Daily Clips for September 6, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Is oil leaking from the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf?
By Robert Lorei
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Excerpt: Here to talk about the slick in the Gulf is Mark Ferrulo of Progress Florida. The group has put up a website to track the latest news about the oil disaster: Spill Baby Spill.

Inquiries into Koch relationship helped FSU
By Mark Ferrulo
Tallahassee Democrat
Excerpt: The issue that Progress Florida and thousands of other Floridians had with the Koch donation was not the giving of money, but the unprecedented say-so over hiring decisions granted Koch as part of the arrangement.

FEATURED STORIES

Scott, state lawmakers make today a dark day
By James P. Hoffa
Tampa Tribune
As we honor the American worker this Labor Day, there is one "worker" most Floridians are unhappy with. His tenure has resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs and cuts to needed services for working men and women.

Gov. Rick Scott on a mission to repeal 1,000 state rules
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott is on a crusade to repeal more than 1,000 state rules that target everything from dwarf tossing to gambling and real estate licenses.

Developers helped GOP gut Florida's growth act, records show
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
After Florida's business lobby poured tens of millions in campaign cash into electing Republican supermajorities to the Legislature last year, its top wish was clear: dismantling state oversight of the once-massive development industry.

Jim Greer trial may expose Florida Republican party's inner workings
By Adam C. Smith and Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times
When former state Republican party chairman Jim Greer goes on trial next year on charges of fraud and money laundering, plenty of prominent politicians may be squirming as the inner workings of the party are exposed.

Florida should stop fighting health-care law, put people 1st
By Ida V. Eskamani
Orlando Sentinel
You might have thought the war on health care ended in 2009. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act had become law, and insurance companies would finally be held accountable.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Andy Marlette
Pensacola News Journal

FLORIDA POLITICS

State spends $80k on renovations for Gov. Rick Scott's office
By Michael C. Bender
Miami Herald
A little more than halfway through Gov. Rick Scott's first year in office, the state has spent $79,805.69 to expand his chief of staff's office and paint walls and replace carpet elsewhere in the first floor executive suites.

Florida studying a possible universal ID for everyone
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott is on the prowl for new ways to reduce the cost and size of government.

New chief of staff remakes Gov. Rick Scott's image
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
There's a reason Rick Scott has transformed himself from a tea party neophyte mocking the "Tallahassee insiders" who were "crying in their cocktails" at the prospect of his election, to a doughnut-baking, newspaper-reading governor of the people.

Right loses sight of what makes us different
By Dan Gelber
Miami Herald
In a recent speech at the Reagan Library — part of which was excerpted in these pages — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio asserts that the decision of America in this last century to collectively care for those that have fallen behind “actually weakened us as a people.”

GOP fundraiser's development wins big if Wekiva Parkway is built
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
After the Florida black bear, the biggest beneficiary of the planned $1.8 billion Wekiva Parkway could be James Palmer, a prominent Republican fundraiser and Orlando attorney.

Detert criticizes the critics after redistricting hearing
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
State Sen. Nancy Detert couldn’t take it anymore.

Don Gaetz will lead 2013 Florida Senate
By Travis Griggs
Pensacola News Journal
Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, officially will be designated as the next Florida Senate president during a ceremony this month in Tallahassee.

POLITICAL RACES

Republican Roads Lead To Florida in September
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
When Florida will vote in the 2012 GOP presidential primary remains anyone's guess, but the state is already having a dramatic and early impact in determining who will challenge President Barack Obama.

Gov. Rick Scott sounds like Rick Perry fan
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott said he intends to stay on the sidelines indefinitely in the presidential race, but it's pretty obvious where his heart resides.

With threat of Rick Perry in the air, Mitt Romney takes on immigration
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Related: Texas Gov. Rick Perry's book 'Fed Up!' full of fodder for his 2012 opponents
With Rick Perry proving to be a serious threat to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, the former Massachusetts governor swung through Tampa on Friday to exploit what some Republicans see as Perry's Achilles' heel: immigration.

Michele Bachmann Sticks By Crazy Everglades Oil Drilling Plan
By Kyle Munzenrieder
Miami New Times
While passing through Florida last week, Tea Party queen and Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann made waves by suggesting she'd be open to drilling for oil in the Everglades.

Grayson gears up for comeback run
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Alan Grayson, the former Democratic representative from Orlando who made national headlines for his pointed criticisms of the Republican Party, is running for Congress — somewhere.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

State environmental chief, Gov. Rick Scott shaking up water management districts
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Six months ago, Gov. Rick Scott's newly appointed Department of Environmental Protection secretary, Herschel Vinyard, sat down for lunch at Tallahassee's Governor's Club with four of his predecessors.

Budget cuts could slow development of new water supplies
By Eric Draper
Palm Beach Post
Last week, The Palm Beach Post reported that after Florida's water management districts' budgets were cut by about 40 percent, Gov. Scott urged more cuts.

Feds step up push to preserve Everglades headwaters in Central Florida
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Between Central and South Florida are landscapes that, while not unpopulated or unexplored, have largely remained remote or lost to most Floridians who aren't cowboys.

A Storm of Anxiety Over Fresh Oil Batters the Gulf
By Rocky Kistner
National Resources Defense Council
In the Gulf, another maelstrom has hit. But the tropical storm Mother Nature has brewed is not the top concern on some resident’s minds.

LGBT

Bully For You, Jerry Buell
By John Shore
Huffington Post
As you may know, Jerry Buell has returned to work.

EDUCATION

Many makeovers later, FCAT progress hard to measure
By Allison Ross
Palm Beach Post
Related editorial: Insider admits system bogus
Like a washed-up starlet, Florida's writing FCAT keeps going under the knife.

Teachers rally at Lake Eola
By Keith Landry
MyFox Orlando
Teachers just received their first paycheck since enactment of a new state law which requires them to pay three percent into the state pension fund.

Teacher pay, evaluations tied to student data
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
More than a grade will be at stake when Jessica Fishbein's 10th-grade students take the reading FCAT in the spring.

Linking Student Data to Teachers a Complex Task, Experts Say
By Liana Heitin
Education Week
As more and more states push legislation tying teacher evaluations to student achievement—a policy incentivized by the federal Race to the Top program—many are scrambling to put data systems in place that can accurately connect teachers to their students.

Rep. Mike Weinstein's bill would set minimum Florida must spend on education
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
A bill aimed at figuring out the exact amount needed to fund Florida's public schools is set to make its second run at becoming law.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Labor Fighting Back
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Labor Day has been celebrated since 1882, but this year saw efforts to change dues collections and increased pension contributions.

We need unions to protect workers
By Mark Lainer
Orlando Sentinel
On this Labor Day, it is essential to remember that it is a day set aside to honor workers and their sacrifices and to commemorate that they have been a large part of America's greatness.

A Labor Day letter to Gov. Scott: How to boost Florida's low economic confidence
By Robert Trigaux
St. Petersburg Times
Dear Gov. Scott: On this Labor Day weekend, eight months after you took office, your state stands on the brink of another recession.

Tax cuts only for the rich, if you GOPlease
By Robyn E. Blumner
St. Petersburg Times
In Hurricane Irene's aftermath, roads and bridges were washed away, people were stranded in their homes without running water or working utilities, and conservative Republican congressman Ron Paul's biggest concern was that FEMA is too big.

Florida legislature trying to bust foreclosure backlog - again
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
For the third consecutive year, Florida lawmakers will attempt to fix the state's foreclosure court mire with legislation that streamlines the process and, in some cases, gives banks quicker access to repossession.

How budget cutbacks could affect Florida
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
With hopes dimming that a congressional "super committee" can devise a plan to fix the federal deficit, Florida officials already are bracing for $1.2 trillion in budget cuts that automatically would go into effect if policymakers can't reach an agreement by year's end.

Deadline looms for millions of unemployed Floridians
By Kevin Wiatrowski
Tampa Tribune
When President Obama addresses Congress this week about jobs, he'll have Ellen Turner's attention.

Scott derailed an express train of jobs
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
When candidate Rick Scott parked his campaign bus plastered with "Let's Get to Work" slogans at Tampa Steel & Supply in Ybor City last year, he brought the promise of job creation.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medicaid plan puts poor at greater risk (subscription required)
By Adora Obi Nweze
Tallahassee Democrat
Five years ago, under then-Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida initiated a pilot program to place Medicaid recipient care in the hands of private, for-profit HMOs and HMO-like plans.

Second leg of Medicaid managed care tour kicks off in South Florida
Staff Report
Florida Tribune
A second leg of the Agency for Health Care Administration Medicaid managed care tour has been announced.

Florida nursing home advocacy program riddled with conflicts, federal report says
By Carol Marbin Miller and Michael Sallah
Miami Herald
A statewide volunteer advocacy program for nursing home and assisted living residents has been crippled by conflicts of interest and political meddling by the governor's office and state Elder Affairs administrators, a federal report says.

Neglecting elderly isn't partisan issue — it's moral one
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
All year, I've been writing about troubling developments when it comes to elderly care in this state.

Legislative Budget Commission Rep. Rouson Expects Home Visiting Grant To Pass
By Kimberly Vlach
HealthyState.org
Florida House Representative Darryl Rouson (D-St. Petersburg), a member of the Legislative Budget Commission, expects next week’s vote on the $3.4 million Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program grant to be positive.

State agency warns that it is spending too much
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
The state agency responsible for paying for services for the developmentally disabled warned on Friday that despite cutbacks it will still exceed its current budget on Medicaid services by $55.3 million.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Dream Act Bill Filed in Florida Legislature
By Victoria Bekiempis
Broward New Times
A bill that would make college more affordable for undocumented immigrants has recently been filed in the Florida Legislature.

Welfare drug tests on shaky ground after initital reports show most passed
By Regan McCarthy
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
A new state law requires welfare recipients to pass a drug test.

White House to host Hispanic summit in Orlando
By Jeannette Rivera-Lyles
Orlando Sentinel
Members of President Barack Obama's staff will be in Orlando on Friday and Saturday to host what is being billed as the first White House Hispanic Summit outside Washington.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Awaiting execution, he's 'The Death Row Poet'
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald
From a windowless cell on Florida's death row, Ronald Clark writes for justice. For vanity. For help.

Daily Clips for September 2, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Florida’s Top Political Tweeters for September
By Peter Schorsch
St. Petersblog 2.0
Note: Progress Florida has moved into a tie for first place among more than 500 political tweeters in Florida. Follow us at http://twitter.com/progressflorida.

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott's chief of change: Steve MacNamara
By Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Change for Gov. Rick Scott has come quickly this summer.

ALEC ‘Guide to Repealing ObamaCare’ echoes Florida legislative action
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Florida is one of a handful states rejecting grants from the federal health care reform law, a key strategy suggested in literature provided at this year’s American Legislative Exchange Council conference, a conference many Florida legislators attended.

Federal government insists Medicaid overhaul must include medical loss ratios
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Managed care plans will be required to spend 85 percent of the premium it receives from the state on the care for Medicaid patients that are forced to enroll in them under a Medicaid 1115 waiver that is being negotiated between the state and federal governments.

Is oil leaking in the Gulf from the BP spill site?
By Mark Guarino
Christian Science Monitor
Reports of oil surfacing near the site of the Deepwater Horizon explosion are raising questions about its source and whether it is related to last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico – one of the worst environmental disasters in US history.

Gulf seabed one year after BP disaster
By Colleen McEdwards
CNN
It has been about a year since BP sealed the oil well that had been gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida AG under fire for terminating employees
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has emerged in her short time on the job as a fierce critic of the federal health care overhaul and a tenacious opponent of illegal prescription drug sales.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Dear Rick…Love, Jeb
By Daniel Tilson
St. Petersblog 2.0
Scrambling to stay ahead of the story of how and why emails that should by Law have been preserved as public records were instead deleted in early 2011, Governor Rick Scott’s minions are in the process of retrieving and releasing emails previously thought “lost” – notably including some sent to him by former governor Jeb Bush during the earliest days of the new Scott administration.

What Was in Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s Conveniently Deleted Emails?
By Trish Ponder
Pensito Review
From the moment Floridians heard that the penalties for Gov. Rick Scott (Tea/GOP) “losing” emails sent to and from his transition team ranged from a $500 fine to IMPEACHMENT (yeah, baby!), the story grabbed our attention in the way a big, juicy, limping mouse claims the attention of a cat on a diet.

Secret Memo from South Florida Water Management District Revealed: the Fanjuls troll for science
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
By slashing science budgets of the water management districts, Gov. Rick Scott will ensure no one will be left to interpret the past, in order to calibrate government investments to protect current and future taxpayers and citizens.

Whoever made this video for Mike Haridopolos should be taken out back and shot
By Peter Schorsch
St. Petersblog 2.0
I don’t care if it was Adam Goodman or Ridley Scott, whoever made this video for Mike Haridopolos should be taken out back and shot!

The Straw Poll That Broke The Camel's Back?
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
If the Florida Republican "Presidency 5" straw poll is such a strong indicator of which candidate will win the state primary and the Presidential nomination, then why are so many of the current crop of GOP houseplants candidates so afraid to participate in it?

FLORIDA POLITICS

Rick Scott and Rick Perry Neck and Neck in "Worst Governor Ever" Contest
By Kyle Munzenrieder
Miami New Times
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has sprung to a surprising lead in the Transport Workers of America's race for the "Worst Governor Ever," but just like he's done in the Republican presidential primary, Texas Gov. Rick (Perry) is hot on Scott's tail.

Jim Greer TV tell-all is bad news for George LeMieux
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
The controversial former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Jim Greer, is taking to the airwaves, claiminig the criminal fraud case against him is the result of a political vendetta.

Southerland cites partisan pressure
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland said Thursday congressional leaders on both sides of the partisan divide in Washington put extreme pressure on their members to "blindly" vote the party line on big issues.

Oil drilling, resignations and illegal lovers — a week in Florida politics
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
In today's Friday Files, we're talking about everything from party politics to oil drilling in the Everglades.

POLITICAL RACES

Mitt Romney Campaign Sees Florida Advantage In Rick Perry's Social Security Comments
By Jon Ward
Huffington Post
Rick Perry's explosive comments and past writings about Social Security have delighted Mitt Romney supporters and some advisers, who see the Texas governor as having made himself more vulnerable in one very crucial early Republican presidential primary state: Florida.

GOP candidates Romney, Cain in Tampa today
Staff Report
Tampa Tribune
GOP Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Herman Cain will be in Tampa today.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Oil Still Gushing from BP Well in Gulf
By Frank Whalen
American Free Press
Recent news reports confirm what many have alleged for over a year: British Petroleum’s “Macondo” well site has never stopped leaking.

Senate report cites inconsistencies in statewide wetlands and stormwater permitting
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A Senate committee is recommending that a statewide rule be developed for Florida's combined wetlands and stormwater permitting program to eliminate inconsistencies among water management districts.

Targeting the water districts
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott's administration says slashing the state's five water districts' budgets by $700 million won't harm the environment. Don't buy it.

Will Nuclear Plant Repairs Pay Off for Consumers?
By Robin Sussingham
WUSF Public Radio Tampa
Nuclear power has been getting a lot of attention lately. Progress Energy has been defending its rate hikes to fund construction of a new nuclear plant in Levy County.

EDUCATION

Florida lawmakers keep pushing for career-focused high school diploma
By Jeff Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
On the one hand, Florida leaders like to talk about the need to boost students' academics to become more competitive in the world.

Forget gym class: To keep kids fit, South Florida schools use videos, recess
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
To keep students from getting fat, some South Florida elementary schools are making them watch fitness videos every morning. But they aren't required to do the exercises.

A school by day, adult club by night?
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
By day, the Balare Language Academy is an A-rated charter school, home to children in kindergarten through middle school.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

New department aims to attract 21,000 Florida jobs by bringing companies to the state
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
A business plan issued Thursday for the new Department of Economic Opportunity calls for using financial incentives to create 21,000 jobs in two years for relocating out-of-state businesses.

Budget ax may fall on Tampa's hurricane hunter planes
By Erika Bolstad and Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
With the cleanup from Hurricane Irene ongoing, Tropical Storm Katia looming in the Atlantic Ocean and a tropical depression threatening the upper Gulf Coast, some lawmakers and top federal scientists are making the case for maintaining healthy research budgets that sharpen the accuracy of hurricane forecasts.

Florida banks tap new federal stimulus program
By John Hielscher
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Four bank companies with local ties received nearly $113 million in the latest round of funding from a new federal stimulus program.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Federal report cites state's wrongdoing in nursing-home ombudsman program
By Kate Santich
Orlando Sentinel
Federal investigators have determined the state's Department of Elder Affairs violated the U.S. Older Americans Act by interfering with what is supposed to be an independent nursing-home watchdog program, officials announced Thursday afternoon.

For Pain Pill Abuse, Government Writes New Prescription
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Floridians who have had a root canal in the last few days have probably noticed: the prescription drug world has changed in the Sunshine State.

Healthcare for a select few
Editorial
Miami Herald
Healthcare insurance costs continue to gobble up family budgets.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Fla. participation in post-9/11 security program draws ire
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
A new program aimed at getting people to report suspicions about others that backers say will make Florida safer drew criticism Thursday from at least one civil liberties group that called it a "blunt approach" that will inevitably lead to profiling.

Broward residents again protest proposed private immigration detention center
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Residents of Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines, as well as immigrant advocates, will gather Thursday to once again voice their opposition to the construction of a privately run immigration detention center in Broward County.

Stetson Kennedy and the pursuit of truth
By Paul Ortiz
Facing South
Stetson Kennedy spent the better part of the 20th century doing battle with racism, class oppression, corporate domination, and environmental degradation in the American South.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Haridopolos moves to compensate man who served a 27-year prison sentence
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
Senate President Mike Haridopolos is working again to compensate William Dillon, who was incarcerated for 27 years.

Daily Clips for September 1, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The Blu Vu August 29^th Weekly Show
By Gayle Andrews
The Blu Vu: Florida's Political Reality Show
Show Highlights: This week's episode features Gov. Scott's missing emails, the prison privatization debacle and Michelle Bachmann’s wacky ideas.

FEATURED STORIES

Critics of Texas higher ed changes warn of fallout should Florida embrace Perry model
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Gov. Rick Scott hasn’t been specific about his plans to overhaul the state’s higher education system, but he has made clear his intention to make some changes — and higher education reforms in Texas will be a likely template.

Florida Ranks Fifth for Job Cuts in 2011
By Kyle Munzenrieder
Miami New Times
18,098 jobs have been cut so far in 2011 in Florida. That makes Florida fifth for job cuts in America. Way to go "Job Governor" Rick Scott!

New leak near Deepwater Horizon site quickly becoming a massive oil slick
By Judson Parker
The Examiner
Over the past two weeks, I have been closely following reports of renewed leaking in the Macondo oil field, the site of last year's Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Tea party organization will offer more classes for children
By Marlene Sokol
St. Petersburg Times
After a successful summer experience, a tea party-affiliated organization is offering Saturday morning civics classes for children.

The GOP War on Voting
By Ari Berman
Rolling Stone
As the nation gears up for the 2012 presidential election, Republican officials have launched an unprecedented, centrally coordinated campaign to suppress the elements of the Democratic vote that elected Barack Obama in 2008.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Ailing Florida Republican Party chairman Dave Bitner to step down
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
His voice weakened from Lou Gehrig's disease, the Republican Party of Florida's beloved chairman told fellow Republicans on a conference call Wednesday that he's stepping down because the illness has become too much.

Southwest Floridians deliver redistricting message
By Bob Rathgeber
Ft. Myers News-Press
Eliminate cross-state districts. Reconfigure districts into concise and neighborhood areas. Work quickly to design the new lawmaking map and follow the mandate of amendments 5 and 6.

West challenges Black Caucus members' 'hate-filled comments,' threatens to quit group
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, says he might quit the Congressional Black Caucus if the group doesn't condemn recent remarks by caucus members saying members of the tea party favor lynching and can "go straight to hell."

Gov. Scott bad for Florida
By Franklin Sands
South Florida Sun Sentinel
When an individual seeks public office, it entails a public trust. That is one problem I have with our governor; he often doesn't tell the truth.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Proposed Amendment Would Ban Near-Shore Drilling
By David Royse
News Service of Florida
A Tampa Democrat has filed a Senate version of proposed constitutional amendment to ban oil drilling within about 10 miles of Florida’s coastline.

Sen. Nelson touts plan for Gulf restoration with oil spill funds
Staff Report
Pensacola News Journal
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was in Pensacola on Wednesday touting a bill that would direct fines from BP to the Gulf states impacted by the 2010 oil spill.

Audubon of Florida releases ‘State of the Everglades’ report
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Environmental group Audubon of Florida has released its “State of the Everglades” report, a summary of the most important stories and policies to come out of the Greater Everglades during the first half of 2011.

Evers files bill to repeal septic tank inspections
By Tom McLaughlin
Northwest Florida Daily News
As promised, state Sen. Greg Evers will take another run in 2012 to repeal legislation to require statewide inspections of septic tanks.

DEP fills slots but has new high-level vacancy
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Department of Environmental Protection has a new inspector general and a new southwest district director along with a new high-level vacancy.

LGBT

Tampa Bay Rays tell LGBT community: "It Gets Better"
By Atecia Robinson
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Last week the Tampa Bay Rays became the 5th Major League Baseball team to speak against homophobic bullying when they partnered with St. Pete Pride to film a video for the “It Gets Better” campaign.

EDUCATION

Scott wants Race to the Top funds
Associated Press
Florida Capital News
Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants the state to compete in the next round of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top competition, which could award up to $100 million to improve early learning.

Seeking federal funds benefits pre-K kids
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Scott has thumbed his nose at federal stimulus dollars.

Not all Florida teachers feel the same financial pinch, report shows
By Jeff Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Many teachers in Florida have not received a raise in four years.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida's budget woes might be over
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Florida is projected to have a small budget surplus for the coming year a new forecast released on Wednesday shows.

In Florida, Job Engines Stalling
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Gov. Rick Scott made jobs a key component of his campaign, promising 700,000 new jobs — above and beyond the jobs which would have been naturally created by the economy — in seven years.

The New Resentment of the Poor
Editorial
New York Times
In a decade of frenzied tax-cutting for the rich, the Republican Party just happened to lower tax rates for the poor, as well.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

GOP governors call for major Medicaid changes
By Florida News Service
Ft. Myers News-Press
Echoing the arguments of Gov. Rick Scott and other Florida GOP leaders, a Republican governors panel issued a report Tuesday calling for states to have wide leeway in running the Medicaid program.

Florida Shutting ‘Pill Mill’ Clinics
By Lizette Alvarez
New York Times
Florida has long been the nation’s center of the illegal sale of prescription drugs: Doctors here bought 89 percent of all the Oxycodone sold in the country last year.

Florida's prescription-drug database launches today
By Amy Pavuk
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's prescription-drug-monitoring database, which advocates say will help discourage doctor shopping and deter physicians from over-prescribing, is slated to launch today — after an effort by Gov. Rick Scott earlier this year to kill the program.

Mental-health groups turn to feds
By Brittany Davis
Health News Florida
A coalition of 13 mental health groups has asked the federal government to help determine whether Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida is breaking a law that prohibits discrimination against the kinds of services they provide.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Because of new state law, cities and counties are scrambling to get their gun laws off the books
By Curtis Krueger
St. Petersburg Times
The state of Florida is going after a gang of gun outlaws by threatening them with $5,000 fines, firings and lawsuits.

Activists push Publix to pay penny more for tomatoes
By Sandra Pedicini
Orlando Sentinel
A group of activists seeking better pay for tomato pickers is bicycling to Publix Super Markets headquarters in Lakeland and will ask company leaders to see firsthand laborers' living conditions.

Poor prove gov wrong on drugs
Editorial
Ft. Myers News-Press
The first results of the state's new policy of drug-testing all Floridians applying for cash welfare must be a surprise for those who think the poor are more likely to be addicts than better-off people.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

A cautionary tale about private prison shift
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
As Florida enters the uncharted territory of a huge expansion of private, for-profit prisons, this story serves as a cautionary tale.

State says that number of juvenile offenders is dropping
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
The number of Florida juvenile offenders who entered the justice system in 2010-11 is down 11 percent over last year, and the number of kids cooling their heels in juvenile detention centers is the lowest in state Department of Juvenile Justice history, according to a new DJJ report issued this week.

Appeals court sides with former Tallahassee lobbyist and fundraiser
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
An appeals court in Tallahassee on Wednesday overturned a move by the Department of Health to suspend the medical license of prominent political fundraiser and Broward county eye doctor Alan Mendelsohn.