Coal-fired power plants in Florida expose residents to toxic pollution at the sixth highest rate in the nation even as natural gas now accounts for almost two-thirds of the state’s power generation, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Florida
Drought, Wildfires and the Hottest Month Ever: July Scorched American Earth
July 2012 was the hottest month ever in the contiguous United States, after a June that was the hottest in the northern hemisphere, in 132 years of record-keeping. The effects of global warming are especially pronounced in the polar regions.
Undocumented Immigrant Is Not Disqualified from Practicing Law, Florida Bar Says
The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has found no “good moral character and fitness issues” that would disqualify Jose Manuel Godinez Samperio, an undocumented immigrant, from being admitted to practice law in Florida, but is still waiting for an opinion from the Florida Supreme Court before making a decision.
Florida’s Doctors Are Nation’s 3rd Worst When It Comes to Accepting Medicaid Patients
Only 59 percent of doctors in Florida accept accept new Medicaid patients, well below a national average 69 percent. Better reimbursements would improve both rates, but that’s not about to happen in Florida, which is rejecting increased federal aid.
Rick Scott Tapped as Speaker at Republican Convention in Tampa, But Role May Be Minor
Rick Scott is not as strong a public speaker as a number of other GOP leaders, and his message – that the Florida economy is looking up is at odds with the national message of presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Florida Consumer Confidence Up in July
Consumer confidence was up slightly in July 2012 over June, and dramatically higher than it was a year ago, a new report from the University of Florida finds.
Obama Crosses 50% Favorability Over Romney in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania
No one has won the White House in the past half century without winning at least two of the three states. The latest results are the strongest yet for Obama, and a worrisome sign for Mitt Romney down the stretch.
Dogged By FCAT Failures, Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson Resigns After 13 Months
Robinson resigned late Tuesday amid a months-long controversy over the state’s testing regimen and errors on school grades that forced the department to change the marks for dozens of schools.
Early Voting Starts in 5 Counties, But Flagler And 61 Others Must Wait Until Saturday
Legislators changed the election law in 2011 and reduced the number of early voting days from 15 to 10. At least two legal challenges have been filed to the early voting dates, though neither is likely to be decided before the primary election, Aug. 14.
ALEC’s Influence in Florida Is Broad
And Deep, With Business and Lawmakers
ALEC–the extreme right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council influencing many legislatures around the county–has an inordinate amount of influence on the Florida Legislature, according to a report by a coalition of liberal groups.
Tired of Waiting, Florida Audubon Sues Management District Over Everglades Pollution
Florida Audubon Society on Friday filed legal petitions to force the South Florida Water Management District to enforce more-stringent laws put in place five years ago to reduce phosphorus levels in the Everglades.
Prison Privatization Still Unconstitutional As Court Rejects Attorney General’s Appeal
In a victory for police unions, an appeals court ruled against Attorney General Pam Bondi in a long-running battle about the Legislature’s attempt last year to privatize prisons across southern Florida.
Florida Tourism Lull Predicted, Slowing Local Growth, as Euro Zone Economies Suffer
Economic woes in Europe will trickle across the Atlantic over the next few years as potential international guests stay home or see their native currency buy less once they arrive, a panel of economists estimates.
Florida House Candidate Bardley Maxwell Wants Government Employees’ Salaries Kept Secret
Florida House candidate Bradley Maxwell wants to state workers’ salaries and benefits kept secret. He also wants personnel files kept sealed from public view. Maxwell is challenging two-term incumbent state Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee.
GOP Attempt to Slash Food Stamps Eligibility Would Hurt Flagler and Florida Families
Republican efforts in Congress would end the food stamps program as it is now known, hugely reducing funding and eligibility, and significantly affecting Florida and Flagler families–and local economies. Some 9 percent of Flagler’s population, and 23 percent of children, are on food stamps.
As Florida and Other States Privatize Prison Health Services, Care Standards Suffer
Florida and other states, in an attempt to cut costs, are increasingly outsourcing health care for inmates to for-profit companies, but the trend is raising concerns among unions and prisoners’ rights groups.
Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio as Romney’s Vice President: Florida GOP Hopes Fade
Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were front-runners as Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential picks a few months ago. No longer. Bush doesn’t want it. Rubio is no longer a politically opportune choice as Florida’s Hispanics lean heavily toward Obama.
Unemployment Rises Again in Flagler, To 12.3%, Stalls at 8.6% in Florida
June unemployment numbers were discouraging in Florida as well as in Flagler and Volusia counties–stalling in the state at 8.6 percent, with just 9,000 jobs created last month, while the unemployment rate jumped again in Flagler to 12.3 percent, and to 9.1 percent in Volusia.
3 Liberal Florida Justices Battle Conservative Foundation’s Plan to Depose Them
Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince filed a court motion to block the conservative Southeastern Legal Foundation from moving forward with 22 depositions in a merit-retention case. The foundation is targeting the justices for their liberalism.
Florida Colleges Vow to Be 1st in U.S. to Double Graduation Rates By 2020–With Extra Funding
Florida’s 28 state and community colleges will request a 35 percent increase in state funding to reach those goals and think Gov. Rick Scott will back their play. Graduating from a four-year college costs $23,647.
Stop Paying Paper-Pushing Administrators And Union Bosses Better Than Teachers
Can anyone imagine the owner of the Miami Heat announcing that LeBron James has done such an outstanding job leading his team to the NBA championship that he is being “promoted” to a front-office job?
In Florida, Mitt Romney Has a New George W. Bush to Contend With: Gov. Rick Scott
With Rick Scott’s poll numbers continuing to struggle and Florida a critical battleground in the November election, Democrats see the governor as a uniquely powerful albatross against Mitt Romney, who cannot win the election without winning Florida.
Florida’s High Court Affirms Guilty Until Proven Innocent Standard in Drug Possessions
In not requiring “knowledge” of the illegality of whatever they were carrying, the law puts Florida at odds with at least 48 other states that require prosecutors to convince a jury that defendants knew they were carrying illegal drugs.
Nan Rich Calls for Investigation Into TB Outbreak as Florida Surgeon General Fumes
Senate Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Nan Rich called today (July 12) for the Senate to investigate reports of a tuberculosis outbreak in Northeast Florida as the state closes its last hospital dedicated to treating the disease.
Florida A&M’s James Ammons Resigns 8 Months After Robert Champion’s Hazing Death
Florida A&M University President James Ammons resigned Wednesday amid continuing fallout from the hazing death of “Marching 100” drum major Robert Champion and other problems at the historically black school.
Scott Administration Downplays Northeast Florida Tuberculosis Spike; CDC Doesn’t
An April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a surge in cases of the highly contagious disease that appeared to be clustered in a homeless shelter, a jail and an outpatient mental health clinic in downtown Jacksonville.
George Zimmerman Bails Out and Passes Out the Hat for More Money
George Zimmerman is living in a safe house in Seminole County and he needs money, because when a second bond hearing put Zimmerman’s bail at $1 million, the neighborhood watch volunteer had to add $85,000 to the $15,000 he’d posted in April.
Foster Children in Group Homes in Miami and Jacksonville Falling Prey to Sex Trafficking
Authorities said men lured teenage girls into prostitution, plying them with money, gifts and personal attention. The men collected the proceeds and paid the girls 40 percent. In the Jacksonville case, the teen was advertised in Backpage.com. In both cases, the alleged pimps also used teens as recruiters, police say.
A Lifeguard’s Soul,
Outsourced to the Bottom line
Thomas Lopez was fired by Jeff Ellis and Associates, the private company to whom Hallandale Beach outsourced its lifeguard services, when Lopez tried to save a drowning man beyond his jurisdiction. It’s an example of privatization’s immoral priorities.
Conservatives Press Attack as Florida’s Liberal Justices Are Cleared of Campaign Wrongdoing
An investigation into the filing of qualifying papers for Florida Supreme Court Justices Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince has been closed, but the controversy about the trio’s place on this fall’s ballot is likely to continue.
Florida Law Barring Doctors From Asking Patients About Guns at Home Ruled Invalid
The law restricts doctors’ ability to provide truthful, non-misleading information to a patient, U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke ruled. The “docs-vs-glocks” law was backed by the NRA and signed by Gov. Rick Scott in 2011.
Gov. Scott’s Health Law in Florida: No Medicaid Expansion, No Insurance Exchange
Gov. Rick Scott will opt Florida out of the insurance “exchanges” the new health law designs to help residents find health coverage, and he will opt out of expanding medicaid, even though the federal government pays all the costs for expansion the first 2 years, and 90 percent thereafter.
Student-Led School Prayers Are Now Legal, But Fear of Litigation Could Trump God
The new Florida school prayer law lets local school districts approve policies allowing students to deliver prayers at school events, but districts aren’t likely to approve such measures for fear of costly litigation.
Chamber of Commerce and Other Florida Business Groups Howl Over at Health Care Law
Florida business groups had led the charge against the federal Affordable Care Act, calling it a mandate that will fall on the shoulders of businesses still struggling to recover and facing more competition from the Internet, nearby states and foreign suppliers.
Get to Work, Governor Scott, and Implement Health Care Reform Now
Now that the most conservative Supreme Court in the history of our nation has ruled that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, perhaps it is time to redirect a little of that negative energy used to obstruct reform toward implementing the law and solving Florida’s health care crisis, writes former Florida House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber.
In a Victory for Rick Scott, Federal Judge Clears Path to a Limited Voter Roll Purge
It is the first significant ruling in the legal battle over Gov. Scott’s effort to remove allegedly ineligible voters from the rolls. At least two other lawsuits have been filed against Florida.
Florida’s Hispanics Like Obama Over Romney By Big Margin, Dimming Rubio’s VP Appeal
Hispanic voters in Florida, traditionally Republican, prefer Obama over Romney by a 56-32 margin, buttressing the president’s advantage among Independents.
Florida Professors Still Can’t Travel to Cuba On State’s Dime; Low IQ Execution Cleared
Three Florida cases are the many the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear, which means a ban on Florida university faculty’s travel to Cuba stands, as does Florida’s authority to execute a Daytona Beach murderer with an IQ of 70.
Should Ronald Thompson Be Serving 20 Years for Firing a Gun to Protect an Elderly Neighbor?
Ronald Thompson, a 65-year-old disabled veteran, is serving 20 years for firing two shots in the ground to protect an elderly neighbor from her grandson and three of his friends. The mandatory sentence spotlights a recurring dilemma with Florida’s sentencing laws.
Stepping Up Obama Snubs, Scott Says He Won’t Implement Health Care Law in Florida
As the Supreme Court prepares to hand down its decision on Obama’s health care reform law, Gov. Rick Scott said on a conference call hosted by right-wing think tanks that Florida wouldn’t rush to implement the law.
Romney, in Orlando, Plays Catch-up On Immigration By Promising More Green Cards
Speaking to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in Orlando, Romney spent most of his time talking about making it easier for legal immigrants to come to America.
The Live Poll: Obama-Romney
Take the poll: Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are battling for Florida’s 29 electoral votes, which are more essential to Romney than they are to Obama: Romney can’t win without them, Obama can.
Poll Pots: Floridians Like Stand Your Ground, And Like Voter Roll Purges Even More
A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Floridian voters support the Scott administration’s ineligible-voter purge by 60-35 percent, and approve the stand your ground law by a 56-37 margin.
Guns in Flagler Parks? Sure. Public Buildings? Absolutely. The County Airport? No Problem.
Flagler County, like Palm Coast and other local governments across the state, are scrapping local gun regulations to comply with a state law that prohibits local governments from regulating guns or ammo in any way. The Flagler County Commission has no choice but to comply as it takes up the issue Monday evening.
Charlie Crist’s Sexuality, and Ours
Rome burns. But the greatest issue before us is whether Charlie is gay. The rumors naturally reveal far more about those who spread them than Crist, argues Maty Jo Melone.
Michael Klubock, Ocean-Size Hero
Michael Klubock and his Malibu Foundation spent almost 20 years helping middle school kids understand the importance of protecting the oceans, especially against plastics. Frank Gromling showcases him.
Thrasher Won’t Be Florida Senate President as Clearwater’s Latvala Lines Up Votes
John Thrasher, the St. Augustine Republican, now represents all of Flagler County in a newly drawn senate district. Sen. Jack Latvala believes he has enough support to claim the 2016 Senate presidency.
Florida and Flagler Back to Anemic Job Growth as Unemployment Stalls, Reflecting U.S. Trend
Florida added just 5,300 jobs in April, and the state unemployment rate would have risen back sharply had the labor department not revised its April figures to show a much higher unemployment rate than it announced last month.
Everglades Water Clean-Up: After Rejecting Scott’s Earlier Plan, EPA Approves Revisions
The EPA will allow the state and the South Florida Water Management District to move forward with a historic Everglades plan for the construction of stormwater treatment areas and huge new areas of water storage.
Zimmerman’s Wife Arrested for Lying as Stand Your Ground Panel Opens Near Crime Scene
The governor-appointed Stand Your Ground panel held its first session near where George Zimmerman killed Trayvon Martin, 17, in February, and on the same day that Shellie Zimmerman was jailed for lying to a judge at a bond hearing about how much money the Zimmermans had.