FlaglerLive | February 21, 2013
The announcement was a dramatic move for the Republican governor, who launched his political career as an outspoken critic of President Obama’s efforts to overhaul the health-care system. The announcement also shifts the focus of the contentious Medicaid debate squarely to the Legislature, which would have to approve any expansion.
FlaglerLive | February 13, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott’s aggressive economic development effort is getting more legislative pushback as budget committees in both chambers questioned the direction, expense and oversight of the governor’s “jobs, jobs, jobs” agenda.
FlaglerLive | February 12, 2013
As everyone anticipated, the attack on Gov. Rick Scott by liberals has begun. No surprise there, as he is the next conservative in the cross-hairs. But at times it borders on the absurd, argues Lloyd Brown.
FlaglerLive | February 6, 2013
Questionable bonuses, conflicts of interest and a ‘pay to play’ mentality is hampering taxpayer driven economic development efforts, according to a study conducted by Integrity Florida and paid for by Americans for Prosperity/Florida, a conservative advocacy group funded in large part by the Koch brothers.
FlaglerLive | February 2, 2013
Backers of early childhood education and an expansion of Medicaid were disappointed, educators were guardedly happy about raises, and others applauded more money for prevention services to keep youths out of the juvenile justice system, plus $145,360 for juvenile health and mental health.
FlaglerLive | February 2, 2013
Rick Scott, the little-known, populist, former tea party politician emerged this week as a sweet-talking alternative to the Rick Scott who got elected in 2010 promising to be stingy and mean, to “Get to Work” at slashing the size of government.
FlaglerLive | January 31, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott’s $74.2 billion budget proposal unveiled Thursday is the largest in the state’s history and includes a $4 billion spending increase that targets constituencies Scott hopes to win back as he seeks re-election in 2014, among them teachers, environmentalists and what state workers will remain on the payroll.
FlaglerLive | January 30, 2013
Scott’s $2,500-a-year raise for Florida teachers, costing $480 million, would be included in the $1.2 billion increase for K-12 education, which would add to last year’s $1 billion increase, yet the total, if approved, would still be off the all-time high for per-student education funding.
FlaglerLive | January 29, 2013
Shedding light on the gimmickry, one college said it had met Scott’s challenge – as far as students are concerned. The cost of a degree at the school is about $13,700, but is less than $10,000 only when financial aid is taken into account.
FlaglerLive | January 27, 2013
Labor union membership has been in precipitous decline since 1980, along with with a decline in job security, workers’ wages and benefits, and Americans’ standard of living. It’s not a coincidence, though the vilification of labor unions continues.
FlaglerLive | January 26, 2013
Florida’s “education” governor wants to give teachers a $2,500 across-the-board raise. Translation: He wants to get re-elected in 2014. He’s not popular. So he’s trying to win votes by any means necessary, argues Rhonda Swan.
FlaglerLive | January 25, 2013
Florida’s Juvenile Justice Department, in a case involving 14 local governments and the Florida Association of Counties, filed an order rejecting arguments that its interpretation of the law has improperly shifted extra costs to counties.
FlaglerLive | January 23, 2013
Even in Flagler County, teachers and the school board chairman reacted to Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal with a mixture of skepticism and guarded optimism, as questions about math, political motives and local control abound.
FlaglerLive | January 18, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott two years ago signed a law restricting early voting days to eight. His shift back to allow up to 14 days would give local supervisors more choice, but could also be an unfunded mandate: if supervisors don’t have the money to expand voting days, they’ll take the political blame for not doing so.
FlaglerLive | January 17, 2013
Last Updated: 12:55 p.m.
The Florida Supreme Court, in a much-anticipated but very divided 4-3 ruling, today sided with the Legislature, and against public employees, by upholding a 2011 law that requires all public employees to contribute 3 percent of their pay to the Florida Retirement System, a pension fund.
In a majority opinion by Justice Labarga, more »
FlaglerLive | January 14, 2013
Florida’s costs could be as low as $3 billion over 10 years — a huge drop from the nearly $26 billion figure that AHCA produced in a report last month. Even with the changes, it appears that the Scott administration believes that the state’s final tab over 10 years would be higher.
FlaglerLive | January 12, 2013
The state’s chief economist has warned the staff of Gov. Rick Scott that his Medicaid cost estimates are wrong, but Scott keeps using them anyway, skewing Florida’s costs under the Affordable Health Act.
FlaglerLive | January 8, 2013
Between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, nearly 140,000 Floridians were denied benefits, more than double the rate of the same period a year earlier as eligibility requirements have been tightened and obstacles to get unemployment have multiplied.
FlaglerLive | January 3, 2013
Senior said much of the state’s negotiations with federal officials have focused on safeguards to make sure that Medicaid’s new Florida version would be based on providing services in people’s homes and communities and would not be a “nursing home light” system..
FlaglerLive | December 31, 2012
Some of the state’s strongest protectors of our natural resources were recently expelled from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Fifty-eight of the most knowledgeable and long-serving employees were let go in order to fulfill the governor’s promise/threat of less regulation.
FlaglerLive | December 29, 2012
The biggest stories of 2012 ended up being an election and redistricting. A third ongoing story also pervaded the year’s news: The economy continued its long, slow rise from the ashes of the recession, and by year’s end the rebound – while facing the possible stomach-punch of a fiscal cliff setback – appeared to be solid.
FlaglerLive | December 27, 2012
Barring an agreement between longshoremen and shippers, Gov. Rick Scott and executives of Florida’s largest ports urged President Barack Obama to use his authority to keep containerized cargo moving while talks continue, saying any interruption would have a ripple effect throughout Florida and across the country.
FlaglerLive | December 24, 2012
Bill McBride, a powerful lawyer who unsuccessfully tried to unseat then-Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002 and later watched his wife, Alex Sink, also run for governor, has died. He was 67.
FlaglerLive | December 21, 2012
Florida ranks near dead last nationally in the level of expenditures for front-end community-based mental health services. Let’s not be penny wise and pound foolish when so many precious lives are at risk, argues Paula Dockery.
FlaglerLive | December 20, 2012
Even a majority of Republicans want an alternative to Rick Scott in 2014. Overwhelming majorities reject charging lower college tuition for science majors, and gay marriage makes a 10-point gain in latest Quinnipiac polls.
FlaglerLive | December 19, 2012
The News Service of Florida’s David Royse speaks with Florida Cable Television’s Steve Wilkerson about the state’s biggest stories of the year–from election flubs to the Trayvon Martin shooting to Hispanic voter registration to the return of Charlie Crist.
Pierre Tristam | December 16, 2012
Florida’s gun-worship is part of a lethal, juvenile romance for guns and a national disease that doesn’t hesitate to lock and load the words “gun” and “hobby” in the same chamber while vilifying those who’d imply a connection with the consequences.
FlaglerLive | December 11, 2012
Under Obamacare the federal government would pay 100 percent of the cost of the expanded eligibility from 2014 through 2016. Florida and other states questioned whether the federal government also would cover the full costs for a partial Medicaid expansion. The Obama administration said no.
FlaglerLive | December 8, 2012
Crist’s move to the Democratic Party heightens talk of a run against Gov. Rick Scott in 2014. No clear Democratic front-runner has emerged, though Alex Sink, could run again.
FlaglerLive | December 8, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott bid hasta la vista to Colombia and to the head of the Department of Economic Opportunity this week as state lawmakers held a meet and greet of their own in preparation for the 2013 legislative session.
Archive for The Live Wire »
|
|
|
|
