Daily Clips for July 14, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

ACLU of Florida, 29 other groups, call on Nelson and Rubio to co-sponsor anti-bullying legislation
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Today the ACLU of Florida along with 29 organizations sent a letter encouraging Senator Bill Nelson and Senator Marco Rubio to stand against bullying and become a cosponsor for the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA).

FEATURED STORIES

Florida GOP effort to boost Scott's image not working according to Sunshine State poll
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A poll released Wednesday by the usually right-leaning Sunshine State News shows Republican Gov. Rick Scott's approval rating at 27 percent among Floridians, with 58 percent disapproving of the job done by the first-year governor.

Liberal groups say Gov. Scott is targeting middle class
By Douglas Hanks
Miami Herald
Related report: Under Attack: Florida’s Middle Class and the Jobs Crisis
Gov. Rick Scott's policies keep the Sunshine State's middle class under economic siege, liberal groups asserted Wednesday.

Politics reigns as sides meet to discuss redistricting
By Christopher Curry
Gainesville Sun
Political divides were on display Wednesday as Florida House and Senate committee members visited Santa Fe College for one of 26 meetings scheduled to gather public input on the redrawing of the state’s legislative and congressional districts following the 2010 Census.

State-backed Citizens could be privatized
By Gary Fineout
Florida Current
Frustrated by the inability to win changes from state lawmakers, the chairman of the state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp. said on Wednesday that legislators should privatize part of the company.

Despite what BP says, it's not 'mission accomplished'
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Barely a year has passed since BP established a claims fund to compensate victims along the Gulf of Mexico for the worst oil spill in American history.

FLORIDA POLITICS

After robo calls of appeal, Scott still unpopular with voters
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
Related video: Gov. Rick Scott on his popularity and privatizing parks, prisons and Citizens
A new poll out by Sunshine State News finds that despite months of recorded phone calls to Republicans and independent voters across the state touting his achievements, Gov. Rick Scott still can't catch a break.

Fla. Gov. Scott keeps promises, loses popularity
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
In office just six months, Gov. Rick Scott has kept his campaign promises and then some: cutting corporate taxes, reducing the size of government, drug testing welfare recipients, making government workers pay into their pensions, and privatizing Medicaid.

The Villages residents hear about redistricting plans
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida lawmakers brought their redistricting road show to The Villages on Wednesday, where the task of redrawing political boundaries could collide with new constitutional mandates to take into account the contours of existing local governments.

Tampa, Charlotte mayors: Don't let debt ceiling debate delay funds for 2012 political conventions
By Richard Danielson
St. Petersburg Times
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx went to Washington this week with the same message: Don't let partisan rancor over the national debt get in the way of $100 million-plus in federal funds the cities need to police next year's Republican and Democratic national conventions.

Democrats need to have more Hispanic candidates
By Guillermo I. Martinez
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Democrats in Florida should read what Spanish-born philosopher George Santayana had to say in 1905: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Officials must be ethical and accountable
By Mel Kelly
Florida Today
What kind of behavior do we expect from our politicians?

POLITICAL RACES

Despite controversies, West continues to raise big dollars
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
According to recent reports, tea party favorite Rep. Allen West, R-Fort Lauderdale, raised nearly $1.5 million in the second quarter of 2011.

Frankel keeps fund-raising pace with Democratic rival
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel said Wednesday that she collected $440,000 for her congressional campaign during the past three months, keeping pace with Democratic rival Patrick Murphy, who earlier reported pulling in $450,000.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Scott still mulling plans for RVs in remaining state parks
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
Responding to public outcry, Gov. Rick Scott put the kibosh on plans to consider bringing privately run, RV-friendly campgrounds to Honeymoon Island State Park.

Gov. Scott's late parks announcement not a sneak attack, aide says
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
After a week of controversy involving Florida Park Service proposals to put recreational vehicle campgrounds in four state parks, Gov. Rick Scott announced last Friday he was pulling the plug on at least the proposal at Honeymoon Island State Park.

Delayed Everglades restoration prompts Palm Beach County leader to question state, federal 'courage'
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Frustrated with stalled Everglades restoration, Palm Beach County Commission Chairwoman Karen Marcus contends that federal and state officials lack the "courage" to get it done.

Keep nuclear plant closed
By Renee Hickman
Orlando Sentinel
Earlier this year, we learned the Crystal River nuclear plant was to be closed indefinitely because of a new crack found in the containment dome.

LGBT

Hate violence against LGBT and HIV-affected communities on the rise in the U.S.
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
A report released Tuesday shows that hate violence against the LGBT and HIV-affected communities rose 13 percent in the U.S. in 2010.

EDUCATION

Florida Board of Education member resigns to take job in Minnesota
By Allison Ross
Palm Beach Post
State Board of Education member Mark Kaplan has announced that he is resigning effective July 20, opening another opportunity for Gov. Rick Scott to make an appointment to the seven-member board.

Infographic: Florida's 2011 Public School Grades
Staff Report
Florida Current
The Florida Department of Education released annual public school grades on June 30.

Changes in Florida law make it easier to take classes online
By Mary Kelli Palka
Florida Times-Union
For some students, a few virtual classes in addition to a traditional school environment is just perfect.

Seminole schools face 'crisis,' may seek tax hike
By Dave Weber
Orlando Sentinel
Seminole school leaders say they need more money to keep the school system afloat and may go to voters in November seeking a special sales tax or property tax — or both.

Community, teachers lament budget cuts in Manatee schools
By Angeline Taylor
Bradenton Herald
Manatee County parent Christine Sket’s response to the recently approved school budget cuts went beyond surprise.

Miami-Dade Schools chief Carvalho vows to keep 2 schools open
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday affirmed his commitment to saving two Miami-Dade high schools threatened with closure — and got permission from the School Board to manage a new charter school opening three campuses this fall.

Duval one step closer to losing control of four public schools
By Topher Sanders
Florida Times-Union
The Duval County Public Schools' appeal to maintain control of its four worst-performing schools has been recommended for denial by state Education Commissioner John Winn.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Debt-ceiling debate goes nuclear with accusations over Social Security
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
President Obama's warning that Social Security checks might not go out next month sent sparks flying Wednesday from Florida to Washington, while deepening the political divide over raising the federal debt ceiling.

2nd wave of foreclosures may have started
By Mark Puente
St. Petersburg Times
For months, experts have predicted that a second wave of foreclosures would hit Tampa Bay and the rest of Florida.

New economic development leader bullish on Florida jobs creation
By Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
As Florida's new secretary of commerce, Gray Swoope knows he has become the focal point for Gov. Rick Scott's most-watched promise: to create 700,0000 jobs in seven years.

Florida gets good marks for its latest budget fixes
By Gary Fineout
Florida Current
A national credit rating agency, citing a decision to slash spending while maintaining large reserves, has given Florida good marks for the way it has handled its budget woes.

Florida adding 'clean' jobs but still lags behind most of the country
By Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
Florida may be a cleaner, greener state than it used to be, but it still has a very long way to go.

Florida wins NASA contract for station research
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
In a big win for Florida, NASA picked a team from the state to manage the national laboratory aboard the International Space Station -- a victory that comes with a contract worth up to $15 million annually and the potential to create dozens of jobs or more.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Mike Haridopolos says Florida law could allow state to 'opt out' of federal health care plan: False
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact
One of Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos’ first acts in the 2011 legislative session was to sponsor and shepherd through a proposed constitutional amendment targeting the federal health care law.

Senate Agriculture Committee to study plight of Lake Apopka farmworkers
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Senate Agriculture Committee plans to study the plight of Lake Apopka farmworkers following Gov. Rick Scott's veto of a related $500,000 appropriation.

Guttmacher: ‘Record number of abortion restrictions’ enacted in first half of 2011
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Since the beginning of this year, states around the country have enacted a total of 162 laws aimed at limiting reproductive rights and health.

Doctors ask court to lift restrictions on gun questions in examine room
By Jay Weaver
Miami Herald
Thousands of doctors who say they've been gagged by a new state law banning their discussion of gun ownership with patients urged a federal judge Wednesday to stop enforcement of the statute — legislation pushed by firearm advocates and signed into law last month by Gov. Rick Scott.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Sargeant business partner testifies he was cut out of deal
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post
Mohammad Al-Saleh thought he could finally relax after spending months making sure he and his business partners secured yet another $500 million defense contract to deliver fuel to U.S. troops in Iraq.

Daily Clips for July 13, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida legislature home to dozens of millionaires
By Lilly Rockwell and Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
Excerpt: Damien Filer, a spokesman for the progressive advocacy group Progress Florida, said the confluence of wealth and legislation is troubling. Likewise, lawmakers of overly modest means can also find themselves in compromising circumstances. "There is an inherent danger anytime money and policymaking mix," Filer said. "We have a system that is far too much a pay-to-play situation."

For Rick Scott, a Tough Road to Reform
By Kenric Ward
Sunshine State News
Excerpt: On the other hand, Damien Filer of Progress Florida said, "Rick Scott is prioritizing his image and poll numbers over the real problems of middle-class Floridians. Ask working families in Florida what they care more about -- Rick Scott's poll numbers or the number of jobs he's cut."

FEATURED STORIES

Big business still filling state GOP coffers
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
If Florida's political landscape is any test, neither the recession, unemployment nor the state's fiscal crisis has hurt political donations.

Republicans dash for cash as Gov. Rick Scott wages public-relations makeover
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Buoyed by complete control of state government, Florida Republicans are killing Democrats in the dash for campaign cash this year, and the GOP is putting that money to use to improve the governor's public image.

Republican Party spends heavily to boost Rick Scott’s popularity
By Gary Fineout
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Republican Party of Florida has poured large sums into polling, automated phone calls and online ads in the last three months to bolster Gov. Rick Scott’s public image.

Questions for Gov. Rick Scott
By Michael Putney
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott, a regular on Fox News and lately a chatterbox on friendly AM radio stations in Florida, finally agreed to sit down with me for an interview, for which I was grateful, what with my suspect “lamestream” media credentials.

GOP field seeking Nelson's seat continues to grow; as does Nelson's campaign chest
By Adam Playford and John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson unveiled a robust campaign bankroll Tuesday even as another Republican challenger made his debut in the race, joining a pack of already established, well-financed opponents looking to unseat the two-term incumbent.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Who’s buying Florida’s political parties?
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
In Florida, where donations to individual candidates are subject to strict limits, the big money in politics tends to flow through the parties, campaign committees and other channels.

Gov. Scott at last passes hearing test
By Sue Carlton
St. Petersburg Times
For a while there, it seemed like Gov. Rick Scott's first term in office was going to be like watching him take a hearing test at the doctor's office and fail it repeatedly.

Voters request fewer lawmakers, stronger representation
By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News-Journal
More than two dozen state legislators filled the stage at the News-Journal Center seeking input Tuesday night on how Florida's political boundaries should be redrawn.

Making Political Office the Exclusive Domain of the Wealthy
By Fred Markham
Bradenton Times
In the continuing saga of judicial erosion of public campaign finance laws, a Florida federal judge has eliminated the matching funds provision in the Florida Election Campaign Finance Act.

POLITICAL RACES

Former Ruth's Chris CEO Craig Miller joins Republican field for U.S. Senate
By Jessica Vander Velde and Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
A wealthy, but little-known businessman jumped into Florida's Republican U.S. Senate race Tuesday, calling himself the candidate for Main Street and muddying an already unsettled primary.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

ACLU: Legislators ‘misled’ public about repeal of Florida’s ban on ‘taxpayer-funded religion’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The American Civil Liberties Union just released a report arguing that Florida legislators’ rationale for a constitutional amendment that would repeal Florida’s ban on taxpayer funds going to religious institutions is false.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Board orders last try at compromise on rock mining in Palm Beach County
By Jennifer Sorentrue
Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach County commissioners will make one final attempt to reach an accord with environmentalists and mining companies over the future of rock mining in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

Tea party members tackle a new issue: manatees
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Everybody knows what the tea party members oppose.

Adam Putnam unhappy with BP oil spill response
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Nearly 15 months after the massive BP oil spill blighted the Gulf of Mexico and beaches across the Southeast, Florida's top agriculture official said Monday that an untold number of residents whose livelihoods were disrupted have not been compensated.

A trade-off with benefits
Editorial
Miami Herald
The Obama administration already has set a quicker pace for putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, vehicles that go farther on a gallon of gas, emit fewer pollutants and reduce how often drivers have to tank up.

The enemies of clean water
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
U.S. Rep. John Mica, the Winter Park Republican whose district hugs the east coast of Florida and stretches from near Jacksonville to the Orlando area, should appreciate the benefits of clean water.

EDUCATION

Be wary over Rick Scott’s push for charter schools
By Mark Woods
Florida Times-Union
As one of his first acts as governor, Rick Scott visited a charter school in South Florida, pointing to it as a prime example of what we need more of: a public school, funded with taxes but run by a private, for-profit company.

New Florida education commissioner to headline event with Michelle Rhee
By Ron Matus
St. Petersburg Times
In one of his first public appearances as Florida's new education commissioner, Gerard Robinson will headline an event sponsored by a pro-voucher group along with former Washington D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee.

States Keep Pushing For Tougher Teacher Policies
By Liana Heiten
Education Week
As the majority of legislative sessions around the country come to a close, many states will finish the season having pushed through policy changes that are likely to have a notable impact on teachers.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

What unemployment numbers mean for minorities, women
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The situation of women, blacks and Hispanic workers who are employed, unemployed or looking for jobs in the U.S. merits a closer look.

Uncle Sam Closing His Wallet
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
One out of every five dollars of personal income in Florida comes from government programs, and by years end many of those programs will be scaled back.

Feds give money to project vetoed by the governor
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
Monday, The U-S Department of Agriculture gave Florida citrus growers 11-million dollars for citrus disease research over the next four years.

St. Johns water district announces deep cutbacks
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
The St. Johns River Water Management District unveiled deep cuts in its staff and operations Tuesday in response to a new state law that imposed large budget reductions on Florida's five water-policy agencies.

Water managers' 29 percent tax-rate cut means $27 tax savings on $200,000 home
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
With buy-outs behind them and layoffs looming, the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District will continue efforts to comply with a new budget-slashing law by lowering its property tax rate by 29 percent.

SunRail groundbreaking set for Monday
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will come to Orlando on Monday for what essentially will be the groundbreaking for the SunRail commuter train.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida rejects funding to keep seniors out of nursing homes
By Scott Selis
Daytona Beach News-Journal
A small group of Florida's lawmakers has proven that politics are more important than giving the elderly broader health care choices.

Florida seniors say "Hands Off" Medicare
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
A Florida senior advocacy group is saying "hands off" Medicare as Congress continues budget talks in the run-up to August.

Florida Family Policy Council president: We are at the ‘beginning of the end’ of abortion
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
In a newly published statement, John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, writes that increases in anti-abortion legislation, anti-abortion campaigns targeting minorities, sidewalk counseling and crisis pregnancy centers, combined with attacks on Planned Parenthood, are all evidence of the “beginning of the end” of abortion rights in the U.S.

Florida physicians seeking block on gun gag law
Associated Press
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Organizations representing thousands of Florida doctors are asking a Miami federal judge to block a new state law restricting what physicians can discuss about firearms with patients.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

No common ground for Dyer, Food Not Bombs activists
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
With arrests at Lake Eola Park continuing to draw international attention, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer might have finally found a problem he can't solve.

Judge Requires Greater Openness About Secure Communities
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
You have to wonder how many more hits that the federal immigration enforcement program Secure Communities can absorb.

Crops rot as Georgia feels effects of immigration law
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
In Georgia, crops are rotting in the fields because migrant workers aren't there to pick them.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Harry Sargeant civil case reads like a spy novel
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Harry Sargeant, a one-time Republican political player snared in controversies over a corruption probe and pricey war-time oil shipments, took the witness stand Tuesday in a contract dispute that reads more like a spy novel.

Daily Clips for July 12, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Readers think President Haridopolos should pay back the $152,000 he received for his book
Staff Report
Florida Current
Excerpt: The progressive nonprofit organization Progress Florida recently called for Haridopolos to pay back the money he earned from his book deal -- creating a petition urging him to do so. This past week's Current poll asked readers what Haridopolos should do. A majority of readers (63 percent) agreed with Progress Florida and said that Haridopolos should pay back the money.

FEATURED STORIES

Scott smiles at chump change from oil spill wrongdoers
By Steve Yerrid
St. Petersburg Times
For all the criticisms of former Gov. Charlie Crist, no one can attack how he handled the BP oil spill.

Offshore drilling issue rears its ugly head again
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
Once more into the breech: The battle over oil and gas drilling in Florida state waters looks like a war of attrition.

Connecting the pay-to-play dots on RPOF's $3.4 million quarter
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
It's no a secret that in this high voltage political finance season of Super-PACs, no limit CCEs and the death of campaign finance limits that if you want the attention of the state's political elites, you write a check.

Ex-US Rep Grayson to run for Congress again
By David Fischer
Associated Press
Ex-U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, who made a name for himself in his one term in Congress with a provocative floor speech attacking the Republican health care plan, said Monday that he will run for Congress again.

Supporters, critics debate process for Florida redistricting plan
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
The baseline arguments for and against the way the Legislature is handling the once-a-decade task of redrawing political lines were on full display during a set of public hearings Monday in Jacksonville.

Publicopoly Exposed
By Beau Hodai
In These Times
On February 25, 2011, Florida State Representative Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary) introduced HB 1021.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Medicare fraud investigators were directed to Rick Scott’s Solantic during his campaign, records show
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
During the height of the 2010 GOP gubernatorial race, a lawyer for then-Attorney General Bill McCollum’s campaign forwarded an incendiary email to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concerning the Solantic urgent care business owned by candidate Rick Scott.

Rick Scott's dirtiest deeds
By Lisa Rab
Miami New Times
"I've seen the mountaintop!" shouted a woman blowing a whistle and marching in combat-style boots down Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.

Rick Scott’s consultants reeling in big checks from RPOF
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
The political pollsters, consultants, and direct-mail gurus that entered Rick Scott’s campaign orbit last year are reaping the biggest payouts from Republican Party of Florida coffers this year.

Republican Party will try to settle whistleblower lawsuit
By Gary Fineout
Florida Current
The Republican Party of Florida and a former office manager for the party have agreed to try to reach a settlement over a whistleblower lawsuit.

Jacksonville redistricting hearing brings out concerns and, again, a request for maps
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
“Show us the maps.” Much like attendees at Florida’s first public redistricting hearings in Tallahassee, speakers at yesterday’s hearing in Jacksonville argued that lawmakers need to edit their redistricting timeline and release maps soon, so that the public can comment on specific redistricting proposals.

Meek nominated for UN post
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Former Miami U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, who lost a Senate bid last fall to Republican Marco Rubio, was nominated Monday by President Obama to serve as a representative to the U.N. General Assembly.

POLITICAL RACES

Police reports show different side of Michele Bachmann
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
With a penchant for tough talk and polarizing positions, Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann is a magnet for controversy — and there's a trail of police reports to prove it.

LeMieux makes push in GOP Senate fundraising
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Republican U.S. Senate candidate George LeMieux on Monday became the last of the big three GOP challengers to Democrat Bill Nelson to tout his latest finance total - but he is claiming victory in the dollar race.

1.5 million reasons GOPers wanted Allen West for U.S. Senate
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Broward Republican/tea party sensation Allen West just blew away the fundraising totals in Florida of every major candidate, reporting he raised $1.5 million last quarter.

Val Demings, Alan Grayson plan to run for Congress
By Mark K. Matthews and Bianca Prieto
Orlando Sentinel
Recently retired Orlando police Chief Val Demings and former U.S. Rep Alan Grayson on Monday both announced plans to run for Congress in next year’s elections.

Mystery 'conservative' group fronts $426k of the $1.1 million collected by Fla Dem Party
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times
In the run up to the upset election in Jacksonville this spring, in which Democrat Alvin Brown defeated Republican Mike Hogan by about 1,500 votes, the Democratic Party collected $426,000 from a political action committee carefully called "Conservatives for a Better Jacksonville."

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Senate to study whether environmental panel still needed
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A Senate committee is going to study the state Environmental Regulation Commission to determine whether the five-member panel still is needed.

Nelson blasts BP for saying that economic losses caused by oil spill are over
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Monday criticized BP for saying it should not have to pay claims by businesses and individuals who say the 2010 Gulf oil spill still is causing economic losses or will cause losses in the future.

A fear still flows one year after the BP oil spill
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
It was nearing sunset on a muggy night when Debra Bosarge arrived at the State Docks, her daughter, Celia, buckled into the passenger seat.

As water rises, Florida officials sit on their hands
By Kathy Baughman McLeod
St. Petersburg Times
How is it that the government of Florida — the state most vulnerable to rising seas, most exposed to hurricanes, and highly reliant on tourism and agriculture as its economic drivers — is doing nothing to address climate change?

What’s next for privatized camping in state parks?
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced over the weekend that plans to privatize portions of Honeymoon Island State Park to turn them into high-impact campsites have been scrapped.

Governor gets message on Honeymoon Island, loud and clear
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott made the right decision Friday night by dropping a wrongheaded plan to allow overnight camping on Honeymoon Island.

Don't erode nation's national monuments
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
It's difficult to believe, but Congress initially refused to protect the Grand Canyon.

LGBT

9th Circuit orders U.S. to state whether government will continue to defend DADT in court
By Julie Watson
Associated Press
A federal appeals court that has called for the immediate halt of the military's ban on openly gay troops issued an order Monday requiring the U.S. government to state whether it will continue to defend the constitutionality of the policy in court.

EDUCATION

Palm Beach County schools expect bigger budget problems a year from now
By Marc Freeman
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Now that most of the hard work is done for the 2011-12 Palm Beach County schools' budget, officials are looking ahead to 2012-13.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

The GOP’s Debt Ceiling Debacle
By Tanya Somanader
Think Progress
The deadline to raise the debt ceiling is fast approaching. Come Aug. 2, the U.S. economy could face drastic budget cuts, a 2.3 percent drop in GDP, a disruption of Social Security, Medicare and military payments, a “double-dip contraction” in an already fragile housing market, a plummeting credit score, an increase in unemployment, and an overall economic regression if a debt deal isn’t reached.

Field workers get stiffed by employers
By Melissa Sanchez
Miami Herald
During the March green bean harvest, a team of 16 federal investigators visited dozens of farms and packing sheds in Homestead and Florida City to see whether workers were being paid the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Art in Public Places
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
Art may be on the chopping block to help fill the budget deficits in some Florida cities and counties.

Ideology holds nation hostage
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
President Barack Obama presented a sensible argument Monday for turning a crisis over the federal debt ceiling into an opportunity for significant deficit reduction.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Feds: If Fla. won't run health insurance exchanges, we may
By Frank Gluck
Ft. Myers News-Press
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday unveiled preliminary regulations for health insurance exchanges aimed at giving states flexibility in setting them up.

Report: Systems to catch Medicaid fraud inadequate
By Kelli Kennedy
Associated Press
The federal government's systems for analyzing Medicare and Medicaid data for possible fraud are inadequate and underused, making it more difficult to detect the billions of dollars in fraudulent claims paid out each year, according to a report released Tuesday.

Group says ‘abortionists’ use a lack of a parental notification law as ‘selling point’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee last week spoke out in support of a new abortion bill filed by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami.

Elton John AIDS Foundation once again urges Scott not to cut AIDS Drug Assistance eligibility
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The Elton John AIDS Foundation delivered a second letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott today, expressing the foundation’s concern over the Scott administration’s continued consideration over reducing eligibility for Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

State Rep. Pat Rooney unfazed by Westboro's planned protest at St. Lucie soldier's funeral
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
State Rep. Pat Rooney, R-Palm Beach Gardens, said Monday that an anti-gay, religious organization's planned protest at a St. Lucie County soldier's memorial service has not led him to reconsider legislation he has filed creating a buffer around military funerals.

Mandatory E-Verify opponents say it must be part of comprehensive immigration reform
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Mandatory E-Verify opponents do not propose eliminating an employee verification program, but say businesses need one that works well for employers — especially small companies — and workers.

Hackers target Catholic Diocese, civic group
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Computer hackers on Monday took down websites for the Catholic Diocese of Orlando and the Rotary Club as part of their ongoing effort to pressure City Hall to stop arresting anti-poverty activists for distributing food at Lake Eola Park.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida police groups adopt standards for eyewitness ID
By Susan Spencer-Wendel
Palm Beach Post
It remains far and away the leading cause of wrongful convictions: eyewitness identification.

Juvenile dies while in detention at West Palm Beach state facility
By Michael LaForgia and Julius Whigham II
Palm Beach Post
Authorities are investigating the death of a juvenile who died on Sunday while in custody at a West Palm Beach detention center.