FEATURED STORIES

Greer trial may hang over Republican National Convention
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Florida Republicans eager to put their best foot forward for the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa in August may have to put up with an ugly side story: the trial of former state party chairman Jim Greer, who is accused of organized fraud, theft and money laundering.

Gov. Scott likely to have more modest approach to 2012 state budget
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A month after being sworn in, Republican Rick Scott unveiled his first budget proposal as Florida's governor, a lean - and, some said, mean - blueprint that included wholesale layoffs and deep spending cuts.

An early redistricting deal: House to follow Senate approach on maps
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
House Redistricting Chairman Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, has reached an accord with Senate counterpart Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, on redrawing political boundaries for the Legislature.

Senate President's Lies: Haridopolos Should Resign
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
It's amazing how candid some politicians can become if they know they're risking perjury when they answer tough questions falsely.

Political lessons from Herman Cain's campaign
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Herman Cain’s campaign is gone, but the political takeaways live on.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jim Morin
Miami Herald

FLORIDA POLITICS

League of Women Voters takes on ‘myths about voter impersonation’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Related: Congressional candidate: ‘Senate Map Fails Equal Protection Test for 3rd District’
The League of Women Voters, a group that this year halted its long history of registering voters in Florida, has released a breakdown of what the group calls “myths” about voter fraud that have circulated in state legislatures in the past year.

For some lawmakers, new districts may not include their homes
By Mark K. Matthews and Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Several Florida lawmakers could find themselves out of a home next year — at least politically — if the state Senate gets its way in drawing new congressional boundaries for the 2012 elections.

Senate Democrats hound Bondi on foreclosure fraud
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Senate Democrats published a video Thursday heavily criticizing Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of foreclosure fraud cases in the state.

Emails show billboard group wrote bill, told senator what to say about cutting trees
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
State Sen. Greg Evers has admitted in the past that a lobbying group representing the billboard industry helped craft legislation he filed last legislative session.

POLITICAL RACES

Credit (or blame) Florida for Herman Cain
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing Tampa
One might think that Herman Cain's "suspension" of his presidential campaign would be the last we'd hear of the former Godfather's Pizza CEO.

Surviving valleys brings Newt Gingrich to a new peak
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
All bluster and brains, he was the messiah, leading his people away from a decadeslong power drought.

Playbook for Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney can be found in 1994 Kennedy-Romney race
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Even as Republicans ride a roller-coaster primary to pick their 2012 presidential nominee, they're preparing for a relentlessly negative general election campaign.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

In Fla., Cautious Hope For Everglades Protection
By Greg Allen
NPR
At the annual dinner of the Everglades Foundation recently, there was a surprise guest: Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

The Sunshine State's Dirty Secret?
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
Calling Florida's growing toxic algae pollution of rivers and streams "nauseating," Earthjustice, along with the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club, recently filed a legal challenge against the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Bahamas oil wells may imperil Florida
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Just as South Florida braces for oil drilling set to begin next month off the shores of Cuba, a Bahamian company is pressing to dig exploratory wells as early as next year less than 200 miles from the state's delicate coastline.

Keeping Florida Forever at work during tough times
By Margaret McPherson
Tampa Tribune
After publishing the fourth edition of the "Florida Forever Conservation Photography Calendar," we were relieved to hear the constructive discussion at November's Florida Cabinet meeting.

LGBT

Orlando set to OK couples' registry
By Mark Schlueb
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando is poised to establish an official registry where couples can record their relationships, a measure that will bypass legal roadblocks that often prevent gays from participating in a partner's medical, funeral and other decisions.

EDUCATION

Perfect storm?
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Related column: Gov. Rick Scott: We must improve education in Florida
In his Speaking Out published elsewhere on these pages today, Gov. Rick Scott writes as though some natural disaster — some “perfect storm” — is responsible for Florida's education funding shortfall. That's nonsense.

Education: Big reforms haven't yet produced big results
By Kathleen Haughney and Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
After two years of hammering away on a K-12 education agenda designed by conservative think tanks, legislators have checked off a number of goals: merit pay, heightened graduation standards and an expanded voucher program.

Which degrees lead to most jobs in Florida?
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
If you want a job in Florida, you may want to be a science teacher rather than a scientist, a nurse rather than a nuclear engineer.

Florida college students in budget crosshairs
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
With a $2 billion budget shortfall looming over the next session of the Florida Legislature, lawmakers are floating a number of possible targets for cuts.

Legacy is on the line for FAMU band
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times
It is a tradition shaped over five decades by the architect of modern marching performance.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

'Extra' jobless benefits may expire Dec. 31
By Marcia Heroux Pounds and William Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Nearly 82,000 Orlando-area residents are waiting to see whether Congress will extend extra unemployment benefits into 2012.

Are voters souring on GOP tax-cut, 'job creation' strategy?
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Some of the nation's most high-profile first-year GOP governors sat on a stage in Orlando at the Republican Governors Association conference last week and had an interesting discussion about job-creation.

The GOP Sides With Millionaires (Again)
The Progress Report
Think Progress
Last night, every single Republican senator except Susan Collins (ME) voted to protect the top 0.2 percent of taxpayers — just 345,532 millionaires– from paying a small surtax on their income over $ 1 MILLION in order to extend and expand the payroll tax cut for 160 MILLION working Americans.

Don't throw good money after bad
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Related: Secret deals for jobs corrode public trust
Smart investors don't throw good money after bad.

Fla. economists struggle to predict casino impact
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida state economists are struggling to figure how much money three new casinos could mean for the Sunshine State.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

State anticipates Medicaid waiver approval in January
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
January is the new target date for final approval of the state's Medicaid 1115 extension.

As pill mills are shut down in Florida, customers turn to Web
By Pat Beall
Palm Beach Post
Before Wellington pill-mill mogul Jeff George opened a chain of pain clinics, he sold steroids online.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

State legislators announce bipartisan effort to combat homelessness in Florida
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State legislators have launched a bipartisan effort to combat Florida’s homelessness crisis, which garnered national attention this past weekend.

Florida farmers warn of impending crisis if undocumented workers taken away
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
Florida farmers, worried that lawmakers could strip them of their largely undocumented workforce, are warning of an impending crisis in their fields.

Wasserman Schultz reiterates support for South Florida immigration detention center
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Pembroke Pines, said today that a proposed publicly funded, privately managed immigration detention center to be built in South Florida would have the least negative impact on residents and create short-term and long-term jobs.

Immigration amnesty issue slows Sen. Marco Rubio's push for sex-trafficking legislation
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is pushing for a tough anti-sex-trafficking law, but it's partly being held up due to concerns about abetting illegal immigration.

Feds Issue Condemning Report on Shuttered State Youth Facility
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday released its long-anticipated report on the North Florida Youth Detention Center, a facility for boys and young men ages 13 to 21 that was closed during the summer because of repeated problems.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Tampa firm wants foreclosure notices moved to the Web
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
In the midst of Florida's housing crisis, some state lawmakers want to move legal notices of foreclosures from newspapers to the Internet, sparking a debate over access to information and charges of favoritism.

Daily Clips for December 2, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

November 28th Weekly Show
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu: Florida’s Political Reality Show
Subpoenas are issued for voter suppression lawmakers, the maps are in and it looks oh so political, Bob Graham tells Scott to lead, the foreclosure crisis escalates on Pam Bond’s watch, and Damien talks about our homeless.

FEATURED STORIES

Lawsuit filed to head off proposed state water quality rules
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Earthjustice law firm on Thursday filed a legal challenge against state water quality rules that would replace controversial federal rules that are scheduled to be implemented in March.

Haridopolos: State budget deficit may hit college students' wallets
By Ray Reyes
Tampa Tribune
College students may need to dig deeper into their pockets next year to make up a projected $2 billion shortfall in Florida's budget, state Senate President Mike Haridopolos said Thursday.

In Miami, Plans For Mega-Casinos Bring Hope And Ire
By Greg Allen
NPR
A high-stakes gamble is playing out in Miami, where a Malaysian developer, the Genting Group, plans to spend more than $3 billion to build what it touts as the world's largest casino.

Gov. Rick Scott says 'Obamacare' is 'not the law of the land': False
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact
By Becky Bowers
Gov. Rick Scott, who has led Florida's opposition to the federal Affordable Care Act, offered justification for refusing millions of dollars in grants to implement the health care law: "It's not the law of the land."

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Rick Scott Serves Turkey, Pie, And Jargon Salad To The Homeless
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Gov. Rick Scott and his wife Ann turned up at St. Matthews House in East Naples on Thanksgiving to help volunteers serve dinner to what was expected to be over 1,000 homeless and jobless Floridians.

Florida Congressional Redistricting, Senate Map, Take 1
By Steve Schale
Steve Schale
This afternoon, the Florida Senate released its preliminary Congressional and State Senate map proposals.

Redistricting: New Map Looks Like Old Map
By Bruce Seaman
Daily Marion
With the Florida Senate releasing its (first) proposal for redrawing the US Congressional and State Senate districts, their similarity to current districts should not come as any surprise.

Mediocre and Dim: What Passes for Best and Brightest in the GOP
By Trish Ponder
Pensito Review
We’re not the only ones to notice that Connie Mack IV, nee Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy IV, is one of the lightest weight lightweights ever to run on the Republican ticket for the Senate from Florida, and that’s saying something.

Big Bluff: Mitt Romney's Inevitably Uninspiring & Insulting Candidacy
By Daniel Tilson
West Palm Beach Liberal Examiner
My GOP friends (yup, I do have some) are sick and tired of hearing about the “inevitability” of Mitt Romney’s presidential nomination.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Lobbyist Brian Ballard recounts call with Gov. Charlie Crist for Jim Greer criminal case
By Lucy Morgan
St. Petersburg Times
Lobbyist Brian Ballard has unwittingly become a pivotal figure in the state's fraud and money laundering case against former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer.

In Orlando, Republican governors tout can-do reform efforts
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
You've heard the laments about gridlocked, dysfunctional government with leaders unable to make hard decisions needed to get America back on track.

Scott says Democrats 'shocked' he kept campaign promises
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott told an audience of Republican state officials from around the country Thursday that his first year in office had been a success, and that Democrats were "shocked" he had kept campaign pledges to go after teacher tenure, cut taxes and scale back state regulation.

Gerrymandering means the joke's on you
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
I've heard some bad jokes in my day.

What stinking amendments?
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
When the Florida Senate released its proposed congressional and legislative maps this week, it was as if last November didn't happen.

State Dems slap Senate prez with ‘hall of fame’ honors
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Florida Democrats said Thursday they’ve added a new honoree to their ‘Rickpublican’ hall of fame — Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

Florida gambling law filled with barrel-sized loopholes
By Michael Vasquez
Miami Herald
As Florida considers ushering in a new era of casino mega-resorts, a dispute in the tiny Panhandle town of Gretna has focused attention on the state’s existing gambling landscape — and the considerable confusion that surrounds it.

POLITICAL RACES

Democrats push for voter rights — and get a wedge issue
By Mark Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
National Democrats today launched a campaign that is designed to raise awareness about restrictive new voting laws in several states — while doubling as a recruiting tool to attract supporters, especially among minority voters.

In South Florida, Bachmann tees off on rivals
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Michele Bachmann popped unexpectedly into South Florida on Thursday and started throwing haymakers at Republican presidential frontrunners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney.

For Herman Cain, the campaign all but over
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Herman Cain is still campaigning for president. But by most measures, his White House bid is all but over.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Algae blooms: Take the ''slime tour'' of Florida waterways
By Dave Heller
WTSP 10 News Tampa Bay
Environmental groups want you to take a so-called Internet "slime tour" of polluted waterways in Florida as they try to raise public pressure for stricter pollution controls.

Hot and hotter
Editorial
Miami Herald
The U.N. Climate Summit opens this weekend in Durban, South Africa, amid still more evidence of dangerous changes in extreme weather patterns.

EDUCATION

Gov. Scott and his policies are challenged during roundtable with Osceola teachers
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
In the quiet of a school library, more than a dozen Osceola County teachers shared their professional frustrations with Gov. Rick Scott this afternoon, challenging some of his policies and urging him to promote Florida's public schools.

Gov proposes parents 'union' to control underperforming schools
By Chris Umpierre
Ft. Myers News-Press
From academics to quality of teachers, Tice Elementary parent Maria Mendoza would make a lot of changes at her daughter’s east Fort Myers school.

FCAT Scoring May Get Stricter
By Merissa Green
Lakeland Ledger
The State Department of Education is proposing more stringent scoring for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

UF trustees give initial OK to hiking undergrad fees
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
As a boisterous group of students protested tuition hikes, University of Florida trustees voted Thursday to create a new fee that would amount to a 5 percent tax on undergraduate tuition.

FAMU expels 4 over band hazing death
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald
Florida A&M University has dismissed four students amid growing pressure from top state education officials and the governor’s office over an alleged hazing incident that led to the death of a 26-year-old drum major.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Back on Their Heels After the 99 Percent Fight Back
The Progress Report
Think Progress
What a difference two and a half months makes. The 99 Percent movement is now part of our culture, is changing the narrative, and is here to stay.

Police arrest 29 Occupy Tampa protesters after asking them to vacate park
By Marissa Lang
St. Petersburg Times
Police arrested 29 Occupy Tampa demonstrators during a peaceful protest Thursday night after, police said, the protesters refused to leave a park.

Unemployment compensation fund on the mend as taxes rise
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
A more than 20-fold jump in the minimum unemployment compensation tax in the past three years will soon be reversed, although it will take longer than three years to drop back to pre-recession levels, according to estimates from state economists released Thursday.

Scott touts gunmaker’s move to Florida
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Connecticut gunmaker Colt’s Manufacturing Co., plans to open a regional manufacturing plant in Central Florida’s Osceola County, bringing with it 63 jobs, Gov. Rick Scott said Thursday.

Report: America – Not as Broke as You'd Think
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
The congressional "super-committee" failed to cut more than $1 trillion from the federal deficit.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

St. Petersburg bishop joins Catholic leaders in opposition to part of health reform law
By Richard Martin
St. Petersburg Times
Related editorial: Women’s rights at risk
When Bishop Robert Lynch spoke from the pulpit Wednesday to a crowd of lawyers and judges, he may have surprised some with his pointed opposition to a key provision of the federal health care reform law.

Obama announces additional funding for domestic AIDS programs on World AIDS Day
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
President Obama announced today that $50 million in additional funds will be going toward treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S.

Psychotropic drug use higher for foster kids
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
The first day Ke'onte set foot in Carol and Scott Cook's home, two months before he was adopted by the Dallas couple in 2009, the boy had a stash of four or five types of pills to control his behavior.

Daily Clips for December 1, 2011

Former Gov. Graham laments loss of environmental progress in Florida
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Surrounded by environmental officials who served under previous governors, former Gov. Bob Graham forcefully urged Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday to reverse the environmental damage done by lawmakers in the last legislative session and “now lead.”

Facing heated criticism, Rubio explains stance on Defense Authorization Act
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Sen. Marco Rubio was forced Wednesday to defend of his support of controversial provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Payroll tax break for 9 million Floridians at stake
By William Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The White House, as part of its campaign to pressure Congress, predicted on Wednesday that 9.1 million Floridians would save $9.3 billion if the House and Senate approve President Obama’s proposed 3.1 percentage point cut in the payroll tax.

Lawmakers propose tougher unemployment compensation rules
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
After lawmakers added new job search and skills test requirements to receive unemployment compensation benefits and cut the maximum weeks of state benefits, more changes could be on the way.

State GOP economic record abysmal
By Nan Rich
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Earlier this year, as Florida's number of unemployed continued to soar above the national average and Tallahassee Republicans maintained a deaf ear to their plight, one GOP lawmaker rose above the conservative rhetoric, castigating her party members for deference to dogma over responsibility.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Rick Scott to release his budget next week
By News Service of Florida
Florida Times-Union
Gov. Rick Scott will release his 2012-13 budget recommendations Dec. 7, as lawmakers get ready to grapple with a shortfall of up to $2 billion --- and state programs brace for another round of spending cuts.

State Senate Maps Path Toward Court Action
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
After months of silently hearing testimony from constituents who spoke without benefit of having seen a single proposed map, the state Senate finally rolled out on Monday its version of what Florida’s political boundaries should look like.

Haridopolos has lots of priorities — but can you guess which one is missing?
By Eve Samples
TC Palm
When the most powerful man in the state Senate visited our offices this week, he left us with a tidy list of goals for the legislative session that begins in January.

POLITICAL RACES

Redistricting proposal by Florida’s GOP-run Senate doesn’t look good for U.S. Rep. West
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
U.S. Rep. Allen West, a political lightning rod since his election last fall, was catching some static Wednesday as Democrats predicted his political days may be numbered under his own Republican Party's plan for redrawing congressional boundaries.

PPP: Mack way ahead in GOP Senate primary
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
In the Florida Senate primary Connie Mack IV is stronger now than he was before he decided not to run before he decided to run.

Sink sees Florida slog for Obama
By Alexander Burns
Politico
Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink says it will be "hard" for President Barack Obama to win the Sunshine State in 2012, though she predicts Obama will ultimately be reelected.

Herman Cain’s presidential campaign: A legacy of ineptitude
By Jonathan Martin
Politico
Herman Cain is in the midst of "reassessing" whether to continue his 2012 run, but its legacy is already settled: His campaign will go down as one of the most hapless and bumbling operations in modern presidential politics, setting a new standard for how to turn damaging press coverage into something far worse.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Florida’s got biggest share of unwanted reptiles, amphibians
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
Meet the African clawed frog, the red-footed tortoise and the false map turtle, new alien arrivals to the Space Coast with unknown appetites for ecological destruction.

Invasive fish resurface off Florida coast
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
The lionfish now has some familiar company invading Florida.

Fisheries bill introduced in Senate
Staff Report
TC Palm
With a Dec. 31 deadline looming, support is mounting for legislation to ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service uses sound science to set catch limits for the nation’s fisheries.

LGBT

Class makes film about LGBT witch-hunt group
By Alexandra Schulze
Central Florida Future
Imagine yourself in a society where even just associating with the "wrong" crowd could lead to serious consequences.

EDUCATION

Put lawmakers record on education to test
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
When the people of Florida adopted a constitutional amendment in 1998 directing lawmakers to make "high quality" free public education a "paramount duty" of the state, the expectation was that legislators would raise educational excellence and funding to a top priority.

Florida Districts Get Mixed Results in School Choice Index
By Gina Jordan
StateImpact
The Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings has released its inaugural Education Choice and Competition Index.

Gov. Scott's responsibility for tuition increases and pushing the envelope of communications
By Michael C. Bender
Miami Herald
Gov. Rick Scott's office is attempting to distance itself from the higher-ed protests around the state, particularly the fingers pointing blame at him for this year's tuition increase.

Five schools, including UCF, may vie for new STEM teacher prep program
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Colleges and universities interested in taking part in “UTeach,” a program that aims to better train math and science teachers, can apply for some of Florida’s Race to the Top winnings to get them started.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Rick Scott to release his budget next week
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Gov. Rick Scott will release his 2012-13 budget recommendations Dec. 7, as lawmakers get ready to grapple with a shortfall of up to $2 billion --- and state programs brace for another round of spending cuts.

Will the GOP Really Block Extended Unemployment Benefits?
The Progress Report
Think Progress
This week, we’ve been talking about the extension of the payroll tax cut that the GOP is likely to block tomorrow — which would have disastrous economic consequences and raise taxes on 160 MILLION Americans.

GOP: Offsetting cuts must cover payroll tax relief
By Alan Fram
Associated Press
Republican congressional leaders stressed a willingness Wednesday to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut due to expire Dec. 31, setting up a year-end clash with Democrats over how to pay for a provision at the heart of President Barack Obama's jobs program.

Citizens insurance prepares to drop or reduce coverage, raise premiums
By Julie Patel
South Florida Sun Sentinel
A Citizens Property Insurance panel approved 30 recommendations Wednesday to help the state-backed insurer downsize and lower its financial risk to Floridians.

Our take on: Hands off housing
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Almost 20 years ago, Florida legislators increased a tax on real-estate transactions to create a trust fund that would finance state and local affordable-housing initiatives.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Group warns ‘challenges will compound’ if Florida continues to stall health care reform
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy (FCFEP) released a report this month warning state officials that delaying implementation of federally mandated health policy changes in the state could “compound” the challenges they might already face.

Report: Fla. ranks 13^th in anti-smoking spending
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida ranks 13th nationally in anti-smoking funding, although the state uses just 3.7 percent of its tobacco settlement for that purpose.

Hospital commission moves ahead despite governor’s skepticism
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
A blue-ribbon panel examining the role of government hospitals in the state's health care delivery system will continue its work including completing a final report despite Gov. Rick Scott's assertions that he doesn't expect the Legislature to tackle the issue this upcoming session.

Good news: Florida is aging much more slowly
By Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
Maybe it's time for Florida to shed the "God's waiting room" image and revive its slogan as the Fountain of Youth.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

DCF, Labor Department Continue Talks About Unpaid Overtime Violations
By Matthew Pleasant
Lakeland Ledger
The Florida Department of Children and Families continues to draft an agreement with federal officials that's designed to keep the state from violating federal labor laws.

Labor officials keeping eye on Fla. growers
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Associated Press
Federal labor officials have a warning for growers in central Florida: pay farmworkers fair wages.