Daily Clips for February 21, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS New Fla. Senate president pushes conservative plan By Brent Kallestad Associated Press Excerpt: “Progress Florida" has created a Website http://www.Dirtyhari.org that it claims exposes the lawmaker's "lack of judgment and apparent absence of scruples." FEATURED STORIES Fla. threatens to shred 2012 calendar By Alexander Burns Politico A deepening standoff between national Republicans and top party leaders in Florida has the potential to blow up the 2012 presidential primary calendar — and do lasting damage to the GOP in the nation’s largest swing state. Gov. Rick Scott, still skeptical on high-speed rail, gives backers some hope By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Related: Federal officials balk at scaled-back plan for Florida high-speed rail High-speed rail backers got a sliver of hope from Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Sunday after he said he would be willing to look at a plan that alleviates financial risk to the state. Mike Haridopolos flip-flops, sides with Gov. Rick Scott on rejecting rail dollars By Marc Caputo and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Related PolitiFact article: Mike Haridopolos breaks silence on high-speed rail, then switches position In a nod to tea party power, Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos reversed course on a majority of state senators and his own voting record Friday by saying he supports Gov. Rick Scott's decision to refuse $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail money. Scott already headed to a showdown with Legislature? By Gary Fineout The Fine Print The final year of Gov. Charlie Crist's term was one that featured a running series of skirmishes between Crist and the GOP-controlled Legislature. Cuts in Education Could Lead to 20,000 Layoffs By Lloyd Dunkelberger Lakeland Ledger While promising to create a world-class education system, Gov. Rick Scott has simultaneously proposed the deepest cuts for Florida public schools by any governor in recent history. Scientist Finds Bottom Of Gulf Still Oily, Dead By Seth Borenstein Associated Press Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a top scientist's video and slides that she says demonstrate the oil isn't degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Andy Marlette Pensacola News-Journal FLORIDA POLITICS U.S. Rep. David Rivera's consultant collected $817,000 in fees since 2006 By Scott Hiaasen, Patricia Mazzei and Marc Caputo Miami Herald Before launching his bid for Congress last year, David Rivera embarked on a record-breaking campaign for state Senate, amassing more than $1 million in donations some eight months before Election Day. Scott looks to Texas, but both states have problems By William March Tampa Tribune If Florida Gov. Rick Scott has an idol, it's probably Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Scott: Cut Florida's taxes, fees, regulations -- and jobs will follow By Kevin Turner Florida Times-Union Gov. Rick Scott got to work Friday in St. Augustine promoting his proposed budget and plans to bring jobs to Florida by slashing business taxes, property taxes and state regulations on developers, manufacturers and other businesses. Gov. Rick Scott denies first contract By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau With state lawmakers debating putting Medicaid patients into managed care programs, Gov. Rick Scott canceled this week an $18 million Medicaid contract between MedSolutions and the Agency for Health Care Administration for outpatient imaging services. Scott unwittingly empowers the press By Antonio Fins South Florida Sun-Sentinel Thank you, Gov. Scott. Thanks for making me, and my colleagues, relevant. In just weeks, Scott makes state cry uncle By Daniel Ruth St. Petersburg Times Perhaps a brief review is in order. Redistricting process more complicated than just moving boundaries By Morris News Service St. Augustine Record Even as some lawmakers begin to start work on the once-a-decade chore of redrawing the state's political boundaries, the politically contentious redistricting process is surrounded by more questions than usual. Rubio, West taking different exposure strategies By George Bennett Palm Beach Post Marco Rubio has gone underground. Lobbying income dipped nearly 4 percent last year By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune It turns out that lobbying in Tallahassee may not be recession proof after all. Let lobbyists feed us again, says state Sen. Dennis Jones By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times It takes a strong politician to admit a mistake. Gov. Rick Scott's honeymoon period is coming to an end Editorial Tampa Tribune And so it begins. Gov. Rick Scott's term as governor is off to a shaky start. Tearing Down Tallahassee: The Governor Who Couldn't Editorial Lakeland Ledger One has to wonder why Rick Scott ran for governor when he wants so little to do with governance. POLITICAL RACES Haridopolos leads state Senate with eye on Washington seat Associated Press Tampa Tribune New Senate President Mike Haridopolos is friendly, polite and politically ambitious — along the lines of Charlie Crist, albeit distinctly more conservative than the former Republican governor. Maverick Connie Mack keeps GOP Senate field waiting on 2012 run By Adam C. Smith and Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times Connie Mack IV is blessed with a golden political name that would make him an instant Republican front-runner against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. Early voting begins Monday for Florida Senate race By Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald Monday marks the beginning of the end in the race to determine U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson’s successor in the Florida Senate. Tampa mayor's race is up for grabs, poll suggests By Richard Danielson and Colleen Jenkins St. Petersburg Times Former Mayor Dick Greco has a narrow lead in his quest to win a fifth term as Tampa's mayor, but nearly a third of voters are undecided, according to a St. Petersburg Times-Bay News 9 poll. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY U.S. House budget vote threatens Florida clean-water rule By Steve Patterson Florida Times-Union The U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget bill early Saturday that would stop the federal government from enforcing new clean-water rules affecting the St. Johns River and other Florida rivers and lakes. EPA regional chief, responding to critics, says pollution prevention is good investment By Bruce Ritchie FloridaEnvironments.com U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming said Friday that investing in clean water is better than paying more to clean up dirty water and fight harmful algal blooms. Everglades refuge plan in Central Florida draws fierce opposition By Craig Pittman St. Petersburg Times A proposal to create a new wildlife refuge in the headwaters of the Everglades has sparked a strong backlash against what opponents are calling "another government land grab." BP claims administrator promises to do better By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News Two hours of contentious questioning by Florida lawmakers — interrupted by a group of hotel-owners loudly leaving the meeting — ended with Kenneth Feinberg promising to do better compensating losses from last year's Gulf oil spill. EDUCATION With eye on Wisconsin, Florida teachers planning similar rallies in Tallahassee By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times Opposition is heating up statewide as the Florida Legislature closes in on monumental changes to the teaching profession. Digital learning: The future is now, but change is slow By Leslie Postal and Denise-Marie Balona Orlando Sentinel The students at Orlando's Audubon Park Elementary School finished a math worksheet and started that long-standing third-grade tradition: the timed multiplication test. Michelle Rhee right about per-pupil spending, wrong about student performance By Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact Florida legislators recently fawned over former Washington, D.C., public school chancellor Michelle Rhee as she addressed House and Senate members. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Scott now has to deliver on job growth By Mitch Stacy Associated Press Rick Scott successfully ran for governor as the jobs candidate, selling the voters a mostly vague plan to create 700,000 new ones in the next seven years. Scott would take 'trust' out of trust funds By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Gov. Rick Scott's budget-balancing plan to redirect $8.5 billion from 124 trust funds into the state's general-revenue checkbook could hold broader long-term implications for the state's environment, work-force housing and scores of services, ranging from restaurant inspection to professional licensing. Florida gets a few more jobs, but their salaries are lower By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Everybody knows Florida isn't creating enough jobs to dent its double-digit unemployment. FL Needs Job Diversity in Post-Spill Economy By Glen Gardner Public News Service Florida The BP oil spill may have been the wake-up call that pushes the Gulf Coast region to become more economically diverse. For some Florida officials, part-time duties but full-time benefits By Megan O'Matz South Florida Sun-Sentinel An obscure local agency that regulates drainage and maintains small canals over 45 square miles of southwestern Broward County gives its six elected commissioners a modest payment for their service: $400 per month. Foreclosure mediators: Banks pushed us to fail By Kimberly Miller Palm Beach Post Florida's Supreme Court sought a foreclosure lifeline in forcing banks and borrowers to mediation. HEALTH AND SENIORS Lobbying group picks up costs of Florida's health-care legal challenge By Charles Elmore Palm Beach Post Florida has paid less than $6,000 for its landmark challenge to President Obama's health care law largely because a business lobbying group is picking up an undisclosed share of the remaining legal costs. House votes to block all funding to Planned Parenthood By Sofia Resnick Florida Independent The House voted Friday to block federal funding to Planned Parenthood, passing the measure 240 to 185. Sebelius reacts to Gov. Rick Scott's Medicaid, drug monitoring cuts By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times Florida Gov. Rick Scott's daily attacks on the Barack Obama administration aren't winning him any friends in the White House, but Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at least sounds like she wants to be helpful to Scott's efforts to cut Medicaid expenses. Doctors and health care providers divided over Medicaid overhaul By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune The day after the Florida Senate unveiled a 202 page rewrite of Florida's $22 billion Medicaid system, providers still are reading through the thick bill to determine how they are affected. Thrasher's bill would limit awards under medical malpractice lawsuits By Matt Dixon Florida Times-Union A bill filed by state Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, would save the University of Florida's Shands teaching hospitals in Jacksonville and Gainesville millions each year by capping the amount an injured patient could win in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Big, troubled DCF in hot seat again By Ana M. Valdes Palm Beach Post There's an intricate set of guidelines every child protective investigator at the Department of Children and Families must follow each time an abuse or neglect allegation is reported. Report card ranks Florida near the bottom in access to health care for children Editorial TC Palm A recently released report ranks Florida among the worst states in the nation in health services for children. Scott wrong on pill-mill law Editorial Tampa Tribune Seven people die each day in Florida because of prescription drug overdoses. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Power struggle over courts could result in more control for Florida Legislature By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Stepping up a power struggle between Florida's courts and the GOP-controlled Legislature, the Florida House has unveiled this week two measures that would sharply curtail the ability of the state's high courts to set rules for the state's courtrooms. Florida won’t pay for injustice By Fred Grimm Miami Herald All this talk about compensation for wrongful convictions. Not in Florida. Not for the likes of Anthony Caravella.

Daily Clips for February 17, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS Rick Scott Rejects Stimulus Money for High-Speed Rail By Kenric Ward Sunshine State News Excerpt: Progress Florida said Scott's decision was driven by a desire "to make President Obama look bad." FEATURED STORIES Florida Governor Rejects Tampa-Orlando High-Speed Rail Line By Timothy Williams New York Times Gov. Rick Scott of Florida on Wednesday rejected plans for a high-speed rail line linking Tampa and Orlando, in the process turning down $2 billion in federal funds and thwarting a critical piece of President Obama’s goal of building a national high-speed rail network. Train wreck of a governor Editorial St. Petersburg Times Gov. Rick Scott rashly acted in his own political interests and sacrificed the best interests of Florida Wednesday by rejecting federal money for a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando. State Senate unveils pension reform plan By Mary Ellen Klas St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Two new Senate bills would require state and local governments to close their traditional retirement plans to new hires, enroll all employees in 401(k)-style plans and limit retirement options. Scott's health insurance proposal would hit state workers' wallets hard By Paul Flemming Florida Capital News State employees — seven years without a general pay raise, layoffs looming and a separate proposal to require them to pay 5 percent of their salaries into pensions — also face the possibility of a massive change to their health benefits. FLORIDA POLITICS Gov. Rick Scott rejects funding for high-speed rail By Janet Zink St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Related: As Florida says no, other states scramble for high-speed rail money Related: Reaction to Gov. Rick Scott's decision to reject rail money Never mind that the federal government was willing to pay nearly all the cost to build a high-speed rail line connecting Tampa to Orlando. Lawmakers seek way around Scott's rail decision By Ted Jackovics Tampa Tribune Related: Tampa leaders: Scott's rejection hurts area's recovery Gov. Rick Scott's rejection of $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail funds stunned elected officials of both major parties Wednesday, prompting them to seek a statutory end-run on the governor's decision. Spread the nitrogen and pass the ammo By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times The law of our state currently says that each local government in Florida can adopt its own rules about the topic of…fertilizer. Rooney leads vote to defy Boehner, cancel fighter engine contract By George Bennett Palm Beach Post With an odd alliance between tea party Republicans and the Obama administration, the U.S. House today defied Speaker John Boehner and voted for an amendment by Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, to cancel a $3 billion alternate fighter jet engine program. Congressional pay raises in sights of Buchanan, others By Rob Hotakainen and Lesley Clark Bradenton Herald Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state says it’s time to end the practice of giving automatic pay raises to members of Congress, who currently earn a minimum of $174,000 per year. POLITICAL RACES Rubio backs early Florida primary By Alexander Burns Politico Defenders of Florida's early primary date have a new ally with some serious clout: Marco Rubio. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says he'll decide on presidential run within six weeks By Michael C. Bender St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a likely Republican presidential candidate in 2012, urged Florida lawmakers on Wednesday to approve a bill to make it easier to fire public school teachers. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Poll shows Floridians don't want to pay for new water quality standards By Bruce Ritchie Florida Tribune With Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard possibly meeting this week with federal environmental officials, a new poll released Wednesday shows Floridians may not have an appetite for paying the cost of new federal water quality standards. EDUCATION Florida House unveils its teacher quality bill By Jeff Solochek St. Petersburg Times The Florida Senate is no longer the only game in Tallahassee in the state's ongoing debate about teacher contracts, evaluations and pay. Florida teacher salaries fall to No. 37, and appear to be sinking fast By Ron Matus St. Petersburg Times Florida teacher salaries continue to fall relative to other states. Senator wants school funding formula scrutinized By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune A South Florida senator wants to revive the battle over the state's complicated school funding formula. Florida looks at taking school textbooks completely digital by 2015 By Marlene Sokol and Jeffrey Solochek St. Petersburg Times Get ready to say goodbye to bulky books. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY Change to veterans' nursing homes would eliminate roughly 1,000 jobs By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune One thousand state jobs would be eliminated under a move pushed by Gov. Rick Scott to create a public nursing home corporation for Florida veterans. Florida’s Insurance Sinkhole: No Hurricanes, 30 Percent Rate Hike By Ralph De La Cruz Florida Center for Investigative Reporting If these folks were my neighbors, I’d be calling the police. Welcome back: Florida tourism rebounds By Kevin McQuaid Sarasota Herald-Tribune Bolstered by gradual economic recovery and new attractions, tourism rebounded in Florida last year by 2.1 percent, the state's visitor agency reported Wednesday. HEALTH AND SENIORS State workers, get ready By Jim Saunders Health News Florida State employees have always described it as a trade-off: They work for lower pay than private-sector workers in return for good benefits -- including a generous health-insurance plan. Speaker calls suggestion that Florida drop out of Medicaid a "hazardous threat" By Christine Jordan Sexton Florida Tribune House Speaker Dean Cannon reacted warily to a suggestion from Senate Republicans that Florida may drop out of Medicaid, calling it a "hazardous threat" that could jeopardize negotiations with the federal government. Florida lawmakers want to penalize Medicaid recipients for not making healthy choices By Travis Pillow Florida Independent If you’re in Florida, and you’re on Medicaid, and you’re a smoker, now might be a good time to consider quitting. Governor Scott Ignites Battle Over Pill Mill Legislation By Dennis Maley Bradenton Times Governor Scott made waves this week when he proposed scrapping the state's prescription drug monitoring program, which was approved in 2009, while implementation has been delayed by a bid dispute currently before a judge in an administrative hearing. Pro-choice advocates say Trujillo bill threatens to “chip away” at Roe v. Wade By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent House bill 321, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, filed yesterday by state Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, represents the first time the Florida legislature has filed a bill to restrict abortion beyond 20 weeks. The Right's War On Women The Progress Report Think Progress Yesterday on the House floor, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) blasted the Republican "anti-woman, anti-child agenda." JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Appellate court says prosecutor can stay on Sansom case By Tom McLaughlin Northwest Florida Daily News An appellate court has upheld a judge’s ruling allowing State Attorney Willie Meggs to remain as prosecutor in the criminal case against Ray Sansom, Bob Richburg and Jay Odom.