Out with the old (Obama delegates)?

"Tallahassee City Commissioner Allan Katz is on the hot seat and he'll stay there if a local activist in the Florida Democratic Party has his way."

Democratic activist Jon Ausman, also of Tallahassee, is warning state party members that Katz is behind a move to replace all of the state's Barack Obama delegates to the national convention later this summer in Denver. Katz is one of Obama's chief supporters in Florida.

The presumptive presidential nominee has the right to purge the delegates under party rules, Ausman says, but he warns in a strongly worded e-mail that it would be a public relations disaster in a state already battered by the primary process:

"Ausman: Allan Katz putting Obama delegates at risk".




McSame

"McCain defends his vote against Everglades restoration project". See also "McCain visits Orlando — says he is 'committed' to saving Everglades" and "McCain: I want to save Everglades". More: "I'm a reformer, McCain tells Florida newspapers editors" and "McCain presents his vision to Florida".

In the meantime, "Local blacks savor Obama's success".




Huh?

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Property values are going down. No surprise there. ... So, taxpayers should be seeing big savings, just as Gov. Crist promised, right? Wrong. Many tax bills will go up. There's the surprise. The state's property-tax system is so hopelessly complex that even a decline in values doesn't mean a reduction in tax bills for everyone." "Values down, taxes up? Blame odd state system".

"In the final hours of its session last month, the state Legislature closed a loophole that enabled local governments to raise their tax rates to recoup revenue lost as a result of newly created tax breaks." "Cities to have hard time raising taxes under new law".




This ain't over

"In a joint statement, Democratic U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings of Miramar, Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, Kendrick Meek of Miami and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Pembroke Pines, said they were "committed to doing anything and everything in our power to ensure that Barack Obama is elected the next president of the United States," but they called on Obama to do everything in his power to ensure that Florida's delegation to the Democratic National convention has full voting rights." "4 Clinton backers in Congress endorse Obama".

Joy Reid writes that this "Florida switch will be interesting news in the black community". "The pivot". On a separate note, we agree with her observation that "the fabulous Charlie Rangel, who Chris Matthews was absolutely right in saying has the best New York accent EVER." And the first man you'd want with you in a fox hole.




Never mind

"About a year after Gov. Charlie Crist successfully pushed to streamline the process to restore the civil rights for former felons, he said Thursday that the effort appears to be working because 90,000 restoration cases have been processed in six months. But the momentum probably won't last for long because of parole commission budget cuts." "Budget cuts threaten Florida felons' rights claims".




McCain a disaster for Florida

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "McCain: Still disastrous". And this is a regular laff riot: "Since Gov. Crist is Sen. McCain's new buddy, maybe he can explain the issue to him."

"The Barack Obama campaign and Florida Democrats on Thursday attacked Sen. John McCain's opposition to a national insurance catastrophic fund." "Democrats Attack McCain". See also "McCain accused of opposing national storm insurance fund" and "McCain's got explaining to do in Florida".




While Charlie panders ...

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Florida just can't seem to catch a fair break in its long-running effort to be treated as an equal partner with Georgia and Alabama in a long-sought tri-state water agreement affecting the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system." "Guaranteed to leak".




Even the Trib gets it

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "If scientists are correct about global warming, the outlook for Florida is grim: Rising seas will wash away beaches, flood marshlands and leave coastal communities exposed to storm surge; saltwater intrusion will ruin municipal water supplies; higher water temperatures will kill corals and spread marine diseases." "Practical Steps To Safeguard Florida From Global Warming".




Them radical Catholic Bishops

"Crist and the Florida Cabinet on Thursday rejected calls by the British government to set free a British man who has spent 22 years in a state prison for two murders."

Sitting as the clemency board, the four officials heard impassioned pleas for and against the release of Maharaj, whose advocates include the BBC, a Florida Catholic bishop, a former British attorney general and a member of the Parliament, Peter Bottomley.

"Clemency board won't free Briton who killed 2".




"Crist can stop this sneak attack on a piece of paradise"

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Some things in Tallahassee are inherently bad, and there's no way to make them good. Among them: last-minute, late-night additions that turn a good law on its head. That is what happened with Florida's seagrass bill, which environmental groups had hoped to celebrate. Now, with the exception of a few organizations represented by a public relations firm favored by enviro-unfriendly former Gov. Jeb Bush, the groups that first favored the legislation are asking Gov. Crist to veto it. He should." "Save Florida's seagrass".