Voter suppression, Tallahassee style

"A federal judge today considers the case of thousands
of would-be voters turned away because state computers couldn't verify
their names and numbers. ... he U.S. Department of Justice also is scrutinizing whether Florida's voter match law disproportionately affects minority voters." "Federal judge to review Florida's voter match law".




Another "Palm Beach banker"

"North Palm Beach banker Jeff Atwater took the next-to-last step toward the Senate presidency this evening, winning the formal support of his Republican caucus." "Atwater picked as next president of Florida Senate".




Not so "incredible" after all

"The too-good-to-be-true 2006 third-grade FCAT scores were artificially high in large part because certain questions on the state's reading test were in the wrong place, according to a new report by testing experts at the University of Nebraska."

The third-grade reading scores that year were the highest ever and touted by then-Gov. Jeb Bush as "just incredible." But when third-grade scores tumbled this year, state officials conceded that a testing error had contributed to the 2006 score jump on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

"Experts' report: 3rd-grade FCAT for reading in 2006 flawed".

"The state relies too much on a standardized test in judging the performance of public schools, students and teachers, testing experts said in a report." "Experts: State putting too much reliance on FCAT" ("Then-Gov. Jeb Bush and the department initially attributed an 8 percentage point improvement in the 2006 scores over the previous year to learning gains. That conclusion become suspect when 2007 scores dropped by 6 percentage points.")




"Financial mess"

"The state of Florida is launching an investigation into how the Local Government Investment Pool, a state-run cash fund for local governments, got ensnared in its current financial mess." "State to investigate Local Government Investment Pool". See also "State's CFO asks auditors to scrutinize investment-fund decisions", "Board to meet as state seeks investment answers", "State board continues to look for investment pool answers" and "Money continues to pour out of Fla.'s investment pool".

Stonewalling is "the kind of response to be expected from a political appointee such as Coleman Stipanovich. He probably never would have been selected as executive director of the State Board of Administration, which controls billions in state investments, if his brother, J.M. "Mac" Stipanovich, had not been former Gov. Jeb Bush's campaign manager." "High-risk stonewalling".




"Ideological whiplash"

"Americans who have tried following the Republican presidential debates are starting the week with a bad case of ideological whiplash. The candidates who showed up Sunday at the University of Miami didn't seem much like those who tangled over immigration in the CNN/YouTube debate two weeks ago. Wait a minute; that's it. Immigration explains everything." "GOP's split personality on illegal immigration".




Suit on the roof

"Crist dropped by a Fort Lauderdale roofing company Monday to stand on the roof and praise its Earth-friendly technology." "Crist sees green, lauds building's solar roof".




Good luck

"Alan Crotzer will ask the Florida Legislature for a second time to compensate him for his 24 years of wrongful imprisonment, and his backers are speaking out months before the regular legislative session begins." "Crotzer again asks for compensation for wrongful imprisonment".




"Groundbreaking proposal"

"A groundbreaking proposal designed to keep mentally ill people from winding up in jails and prisons will not result in dangerous patients being put back on the streets, a judge assured lawmakers Tuesday." "Judge denies that mental health plan will increase danger".




Florida Forever

"The Senate began working Monday on a successor to Florida Forever, the $1.8 billion environmental program that has preserved more than 500,000 wilderness acres since 2001." "Florida Forever survives cuts".




Raw political courage

"Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson toured a Bay of Pigs museum in Little Havana on Monday and then criticized rival Mike Huckabee for previously saying the Cuban trade embargo should be lifted." "Post: State House speaker supports Huckabee".

More grubbing for votes: "GOP presidential candidates are calling for the Castro brothers to be indicted for the 1996 shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes." "Candidates target Castros for indictment".




Saint Marco to the rescue

"Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee scored the much-sought endorsement of House Speaker Marco Rubio, a rising Republican himself and a key bridge to the Hispanic community." "Rubio throws support to Huckabee". See also "Rubio supports Huckabee".




Dopey disappointed

"Eighteen people who voted in both Florida and New York in the 2006 general election will not be prosecuted because they did not violate Florida law, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and local prosecutors have determined. ... Local Republican Chairman Sid Dinerstein said he was stunned by the decision and believes politics trumped principle. According to a media study years ago, the majority of voters registered in both New York and Florida are Democrats, he said." "Florida won't try to prosecute two-state voters".




InBroganolia

"State lawmakers, after grilling a Florida Atlantic University representative Monday who they said didn't know the facts, want FAU President Frank Brogan and his attorney to answer to them in person about the $577,952 severance deal given to the school's former chief fund-raiser." "Irate legislators want Brogan to explain severance".