FEATURED STORIES
Cleanup efforts in the Gulf resume as BP prepares to replace troubled CEO Hayward
By Curtis Morgan, Laura Figueroa and Manny Navarro
Miami Herald
Drifting ooze and tar balls will survive BP's deep sea drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico better than the oil giant's embattled chief executive, who will reportedly be shown the door as early as Monday.
White House sends 2012 rescue team to Florida
By Carol E. Lee
Politico
The White House has quietly launched an effort to confront the political backlash along the Gulf Coast over its handling of the BP oil spill -- giving special attention to Florida, the only state in the region President Barack Obama won in 2008 and one he will need again when he runs for reelection in 2012.
Standing out in crowded U.S. House has been the challenge for would-be Senator Kendrick Meek
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
If for some wild reason you weren't glued to C-SPAN at 11 p.m. on July 19, 2006, here's the replay: A congressman stands alone on the floor of the House of Representatives, rows of empty tan leather seats behind him, slamming his fist into a giant rubber stamp.
Republican Rick Scott's $22.6M smashes state campaign-spending record
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott has shattered Gov. Charlie Crist's record for spending on a Florida election, reporting Friday that he burned through $22.6 million -- almost all of it his own wealth -- in his first three months as a candidate.
EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK
By Chan Lowe
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Read the artist's commentary here.
FLORIDA POLITICS
'Do-Nothing Legislature' says 'Just wait'
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
In 1948, President Harry Truman called lawmakers back to Washington for what became known in Missouri vernacular as the "Turnip Session."
By Juan Zapata
Miami Herald
This week Floridians got to see Tallahassee at its worst.
Legislature Has 48 Minutes for Public
By Lonnie Brown
Lakeland Ledger
Related column: Legislature Sets Own Agenda on BP Oil Spill
The Coffee Guzzlers Club members had finished the last of the Sam 'n' Ella Cafe's buttermilk biscuits.
Florida could use some grownups in leadership positions
By Michael Goforth
TCPalm
The voice message Tuesday from state House Rep. Adam Fetterman was to the point: "What happened today was just wrong."
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
Two of Ocala's most prominent elected officials cynically reminded us again this week just how often politics and party trump the people's genuine need when reaching even the most fundamental public policy decision.
POLITICAL RACES
Taxpayers give McCollum $1.3 million boost
By Lee Logan
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Bill McCollum picked up a hefty check from taxpayers Friday -- a financial lifeline for his campaign for governor struggling to keep pace with his free-spending primary opponent Rick Scott.
A duel in the dirt for GOP hopefuls
By Bob Rathgeber
Ft. Myers News-Press
Political mischief and rumor mongering have been a part of the American political fabric since the earliest days of the republic.
Low-profile Alex Sink faces even more obscure opponent in Democratic race for Florida governor
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
It's not often that obscurity is an asset in a high-profile, statewide election.
Scott hits some speed bumps on the trail
By John Frank and Scott Hiaasen
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Rick Scott's statewide bus tour stumbled Friday as he endured tough questions about the fraud at his former company and appeared to misstep on volatile questions from voters.
Rick Scott: Meeting the man behind the image
By John Frank and Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald
Shortly before Jim Levitt left his home in this Central Florida retirement community for a Rick Scott campaign event, the candidate appeared in his living room.
Rick Scott's case against Florida's public financing of candidates
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
May it please the court! Your honors, Rick Scott here, a Republican candidate for governor of Florida.
Jeff Greene's yacht burns through fuel as he campaigns on independence from foreign oil
By Luke Johnson
Florida Independent
Jeff Greene has made no secret of his ostentatious wealth: He owns three private jets, lived (until recently) in a Beverly Hills mansion called the Palazzo Di Amore and hangs out with celebrities like Mike Tyson, Heidi Fleiss and Lindsay Lohan.
By Alex Leary and Kris Hundley
St. Petersburg Times
Florida Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene is fabulously wealthy, that we know.
Service workers rally against wealthy candidates
By Ana Valdes
Palm Beach Post
"Gazillionaires go home!" That's the message 300 health care workers from the Service Employees International Union conveyed to Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene at a rally Friday afternoon.
Senate candidate Kendrick Meek remains question mark to many Democrats
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
The e-mail, from a Seminole County voter, exposed the problem facing Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek.
By Jonathan Allen and Maggie Haberman
Politico
Black lawmakers are prodding the White House to get more involved in Florida Senate hopeful Kendrick Meek's campaign amid growing concern that less-than-robust backing from President Barack Obama will signal to Democrats that it's all right to help independent Charlie Crist.
Marco Rubio cheers U.S. chamber endorsement at Marco Island stop
By Don Manley
Ft. Myers News-Press
U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio says the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's endorsement of his campaign validates his pro-business credentials.
Democratic attorney general contest turns negative
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Once the friendliest contest around, the Democratic primary race for attorney general is turning negative as the primary nears.
Party-backed candidates Meek and McCollum could lose to millionaires Greene and Scott
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
There is an excellent chance that on Aug. 24 Florida will have a very rich Democratic Senate nominee and a very rich Republican gubernatorial nominee opposed by their respective party establishments.
Incumbents worry about voter anger
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Who says experience is a virtue? Not this election year.
Economy makes it tough to raise campaign cash
By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News-Journal
If the political pundits are right, a down economy may be bad for incumbents -- but it may be even worse for the people challenging them, at least when it comes to raising campaign funds.
5th District race is now one to watch
By Laura Kinsler
Tampa Tribune
The race for Florida's 5th District was supposed to be a snoozer, with incumbent Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite coasting into a fifth term.
Longtime Republican allies face off in bitter state Senate primary
By Robert Napper
Florida Independent
The political alliance and friendship between two stalwarts of the Republican Party in the Tampa Bay area is a thing of the past: For now, they are bitter rivals for a state Senate seat.
Scott, McCollum offer plans that don't add up
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Attorney General Bill McCollum claims his opponent in the Republican primary for governor, health care executive Rick Scott, has plagiarized parts of his economic plan.
BALLOT INITIATIVES
Judge shoots down bid by McCollum to keep Amendment 9 on ballot
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Tribune
A Leon County circuit judge Friday morning shot down an attempt by Attorney General Bill McCollum's office to circumvent a legal battle over whether the ballot summary of Amendment 9, the so-called Health Care Freedom Act, meets constitutional muster.
Class Size Proposal Challenged in Tallahassee Circuit Court
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
A legislative proposal to ask voters to relax class size limits on Friday joined a host of other proposed constitutional amendments being challenged in court.
Lawsuit: Take class-size amendment off ballot
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's statewide teachers' union filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to keep a vote on the state's class-size amendment off the November ballot.
Proposed legislative amendments challenged
By Michael Peltier
Naples Daily News
So much for grass-roots efforts. If anyone tells you the constitutional amendment process is a means for regular citizens to avoid the courts or the Legislature, think again.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
USF scientists confirm underwater plumes came from BP spill
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
The plumes of oil snaking through the depths of the Gulf of Mexico definitely came from BP's Deepwater Horizon gusher, scientists at the University of South Florida announced Friday.
BP tries to limit release of oil spill research
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Faced with hundreds of lawsuits and a deep need for experts, BP has been offering some Gulf Coast scientists lucrative consulting contracts that bar them from releasing their findings on the company's massive oil spill for three years.
Area hotels wonder if claims from BP oil spill will be paid
By Steve Huettel
St. Petersburg Times
Top BP executives stepped out of a White House meeting last month promising to pay all legitimate claims for damages caused by oil gushing from its well in the gulf.
Lawsuit Seeks Ban of Common FL Farm Pesticide
By Gina Presson
Public News Service Florida
A pesticide commonly used on Florida farm fields and citrus groves is the target of a federal lawsuit, asking for a national ban by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Beyond the fish kill: St. Johns River now also plagued by bizarre foam
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Just as massive fish kills are finally easing up, more trouble for the St. Johns River -- this time it comes in the form of a mysterious foam.
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
What is it about America's energy problems that induce such paralysis in our politicians?
Editorial
Miami Herald
Now that the oil gusher in the Gulf has largely been plugged, another deluge is headed the industry's way.
LGBT
Gay Slurs Painted On N. Miami Candidate's Ads
Staff Report
CBS 4 TV News Miami
An openly gay North Miami congressional candidate says someone has been defacing his campaign ads and he suspects it's an attack based on his sexuality.
Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp speaks to the Sun Sentinel about gay adoption
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
Video of Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp speaking to the Sun Sentinel about gay adoption.
EDUCATION
State seeks $12M more over late FCAT scores
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
The state Department of Education is demanding another $12 million in damages from the testing company that botched the release of this year's FCAT scores.
Central Florida districts fear FCAT results will cause school grades to dive
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County school administrators have crunched their numbers and spotted the same FCAT "anomalies" seen across thestate. Now they fear the fallout: fewer A-rated campuses and more schools labeled with D's and F's.
Brevard class-size rules squeeze schools
By Megan Downs
Florida Today
Related: Dual enrollment, electives don't fall under the rules
Kindergarten through third-grade classrooms can have only 18 students starting this fall. So what happens when student No. 19 enrolls?
Teachers, officials to assess merit pay
By Linda Trimble
Daytona Beach News-Journal
With state and national pressure building to tie teachers' pay to students' performance, Volusia union and school administration officials are getting together to figure out the best way to do that.
Thumb down: News goes from bad to worse for company administering FCAT
Editorial
TC Palm
The news keeps getting worse for NCS-Pearson, the company hired by the state Department of Education to administer and score the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Gov. Charlie Crist signs order to extend benefits to long-term unemployed
By Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
Good news for about 100,000 long-term jobless in Florida: They'll be able to join the rest of the country in receiving the extended unemployment benefits reinstated by Congress this week.
State staff's handling of Office Depot contract may have cost taxpayers millions
By Matt Clark
Naples Daily News
State purchasing officials may have cost taxpayers millions of dollars when they improperly managed a contract used for $42 million in office supplies purchases per year, a Daily News investigation has found.
Pensacola hotels post gains despite oil spill
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Pensacola-area hotels posted some surprising increases in business last month despite the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Healthy Kids: WellCare owes $2.1M
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
An independent audit conducted for Florida Healthy Kids, a subsidized program for uninsured children of working families, found WellCare Health Plans still owes it money for "double dipping" in the pharmacy program.
Fierce battle over state's anti-smoking ad contract ends quietly
By Gary Fineout
Florida Tribune
A feud over Florida's multi-million dollar anti-smoking ad campaign has been settled.
Going 'green' yields big savings
By Deborah Balshem
Health News Florida
The "greening" of the healthcare industry has been a long time coming.
Crenshaw backs bill to help disabled save money
By Jeremy Cox
Florida Times-Union
To qualify for a government check and subsidized health care, a disabled person must lead a pauper's life.
CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Families head to D.C. to protest deportations
By Alfonso Chardy
Miami Herald
Every night before she falls asleep, Marlene de León worries whether she'll be jarred awake the next morning by immigration agents banging on the door to deport her mother who for years has lived in Miami without papers.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
Father-son developers are common thread in Tamarac corruption probes
By Paula McMahon and Lisa J. Huriash
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
It began with a bold plan to build more than 700 homes on two old golf courses, making millions for the developers and boosting the tax coffers for Tamarac, a city that hadn't seen such a big proposal in years.
New Florida commission aims to prevent wrongful convictions
By Kate Howard
Florida Times-Union
The 12 people wrongly convicted and later freed by DNA in Florida have much in common beyond their lost years in prison.
