It literally means “balloteer,” but the post carries the Spanish nickname in deference to the dozens — if not scores — of paid small-time operatives who find ways to turn out or collect absentee mail-in votes in Miami-Dade.

It’s a shady world, as the case of 56-year-old Deisy Cabrera in Hialeah shows.

Cabrera was charged Wednesday with a state felony for allegedly forging an elderly woman’s signature on an absentee ballot, and with two counts of violating a Miami-Dade County ordinance banning the possession of more than two filled-out absentee ballots.

“The ‘boleteros’ hover on the edge of the letter and spirit of the law,” said Christian Ulvert, a top state Democratic campaign consultant who has run races in Little Havana and Miami Beach.

“These boleteros in Miami Dade have become like some political consultants,” Ulvert added. “You don’t want them working for you. But you don’t want them working against you. So some candidates figure you just have to pay them.”

It’s a cottage industry in a county where nearly 50,000 people have already returned their mail-in ballots, out of 150,000 requests. All that for an Aug. 14 primary that consists of relatively small races and the contest for Miami-Dade mayor.

The exact number of boleteros is unclear. Consultants estimate there are as many as 100 in the county.

Many act as free agents for multiple campaigns, earning as much as $5,000 for about a month’s worth of work, consultants say. An individual campaign can pay as much as $1,000.

The more voters they say they represent, the more money they can earn from each campaign they work for — especially this year, when the Aug. 14 ballot in cities like Hialeah has as many as two-dozen candidates and questions. Boleteros can theoretically cash in on every race.

Early Voting

"Early voting begins Saturday across the state". See also "8-day early-voting period for primary election starts Saturday", "Early voting starts Saturday" and "Early voting times, locations for Palm Beach, Martin counties".

"They’re baaaack"

Fabiola Santiago: "For Genting, no doesn’t mean no".

Weekly Roundup

"Weekly Roundup: Gerard Robinson Leaves; Jim Greer, Charlie Crist Linger". See also "Week in Review for July 30 to Aug. 3".

13,000 Floridians may not know that they can vote

"As Gov. Rick Scott defends his administration’s effort to remove potentially ineligible voters from the voting rolls, more than 13,000 Floridians who had their voting rights restored may not know that they can cast ballots in November. Since 2007, state officials have been unable to locate nearly 17,604 former felons who had their rights restored under an 'automatic' process that was established by former Gov. Charlie Crist and undone by Scott last year." "Thousands of felons may not know they can vote".

Not a lot of credibility

Rick Scott doesn't bring a lot of credibility, and certainly no heft, to this debate: "Rick Scott Fights Defense Cuts as Sub Missile Testing Brings 100 Jobs to the Space Coast".

The price of Teabaggery

The Tampa Bay Times editors on "the irony of the [Pinellas County] Fluoride Four's foolish decision. They saved the county $205,000 by no longer adding fluoride to the drinking water. But taxpayers will spend roughly $27,000 on free dental care for 267 children who showed up last week, including the cost of fluoride treatments. And that's just the start." "Paying for Fluoride Four's foolishness".

The best we can do?

"UF, at 80th, Is Florida’s Top School -- Forbes".

RPOF "hush money"?

"Jim Greer: Republican Party tried to pay me hush money". Related: "Jim Greer judge: Government must release potentially embarrassing police report".

FCAT Follies

"With Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson resigning in the wake of a series of public-relations miscues and grading mistakes surrounding Florida's high-stakes testing and accountability regime, critics are sensing an opening to change the direction of the school-reform movement in Florida." "FCAT critics see opening with Education Commissioner's resignation".

Late to the game

Lloyd Dunkelberger: "Charlie Crist should become a Democrat, Dan Gelber says".

"More interested in expanding private school tuition vouchers than in improving public schools"

The Tampa Bay Times editorial board: "There is a serious leadership void in public education in Florida and Tampa Bay, and if wise choices for key positions aren't made soon it could get worse."

Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson's abrupt resignation this week following the FCAT testing debacle means the state will have its third education commissioner in less than two years. The search for a new school superintendent in Pinellas has produced an uninspiring list of finalists and should start fresh. ...

It's depressing, but this vacuum also presents opportunities.

Robinson is a slick salesman with no Florida roots or love for public education, and he won't be missed. On his rocky one-year watch, the credibility of standardized testing collapsed completely, marred by ever-changing standards and ridiculous mistakes in assigning school grades. His explanations and excuses were not good enough, and the commissioner of public education should not be more interested in expanding private school tuition vouchers than in improving public schools.

His resignation puts pressure on Gov. Rick Scott and the Board of Education to make a better choice this time. Florida needs a commissioner who believes in public education and in credible accountability that informs rather than punishes.

Raw sewage

"More than half of required counties have opted out of septic tank inspections".

Campaign Roundup

"Campaign Roundup: Primary clock ticks down".

Outa here

"Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is spending a week in the south Caribbean on a trade mission." "Fla. LG heads to Trinidad-Tobago for trade mission".

"New brainstorm to tempt the private market: bribes"

The Tampa Bay Times editorial board: "State-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has a new brainstorm to tempt the private market: bribes. The idea is as offensive as that description, and it ought to be abandoned before private insurers start naming their price." "Bribery and insurance shouldn't mix".

SD 17 candidate withdraws

"Democratic Party officials are scrambling to find a replacement after their candidate for the District 17 state Senate seat abruptly pulled out of the race. The Hillsborough County Democratic Party announced Friday that Wes Johnson, a retired nuclear and biomechanical engineer from Town 'N Country, has withdrawn from the race to represent the new district spanning northwest Hillsborough and southeast Pasco counties." "State Senate candidate Wes Johnson drops out of race".

"Someone is conspicuously absent"

"Someone is conspicuously absent from the campaign brochures produced by Republican candidates in Florida this summer:"

Gov. Rick Scott.

Hobbled by weak poll numbers, awkward on the stump and still somewhat estranged from the party establishment that shunned him in 2010, Scott is invisible on the campaign trail across Florida.

He also has steadfastly avoided taking sides in party primaries to a greater extent than either of his two predecessors, Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush.

Colorful images of Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio can be seen everywhere in GOP circles. But candidates sometimes appear to go out of their way to avoid showing Scott’s picture.

In the hotly contested Republican primary for a Tampa Bay Senate seat, Rep. Jim Frishe hands out brochures featuring pictures of him with three stalwarts of the GOP: Bush, Rubio and U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young. But not Scott.

In the GOP primary for a Jacksonville Senate seat, Rep. Mike Weinstein’s flyer prominently features him with a smiling Rubio. A much smaller photo shows Weinstein, one of Scott’s first supporters, standing between Scott and Bush.

In a competitive South Florida Senate race, Republican Ellyn Bogdanoff’s Facebook profile picture is her smiling with Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. In another snapshot, Bogdanoff poses with Attorney General Pam Bondi. Not seen: a photo of Scott.

A flyer that promotes Chris Nocco for Pasco County sheriff shows seven leading Republicans who support him. Scott’s face is nowhere to be found, even though he appointed Nocco sheriff last year.

“Campaign flyers keep coming out, and not one mentions the governor,” said Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, one of the seven Republicans in Nocco’s brochure. “It’s very different.”

“I’m not planning to get involved,” Scott said. “Let the primaries work. I’ll be supportive of the Republican candidates after the primaries.” ...

Until now, it has been common practice for candidates to use photos of themselves with the governor as a means of flaunting their friendliness with the titular head of their party.

HD 5

"HD 5: Despite GOP Primary, Marti Coley in Good Shape to Head Back to Tallahassee".

"Butterfly ballot" blues

"An infamous 'butterfly ballot' gave flight to Palm Beach County's bumbling election image that still sticks 12 years later. Now four candidates are vying for the chance to change that perception of election incompetence; forged during the disputed 2000 presidential race and reinforced by occasional hiccups that followed." "Elections chief candidates pledge to avoid more Palm Beach County vote-counting gaffes".

Never mind those promised lower insurance bills

"Auto insurance reform laws passed by the Florida Legislature to lower premiums may not decrease your bill." "PIP changes might not lower insurance bills for drivers, report says". See also "Lower Rates Yet to Appear in PIP Filings".

Scott's so-called Project Sunburst, which falsely promised to allow the public online access to his administration's emails, is really nothing more than a sanitized forum for the governor's conservative political base.

Scott's staff has promised to begin to post the governor's official email. But that promise comes only after they got caught promising openness and delivering propaganda.

HD 59

"GOP field is crowded for state House District 59".

HD 18

"National Democrats have high hopes for fundraising phenom Patrick Murphy as a challenger to Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Palm Beach Gardens. But Murphy first faces an Aug. 14 Democratic primary against a pair of Treasure Coast opponents who criticize his big-money backing and lack of roots in the district." "Big divider in U.S. House District 18 Democratic race is money, not issues".

"Absentee ballot-fraud probe expands"

"Investigators have found as many as 31 absentee ballots that were collected by a suspected ballot broker, and are questioning the voters who cast them to determine if the marked choices correspond to their intentions." "Miami-Dade absentee ballot-fraud probe expands".

Voter purge litigation

"The U.S. government wants to block Florida from resuming its purge of suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls, saying it would violate federal law."

The Justice Department filed papers in U.S. District Court in Tampa accusing the state of ignoring a requirement that it first obtain approval for such action because five Florida counties are subject to federal pre-clearance of changes in voting procedures: Hillsborough, Collier, Hardee, Hendry and Monroe.

The removal of noncitizens in a presidential election year has mushroomed into a major controversy, with Democrats and left-leaning voter advocacy groups accusing Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican Party of using the purge to suppress voter turnout in a state widely seen as a must-win for both presidential candidates.

At issue is whether Florida's on-again, off-again purge of noncitizens is subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

The feds say it is. The state says it isn't.

The federal claim was filed Friday in a case brought by the ACLU of Florida and Lawyers Committee for Justice Under Law, seeking to halt more purging. The case is before U.S. District Judge James Whittemore.

The Department of Justice last week weighed in on lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Florida and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in federal court in Tampa on behalf of two Hispanic voters and Mi Familia Vota Education Fund.

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner had asked the Tampa-based judges to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing state and local elections officials had already halted the flawed purge process aimed at removing noncitizens from the voting rolls.

But on Friday, the plaintiffs amended their complaint, saying that Detzner continued to move forward with the purge plan based on an agreement with Homeland Security that will grant Florida access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or “SAVE,” database.

On Monday, the judges rejected Detzner’s request to dismiss the case as moot, meaning the state will have to file another request for dismissal.

"Momentum in South Florida real estate"

"The nation’s leading home price index showed continued momentum in South Florida real estate in May, marking a six-month run of increases buoyed by low interest rates and shrinking inventory." "South Florida home prices on six-month run".

Paid vacations

"According to an analysis of [Insurance Commissioner Kevin] McCarty’s travel records from January 2011 through July 2012 conducted by The Florida Current, the head of the Office of Insurance Regulation has been out of the state for 142 days – almost five months."

Although Florida taxpayers aren't paying for the trips, McCarty’s extensive travel is upsetting both sides of Florida’s insurance divide. Taxpayers do, however, pay his salary during his work for the NAIC. His annual salary is $133,158.

Long shots

"In the U.S. Senate race, GOP candidate Connie Mack IV is already focusing on the general election and incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson. But Mack's chief Republican rival, former congressman Dave Weldon, insists the GOP primary isn't quite settled." "Long shot strives to make a race".

And then there's Mike: "GOP Senate Hopeful Mike McCalister Plays Up Experience in His Bid to Challenge Bill Nelson".

Who will "Jeb!" next select as Education Commissioner?

"Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson resigned late Tuesday amid a months-long controversy over the state's testing regimen and errors on school grades that forced the department to change the marks for dozens of schools."

Scott, who backed Robinson after reportedly pushing out former Education Commissioner Eric Smith, issued a brief statement praising Robinson.

"I appreciate Gerard’s service to the state of Florida and his commitment to ensuring Florida’s students receive a first class education," the governor said. "He has been a tireless advocate for creating quality learning opportunities for all of Florida’s students and he will certainly be missed."

But Robinson's tenure had been dogged in recent months by the public-relations pounding the department took after FCAT scores collapsed, followed a few months later by the school grades mix-up. ...

Shanahan, who said the board would consult with Scott while looking for a new commissioner, also praised Robinson in a statement released by the Department of Education.

HD 57

"HD 57: Jake Raburn Has the Edge for Open Florida House Seat".

"Another unwelcome headline for Carroll"

"The New Port Richey pharmacist who was federally indicted in connection with a large oxycontin-distribution ring is the brother-in-law of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll."

Authorities say Edward Beckles, the 59-year-old owner and operator of Ed's Family Friendly Pharmacy, was providing prescription pain medication to two drug rings that operated between Florida and Kentucky. Beckles also dispensed pills to at least one woman in return for sex, authorities said.

Beckles is married to Carroll's sister, and upon his arrest he let federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents know of his powerful sister-in-law who knew nothing of the case or his activities.

"Lt. Gov. Carroll is not familiar with Mr. Beckles' arrest or his business practices and she has never visited his pharmacy," the Governor's Office said in a written statement. "She is surprised and saddened that this has happened to her sister's family."

Beckles' arrest is another recent unwelcome headline for Carroll.

A former aide accused Carroll, who is married, of being involved in a lesbian relationship with another aide, a claim Carroll vehemently denied to the point of making comments that suggested attractive black women don't engage in homosexual relationships.

"Florida ranks an unimpressive 26th out of 50"

"When it comes to disclosing legislators’ financial information, Florida ranks an unimpressive 26th out of 50, according to the national Center for Public Integrity. Now a state watchdog group, Integrity Florida, is raising awareness and confronting the issue." "State Watchdog Issues Public Financial Disclosure Risk Report".

"Adams, Mica assail each other"

"Adams, a freshman lawmaker from Orlando, criticized Mica, a 10-term veteran, for taking at least 31 trips to more than 50 countries since 1995, all at taxpayer expense. Mica, of Winter Park, responded by attacking a $20,000 trip that Adams took with her husband to Israel that was paid for by the American Israeli lobby." "Adams, Mica assail each other for foreign trips they've taken".

HD 89

"The Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee on Tuesday unanimously picked onetime Florida House speaker Tom Gustafson to run against state Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, for a coastal House seat. Gustafson was approved on a 139-0 vote during a special meeting west of Delray Beach. He will replace Pamela Goodman, who withdrew from the race last week because of her husband’s health problems." "Democrats tap Gustafson to run against Hager for coastal state House seat".

"Loaded questions for candidates"

Joe Henderson: "Special interests lay loaded questions for candidates".

"Florida consumers upbeat"

"Consumers in the state and in the nation are feeling more confident about the economy, according to separate surveys released Tuesday." "U.S., Fla. consumers upbeat, surveys show".

SD 12

"Primary Profile: Wife takes up husband's challenge in Senate District 12 race".

"Cheap shot or chip shot?"

"The Republican state Senate primary battle in the greater Jacksonville area between former Rep. Aaron Bean and Rep. Mike Weinstein is one of the most closhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifely watched in the state."

A new mailer from Weinstein lashes out at Bean on a host of issues, from government spending to earmarks to taxes and states under the category of experience that while Weinstein has held a variety of public-sector jobs in Jacksonville, Bean is a "putt putt golf operator."

PPP Poll: Dead Heat

"A survey of likely Florida voters released on Tuesday from Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, shows a tight battle to control the Sunshine State with President Barack Obama barely ahead of former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, the presumptive Republican candidate -- but the poll also finds that Romney could help win the biggest swing state in the nation with the right vice presidential candidate."

The poll shows Obama taking 48 percent while Romney is right on his tail with 47 percent with 5 percent remaining undecided.

“Florida looks like it will once again be among the closest states in the country with neither candidate having a clear advantage there,” said Dean Debnam, the president of PPP.

The poll finds both candidates are upside down in the Sunshine State. Half of those surveyed -- 50 percent -- disapprove of Obama while 47 percent approve of him. Romney has strikingly similar numbers, with 49 percent seeing him as unfavorable while 46 percent view him in a favorable light.

But Romney’s fortunes in the poll change when U.S. Sen. Macro Rubio, R-Fla., is added to the ticket. While national pundits discount Rubio’s chances of winding up as Romney’s running mate, he helps the former Massachusetts governor in the poll. The Romney-Rubio ticket takes 49 percent while Obama-Vice President Joe Biden follow with 47 percent.

The poll shows that former U.S. Secretary of State Condi Rice -- another dark horse to end up on the ticket -- also helps Romney in Florida. The Romney-Rice pairing take 46 percent while Obama-Biden follow with 45 percent. ...

The poll of 871 likely Florida voters was taken from July 26-29 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent.

Never mind

"Three months have passed since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requested more information about Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr.'s employment prior to joining the department in 2011, but there has been no response from DEP." "Another three months passes without action in possible conflict-of-interest case for DEP's Vinyard".

Sansom wants another check

"Former House Speaker Ray Sansom is suing the state, saying he should be reimbursed for the costs of defending himself against corruption charges that were eventually dropped. ... Sansom, Odom and former Northwest Florida State College president Bob Richburg agreed to pay restitution for the $310,000 spent on the facility before the college returned the $6 million appropriated for the project." "Former Florida Speaker Ray Sansom sues state for legal costs".

What's wrong with Hillsborough?

The Tampa Bay Times editors "The made-up controversy over guest speakers in the public schools shows how far some Hillsborough County tea party activists will go to throw the entire school system in reverse. This campaign is aimed not solely at censoring the voices of Muslims in this community. It stands as a warning shot to the board that a vocal minority not entirely sold on public education in the first place wants to micromanage the eighth-largest school district in the country." "A pointless pledge on guest speakers".

A four-page report that apparently includes some embarrassing accusations against witnesses is a public record, says Orlando Circuit Judge Marc L. Lubet in an order released Monday.

The judge also refused to limit the records that Greer can subpoena from the state party saying the records are likely to be relevant and favorable to his defense.

During a hearing earlier this month the judge read a list of potential witnesses who might be harmed by the report, including Brian Ballard, a lobbyist and GOP fundraiser; former GOP executive director Delmar Johnson; former finance chairman Harry Sargeant; and Dane Eagle, a House candidate and former aide to Gov. Charlie Crist. ...

Law enforcement reports released so far include comments from two witnesses who described gatherings Greer had "for men only.'' One witness said one of the gatherings took place in the Bahamas and she heard "women were involved and paid.''

"I don't know anything,'' Eagle said. As a travel aide to Crist, Eagle said he did accompany Greer, the governor and about 100 GOP donors on a fundraising trip to the Bahamas but did not see anything out of the way.

"I was on those trips, but I kept to myself unless I was needed,'' Eagle added.

Ballard said he has not seen the document in question and does not know what is in it. He says he did not hire a lawyer to block its release. He was on the trip to the Bahamas.

Early Voting Under Way

"Early Voting Under Way in Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe". See also "Early voting begins in five Florida counties".

Scott's "transparency" limited to Teabagger worshipers

"Gov. Rick Scott said he was championing transparency in May when he gave the public access to his emails by posting them online for anyone to see."

But what he failed to say at his May 3 news conference launching Project Sunburst was that the emails he made public were not the emails of his official state account. The emails the public read online were from a different account used almost exclusively by conservative supporters.

On Monday, after the Herald/Times questioned what appeared to be an unrealistically high percentage of favorable emails on the public database, the Scott administration issued a statement acknowledging the two separate e-mail accounts. It also announced that it would phase out RLS@eog.myflorida.com, which Scott solely used to respond to email. That email address — which was not on any official state website — appears on many Tea Party websites across the state, under the heading “Governor Rick Scott’s email.”

HD 100

"HD 100: Joe Gibbons Has Financial Edge But Faces Democratic Primary Threat".

Sitting lawmakers derive income from firms that lobby the Legislature

"At least 11 sitting lawmakers derive some of their income from work with firms that lobby the Legislature, according to a new report by the watchdog group Integrity Florida. But the legislators involved say they've done nothing wrong and that their firms take pains to separate them from the daily operations of lobbying practices." "Several Lawmakers Work for Lobbying Firms, Group Says".

Kathy Castor a Heavy Favorite

"CD 14: Kathy Castor a Heavy Favorite to Win Fourth Term in Congress".

"He swallowed fishhooks to get out"

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "Recent newspaper investigations have found rampant abuse and neglect in Florida's assisted-living facilities and now at a rehabilitation center for brain-injured patients in Hardee County."

What these stories have in common is an indictment of Florida's regulators. Whether it is due to a lack of resources, regulatory tools or will, the state is failing to protect some of its most vulnerable residents. The result is that the state's frail, elderly and injured are left to try to protect themselves.

The latest scandal involves the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation, a 196-bed for-profit facility that is one of the largest brain-injury centers in the country. This is where patients who often can't make decisions for themselves are sent to recover from traumatic brain injuries. But an investigation by Bloomberg News found that abuse is common at FINR. One patient was so desperate to escape his beatings that he swallowed fishhooks to get transferred out.

SD 4

"The race between Aaron Bean and Mike Weinstein this year could determine who will be Senate President in 2016, Sen. Joe Negron or Sen. Jack Latvala. Major state Republican Party support is lining up according to where their loyalties lie." "Primary Profile: District 4 Senate race has long-term implications".

The Week Ahead

"The Week Ahead for July 30 to Aug. 3".

Scott shills for NRA

"Gov. Rick Scott, as expected, is appealing a judge’s ruling that blocked the implementation of a Florida law barring doctors from asking patients about guns."

Scott’s appeal has “zero chance of success,” said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. The ACLU filed an amicus brief in the lawsuit on behalf of a group of health-care and child welfare organizations, including the Palm Beach County Medical Society.

“This is what happens when you have an ideologue as governor,” Simon said. “It is about as clear a First Amendment violation as could be. Doctors could ask some questions to protect the health of their patients but not other questions.”

West acts as if the Aug. 14 primary doesn't exist

"Republican primaries typically feature candidates flashing their conservative credentials and trying to outdo each other in their zeal to repeal the federal health care law, oppose tax increases and criticize President Obama."

Then there’s the Aug. 14 GOP primary for newly drawn Palm Beach-Treasure Coast congressional District 18.

Challenger Robert Crowder, the longtime sheriff of Martin County, says the health care law requires “tuning” rather than repeal and he’s OK with its individual mandate. He also says he’s open to future tax hikes on the wealthy, grades Obama a “C-plus or a B” for his first term and doesn’t rule out voting for the Democratic president in November.

Incumbent Rep. Allen West, R-Palm Beach Gardens, acts as if Crowder and the Aug. 14 primary don’t exist.

“This isn’t really a race,” says West campaign manager Tim Edson. “So we’re not real inclined to give Crowder any attention from the Congressman.”

West’s campaign and his congressional office turned down requests for an interview with West about the primary. The campaign later sent a statement from West about the outreach efforts he’s made and the support he’s received in District 18.

West opted to run in District 18 after redistricting gave his Palm Beach-Broward District 22 a Democratic tilt. About 23 percent of West’s District 22 constituents are in the new District 18.

A national tea party favorite known for his fiery rhetoric, West has raised more than $10 million for what is expected to be a bruising November reelection campaign against Democrat Patrick Murphy. An array of liberal super PACs have targeted West for defeat.

FCAT follies

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Since former Gov. Jeb Bush started misusing FCAT scores to assign school grades in 1999, reading scores generally have risen in elementary schools."

But they’ve barely budged for high schools, where about half of 10th-graders still flunk the reading portion.

Now comes the news that even for students who have graduated from high school — which means that they have fulfilled the reading and math requirements — nearly 38 percent heading to public higher education in Florida still need help before they can move up to college classes. All the do-or-die emphasis on the FCAT, in other words, hasn’t sufficiently paid off where it counts most.

Remediation is expensive, both for the students who have to pay the extra tuition — and take longer to get their college degrees — and for the state’s higher education system. One recent study found that remediation cost $127 million in 2007-2008. Also, those who need remediation are less likely to get a degree.

Florida gradually is replacing the FCAT with end-of-course tests. In another good move, the state is helping high school students get remediation before they graduate. But the state still is hung up on giving out school grades. And it foolishly will begin evaluating teachers based on the old testing regime even as it gropes its way toward a new system.

Florida’s accountability system still needs remediation.

Buchanan blows off depo

"U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan did not appear for a scheduled court deposition in Orlando on Monday, prompting an angry response from the opposing attorney who said the three-term congressman should be held in contempt of court." "Buchanan a no-show for deposition".

The usual "chatter that Democrats have a Jewish voter problem"

Adam C. Smith: "As sure as the TV ads start blitzing the I-4 corridor every presidential election, so does the chatter that Democrats have a Jewish voter problem that could deliver Florida to the GOP."

"The Jewish vote definitely is moving toward Mitt Romney," said St. Petersburg developer Mel Sembler, a top Republican fundraiser whom Romney invited to join him in Israel on Sunday. "I've had so many people tell me that they've always voted Democrat and they just can't bring themselves to vote for (Barack) Obama."

These predictions are nothing new. Republicans aggressively targeted Jewish voters in 2004, when exit polls found John Kerry won 75 percent of that vote. Same in 2008, when Obama won 78 percent of the Jewish vote. A Republican nominee hasn't cracked 25 percent in Florida since 1988.

"The intersect between the public and private lives of lawmakers"

"Florida state senators have grown their wealth by an average of $800,000 since taking office, according to a study by the Tallahassee group Integrity Florida. But the opposite is true for members of the Florida House."

The reports, which were designed to help the public identify conflicts of interest, did not suggest blatant violations or unfair advantages to lawmakers because of their elected office. But the fact that many politicians out-perform average Floridians has in the past raised questions about the intersect between the public and private lives of lawmakers.

SD 27

"SD 27: Two Dem State Reps Battle for Open Florida Seat in Palm Beach County".

"Corruption risk report"

"Elected officials should have to make much more detailed public disclosure of outside income sources and potential voting conflicts, an independent watchdog organization said in a 'corruption risk report' issued at a news conference on Monday." "Integrity Florida urges state to update 'sunshine laws'".

Bondi is "everywhere, except Tallahassee"

"Attorney General Pam Bondi seems to be everywhere these days — stumping for Mitt Romney in New Hampshire, schmoozing with Rudy Giuliani in Tampa or talking about health care on Fox News. Everywhere, except Tallahassee." "Pam Bondi splits her schedule between Tampa, Tallahassee".

"She’s in the fight for her political life"

"For eight years Barbara Jordan has had a comfortable perch on the Miami-Dade County Commission, easily fending off challengers for the District 1 seat that cuts through the northern part of the county and spreads all the way to the Broward County line. Now, she’s in the fight for her political life, opposed by a well-heeled political veteran who is popular in her community and is credited with helping create the county’s third-largest city." "Rivals wage bitter dispute for Miami-Dade commission seat".

Building toward a heated and high-priced Aug. 14 primary, GOP leaders are channeling millions of dollars from corporate givers such as Walt Disney Co. and its affiliated companies, Orlando-based Florida Association of Realtors and Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets to finance primary fights that could help settle internal leadership fights or subtly shift alliances in the Senate.

Legal losers

"Lawsuits over major legislation championed by Gov. Rick Scott more than a year ago are still working their way through the courts, and the legal bills for Florida's taxpayers continue to mount."

Challenges to laws sought by Scott to revamp the state's pension plans, require drug testing of welfare recipients and drastically alter the way teachers are paid were brought by the teachers' union, the American Civil Liberties Union or other opposing organizations in 2011. But because of the appeals process, none of the cases is resolved yet, and the legal meter for the state is still running.

Florida is also entangled in the long process of getting a change to the state's election rules through the federal courts — all alterations to election law in Florida must be approved by theU.S. Department of Justiceor a federal court inWashington, D.C.

Under Scott, Florida also continued a lawsuit filed in 2010 over the Obama administration's health-care overhaul, which had resulted in a $69,827 price tag by the time theU.S. Supreme Court upheld the law last month.

Here's an update of some of the biggest lawsuits the state is currently defending against and the bill paid by taxpayers so far....

"Early voting begins for five counties"

"Hillsborough, Collier, Hardee, Hendry and Monroe County allow voters to cast their ballot starting Monday. For the rest of Florida, early voting starts Aug. 4." "Early voting begins in 5 counties in Fla.".

RPOF "a bunch of crazies"

Aaron Deslatte: "It's obvious that former Gov. Charlie Crist is trying to launch a political second-coming as a Democratic candidate for governor in 2014, with his recent media foray decrying Florida's current Republican leadership for its voter purge."

But Crist has past-performance questions to answer if he wants his old job back: first and foremost, explaining away Jim Greer, who is awaiting trial on money laundering and fraud charges.

In his deposition made public this week, Greer makes a volatile statement that while he was Republican Party of Florida chairman, GOP consultants were holding meetings where they "talked about voter suppression and keeping blacks from voting."

The accusation is a swipe at the party he feels wronged him just weeks before the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

But Crist owns this four-year Greer spectacle. At some point, he will have to explain in more detail why he tapped the man from obscurity in Seminole County to run a multimillion-dollar political operation that – based on the voluminous court records – looked more like a theater production of "Animal House."

Legislative leaders "were using their credit cards like … drunken sailors, and they made it clear to me I was not to interfere with their spending," said Greer, who along with executive director Delmar Johnson also rang up more than $1.3 million on party credit cards to pay for dinners, hotels, trips to Las Vegas and a golf outing at Torrey Pines.

Greer said in the deposition that he ultimately bowed to pressure to resign coming from "the whack-a-dos, the crazies, the right wingers."

But at the height of the behind-the-scenes fight, House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate President Mike Haridopolos pulled more than $1 million out of party coffers to keep other GOP leadership from spending it.

And had Broward National Committeewoman Sharon Day had been tapped to replace Greer instead of John Thrasher, they had plans to "remove all the computers from the [RPOF headquarters in Tallahassee]. Strip the servers. And the staff intended to resign because they would not work for her," according to Greer's deposition.

Greer said he had pleaded with Crist to raise more party money.

"He told me to [expletive] the party. They were a bunch of crazies. And they did nothing to win elections," Greer said.

Publicity stunt goes to court

"A group suing over the way three Supreme Court justices filed paperwork for their merit retention elections served subpoenas Friday on the clerk of the Supreme Court and one other employee, but no depositions are expected in the case until after a court hearing next month. The Southeastern Legal Foundation, which has sued seeking to remove Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince from the November ballot, said Friday it attempted to subpoena 14 court employees, but the group said a process server was unable to make contact with any other court employees." "Fight Over Whether Court Workers Will Be Deposed in Retention Case".

Another fine Jebacy

"Florida spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year offering remedial classes to college students to re-teach them reading, English or math skills they should have learned in high school." "College freshmen needing remedial work cost millions".

"Florida continues to plead with national party leaders"

"The Republican Party of Florida continues to plead with national party leaders to get the full slate of delegates seated at the national convention next month in Tampa."

But for now the state party is finalizing plans with its allowed 50 delegates and 48 alternates to be on the floor during the Aug. 27-30 convention.

The party hopes to have a final list of delegates in place next week, said RPOF Press Secretary Kristen McDonald.

“It’s been a long process, we just finalized it this week,” McDonald said. “It’s just getting certified.”

While holding out hopes that the national party will have a change of mind, the RPOF has held off on releasing the list that was shorted by Florida Republican Party Chair Lenny Curry, along with congressional district chairs. Officially the holdup has been the pending certification.

The party began working on the list in January, before the early primary was held that was deemed a violation of the national party rules regarding which states could hold the first primaries.

Florida was not supposed to hold what's known as a "winner-take-all" primary before April, with the top of the calendar primaries reserved for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. ...

The move resulted in the number of Florida delegates being cut from 99 and alternates from 96.

HD 61

"Political newcomer Tatiana Denson is challenging incumbent state Rep. Betty Reed for State House District 61, the boundaries of which largely are made up of the former District 59. Reed won office in 2006 and is seeking her fourth term." "Reed, Denson face off in House District 61".

Florida 4 sale

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board believes the "State should try again on prison privatization".

"Political puppets"

"Puppets have been a feature of the political landscape at conventions and large-scale demonstrations for decades. In recent years, political puppets have gotten people in trouble. At the Republican National Convention in 2000, police raided an old trolley barn in Philadelphia and arrested 75 puppet-makers." "Political puppets popular with protesters, not police". Related: "RNC might bring surge of graffiti artists".

HD 105

"HD 105: Carlos Trujillo Faces GOP Primary Challenge from Paul Crespo".

Abuse scandal at Florida's "for-profit" Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation

Nancy Smith: "Who knows why it took an investigative reporter 1,200 miles away in Boston to discover and expose the drumbeat of abuse going on at the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation. Bloomberg's David Armstrong discovered one malevolent little secret at FINR, then another and another. And by the time last week rolled around, he had taken the lid off a series of atrocities at one of the most prestigious brain treatment facilities in the country."

Armstrong's report, "Abuse of brain-injured Americans scandalizes U.S.," details the abuse, neglect and confinement of FINR patients -- some of whom were sexually abused, some beaten, some tortured and more, say 20 current and former patients and their family members, criminal charges, civil complaints and advocates for the disabled.

Armstrong doesn't skimp on powerful examples of the alleged abuse and neglect. He includes instances where patients have died, or have reportedly swallowed fishhooks and batteries to escape the institution, as well as testimonials from former patients, including videotaped evidence of apparent beatings by caretakers.

Take all this testimony and add it to the more than 2,000 pages of court and medical records, police reports, state investigations and autopsies and you've got to wonder how on God's green earth the 20-year-old, for-profit Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation is allowed to remain open for business.

"Romneyville"

"A tentative truce has been reached between city zoning officials and a group of protesters camping out on a commercial lot in downtown Tampa. The city is investigating whether the encampment behind the Army Navy Surplus Market, 1312 N. Tampa St., breaks the law and whether the store's owner can be fined for allowing protesters to stay in the lot." "RNC 'Romneyville' camp faces legal review".

Arresting the homeless

The Tampa Bay Times editorial board: "Arresting homeless isn't answer".

"Absentee-ballot probe continues"

"An illiterate senior citizen said she trusted the woman at the center of an absentee-ballot investigation to fill out her ballot. Now it’s out of her hands." "As Hialeah absentee-ballot probe continues, voter regrets accepting help".

[N]ewspapers reported that Rubio, former speaker of the Florida House, routinely charged personal expenses to his party-issued credit card between 2006 and 2008.

Rubio said he repaid personal expenses. Others raised questions, such as the nearly $4,000 he billed the Republican Party of Florida for a rental car in Miami and repairs to his family minivan, which he said was damaged by a valet at a political event.

Rubio acknowledged double-billing state taxpayers and the party for eight plane fares to Tallahassee, calling it a mistake and repaid the party.

Florida housed contagious tuberculosis patients in cheap motel, housekeepers, motel guests unaware

Florida apparently converted a cheap hotel into a tuberculosis ward for contagious patients, but neglected to inform the help (who spoke only limited English) or guests at the hotel.

"[F]or at least two years, TB patients were routed by Duval County health officials to the Monterey Motel and told to stay put. Longtime motel resident Alfred Scott — who was treated for the lung disease more than 20 years ago — said he and other residents only were told of the TB patients when they saw people wearing masks coming and going on the motel walkways."

Patients remained at the motel until they no longer were contagious, state Department of Health spokeswoman Jessica Hammonds said.

The man-and-woman team responsible for cleaning rooms, who spoke only limited English, appeared confused when asked whether they had taken precautions. In fact, Kevin Davis, a former manager with the Duval County Health Department’s TB unit, questioned whether hotel managers had been briefed fully about TB transmission or precautions for staff.

For example, he said, a maid should wait to enter the room for about an hour after the resident has left. Shades should be opened because sunlight can help kill TB germs. Typically, physicians and other health care workers will don special air filtering masks while in enclosed places with TB patients.

However, [Department of Health spokeswoman Jessica] Hammonds said motel workers were briefed on infection control. The hotel’s owner, Raman Patel, said staff was instructed to wait before entering the rooms to clean, usually after the hotel resident had stepped outside for about 30 minutes, and to handle trash carefully.

In fact, Hammonds said, adequate ventilation and air conditioning were key reasons the Monterey was chosen. There’s no air-sharing system among rooms.

Miami's failing infrastructure - Where's Mittens?

The Miami Herald editors, if unintentionally, make President Obama's point that, "businesses large and small rely on public infrastructure funded by taxpayer dollars". In the context of Miami's failing infrastructure, the editors write that "over the past two years broken sewer pipes have spewed 47 million gallons of stinky waste onto roads and homes and into Miami-Dade waterways all the way from farmlands in the southern tip of the county to the northern border with Broward, which also is facing major sewer system breakdowns."

With 7,500 miles of sewer lines built into Miami-Dade County’s antiquated system, which is a half-century old in some sections, and with 15 municipal water and/or sewer utilities and the county’s Water and Sewer Department responsible for the upgrades, there has been a lot of finger-pointing but little action to tackle this billion-dollar mess. Indeed, 20 years ago a Miami-Dade grand jury warned that “the Miami River and Biscayne Bay would experience the worst environmental catastrophes in modern history” if nothing got done.

Now, the Environmental Protection Agency is demanding action and the county is in negotiations with federal authorities to come up with a solid plan to fix the treatment plants and faulty pipes.

The last time EPA stepped in because of the county’s neglect was in 1996 when stormwater drainage problems were harming the Miami River and Biscayne Bay. The county has spent $600 million over that time, saving about 100 million gallons of water a day.

Yet the sewer part of the job keeps getting put off — at residents’ peril and with great economic risk to the area’s vibrant tourism industry. Instead of having a pro-active program that repairs aging pipes and upgrades wastewater stations, the county for years used excess money from the residents’ sewer fees to balance the county’s overall budget.

Romney getting desperate: Bondi in Veepstakes

"Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is the latest name to emerge from the pool of rumored contenders for the Republican vice presidential slot, but experts consider her a long shot."

Bondi was in New England today campaigning for presumed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is in the midst of an international tour.

The Business Insider website said that the Romney campaign said Bondi make three stops in New Hampshire, including a Women for Mitt Kickoff Breakfast in Concord, and campaign office openings in Bedford and Stratham.

The story then speculates why Bondi would be a good running mate, including her gender, her coming from a battleground state and her strong opposition to the president's health care law.

In addition, Politico.com recently placed Bondi on the top of a list of state officials to watch.

Experts who spoke with News Channel 8 said Bondi would likely not be Rommey's pick, but her trip is a sign she could play a large role in the campaign and the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Political analyst Susan McManus says Bondi's campaigning is a way to add excitement to campaign events when Romney is unable to attend.

"Advancing Scott's plan to ... put friends in high places"

The Tampa Bay Times editorial board reminds us that, "even as Florida was leading the nation in mortgage fraud, Tom Grady thought it wise to close half the state's regional offices charged with investigating the mortgage business."

As head of the Office of Financial Regulation, Grady, a millionaire securities lawyer, took a bulldozer to the place, slashing office resources and personnel, including fraud investigators, and ousting a veteran administrator to put a crony of the governor's in his place. He also spent lavishly on his own travel. Though he's out of office now, Grady's poor management affected the state's ability to police wrongdoing in the financial sector, which may have been the point all along.

Florida is known as a hotbed of mortgage and financial fraud. Fort Lauderdale is home to so many scammers it's known as "Fraud Lauderdale." But Grady, a former conservative Republican legislator, led the effort to chop more $3.5 million from the agency by eliminating 81 positions including investigators and closing regional offices in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Pensacola and Fort Lauderdale.

Grady, who is back in private practice, insists that the lost resources won't affect financial investigations. That would be more believable if during the six months Grady ran OFR he'd been more professional and less political. But Grady's actions suggest he saw his job as advancing Scott's plan to shrink government's size and influence and put friends in high places.

Was his credit card for the plane rental declined?

"An airport official says a small plane carrying U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and his wife made an emergency landing in Albuquerque." "Plane carrying Rubio makes emergency landing in N.M.".

To replace Ronda

"The race to replace Ronda Storms in the state Senate is turning out to be just as interesting — and polarizing — as Storms herself." "Fight to replace Storms heats up in District 24".

"A rising tide of independence"

"One of every four voters registered to vote in Palm Beach County is neither red nor blue." "Florida voter registrations: a rising tide of independence".

All they got: Country clubbers or Teabaggers?

"Adams-Mica primary cast as fight for soul of GOP".

Public wants firefighters to risk their lives ... but don't have their backs

"U.S. loves cops and firefighters - but not their pensions".

Changes in the state’s gun laws unlikely

Lloyd Dunkelberger: "Florida lawmakers are not likely to make any dramatic changes in the state’s gun laws in the wake of the Colorado movie theater massacre that left 12 dead and dozens wounded earlier this month." "Capital Comment: Gun law overhaul unlikely in Florida".

"One of the most coveted groups in this year's election: Jewish voters"

"The presidential candidates are far from South Florida, but their campaigns this weekend are all about one of the most coveted groups in this year's election: Jewish voters in Broward and Palm Beach counties." "Obama, Romney camps working to woo Jewish vote this weekend". See also "Republicans seek new support among Jewish voters" and "South Florida Jewish vote a key for Obama".

The best he can do?

Mack’s rivals "are chafing at his rope-a-dope approach."

But Mack counters with endorsements from the GOP’s glitterati, including Romney, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, many in the state’s Republican congressional delegation and even the tea party-aligned Freedomworks PAC.

Like any front-runner with a formidable pedigree, Mack is a big target – some of it self-drawn.

He’s married to U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack, a California Republican and widow of singer-songwriter, Sonny Bono, which raises some hackles among social conservatives while contributing to heat that Mack draws for not spending enough time in his Southwest Florida district.

He had a privileged youth, which included an arrest outside a Jacksonville bar a few months after his Dad went to the Senate, a barroom brawl three years later with Atlanta Braves ballplayer Ron Gant and an ugly 2006 divorce from his first wife, Ann.

Rubio campaigns in Vegas

"This will be an old home weekend for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of South Florida, who return[ed] to his former hometown of Las Vegas on Saturday to campaign for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Rubio, 41, widely considered a vice presidential prospect, spent some of his formative years in Las Vegas, where he briefly converted to Mormonism and formed his political identity as a conservative Republican." "Rubio returns to Vegas school to stump for Romney".

Interest groups go local

"Optometrists in Miami-Dade are going all in to influence who will be Manatee County’s next supervisor of elections." "Interest groups influencing even local races".