The new rankings by the state Department of Education are a first step in what will lead to school-by-school rankings in the near future. But those rankings are entirely based on FCAT scores, limiting their validity.
Florida
Florida Virtual School Students’ AP Results Beat Brick and Mortar Peers’, at Less Cost
Online students at Florida Virtual School, the state’s virtual extension of the public school system, outperformed their traditional-school peers on Advanced Placement tests in 2011 for $2,159 less per student.
Florida Redistricting: More Transparent Than Fair
Floridians truly have a meaningful voice in the actions taken by the Florida Senate? Paula Dockery, in her last term as a Republican Senator, thinks not, particularly when it comes to redistricting.
Flagler’s Unemployment Falls to 13.9%, But Labor Force Is Down 3.6% Over the Past Year
Flagler’s rate is the lowest in three years, suggesting sustained, if slow, improvement, but the workforce has shrunk by 1,200, raising concerns that the county is losing population or attraction as a place to work.
When Profit-Raking Disney and the Daytona Speedway Beg Florida for Corporate Welfare
Disney is asking the state for an array of tax breaks that could cost Floridians as much as $100 million over 20 years. International Speedway Corp., owner of Daytona International Speedway, is in on the deal.
Bill To Ban Internet Cafes Advances in Florida Legislature as Opponents Call It a Job Killer
A House panel Today approved a proposal to shutter the 1,000-some Internet cafés that have opened in shopping centers across the state in recent years, including nearly a dozen in Palm Coast.
Flouting the First:
Florida’s Slouch Back To Religious Favoritism
Florida’s proposed “Religious Freedom” amendment and a bill that would enable prayer at public school events project the false impression that religious expression in the public sphere is under siege, when the reverse is closer to the mark–as a bias particularly favoring Christianity.
A La Carte College Tuition: Florida’s Science-Tech Majors Could End Up Paying More
Florida’s quest for more science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees might eventually lead to a quest for higher tuition for students entering those programs, based on comments by higher education leaders.
Scott Orders Review of Special Taxing Districts Like Grand Haven, Dunes and Every CRA
The review affects such “community redevelopment agencies” such as Palm Coast’s Town Center. Special taxing districts generate $15 billion in revenue annually. Oversight can be more lax than for more general government revenues.
As Inmate Population Continues to Fall, Florida Will Close 7 Prisons and 4 Work Camps
Declining prison admissions created a surplus of prison beds, allowing the state prison system to cut its budget deficit by closing our older facilities, says Corrections Secretary Ken Tucker.
Less Brawn and Less Substance as Gov. Scott Declares Florida On Its Way Back
There were no surprises and few specifics in Scott’s roughly half hour State of the State speech, with the governor sticking to his year-long theme of getting the state back to work. The opposition is skeptical.
“It’s Messed Up”: Occupy Tallahassee Group Denied Access To Florida Senate Gallery
Citing noise and chanting earlier in the day, the Florida Senate Sergeant at Arms on Tuesday denied Senate viewing gallery access to a group loosely defined as Occupy Tallahassee even though the group members intended only to watch and listen.
Liberals’ Inexplicable Hatred for Gov. Rick Scott
“I’m thinking of calling Dr. Phil and asking him why Florida liberals hate Gov. Rick Scott so much,” writes Lloyd Brown. “The only zeal I’ve seen that exceeded it was the seething hatred for President George W. Bush.”
What Rick Scott Can Learn from Anthropology
Rick Scott should lay off behavior modification and let people study everything from art to zoology, argues Cary McMullen. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out what we want to be when we grow up.
Senate Sweep: More Slots, Lower Gambling Taxes, Only Minor Internet Cafe Regulations
A Senate committee Monday considers a sweeping proposal that would allow three mega-casinos in Florida, offer more slots at pari-mutuel facilities and rein in Internet cafes a little.
The Florida Family Association’s Un-Christian Jihad on TLC’s “All-American Muslim”
In their war on TLC’s “All-American Muslim,” a few aberrant fools at the Florida Family Association are yearning for “No Muslims Allowed” signs everywhere and smearing this state’s reputation while drafting Lowe’s to their bigoted crusade.
Florida’s Poor and Elderly Again Brace For Cuts As Legislature Prepares for Tuesday Kickoff
Gov. Rick Scott is proposing further deep cuts in Medicaid payments to hospitals, while lawmakers have filed bills that would help shield emergency-room doctors and workers from costly malpractice lawsuits.
Piety Rising: How Iowa Might Give Rick Santorum a Second Chance in Florida
That’s assuming Mitt Romney doesn’t clean up in New Hampshire and does respectably in South Carolina, two states ahead of Florida’s presidential primary on Jan. 31.
429 Manatee Deaths in 2011 Second-Highest On Record, But None Recorded in Flagler
A cold-related die-off of manatees in early 2011 set the stage for a third straight year with high numbers of deaths for manatees, following a record 766 deaths in 2010 and 429 in 2009.
Medical Marijuana in Florida: Legislators File Long-Shot Proposal to Amend the Constitution
Although a 57 percent majority of Florida voters are ready to inhale (the proposal, anyway), the staunchly conservative Legislature is unlikely to let the proposed constitutional amendment on medical marijuana go forward.
After Iowa: Romney and Gingrich Lead in Florida, For Now, Heading Into Jan. 31 Primary
Romney and Gingrich are essentially in a statistical dead heat, with Romney leading with 27 percent of the vote to Gingrich’s 26, according to the telephone survey of 780 Republican voters, conducted from Dec. 15-19.
Apostolic Outlook: 12 Stories to Watch in 2012
Instead of rounding up the week’s news, which again was in short supply this week – we look forward to next year with a roundup of the stories we think may be the biggest next year in state government and politics. Happy New Year.
Florida Appeals Court Rules In Defense Of Web Comments Defaming to Business
Xcentric, a website that allows Internet users to post opinions about businesses without regard to whether the “reviews” are true may be “appalling” in its invitation to slander businesses, but it doesn’t have to take the post down, a Florida appeals court ruled.
Your Police State At Work: Spy Drones Entering Local Cop Arsenals, Including Florida’s
Forget Iran and Afghanistan. Americans have unmanned drones flying over their own heads, and more are coming as local police agencies, including the Miami-Dade Police Department, are acquiring spy drones and using them for surveillance of citizens.
Florida GOP’s Agenda, Once Emboldened, Facing Broad-Based Backlash in Courts
Republicans’ sweeping changes to elections law, welfare drug-testing and state workers’ pension contributions have bogged down in court challenges and judges’ injunctions as Gov. Rick Scott chafes at the push-back.
Florida Utilities Fume as EPA Tells Dirty Coal Power Plants To Clean Up Or Clam Up
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday released controversial new air-pollution standards that could force expensive upgrades at some Florida power plants — but have been long-sought by environmental and health advocates.
Light at the End of the Catacombs: Home Sales Up Significantly in Flagler and Florida
Palm Coast’s and Flagler County’s real estate market can take heart: for the first time in half a decade, the home-buying industry is looking a lot less grim than it’s been, even if prices have yet to catch up to the uptick in sales.
Downturn Be Damned: Florida Crosses 19 Million Mark as Population Grows By 256,000
The population growth in Florida was driven mostly by migrants into the state, while the nation’s growth of less than 1 percent between April 2010 and July 2011, was the lowest since the mid-1940s.
Borrowing Judge’s Words, Attorney General Bondi Rewrites Religious Aid Amendment
The proposed constitutional amendment language was judged vague and inadmissible in a circuit court ruling earlier this month. In an unusual intervention tinged with implications, Attorney General Pam Bondi rewrote the proposed amendment, which opponents still consider unconstitutional.
Florida Legislator Wants $1 Cigarette Tax Increase In Exchange for Lower Driver Fees
South Florida’s Jim Waldman, a Democrat from Coconut Creek, wants to roll back unpopular driver’s license and registration fees, paying for it with a $1 increase in Florida’s cigarette tax, now at $1.34.
Ammons Stays at FAMU, Defying Gov. Scott’s Muscling Into Hazing Homicide Controversy
The Florida A&M University Board of Trustees will meet by phone Monday to decide the fate of President James Ammons in the wake of the hazing death of a drum major on Nov. 19 and the hazing-related brutalization of another student in the band two weeks earlier.
Flagler’s Unemployment Rate Remains Stubbornly At 14% As Florida’s Improves
Flagler County’s unemployment rate remains Florida’s second highest, after Hendry’s 15.1 percent, while job creation in the state, while slow, continues. Gov. Rick Scott took credit for the job creation.
Testing Industrial Complex Descends on Florida To Fight Over $35 Million Contract
McGraw-Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are in a battle over the right to provide testing items to the Florida Department of Education under a Race to the Top contract worth tens of millions of dollars.
Only Partial Victory for Palm Coast’s Merrill Shapiro in Fight Against Religious Aid Bid
Circuit Judge Terry Lewis struck down only part of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow taxpayer money to go to religious institutions, leaving the door wide open for a fix in time for the 2012 ballot. The case was brought by Palm Coast Rabbi Merrill Shapiro and public education advocates.
Total Cell Phone Ban for Drivers: Not Likely in Florida
The National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban all cell phone use while driving, even hands-free uses, the first such call by a federal agency. Florida is still struggling to impose a hands-free requirement.
Room for Debate: Should Florida Restrict Cell Use and Texting While Driving?
Despite mounting evidence that cell and texting use while driving increases the chances of a crash, Florida continues to resist regulation. A proposed law has yet again been filed to ban drivers’ use of electronic devices.
Matanzas Graduation Rate at 90%, FPC at 83% As Charter School Drags Flagler’s Down
When the numbers from heritage Academy, a charter school, are excluded, the Flagler school district’s graduation rate improves to 84.4 percent. The district’s single-year drop-out rate was 1.7 percent.
Florida Charter Schools: A Go-Go Industry Awash in Tax Money and Little Oversight
Florida lawmakers have been more concerned about promoting rather than regulating charter schools, so bad charter schools operate with impunity. A Miami Herald investigation uncovers the charter school bandwagon.
As Florida Eyes Resort Casinos As Cash Cows, Economists Warn Against Too High a Bet
Faced with a series of unanswered questions, economists say they cannot not pinpoint how much money the state would rake in if Florida lawmakers approve a plan for three resort casinos.
Educators Deride Scott’s “Smiley Face” Budget, Hospitals Call It “Tax on the Sick”
Despite Scott’s proposed boost, the state would still spend about $210 million less on education under Scott’s plan than it did five years ago, with overall education funding down about $1.6 billion. Hospital advocates call proposed cuts to Medicaid a “tax on the sick.”
800,000 Floridians, Most of them Children, Could Be Booted Off Medicaid Coverage
More than 660,000 of those currently covered by Medicaid are children, and could be booted off the rolls if their parents have to pay $10 a month in premiums, as the Florida Legislature is proposing.
Reversing Trend, Gov. Scott Will Ask for $1 Billion Education Boost Despite Shortfalls
Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday will ask for a near-historic increase in per-student funding despite shortfalls in tax collection. The reversal of the past two year’s trend, if upheld by the Legislature, will relieve education administrators expecting tighter budgets ahead.
Don’t Restrict Our Ability to Levy Taxes, Wishful Cities Tell Florida Lawmakers
The Florida League of Cities is urging Florida senators to avoid the temptation to restrict the ability of local officials to levy taxes, and asking for more flexibility on how they spend insurance premium tax revenue and adjust pension benefits.
Florida House Releases Redistricting Lines Tuesday, Mapping Out Flagler’s Political Future
The House of Representatives panel charged with redrawing the state’s political boundaries will unveil a slate of options for the state’s congressional and state House districts Tuesday, setting the stage for discussions that could affect the balance of power in Florida for a decade.
Audubon of Florida Applauds Gulf Coast Task Force’s Restoration Roadmap From BP Spill
Audubon of Florida Monday said it applauded the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force for crafting a road map for Gulf restoration in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Toxic Algae: Environmentalists File Suit Over Florida’s Water Pollution Standards
Prompted by proposed state regulations it says are inadequate, a coalition of environmental groups on Thursday filed an administrative challenge to the new rules set up to determine acceptable pollution levels in Florida waters.
Charles Canady and Ricky Polston, Florida Supreme Court’s Scalia-Thomas Duo
The Florida Supreme Court in recent months has split by a 5-2 margin on a series of cases, with Chief Justice Charles Canady and Justice Ricky Polston siding together and offering conservative — and sometimes-stinging — dissents.
In Boon to Palm Coast, Appeals Court Rules Traffic Spy-Cams Legal Even Without State Law
South Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals, in a divided ruling, declares red-light cameras legal under cities’ home rule powers. A dissent calls the majority ruling at odds with state law. The decision may influence a proposal to revisit traffic cameras at the Legislature in the coming session.
Florida Universities Respond to Rick Scott’s Inquisition With a Massive Document Dump
Public university leaders, through thousands of pages of answers that include backup academic studies and appendixes, have replied to Gov. Rick Scott’s request to outline what the schools are doing to ensure graduates meet the need of Florida employers.
Workers’ Black Fridays: Florida Second in Mass Layoffs in October; Chill Winds Ahead
While mass media’s attention has deflected attention to the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping craze known as black Friday, indicators point to conflicting and worrisome trends ahead for Florida’s and America’s pocketbooks.