Daily Clips for December 22, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

House Republicans pick party over nation
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
If your taxes go up 10 days from now, you will know whom to blame: U.S. House Republicans, including all of those in Florida and Tampa Bay.

Rep. Buchanan's credibility takes hit in election report
By Susan Taylor Martin
St. Petersburg Times
Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan claimed the Federal Election Commission had "completely exonerated'' him of accusations that employees of his car dealerships were illegally reimbursed for campaign contributions.

Evicted firefighter leads charge against Bondi
By Mary Shanklin
Orlando Sentinel
Evicted this week from his home of 40 years, retired Orange County firefighter Booker T. Perry and a new coalition added to the mounting criticisms against Florida Attorney General Bondi's handling of the foreclosure crisis.

Lawmakers watching what they say on redistricting
By Bill Kaczor
Associated Press
Many lawmakers and other key players in Florida's process for drawing new congressional and legislative districts have adopted their own don't ask, don't tell policie

Everglades, Kissimmee River restoration projects get boost from federal spending bill
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Amid bitter partisan disputes over payroll tax cuts and other budgetary wrangling, the spending bill that Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed contains $142 million for restoring the Everglades and the Kissimmee River.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Rick Scott’s First Year Comes to a Close
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
Today is Governor Rick Scott’s three hundred fifty-first day in office.

Cannon lays out House session schedule
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times
House Speaker Dean Cannon told members Wednesday not to expect a lot of floor action the first several weeks of session, part of the "collateral" impact of session's early January jump.

Scott: Lawmakers need to shut down barrel racing, slots
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott is calling on lawmakers to quickly close what he called a gray area in Florida law that allowed a Panhandle racetrack to get a permit for barrel racing and a card room and opened the door for slot machines.

POLITICAL RACES

Romney says Gingrich can't take heat of a campaign
By Shannon McCaffrey and Kasie Hunt
Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney argued Wednesday that if rival Newt Gingrich can't handle the criticism generated by negative campaign ads, the former House speaker will wilt going up against President Barack Obama.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Faith leaders say ‘Religious Freedom’ amendment is still misleading
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, one of the many groups challenging a 2012 ballot measure that would eliminate restrictions on state funding for religious institutions, says a recent rewrite of the proposed amendment is still misleading.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

From Washington, good news for the Everglades
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The halting state-federal effort to restore the Everglades has taken a positive turn. Congress authorized $142 million for the project next year, clearing the way for new construction that will vastly improve water flow into the River of Grass.

Governor says he's still working on energy issues and isn't deferring to Putnam
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday he won't have an energy bill to offer the Legislature in 2012, and he also said he isn't deferring to Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on energy issues.

Occupy St. Pete goes after Progress Energy: Don't make us pay for your mistake!
By Janelle Irwin
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
About 75 Occupy St. Pete protesters lined the streets and crowded the corners in front of Progress Energy’s downtown St. Pete offices last Saturday.

Cutting Mercury Pollution, Saving Lives, Creating Jobs
By Rebecca Leber
The Progress Report
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today an important new rule that finally sets limits on mercury, arsenic, and other toxins released into our air.

EDUCATION

Scott smacks down proposal to move education commish to Cabinet
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Although some lawmakers have filed bills to place the Education Commissioner position back in the Cabinet as an elected official, Gov. Rick Scott isn’t having it.

State's grades for high schools are delayed
By Christopher O'Donnell
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
High school principals hoping for an early Christmas gift in the form of an A grade for their school will have to wait a little longer.

Genshaft takes heat for appointing interim USF-Poly leader
By Kim Wilmath
St. Petersburg Times
The way that University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft replaced the chancellor of her Lakeland campus has caught the ire of the soon-to-be leader of the Florida Board of Governors.

Testing Firm Faces Inquiry on Free Trips for Officials
By Winnie Hu
New York Times
New York State’s attorney general is investigating whether the Pearson Foundation, the nonprofit arm of one of the nation’s largest educational publishers, acted improperly to influence state education officials by paying for overseas trips and other perks.

The FCAT gamble
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The state Board of Education has approved new passing scores for standardized tests, raising the ante in its already high-stakes student assessments.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Gov. Scott says he would sign Internet sales tax bill, with caveat
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
While hanging on to his pledge not to raise taxes, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday he would sign a bill that would impose a tax on Internet sales, if the bill doesn’t increase the overall revenue to the state.

Publix could get jobs cash for developing cow pasture
By Sara K. Clarke
Orlando Sentinel
Publix Super Markets has saved $528,000 in Orange County taxes during the past three years by claiming an agricultural exemption on a cow pasture it owns near the airport.

Growth spurt since 2010 census has Florida closing in on N.Y. for No. 3 spot
By Adam Playford
Palm Beach Post
Even as the nation's population growth sagged to its lowest level since the 1940s, Florida has swelled since the 2010 census, adding more than a quarter of a million people, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Number of Floridians with private health insurance decreases
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
According to a new report from the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board, the number of people in Florida with private health insurance has continued to decline.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Final autopsy report on FAMU hazing victim Robert Champion details extensive bruising, swelling
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
FAMU drum major Robert Champion's body was badly bruised on the chest, arms, shoulders and back when it arrived at the medical examiner's office, according to a full autopsy report released Wednesday.

Daily Clips for December 21, 2011

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Awake the State plans rallies for first day of legislative session
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Awake the State will hold protests targeting Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP-led Legislature all over the state on the first day of Florida’s legislative session, Jan. 10.

FEATURED STORIES

Politifact, R.I.P.
By Paul Krugman
New York Times
This is really awful. Politifact, which is supposed to police false claims in politics, has announced its Lie of the Year — and it’s a statement that happens to be true, the claim that Republicans have voted to end Medicare.

Bondi uses new law to put measure back on ballot; would allow taxes to go to religious institutions
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
A question asking Florida voters to do away with a century-old constitutional prohibition on using state money for religious institutions is back on the ballot for now after Attorney General Pam Bondi rewrote the ballot summary as is allowed by a new state law.

On foreclosure fraud, Bondi comes up short
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
All of America is suffering. But five states have been hit particularly hard by foreclosures — and foreclosure fraud.

More trouble for election law
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The venerable Florida League of Women Voters has decided to make a federal case out of a restrictive, punitive and politically motivated voting law approved this year by the state Legislature.

GOP-controlled House kills Democratic resolution condemning West for Goebbels remark
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives today killed a Democratic resolution condemning U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, for saying last week that Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels would be "very proud of the Democrat Party, because they have an incredible propaganda machine."

FLORIDA POLITICS

People’s Convention of Florida drafts proposals for 2012 session
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Occupy Wall Street-inspired groups from around the state have begun to draft proposals to be handed to House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, on the first day of the Florida legislative session, Jan. 10.

Family Policy Council president asks for help funding ‘aggressive’ 2012 plan
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
The leader of an influential anti-gay, anti-abortion Florida group has issued a new fundraising pitch to help gin up support for the work of its “Ignite an Enduring Cultural Transformation” campaign during the state’s upcoming legislative session.

Months later, no word on attorney firing investigation
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
More than four months after an investigation into the firings of two foreclosure fraud attorneys in the Attorney General’s office began, the inquiry carries on.

Scott sticks to message
By Jamie Page
Pensacola News Journal
Gov. Rick Scott stuck to his tried and true mantra of more jobs and less government spending to get the state's economy back on track during an interview with the News Journal's editorial board Tuesday.

Buchanan misses vote on payroll tax
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan was one of five Republicans in Congress to miss a vote on a proposal to extend the payroll tax cut for another two years.

POLITICAL RACES

The GOP establishment's biggest fear: Ron Paul
By Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns
Politico
The alarms are sounding in Iowa.

From Koch cash to sugar money, economic elites to fundraise for Mitt Romney in Palm Beach
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Money doesn't buy happiness. But it puts a downpayment on it --especially in the world of presidential campaigns.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Industry groups want Congress to defund EPA water rules
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
A number of industry groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Fertilizer Institute, are calling on Congress to include a provision that would defund a set of Florida-specific water quality standards in the 2012 appropriations bill.

Coast Guard plans to use dispersants if Cuban drilling produces oil spill
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
As Cuba prepares to begin allowing a Spanish company to drill for oil 12 miles north of Havana next year, U.S. Coast Guard officials say they have learned from the mistakes made during the Deepwater Horizon disaster and will be prepared for the worst should a spill happen so close to the Florida Keys.

Statute may require state rule that could skew reporting on recycling goals
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The state is moving ahead with developing a rule that would allow counties to defy logic by reporting that they are recycling in excess of 100 percent of their waste.

9 Fla. lawmakers urge Obama to ban snake importing
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Nine members of Congress from Florida are among lawmakers urging President Barack Obama to ban the importation of Burmese pythons and several other non-native snakes.

EDUCATION

Session Outlook: Education
By Travis Pillow and Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
The 2011 legislative session was chock full of high-profile education legislation, most notably the merit pay bill that became the first that Gov. Rick Scott signed into law.

Fla. Gov. wants more ticket sales to help schools
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has made a big push to increase funding for schools in the coming year.

Volusia students first in state to embark on civics program
By Linda Trimble
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Illiteracy. Poverty. Beach driving.

Seminole fights law letting top charters expand
By Lauren Roth
Orlando Sentinel
Two school boards in Central Florida were faced with a similar dilemma this fall — either approve a charter school application that board members felt was lacking, or face a fight with the state.

USF Polytechnic leader Marshall Goodman removed from post
By Kim Wilmath
St. Petersburg Times
University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft removed the head of the system's Lakeland campus on Tuesday, saying she had lost confidence in his ability to lead.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

1 in 6 Floridians now depends on food stamps, government says
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
As Floridians prepare to celebrate the year-end holidays with food and festivity, the U.S. government has delivered some distressing news: the number of state residents who rely on food stamps has nearly tripled since the Great Recession.

Gov. Rick Scott's shrinking Florida government workforce
By Steve Bousquet
St. Petersburg Times
In the spirit of generosity that marks the holiday season, Gov. Rick Scott will give state workers an extra day off this Friday.

Obama blames GOP for upcoming tax increase
By Andrew Taylor
Associated Press
Continuing a tax cut of up to $40 a week for workers and unemployment benefits for millions of jobless hit a wall todayas the House rejected a two-month extension of both, and President Barack Obama blamed Republicans for the stalemate.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Some proposals could hurt Fla.’s tax-supported hospitals
By Christine Sexton
Gainesville Sun
Some recommendations being considered by a commission appointed by Gov. Rick Scott could spell trouble for the state’s tax-supported hospitals, a top hospital executive said Tuesday.

Jacksonville legislator to introduce anti-abortion bill
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
On near opposite sides of the ideological spectrum, Rep. Daniel Davis and Planned Parenthood are in agreement on the intent of a bill the Jacksonville Republican filed this month.

Lawmaker calls for increasing cigarette tax
By James Call
WFSU Public Radio Tallahassee
A South Florida lawmaker wants to increase cigarette taxes by $1 a pack.

Medical Marijuana In Florida: Legitimate Legislative Efforts or Just Pipe Dreams?
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
For the second consecutive year, medical marijuana legislation has been filed in the Florida legislature.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

More than 200,000 sign anti-Lowe’s petition
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Petitions containing over 200,000 signatures were delivered to Lowe’s corporate headquarters today, protesting the company’s recent decision to pull its ads from the TLC reality series All-American Muslim.

Nathan Monk won't be silenced; City Council president says issue is civility
By Jamie Page
Pensacola News Journal
The scene from the Pensacola City Council on Thursday, recorded on YouTube, had been viewed more than 80,000 times.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Not all foreclosure mediation will cease
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
The decision on Monday by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady to shutter the state-mandated foreclosure mediation program doesn't mean that all local foreclosure mediation programs will come to a stop.

Age limit for judges undercuts all that is Florida
By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
Florida is apparently a welcoming place to grow old, unless you happen to be a judge.

Daily Clips for December 20, 2011

FEATURED STORIES

FAMU trustees say no to Rick Scott's request to suspend school president
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Florida A&M University trustees needed just two minutes Monday to dismiss Gov. Rick Scott's call to suspend President James Ammons as authorities investigate a student's hazing death and allegations of financial fraud.

Critics: Bondi lax in pursuing big mortgage lenders amid continuing foreclosure crisis
By Mary Shanklin
Orlando Sentinel
As attorneys general in other foreclosure-battered states step up their investigations into fraudulent mortgage practices by large U.S. banks, some Florida groups are accusing state Attorney General Pam Bondi of being soft on the giant lenders.

Florida students face higher FCAT passing scores
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
St. Petersburg Times
Florida's FCAT is already tougher to take — and now it will be tougher to pass.

Talk of Jeb run for president still percolates, especially after his WSJ piece today
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
As the Republican presidential field continues to bubble candidates to the top, where they pop and drift down again, speculation is rising anew that Florida’s former governor Jeb Bush still might be viable and interested.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Rubio battles White House over ambassador riff
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio battled the White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday over who sank the nomination of a Puerto Rican woman that all of them wanted to be ambassador to El Salvador.

Republican chairman has ‘confidence’ in Buchanan, despite ethics investigations
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
Rep. Pete Sessions, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, says he has “confidence” in Committee Finance Chairman Vern Buchanan, despite a U.S. Department of Justice criminal investigation and an Office of Congressional Ethics investigation into the Sarasota congressman over an alleged campaign finance scheme to reimburse employees who contributed to his campaign.

Ethical conflict? What ethical conflict?
By Daniel Ruth
St. Petersburg Times
Only in that strange and mysterious land of Tallahassee, the Potemkin Village of the Panhandle, would elected representatives who are more ethically compromised than a Dale Mabry brass-pole-swinging floozie lather themselves up in conflicts of interest without a scintilla of embarrassment.

Frozen Out in Florida
By Brian E. Crowley
Columbia Journalism Review
Florida’s political reporters are a lonely bunch.

POLITICAL RACES

Gingrich replaces Cain as keynoter for Palm Beach County GOP dinner on Jan. 28
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will replace Herman Cain as the keynote speaker at the Palm Beach County Republican Party’s Jan. 28 Lincoln Day dinner — three days before Florida’s high-stakes presidential primary.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

It doesn't belong on ballot
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Floridians who don't want their tax dollars underwriting vouchers for religious schools should start to educate themselves on Amendment 7.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

DEP initially balks at environmental groups' records request in water rule challenge
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has objected to records requests by environmental groups challenging to proposed new state water quality rules but now says it is working with those groups on their requests.

Nuclear plant foes get a meeting
By Fred Hiers
Gainesville Sun
Critics of Progress Energy's proposed Levy County nuclear plant will have another chance to voice their opposition to the facility that some say will hurt the area's environment and damage the local aquifer.

Lawmakers urge Obama administration to ban trade in large snakes
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
A group of Florida lawmakers is urging the White House to stop delaying action on a rule that would ban the import of tens of thousands of large constricting snakes — snakes that have caused major problems for South Florida.

Open the spill spigot
Editorial
Pensacola News Journal
It was good news last week to see the announcement that $5 million in BP oil spill restoration money was approved for several projects in the area.

LGBT

Florida Family Association Fabricates Success Of Anti-Gay Advertising Campaigns
By Zack Ford
Think Progress
The Florida Family Association (FFA) has attracted media attention for convincing Lowe’s and Kayak.com to pull their ads from All-American Muslim, but the additional scrutiny has also revealed that the one-man organization is guilty of making inaccurate claims about the success of its advertising outrage campaigns.

EDUCATION

State approves tougher FCAT scoring system
By Allison Ross
Palm Beach Post
The state Board of Education unanimously voted Monday to enact a tougher FCAT scoring system that state education officials say will help ensure that students leave school better prepared for careers and college.

Tallahassee doesn't plan to pay for merit pay
By Randy Schultz
Palm Beach Post
Anyone who knows the politics of public education in Florida would have seen it coming.

MDC School Board Member: Charter School Turned Away My Daughter Because of Autism
By John O'Connor
StateImpact
Our recent story on the difficulties students with severe disabilities have found trying to enroll in charter schools has drawn plenty of reaction from parents in similar situations.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Gov. Scott pushing lawmakers on insurance issues
By Brent Kallestad
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott wants lawmakers to fix a pair of auto and property insurance issues that are costing Floridians hundreds of millions of dollars but have eluded resolution for more than a decade.

FL puts smiley face on gruesome unemployment numbers
By Stew Lilker
Columbia County Observer
Florida continues to reel with an unemployment rate in the double digits at 10%, which is the lowest since May 2009, when it was also 10%.

Gretna track opens up card room
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Operators of the Gretna barrel racing track opened the doors to their 20-table card room Saturday, where gamblers from Panama City to south Alabama and Georgia flocked to the Gadsden County town.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

PolitiFact's 2011 Lie of the Year is Democrats' claim on Medicare
By Angie Drobnic Holan and Bill Adair
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald PolitiFact
Republicans muscled a budget through the House of Representatives in April that they said would take an important step toward reducing the federal deficit.

Oral argument dates set in Supreme Court review of healthcare reform
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times
The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in the multi-state healthcare lawsuit for March 26-28.

Kaiser/Post: Florida ‘flat-out’ won’t establish health insurance exchange
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Kaiser Health News and The Washington Post report that the “pressure is growing on the federal government” to create health insurance exchanges for states falling behind in implementing the federal mandate, as well as states that are “flat-out” refusing to create exchanges — such as Florida.

Florida teen pregnancy task force says abstinence-only sex education is not enough
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Last month, the Northeast Florida Teen Pregnancy Task Force released a report outlining recommendations for dealing with the region’s persistent teen pregnancy problem.

Number of Floridians on AIDS drug waiting list increasing again
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
The waiting list to enroll in Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program grew to more than 1,070 people by last Thursday, according to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

NAACP report: Florida has ‘most restrictive’ felon disenfranchisement ‘approach’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
A report released earlier this month by the NAACP found that Florida is among the states with the “most restrictive” felon disenfranchisement “laws in the country” — one of many aspects of the state’s voting practices that will limit voter participation among minorities, according to the group.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida justice shuts down foreclosure mediation program
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady shut down the state's 2-year-old foreclosure mediation program Monday, after low success rates and criticism from both lenders and borrowers deemed the program unsustainable.

Daily Clips for December 19, 2011

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Decemeber 12th Weekly Show
By Gayle Andrews
The Blu Vu: Florida’s Political Reality Show
This week: Will Genting devour Miami? Is the Governor continuing to send lucrative contracts to his pals? Damien tells us what’s up with Dirti Hari and Bill Nelson scores big with a US Senate hearing on voter suppression.

FEATURED STORIES

Alleged FAMU Hazing Homicide Stirs Florida's Tense Racial Past
By Tim Padgett with Michael Peltier
Time Magazine
Florida Governor Rick Scott didn't exactly endear himself to the African–American community earlier this year when he told black state legislators, "I grew up probably in the same situation as you guys. I started school in public housing.

Florida loses out on Race to the Top grant for early childhood programs
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida has lost its bid to win $100 million to boost the care and education of young children, the Obama administration announced this morning.

Critics keep up attack on new voter registration law
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
New rules in Florida are causing voter-registration rates to drop and turning "civic participation into a mountain of red tape," League of Women Voters of Florida President Deirdre Macnab said in Orlando on Friday.

In Senate bid, Connie Mack no longer boasts of getting budget pork
By Marc Caputo and Alex Leary
Miami Herald
There was a time in Rep. Connie Mack’s career when his website proudly highlighted a hometown paper article praising him for “bringing home the federal bacon.”

Washington delivers win for Florida consumers
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
The Obama administration made the right call last week by denying Florida's waiver request that would have let the state's health insurers charge more for less care.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Jeff Parker
Florida Today
Artist's commentary: One Man(ipulation), One Vote

FLORIDA POLITICS

After first year in Washington, Rubio frustrated by inaction
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Marco Rubio's first year in the nation's capital has made him a deeply frustrated senator.

Autocratic Sen. Alexander casts big shadow
By Lindsay Peterson
Tampa Tribune
State Sen. JD Alexander wields a lot of power.

Florida legislators to take aim at shrinking Citizens
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida policymakers are still trying to overcome the outbreak of the populism in 2007 that led them to try to lower insurance rates in hurricane alley by expanding the size and competitiveness of the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Failed claims bills revived in Florida Legislature
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Emotion-packed bills that would compensate two men whose lives were turned upside down by governmental mistakes will get another chance during Florida's 2012 legislative session after the measures died in the frantic final hours of the 2011 session.

POLITICAL RACES

Romney's camp calm over Gingrich
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Related: Pro-Mitt Romney group attacks Newt Gingrich on the air in Florida
Absentee voting in Florida's primary is just around the corner, and Newt Gingrich is trouncing Mitt Romney by an average of about 18 percentage points, according to Florida polls.

Talk of jobs takes center stage in Florida primary campaign
By Don Walker and John McCarthy
Florida Today
As soon as the flames from shuttle Atlantis illuminated the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, the 20-plus-year career Johnny Curry had as a flight control engineer went up in smoke.

North Florida's big names, deep pockets all in for Mitt Romney
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
North Florida support for Mitt Romney started during a 2007 lunch at Jacksonville insurance executive Tom Petway’s house. It was a fitting setting for a presidential candidate whose early regional backers comfortably fit into a single room.

McAuliffe poll tests lines of attack on Aronberg in state attorney race
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Bracing for a possible 2012 Democratic primary challenge, Palm Beach County State Attorney Michael McAuliffe's campaign conducted a poll this month that test-marketed some potential attacks on state Sen. Dave Aronberg.

That 'first-in-the-nation' tag once belonged to Florida
By Adam C. Smith
St. Petersburg Times
Four years ago, Democratic presidential candidates terrified of antagonizing party activists in the exalted early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire signed a pledge to boycott Florida's earlier-than-allowed January presidential primary.

Law imposes unfair rules for potential opponents who want to switch political parties
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Give state Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, credit for honesty, at least.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Panel warns of ongoing hazards posed by offshore drilling
By Virginia Chamlee
Florida Independent
A new report issued by The National Academy of Engineering, a government-created nonprofit, concludes that the lack of regulation and ineffective safety management practices that led to BP’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have not been fully remedied — leaving communities in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana potentially vulnerable to another oil spill.

Large Corporations Cash in on Florida Environmental Fund
By M.C. Moewe
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
When Wilma Council’s parents bought a home in Marion County 38 years ago, they didn’t know the gas station across the street had already begun to poison their dreams.

State study of St. Johns river withdrawals not perfect, but good, says federal panel
By Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
A state project to predict environmental effects of pumping water from the St. Johns River is using sound science, but spotty data could hinder some forecasts, a federal panel says.

Putnam says his department is putting finishing touches on energy bill
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says his department is working to finish a draft energy bill before the holidays.

Publix executive identified as next state citrus leader
By Tia Mitchell
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A marketing manager at Publix is the top choice to become market Florida orange juice worldwide as the head of the state's Department of Citrus.

LGBT

South Florida same-sex couples tying knot in other states
By Georgia East
South Florida Sun Sentinel
They have been friends for 53 years, partners for 36. And now they are finally married.

EDUCATION

Fla. Legislature shifts focus to higher education
By Christine Armario
Associated Press
Last year, Florida legislators made historic changes to education. Tenure for new teachers was eliminated. Instructor evaluations were revamped and linked to student test scores.

New FCAT scoring will mean 'blood on the table'
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Florida is poised to ratchet up its standardized-testing system, making it tougher for students to pass key math and reading exams.

Drum major's death ruled homicide as tensions rise between FAMU students and Gov. Rick Scott
By Katie Sanders
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Investigators ruled the death of Florida A&M drum major Robert Champion a homicide on Friday, a somber but not unexpected announcement that capped a tumultuous week for the country's largest historically black university.

FAMU board to consider president's suspension
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida A&M University's Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet Monday to consider Gov. Rick Scott's request that President James Ammons be suspended while authorities continue investigating the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion.

Toughen the law
Editorial
Miami Herald
Before there was a federal Race to the Top for education reform, governors throughout the nation looked to infuse competition into a stale public school system that was leaving behind millions of children, mostly in poor neighborhoods.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Late deal on tax break offers relief to Floridians
By Laura Green
Palm Beach Post
The prospect of higher taxes for 9 million Floridians and an economic loss of $5.6 billion for the state was held hostage Friday as Congress debated whether to extend a payroll tax holiday.

Florida unemployment numbers improve in November
By Brent Kallestad
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott and state labor officials are getting a bit of cheerful holiday news with Florida's latest unemployment report.

As Florida government costs are cut, some grumble
By Bill Cotterell
Ft. Myers News-Press
Gov. Rick Scott is off to a fast start toward keeping his campaign promise to shrink the size and cost of Florida’s relatively small and inexpensive state government, according to a new state personnel report.

No Scrooge, Scott gives workers paid day off
News Service of Florida
Orlando Sentinel
Citing their diligent service and acknowledging they have not received cost of living raises in five years, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday gave state employees an extra day off with pay as he ordered state buildings to be closed Friday, Dec. 23.

As Disney fights casinos, Universal sits on sidelines
By Jason Garcia
Orlando Sentinel
As state lawmakers weigh whether to allow casino developers to build massive resorts in South Florida, most of Central Florida's biggest tourism businesses have come out against the plan. But one influential interest — Universal Orlando — has so far remained on the sidelines.

Florida banks still teetering, compared with rest of nation
By John Hielscher
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The nation's financial system is continuing to mend from the wounds of the Great Recession, with nearly two-thirds of U.S. banks and credit unions now earning top ratings from analyst BauerFinancial Inc.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Scott budget takes carrot, stick approach to fixing disabled agency
Staff Report
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott's new budget proposes a combination of cost-saving measures and conditional funding to address the persistent budget gap that has dogged the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Investigations Shine Light on Florida’s Lifesavers and Caregivers
By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
When you’re someone who spends a lifetime helping folks, often in the face of society’s nastiness — folks like police officers, firefighters, sometimes doctors — you’re elevated to a certain standing and level of respect.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida judges ask to have mandatory retirement age raised
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post
If longtime Palm Beach County Judge Nelson Bailey had his druthers, he'd seek another four-year term in August.

Judges may not have to beg
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida's court system is a co-equal branch of state government, but it has operated more like a struggling car maker lately, forced to depend on government loans to keep running.