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"As early voting in Florida primaries begins today, the Democratic Party is riding the crest of a voter-registration wave." "New Florida voters registering Democrat". See also "Fla. Democrats doing a better job of adding voters".

"In Hillsborough County, about 42 percent of registered voters are Democrats, and roughly 34 percent are Republicans. The county is seen as a bellwether for Florida as a whole."
"In Hillsborough, Democrats Exceed Republicans".




Lawsuit

"A Florida law that prohibits petition gathering near polling places is being challenged through a federal lawsuit filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union. The law prohibits approaching voters within 100 feet of polling places after they cast ballots, but it was amended this year to exempt people taking exit polls after a successful legal challenge by the news media." "Suit challenges Fla. polling place petition limits".

"Social Initiatives on State Ballots Could Draw Attention to Presidential Race".




Mulligan

"The Florida Democratic Party has finally nailed down a time and place for its do-over meeting to select a slate of 27 members of the Electoral College." "Updated: Democrats set new date to vote electors". Background: "Florida Democrats could lose electoral votes".




Interviews

"The first day of state Supreme Court justice interviews put candidates face-to-face Monday with a nine-member panel that questioned them on everything from their judicial philosophy to whether their families would support a move to Tallahassee." "Day 1 of state Supreme Court interviews begins".




"Trickle"

"A trickle of residents showed up for the first day of early voting Monday in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where elections supervisors were closely monitoring the use of new equipment." "Turnout, problems light in early voting". See also "Early voters face choices galore".




"Party on, dude!"

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Being recognized as a top party school is a far cry from efforts to turn the state's flagship university into a truly top-tier institution of higher education. Oh, well. Party on, dude!" "UF right to shed party school image, and lawmakers can help".

"The children of University of Florida alumni were more likely to be accepted to the school this year than their non-Gator-related peers. One reason: legacy, an admissions policy that some education experts call the 'dirty little secret' in public university enrollment offices and one that three Florida schools use." "UF, 2 others use 'dirty little secret' for alums' kids".




Portable

"Few homeowners in South Florida taking advantage of portable tax savings".




The mortgage broker thing

Mark Schlakman: "Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson will revisit concerns surrounding the licensing of mortgage brokers during a Cabinet meeting today." "Here's how Cabinet can fix rights restoration".




GOPers like the "divisive" stuff

"Divisive social issues will be on the ballot in several states in November, including constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage in Arizona, California and Florida, and limitations on abortion in California, Colorado and South Dakota." "Social Initiatives on State Ballots Could Draw Attention to Presidential Race".




"Undecided"

"Democrats hoping for a heads-up on which Republican will challenge nationally targeted freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney in November didn't get a clear answer in a recent poll. A question about the Aug. 26 GOP congressional District 16 primary among former Palm Beach Gardens Councilman Hal Valeche, attorney Tom Rooney and state Rep. Gayle Harrell was included in a late-July poll commissioned by Dems. The survey, which a Democratic strategist showed to the Politics column, found 'undecided' leading the field, with 33 percent of Republican voters in Mahoney's district." "'Undecided' holds edge to face Mahoney".




"Something has to give"

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Florida's 11 public universities have made an advance request for $65.4 million to retain faculty and staff members who have not had raises in two years. Yet the Legislature is looking at another major shortage in the 2009-10 budget. Something has to give. In this case, it's the Legislature." "Pay Florida's professors".




'Glades

The Miami Herald editorial board: "What trouble a bad law can create. In 2003, the Florida Legislature, at the behest of then-Gov. Jeb Bush, rewrote the 1994 Everglades Forever Act. Environmentalists and the Miccosukee Tribe warned that the revisions were a reprieve for the sugar industry, which was required to meet strict pollution cleanup standards and timetables under the original law. " "A bad law gets the rap it deserves".




"It's not really all that simple"

"After eight years of voting turmoil, from punch cards and hanging chads in the 2000 presidential election to the high-tech, touch-screen voting machines distrusted by so many, Broward County voters are about to get a new, seemingly simple way to vote: marking a paper ballot. Except it's not really all that simple." "Time for voters to make their marks on new paper ballots".

Steve Bousquet: "Florida's switch to paper ballots adds a paper trail that didn't exist with touch-screen technology, but the new system may do little to avoid chaos after a razor-close election. As early voting begins today for the Aug. 26 primary, elections officials are quietly praying for lopsided results. " "Paper ballots could cause trouble in close races".




Florida Crystals

"Sugar grower Florida Crystals is lobbying for an inland port with the development of an industrial and commercial center just south of Lake Okeechobee, smack in the heart of the state's proposed pathway for Everglades restoration.... " "Sugar grower pushes for inland port in Florida".




"Comprehensive plan"

"Southern governors whose states represent one of the nation's major energy producing regions are working on a comprehensive plan to reduce the South's carbon footprint and create jobs." "Southern governors to develop energy plan".