.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Bill adding barrier to welfare, food assistance for people with drug-related felonies moves along
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A bill that would make it slightly harder for someone with a drug-related felony conviction to receive welfare benefits and food assistance passed a state House health committee today.

Legislators announce gun ban for child care facilities and government buildings
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, and Rep. Lori Berman, D-Delray Beach, announced a new bill in a press conference at the capitol today that would outlaw concealed weapons in child care facilities and government buildings.

FL Evangelical Leaders Launch Young Voters' Outreach
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
More than 2,000 Latinos gathered in Orlando this week to kick off a six-state campaign to mobilize young, evangelical Hispanic voters.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Stable revenue sought for court system
By Mary Wozniak
Ft. Myers News-Press
The recurring need for emergency loans to keep state courts afloat may cease if Gov. Rick Scott’s budget proposal to fund the courts with $280 million from the general fund instead of foreclosure fees becomes reality.

Expert witness standards bill advances
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
Renewing a lobbying fight between business groups and trial lawyers, a House panel Wednesday approved a bill that would lead to tougher standards for expert witnesses in lawsuits.

Tampa lawmaker wants to toughen penalty for video voyeurism
By Jodie Tillman
Tampa Bay Times
Last summer, Rep. Dana Young heard about the two Bulgarian women who found hidden cameras inside their west Hillsborough apartment.

Daily Clips for January 11, 2012

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Tampa protesters urge state to re-examine fiscal priorities
By Jose Patino Girona
Tampa Tribune
Excerpt: About 200 people from about 15 organizations, including Awake the State Tampa, Occupy Tampa and Tampa Bay Now, listened to guest speakers and cheered and chanted for 90 minutes at Lykes Gaslight Square. Some in attendance carried signs that read "People over Profit," "Cuts Cost Lives" and "Human Need Not Corporate Greed."

Protestors left and right as session opens in Tallahassee
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: The Occupy Tallahassee group had joined forces with Awake the State organizers to criticize Scott and GOP lawmakers at a rally on the steps of the Old Capitol.
Related: Florida Independent: Progressives rally at the capitol on first day of session
Related: Capitol News Service: Protestors Converge on Capitol
Related: Associated Press: Occupy Florida greets opening of Legislature
Related: Miami Herald: Video: State of the State and Capitol Protests
Related: News 13 Central Florida: ‘Awake the State’ rally brings protesters to Tallahassee
Related: WESH NBC 2 Orlando: Political Rallies Take On Capitol

Progressive group rallies, targets lawmakers, businesses that supported Gov. Scott
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Florida Watch opened the 2012 Legislative Session Tuesday by targeting Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers and businesses who have supported his budgets and policies, declaring them “anti-middle class.” About 75 people joined Florida Watch at a rally in downtown Orlando Tuesday afternoon, and others were set to rally in 18 other cities. The “Awake The State” protests were full of “Pink Slip Rick” signs, chanted slogans, labor union leaders and others, contending they were supporting all middle-class Floridians.
Related: Fox 13 News Tampa Bay: Protestors to lawmakers: We’re watching
Related: Palm Beach Post: 100 at West Palm rally blast Florida's GOP-controlled legislature as session opens
Related: Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Dozens rally in Sarasota against Rick Scott
Related: WWSB ABC 7 Sarasota: Residents gather to take back Tallahassee

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott vows to increase education funding in State of State speech
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Text of Gov. Rick Scott's 2012 State of the State
Gov. Rick Scott welcomed back the Legislature to an election-year session Tuesday with an upbeat State of the State speech that centered on creating jobs, holding the line on taxes and spending more on schools.

Stop Pitting School Kids Against Children on Medicaid
By Dick Batchelor
Orlando Sentinel
With the Florida Legislature convening this week, one of the top issues is a projected budget shortfall of more than $2 billion.

Florida Legislature opens session amid budget concerns
By Aaron Deslatte and Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott christened an election-year legislative session Tuesday with the potentially conflicting goals of cutting spending, boosting aid to classrooms, and crafting new political lines that could decide who returns to the Capitol next year.

Haridopolos warns of budget cuts in session opener
News Service of Florida
Ft. Myers News-Press
Senate President Mike Haridopolos opened the 2012 legislative session Tuesday by touting major bills that passed last year --- but warning that lawmakers again face tough budget decisions that will lead to cuts in "beloved" programs.

Cannon urges 'dialogue' on higher-education reform
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Pointing the finger at himself and past lawmakers alike, House Speaker Dean Cannon said Tuesday he was summoning Florida university presidents to begin a "dialogue" about reforming the state's often-competing higher education system.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Scott stresses cooperation in State of the State
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott told lawmakers in his second State of the State address Tuesday that Florida needs to continue to streamlining government, cutting corporate taxes and eliminating regulations in an effort to help existing businesses grow and to lure more here.

Senate panel takes last look at Fla. redistricting
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Senate Reapportionment Committee is taking a final look at proposed redistricting maps before they go to a floor vote in the Republican-controlled chamber.

Controversial Legislation? Wait ‘Til Next Year, Florida
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Like the upcoming Republican presidential primary, the state legislative session opened earlier than usual — by two months — on Tuesday.

Claims bills top Fla. Senate's first-day agenda
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
A man who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit and the brain-damaged and paralyzed victim of a crash with a speeding sheriff's deputy who was late for work would receive millions in compensation through claims bills that cleared the Florida Senate shortly after the Legislature opened its 2012 session Tuesday.

Future Senate president backs John Thrasher's ethics bill
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Senate President-designate Don Gaetz has become the prime co-sponsor of a bill that would ban lawmakers from working with unviersities or colleges while they serve and for two years after leaving the Legislature.

POLITICAL RACES

Mitt Romney wins New Hampshire primary
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Mitt Romney took another big step toward the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, handily winning New Hampshire's primary after showing his biggest political obstacle may be himself.

Poll: Florida headed for another close election
By Brent Kallestad
Associated Press
Another photo finish may be in store for Floridians this fall when they decide whether they want to re-elect President Barack Obama.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Family Research Council gets behind Personhood Florida
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Personhood Florida received a major endorsement this week from the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmental issues left out of opening-day speeches as protestors chant outside
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott referred to Florida's beaches, its rivers and oceans but said little about the state's direction on the environment, energy or growth management issues in his State of the State address on Tuesday.

Bills would provide $26 million toward solar rebate program that ended in 2010
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Bills filed within the past week would steer $26 million toward the solar energy rebate program that ended in June 2010.

Progress Energy expects to review repair proposals for nuclear plant by March
By Ivan Penn
Tampa Bay Times
Progress Energy expects to complete its review of proposals to repair the broken Crystal River nuclear plant by March, the utility told the state Public Service Commission this week.

LGBT

Family: Champion was gay, which may be factor in his hazing death
By Denise-Marie Balona
Orlando Sentinel
Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion was gay, which may have been one reason why he was beaten so severely during a hazing attack in Orlando last semester, the Champion family's attorney said Tuesday.

Orange dom. part. registry debate rages…into the night
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs held a lengthy press conference Monday on creating a domestic partner registry, and it’s unleashed a flurry of political jockeying and confusion Tuesday.

EDUCATION

On schools, it's New Rick vs. Old Rick
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Fresh off his first year in office, Gov. Rick Scott is demanding $1 billion in new money for public schools.

Scott offers some encouragement to UF, higher education
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
Gov. Rick Scott largely left higher education out of his State of the State address Tuesday but might have eased tensions with state universities by saying he "can't budge" on his proposal to put $1 billion back into education funding and making light of his now-infamous call for fewer anthropology majors.

Report cites ‘setbacks’ for Florida’s education reform efforts
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Federal education officials gave Florida a warning Tuesday over delays in the state’s plan for education reform.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Pari-mutuels may endanger destination casino bill
By Michael Vasquez and Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Related: Poll shows Florida voters narrowly support destination resort casinos
The push to bring mega-casinos to South Florida faces a host of unknowns: would local voters approve the proposal in a public referendum?

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medicaid cuts could mean huge losses for Jackson, Broward public hospitals
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
A top state health official said Tuesday that Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget contains changes in Medicaid funding to fix an “unfair, not easily understood” payment system but also may trigger huge reductions for many hospitals, including the Jackson Health System.

Fla. gets $72 million grant for homeless shelters
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida's child welfare agency is giving nearly $72 million in grants to help fund local homeless shelters.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Anti-shackling bill passes unanimously in state Senate
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A bill that would create uniform and humane rules for the shackling of incarcerated pregnant women passed the state Senate unanimously today.

Daily Clips for January 10, 2012

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Florida Legislature to open with unhappy activists on left and right
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: "Most mainstream voters -- Floridians, Americans -- are extremely frustrated. With the legislature. With the governor. With Congress. They want to see efficient government. They want stuff to work right." said Damien Filer, political director of Progress Florida, a left-leaning organization linked with "Awake the State," which is holding events Tuesday around Florida, including one in West Palm Beach. "Will Florida continue its war on the middle class pushed by Pink Slip Rick and his puppets in the Legislature, or will our state change course and focus on protecting and expanding our middle class? That's the choice we face in 2012…" Florida Watch Action executive director Susannah Randolph wrote (snip).

Florida legislature gearing up for early session
By James L. Rosica
Associated Press
Excerpt: As they did in 2011, the Awake the State coalition, a pro-union movement, and various Florida tea parties are planning rallies and events for the first day of the legislative session. The progressive Occupy Tallahassee and Occupy Florida movements also are expected to attend.

Domestic Violence Survivors Lobby For Unemployment Insurance
By Karen Franklin
NBC 6 News Miami
Excerpt: The 45 women and men on the bus belong to the Sisterhood of Survivors and Families in Distress. They will be at the state's capital through Tuesday to show support and speak at the Awake the State rally, a platform that fights for the middle class, according to Florida New Majority.

5 things you need to know happening in Florida on Tuesday, January 10
By Sean O’Reily
ABC Action News Tampa Bay
Excerpt: The current list of groups supporting the Awake the State Tampa rally include: Awake Tampa, Florida Consumer Action Network, West Central Florida Federation of Labor, Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association, Moveon.org, Progress Florida, SEIU Florida, Hillsborough County Young Democrats, Hillsborough School Employee Federation, Gulf Coast Building Trades, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, NAACP, Hillsborough County GLBTA Democratic Caucus, DFA Tampa Bay, and Florida Watch Action.

Liberal activists plan Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach rallies
By Anthony Man
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The Awake the State group of liberal political activists is planning rallies around the state on Tuesday to mark the start of the 2012 legislative session.

FEATURED STORIES

5 biggest questions of the 2012 session
By Gary Fineout
The Fine Print
Florida's GOP-controlled Legislature kicks off its annual session on Tuesday amid the backdrop of the looming Jan. 31 presidential primary, a governor still battling low poll numbers, and legislative leaders who so far have shown a desire to keep the agenda limited during a critical election year.

Florida legislative session will kick off with redistricting, budget battles
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
A legislative session launched two months earlier than usual to redraw Florida's political lines begins Tuesday, with billion-dollar budget problems, destination casino proposals and Gov. Rick Scott's jobs agenda percolating to the surface.

Lawmakers plan controversy-free agenda
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott and Florida’s legislative leaders will open the annual legislative session on Tuesday and lay out a bare bones agenda focused primarily on the budget and redistricting.

Scott’s mission still about jobs
By Steve Bousquet and Michael C. Bender
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Rick Scott begins his second year as governor surrounded by savvier advisers, stalked by persistently dismal poll numbers and converted to spending a lot more money on schools.

Governor still struggling with low poll numbers
By Associated Press
Ft. Myers News-Press
Gov. Rick Scott remains pretty much under water with Florida voters.

Florida lawmakers make last-minute rush for campaign cash
By David DeCamp
Tampa Bay Times
Florida lawmakers rushed to pull in campaign checks from lobbyists before a deadline today turned off the spigot.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Scott to stress cooperation in State of the State
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott will stress jobs, cooperation and improving education in is second State of the State address.

Fla. House narrows proposed redistricting maps
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Subcommittees in the Republican-controlled House narrowed the number of redistricting maps the chamber is considering in separate and largely partisan votes Monday.

Redistricting lines don't always work out as hoped
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
The redrawing of Florida's political boundaries is a highly unpredictable business. Just ask Curt Kiser.

Appeals court set to hear Corrine Brown's redistricting suit
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
An appeals court in Atlanta Monday will hear oral arguments in a lawsuit filed by U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown challenging a redistricting-related constitutional amendment voters approved in November.

Spokesman: Browning not resigning 'at this time'
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A spokesman says Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning hasn't spoken to Gov. Rick Scott about resigning nor submitted a letter of resignation "at this time."

Real goal is to suppress votes
By Dan Woodard
Florida Today
For more than 70 years, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters has helped citizens register to vote.

POLITICAL RACES

As opponents attack Mitt Romney, he's poised to make history in New Hampshire
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Mitt Romney leads new Florida poll with 36 percent of vote
Rivals are painting him as a Gordon Gekko Wall Streeter, but history is on Mitt Romney's side as New Hampshire voters cast their ballots today.

With eyes on New Hampshire, Florida GOP voters not sure who they like best
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Florida's Republican presidential primary is still three weeks away, but Sunshine State voters have already requested 413,000 absentee ballots -- a total that should exceed the number of votes cast in last week's Iowa caucuses and Tuesday's New Hampshire primary combined.

RNC to consider additional sanctions against Florida delegation this week
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Tampa is hosting the Republican National Convention, but Florida delegates will get inconvenient hotel spots, poor seating and lose guest passes, according to proposed sanctions the national GOP will vote on this week.

Florida GOP says absentee ballot requests double 2008 levels
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Florida voters so far have requested 413,000 absentee ballots for the Jan. 31 Republican presidential primary, says the Republican Party of Florida, which keeps daily tabs on ballot activity in the state’s 67 counties.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

State officials, industry and utility groups press case in federal court against water rules
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Attorneys representing Florida and utility groups were in federal court on Monday arguing that a federal agency lacked authority in 2009 when it decided that specific water quality limits were needed in Florida.

Amended septic tank inspection bill passes Senate committee
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A Senate compromise bill that would repeal a statewide septic tank inspection requirement passed its first committee stop Monday despite concerns among environmentalists.

Jobs, other high-profile issues may overshadow nature's needs
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
As the Florida Legislature kicks off its annual session today, conservationists fear another rough year on Florida’s environment as jobs once again trump nature.

Orlando claims success turning waste to energy
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
After five years of work, Orlando officials and their private-sector partners think they've succeeded in developing the technology to convert human waste byproducts into clean energy.

LGBT

Orange County mayor says she still doesn't think domestic-partner registry is needed
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs told reporters Monday that she's still not convinced a domestic-partner registry that gay rights activists are seeking is truly needed.

EDUCATION

Bill expanding Florida school vouchers passes first committee stop
By Brandon Larrabee
News Service of Florida
A bill that would allow an additional 6,500 students to use a state-backed voucher program passed the Senate PreK-12 Education Committee on a party-line vote Monday, the latest step in a long-running battle over the pace of the program's expansion.

Florida lawmakers' focus turns to higher ed
Staff Report
Florida Today
Last year, Florida legislators made historic changes to education.

School Bus Advertising
By Anna Laura Rehwinkel
Capitol News Service
Advertising could soon be coming to a school bus near year.

A federal look at Florida's work with Race to the Top funds
By Marlene Sokol
Tampa Bay Times
Florida and 11 other states have gone a long way in earning their Race to the Top money, the U.S. Department of Education said on Monday.

Teachers, parents meet in Miami to discuss opting out of standardized testing
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Ceresta Smith, an educator with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the University of Miami, spoke Saturday about opting out of K-12 standardized testing to a group of parents from the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Liberty City as part of National Opt Out Day.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida should collect sales tax from online retailers, and spend the money on services
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
There's a way for Florida to get more money and protect more jobs, if the anti-tax ideologues in Tallahassee can just get over themselves.

Fla. Senate panel signs off on gambling expansion
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida could get three new large casinos, as well as slot machines at every dog and horse track in the state, under a far-reaching gambling bill that passed its first hurdle Monday.

Citizens Insurance CEO Scott Wallace resigns
By Tolu Olorunnipa
Miami Herald
Scott Wallace, the President/CEO and Executive Director of Florida's state-run insurance organization, Citizens, announced his resignation on Friday, the organization announced Monday.

Right-wing think tank releases salaries of public employees via new website
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The Foundation for Government Accountability debuted a new website today — an online database of the salaries of public employees: FloridaOpenGov.org.

Chamber gets $300K from Workforce Central Florida
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Since 2005, the partnership between Workforce Central Florida, the region's taxpayer-funded, nonprofit jobs agency, and the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce has proved to be quite lucrative — for the chamber.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Sex- and race-based abortion ban picks up Democratic state Senate sponsor
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State. Sen Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, has introduced the Senate version of a bill that outlaws sex- or race-based abortions.

Medicare delays program to fight fraud, improper payments
By Richard Martin
Tampa Bay Times
Medicare says that more than $34 billion is wasted each year through improper payments to hospitals and doctors.

Negron bill targets fraud at PIP medical clinics
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Legislation designed to crack down on the fraud that leads to more expensive personal injury protection insurance required of all Florida drivers was filed by state Sen. Joe Negron on Monday.