Daily News Clips for August 2, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Tony Bennett resigns as Florida education commissioner
By Kathleen McGrory and Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Scott, Bush praise outgoing education chief
Related editorial: Florida education leadership in disarray
State Education Commissioner Tony Bennett resigned Thursday, fueling controversy over the school grading system and delivering a blow to Gov. Rick Scott and the leaders working to overhaul Florida's system of school accountability.

Rick Scott deals with another embarrassing resignation
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Gov. Rick Scott’s effort to re-invent himself as the education governor took another hit on Thursday.

Five Florida counties listed among the worst 30 in the country for health care coverage
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing
There are just two months left before the exchanges that will allow millions of uninsured Americans to obtain health care coverage go live. To mark the countdown, a progressive think-tank released a new report today listing the worst counties in the country for health care services.

Battle over Obamacare coming to Florida, Tampa
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Advocacy groups allied with President Barack Obama who favor his Affordable Care Act -- the health care reform plan known as "Obamacare" -- are organizing a grass-roots offensive to boost support for the plan and attack Republican opponents.

Thank you, Tallahassee, for making us pay so much for nothing
By Robert Trigaux
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Duke Energy to cancel proposed Levy County nuclear plant
Related editorial: Nuclear plant deal late, limited
This is the day I wish this column had audio.  That would force our pathetic legislators in Tallahassee to listen to the longest Bronx cheer in Florida history.

FLORIDA POLITICS

DNC chair looks to leverage money into power
By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman
Politico
Debbie Wasserman Schultz spent 18 months slogging through 885 events in 31 states to boost President Barack Obama’s chances for reelection.

Rubio: Defunding ObamaCare more vital than immigration reform
By Mario Trujillo
The Hill
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who led the Republican charge for comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate, said his new fight to defund ObamaCare takes priority.

POLITICAL RACES

Rick Scott's fundraising committee at $9.3 million for 2013
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
After collecting $3.2 million in June, fundraising slowed a bit in July for the political committee backing Gov. Rick Scott's re-election bid.

Rep. Artiles might run for Congress in "full-contact" campaign involving Genting, Miami Dolphins
By Marc A. Caputo
Miami Herald
State Rep. Frank Artiles is examining a run for Florida’s most-scandalous Congressional seat in a bid that could spell a bloody GOP primary in the shadow of big-dollar outside interests from the Genting Group casino company to the Miami Dolphins.

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Morgan to spend 'a lot of money' on medical marijuana campaign
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando trial lawyer and uber-fundraiser John Morgan said Thursday he will likely spend "a lot of money" financing a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana use in Florida.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Miccosukees urge Congress to stop Everglades pollution
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“The Everglades is dying,” partly because of water pollution that runs from agricultural areas through Miccosukee lands, tribal leaders told members of Congress from Florida on Thursday.

EDUCATION

Florida could have tough time snagging a new education commissioner
By Cara Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Florida Board of Education to appoint interim commissioner Friday
Related: Should Florida return to an elected education commissioner?
Here we go again.

Commissioner Tony Bennett resigns. School grades drop. Welcome to Florida's version of 'reform'
By Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's education system is a hot mess.

State out of do-overs
Editorial
Tampa Tribune
The state Board of Education needs to find a new commissioner who is free of the ideological baggage that dogged Tony Bennett from the time of his arrival in Florida earlier this year.

Florida hired Tony Bennett because of the policies that forced him to quit
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Florida long has allowed political donations to influence education policy, the very allegation that forced Education Commissioner Tony Bennett to quit Thursday.

Brevard schools budget plan cuts teachers, taxes
By Mackenzie Ryan
Florida Today
The Brevard School Board approved a proposed tax rate and budget Thursday evening that is expected to reduce property taxes on most homes and cut more than 300 teaching positions.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Forecast: Orlando home prices to soften after sharp run-up
By Mary Shanklin and Paul Owers
Orlando Sentinel
Orlando is unlikely to see its recent home-price gains continue in the months ahead, according to a new national forecast.

Don't run from Internet sales tax
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Nobody likes taxes, but sometimes Florida’s proudly revenue-phobic political mindset doesn’t make sense.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

On the offense for Obamacare in Fla
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Representataves of the Democratic groups Protect Your Care and Americans United for Change held a conference call today adding a little more detailed about their planned offensive in Florida and elsewhere to promote Obamacare and go after its critics.

State health reform plans include Medicaid managed care
By Daniel Chang
Miami Herald
Some of Florida’s most vulnerable residents — the frail elderly and poor or disabled adults — will be ushered into a new era of healthcare over the next five months that will change the way they receive their taxpayer funded long-term care from Medicaid, the federal-state program for the poor and disabled.

Premiums Rising 5-6% for Most Floridians
By Carol Gentry
Health News Florida
Florida's average increase in health-insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act for 2014 will be in the range of just 5 to 6 percent, Office of Insurance Regulation officials said Tuesday.

Univision healthcare deal could put Florida Blue at advantage with Hispanics
By Jenny Gold
Miami Herald
Some 10 million Hispanics stand to gain health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and the Spanish-language media network Univision is positioning itself as a direct path to this potentially lucrative market.

How the child safety net failed Ezra Raphael
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
When state child welfare administrators first spoke with Cierrah Raphael in early 2013, they reported she was a 21-year-old prostitute and drug user who had abandoned her baby son with a virtual stranger.

AARP: Confidence shaken in state’s elder oversight
Staff Report
Palm Beach Post
The advocacy group AARP questioned the state’s efforts to ensure seniors receive adequate care, as Florida’s long-term care ombudsman appears headed toward losing his job.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Some lawmakers call for session, civility as the rhetoric heats up
By Karl Etters
Tallahassee Democrat
With the possibility of a special session slight following the ongoing protests at the Florida Capitol, lawmakers are starting to use Florida statutes to try and make that happen.

Ana Lee Case: Trayvon Martin protester flanked by 2 officers at Gov. Rick Scott appearance in Delray
By Kelli Kennedy
WPTV Palm Beach
During a charity event Thursday, a member of Gov. Rick Scott's security team forcefully stood and blocked a silent protester who said she was there to demand justice for Trayvon Martin's death.

Trayvon Martin’s parents meet with federal authorities in Miami
By Jay Weaver
Miami Herald
The parents of Trayvon Martin and their lawyer met with Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents at the U.S. attorney’s office in Miami Wednesday to discuss the status of a criminal civil-rights investigation into the fatal shooting of their teen-age son last year.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Claims bill would compensate FAMU drum major's family in hazing death
By Stephen Hudak
Orlando Sentinel
Proposed legislation was filed Thursday in the Florida Senate that would compensate the parents of FAMU drum major Robert Champion for pain and suffering they endured in the hazing death of their son.

Daily News Clips for August 1, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Rick Scott says Tony Bennett is 'doing a great job'
By Cara Fitzpatrick
Tampa Bay Times
After a couple days of radio silence about the scandal involving Florida's education commissioner, Gov. Rick Scott finally has something to say.

From Tallahassee to Miami, protestors dog Rick Scott
By Marc A. Caputo
Miami Herald
Protestors in his Tallahassee office, protestors at his Miami-Dade press conferences – Gov. Rick Scott is facing a state of opposition after the George Zimmerman verdict.

Gov. Rick Scott: 'Jesse Jackson owes every Floridian an apology for his reckless and divisive comments'
By Michael Van Sickler and Rochelle Koff
Tampa Bay Times
Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday accused the Rev. Jesse Jackson of insulting Floridians with a series of reckless and divisive statements about the state and its "stand your ground" self-defense law.

White House lays out benefits to Floridians from Obamacare
By William E. Gibson
Orlando Sentinel
Medicare’s monthly drug-coverage premium will increase by only a dollar – from $30 this year to $31 next year – White House officials said on Wednesday while bragging about the wonders of  "Obamacare."

As details of health insurance rates emerge, 2013 Florida law limits power to control them
By Stacey Singer
Palm Beach Post
While Maryland’s insurance commissioner was arguing with Aetna, Coventry and All Savers about the assumptions they used to set rates for their Affordable Care Act health insurance plans, Florida’s insurance commissioner was mute on the subject. The Florida Legislature had silenced him.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Crisafulli ready for his close-up as Weatherford promotes him to House Majority Leader
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford on Wednesday announced a changing of the guards, and they're both named Steve(!)

Few changes as Weatherford announces committee chairs for 2014 session
By Gray Rohrer
The Florida Current
House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, made few changes to the leaders of legislative committees in his chamber, and made a switch in a key leadership position.

Dolphins owner recruiting candidates to run against Miami lawmakers who opposed stadium bid
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins owner who vowed to avenge his political loss in Tallahassee earlier this year, is recruiting candidates to run against two lawmakers who opposed using public dollars to partly fund a $350 million renovation to Sun Life Stadium, the Miami Herald has learned.

Give federal government some oversight of Florida’s new voter purge
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
Last summer, as presidential candidates criss-crossed Florida, Gov. Rick Scott and state election officials pressed ahead with flawed plans to purge non-citizens from the voter rolls.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Proposed pipeline, connector project follow legislation that provides expedited permitting
Bruce Ritchie
The Florida Current
A proposal to extend a natural gas pipeline and connector 340 miles across Florida follows the Legislature's approval of bills to provide expedited permitting for interstate pipeline projects.

EDUCATION

Dems call for Education Commissioner Bennett's ouster
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Two Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called for the resignation of Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett, saying the school grades scandal in Indiana had called Bennett's integrity into question.

Tony Bennett grade change a blow to accountability
By Beth Kassab
Orlando Sentinel
Tony Bennett is accustomed to battling the negative perception of school accountability.  Now he's the perception problem.

Departing professor: Cuts have 'massacred' UF psychology department
By Jeff Schweers
Gainesville Sun
Before Clive Wynne packed up his office belongings for his move to Tempe, Ariz., the former University of Florida professor sent an impassioned four-page letter to Tigert Hall decrying the "massacre" of the Department of Psychology.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Fla. sales tax holiday begins Friday
By Lloyd Dunkelberger
Gainesville Sun
Heading into another school year this month, Florida shoppers can take advantage of a three-day sales tax holiday this weekend that will allow them to buy clothing and school supplies and not pay the state's 6 percent sales tax.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Medicaid's Elder Experiment Begins
Staff Report
Health News Florida
Florida's statewide Medicaid managed-care gamble gets officially under way on Thursday, beginning with thousands of the state's most vulnerable clients: low-income seniors too sick to get by without help.

Florida operative Jackie Lee to lead Obamacare offensive
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Jackie Lee, a Democratic strategist in Florida who was involved in the 2008 and 2012 Obama campaigns, will lead a statewide effort by liberal groups to go on the offensive on Obamacare as Congress returns for summer recess.

Another DCF horror story: child sex-trafficking victim raped after going to Miami "safe house"
By Marc A. Caputo
Miami Herald
Related editorial: Taking charge at DCF
A child sex trafficking victim, placed under the care of the Department of Children and Families, was raped just days after being sent to a newly opened Miami “safe house,” CBS4 News has learned.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

U.S. Ag Secretary: Immigration reform key for Fla. Industry
By Anthony Clark
Gainesville Sun
Comprehensive immigration reform is critical to secure the workforce needed by Florida's multibillion-dollar agricultural industry and would benefit the broader economy, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an interview with The Gainesville Sun.

As immigration heated up, Rubio made donation to PAC associated with Jim DeMint
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio made a five-figure contribution to a prominent super PAC ahead of a push to court conservative support of his contentious immigration reform proposal, according to a Center for Public Integrity review of documents filed today with the Federal Election Commission.

Democrats urge Scott to reconsider veto of bill that helps undocumented immigrants get driver licenses
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph joined a chorus of Democrats Wednesday calling on Gov. Rick Scott to reconsider his veto of a bill making it easier for young undocumented immigrants to get a Florida driver license.

Scott, Cabinet expected to OK removal of bodies at Dozier
By Waveney Ann Moore
Tampa Bay Times
It appears that the University of South Florida will get state approval to continue to locate and excavate bodies at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna.

Daily News Clips for July 31, 2013

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

The BluVu:  Week of July 28, 2013
By Gayle Andrews
The BluVu
Two and a half weeks later, the Trayvon Martin verdict is still motivating a movement for change in the Stand Your Ground law.  Progress Florida’s Damien Filer has the facts on the Affordable Care Act:  Obamacare is working, but Republican lawmakers are dead set against it.

FEATURED STORIES

Indiana school grades scandal casts doubt on Florida education commissioner
By Kathleen McGrory and Jeffrey S. Solochek
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related: Accountability expert: Bennett should step down
Nationally celebrated education reformer Tony Bennett was wooed to Florida in January to bring stability to the state Education Department. Months later, his tenure as education commissioner could be in trouble.

7 kids' deaths on DCF's watch demand reform
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Debacle at DCF
Related: Do not shift all child investigations in Florida to law enforcement
Two-year-old Jayden Antonio Villegas-Morales couldn't stop vomiting, so his overwhelmed father shook him until he died.

Protesters hold mock session with Rev. Jesse Jackson, pursue Plan B
By Kathleen McGrory and Rochelle Koff
Times/Herald Tallahasse Bureau
Related: Dream Defenders earning political credibility
The student activists known as the Dream Defenders held a mock session of the Florida Legislature on Tuesday — a well-orchestrated spectacle that drew a half-dozen news cameras and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to the Old Capitol.

FLORIDA POLITICS

GOP Gov. Scott endorses Obama tax plan…partly
By George Bennett
Palm Beach Post
He didn’t bestow a Charlie Crist-style man hug, but Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday applauded at least part of an economic proposal by President Barack Obama that drew jeers from other Republicans.

Rubio's line in sand over Obamacare making some Republicans uneasy
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee went on the Senate floor this afternoon to continue their campaign to defund Obamacare – a stance that has opened divisions among the GOP.

POLITICAL RACES

John McCain says Charlie Crist would be 'very competitive' candidate for governor
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. John McCain says Charlie Crist would be a tough candidate if he decides to challenge Gov. Rick Scott, as expected.

EDUCATION

School grading system gets an F
Editorial
Ocala Star-Banner
Maybe the best thing that can be said about the school grades released last week by the Florida Department of Education is, they could have been worse.

Bush's foundation backs Bennett
By Lisa Gartner
Tampa Bay Times
Embattled Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett received support Tuesday from Foundation for Florida's Future, the education organization helmed by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Collier among counties to pay for school aid
By Kristine Gill
Naples News
Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature’s plan for more money in Florida’s classrooms means more money out of the hands of Collier County taxpayers.

Palm Beach County teacher raises likely to fall short of $2,500 average, district says, as new contract talks open
By Jason Schultz
Palm Beach Post
While Palm Beach County teachers enter this school year knowing they will get a raise, just how much more money the district can put in their checks remains unclear.

Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday goes 'techie'
By Linda Trimble
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Rick and Stephanie Grinstead plan to stock up on the usual school supplies for their five children during Florida's sales tax holiday this weekend, but the DeLand couple are adding something new to their shopping list this time around.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Obama and Rick Scott unite in Amazon adoration
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
On his national jobs tour, Pres. Barack Obama stopped Tuesday at an Amazon fulfillment center (née warehouse order center) in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Florida remains No. 1 in seizures
By John Hielscher
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida remains tops in the nation for the highest percentage of distressed homes and the number of completed foreclosures, a new report has found.

Internet-cafe law trips up Orange concert giveaways
By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Orange County has given away Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and other hot tickets to the Amway Center, but officials now fear the online drawings might violate a new Florida law aimed at shutting down Internet cafes.

Consumer confidence falls after 4-month climb
Staff Report
The Florida Current
After four months of ratcheting upwards, Florida's consumer confidence dropped three points to 78 in July. Four of the five components in the report fell.

DOT won't change bid procedures despite judicial criticism
By Gray Rohrer
The Florida Current
The Department of Transportation won’t be altering its policies regarding bid procedures even though an administrative law judge criticized its lack of specific rules for delaying bid deadlines.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Florida advocate for elderly placed on leave
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Florida’s top advocate for the elderly and nursing home residents was placed on “indefinite” leave last week amid an internal investigation into unspecified alleged wrongdoing, plunging the state’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Program once again into controversy.

Rubio's Obamacare defunding plan not going well
WTSP.com
Senator Marco Rubio's plan to shut down the government if Congress doesn't defund the Affordable Care Act is going up in smoke in the nation's capital.

Community Health Agrees to Buy H.M.A. for $3.6 Billion
By Michael J. De La Merced
New York Times
Related: Deal reached for sale of Bayfront Health System parent HMA to Tennessee company
Related: Merger of Hospital Companies Involves 3 Polk Hospitals
Related: $7.6 billion HMA deal includes Venice, Charlotte hospitals
Community Health Systems agreed on Tuesday to buy Health Management Associates for about $3.6 billion in cash and stock, in a long-expected union of two for-profit hospital systems.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Despite DCF contact, two more kids die
By Carol Marbin Miller
Miami Herald
Summer Stiles had no idea her toddler son had been missing for much of an hour.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Speaker Weatherford open to 'stand your ground' change
By William March
Tampa Tribune
State House Speaker Will Weatherford said Tuesday he's willing to consider legislation changing the state's "stand your ground" law but first would have to see a consistent, unified message from law enforcement officials on what changes are needed.

Daily News Clips for July 30, 2013

FEATURED STORIES

Fla Ed Commish changed donor's school grade
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Former Indiana and current Florida schools chief Tony Bennett built his national star by promising to hold "failing" schools accountable. But when it appeared an Indianapolis charter school run by a prominent Republican donor might receive a poor grade, Bennett's education team frantically overhauled his signature "A-F" school grading system to improve the school's marks.

PolitiFact: 'Pants on Fire' rating for Rubio's comments on Obamacare
By Angie Drobnic Holan
Tampa Bay Times
Sen. Marco Rubio says Obamacare should be stopped, but one of his talking points is way off base:  Rubio has said that "75 percent of small businesses now say they are going to be forced to either fire workers or cut their hours" because of the law.

Gaetz: No need for a special session
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
Senate President Don Gaetz doesn't see the need for a special session on the state's Stand Your Ground law, he told reporters Monday.

Times may have changed, but former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew hasn't
By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times
Times change. Reubin Askew doesn't. The oldest living former Florida governor views government as a force for good, not evil, rates personal integrity as a cornerstone of public service, and encourages young people to get involved in politics.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Grayson pushes worker wages and benefits at Orlando town hall
By Scott Powers
Orlando Sentinel
With much of the political talk in Washington focusing on issues ranging from gun control to immigration or deficit reduction to health-care insurance, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson returned to Orlando Monday night to push reforms for workers' wages and benefits.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' political group attacks Miami lawmakers – again
By PatriciaMazzei
Miami Herald
The billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins has unleashed his second round of attacks against three Miami lawmakers he blames for standing in the way of a proposed $350 million renovation to Sun Life Stadium.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Group Gathering Signatures To Restore Land Conservation Funding
By Jessica Palombo
WFSU
A coalition of Florida environmental groups is ratcheting up its campaign for a state constitutional amendment setting aside money for land conservation.

EDUCATION

Use turmoil from Florida’s school grades to eliminate them.
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
By now, everybody knows that Friday’s release of school grades was a fiasco.

Florida remains on the fence as other states recommit to PARCC
By Jeffrey S. Solochek
Tampa Bay Times
In the face of numerous stories about defections -- Georgia left last week, and Indiana announced its plan to quit on Monday -- leaders of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Governing Board held a press call Monday to stress that the testing consortium remains vital.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

In Florida's Banking Debacle, Plenty of Blame to Go Around
Special Investigation
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Almost 70 banks failed in Florida during the last five years.

Martin David Kiar, Broward County Commissioner, Reflects on Living on Minimum Wage for a Week
By Dennis Bovell
The Daily Pulp
Broward County Commissioner Martin David Kiar recently volunteered to accept the current federal minimum wage for a week in an attempt to bring more attention to the issue.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Video: Florida Blue argues for taking Medicaid expansion money
By Adam C. Smith
Tampa Bay Times
Florida Trend spoke with Patrick Geraghty, Chairman and CEO for Florida Blue (formerly Blue Cross Blue Shield), about why he thinks Florida should take the $51 billion in federal Medicaid funding.

Canvassers For Health Coverage Find Few Takers In Boca Raton
By Phil Galewitz
Health News Florida
Tammy Spencer did a double take when she read the address on her paper and looked at the house in front of her.

IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Marchers rally in Cocoa for 'Justice For All'
Staff Report
Florida Today
About 300 people participated in a “Justice For All” march and rally Sunday night, starting at 7-Eleven on Dixon Boulevard and leading to Provost Park.

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Scrap Florida's Stand Your Ground law or face possible tourism boycott in aftermath of Trayvon's death, say critics
By Mike Clary
Orlando Sentinel
Backlash from the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin echoed across Florida on Monday with a call from the leader of a black lawyers' organization to repeal the state's Stand Your Ground law or face a possible economic boycott.

Gov. Scott, Gaetz, Weatherford get more pressure for a special session on SYG
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
Six black Hillsborough County elected officials are asking Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford for a special session to repeal or change the 2005 “stand your ground” law they blame for a looming economic crisis caused by a boycott of Florida.

Les Miller regrets SYG vote, says he would repeal it today
By Michael Van Sickler
Tampa Bay Times
Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller was one of 14 Senate Democrats who unanimously approved the “stand your ground” law in 2005, but he says it’s the one vote he most regrets making in his 14-year career as a legislator.

Protesters plan ‘special session’ as Gov. Scott returns to capital
By Jim Turner
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott held his first workday in the Capitol since the second week of July, days before a group of protesters began an ongoing siege of his office.