Daily Clips for January 6, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

Bowing to pressure, Florida Republican Party chair Jim Greer steps down

By Adam C. Smith and Beth Reinhard

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Days before Republican activists planned to vote state GOP chairman Jim Greer out of office, he bowed to their pressure Tuesday and resigned suddenly in a blow to Gov. Charlie Crist who had picked Greer for the post and stood squarely behind him to the end.

Power-broker Thrasher is anointed choice to lead Florida GOP

By John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

State Sen. John Thrasher likes to call himself a "poor country lawyer from Clay County." And every time he says it, the line brings a good laugh.

Rothstein to plead guilty

By Amy Sherman and Jay Weaver

Miami Herald

Accused Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein will soon plead guilty to running a $1-billion-plus investment racket that could send him to prison for 30 years to life.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Florida GOP chairman Greer resigns in effort to reunite party

By Bill Cotterell and Jim Ash

Tallahassee Democrat

Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer announced his resignation Tuesday amid a rebellion stretching from the conservative grassroots to the top ranks of the state GOP.

Florida GOP chair resigns amid infighting over his style and party direction

By Michael C. Bender and Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist's handpicked state party chairman resigned Tuesday under pressure from conservative activists and top campaign fundraisers.

John Thrasher to seek Florida GOP chairmanship

By Brandon Larrabee and David Hunt

Florida Times-Union

State Sen. John Thrasher, who just months ago defeated a group of hardline conservatives in a nasty campaign to return to the state Legislature, said he's confident he can repair Florida's beleaguered Republican Party as its next chairman.

Sen Thrasher poised to lead Fla. GOP

By Jim Saunders

Daytona Beach News-Journal

Local lawmaker John Thrasher emerged Tuesday as the front-runner to become chairman of the Florida Republican Party, after embattled GOP leader Jim Greer announced his resignation.

Bay GOP head won't support sitting senator for party chair

By Matt Dixon

Panama City News Herald

In the wake of Jim Greer stepping down as GOP party chair the universal sentiment has been that the presumed next-in-line, state Sen. John Thrasher, is a good choice. Well, almost.

Crist's political reputation comes full circle in Year 4

By Mark Lane

Daytona Beach News-Journal

This is the first week of Gov. Charlie Crist's last year as governor. A good time to review the swings his political reputation has taken.

Gov. Crist won't order misconduct inquiry on disaster planning chief

By Shannon Colavecchio

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

Gov. Charlie Crist said he won't order an investigation into allegations of misconduct and misspending that resulted in the forced resignation earlier this week of Florida's disaster planning chief.

POLITICAL RACES

Ocala's Kelly to run against Grayson

By Bill Thompson

Ocala Star-Banner

State Rep. Kurt Kelly ended speculation on Tuesday about whether the Republicans could find a name challenger in their attempt to unseat controversial Congressman Alan Grayson.

Gaetz takes heat for endorsement of Evers

By Tom McLaughlin

Panama City News Herald

State Sen. Don Gaetz's decision to name Greg Evers as his choice to join him in the Florida Legislature's upper chamber in 2010 has been greeted with some skepticism.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

FPL is accused of not sharing its tax break

By Mary Ellen Klas

Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau

The Florida Public Service Commission said Tuesday it is looking into anonymous allegations that Florida Power & Light's parent company took an estimated $1 billion in tax credits -- and didn't pass the savings on to customers.

New leader of PSC to take on FPL's requested $1.2B rate hike

By Dara Kam

Palm Beach Post

Public Service Commission Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano, who earned a reputation as a maverick lawmaker unwilling to cede to leaders' demands, took over as head of the regulatory panel today in advance of a decision on Florida Power & Light Co.'s requested $1.2 billion-a-year rate hike.

3 states in water wars ask for confidentiality

The Associated Press

Tampa Tribune

Georgia, Alabama and Florida have asked a judge to keep their negotiations in the long-running regional legal fight over water rights confidential.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Fla. governor signs emergency order for cold

The Associated Press

Florida Today

Florida's governor has signed an emergency order to deal with the cold weather threatening the state's agricultural industry.

Powerball is a hit, but overall lottery sales down $300 million

By Lee Logan

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Since the multistate lottery game Powerball arrived in Florida a year ago, people have bought more than $430 million in tickets. But even that couldn't stop overall lottery revenue in 2009 from dropping 3 percent compared with the year before.

Can Tampa sustain a more international airport?

By Ted Jackovics

Tampa Tribune

Despite Sun Belt and Rust Belt identities shaped a thousand miles apart, Tampa and Pittsburgh have similarities forged by a working-class heritage, a passion for sports that binds their regions and a quest to enhance their economies.

EDUCATION

Is Florida committed to education?

Editorial

Leesburg Daily Commercial

Here's one of those bad news, good news situations.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Miami-Dade clinic owner held on Medicare fraud charges

By Jay Weaver

Miami Herald

The Miami-Dade man hasn't held a steady job in more than a decade.

Red tape hinders DCF services

By Janine Zeitlin

Ft. Myers News-Press

An almost $500 million Department of Children and Families contract that would cover Southwest Florida has stalled as concerns are raised that the process has been muddied.

H1N1 response shows need for better medical emergency plans

By Bob Graham and Jim Talent

Washington Post

For generations, the United States has neglected to nurture the technologies and systems needed to respond to emergencies related to disease.

Daily clips for January 5, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

More GOP lawmakers want Greer out as boss

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Nine former legislative leaders whose service spans the Florida Republican Party's rise to power bluntly demanded GOP Chairman Jim Greer's resignation Monday.

Prosecutor plans revamped Sansom criminal case

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

A state prosecutor said Monday that he is convinced Rep. Ray Sansom misused tax dollars and will continue to press the criminal case against him.

With billions at stake, U.S. Census wants you to count

By Kevin Wiatrowski

Tampa Tribune

With 2009 drawn to a close, the U.S. Census Bureau is gearing up for its big day: April 1.

FLORIDA POLITICS

As pressure builds, Greer says Florida GOP raised $4.5 million

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

As pressure builds for him to step down as chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer announced Monday that the party raised a hefty $4.5 million in the final three months of 2009.

The man behind RedState.com shakes up the Republican Party

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

Between pecks at his laptop, Macon City Council member Erick Erickson ticked off some of his goals for the new year.

Fla. emergency management director resigns

By Brendan Farrington

The Associated Press

Florida's top emergency management official resigned Monday against his will, saying an investigation into allegations made against him would have found he did nothing wrong.

Florida lawmakers consider bill to make DUI arrest easier

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

As the time of the year when motorists have a reputation for being more likely to drive drunk passes, a pair of Northeast Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it easier for police to make a DUI arrest without a warrant.

2010's Dead Floridian Walking is...

By Mike Thomas

Orlando Sentinel

The ballots are in for the 2010 Dead Floridian Walking award, bestowed on the politician set up to take the biggest fall in 2010.

POLITICAL RACES

Critics take aim at GOP endorsement of Evers

By Tom McLaughlin

Northwest Florida Daily News

State Sen. Don Gaetz's decision to name Greg Evers as his choice to join him in the Florida Legislature's upper chamber in 2010 has been greeted with some skepticism.

State House candidate runs on former name

By William March

Tampa Tribune

Is she Janet Cruz or Janet Rifkin? Or maybe Janet Gonzalez?

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Promises of jobs, revenues from offshore drilling just don't add up

By Scott Maddox

TC Palm

I am strongly opposed to allowing near-shore drilling for oil off Florida's coast. In coming to this conclusion, I considered several questions.

U.S. Sugar shareholder suit ends in $15.9M settlement

By Paul Quinlan

Palm Beach Post

If there was any doubt that U.S. Sugar Corp. was worth as much as its brass claimed, those doubts dissipated in June 2008 when Gov. Charlie Crist unveiled his extraordinary, $1.75 billion bid to buy the company and its land to restore the Everglades.

DEP says incineration, innovation can help reach 75-percent recycling goal

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Florida can increase its recycling rate to 75 percent within 10 years by requiring more recycling at construction-waste landfills, implementing innovative new programs to reduce waste disposal and by counting waste-burning as recycling, according to a state report issued today.

Florida report wants deposits on bottles, business recycling

By Steve Patterson

Florida Times-Union

Dime deposits on reusable bottles and extra fees on tires, light bulbs and landfill dumping should all be on the table to meet Florida lawmakers' goal of recycling more trash, a state agency report released Monday says.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Steep rise in jobless tax hitting Florida businesses

By Lloyd Dunkelberger

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Florida businesses are being hit by a sharp increase in unemployment compensation taxes coming due just as many of them are struggling to emerge from the Great Recession.

Fla. population shrinking or expanding? Not even movers or demographers agree on stats

By Duane Marsteller

Bradenton Herald

Are more people moving out of Florida than moving in from other states?

EDUCATION

Path to diploma gets tougher

By Joe Callahan

Ocala Star-Banner

The bar students must reach to graduate high school just got higher -- especially for those who struggle in reading.

Stimulus money sends youth back to school

By Grace Gagliano

Bradenton Herald

A Manatee County educational organization has received more than $200,000 in stimulus funds to send out-of-school youth back to the classroom.

Five Florida colleges are praised for their value

Staff Report

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Five Florida colleges, including Sarasota's New College, have been named as providing the best educational values in the country by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Lawmakers Aggressively Tackle Healthcare Fraud

By Amy Keller

Florida Trend

When George LeMieux, Florida's new senator, was setting up house in Washington, D.C., recently, he went to Best Buy to pick up a television.

Medicaid Class-Action Lawsuit Resumes in Miami (audio story)

By Margie Menzel

WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee

Back underway in Miami Tuesday: a class-action lawsuit that claims Florida is violating federal Medicaid requirements by providing inadequate care to hundreds of thousands of children.

Tests find antibiotic, other contaminants in Tampa's drinking water

By Christian M. Wade

Tampa Tribune

The tap water that Tampa residents consume is contaminated with low levels of antibiotics, nicotine byproducts and a chemical used to produce firefighting foams.

State of sabotage

Editorial

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

You didn't expect the health-care industry to let reform succeed without a fight, did you?

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Prosecutors frustrated by outrageous law

By Fred Grimm

Miami Herald

John Timoney's concerns about Florida's ``stand your ground'' law in 2005 sound like prophecy in 2010.

Daily clips for January 4, 2010

FEATURED STORIES

For Gov. Charlie Crist, a battered image and uncertain future

By Steve Bousquet and Marc Caputo

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Charlie Crist's final year as governor begins like no other: with perilous poll numbers, his optimism worn thin and his shell of political Teflon deeply scratched.

Polls suggest Crist needs to win back conservatives in Senate race

By Josh Hafenbrack

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

After years of enviable approval ratings and bipartisan accolades, Gov. Charlie Crist discovered a political problem in 2009: He has no base.

McCollum, other GOP AGs criticize 'Nebraska Compromise'

By Catherine Whittenburg

Tampa Tribune

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has joined a dozen Republican AGs from other states in complaining to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about the extra love that Nebraska is getting in the Senate version of the health care reform bill pending in Congress.

Sansom's court battles could be nearing an end

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

A state appeals court today refused to reinstate a perjury and official-misconduct indictment against former House Speaker Ray Sansom, probably ending his criminal court troubles.

State budget pictures bleak as lawmakers head back

By Shannon McCaffrey

The Associated Press

If you thought state budgets were in bad shape last year, just wait: 2010 promises to be brutal for lawmakers - many facing re-election - as they scramble to find enough money to keep their states running without raising taxes.

Politics 2010: Economy, U.S. Senate race are major factors in Florida

By Michael Peltier

Naples News

Budget issues and insurance matters will hold center stage in a 2010 election year as the state continues to deal with tough budget times made more precarious by the inevitable exhaustion of federal stimulus dollars.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jim Morin

Miami Herald

FLORIDA POLITICS

2009's winner and loser could switch roles in 2010

By Adam C. Smith

St. Petersburg Times

Welcome to 2010, which stands to be the busiest and most unpredictable political year Florida has seen in decades.

Crist thrives amid down times in state

Steve Bousquet and Mary Ellen Klas

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Midway through his term, Gov. Charlie Crist finds his sunny optimism tested almost daily as his state slips deeper into the worst recession in modern times.

Greer faces more calls to resign

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

A dozen of the Florida Republican Party's top money men added their voices Wednesday to the rising chorus of GOP activists demanding party chairman Jim Greer's resignation.

Job creation: Top priority for state legislature is clear

By Mike Haridopolos and Dean Cannon

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

When the throngs gathered in Times Square to herald a New Year of hope, many Floridians were glad to close the books on 2009.

'Shadow warrior' Rep. Dean Cannon girds to cement power grip

By Aaron Deslatte

Orlando Sentinel

Dean Cannon was fresh out of law school and burned out on politics.

Wexler leaves Congress, pursues challenge of Middle East peace-making

By George Bennett

Palm Beach Post

Robert Wexler helped persuade skeptical Jewish voters to support Barack Obama in 2008.

Whig party leaders hope to offer voters more options

By Bill Thompson

Ocala Star-Banner

Not long ago Paul Truesdell had an epiphany: The number 3 is critical to how people, especially Americans, organize their lives.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer: 'We had a pretty good year' -- but foes disagree

By Mark Schlueb

Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer won't talk about it, but his dogged push for commuter rail and new sports and arts venues has cemented his legacy as the biggest builder to hold the office in decades.

POLITICAL RACES

Florida should give Obama another vote in the Senate

By Stephen Goldstein

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Florida Republicans and Democrats are in disarray. Whichever party unites by November will win the U.S. Senate seat once held by Mel Martinez.

State, local offices up for grabs this year

By Betty Parker

Ft. Myers News-Press

The new year promises plenty of campaign activity, not only for statewide contests where every state post offers an open race with no incumbent, but for local politics and elections as well.

First Coast political scene heats up in 2010

By David Hunt

Florida Times-Union

Campaigns for everything from school boards to the U.S. Senate will criss-cross Northeast Florida during a busy 2010, a year political insiders predict will be defined by tight financing and outraged voters.

Conservatives in Tea Party stir: A fight of the right, by the right and for the right

By George Bennett

Palm Beach Post

Conservative Tea Party activists hope to make a political mark in 2010, but an Orlando attorney's effort to run candidates under the "Tea Party" label in Florida is being met with suspicion and outright hostility by many in the movement.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Amendment 4 is the Floridians' Declaration of Independence

By Greg Gimbert

Destin Log

Florida voters should be on the lookout for the politicians and speculators who are ramping up their Founding Fathers spin against the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment.

Hometown Democracy showdown set for 2010

By Christian Conte

Jacksonville Business Journal

After years of behind-the-scenes battles, Amendment 4, also known as the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment, will be on the Florida ballot in November 2010.

State legislative districts to be redrawn in 2010

By Bill Cotterell

Pensacola News Journal

One big chore awaiting state legislators in 2010 is legislative redistricting.

State will redraw a meandering district

By Kimberly C. Moore

Florida Today

It takes Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Vero Beach, three hours to travel from his home to the north end of his Florida House District 29 near Mims and back.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Hill proposes Senate bill to help convicted civil rights protestors

By Brandon Larrabee

Florida Times-Union

A push to make it easier for civil rights protesters convicted under segregation-era laws to get their records wiped clean will continue in the 2010 legislative session.

Officer is fired after he joins the Ku Klux Klan

The Associated Press

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

An Alachua County Sheriff's Office corrections officer who acknowledged being a member of the Ku Klux Klan has been fired for belonging to a subversive or terrorist organization, a violation of the agency's code of ethics.

Florida National Guard to have largest deployment since WWII

By Timothy J. Gibbons

Florida Times-Union

The largest contingent of Florida National Guard soldiers to be deployed since World War II will head out of the state this week -- first to training in Texas, then to the battlefield.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Looking back on 2009, and ahead to 2010

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Here's a look at the Top 10 environmental stories from around Florida's Capitol in 2009 and a look at how those issues may play out in 2010.

Tragic year in Florida for panthers

By Bill Sargent

Florida Today

For the endangered Florida Panther, 2009 will be remembered as a tragic year for road kills that went down to the last day.

Court records reveal trouble at Turkey Point

By John Dorschner

Miami Herald

When Coleen Ware walked into Turkey Point, she was shocked to see that the indicators showing control rod positions looked like something out of an early '70s sci-fi movie.

Florida officials look at bag ban

By Jim Ash

Tallahassee Democrat

When he gets to the register, Drew Martin always has to explain.

New rules put fish off limits

By Jim Waymer

Florida Today

Starting this month, Florida fishermen no longer can keep red snapper or 11 species of shallow-water grouper from the Atlantic.

Species return as Kissimmee River restoration makes progress

By Kevin Spear

Orlando Sentinel

Biologist Lawrence Glenn knows how to sell the concept of spending $1 billion to bring the Kissimmee River and its wetlands back from the dead.

Sea grass plan doesn't cut it

Editorial

St. Petersburg Times

Boat propellers have sliced up underwater sea grass beds all around Florida, impairing the environment needed to nurture marine wildlife.

Seize the sunshine, save the environment

Editorial

Miami Herald

While the economic slump has had a negative effect on almost every aspect of life in South Florida, it has given our natural world a breather.

Near-Shore Oil Drilling: Deep-Sea Tech Wrong for Florida

Editorial

Lakeland Ledger

Floridians and their legislators have had many reasons to be skeptical since proposals surfaced rapidly to open near-shore waters to exploration and drilling for oil.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

The struggle to save citrus in Florida

By Tom Bayles

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Citrus growers are starting out the new decade in what many of them view as their final fight for survival.

While others believe the economy will improve, Floridians still wary

By Michael Peltier

Naples News

The new decade is upon us (though some may bicker on when it actually begins) and all indications are that things are going to get better.

State workers hung on in '09, and it could have been worse

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

It's been a fairly tough year for state employees.

'Space Caucus' vows to ease blow of shuttle layoffs

By Jim Ash

Tallahassee Democrat

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and members of the "Space Caucus" are vowing to cushion the blow of at least 3,500 layoffs when the shuttle fades into history as early as next year.

Seminole Casino operators, politicians hope agreement reached with state soon

By Steven Beardsley

Naples News

It's easy to forget that Seminole Casino Immokalee was once a modest bingo hall.

Foreclosure relief

Editorial

Miami Herald

Florida has yet to see its mortgage delinquency rate bottom out, with an estimated 456,000 home foreclosures still pending.

State needs honest fight for jobs

Editorial

Tampa Tribune

Florida's job loss is the state's biggest issue, and legislative leaders are right to put a better employment climate at the top of their agenda.

EDUCATION

School districts gear up to comply with class size amendment in 2010

By Katherine Albers and Leslie Williams Hale

Naples News

Related: Money again on the minds of school district administrators in 2010

Of all of the issues facing local school districts in 2010, no issue is more important than the class size amendment.

Bright Futures will make students pay for dropped classes

By Scott Travis

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Many college students are receiving an unwelcome surprise during their holiday break: a bill for classes they didn't finish.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

13 state AGs threaten suit over health care deal

By Meg Kinnard

The Associated Press

Republican attorneys general in 13 states say congressional leaders must remove Nebraska's political deal from the federal health care reform bill or face legal action, according to a letter provided to The Associated Press Wednesday.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Prosecutor: Court decision hurts his case against Sansom

By Alex Leary

St. Petersburg Times

An appellate court on Thursday sent the criminal case against state Rep. Ray Sansom back to a lower court, where a prosecutor acknowledged his case is weakened and he may not have enough to proceed.

A rethink on young offenders

Editorial

St. Petersburg Times

Florida needs a strategy for fighting juvenile crime that is more effective and sustainable than shipping teenagers to adult jails and prisons.