Daily Clips for August 26, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Deepwater trouble on the horizon: oil discovered floating near source of Gulf of Mexico spill
By Ben Raines
Mobile Press-Register
Related: Scientists: Oil fouling Gulf matches Deepwater Horizon well
Editorial: Find the source of leak around BP well now
Oil is once again fouling the Gulf of Mexico around the Deepwater Horizon well, which was capped a little over a year ago.

Rick Scott's Missing Emails Situation Is Getting Fishy
By Matthew Hendley
Broward New Times
​Gov. Rick Scott's magically deleted email debacle is starting to sound a bit ridiculous already, even though he's ordered an "investigation" from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Gov. Rick Scott's lost emails dim right to know
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
So far, news that emails from Gov. Rick Scott's transition got deleted hasn't fueled much outrage.

Scott: Let's compete for $100-million Race to Top grant for young kids
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida plans to compete for $100 million in the federal government's latest Race to the Top program, assuming the Florida Legislature is willing to accept other federal money it had previously rejected.

New Florida poll shows Obama has work to do
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Lucky for Barack Obama that the election is 13 months away, because a new Florida poll shows him trailing Mitt Romney and neck and neck with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Daniel Webster (R-FL) Admits To Distributing Watch List, Is Unapologetic
By Kenneth Quinnell
Florida Progressive Coalition
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel Republican Daniel Webster admitted to sending out the “watch list” flier that was recently handed out at a town hall held by Tim Griffin (R-AR).

Scott Reneges on Jobs Goal: “Mission Accomplished” Banner Is Now Ready
By Bruce Seaman
Daily Marion
Having built his reputation as a ‘jobs creator’ whose first priority was jobs creation, who would slay fictional regulatory job-killing dragons and pave a golden yellow brick road with taxpayer dollars to bring sun-starved businesses scurrying to Florida (but only toll roads for citizens), Florida Governor Rick Scott recently declared a virtual victory for himself after almost 8 months on the job.

Marco Rubio: Medicare, Social Security ‘Weakened Us As People,’ Made Us Lazy
By Igor Volsky
Think Progress
Potential vice president running mate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) dismissed the importance of programs like Medicare and Social Security during a speech at the Reagan Presidential Library this afternoon, arguing that the initiatives “weakened us as people”.

Supreme Court Rules Against Self-Proclaimed "Supreme Executive" Rick Scott
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Yesterday the Florida Supreme Court found that Florida Governor Rick Scott overstepped his constitutional authority when he suspended rulemaking by state agencies shortly after he took office in January.

Slavery in Florida's Tomato Fields
By Liz Eleanor
Daily Kos
There has long been good reason to avoid the sad, pale, flavorless winter tomato, as sturdy as a softball and about as delicious.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Not that you asked, but …
By Daniel Ruth
St. Petersburg Times
This could have been the mother of all spit-take moments, but considering I was ingesting some very nice scotch at the time, I summoned the inner discipline of a thousand Spartans to keep things where they belonged.

ACLU jumps into court battle over new elections law
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
The American Civil Liberties Union and Project Vote announced today that they are intervening in Florida’s effort to win federal approval for its controversial changes to state election laws.

Judge to Jim Greer: You'll stand trial on all six counts
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
An Orlando judge has refused to throw out criminal charges against Jim Greer, former chairman of the Florida GOP, setting aside defense claims that prosecutors and agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement had failed to follow the law as they built their case against the fallen politico.

In need of ideas, not more ideology
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
Gov. Rick Scott this week ordered slashing the budgets of the state’s five water management districts by $700 million.

POLITICAL RACES

One year out: Preparations underway for 2012 GOP convention
By Christian M. Wade
Tampa Tribune
One year from now, the eyes of the nation will be on Tampa as Republicans from across the country converge on city to select their next presidential candidate.

Jobs are crux of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign for president
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
He burst into the Republican presidential field with typical Texan bravado, corralling attention from his rivals and promising to "work every day to make Washington, D.C., as inconsequential in your life as I can."

Rick Perry aims to outshine Mitt Romney in Florida fray
By Jackie Kucinich
USA Today
Texas Gov. Rick Perry's decision this week to accept invitations to several key Florida GOP events next month offers him the chance to make progress in a key primary state.

Hasner admits Fla. financial disclosure violation
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Former state Rep. Adam Hasner, now a candidate for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, admits violating Florida's financial disclosure law.

FEC asks Rep. David Rivera to explain campaign debt
By Erika Bolstad
Miami Herald
The Federal Election Commission has asked Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, to elaborate on why there's new debt on his most recent campaign finance reports.

DCCC seizes on Rep. Steve Southerland's salary complaint
By Dan Hirschhorn
Politico
Democrats pounced Thursday on politically inartful comments by Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.), who told constituents that his $174,000 salary is nothing to write home about.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Environmentalists: Water district cuts will hurt Florida's ecology
By Keith Morelli
Tampa Tribune
Environmentalists around Florida are livid about the budget cutbacks for the five water management districts and they predict that the cuts will result in an inevitable decline in the quality of the state's ecology.

Florida's top environmental regulator shares his vision for agency
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard says his department must provide consistent and efficient permitting while not allowing environmental protection to slip.

Scott declines to review NW Bradenton land-use case
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
Gov. Rick Scott has declined to review a land-use decision rescinded Tuesday by the Manatee County Commission.

LGBT

Family Research Council to challenge LGBT GOP groups at Tampa convention
By Sofia Resnick
Florida Independent
After being tipped off by a recent Washington Blade article about GOP LGBT groups’ attempts to influence the Republican Party platform at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins says those groups should expect a fight.

EDUCATION

Support emerges for higher education overhaul in Florida
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
Gov. Rick Scott may have one crucial ally in his nascent effort to overhaul higher education in Florida: State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan.

Cloud remains over several Florida for-profit universities
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
The state of Florida is continuing its crackdown against for-profit colleges and universities who bend the rules to reach and retain students.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Nelson urges income tax reform, accuses GOP of 'extreme position' to 'cut, cut, cut'
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson made a bipartisan appeal for tax simplification at a Forum Club of the Palm Beaches luncheon today, then urged Democratic activists to help defeat Republicans who hold the "extreme position" that spending cuts are the only way to reduce the deficit.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Health care agency reaches out to HMOs and nursing homes about fate of Medicaid reform
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Agency for Heath Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek has been making the rounds to special interests groups discussing Florida’s new Medicaid managed care program and the waivers required to make it all work.

Most pill-mill doctors ‘clear, active’
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Of the 13 physicians indicted in a massive federal pill-mill bust this week, 12 are still listed on the Department of Health website as having "clear/active" licenses with no pending complaints.

Rick Scott just loves Florida’s seniors and kids – yeah right
By Natasha Dowdy Gordon
Westside Gazette
Thanks to Governor Rick Scott and his Republican run state legislature, the state of Florida has refused to accept millions of dollars in federal funds intended for needy Floridians.

DCF director examines new ways to protect children
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
When Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins walked into his new office for the first time last January, he had heard about the department’s problems — but he had no idea how bad they were.

FL Gov names Elder Affairs Secretary
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott is keeping a holdover from the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist in his job.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Welfare drug-testing yields 2% positive results
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
Since the state began testing welfare applicants for drugs in July, about 2 percent have tested positive, preliminary data shows.

Federal judges have ruled testing welfare recipients for drugs violates 4th Amendment rights.
By Chase Cain
WTSP 10 News Tampa Bay
Floridians who need help taking care of their children now have to pass a drug test first.

Gov. Scott's migration fixation
Editorial
Northwest Florida Daily News
Leave it to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is known to have an old-fashioned hankering to stamp out illicit drugs, to keep pushing for a solution to yet another problem that’s already well on the road to solving itself.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Rick Scott Takes Heavy Hand With Department of Corrections
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
The prison system and the Department of Corrections are probably some of the least appealing parts of state government.

Alexander supports ouster of DOC chief Buss
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
The chairman of the Senate budget committee said Thursday Gov. Rick Scott made a wise decision in ousting Department of Corrections Secretary Ed Buss for not supporting the push to privatize state prisons in South Florida.

Abrupt departure for pioneering corrections chief
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott isn't saying much about why he forced out one of his best and brightest agency heads after just six months on the job.

Fla. inmate asks US justices for stay of execution
Associated Press
Miami Herald
A man convicted of killing a Florida police officer has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his Sept. 6 execution.

MSNBC to film at Santa Rosa prison
News Service of Florida
Pensacola News Journal
The on-again, off-again MSNBC look at Santa Rosa County Correctional Institution is on again after Gov. Rick Scott signed off on a Department of Corrections plan to allow the network to film inside the prison for its series "Lockup."

Daily Clips for August 25, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Advice from Jeb Bush to Gov. Rick Scott discovered in transition e-mails
By Michael C. Bender
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Former Gov. Jeb Bush offered to be a confidential sounding board for newly elected Gov. Rick Scott while urging him to expand school vouchers to all students, release elderly prisoners early and consider taxing online purchases in exchange for cuts to other taxes.

Florida prison chief's resignation follows split with Scott over TV, privatization contracts
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott's corrections chief, Edwin Buss, abruptly resigned Wednesday evening after less than six months on the job and amid the planned privatization of more than one-third of the state's prisons.

Gov. Rick Scott orders more budget cuts at Southwest Florida Water Management District
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Rick Scott complimented the state's five water management districts Wednesday on cutting $700 million from their budgets and laying off hundreds of employees.

Wasserman Schultz: Tell Scott to ‘stop playing politics with women’s health’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Democratic National Committee chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Pembroke Pines, spoke at a women’s health rally hosted by a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Fort Lauderdale yesterday.

Group asks FBI to investigate Buchanan
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (aka CREW) has filed an FBI complaint against Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, asking that the Bureau investigate Buchanan on charges of witness tampering, obstruction of justice and bribery, based largely on a deposition of one of his former business partners, Sam Kazran.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Bowing down at the altar of intolerance and deception
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Want to get your picture taken with — or even introduce — Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon at a fancy party this weekend?

Charges against former state GOP chairman should be dismissed, says lawyer
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
The fraud case against the ousted chairman of the Republican Party of Florida started to take its toll on top GOP officials this week when Jim Greer’s lawyers started putting top party officials and politicians under oath.

Feds subpoena Sansom's business records with Santa Rosa County
By Tom McLaughlin and Kari C. Barlow
Northwest Florida Daily News
Former State Rep. Ray Sansom has found his name on a subpoena issued by a federal agency.

Southerland: Public service an honor but not a cushy job
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland told retirees Wednesday that serving in Congress is a great honor and privilege, but not cushy job with lavish insurance and pension benefits that many disgruntled taxpayers seem to think it is.

POLITICAL RACES

Dean Cannon endorses Rick Perry
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
House Speaker Dean Cannon, as predicted, has endorsed Rick Perry for president.

Bachmann adds Tampa stop to Florida tour
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann will hit the Tampa area during a tour of Florida this weekend—Sunday morning, she’ll visit Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, a conservative North Tampa church known as a center of GOP political activity.

More questions about Senate candidate’s military record emerge
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
GOP Senate candidate Mike McCalister is facing more questions about his military service, this time from a Vietnam veteran.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Tampa activists demand cleaner air rules from the EPA
By Josh Holton
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Environmentalists rallied for clean air this morning in downtown Tampa.

LGBT

Teacher at center of anti-gay Facebook rant to speak at conservative rally tonight
By Erica Rodriguez
Orlando Sentinel
Jerry Buell, the Mount Dora High School teacher of the year who was suspended then reinstated for his anti-gay Facebook comments, will speak at a rally tonight.

Lawyer Norm Kent defends Lt. Dan Choi in gay 'don't ask, don't tell' White House protest case
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
A month before Congress repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell” in December, gay ex-Army Lt. Dan Choi and 12 other activists handcuffed themselves to a fence outside the White House to protest the law.

EDUCATION

State Board of Ed snubs public broadcasting in budget request
By Lilly Rockwell
News Service of Florida
The State Board of Education approved a legislative wish list Tuesday that excluded any money for public broadcasting, throwing the future of state-funded public broadcasting into question.

Race to the Top eligibility still in jeopardy
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education released the final criteria for its Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge — and it looks like Florida is still in jeopardy of losing eligibility for $100 million in federal education grants because of the state’s rejection of federal funds.

Rick Scott wants to make us smart as them Texens
By Mike Thomas
Orlando Sentinel
Rick Scott wants to reform our universities and turn them into great institutions of higher education.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Raise your taxes? Republicans are for it
By Harold Meyerson
Washington Post
America's presumably antitax party wants to raise your taxes.

State settles with South Florida hurricane shutter company in fraud suit
By Janet Zink
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday announced a settlement with a South Florida hurricane shutter company that will require refunds of nearly $790,000 to hundreds of customers.

State says workers' comp fraud totals $438 million or more
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
A new scheme involving money services businesses and shell companies is bilking the government out of taxes and costing workers compensation companies lost premiums, with the fraud estimated to cost at least $438 million, state insurance fraud regulators say.

For many in South Florida, property tax bills may rise
By Brittany Wallman, Dana Williams and Andy Reid
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Worst-case scenario tax bills are dropping into South Florida homeowners' mailboxes this week, and the news is grim for tens of thousands whose cities are poised to raise property tax rates.

Southwest Florida's recovery slows compared with rest of state
By Doug Sword and Kevin McQuaid
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
After doing better than the rest of Florida for five consecutive months, the local economy dipped to a 1 percent growth rate during June, mirroring national trends that have some economists wondering if the recovery has sputtered.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

DOH layoffs hit some harder
Staff Report
Health News Florida
Department of Health lists of employee layoffs by county show a big difference in the effects on local health units following funding cuts ordered by the Legislature.

Dispute over state health insurance changes forces enrollment delay
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
The annual open enrollment for state employee health insurance plans will have to wait this year to allow for complaints lodged against the Department of Management Services to play itself out.

Doctors played key role in South Florida pill mills
By Audra D.S. Burch and Scott Hiaasen
Miami Herald
A day after federal investigators busted the nation’s largest pill mill crime enterprise, a fuller portrait of the role of doctors emerged as the engine behind a narcotics network that churned out more than 20 million oxycodone pills and $40 million in profits.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Drug testing Welfare Recipients
By Whitney Ray
Capitol News Service
A new state law, passed with only anecdotal evidence and no hard facts, isn’t saving the state as much money as expected.

Daily Clips for August 24, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

Dems say lawmakers should investigate missing e-mails from Rick Scott's transition
By Michael C. Bender
Miami Herald
Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said today that the Florida House and Senate should be in charge of investigating the potential destruction of records from Republican Gov. Rick Scott's transition into office.

Florida prisons chief packs staff with Indiana hires
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott's choice to reform Florida's prison system came from Indiana and quickly decided the agency needed new leadership.

Big Decisions Ahead for 4,000 FL Correctional Employees
By Les Coleman
Public News Service Florida
The move to privatize 29 south Florida prisons means that about 4,000 corrections officers have big decisions to make.

Sources: State talking to FEC about running Tri-Rail; cutting Tri-Rail board out of talks
By Joel Engelhardt and John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The state has been in secret talks to transfer the operations of the South Florida commuter rail line, Tri-Rail, to the Florida East Coast Railway, The Palm Beach Post has learned.

Redistricting talks are a lot of hot air
By Eric Ernst
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Talk about a waste of time and money.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Scott’s Missing E-Mails Prompt FDLE Probe
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
From the beginning, Gov. Rick Scott has seemed about as comfortable with public records as Rick Perry might at a Brokeback Mountain screening.

GOP using redistricting to shore up House majority
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The odds of getting re-elected have gotten better for Rep. Renee Ellmers and other Republican freshmen in the House — thanks to GOP calculations in redrawing congressional maps.

To prepare for hurricanes, Florida turns to former Walmart executive
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A Walmart executive from Arkansas wouldn't seem the logical choice to lead Florida through a vicious hurricane, wildfire or terrorist attack.

Sen. Marco Rubio faults both parties for 'behemoth' government
By Alex Leary
St. Petersburg Times
Heralded as "perhaps a new great communicator," U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio delivered a speech before an adoring crowd Tuesday evening at the Ronald Reagan Library in California.

Florida congressman the 10th richest
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Among Roll Call‘s list of the 50 richest members of Congress: Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota.

Is the case against Jim Greer falling apart?
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
A lawyer for former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer predicts he'll prevail in the criminal fraud case against him after the defense team today deposed Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, Sen. John Thrasher, former party attorney Jason Gonzalez and private attorney John Harris.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Florida congressman again defends water hearing critics say was one-sided
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, has been playing defense lately.

Florida leads in BP oil spill claims payouts
By Louis Cooper
Pensacola News Journal
Florida has received more in compensation for damage from the BP oil spill than any other state in the first year of operations by the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

Environmental groups urge Scott to rethink highway plan
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
A coalition of environmental groups (including 1000 Friends of Florida, Audubon of Florida, the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida) have sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott and the Department of Transportation, outlining their concerns with the recently renewed Future Corridors Action Plan.

EDUCATION

Eager for Spotlight, but Not if It Is on a Testing Scandal
By Michael Winerip
New York Times
Why won’t Michelle Rhee talk to USA Today?

Board of Education seeks modest increase in spending next year.
By Kim MacQueen
Florida Current
The State Board of Education on Tuesday signed off on a $17.1 billion budget request for public schools that would bring spending next year up by 1.88 percent over this year's levels.

New rules aimed at curbing abuses at for-profit colleges
By Scott Travis
South Florida Sun Sentinel
A series of new federal regulations aimed at ending high-pressure and misleading sales tactics at for-profit colleges take effect this month, as the industry continues to face scrutiny from the state and federal government.

Nonprofit writes Florida law for its own program
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
A 2011 bill aimed at protecting a scholarship program funded by corporate donations was written by the only group that offers the scholarship program - not an elected official - and included a provision that would have given that group access to confidential tax information, according to emails and documents obtained by the Times-Union.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Modest Growth in Florida Job Market
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Lakeland Ledger
A new report from an economic advisory council affiliated with Florida TaxWatch is projecting a modest growth in Florida jobs over the next year - but far less robust than historic rebounds from previous economic recessions in the state.

Feds commit $745 million to Amtrak for NE rail
By Michael D. Bolden
Washington Post
Amtrak will receive nearly $745 million from the federal government to upgrade its Northeast Corridor rail lines, with the goal of allowing trains to run at increased speeds along the heavily used tracks.

State tells jobs agencies to stop doing business with board members
By Jim Stratton
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's 24 regional workforce boards are now prohibited from awarding business contracts to companies controlled by or tied to agency board members.

Rates to increase for Gulf Power
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Capital News
The Public Service Commission unanimously approved a $38.5-million rate increase for Gulf Power Co. Tuesday as part of a major hike in revenues the electricity giant said it needs "to keep the lights on" in Northwest Florida.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida poised to be 'bell-cow in aging'
By Barbara Peters Smith
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
At the state's annual conference on aging this week, the people who look after Florida's seniors are trying to figure out how to provide more caregiving with fewer dollars.

Medicare says competitive pricing will save $28B
By Sam Baker
The Hill
Medicare is dramatically expanding a program that it says will save billion of dollars and serve as a model for other cost-cutting efforts.

George brothers, 30 others arrested in pain clinic chain
By Bob LaMendola
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Law enforcement on Tuesday arrested twin brothers they called kingpins of South Florida's biggest pill mill network, along with 30 of their top lieutenants in a criminal operation that used kidnapping and gunfire to profit.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Welfare drug-testing yields 2 percent positive results
By Catherine Whittenburg
Tampa Tribune
Since the state began testing welfare applicants for drugs in July, about 2 percent have tested positive, preliminary data shows.

Process to review 300,000 deportation proceedings leaves room for doubts
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The implementation of a case by case review of at least 300,000 deportation proceedings, announced by the Department of Homeland Security last week, has left room for questions among immigrant advocate groups.

Deport the serious criminals
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Predictably, the Obama administration's decision to focus deportation efforts on illegal immigrants who commit crimes rather than those who don't has been derided as "amnesty."

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida Supremes approve death drug
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Florida's new lethal injection drug poses no substantial risk of undue pain, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, lifting a stay of execution for convicted cop-killer Manuel Valle.

Bishops call on Scott to stop execution
By Travis Pillow
Florida Independent
Florida’s Catholic bishops repeated their plea for Gov. Rick Scott to call off the execution of Manuel Valle, the subject of Scott’s first death warrant.

FBI probes Santa Rosa County connection to prison
By Richard McVay
Pensacola News Journal
A federal grand jury in Pensacola is investigating the building and funding of a privately owned correctional facility that opened last year in East Milton, including the role of former state Rep. Ray Sansom.

Prison pushback: Scott's staff told of MSNBC deal
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
The state Department of Corrections has begun pushing back, ever so slightly, on the governor's office in the flap over the TV contract with the MSNBC series "Lockup."