Daily Clips for April 24, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Lawmakers urged to cut ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council
By Troy Kinsey
Central Florida News 13/Tampa Bay News 9
Excerpt: Around three dozen Republicans in the Florida house and senate count themselves as members of ALEC. Damien Filer with Progress Florida says it’s time for them to break their ties...Aside from 'Stand your Ground', the parent trigger and prison privatization, ALEC also helped inspire legislation to overhaul florida's election law. It cut the early voting period in half...

FEATURED STORIES

Democrats, Republicans bicker over who to blame in failed redistricting deal
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Slapped down by one court and facing years of partisan legal wrangling over the Legislature’s redistricting plans, the Senate’s top Republican quietly met with the head of the Florida Democratic Party last month to discuss a deal that could end the lawsuits.

How Governor Rick Scott is Sabotaging Florida's Universities
By David DiSalvo
Forbes
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the 2012 state budget at a Jacksonville elementary school, presumably to emphasize the budget’s inclusion of an additional $1 billion for education.

Scott cuts funding for rape crisis centers during Sexual Assault Awareness Month
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
On April 17, smack in the middle of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed $1.5 million for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence.

Vice-President Joe Biden, Sen. Bill Nelson visit Everglades with heavy dose of election-year politics
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
With a politically threatened Sen. Bill Nelson at his side, Vice President Joe Biden mugged before the television cameras Monday to tout the Democrats’ successes in helping to restore the endangered Everglades.

Valedictorian Facing Deportation Cool to Rubio's DREAM Act Redo
By Arlette Saenz
ABC News
As he starts to preview what his alternative to the DREAM Act will look like, Sen. Marco Rubio often mentions the story of Daniela Pelaez, an 18-year-old valedictorian and aspiring molecular biologist who faces deportation because she is undocumented, as an example for why such a plan needs to be developed.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Florida election law review will extend into July
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A federal court review of Florida's new election law will extend into July, just a month before the Aug. 14 primary.

West’s ‘Commie’ Claim Creates More Ripples
By Howard Goodman
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Allen West’s “commie” smear of Democratic members of Congress continues to reverberate.

Scott appoints 344 to state boards, but leaves several vacancies
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott on Monday reappointed 344 people to dozens of state boards and other positions.

As governor, Rick Scott still a work progress
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
As governor, Rick Scott remains a work in progress.

Former Fort Lauderdale legislator Mandy Dawson pleads guilty to tax evasion
By Jay Weaver
Miami Herald
Former Fort Lauderdale legislator Mandy Dawson, who became entangled in a U.S. Justice Department probe into “pay-to-play politics” in the state’s capital, pleaded guilty Monday in Miami federal court to tax evasion and failing to file a tax return.

POLITICAL RACES

Sen. Marco Rubio joins Mitt Romney campaign in Pennsylvania, shuns vice president talk
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Related: It's too soon for Marco Rubio as vice presidential candidate
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio quit talking about it Monday.

Romney shifts stances as possible VP Rubio shares stage
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
While Mitt Romney may not have seen eye-to-eye with Florida senator Marco Rubio on a key immigration issue, the two shared smiles and handshakes Monday during a Pennsylvania campaign stop that some see as a possible preview of the Republican presidential ticket.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Some advisory council members want DEP to consider effects of sea level rise on state parks
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Some members of a state advisory council want the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to consider the effects of sea level rise when purchasing state lands and managing coastal parks.

Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition wraps up after 1,000 miles in nearly 100 days
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
They crossed sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, pine forests, cypress swamps, floodplains and rivers.

Exploratory oil drilling off Cuba renews oil-spill fear factor in the Keys
By Cammy Clark
Miami Herald
In Cuba’s North Basin, the Spanish company Repsol has begun risky exploration for oil and natural gas on a semi-submersible rig, now just 77 nautical miles from Key West and even closer to the ecologically sensitive Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

EDUCATION

USF Can't Keep Everyone From Lakeland, Staff and Faculty Told
By Mary Toothman
Lakeland Ledger
There will not be enough money to keep all the faculty and staff on the payroll while the University of South Florida's Lakeland operation is phased out, President Judy Genshaft told a somber crowd of employees Monday morning.

FCAT, exam frenzy under attack
By Marc Freeman
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Fed up with the FCAT and high-stakes standardized testing, the Palm Beach County School Board wants to join a growing national campaign to reduce the demands on students and teachers.

What is the University of Florida thinking?
By Fred Grimm
Miami Herald
Ever wonder how we’re perceived, out there in the techie universe?

A true cynic
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
In approving a bill creating a brand-new state university in Polk County — shortly after signing a state budget that cut $300 million from the State University System — Gov. Rick Scott demonstrated last week that he possesses neither fiscal nor common sense.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist
By Mike McIntire
New York Times
Desperate for new revenue, Ohio lawmakers introduced legislation last year that would make it easier to recover money from businesses that defraud the state.

New GOP Economic Plan is Same as Previous Disastrous GOP Economic Plan
The Progress Report
Think Progress
In nearly every policy area, Republicans from Mitt Romney on down the line have been proposing that we go back to the disastrous policies of the Bush administration — only on steroids.

Gov. Scott shoots down CAT Fund tax credit for insurance companies
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott has vetoed a plan billed as a way to help a state reinsurance fund raise money, saying it was not properly vetted in the legislative process.

Do You Know Your Rights?
Editorial
New York Times
Under federal labor law, employees have the right to join together to seek better pay and working conditions, with or without a union.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Experts see few barriers to stop people from buying health-care coverage only when sick
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Marlene Mahle teaches a graduate course at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton on the federal health care law under review by the Supreme Court.

Florida invests more in children's services
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
It could be a promising year for some of the neediest children and families in Palm Beach County and across the state, advocates say, after Gov. Rick Scott approved a budget that includes more money for child abuse prevention, maternal health, and improvements to the state's early learning and child welfare systems.

G.A.O. Calls Test Project by Medicare Costly Waste
By Robert Pear
New York Times
Medicare is wasting more than $8 billion on an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, federal investigators say in a new report.

Florida part of $40 million multistate agreement with MetLife
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
As part of a Florida-led investigation along with 29 other states, life insurance giant MetLife will pay out $40 million for the cost of the investigation into unfair practices in paying out claims for industrial life and annuity policies.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Arizona immigration law is bad for small business and the economy
By Benjamin Markeso
The Hill
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for and against Arizona’s SB 1070, the strict immigration law enacted in 2010 that has served as the basis for similar proposals across the southern states.

Police chief in Martin case remains under scrutiny
By Kyle Hightower
Associated Press
While George Zimmerman is free on bail, the police chief criticized for not charging him after Trayvon Martin's slaying remains under scrutiny, as city commissioners want to wait for the results of a federal investigation to decide if they will accept Chief Bill Lee's resignation.

Can this jury be fair?
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
If George Zimmerman's fate remains in doubt, the outcome of the panel examining Florida's "stand your ground" law seems far more certain.

Poor start for review of 'stand your ground'
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott responded smartly to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin by creating a task force to review Florida's ill-conceived "stand your ground law.''

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Fla. Supreme Court justices nearly missed ballot
By Gary Fineout
Associated Press
Florida Gov. Rick Scott nearly got a chance to replace three veteran state Supreme Court justices.

Daily Clips for April 23, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Scott approves Florida Polytechnic University
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times
Related editorial: Scott's hollow education commitment
Despite widespread opposition to the idea, and as the state's other universities are about to see their funding cut by hundreds of millions of dollars, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a bill creating Florida Polytechnic.

Scott signs retirement bill, rejects creating new IT agency
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott acted on a long list of budget-related conforming bills late Friday, signing a measure reducing contributions to public employees' 401(k)-style retirement accounts and vetoing a bill that would have blocked the consolidation of state e-mail accounts.

GOP scrambles in bid to unseat Sen. Bill Nelson
By William March
Tampa Tribune
For years, Florida Republicans have called Sen. Bill Nelson "vulnerable," as the only Democrat holding a statewide elected office in Florida.

Supreme Court suggests it will take limited look at Senate redistricting map
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Within minutes of Friday’s opening arguments on redistricting, Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente lashed back at lawyers for suggesting the court completely rewrite the Legislature’s new plan.

Troubled Waters: Gulf communities still reeling two years into BP disaster
By Chris Kromm
Facing South
Related: Audit finds BP disaster fund underpaid $64M for losses
Related: BP 2-Year Anniversary: Fishers, Gulf residents struggle to protect a way of life
Related: Two Years Later: Visualizing the BP oil disaster
On April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others.

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Chan Lowe
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Artist’s commentary: Scott's Stand Your Ground task force

FLORIDA POLITICS

At Florida International University, GOP rising star Sen. Marco Rubio is professor Rubio
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
The teacher entered the classroom at 11 a.m. sharp, took a determined swig of Starbucks and launched into a lesson on why political compromise is so elusive.

Unraveling Rep. David Rivera’s maze of campaign finances
By Scott Hiaasen and Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
On Jan. 3, 2011, days before taking his seat in Congress, Miami Republican David Rivera filed financial documents in Washington he said would “dispel any speculation” about his personal finances.

Meet Dennis Baxley, the lawmaker who always stands his ground
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Dennis Baxley has always stood his ground in Florida's political arena.

Crist: GOP moderation 'is practically non-existent'
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Former Gov. Charlie Crist said Friday that moderation is "practically non-existent" in the Republican Party.

Vice President Joe Biden visiting Everglades today
Staff Report
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the Everglades on Monday and tour a portion of Everglades National Park, according to the White House.

Good ol' days voting law undermines democracy
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Last year, after lawmakers crafted cynical legislation masquerading as election reform, critics predicted Gov. Rick Scott's pending signature would send Florida hurtling back to the age of poll taxes.

POLITICAL RACES

New curbs on voter registration could hurt Obama
By Deborah Charles
Reuters
New state laws designed to fight voter fraud could reduce the number of Americans signing up to vote in this year's presidential election by hundreds of thousands, a potential problem for President Barack Obama's re-election bid.

Bush: “I wasn’t clear enough,” won’t be VP nominee
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told Bloomberg News he won’t be Mitt Romney’s running mate, saying he “wasn’t clear enough” in a statement earlier that he’d consider the VP slot if it was offered.

Rubio: Let vice presidential process play out
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has heard all the talk about joining a ticket with likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

CFO Jeff Atwater announces he will not run for U.S. Senate
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Republican Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced on Facebook on Saturday that he will not jump into the U.S. Senate race.

Looking beyond Connie Mack and U.S. Senate race
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Jeff Atwater’s just-ended flirtation with a U.S. Senate bid speaks volumes about the nervousness of Florida Republicans these days.

Frankel no longer running for Congress against West, but her ads still target him
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Although U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, is no longer running in Palm Beach-Broward congressional District 22, he remains a big part of District 22 Democratic candidate Lois Frankel's campaign strategy.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Oil spill is prime suspect in hundreds of dolphin deaths
By Kate Spinner
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Dying dolphins and whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico provide a grim reminder that the ecosystem there still has not recovered two years after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

The truth about Senate candidate Connie Mack's gas price claims
By Frank Jackalone
Tampa Tribune
It is not exactly breaking news that politicians resort to exaggerations and oversimplifications.

Two years after
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Oil and dispersants from the April 20, 2010, explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig may cause environmental damage for years.

Dying coral's economic ripple in Florida
By Christine Stapleton
Palm Beach Post
Topping the list of 56 corals expected to become extinct by the end of the century are five found off South Florida, according to a 581-page study released last week by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Reduced Florida Forever program moving forward
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Lakeland Ledger
Florida Forever — the state’s landmark environmental land-buying program — is moving forward.

LGBT

Obama supports acts targeting school bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity
By Steve Rothaus
Miami Herald
On Friday, President Barack Obama endorsed support for the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA), which would target discrimination and bullying against students based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Domestic partnerships simply reflect Florida realities
By Mark Lane
Daytona Beach News Journal
Sometimes it feels like a major step when government does nothing more than accept the way people actually live.

EDUCATION

Gov. Scott's Actions on Education Does Not Match Bold Claims
By Kathleen Oropeza
Lakeland Ledger
Gov. Rick Scott played a shell game in front of our kids last week.

Giant tuition hike for students isn't the answer
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Florida's retreat on investing in public higher education is now crystal clear: For the first time, students at the University of South Florida and other public universities are expected to pay more than half the cost of their education due to shrinking state support.

Governor pressures UF trustees chairman to step aside
By Nathan Crabbe
Gainesville Sun
Gov. Rick Scott is forcing out the chairman of the University of Florida board of trustees, a move that's happening as the governor considers whether to sign a bill allowing UF to seek higher tuition increases that would require board approval.

As FCAT stakes rise, state gears up to chase down cheaters
By Leslie Postal
Orlando Sentinel
Every morning this past week, Jefferson County Superintendent Bill Brumfield unlocked the vault at his office in the presence of another employee, removed the day's FCAT exams, signed a time sheet and then drove them to his small county's only elementary school.

Passing FCAT, But Failing College Readiness
By Andrew J. Skerritt
Florida Voices
My daughter and thousands of other public school students are stressing over FCAT.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Unemployment drops to 9 percent in Florida
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Florida’s unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in March, according to numbers released Friday by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Scott vetoes four budget-related bills, including hurricane catastrophe fund proposal
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott vetoed four budget-related measures Friday, including one designed to shore up the state hurricane catastrophe fund by selling tax credits to insurance companies.

Fla.’s trading partners warn of backlash if Gov. Scott signs new anti-Cuba legislation
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
Florida’s top two foreign trading partners and the Florida Chamber of Commerce are sounding alarms about a new state law banning governments from hiring companies with business ties to Cuba.

SunRail, road work could create 100,000 jobs over time
By Dan Tracy
Orlando Sentinel
Trevor Small drove his dusty triaxle truck full of limestone to the railroad track just south of town and dumped his load.

Fighting the excesses of executive pay
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
When CEO pay at major corporations tops 300 times that of average workers, it hurts investors, workers and the economy.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Labor union, lawmakers try to slow hospital layoffs
By Sascha Cordner
WFSU Tallahassee
A labor union and several lawmakers are working together to delay a budgetary move by the Department of Children and Families.

Court hears closing arguements in children's Medicaid challenge
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
Friday marked closing arguments in a lawsuit over the state’s Medicaid program that’s being going on since 2005.

Budget would delay statewide Medicaid managed care for dentistry
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
The state budget and an implementing bill signed this week by Gov. Rick Scott would delay the phasing in of Medicaid managed care plans for dentistry, but Scott made clear he would support the plans in the future.

Medicare 'bills' will cost the county plenty
By C.T. Bowen
Tampa Bay Times
At 9:30 Tuesday morning, Rep. Jimmie T. Smith is scheduled to stand before the Hernando County Commission and tout the accomplishments of the 2012 Legislature.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida watches as Supreme Court set to hear state of Arizona argue immigration laws
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear the state of Arizona argue that it has a right to enforce its own immigration laws.

The Politicization Of Domestic Violence
By Annie-Rose Strasser
Think Progress
For the first time since its original passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is facing a fight.

Half The Lawmakers On Florida ‘Stand Your Ground’ Task Force Are ALEC Members, All Supported Stand Your Ground
By Adam Peck
Think Progress
Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) unveiled the members of his task force assigned to investigate the effects of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws that have come under intense scrutiny and criticism in recent weeks after the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin.

We're paying politicians to strip away our rights
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Politicians love to prattle on about their love for the U.S. Constitution. They think it makes them sound patriotic.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Lawyers for the needy decry Florida budget veto
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Two months ago, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County Director Bob Bertisch had high hopes that Gov. Rick Scott would spend one of his workdays learning how Bertisch's lawyers help low-income domestic violence victims and poor homeowners fighting foreclosures.

Court clerks hit hard by state cuts
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Despite some of the highest fees in the nation for everything from adoptions to foreclosures, Florida’s court system faces another big budget cut that threatens to jeopardize timely access to vital government services.

George Zimmerman released on bond with GPS tracker early Monday
By David Damron and Bianca Prieto
Orlando Sentinel
George Zimmerman was released early Monday morning from the Seminole County jail, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Zimmerman charge will be hard to prove
By Carl Hiaasen
Miami Herald
It will be astonishing if George Zimmerman is convicted of second-degree murder for shooting 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott’s task force to explore Stand Your Ground laws dominated by lawmakers who support gun rights
By Toluse Olorunnipa and Tia Mitchell
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott’s new task force on public safety will begin reviewing the state’s controversial Stand Your Ground law in two weeks, but the lawmakers anchoring the group have voting records pocked with support for the law and other controversial gun rights expansions.

Marco Rubio: 'If I do a good job as VP ...' Oops!
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Marco Rubio shuns vice-president talk during immigration pitch
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio understands the first rule of the vice presidential selection process: Never overtly campaign for the job.

Scott poised to act on retirement bill
By Travis Pillow
Florida Current
The deadline is coming for Gov. Rick Scott to act on a measure that would reduce state contributions to the retirement accounts of more than 100,000 government employees who have chosen the state's 401(k)-style retirement plan.

Christian right starts high-tech voter-registration drive
By Anthony Man and Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
First came the prayer, then the political rallies. Then came the data mining and target marketing.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

Rick Scott Signs His Bait And Switch "Education Budget"
By Inkberries
Beach Peanuts
Today Rick Scott signed what he's calling his "education budget" at an elementary school during FCAT testing time and using kindergartners as a backdrop.

Senate’s Defense On Redistricting Shows Continued Arrogance
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Political Hurricane
The Senate continues to misfire in the reapportionment debate. In their brief to the Supreme Court the Senate lawyers have claimed that the chamber fixed every objection of the court in the initial plan which met with court rejection.

Orlando Rising
By Steve Schale
Steve Schale
On Election Night 2008, my usual elecction night jitters ended immediately at 7:05 PM EST, when the early vote in Orange County had us up by some 60,000 votes.

The Truth About Taxes
By Kenneth Quinnell
Florida Progressive Coalition
In honor of National Tax Day, I wanted to say a few things about taxes and the way conservatives talk about them.

Governor Rick Scott and John DeGrove: gone
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Most Floridians never heard of John DeGrove, who passed away recently at age 87.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Allen West won’t name names on `communists’ in Congress
By William Gibson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Pressed to name names, South Florida Congressman Allen West on Thursday reaffirmed his assertion that as many as 81 Democrats in the House are members of the Communist Party, but he wouldn’t say who they are.

Biden coming to Florida
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The White House continues its intensive focus on all things Florida.

Redistricting would make Sarasota whitest region in Florida
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Whether by design or not, the Florida Legislature’s plan to redistrict Florida will leave Sarasota with a dubious distinction: The whitest place politically in Florida.

Drawing the lines — again
Editorial
Miami Herald
When 63 percent of Florida’s voters gave a nod to the Fair Districts constitutional amendment in 2010 to ensure new congressional and legislative districts for the next decade would be compact and not gerrymandered to favor incumbents or the political party in power in Tallahassee, they expected the Legislature to break decades of incumbent protection while still protecting minority voting rights.

POLITICAL RACES

Rubio’s DREAM puts Mitt in a bind
By Manu Raju
Politico
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has thrust himself into the raging illegal immigration debate, proposing a plan that would create a path to legal status for children of illegal immigrants — putting him at odds with an immoveable wing of the Republican Party on this issue.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Prickly pear cactus could hold key to fighting oil spills, USF scientist says
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Congress lags on offshore drilling safety
One of the most controversial decisions made during the Deepwater Horizon disaster two years ago was allowing BP to spray unprecedented amounts of chemical dispersant on the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico — both on and below the surface.

Gulf residents to get extra $64M for spill claims
By Michael Kunzelman and Cain Burdeau
Associated Press
Roughly 7,300 residents and businesses harmed by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will get more than $64 million in additional payments because their claims with BP's $20 billion compensation fund were shortchanged or wrongfully denied, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

Scott vetoes $2.5 million for regional planning councils -- again
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Among the 2012-13 state budget line items vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott this week was $2.5 million for the state's 11 regional planning councils -- for the second year in a row.

$4M in grants for flood projects across S. Florida nixed with Gov. Scott's vetoes
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
One of Rick Scott's larger budget vetoes erased $4 million in grants for flood projects across South Florida, topping a roster of two dozen other hometown water projects killed by the governor.

Beach restoration pilot project in Palm Beach County raises hopes, concerns
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Beach restoration projects are supposed to protect homes and businesses along the coast while providing wide sandy beaches for tourists, sea turtles and other wildlife.

EDUCATION

Tuition hike means USF students paying for greater share of their education than state
By Kim Wilmath
Tampa Bay Times
The difference is less than a percentage point, but it ushers in a new era in higher education in Florida.

Stress tests our teachers
By Ashley A. Smith
Ft. Myers News-Press
At 6:45 a.m. every Monday through Friday, Sara Kohlhauff is in her classroom at Pinewoods Elementary in Estero.

Group looks for cure to education's "senior-itis" syndrome
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
A group of state and federal officials want to know if Florida’s high school graduates are ready for college or careers.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Wage theft a growing problem for low-wage workers in the U.S., Florida
By Marcos Restrepo
Florida Independent
Wage theft, the practice of stiffing workers out of money they are owed, has emerged as a major economic justice issue in the U.S. over the last decade, to the point where over 60 percent “of low-wage workers experience wage theft each week,” according to a report released Wednesday.

Florida home, condo prices up, sales down
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
Florida home prices rose last month, but sales dropped. The median price of a single-family home climbed to $139,000, a 10.3 percent bump from March 2011.

Latest unemployment numbers to be released today
Associated Press
South Florida Sun Sentinel
New unemployment numbers for Florida are coming out.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Fla. senator: Scott budget veto ‘allows poor black farmworkers to die’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
State Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, says he is “shocked and surprised” that Gov. Rick Scott cut funding for a community health center in Apopka that would have gone toward providing specialized care to a community of farmworkers facing serious illnesses due to pesticide use.

Departures continue at the Department of Health
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Florida Current
Turnover in the Florida Department of Health continues with recent departures in the staff in the agency’s state contracting unit as well as the family health services division.

Competing electronic medical record systems announce new recruits
By Lynn Hatter
WFSU Tallahassee
There are two competing electronic medical record systems in Florida—one run by private healthcare providers, and the other, by the state.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

What a difference guns make
By Marian Wright Edelman
Florida Courier
On April 16, 2007, our nation suffered its deadliest shooting incident ever by a single gunman when a student killed 32 people and wounded 25 others at Virginia Tech University before committing suicide.

Daily Clips for April 19, 2012

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Progress Florida pressures Fla. lawmakers with ALEC ties
By Toluse Olorunnipa
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times
The American Legislative Exchange Council--the group behind the rapid spread of Stand Your Ground and voter identification laws--has a big target on its back, and Progress Florida is the latest group taking aim.

Progress Florida asks lawmakers to drop ALEC affiliation
By Kathleen Haughney
Orlando Sentinel
Excerpt: “ALEC represents what is essentially an unelected, shadow Legislature in Florida,” said Progress Florida executive director Mark Ferrulo in a press release. “Responsible lawmakers should disavow the group’s extremist and secretive influence on Florida law making.”

ALEC Under Fire in Florida
By Howard Goodman
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
Excerpt: ALEC’s startling retreat on its gun-rights and vote-suppression efforts “was a de facto admission of extremist policy-making gone wild,” Ferrulo said. “Florida legislators need to decide whether they represent main street Florida or the corporate board rooms that will continue to fund ALEC and its anti-middle class economic agenda.”

ALEC quits gun policy, lefties want more
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Excerpt: Progress Florida has launched a statewide campaign urging its supporters to tell legislators to “disavow the group’s extremist and secretive influence on Florida law making.” Other national groups are urging state lawmakers and more businesses to do the same.

AWAKE THE STATE IN THE NEWS

Tax Day protesters march to Bank of America, ask for an end to tax loopholes
By Liz McKibbon
WMNF Tampa
Protesters in Tampa are calling for an end to tax loopholes for corporations. Tuesday afternoon a group organized by groups including Awake Tampa marched from downtown’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to the Bank of America building. Thee protesters want the wealthy to pay more in taxes.

FEATURED STORIES

Dems battle GOP congressional district map lines in court
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Democratic lawyers urged a judge Wednesday to throw out the Republican-led Legislature's plan for redrawing congressional boundaries, arguing it reinstates failings that make Florida the most gerrymandered state.

State Sen. Nan Rich running for governor in 2014
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
State Sen. Nan Rich said she made up her mind months ago to run for governor, but it wasn't until a short video was posted on YouTube that people really took notice.

Gov. Rick Scott veto hurts legal assistance program for poor
By Michael Peltier
News Service of Florida
A $2 million veto by Gov. Rick Scott will mean fewer attorneys to represent low-income residents through foreclosure proceedings, domestic violence hearings and consumer fraud cases, legal aid officials and a top Democrat lamented Wednesday.

Fla. Gov. to start task force to look at gun law
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is ready to have a state task force begin looking at Florida's gun laws.

Oil spill is prime suspect in hundreds of dolphin deaths
By Kate Spinner
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Dying dolphins and whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico provide a grim reminder that the ecosystem there still has not recovered two years after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Rubio crafting compromise immigrant bill
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
Attempts to pass the Dream Act have become a recurring dream.

'Headed in the right direction'
Staff Report
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott touted a successful legislative session, including a $1 billion increase in state funding for public schools, in an interview Wednesday with members of the Orlando Sentinel editorial board.

Authorities call for tougher campaign finance laws following Rivera probe
By Scott Hiaasen and Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
Miami-Dade prosecutors on Wednesday formally closed their investigation of Congressman David Rivera without filing criminal charges, and called on state lawmakers to stiffen the campaign-finance laws that they say frustrated their 18-month investigation.

First Amendment falls flat in Florida
By Sheila Anderson
Tampa Tribune
There is a shadow clouding our sunshine. In the 2012 regular session of the Florida Legislature, Senate Bill 206 died.

POLITICAL RACES

Tampa Bay focus group provides a window into Romney's woes
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Mitt Romney has accomplished something remarkable: After six years of running for president, millions spent on TV ads and copious debates, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee remains a stranger even to his supporters.

Obama launches Spanish ads in Florida
By William Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
President Barack Obama's re-election campaign launched Spanish-language TV and radio ads in Florida on Wednesday, featuring an Orlando Latina, and added a few words of his own in Spanish.

Romney/Rubio? Not exactly a DREAM ticket
By Joy-Ann Reid
Miami Herald
With polls and anecdotal evidence suggesting Mitt Romney has all but won the Republican nomination for president, but not the hearts and minds of the party faithful, the GOP is casting about for a savior.

New Super PAC backs GOP Senate candidate Connie Mack
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Freedom PAC, the second shadowy political-action committee in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, announced itself Wednesday and pledged to get Congressman Connie Mack elected.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

BP oil spill: Safety practices still a concern 2 years after Gulf of Mexico oil spill
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Exhaustive probes of the nation's largest offshore oil spill two years ago uncovered blunder after blunder, all tied to underlying factors that experts say remain a concern in the disaster's continuing aftermath.

Two Years after the BP Oil Spill: The Oil You Cannot See
By Craig Kopp
WUSF Tampa
On some Florida Panhandle beaches, swimmers can come off the beach with oil from the BP oil spill still on their skin -- two years after that environmental disaster.

National coalition includes St. Johns River, Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint system as "Great Waters"
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Two Florida waterways on Wednesday were designated "Great Waters" by a national coalition, raising hopes among some supporters for increased federal and state funding for restoration projects.

LGBT

Clearwater poised to create domestic partnership registry
By Mike Brassfield
Tampa Bay Times
Following the example of Tampa, Clearwater is poised to create its own domestic partnership registry.

EDUCATION

Students are shortchanged, pre-K to 12
By Andy Ford
Florida Times-Union
Amid a flurry of TV ads and a media event in St. Johns County, Gov. Rick Scott signed the state's budget Tuesday.

Constant testing takes away from developing whole student
By Desiree Gladieux
Orlando Sentinel
On Monday, students across the state began taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

Miami-Dade School Board votes to close controversial charter school
By Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Miami-Dade School Board unanimously voted to close a charter school accused of holding raunchy late-night parties in its cafeteria.

Education seminar focuses on college prep for high schoolers
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
During an education seminar in Tallahassee on Wednesday, three Florida lawmakers stressed the need to get high school juniors and seniors engaged in learning so they are properly prepared for college-level courses.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

America's Dumbest Tax Loophole: The Florida Rent-a-Cow Scam
By Jordan Weissmann
The Atlantic
State tax codes have a way of accumulating junk -- quirky breaks and carve-outs that grow increasingly odd as they linger on the books, like tacky old legislative souvenirs.

Veto pen blots out funding for 6 South Florida road projects, expressway authorities
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott’s veto pen put up a roadblock in front of several million dollars in funding for local road projects and funds for the state’s seven expressway authorities.

Food stamps, federal pensions face GOP cuts
By Andrew Taylor
Associated Press
Republicans controlling the House are targeting food stamps, federal employee pensions, tax breaks for illegal immigrants and subsidies under President Barack Obama's health care law in a multifaceted drive to swap cuts to domestic programs for big Pentagon cuts scheduled next year.

Florida bankers object to disclosing identities of foreign depositors
By Mark K. Matthews
Orlando Sentinel
Over the objections of Florida lawmakers, the U.S. Treasury Department has issued a new rule that will force banks to disclose the identity of foreigners who deposit their money in America.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Health Mandate's Affordable Care Act: What's at stake
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
The intense debate over whether the U.S. should oblige all citizens to have health insurance has been accompanied in recent days by another spirited squabble: Just whose idea was it in the first place?

Some Women's Groups See Another Agenda In Attacks On Contraceptive Coverage
By Judith Graham
Kaiser Health News
Opponents of the Obama administration's contraceptive coverage mandate -- including likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney -- invoke "religious freedom."

Scott says he gave each health care project in the budget ‘equal and fair consideration’
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Independent
Of the more then $142 million that Gov. Rick Scott vetoed from the already tight $70 billion budget yesterday, more than $38 million came in cuts to health care services.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Florida didn't save money by drug testing welfare recipients, data shows
By Brittany Alana Davis
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Required drug tests for people seeking welfare benefits ended up costing taxpayers more than it saved and failed to curb the number of prospective applicants, data used against the state in an ongoing legal battle shows.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

New judge will preside over George Zimmerman case
By David Ovalle
Miami Herald
A new judge has been appointed to hear the case of George Zimmerman, accused of second-degree murder in Trayvon Martin's shooting in February.

Florida counties challenge costs of juvenile detention
By Jim Saunders
News Service of Florida
An administrative law judge Monday will hear arguments in part of a wide-ranging dispute about whether the state is forcing counties to pick up too much of the cost of juvenile detention.