Daily News Clips for September 25, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Florida justice warns of assault on the courts ‘through partisan politics’
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Related column: An independent court is at stake in Florida
Related editorial: A blatant bid to politicize the courts
As the secretive campaign against the three Florida Supreme Court justices up for merit retention took shape Monday, one of the targeted justices warned that the future of the state’s independent judiciary was under threat.

GOP campaign against Florida justices draws fire from inside and outside the party
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Republican Party’s entry into a campaign to unseat three state Supreme Court justices drew fresh outrage Monday from supporters who said it endangers an independent judiciary.

Federal judge refuses to halt Florida early voting plan
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A federal judge refused Monday to halt Florida’s plan to cut the number of early voting days from 14 days to eight days.

Rep. Mike Horner resigns; his name linked to brothel
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Related: State Rep. Mike Horner's name found in documents of accused brothel owner
State Rep. Mike Horner, a Republican from Kissimmee, has abruptly resigned his seat in the Florida House following reports linking his name to a prostitution investigation in Central Florida.

Attorney: Jim Greer out of money; trial delayed until February
By Rene Stutzman
Orlando Sentinel
An Orlando judge on Monday grudgingly once again delayed the fraud and theft trial of Jim Greer, the former chairman of the Florida GOP, saying a money dispute between Greer and the party he's accused of victimizing has ground the case to a halt.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Fear of voter fraud might trim rolls
By Joe Henderson
Tampa Tribune
Like most things that come out of the Florida Legislature, we were told House Bill 1355 would make things better.

From a shooting to shoplifting, David Rivera’s pal in FBI probe has checkered past
By Marc Caputo, Manny Garcia and Scott Hiaasen
Miami Herald
When Justin Lamar Sternad met Ana Sol Alliegro at a Miller’s Miami Falls Ale House, he didn’t know the political consultant would help lead his campaign into the FBI’s crosshairs or that she had prior legal run-ins — including the time she shot at her ex-husband while naked.

U.S. Rep. Bill Young says he's the victim of burglaries; police disagree
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young has been re-elected to Congress repeatedly since 1970.

Rick Scott's email in-box not for the timid
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott doesn't have time to read all the email he gets, and it's probably just as well.

POLITICAL RACES

Obama stimulus package divides Florida Forum participants
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
President Barack Obama's $787 billion federal stimulus package defines the difference in how Republicans and Democrats see economic recovery strategies, according to panelists in a "Florida Forward" forum Monday morning.

Polls: Obama has an edge over Romney on Medicare
CBS News
WTSP Tampa Bay
A series of polls released today and over the weekend show the presidential contest remains close but suggest President Obama may have an edge over Mitt Romney on the issue of who would best handle Medicare.

Romney bus rolls into town for 'Built by Us' rally
By Josh Cooper
Pensacola News Journal
A red, white and blue Romney for president campaign bus cruised around Pensacola on Monday, making stops meeting and greeting voters.

Why Mitt Romney and the Republican Party don't have support from black Americans
By Darryl E. Owens
Orlando Sentinel
The more you watch America's quadrennial political caucuses, the more it seems we're watching two distinct nations.

Romney’s “Goldwater Moment”
By Bill Cotterell
Florida Voices
Former U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings of South Carolina used to say, "There is no education in the second kick of a mule."

Mack pushes legislation that aids political backers
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Rep. Connie Mack IV cites his position as chairman of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee of the House Committee of Foreign Affairs among his foremost achievements during four terms in the House.

For these Florida Republicans, races are locked up but fundraising is not over
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
A luncheon at the exclusive Governor's Club seemed like a typical fundraiser any candidate would crave in a tight race.

Hukill's son gets $100,000 as campaign's consultant
By Derek Catron
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The District 8 state Senate race between Frank Bruno and Dorothy Hukill is one of the most competitive in the state, with money pouring into the campaigns from both donors and the state political parties.

Frankel attacks Hasner on support of Ryan’s budget plan
By Andrew Abramson
Palm Beach Post
Lois Frankel attacked opponent Adam Hasner’s support of the Ryan budget plan at the congressional candidates’ first joint appearance on Monday, saying the budget plan would cut services for “children of autism, and 90-year-old grannies in the nursing homes.”

BALLOT INITIATIVES

NO on Amendment 3, Which Would Freeze Florida in Failure
By Rich Templin
Sunshine State News
On Nov. 6, Florida voters will be asked to make many critical decisions in the voting booth which will impact all of our residents for generations.

Realtors move another $1.5 million into Amendment 4 pro-property tax campaign committee
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
State and national Realtors associations pumped another $1.5 million into a campaign pushing a constitutional amendment limiting property taxes mainly for nonhomestead property owners, bringing to $3.5 million the groups have raised so far, according to campaign finance records.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Florida Supreme Court sides with PSC, dismisses group's challenge to approval of conservation plans
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an environmental group's legal challenge against energy conservation plans approved for the state's two largest utilities.

Brevard County wetlands proposal offers test of revised state growth management laws
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in 1964 famously wrote of pornography, "I know it when I see it." 

EDUCATION

Pointing fingers in Florida's accountability and testing system
By Jeff Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
The Florida Board of Education is preparing to pick a new education commissioner, one whom members have said they want to have firm grounding in the national "reform" movement that the state has played a large role in leading.

Florida SAT scores lag U.S. averages
By Michael Vasquez and Laura Isensee
Miami Herald
Florida’s SAT scores are inching upward — and more minority students are taking the exam — but the state continues to lag behind national averages, according to Class of 2012 results released on Monday.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Floridians who lost home to foreclosure to get claims notice
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post
Tens of thousands of Florida borrowers who have lost their home to foreclosure are about to get a packet in the mail that may mean they are eligible for a piece of the $25 billion national mortgage settlement.

Florida wants NASA land to develop commercial spaceport
By Irene Klotz
Reuters
With an eye toward developing a commercial spaceport, Florida is asking NASA to transfer 150 acres north of the space shuttles' former launch complex at Kennedy Space Center to Space Florida, the state's aerospace-development agency.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Not too late
Editorial
Miami Herald
As the effective date for the next major step in creating a public health insurance program nears, Florida’s residents are once again being left in the lurch by the state’s leaders, led by Gov. Rick Scott.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Jim Greer on RPOF's campaign against justices: 'Floridians should be scared to death'
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Americans for Prosperity to mount a campaign targeting Florida justices
At least one Republican doesn't like the GOP's decision to oppose the merit retention of three Florida Supreme Court judges.

GOP says Scott not involved in party drive to oust justices
News Service of Florida
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Lenny Curry, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said Monday that GOP Gov. Rick Scott had nothing to do with the party’s drive to oust three justices from the state Supreme Court.

Lawyers for murderer ask Gov. Scott to halt execution
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Lawyers for a Florida man say the state should halt his pending execution because he is likely insane.

Daily News Clips for September 24, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Barack Obama, Mitt Romney essentially tied in Florida, new Times/Herald/Bay News 9 poll shows
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Another Fla poll: Obama 50%, Romney 46%
Related: Sen. Bill Nelson leads Connie Mack by 8 points in new Times/Herald/Bay News 9 poll
It's Florida, after all, so what would you expect?

Republican Party of Florida works to remove state Supreme Court justices
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: On ballot, a supreme attempt to intimidate
The Republican Party of Florida waded into a traditionally apolitical fight Friday, announcing it will oppose the retention of three state Supreme Court justices on the November ballot.

Scott's use of job numbers belied by facts
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Rick Scott is going to have a hard time over the next two years trying to explain to voters that placards and politicians don't lie, but economists do.

Emelina Llanes, Alleged Ballot Broker Hired By Rick Scott Campaign, Denies 'Gift' Payment Of $5,000
Staff Report
Huffington Post
An alleged Miami-Dade absentee ballot broker hired by Florida Governor Rick Scott's 2010 campaign has refused to explain what services she performed during the race, calling the $5,000 payment a "gift."

Whoever's to blame, heavy vetting must stop
By Lucy Morgan
Tampa Bay Times
What is the world coming to when a governor starts using the time and resources of the state's top law enforcement agency to do background checks on parents who want to talk to him about public education?

EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK

By Chan Lowe
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Read the artist’s commentary here.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Amid fraud concerns, Florida absentee voting shrouded in secrecy
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
If you vote early in an election in Florida, it's there for the world to see: The Legislature requires an online listing of everyone who voted early and when and where they voted.

City gave to accused ‘boletera’
By Enrique Flor and Melissa Sanchez
Miami Herald
Related column: A surefire fix for the boletero scourge: Stop using them
Emelina Llanes seems to be a lucky woman – and one with friends in high places.

Decision In Early Voting Lawsuit Expected Soon
By Steven Rodriguez
WFSU Tallahassee
A debate over Florida’s early voting schedule is continuing in federal court.

County election supervisors pushing vote by mail
By Jerome R. Stockfisch
Tampa Tribune
November election ballots are now en route to military and overseas voters with local mail ballots soon to follow, and the advice from county elections offices couldn't be clearer: Vote early.

POLITICAL RACES

Romney’s missteps won’t be enough to win Florida for Obama
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Related: Romney missed big chance with Latino voters
Related: In Little Havana, Paul Ryan pledges hard line on Cuba
Related: Mitt’s party: Checks OK, iPhones not
Related: Florida’s jinx on presidential campaigns
The latest statewide poll by The Miami Herald and its media partners shows a virtual tie in the presidential race in Florida. And it came as a shock to liberals and Democrats.

Romney gives Dem support for tax deductions claim
By Tom Raum
Associated Press
Mitt Romney has given Democrats plenty of support for their claim he manipulated his deductions to keep his overall 2011 federal income tax rate above a certain threshold for political purposes.

Jeb Bush joins Ryan to court Latinos in Miami
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
Related: Romney fumes about “them,” when the problem is “us.”
At the landmark Versailles restaurant in Little Havana, where Castro-bashing is as much a menu staple as the cortaditos and ropa vieja, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan courted Latino voters Saturday by accusing President Obama of a “policy of appeasement” toward the Cuban dictator and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.

Inside the GOP war room where Web ads are reshaping campaign warfare
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
As Mitt Romney's campaign descended into damage control this week over secretly recorded comments at a fundraiser in Florida, 25-year-old Josh Sharp hovered over a Mac Pro in a small office on Capitol Hill, busily splicing video and audio of President Barack Obama.

Once again, focus is on Jewish vote in Florida
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
In presidential election years, there may be no story more overblown than the question of whether Florida Jewish voters will abandon the Democratic nominee.

Florida's U.S. Senate race about to heat up
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
The race for Florida's senior U.S. Senate seat — a contest between two-term Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson and Republican challenger Connie Mack IV — is about to begin in earnest.

Both sides making West’s rhetoric an issue in closely divided District 18
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
The clarification, the non-apology apology and the rhetorical walk-back are all part of the rhythm of sound-bite-driven politics in the YouTube era, but Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West marches to a different beat.

Money becomes tight in state Senate races
By James Call
Florida Current
The first campaign finance reports since the August primary show some Democratic Senate candidates pulling close to -- if not ahead of -- their Republican opponents in raising money for the November election.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Does Amendment 8 Advance the Cause of Religious Freedom?
By Robert Lorei
WMNF Tampa
It’s called a religious freedom amendment- but some people say it goes way beyond religious freedom and would allow religious organizations to tap into tax dollars for funding their activities

Florida voters get to decide 5 amendments that would cut local government taxes $1.3 billion over 3 years
By Dara Kam
Palm Beach Post
Among the 11 referendum questions put on the Nov. 6 ballot by the Florida Legislature, five give voters the opportunity to put more tax breaks into the state constitution.

Would Amendment 3's revenue cap help or hurt?
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Supporters of the government-revenue limit on the November ballot call it a common-sense check on the temptation for Florida policymakers to spend beyond taxpayers' means.

A few words about Amendment 4
By Brent Batten
Naples Daily News
Amendment 4 on the November ballot begins, "(1) This would amend Florida Constitution Article VII, Section 4 (Taxation; assessments) and Section 6 (Homestead exemptions)."

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

New conservation rules open door for developers to build on set-aside acreage
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
It is land supposedly protected forever from development.

Gov. Rick Scott reappoints Edgar to Public Service Commission
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott announced late Friday that he is satisfied with the direction of the state's powerful utility board and re-appointed Tallahassee lawyer Lisa B. Edgar to a third term on the panel.

Florida's water bill
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Floridians can pay a little more now or a lot more later.

LGBT

Paul Ryan says reversal of DADT repeal is step in wrong direction, sets out to revive American dream
By Alex Sanz
WPTV West Palm Beach
One year after the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred openly gay and lesbian service members from serving in the military, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said in an interview with WPTV NewsChannel 5 that the controversial policy should not be reinstated.

EDUCATION

Gov. Rick Scott retooling his education image
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott is trying to revamp his image, as a proponent of Florida’s public schools.

Wanted: Innovation to help black males in public schools
By Douglas C. Lyons
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie wants to improve his district's academic performance by developing a new approach to reach a key segment of students — black males.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Billionaire brothers launch effort to torpedo Florida corporate income tax
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
A tea party organization founded by the billionaire Koch brothers has launched a vigorous attack on Florida’s corporate income tax, enlisting two dozen Republican legislative candidates who vow to abolish the $2.1 billion levy.

Florida's August unemployment rate stays at 8.8 percent
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Florida added 23,200 nonagricultural jobs in August, but the unemployment rate didn’t budge, staying at 8.8 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

U.S. Census: Poverty Rising Among Floridians
By Ashley Lopez
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Floridians are among the poorest in the country, and the state’s already stark income gap is widening.

Scott has skewed view of jobless rate
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Related: PolitiFact: Rick Scott brags about Florida's declining unemployment rate
Florida's jobless rate remained mired last month at 8.8 percent even as employers added a net of 23,200 jobs since July.

Help recovery: Raise minimum wage
By Chuck Volkema Sr
Orlando Sentinel
Republican ads — state Rep. Dorothy Hukill's are a great example — consistently opine that just lowering taxes on small business is the panacea for job creation.

In seeking aid for Isaac, Scott now wants D.C.’s money
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
With the Federal Emergency Management Agency rejecting Florida’s request for disaster assistance because of Tropical Storm Isaac, all the usual roles are reversed.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Emails show pattern of concealment in Duval's TB outbreak
By Adam Kealoha Causey and Tracy Jones       
Florida Times-Union
When Jacksonville City Councilman Robin Lumb tried to ask questions about the recent tuberculosis outbreak among Jacksonville’s homeless, he was never able to get answers.

Study: Medicare cuts to eliminate 36,000 Florida jobs; Collier, Lee hospitals prepare
By Liz Freeman
Naples Daily News
Southwest Florida hospital leaders are bracing for Medicare cuts that a study says could result in the loss of nearly 36,000 health-care jobs in Florida next year.

Florida conflict on health care law divides voters
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Phyllis Kaufman is a lifelong Democrat in Tamarac who might vote for Republican Mitt Romney in November, partly because she shares his belief that the new health-care law is a costly giveaway to freeloaders.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

For thousands, life begins with U.S. change, allowing young immigrants to apply for temporary legal status
By John Lantigua
Palm Beach Post
For years, Mexican immigrant Gilberto Lara of West Palm Beach urged his daughter, Guadalupe, to keep studying hard, even though the family was in the United States illegally, and without proper documents it would be extremely difficult for her to realize her full potential.

Florida is a 'hub' for human traffickers, attorney general says
By Brett Clarkson
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Florida's status as a hub for human trafficking has state officials pushing a "zero-tolerance" policy toward criminals who exploit others for profit.

Civil rights activists take aim at Florida polling problems
By Ledyard King
Florida Today
Salandra Benton spends most Saturdays lugging her laptop around Florida looking for voters.

A vote for fairness
Editorial
Miami Herald
It’s election season, as if anyone needed reminding, and candidates on the national, state and local levels want to lure voters to the polls.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Two Circuit Court Judges Announce Retirements; Rick Scott to Make New Appointments
By Jason Geary
Lakeland Ledger
Two openings are expected on the local bench as longtime jurists plan to retire.

Daily News Clips for September 20, 2012

FEATURED STORIES

Fla. foes greet Romney with wave of '47 percent' ads
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Related: Polls, housing data boost Obama campaign
As Mitt Romney arrived in Florida and President Barack Obama prepared for a visit to Tampa, state Democrats orchestrated a major publicity effort blasting Romney's controversial "47 percent" comments.

Mitt Romney in Miami: ’My campaign is about the 100 percent’
By Marc Caputo and Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
Mitt Romney had no time to warm up Wednesday night before he was asked onstage in Coral Gables about his hidden-video remarks where he suggested that 47 percent of taxpayers were moochers.

Romney's Video-Debunking Claim Is…Debunked
By David Corn
Mother Jones
Related: Full Transcript of the Mitt Romney Secret Video
After Mother Jones posted video of Mitt Romney sharing remarks with millionaire donors that he would never express to voters—noting that nearly half of the American electorate are moochers and that Romney doesn't believe a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is feasible—Romney did not deny he said what he said.

Sunburn for 9/20 — A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics
By Peter Schorsch
Saint Petersblog
Excerpt: TWEET, TWEET: @AdamSmithTimes: Weird. Romney’s 47% comments all over Fla front pages, but @JustinSayfie couldn’t find a single one to share w readers #Sayfie

Federal judge in Jacksonville hears arguments to decide on state's early voting law
By Charles Broward      
Florida Times-Union
A federal judge in Jacksonville will soon decide if he will prevent election supervisors across the state from operating on shortened early voting periods.

FLORIDA POLITICS

State political funds created to make contributions more transparent sit unused
By Matt Dixon  
Florida Times-Union
Trumpeting the need for more transparency, Republican lawmakers pushed through an election law change in 2011 that gave the top brass of both political parties their own campaign accounts.

Robbed of Representation by a Rubber Stamp
By Paula Dockery
Florida Voices
Just 10 of Florida’s 160 legislators voted recently on a $58-million budget amendment that carries large policy implications for citizens across the state.

A First For Fla. Lobbyist Conference: A Governor's Top Aide Gives Input
By Sascha Cordner      
WFSU Tallahassee
Lobbyists from all over the state are gathering in Jacksonville over the next few days for the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists 8th annual conference.

Fox Poll: Scott still underwater by 10 points in voter disapproval rating
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
The Fox News Poll of Florida voters released tonight not only shows President Obama ahead of Mitt Romney 49-44 percent, and Connie Mack IV trailing Bill Nelson 35-49 percent but it has Gov. Rick Scott with more voters unhappy with his job performance than satisfied with it.

Fighting ballot fraud
Editorial
Miami Herald
Hialeah, Miami Lakes and now Miami-Dade County have all moved to stamp out absentee ballot fraud with, well, a stamp.

POLITICAL RACES

Hispanics the focus as Romney pushes ahead
By Steve Peoples ad Ken Thomas
Associated Press
Hispanics are the focus as the race for the White House moves to Florida, a presidential battleground where a charged immigration debate is under way as President Barack Obama seeks to keep Republican challenger Mitt Romney on the defensive.

Behind the big-ticket political fundraisers
By Ann Gerhart and Jason Horowitz
Washington Post
It doesn’t look all that swanky, the chamber of secrets in the Boca Raton mansion where Mitt Romney spilled about what wasn’t his job — to worry about the 47 percent of people who were, he said, victims and dependents.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Religious groups go after Amendment 6
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
With Catholic organizations from around the state cashing in to pass the anti-abortion Amendment 6 headed to voters in November, a coalition of religious groups is decrying the measure as a state-imposition of religious dogma.

Amendment opposing health-care law likely will have little effect
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
It might sound like an initiative straight from the Department of Government Redundancy: a constitutional change that Florida lawmakers labored for two years to place on this fall's statewide ballot even though it will have little real-world impact.

Orange GOP party chief came up with sick-time delay plan
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Related editorial: Orange leaders need to heal rift over sick leave
The architect of a maneuver that kept a sick-time ballot measure off the Nov. 6 ballot turns out to be Lew Oliver, the head of Orange County's Republican Party.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Former water leaders call on governor to restore $210 million collectively slashed from budgets
By Bill Thompson
Ocala Star-Banner
Twenty former leading water managers from across Florida are calling on Gov. Rick Scott to restore the funding slashed from the budgets of the water management districts.

Scott must decide whether to bring in new blood or keep utility board static
By Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau
Gov. Rick Scott has until Sunday to decide whether to reappoint the longest serving member of the powerful state utility board, eight-year veteran Lisa Edgar, or go in a new direction.

In the dark on solar
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
There's been a lot of coverage about the sun in The Sun of late.

LGBT

Chick-fil-A says it will no longer fund organizations against gay marriage
Associated Press
Miami Herald
A Georgia-based restaurant chain that drew national attention when its owner reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage says it's leaving the debate to politicians in the future.

EDUCATION

Gov. Scott helps for-profit company launch charter school
By Dave Heller
WTSP Tampa Bay
Gov. Rick Scott continues his push to help more charter schools operate in Florida.

Gov. Scott names seven superintendents to red-tape panel
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
Seven county school superintendents have been named to the committee that is being asked to recommend ways Florida can cut red-tape and reduce paperwork for teachers and administrators.

USF sends a message to capital
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft's upbeat "state of the university address'' on Wednesday served as a powerful reminder to Tampa Bay of the impact a major university makes on an urban community.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida Governor Blows Off Questions About His State’s Lackluster Job Creation
By Amanda Peterson Beadle
Think Progress
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has been touting his state’s dropping unemployment rate, which is down to 8.8 percent from a high of 11.1 percent in December 2010.

Census: Florida incomes keep slipping
By Doug Sword
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Incomes continued to slip in Southwest Florida last year and the gap between the wealthiest households and the poorest ones widened.

Scott walks fine line on Citizens position
By Gray Rohrer
Florida Current
Gov. Rick Scott wants Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to be able to pay its customers’ claims in a worst-case-scenario hurricane without resorting to after-the-fact assessments on all policyholders in the state.

State transportation corridor initiative moves forward
By James Call
Florida Current
Transportation planners working on a Future Corridors initiative were asked Wednesday not to forget Northwest Florida.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Lawsuit challenges state on nursing home residents' income
By News Service of Florida
Ft. Myers News-Press
In what could become a class-action lawsuit, attorneys for a disabled Tallahassee woman allege that many nursing-home residents are required to turn over too much income when they enter Florida's Medicaid program.

Dropout Nation: Kids as caregivers
By Sarah Pusateri
Health News Florida
Why do students drop out of high school?

Massage therapist suspensions tied to human trafficking
By Jerome R. Stockfisch
Tampa Tribune
The state today suspended the licenses of 81 massage therapists with fraudulent Florida licenses in what officials from Gov. Rick Scott on down are billing as a fight against human trafficking.

USF, Lakeland Reg. to be partners
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
University of South Florida has invited Lakeland Regional Medical Center to become the first member of what would become a multi-hospital system, USF President Judy Genshaft announced Wednesday.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Voting a focus of NAACP state convention
By Eileen Zaffiro-Kean
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Dozens of visitors will arrive in the city Thursday morning for the annual Florida State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People over the next three days to talk about everything from voting to affordable health care.