Big Dog

"Former President Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser Sunday evening for Sen. Bill Nelson at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Today he is slated to raise money in Orlando for the state Democratic Party." "Nelson reaps 'power of Bill' Clinton at Gables event".




FCAT Follies

"Job applications for hundreds of the temporary workers hired to grade Florida's public-school exams show they have no apparent experience as an educator or a degree in a field related to subjects that they are grading." "Review of FCAT graders raises new questions on qualifications".




So Much for Local Control

The GOoPers are poised to issue a rule restricting the power of SOEs:

The state of Florida has not exactly earned voters' trust when it comes to running fair and accountable elections. It's hard to forget how the state turned its head while local officials were scrambling for a way to preserve voter-verified paper ballots, or the official stonewalling as doubts about the security of all-electronic, ATM-like voting equipment began to swell.

Most recently, officials at the state Division of Elections didn't seem at all surprised when Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall told them that Volusia and three other counties had received voting equipment different from the model certified for use in the state. ...

Then there's the situation in Leon County last December, where Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho invited Dutch computer-security expert Harri Hursti to hack into his Diebold machines to test their vulnerability to vote fraud. Hursti was able to change results of a mock election twice, in different ways, without leaving a trace of his tampering. State officials' main reaction was irritation with Sancho.

"State shouldn't block local voting machine tests".




McBride

Same old, same old:

McBride is a Christian conservative who considered becoming a Baptist minister. He spent his first year in law school at Regent University, the Virginia Beach, Va., school run by the Rev. Pat Robertson. He describes himself as "pro-life across the board," saying he would allow abortions only in cases where there is an imminent threat to the life of the mother. Even then, he said, "It's a very slippery slope, so we have to be careful."

He would support a constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriage, saying a family is headed by "a man and a woman."

His support of conservative Christian causes should appeal to the Republican base. And that could rob Harris of some core supporters.

"McBride running for Senate".




"Smith, Davis Neck And Neck"

"A Florida Chamber of Commerce poll suggests the Democratic race for governor is seriously heating up. U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa leads state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua by just a point, 22.5 percent to 21.5 percent, in a poll with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The two have the summer to try to impress the 56 percent of respondents who said they are undecided. Those voters have until the Sept. 5 primary to make up their minds." "Smith, Davis Neck And Neck In Chamber Poll".




Missed Votes

Alcee "Hastings of Miramar, Davis of Tampa, Miami Republican Mario Diaz-Balart and Jacksonville Democrat Corrine Brown are among the dozen most frequent absentees in the current Congress, which convened in January 2005, according to a washingtonpost.com votes database." "Four Florida Congress members on most-missed-votes list". See also "Governor campaign cuts into votes cast".




Crist Opposes Crime

"Crist Proposes Crackdown On Sex Crimes".




Open Mouth ...

insert foot:

"He's got so much money already. Nelson's got over 11 to 12 million dollars for what seems to me to be a fairly safe seat," said Republican Sen. Mel Martinez.

"President Clinton raises money for Nelson re-election".




GOoPers Caught Off Guard

"Florida agriculture officials have to accept some of the blame for the federal decision to ban the state from shipping citrus to 11 states and territories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's quarantine caught Florida officials off guard, but it shouldn't have." "Citrus ban too broad, but canker plan too late".




Peas in a Pod

"Each claims to be a conservative, pro-family, anti-abortion, pro-business Republican who will keep the economy running smoothly while continuing most of the policies initiated by Bush.". "Gallagher, Crist: Cut from the same cloth?"




Exho Chamber

Bill Cotterell writes about the Bushco echo chamber, "Bush listens, but he's the boss »".




JJ

"State Rep. Gus Barreiro has a simple explanation of why he is so deeply involved in Florida's juvenile justice system." "Legislator has eye on juvenile justice".




Consumer Warrior

"Charlie Crist is releasing his second ad in his campaign to win the Republican primary for governor, a 30-second spot that portrays him as an attorney general who fought Medicaid fraud, electricity rate hikes and price-gougers who took advantage of hurricanes." "Crist to release second ad". See also " For Crist, a New TV Message" and "Political Ad Watch".




Leaving Children Behind

"Florida school districts are failing to meet another provision of the No Child Left Behind Act that ensures students get teachers who know the subjects they teach." "Not enough teachers 'highly qualified'".




Slosberg

"Health Care District mismanaged money at seniors' expense, Rep. Slosberg charges".




Frequest Fliers

"Members of Florida's congressional delegation have accepted more than $2 million in trips from private entities over the past five years, allowing themselves, their spouses and their staffs to travel to such far-flung destinations as Paris, Singapore and Kenya." "Fla. lawmakers ring up $2 million in free travel".




Manatees

"Conservation groups lost their fight last week to keep manatees on the state's endangered species list. But they haven't given up trying to change the process that bumped the sea cow from the highest level of state protection." "Coalition Disputes Manatee Change".