Daily News Clips for January 22, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

President Barack Obama's inaugural tone aggressive as he calls for unity, change
By Alex Leary and Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related AP story: Time to act, Obama declares, taking oath 2nd time
Related editorial: Obama's unifying words to live by
Summoning the nation's sense of unity as he stood before its symbol of partisan gridlock, Barack Obama was sworn in for a second term as president Monday, using the moment to outline an ambitious agenda from climate change to immigration and equality for gays.

Floridians inspired by Obama's inauguration
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Mohamed Abdalla, a student from Boca Raton, was so inspired at the presidential inauguration on Monday that he's thinking about getting into politics and maybe running for president.

Gov. Rick Scott's ex-dog Reagan bit mansion employee, records show
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
Reagan, the now famous dog that once belonged to Gov. Rick Scott, was banished from the Governor’s Mansion after biting an employee who moved his water bowl.

Ethics reform is long overdue in Tallahassee
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Every state legislator has to attend a class to learn the don'ts of holding office.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Online chat Tuesday to lead up to town hall on legislative session
By Elaine Chen
Miami Herald
Tallahassee is 480 miles away, and for many in South Florida it might as well be on another continent.

Charlie Crist a special guest at inauguration
By Amy Hollyfield
Tampa Bay Times
Times political editor Adam C. Smith caught up with former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist after the inauguration.

Invocation set tone for Obama’s second inauguration
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
It was altogether fitting and proper that Myrlie Evers-Williams spoke first at Monday’s presidential inauguration.

Public records watchdog sues several Tampa Bay agencies
By Jessica Vander Velde
Tampa Bay Times
Joel Chandler is obsessed with public records.

LGBT

President Barack Obama's second inaugural speech references Stonewall riots, gay marriage
Associated Press
Miami Herald
President Barack Obama referenced the Stonewall gay-rights riots in his inaugural address, classing them as a civil rights watershed along with key moments in the struggles for blacks and women.

Benefit costs: Boca estimates how much to extend health insurance to domestic partners
By Anne Geggis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The cost of extending benefits to Boca Raton city employees' domestic partners and their children could total $2.4 million over the next 10 years, according to city officials' estimates.

EDUCATION

State plan to help charter schools irks Palm Beach County School Board
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post
Some Palm Beach County School District officials are incensed at a state proposal to offer once again millions of dollars next year for capital improvements at charter schools — and none at traditional public schools.

Time for a discussion on testing in Florida?
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Teachers and lawmakers around the country are setting the bar for a conversation about the role tests play in American education.

Government Watchdog Recommends Tougher Bright Futures Requirements
By Gina Jordan
StateImpact Florida
Bright Futures money is being targeted again, this time by a government watchdog group that says the state should raise requirements for the merit-based scholarship program.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Pension proposal gets cool reception
Staff Report
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A proposal that could help cities and counties pay down their massive liabilities for police and fire pensions is getting a cool reception from both the unions and from local governments.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

It's time for pols to start respecting the abortion law
By Jenna Tosh
Orlando Sentinel
It's been 40 years since Roe v. Wade made abortion legal in the United States, protecting a woman's most fundamental right to make decisions about her own health.

State to begin one-size-fits-all Medicaid payments
By Kristine Crane
Gainesville Sun
Medicaid reimbursement at hospitals throughout Florida aims to be more equitable, and implementing Diagnosis Related Groups for Medicaid reimbursement is intended to be a nudge in that direction — by replacing a hospital's per-diem rates with procedure-based rates.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Will Democratic bill reviewing Stand Your Ground even get a look in the Florida Legislature?
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing Tampa
Last week, the mother of Trayvon Martin called on Florida legislators to support a bill that would repeal Florida's extremely controversial Stand Your Ground law.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Lawyers update judge in Greer case
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
Attorneys are providing a new judge an update in the case of former Florida GOP leader Jim Greer, who is set to be tried next month on charges that he funneled party money to his private company.

Daily News Clips for November 16, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Florida lawmakers say no decision on health care exchanges, Scott silent
By Mary Ellen Klas
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Echoing the talking points of Republican leaders in other states, incoming Senate President Don Gaetz and incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford sent a letter Thursday to the federal government saying that Florida will miss today's deadline to report whether the state will create its own health insurance exchange or allow the federal government to do it.

Expanding Medicaid could save Florida money, study says
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Under the federal health care law, Florida lawmakers have the option of adding roughly 950,000 people to the Medicaid rolls, with the federal government covering most of the initial costs.

Income gap in Florida holds back poor, middle-class workers
By Emily Roach
Palm Beach Post
The wealthy in Florida have eight times the household income compared to the poorest households, a widening gap that is seen in nearly a third of the nation, according to an income inequality study released today.

Researcher: Florida District Schools Outperform Charter Schools On Average
By Gina Jordan
StateImpact
While charter schools are an increasingly popular option for Florida students, a University of Central Florida researcher says they don’t perform as well as district schools.

BP to pay record $4.5 billion criminal penalty in Deepwater Horizon spill
By Sean Cockerham and Erika Bolstad
McClatchy Newspapers
Oil giant BP will plead guilty to misconduct and felony criminal manslaughter for the Deepwater Horizon disaster that killed 11 workers and led to the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Florida GOP Plays Election Kabuki While Democrats Push For Real Reform
By Martha Jackovics
Beach Peanuts
After last Tuesday's election, Manatee County, Florida got a new Supervisor of Elections.

Disregarding Empirical Research, Florida Panel Largely Endorses ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law
By Nicole Flatow
Think Progress
In the months since the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin drew national attention to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law and others like it that authorize the unfettered use of deadly force in self-defense, several empirical studies have found these laws are associated with a significant increase in homicides, have a disproportionate impact on African Americans, and do not appear to deter crime at all.

Florida: Back on its meds, but still a little twitchy.
By Adam Boles
Big Winners/Big Losers
Winner: Barack Obama, whose campaign has finally declared victory in my home state despite leading news outlets like the AP who are keeping the state in official electoral limbo.

Analysis: Democratic Presidential Performance Swinging Wildly Across the State
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Political Hurricane
President Obama’s campaign has shown Florida Democrats you do not need to win small rural counties or even medium sized counties to carry the state.

The Problem With Term Limits
By Jake
Rantings From Florida
A funny thing happened to a state representative in line for the Speakership.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Re-elected without opposition, some state lawmakers have campaign war chests to spend
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Re-elected without opposition this summer, Rep. Dana Young had the strange but fortunate problem of having $200,000 in her campaign bank account and nothing to spend it on.

Rep. West's Quest to Save His Seat is Waste of Money
By Susan Clary
Florida Voices
All over the state, elections officials have been working overtime this week to hand-count ballots in very close races.

Hastert: Some GOP views 'not in sync' with young voters
By Lee Logan
Tampa Bay Times
A top Republican lawmaker during much of the Bush administration has some advice for members of his own party after they failed to defeat President Barack Obama last week.

Human error and call company's hands-off approach led to faulty Election Day robocalls
By Anna M. Phillips
Tampa Bay Times
After robocalls went out on Election Day telling Pinellas County residents that "tomorrow" was the last day to vote, blame for the national embarrassment ricocheted from Largo to Santa Monica, Calif.

Sachs gets Senate minority pro-temp, Soto gets deputy whip
By Brittany Davis
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, will be minority pro-tempore and Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, will be deputy whip in the Florida Senate, Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, confirmed Thursday.

Randolph says he won’t run for FDP chair
By Bob Shaw
Orlando Sentinel
As expected, Scott Randolph has withdrawn his bid to become chair of the Florida Democratic Party in the wake of his election Nov. 6 as Orange County tax collector. 

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Red, blue and green
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Floridians were merciless in rejecting all but three of the 11 mostly ideologically-driven state constitutional amendments the Florida Legislature placed on this year's general election ballot.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Fla. Gov. office criticizes settlement with BP
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office is sharply criticizing a settlement reached between the federal government and oil giant BP.

BP criminal fine sends strong message
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Thursday's announcement that oil giant BP has agreed to pay a record criminal fine for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico sends the right signal on corporate accountability to an industry whose mistakes can impact millions of Americans.

Third offshore Cuban oil well comes up dry
By David Goodhue
Florida Keys Keynoter
Late last year, environmentalists and federal, state and local officials awaited with some trepidation the arrival of a giant, semi-submersible oil rig that would mine for crude miles below the deep waters of the Florida Straits.

DEP reorganization eliminates model beaches bureau, critics say
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A Florida Department of Environmental Protection divisional reorganization that includes eliminating a bureau dealing with beach issues is coming under fire.

Florida panther clawing back but deaths, shrinking land remain concerns
By Eric Staats
Naples Daily News
An endangered Florida panther lying dead on the side of the road after getting hit by a car or truck can be a grisly sight.

EDUCATION

Class size, teacher pay matter in student performance, expert says
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times         
Despite failed legislative efforts and ballot initiatives, some Florida superintendents continue to seek ways to scale back implementation of the state's class size rules to measure as a school average rather than a classroom count.

New UF president could be chosen within weeks
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
The University of Florida's fall semester is quickly drawing to a close, but the next university president might be named before it ends.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Passenger train on track for South Florida, company executive tells chamber
By Emily Roach
Palm Beach Post
Jose Gonzalez pitched plans for a Miami to Orlando express train to a group of prime customers Thursday morning, enticing them with competitive fares and consistent, hourly service.

Florida ready to let you vote on new license plate designs
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has designed four new license tags, with sleek, smooth surfaces, better readability, and seven characters instead of the traditional six.

Florida's tourism on pace for another record year
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Florida's tourism industry is on pace for another record year.

Florida's October unemployment report released today
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida labor officials are set to announce the state's first unemployment figures since President Barack Obama was re-elected last week.

Gov. Scott touts project to bring 230 manufacturing jobs to Palm Beach County
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott was in West Palm Beach on Thursday to announce an economic development deal slated to bring 230 jobs to the area within nine years.

Chase meets Florida mortgage settlement obligation
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
JPMorgan Chase says it has fulfilled its obligations to Florida under the landmark National Mortgage Settlement by providing $1.5 billion in relief to homeowners.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida tells feds it will miss health exchange deadline
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
One day before the deadline for making a decision, two Florida lawmakers told the federal government that the state can’t decide what to do about the health exchanges required by the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress two years ago and upheld this summer by the U.S. Supreme Court.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida prisons chief Ken Tucker officially steps aside
News Service of Florida
Tampa Bay Times
Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker is officially stepping aside as head of the agency, the latest in a series of changes for the state's prison system.

George Zimmerman prosecutor mistakenly leaks witness names
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
Prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges in the Trayvon Martin murder case have gone to great lengths to protect the names of witnesses, fearing they'd be hounded by reporters, curiosity-seekers or worse.

Daily News Clips for November 15, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Darryl Rouson, Charlie Crist call for voting reforms in Florida
By Bill Varian and Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
State Rep. Darryl Rouson announced Wednesday he will submit a bill to expand early voting in response to long lines and delays in Florida's vote counting during last week's election.

Scott not taking lead in elections reforms
By Michael Van Sickler
Miami Herald
Related: Predictable voting debacle? Lawmakers foresaw trouble in 2011, but their proposals were shot down
Gov. Rick Scott heralded a meeting Wednesday between his Secretary of State and supervisors of elections as a game changer in getting to the bottom of Florida’s voting problems.

Critics are latching on to state's election problems
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Florida's Nov. 6 election fiasco is generating political fallout that appears likely to dominate the coming state legislative session and possibly affect the 2014 election.

Court hearing set Friday in West-Murphy vote-count dispute
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
A St. Lucie County circuit judge has scheduled a two-hour hearing for Friday on Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West’s request for a recount of all 37,379 ballots cast during early voting in St. Lucie County in his tight reelection fight against Democrat Patrick Murphy.

Obama presses GOP on taxing rich to avert 'cliff'
By David Espo
Associated Press
President Barack Obama challenged congressional Republicans Wednesday to let taxes rise on the wealthiest Americans on both economic and political grounds, noting he campaigned successfully for re-election on the point and contending it would instantly ease the threat of the "fiscal cliff" plunging the nation back into recession.

FLORIDA POLITICS

GOP money scandal gets spicing of sleaze
By Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
At last! Now we're getting somewhere. Enter the trollops.

Republicans can look to Florida for some post-election lessons
By Paula Dockery
Florida Voices
Since the election, there has been much soul searching and punditry concerning the state of the Republican Party.

House Dems assemble leadership team
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston just announced his leadership team.

Winners and losers in the aftermath of Chris Dorworth’s defeat
By Jason Garcia
Orlando Sentinel
Seminole County elections officials on Monday finally confirmed Democrat Mike Clelland’s razor-thin victory over state Rep. Chris Dorworth.

Lobbyists file 3rd quarter compensation reports
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
It's been a comparatively slow quarter for major lobbying firms in Tallahassee, as House and Senate members turned their attention to seeking re-election in realigned legislative districts.

Signs of progress in Tallahassee on health care, campaign finance
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Just a week after an election that checked the Republican dominance in a decidedly purple state, two Florida politicians have signaled change in Tallahassee.

POLITICAL RACES

Political eyes are now on jobs (Gov. Scott's)
By Joe Henderson
Tampa Tribune
I suppose it is possible the persistent tug of social responsibility is what brought Charlie Crist to Lykes Gaslight Square in downtown Tampa on Wednesday morning.

Credit gerrymandering for GOP House control
By Harold Meyerson
Washington Post
When Republicans claim that this was a status quo election, they point to their continued hold on the House. 

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

BP near settlement with US over Gulf spill
By Robert Barr
Associated Press
British oil company BP said Thursday it is in advanced talks with U.S. agencies about settling criminal and other claims from the Gulf of Mexico well blowout two years ago.

EDUCATION

Education panel backs property-tax hike
By Ashley A. Smith
Ft. Myers News-Press
A state-appointed education task force is recommending increasing property taxes in an attempt to make funding more equitable between charter and traditional schools.

Broward, Miami-Dade see big jumps in charter school enrollment
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Charter schools continue to enroll more students in Florida, with Broward seeing a 26 percent jump in charter enrollment last school year.

Florida ranks high in new report on teacher quality
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
The National Center on Teacher Quality released its latest briefs on state teacher policies Wednesday, with Florida leading the way overall and near the top in every category.

Report: SCF broke law to prop up failing program
By Christopher O'Donnell
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Despite repeated warnings from their staff, top officials at State College of Florida broke state law by using $470,000 of college money to prop up a failing job training program during the past two years, a report finds.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida keeps top foreclosure ranking
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Florida maintained its leading spot nationally for foreclosure activity last month with a filing rate more than twice the national average.

Citizens touts take-outs as review of incentives program conducted
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-run company that is the largest property insurer in Florida, announced last week that 229,500 of its policies have been taken over by private companies in 2012.

Widen Florida probe of Citizens insurance
By Dan Krassner and Sean Shaw
TC Palm
There is a lack of oversight and accountability at Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

State to change no-bid system at Division of Blind Services
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
State officials said they will now begin competitively bidding contracts issued by the Division of Blind Services after a Times/Herald report found examples of possible taxpayer waste and poor vendor oversight.

Myregion.org wants tax dollars for values study
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
A business group is seeking more than $128,000 in taxpayer money to do a survey on the values of Central Floridians, as leaders look for ways to pay for transportation needs.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Expanding Medicaid pays off?
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Florida could gain a badly-needed economic boost and thousands of new jobs each year if state officials accept federal funds to expand Medicaid, three new studies say.

Florida’s GOP leaders shift on Obamacare
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
A landmark lawsuit couldn’t stop the Affordable Care Act. Neither could Mitt Romney.

Healthcare reform could impact clinics
By Audra D.S. Burch
Miami Herald
With the Affordable Health Care Act set to go into effect in 2014, a group of community and medical leaders gathered Wednesday at the Jefferson Reaves Sr. Health Clinic in Overtown to talk about the act’s potential impacts on community clinics.

Daily News Clips for November 14, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Advocates: Review Florida's Election Issues
By Mike Schneider
Associated Press
Advocacy groups called Tuesday on Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers to appoint a task force to review Florida's election, which was plagued by long lines at precincts and a four-day delay in determining which presidential contender won its 29 electoral votes.

Florida needs zero tolerance for obstructions to elections
By Charlie Crist
Orlando Sentinel
We just witnessed firsthand the consequences of tampering with people's right to vote.

Gov. Scott dropping his opposition to Obama's health care overhaul
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, one of the most vocal critics of the federal health care overhaul, is dropping his staunch opposition to the law.

Weatherford Outlines Priorities; Targets Ethics, Campaign Reform and State Worker Benefits
By Lynn Hatter 
WFSU Tallahassee
House Speaker-Designate Will Weatherford says the state can’t do ethics reform without campaign finance reform. Weatherford wants to make campaign contributions more transparent, and reduce the influence of third party groups.

Florida's Stand Your Ground panel: Keep self-defense law intact
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
A panel tasked with looking into the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law finalized its recommendations on Tuesday, essentially affirming the law and saying that citizens have a right to defend themselves with deadly force without the duty to retreat when they feel threatened.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Democrat lawmakers Dudley, Rouson and Soto — backed by Charlie Crist — to introduce voting reform legislation
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
State Representative Darryl Rouson, with the support of former Governor Charlie Crist, will announce legislation for the upcoming 2013 legislative session to reform the flawed Florida elections statutes that changed in 2011 and led to a national embarrassment.

Consensus emerging that election-law reform is needed
By Jim Stratton and Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
A week after Florida's electoral system melted down, there is growing consensus that the state must reform its election laws to avoid similar problems in the future.

Florida's elections a national disgrace again
By Nadine Smith
TC Palm
When I was a cadet at the Air Force Academy in the 1980s, we were taught that the answer to any question that began with "Why," was "No excuse."

Election flubs make Florida look like 'Keystone Kops'
By Joe Henderson
Tampa Tribune
Well, we did it again. We're No. 1! Florida's reputation for ineptitude in vote counting is secure.

State officials to examine St. Lucie recount in West-Murphy race
By George Bennett and Julius Whigham II
Palm Beach Post
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner is sending three representatives to St. Lucie County Wednesday to try to figure out how 799 votes disappeared in Sunday’s partial recount of the tight, nationally watched congressional race bemayotween Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West and Democrat Patrick Murphy.

The Georgia GOP wants Allen West if Florida doesn't
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
If this whole Florida recount doesn't go U.S. Rep. Allen West's way, he has a standing invite to move to the more-Republican leaning state of Georgia.

Esther Scott, mother of Gov. Rick Scott, dies
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Esther Scott, the mother of Gov. Rick Scott who became something of a political celebrity during her son's 2010 campaign, has died.

Cretul, Cannon are lobbyists; former speakers start new firm
By Bill Thompson
Ocala Star-Banner
Former Florida House speakers apparently don't just fade away.

POLITICAL RACES

'Nones,' evangelicals played similar roles in election 2012
By Jeff Kunerth
Orlando Sentinel
On a Sunday morning, within blocks of a half-dozen churches, Lake Eola Park is full of people doing something other than sitting in church.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Constitutional Amendment for Voter Protection
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
There are calls tonight to write voter protection measures in to the state constitution.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Panel OKs estuary nutrient limits as environmental groups mount new challenge
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A state panel on Tuesday approved phosphorus and nitrogen limits recommended by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for Panhandle estuaries.

The Tampa Bay Times' Ivan Penn on the Future of Nuclear Power Plants in Florida
By Robert Lorei
WMNF Tampa
Today we’re going to talk with Ivan Penn who has been covering utility issues for the Tampa Bay times.

Consumer advocate: FPL rate proposal an “atrocious deal” for most customers.
By Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post
Florida Power & Light Co.’s proposed rate increase settlement would be an “atrocious deal” for the vast majority of FPL’s customers, and is not in the public interest, the Office of Public Counsel said. 

EDUCATION

Common-Core Deal in Florida Sparks Legal Feud
By Jason Tomassini and Nikhita Venugopal
Education Week
If the implementation of the Common Core State Standards is an opportunity for government and the private sector to work together toward a mutual goal, a bitter dispute in Florida over a website planned to prepare teachers and students for the standards is proving the messy realities of what can happen when government agencies and private companies can't get along.

Board urges changes to high-stakes testing here
By Marcia Lane
St. Augustine Record
The St. Johns County School Board joined a growing trend Tuesday of school boards across the state by calling for a revision of the state’s “high-stakes testing” system.

For Pinellas teachers upset about evaluations, superintendent writes letter of explanation
By Curtis Krueger
Tampa Bay Times
For the many Pinellas schoolteachers who got less-than-perfect evaluations this year, superintendent Mike Grego plans to write a letter admitting the evaluation system itself was, well, less than perfect.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

New speaker will push for state pension changes
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
Incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford said Tuesday that rapidly mounting public pension obligations are "a ticking time bomb" for Florida government, so he will ask the  2013 Legislature to make all new state employees join market-driven investment plans rather than the traditional monthly retirement systems.

Nice Work If You Can Get It
By Mary Jo Melone
Florida Voices
Florida unemployment offices are not cushy places.

Only "mission critical" job vacancies at DEP can be filled, deputy secretary says in memo amid layoffs
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A Florida Department of Environmental Protection deputy secretary last month told managers they may only to fill "mission critical" job vacancies and that a cost-benefit analysis must be performed before filling them.

Florida privatization runs off the rails again
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Another state agency, another privatization scheme off the rails.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Obama Administration Gives States More Time To Decide On Health Exchanges
Staff Report
Kaiser Health News
On Friday afternoon, the Department of Health and Human Services extended the deadline until Dec. 14 for states to submit plans to set up state-based health insurance exchanges under the health care law.

Medical-marijuana organization asks Bondi's help
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Current
An organization advocating medicinal use of marijuana asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to take pot off the blacklist of totally banned drugs with no medicinal value Tuesday, so the Legislature can set rules for its therapeutic use by patients with painful or crippling afflictions.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Let courts strike down drug testing for Florida welfare beneficiaries
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The best response to Florida’s wrongheaded requirement that all welfare applicants pass a drug test is to block the law entirely, and in October 2011 that’s what a federal judge did.

Clear up gun law laxity before more die
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
A mentally ill young man who should never have had a gun allegedly obtained a 12-gauge shotgun with the help of a friend and now is accused of a double murder.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Revisiting the Terms of Appointed Florida Appellate Judges
By Martin Dyckman
Florida Voices
There's a lot about American government that strikes people elsewhere as strange, notably campaigns that last too long and cost too much, a lascivious obsession with the sex lives of public servants, and the 18th Century relic we call the Electoral College.