PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS
Long-shot challenger to Rep. John Mica hopes oil spill will tar Mica's imageBy Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel Excerpt: "I think the polling is showing a seismic shift among Floridians," said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida and a longtime drilling opponent. "The potential economic disaster we are looking at in Florida is really going to change the politics of the issue."
Gov. candidate's drilling support unwaveringBy Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-TribuneExcerpt: "As this disaster plays out, the polling numbers will continue to shift dramatically," said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida, a nonprofit group opposed to drilling.
FEATURED STORIES
Crist sets up showdown with budget vetoesBy Gary Fineout
Florida TribuneGov. Charlie Crist on Friday set up a possible legal showdown with state lawmakers after he freely used his veto pen to cut millions in projects and to eliminate budget mandates contained in the state's new spending plan.
BP Tries Again to Divert Oil Leak With DomeBy Clifford Krauss
New York TimesRelated: Louisianan Becomes Face of Anger on Spill
Unable for six weeks to plug the gushing oil well beneath the Gulf of Mexico, BP renewed an effort Monday to use a dome to funnel some of the leaking crude to a tanker on the surface.
'Flotels' await oil spill cleanup workers on Gulf
The Associated PressPalm Beach Post
Related: Oil, dispersants pose grave danger for deep-Gulf food chain, independent scientists sayThe 40-foot-long corrugated steel boxes, resembling oversized white shipping containers, are stacked two high and three wide atop a barge at Port Fourchon, the oil industry's hub on the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida House Spent $200,000 on Rush-Job Oil Drilling StudyBy Scott Finn
WUSF Public Radio TampaShortly before the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf, the Florida House spent $200,000 for a study of oil drilling off Florida's coast which said any spills would be rare, small and easily contained.
Politics at heart of criminal investigations swirling across FloridaBy Lucy Morgan and Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg TimesGov. Charlie Crist often laments "this culture of corruption in South Florida," but increasingly it's Tallahassee that looks like a central focus of multiple criminal investigations swirling about Florida.
Florida's political system is brokenEditorial
St. Petersburg TimesA recent statewide poll has confirmed what many Floridians already knew: The state's Republican-led Legislature is out of synch with voters, including most of those in its own party.
EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK
By Jim MorinMiami Herald
FLORIDA POLITICS
Crist axes $372 million from state budgetBy Aaron Deslatte and Josh Hafenbrack
Orlando SentinelFlorida Gov. Charlie Crist pulled out his line-item-veto pen for the last time Friday to slash $372 million from the state's budget, gutting projects dear to his fiercest critics in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Crist vs. the Legislature Round 2By Gary Fineout
Florida TribuneGov. Charlie Crist's running battle with the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature appears unlikely to end anytime soon -- although the governor is now backing off plans to call lawmakers back to town in the next month.
New law casts a bit more light into the murky realm of electioneeringBy Marc Caputo
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau Shadowy groups that attack first and disclose their big-money donors after an election won't be able to be so secretive now that Gov. Charlie Crist has signed a law that broadens state regulation of campaign committees.
Is campaign cash that different from bribery?By Scott Maxwell
Orlando SentinelIf Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fernández is guilty of the bribery charges she's facing, she deserves to be punished -- not just for doing wrong, but for being stupid.
Crist signs 3 bills recognizing veterans' service The Associated Press
Tampa TribuneThree bills recognizing service by U.S. military veterans are now law with signatures from Gov. Charlie Crist.
Fla.'s new emergency head hopes to heal rifts By Brent Kallestad
The Associated PressThe state's Division of Emergency Management, under a second director since Craig Fugate left a year ago to run its federal counterpart, is getting a jump start on the hurricane season.
Panel narrowing field for 2 Fla. PSC appointments The Associated Press
Tampa TribuneA state panel is narrowing a field of 60 applicants for two seats on the Florida Public Service Commission.
Florida lieutenant governor, attorney general support fired Live Oak prosecutorBy Paul Pinkham
Florida Times-UnionTwo high-profile statewide officeholders lent their support this weekend to a former Live Oak prosecutor fired for speaking to tea party gatherings.
Florida Republicans tie themselves in knots over Arizona immigration law Editorial
St. Petersburg TimesFlorida Republicans are twisting themselves into pretzels over Arizona's extreme effort to crack down on illegal immigrants.
POLITICAL RACES
Rick Scott criticized for heading company that committed fraud By William March
Tampa TribuneRelated: Ads hint McCollum is worried about rival
Related: Privatizing TGH was part of investigation into Scott's HCA chainCan the man who ran the company that committed the biggest Medicare fraud in history get elected governor in a state full of retirees?
In six weeks, Rick Scott pours nearly $11 million into Florida governor's raceBy Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg TimesRelated: Thrasher 'neutral' in clash of GOP candidates for Florida governor
Pity Bill McCollum. Only weeks ago, he was skating effortlessly to the Republican gubernatorial nomination and comfortably leading Democrat Alex Sink in the polls.
Crist helps McCollum's campaign
By Aaron DeslatteOrlando Sentinel
Gov. Charlie Crist delivered an election-year crumb to Bill McCollum by signing a broadly written elections bill that reinstates public-disclosure requirements for the secretive, outside political groups that bombard the airwaves with campaign ads.
Crist's centrist strategy working
By Lloyd DunkelbergerSarasota Herald-Tribune
It is a good checklist for a Democratic candidate trying to shore up his base as he heads to the fall elections.
Analysis: With Crist aside, Rubio can start moving to the middle
By Jim StrattonOrlando Sentinel
Marco Rubio became a Republican hero by running as the anti-Crist.
The progress of a 'people' person
By Alex LearySt. Petersburg Times
The people. At once vague and powerful, it's a sentiment that Gov. Charlie Crist hopes will propel his campaign for U.S. Senate
Florida flip-flops rev up the Flip-O-Meter
By Aaron SharockmanSt. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact
Related: GOP refund request from Crist had a few holesGov. Charlie Crist said he would run for the U.S. Senate only as a Republican.
Senate candidate Meek comes to BrooksvilleBy Tony Holt
Hernando Today Local Democrats showed up Saturday afternoon to meet their frontrunner for the U.S. Senate.
Leading the Florida Attorney General's race: 'Undecided'
By William MarchTampa Tribune
With fewer than 100 days before the Florida primary, the race for attorney general, considered the second-most important state office after the governor, is stuck in a stalemate, with competitive primaries on both sides and no candidate able to pull ahead.
Prosecutor Bondi leaves the courthouse and takes a hard right
By Colleen JenkinsSt. Petersburg Times
Pam Bondi stands at a podium, looking and sounding a lot like the prosecutor she was for more than 18 years.
Party-changer takes on Thrasher
By David HuntFlorida Times-Union
The buzz started several weeks ago as a Beaches dermatologist filed the paperwork to run against state Sen. John Thrasher in the Aug. 24 GOP primary. BALLOT INITIATIVES
Florida Land Use Changes Could Be In Voters' HandsBy Greg Allen
NPRAfter a century of near-relentless building by developers, voters in Florida will decide whether they want a direct role in determining who builds and where.
How to protect and honor democracyBy Lesley Blackner
Gainesville SunThis Memorial Day, we pause to thank our military, who defend our great country.
A look at the nine amendments on Florida's ballotBy Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg TimesThere are nine proposed amendments to our state Constitution on this November's ballot.
Florida redistricting attracts amendments, lawsuitsBy Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune Three ballot questions. Two lawsuits (and counting). One serious headache for voters.
The poison pillEditorial
Gainesville SunIt seems the only people in Florida who understand what the proposed Amendment 7 says and means, and are not wholly offended by it, are those who voted to put it on the November ballot: the Republican majority in the Florida Legislature.
Drawing crooked linesEditorial
Orlando SentinelIt was bad enough when legislative leaders Dean Cannon and Mike Haridopolos chose to fight two citizen initiatives that could end the miserable practice of gerrymandering.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Gulf Oil Threatens an Underwater 'Rainforest'By Jeffrey Kluger
Time MagazineThe WeatherBird II is not a pretty ship. A boxy, businesslike, 194-ton vessel, it prowls the waters off St Petersburg, Fla. where it competes for attention with the cruise ships and sport yachts and other glamour boats.
Tar balls could be on beaches for months By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.comResearchers are concerned that a sub-surface plume of oil could threaten Florida's coast for months even if BP is successful in capping a gushing oil well.
FL Groups Demand Full EPA Disclosure of Chemicals In DispersantsBy Gina Presson
Public News ServiceConservation groups want to get to the bottom of the chemicals being poured into the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to break up the oil gushing from the Deepwater Horizon spill.
Panhandle tourists put aside oil spill for holidayBy Steve Bousquet and Lee Logan
St. Petersburg Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau The shucked oysters and grouper sandwiches were flying out of the kitchen Sunday at Pompano Joe's, an oceanside restaurant popular with Gulf Coast tourists.
Crist doles out millions of BP dollars By Mona Moore
Northwest Florida Daily NewsTourists covered the beaches Sunday morning as Gov. Charlie Crist made arrangements to keep it that way.
Elite legal team handling Florida's response to oil spillBy Jim Ash
Tallahassee DemocratWith Louisiana's shoreline turning blacker by the day, an elite team of two former attorneys general is cautiously laying the groundwork for Florida's legal response to BP's massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Ecology should trump economic growth
By Eugene RobinsonWashington Post
The spectacle of a river in flames helped galvanize the environmental movement, and the following year, with Richard Nixon as president, the Environmental Protection Agency was established.
Florida takes giant step with huge solar-power plant
By Kevin SpearOrlando Sentinel
Florida Power & Light Co.'s newest solar-energy plant will have enough mirrors to cover 80 football fields.
BP crisis exposes chink in government's regulatory armor
Editorial South Florida Sun-Sentinel
President Obama last week addressed his administration's handling of the BP oil spill, in an attempt to explain the government's ongoing efforts and to dispel a lingering perception that the federal government is a mere "sidekick" to BP. LGBT
Rivals spar over military gay banBy Lesley Clark
Miami HeraldGov. Charlie Crist's U.S. Senate rivals skewered him Friday for saying he'd now support repealing the policy that bars openly gay people from serving in the military -- a reversal from what he told reporters on Monday.
House Passes Bill With 'Don't Tell' Repeal
By David M. HerszenhornNew York Times
The House on Friday adopted an annual Pentagon policy bill that includes a provision allowing the Defense Department to repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military.
South Florida city will define 'family' with gay rights in mind
By Lisa J. Huriash Palm Beach Post
It is illegal for a gay couple to have two or more foster children living with them in Oakland Park. EDUCATION
Race to the Top, Part 2: Florida now has strong teacher-union backingBy Leslie Postal
Orlando SentinelFlorida will try again for a coveted Race to the Top federal education grant Tuesday -- this time with the blessing of its teachers' unions.
Teachers feeling stepped on: Merit pay needs money for the meritBy Jac Wilder Versteeg
Palm Beach PostTeachers are demanding a raise at the worst possible time.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Slow-motion recovery extends jobless pain for manyThe Associated Press
St. Petersburg TimesHigh unemployment isn't going away.
Legal mess over foreclosures deepeningBy Todd Ruger
Sarasota Herald-TribuneAn attempt to fix the sloppy legal work plaguing thousands of foreclosure cases in Florida has been ineffective, and has now caused a legal mess of its own.
Crist signs Fla. economic development law By Bill Kaczor
The Associated PressA wide-ranging $175 million "Jobs for Florida" bill that includes grants and tax incentives for businesses as well as spending to boost Florida's sagging space industry became law Friday with Gov. Charlie Crist's signature.
Crist refuses to cut DROP for state workersBy Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee DemocratGov. Charlie Crist refused Friday to slash interest earnings on government-employee pensions in the Deferred Retirement Option Program, saying lawmakers unfairly popped the change into the budget late in the session.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Medicaid Expansion Will Help Fla.By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Lakeland LedgerFlorida's uninsured residents may be one of the big beneficiaries of the expansion of Medicaid under the new federal health care law, according to a new report from a national health care organization.
Study: Federal health care reform not too hard on statesBy Travis Pillow
Florida IndependentA study by the Kaiser Family Foundation suggests that health care reform could be a bargain for states, bringing in billions of dollars in new federal funding to help cover people who cannot afford health insurance.
Free? Sure, free to mooch health careBy Randy Schultz
Palm Beach PostFlorida Attorney General Bill McCollum, his lawsuit to nullify the federal health care law is about freedom.
Seniors get new options for Medigap coverageBy Bob LaMendola
South Florida Sun-SenetinelStarting Tuesday, seniors have fresh new options to lower the monthly premiums on Medigap health policies.
New law strengthens background screening for Florida caregiversBy Sally Kestin
South Florida Sun-SentinelPeople who care for children, the elderly and disabled in Florida will undergo stricter background screening requirements under a new law that takes effect Aug. 1.
State AIDS program runs out of money for new patientsStaff Report
South Florida Sun-SentinelFor only the second time in the nearly 25-year history of the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program, no new people will be eligible for help.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Remember human cost of current warsBy Brian Wilkins
Florida TodayRelated editorial: The honored dead
As most of us make plans for Memorial Day, it is important to remember the roots of the day.
Fla. Lawmaker Will Snyder Wants Arizona-Style Law
By Michael PeltierNews Service of Florida
A House Republican committee chairman said Friday he'll likely file legislation to crack down on illegal immigration in Florida similar to a controversial measure passed in Arizona that has sparked a national debate.
Fringe politics in Arizona could pay off for Florida
By Frank Cerabino Palm Beach Post
Arizona's "show me your papers" immigration law helps Florida in its ongoing interstate battle to lure and keep Major League Baseball spring training sites.
Black organizations choose Broward for big meetings
By Gregory LewisSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was meeting here this Memorial Day weekend at the Westin Diplomat in a session that could direct the future of the civil rights movement.
More on anti-Muslim tensions in Jacksonville
By Virginia ChamleeFlorida Independent
The investigation into the May 10 pipe-bombing of a Jacksonville mosque has yielded no official suspects, but has brought to light an undercurrent of Muslim hostility in the area. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Judge Sorts Claims in Rothstein Ponzi SchemeBy Curt Anderson
The Associated PressFormer NFL star Warren Sapp, some of America's biggest banks and tax collectors from Florida to Rhode Island are laying claim to a piece of the collapsed empire of disbarred lawyer Scott Rothstein, who is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to operating a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.
