The hearings were part of Gov. Rick Scott’s plan for dealing with the politically volatile issue. Scott has already begun distancing the state from a consortium developing tests for Common Core, and has suggested the hearing could come up with ways to amend the academic benchmarks.
Florida
Florida’s Rep. Bill Young’s Exit Spurs Battle for Rare Centrist Republican Swing Seat
Bill Young, 82, announced he will not seek re-election to the Florida seat he’s held for more than 40 years. Independents make up nearly a quarter of the voters in the Pinellas County district, considered the only true toss-up, open seat thus far in next year’s congressional races.
The Difference Between Name-Calling and Calling Out Yahoos Holding America Hostage
Steve Robinson angered some people with his last column when he compared tea party Republicans to Know-Nothings. But, he argues, likening the narrow-minded nativist sentiments of that short-lived 19th-century party to the ideals of this current group of ideological fringe-dwellers is really not that far off.
Florida GOP Rep. Dennis Baxley Compares Gay Parents to Drunks and Drug Abusers
Florida’s Dennis Baxley, a Republican member of the Florida House representing the Ocala region, made the startling comparison of lesbian moms to abusers and dysfunctional parents during a House subcommittee meeting on middle school reforms this week.
Flagler’s Teachers Still Waiting on Their $1,900 Raise as District and Union Negotiate Contract
Flagler’s teachers are in the same situation as teachers in 53 other counties where negotiations with unions have delayed the raises. A sticking point in Flagler: the district wants the authority to renegotiate annual “step” raises, while the union wants those step increases to continue to be awarded automatically, as they have been to date.
Senate Proposal Would Bar “Aggressors” From Using Stand Your Ground; Approval Unlikely
Prompted by a national outcry over George Zimmerman’s acquittal this summer in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a Florida Senate committee gave approval to minor changes in the state’s “stand your ground” law. But whether a Legislature dominated by gun-loving lawmakers will ultimately sign off on a bipartisan compromise remains a long shot.
Kathleen Sebelius to Florida Legislature: That $51 Billion Offer Is Still Good for the Taking
Kathleen Sebelius has visited Florida half a dozen times since June, trying to get the word out to the state’s millions of uninsured to sign up for a health plan., but she hopes the Florida Legislature reverses its opposition to expanding Medicaid and accepting $51 billion over the next 10 years.
Assisted Living Facilities Beware: State Looking to Shut Down Unlicensed Operations
A Florida Senate panel Tuesday instructed the Agency for Health Care Administration to draft legislation — fast — that would allow the state to shut down unlicensed assisted-living facilities as quickly as possible.
Should Cops Have Power to Track You in Real Time Through Cell Phones? Court Will Decide.
Grappling with privacy rights amid fast-changing technology, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a challenge to police using “real-time” cell-phone information to track a suspect in a drug case.
A Tiff, and Broader Implications, In County’s Hope of Eliminating Voter Voice in Economic Development
In a reflection of government-backed economic development’s dim luster, Flagler County want to eliminate voters’ role in giving local governments authority to extend tax breaks to companies. That proposal led to a clash Monday between government critic Dennis McDonald and Commissioner Barbara Revels.