Florida online job postings improved 1.12 percent from September 2012 to 271,126 last month, data from the New York-based Conference Board stated, contrary to the governor’s report.

"Florida hasn’t been forthcoming"

"Many left frustrated with state unemployment benefits website". Meanwhile, "Leaked memo raises concerns of candor with Scott's DEO" ("the memo supports a strong impression made this week by DEO officials that Florida hasn’t been forthcoming in disclosing the extent of problems with CONNECT and its vendor, Deloitte Consulting LLP.")

Florida "Walmart Workers walk off job in spontaneous strike"

The spontaneous strike was not organized by any organization nor did it appear to be planned in advance. During the strike, customers reported incredibly long lines while associates reported that managers were being called in from other Walmarts in the region as replacement workers for the registers and other positions.

In the afternoon, the striking workers agreed to a meeting with management. After hearing of the strike, 1Miami and other community members rushed to the Hialeah Walmart to support the workers. "Walmart has to do some serious soul-searching and ask itself why so many workers are willing to risk everything to take a stand for respect," said 1Miami's Eric Brakken.

You know the Miami Herald hated having to cover this story of spontaneous employee concerted activity: "Customers going to the Walmart in Hialeah Gardens didn’t get the usual greeting as they walked into the store Friday."

Instead, they saw about 100 employees from the store, at 9300 77th Ave., who had walked off the job in the morning to demand a change in management.

At 9 a.m., employees gathered outside the front of the store and started to march, chanting for better hours and fair treatment.

While the pols are playing golf

"Firefighters battle Port of Tampa blaze".

"Amid an election-fraud scandal"

"Congressman Joe Garcia’s campaign paid his former adviser $25,000 for consulting work months after he was fired amid an election-fraud scandal, new financial disclosure documents show."

The payment to Jeffrey Garcia, no relation to the Miami Democratic representative for whom he was a chief of staff, came months after he received another eye-catching sum: a $25,000 “campaign win bonus” that Republicans suggested was “hush money.”

But Garcia’s campaign, which budgeted the bonus money before any troubles arose, denies any wrongdoing and said it had to pay Jeffrey Garcia’s company, Palm Media, after an invoice appeared in the campaign’s mailbox.

Bill Young passes

"Family: Longtime U.S. Rep. Bill Young dies".

Flabaggers and country clubbers at impasse

"Large business interests are breaking up with the tea party after the hardline, right-wing faction of the Republican Party in Congress threatened not to raise the debt ceiling, nearly forcing the U.S. government into default."

Congressional leaders came to a last-minute agreement this week on a short-term lift of the debt ceiling and a reopening of the government for three months, but the game of brinksmanship with the world economy is still giving business leaders heartburn.

Though during the 2010 election cycle they embraced the tea party, which gave the GOP energy and vibrancy after its deflating defeat to President Barack Obama in 2008, bottom line-driven enterprises are starting to push back against a political faction that came within hours of ruining the reputation of one of the foundations of the global economic system: U.S. treasuries.

“And we business leaders, commerce leaders have to rethink this,” Mike Jackson, chairman and CEO of AutoNation, a Fort Lauderdale-based car retailer, told a crowd of business executives this week at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Florida Forum.

Star power and money

"Miami Beach’s mayoral election has attracted the kind of star power and money that has come to be expected of the million-dollar sandbar. Former President Bill Clinton has dropped by, and eclectic Virgin Group CEO Sir Richard Branson has weighed in. More than a million bucks in campaign expenditures have been made in the fight to become mayor of this brand-name city of 90,000." "In Miami Beach, a mayoral race as lively as the seaside city".

Miami-Dade Republican Party officer ensnared in absentee ballot fraud claim

"Two men knocked on the door of Betty Brockington’s bright orchid-pink Homestead house Wednesday night, asking for her family’s four absentee ballots. They worked for political campaigns, they said, and could take care of mailing them."

Brockington named the candidates she, her husband and two nieces wanted to vote for in the Nov. 5 city mayor and council races. The two men sat in a pair of chairs on the porch, filled out the ballots out of the family’s sight and stuffed them in ballot envelopes.

Brockington and her husband, Willie Snead, both 54, and their younger niece, Taquesha Robinson, 19, signed the envelopes without reviewing the ballots.

But when it was the older niece’s turn, 22-year-old Robkevia Scott, who had been watching South Beach Tow on television while the men sat in the porch, refused to give the men her ballot.

She grabbed it back — and realized the two men had filled the bubbles for precisely the candidates the family did not support: mayoral candidate Mark Bell and council candidate Norman Hodge Jr.

“I didn’t want to vote for those people,” Scott said.

Miami-Dade elections have been plagued by absentee-fraud scandals since last summer, when two Hialeah ballot brokers known as boleteros were arrested. Deisy Cabrera and Sergio “El Tío” Robaina have since pleaded no contest and received probation.

Earlier this year, after a Miami Herald report, prosecutors reopened an investigation into hundreds of phony absentee-ballot requests submitted online, which they have linked to Congressman Joe Garcia’s 2012 campaign. No arrests have been made.

Ever since Miami-Dade County tightened up some absentee ballot legislation, it has been illegal for anyone to possess ballots other than their own. The only exception is for an immediate family member or legal guardian.

The Homestead incident was first reported by the Political Cortadito blog.

At least one of the two men who filled out the Brockington family’s ballots, James Brady, the corresponding secretary for the Miami-Dade Republican Party, works for Bell, the husband of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lynda Bell. Brockington and Scott identified a photograph of Brady, who went to school with one of Brockington’s sons.

Weekly Roundup

"Week in Review for Oct. 18, 2013". See also "Weekly Roundup: Common Core Clash; Duke Pact; New House Dem".

Rubio easy meat

Kevin Derby: "Florida Democrats continued to pound Republicans for opposing the agreement ending the federal shutdown and raising the federal debt ceiling even as Republicans fired back."

Earlier in the week, the Florida Democratic Party trotted out Allison Tant, the chairwoman of the party, to label three Republican congressmen from Florida -- Steve Southerland, Dan Webster and Ted Yoho -- for opposing the deal. Tant’s attack on Webster was premature as that Central Florida Republican voted for the agreement.

On Friday, the Florida Democrats turned to their executive director Scott Arceneaux to continue the assault on Southerland and Yoho. But Arceneaux also set his sights higher and fired away at U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who also voted against the agreement.

Maroño to flip?

"Manny Maroño plea deal may mean handing over bigger fish".

Smaller sample sizes

Political polls could be dramatically affected by "new Federal Communications Commission restrictions on calling cell phones."

The new regulations, which went into effect this week, are intended to curb telemarketers pestering cell phone users, but they also likely will have a chilling effect on polling companies that use automated calling systems . . . .

Now, such companies risk hefty fines if they make so-called “robo-calls” to cell phones without written permission. Polling firms can still call residents on their land lines, but that will mean smaller sample sizes and less accurate polling because so many people use cell phones exclusively . . . .

A little money among friends

"A political action committee affiliated with Attorney General Pam Bondi is being scrutinized for a $25,000 campaign from Donald Trump that came just days after her office announced they were reviewing a New York based case that involved Trump University and its affiliates. Florida has not taken action against the group despite the case citing dozens of complaints filed with the Florida Attorney General's Office." "Campaign Note: Cabinet: Attorney General". See also "Trump contribution to Pam Bondi's re-election draws more scrutiny to her fundraising".

This FlaGOP "cash grab has yet to ignite political furor"

"Months after Florida lawmakers rejected $51 billion from the federal government to expand Medicaid, state officials are prepared to request billions in new federal aid for a different program to improve care for the poor, uninsured and under-insured."

But this cash grab, for whatever reason, has yet to ignite a political furor.

State officials want to grow their Low Income Pool (LIP) program from $1 billion a year to possibly $3 billion a year, said Justin Senior, deputy secretary for Medicaid at the Agency for Health Care Administration. The additional money could be used to help hospitals cover charity care, provide premium support for low-income Floridians or expand current healthcare programs.

“Our feeling at the agency is that there are opportunities here to make the LIP program larger,” Senior recently told lawmakers, who didn’t object. “We have talked with the federal government about that, and the federal government, by and large, they seem generally receptive to the possibility of it.”

Even contemplating accepting additional federal LIP dollars seems at odds with the Legislature’s stone-cold rejection of additional Medicaid funding tied to healthcare reform. But it highlights how intertwined Tallahassee and Washington are — whether Republican lawmakers in the state Capitol like it or not.

The federal healthcare law also reduces some supplemental funding hospitals now receive.

Even if that weren’t true, Florida will always have people who are uninsured or don’t have enough insurance coverage, Quick said. And that means hospitals and health centers will always need this supplemental money, she said.

“Unfortunately, those people are not going anywhere, and they’re not getting insurance,” she said. “And therefore we need to continue to put money into the Low Income Pool.”

The state is hoping the federal government will give at least conditional approval to its Medicaid waiver renewal and funding increase by early 2014. That will allow the Legislature time to pass any laws needed to implement it for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

House Republicans rejected Medicaid expansion largely because it relied on federal funding to reduce the number of uninsured. Now, they may be needed to sign off on how any new dollars are allocated.

“I suppose there is some sense of irony if not hypocrisy there,” Quick said, “that we’ll take money with a different title and tag on it.”

Rubio's immigration strategy a flop

"Break time’s over for Marco Rubio as immigration reform gets ready to move back into the political spotlight, but he might have a new strategy in dealing with the issue which remains unpopular with Republicans."

In the first half of the year, Rubio was the public face of the “Gang of Eight” on immigration reform. Rubio was everywhere on it, from the usual round of Sunday morning talk shows to the weeknight shows on Fox News.

But after the “Gang of Eight’s” bill passed the Senate and the House did nothing with it, Rubio turned his focus to bashing Obamacare. Rubio made the rounds on the same shows, this time calling for defunding Obamacare.

There’s a reason for that. Rubio started off the year as one of the top contenders for the Republican presidential nomination. But, the more Rubio hit the airwaves to plug immigration reform, the more his 2016 numbers started dropping. The likes of Chris Christie, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul leapfrogged Rubio in the polls.

Meanwhile, Rubio puts his eggs in the Obamacare basket: "Republicans may have lost their bid to defund Obamacare, but Sen. Marco Rubio says the real fight over the health care law will begin in 2014. 'By the early part of next year, February, March, April, and May of next year — and I know that sounds like a long time away, but it’s not — the realities of the law are going to begin to impact people,' Rubio said Wednesday on Fox News’s 'Hannity.'" "Marco Rubio: ‘Revolt’ vs. Obamacare in ‘14".

"If this new purge proceeds, beware, Florida voters"

The Miami Herald editors: "Here we go again. Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of State Ken Detzner want to conduct another purge of Florida voter rolls."

Their attempt to purge the rolls of noncitizens in 2012 was a complete flop. Florida’s Division of Elections, which Mr. Detzner oversees, botched the purge, which was conducted in advance of a presidential election, raising justified questions about the timing, and with little evidence that a clean-up was needed. It alienated voters and angered most election supervisors who oversee voter rolls in the state’s 67 counties.

Yes, there have been isolated incidents of chicanery in obtaining absentee ballots on behalf of individual candidates, but there is no evidence of widespread efforts by the non-eligible to cast ballots. The new purge would be done before the 2014 election for statewide offices, including for Gov. Scott, who’s seeking a second term. Our advice to Messrs. Scott and Detzner: Give it up and move on. Spend the state’s money on better uses, like restoring voting rights in a more timely manner to felons who have served their time and deserve a second chance. Or seek better ways to guarantee the right to vote for all Florida citizens. . . .

If this new purge proceeds, beware, Florida voters.

"System crashes and error messages"

"The day after Florida launched a $63 million website to process unemployment benefits for thousands of residents, state officials sounded only positive notes."

Department of Economic Opportunity spokeswoman Jessica Sims called the debut of the CONNECT site a success. It had processed about 50,000 claims in two days and workers fielded thousands of calls.

Yet it’s not clear how the website is handling the demand of a system with 235,000 claimants. Sims said she didn’t know how many people failed to file a claim or how many phone calls weren’t picked up.

Context matters because a far different portrayal of CONNECT’s debut was playing across social media and in claims offices across the state. Facebook and Twitter were filled with complaints about wait times, system crashes and error messages — reviews echoing those that met the Oct. 1 debut of the Obamacare insurance exchange.

“Miss, you can’t talk to him,” the security guard told one recipient during an interview, causing her to walk away.

The job center employee said Jim McShane, the CEO of Workforce Plus who oversees the job centers in Tallahassee, instructed them to forbid interviews.

“I didn’t make that decision,” McShane said later. “We’re an open federal program so I don’t know why they would do that.”

McShane said there were several technical glitches on Tuesday when the site launched, and some had persisted. One major issue is that the CONNECT site wasn’t recognizing Social Security numbers and PIN codes claimants need to log into the site.

Sims said since its launch, the website has not crashed, despite a phone recording from the state’s 1-800 number late Tuesday and Facebook postings that said otherwise.

Problems were anticipated. In a letter sent to claimants two weeks ago, the DEO warned of long lines and extended wait times. The contractor of the CONNECT site, Deloitte, has had similar issues with unemployment system overhauls in Massachusetts and California.

Deloitte’s contract with Florida, signed in 2011, shows it has been amended several times. The final rollout is 10 months later and $6.4 million more expensive than initially anticipated, the contract shows.

Sims said cost increases were a result of changes to the scope of work required from Deloitte. The delay, she added, came at no extra cost to taxpayers and was a result of a “corrective action plan.” She did not specify why such a plan was needed.

The website underscores tension between the U.S. Labor Department and how Florida processes unemployment claims under Gov. Rick Scott.

Federal officials say Florida violated the civil rights of unemployed individuals because it required them to apply online for benefits.

"Scott gets his way"

"Hoping to quell some opposition to the controversial Common Core State Standards, the state Board of Education opted Tuesday not to adopt the reading samples associated with the new national benchmarks. . . . Board members also voted to extend the school grade 'safety net' through the 2014-15 school year. The measure will prevent school grades from dipping more than one letter in any given year during the transition to new standards and tests, which are considered more challenging." "Gov. Scott gets his way with Common Core standards".

Rubio a real joker

"Apparently when it comes to the government shutdown battle over the implications of Obamacare, all Senator Marco Rubio has to offer is lame pop culture jokes." "Marco Rubio's Shutdown Solution? American Horror Story Jokes".

"Florida has 763,890 people in the 'coverage gap'"

"Florida has 763,890 people in the "coverage gap" -- uninsured residents who are not old enough for Medicare, who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but who make too little money to qualify for subsidized health insurance through the new federal Affordable Care Act, according to a new Kaiser study."

The study, released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation, offers a lower number than previously-used estimates from the Urban Institute, of 995,000 Floridians. Kaiser officials say they used slightly different methodology and updated data.

These are poor people. By definition, they make less than the federal poverty level, which is $11,490 for an individual and $23,550 for a family of four. They have no insurance, and have no government programs to help them afford any.

Central Florida layoffs

"Lockheed Martin Corp. plans to hand out pink slips to about 600 workers across the country in its Mission Systems and Training division, which includes its Orlando simulation technology operation, the company said Wednesday. . . . Lockheed would be the second defense contractor in as many months to carry out layoffs at Central Florida simulation training operations." "Lockheed to lay off 600 across mission, training systems". Meanwhile, Scott is all about throwing money: "Scott seeks $35M more for port projects, including Canaveral". See also "Scott announces $35 million ports plan".

"Immigration reform efforts in danger of being ignored"

Tampa Trib editorial board: "Hundreds of marchers gathered in downtown Tampa this week to make certain immigration reform isn’t shoved into oblivion by the raging debates in Washington over government shutdowns and health care." "Immigration reform efforts in danger of being ignored".

"Tea party takeover" in Hillsborough

"Hillsborough County Tea Party leader Sharon Calvert and one of her political allies both won offices in the Hillsborough County Republican Party on Tuesday, leading one GOP leader to worry about a tea party takeover." "Tea Party leader wins office in Hillsborough GOP".

Scott slams DC Dems

"Gov. Rick Scott and other Republican elected officials slammed the lack of progress in federal government shutdown and debt ceiling talks. They did not, however, specifically criticize a strategy by congressional Republicans to shut down the government if President Barack Obama did not agree to defund the Affordable Care Act, his signature piece of legislation." "Florida leaders deride Washington 'dysfunction' but avoid specifics".

"Scott's Gaining Traction"

"A poll from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, released on Oct. 15, 2013, confirms the University of North Florida's poll from the previous week. Gov. Rick Scott is closing the gap between him and Charlie Crist. The poll has Crist leading 46 to 41 percent. In June, Quinnipiac, among other polls, had Crist leading by double digits." "Campaign Note: Cabinet: Governor".

Jeff Henderson: "Despite all his flaws as a public speaker and his strained attempts to connect with the public, Scott can count on the support of voters who don’t like him but still think he is up to the job in Tallahassee. Scott is serious and focused. That’s not exactly something that can be said of Crist with his various party changes, policy shifts and constant pursuit of the next office." "It's Working? Not Quite Yet But Rick Scott's Gaining Traction".

Does Murphy win indicate bigger things to come for FlaDems?

"Florida Democrats added one more to their 44-member minority in the Florida House on Tuesday by narrowly capturing a Pasco County legislative seat in a special election."

The former holder of the office, Republican Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, had been tapped by Gov. Rick Scott to serve as Pasco tax collector, and the GOP candidate to replace him, Bill Gunter, had a nearly three-to-one financial advantage over Democrat Amanda Murphy (if you count just direct spending by the campaigns and in-kind support from the parties). . . .

Democrats quickly claimed the race could indicate bigger things to come next year, or even 2016.

Murphy squeaked by in a race that had turned negative, winning by 322 votes -- or a 1.7 percent margin -- in a race with 19.9 percent turnout. She also benefitted from a rare series of intervening events unlikly to be duplicated in next year's general election.

For starters, the former incumbent, Fasano, holds extraordnary name-ID in the district, and endorsed Murphy over the Republican. The race drew an inordinant amount of attention from the Florida Democratic Party, which has demonstrated in the past that its single focus in 2014 will be the Governor's Mansion, not down-ballot races (for example, who have they got running for AG?).

The government shutdown likely at least temporarily soured some GOP voters to the brand (nationally polling suggests as much).

Striding the world stage

"Marco Rubio and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Urge Obama to Keep Sanctions on Iran".

Special Master says Republican consultant not required to disclose redistricting papers

"A 'special master' appointed to deal with a dispute over documents related to the 2012 redistricting process has ruled that a Republican consultant shouldn't have to give those records to groups challenging the new political maps in court."

Former Supreme Court Justice Major Harding's report, dated Monday, says that Pat Bainter and employees of his Gainesville-based firm, Data Targeting Inc., shouldn't have to produce hundreds of pages of documents shared inside the company and with the Republican Party of Florida, which paid Bainter for work during the redistricting process.

What about Rod Smith?

Barney Bishop writes that, "there is only one person" who can beat Rick Scott – "Rod Smith. The former state senator and Democratic Party chair is a charismatic politician who hails from north Central Florida. In his first race for office he defeated a Republican state attorney and he went on to serve with distinction for eight years. . . . Rod was a union lawyer for the firefighters and unions early in his legal career. He’s also a staunch law-and-order politician who can go toe-to-toe with ol’ Chain Gang Charlie in the primary. Remember it was Rod who put Gainesville-killer Danny Rolling on death row for his heinous murders. Consequently, Rod is admired by sheriffs and state attorneys around the state for his intellect and his courtroom skills." "Best Democrat to Run Against Rick Scott? Not Charlie Crist or Nan Rich".

As the battle over the healthcare law grinds on — Republicans no closer to victory than when they forced the government shutdown — a different fight was rising on a recent Saturday from inside Sharkey’s, a bar near the campus of Virginia Tech, 260 miles away.

Lured by free beer, gift cards and the chance to win an iPad, 100 students heard a pitch from the young staffers of a group named Generation Opportunity: Obamacare is a bad deal, and you should opt out.

With enrollment in the insurance marketplaces under way, and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars being spent on a public-awareness campaign, critics are aiming a provocative counter-effort at a critical population: millennials, age 18 to 29, who may not feel the need or have the money for insurance.

Because if too few young, healthy people sign up, Obamacare will be denied the financial blood to support older, more needy participants. So the race is on for the attention of 2.7 million people deemed necessary to enroll in the first year for Obamacare to be successful.

Generation Opportunity, which formed in 2011 and gets funding in part from the conservative Koch brothers, is about to embark on a tour of 20 college towns nationally, including a Nov. 9 stop at the University of Miami. The pitch is that you shouldn’t feel compelled by the government to buy insurance, and that it may be cheaper outside the marketplaces.

A blueprint for an upcoming tailgate calls for games such as beer pong and cornhole, free Taco Bell and beer. Pictures of people signing petitions to opt out would be sent over Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Putnam's raw political courage

"Speaking at the Florida Energy Summit in Orlando, Putnam says he will propose a $250 million reduction in sales taxes that businesses pay for energy. And he says revenue from the other half of the tax would go to the Public Education Capital Outlay Fund, which pays for school construction and maintenance programs but has been strapped for revenue in recent years." "Putnam calls for energy tax cut, outlines other legislative proposals".

"Scott the recipient of money from a deep pool of political insiders"

"Gov. Rick Scott already has raised a whopping $18.5 million in pursuit of a second term."

Scott's political committee, Let's Get to Work, is a magnet for big-money donations from a variety of special interests seeking favors or an audience with the governor's office. Scott's incumbency and reliably pro-business positions make him a safe bet for donors.

With nearly 2,600 donors to date, Scott's re-election fundraising strategy is a stark contrast to his 2010 campaign, when he ran as an outsider, was shunned by the Republican Party network and financed his effort with more than $70 million of his money. This time, Scott is the recipient of money from a deep pool of political insiders, and with the election still more than a year away, he runs a lean operation, having spent about 10 cents of every dollar raised.

"Free market warriors like Gov. Rick Scott are howling"

Fred Grimm: "Here in Florida, we’re dead set against subsidized deficit-laden government-run insurance programs."

Except for that one.

No, no. Not Obama’s government-subsidized insurance program. Not the one supposed to underwrite insurance policies for the state’s 3.8 million citizens with no medical insurance. Hell, no. That stuff for poor people — that’s godless socialism. That’s un-American.

But when it comes to federal flood insurance, to hell with that free-market stuff. We want our damn subsidies back.

A new law designed to gradually wean flood insurance policy holders off their federal subsidies, and discourage development in flood-prone areas, comes with some daunting rate increases. Buyers interested in some 268,000 Florida homes in flood-prone areas will be saddled with higher, sometimes much higher, rates.

The new law has gummed up real estate sales in coastal areas, particularly the barrier islands and the Florida Keys. Suddenly, free market warriors like Gov. Rick Scott are howling for a return to government support. Scott may hate government deficits, but when it comes to the flood insurance program’s $24 million worth of red ink — not so much.

Bradshaw walks

"Bradshaw resigns from State Board of Education".

Luv 4 sale

"The Rubin Group is one of the smallest lobbying firms on SSN’s list with only three lobbyists. Despite its size, the firm still plays a pivotal role in lobbying throughout Florida and ranks No. 4 on Sunshine State News’ list of Top Lobbyists in Florida." "Rubin Group Lobbying Home to Health Care Powerhouses".

Rubio bows to "conservative blowback"

Marc Caputo: "Obamacare has unexpected boosters: the politicians who hate Obamacare."

The more Washington Republicans have fought the unpopular Affordable Care Act, the more popular it has paradoxically become, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll last week.

The partial government shutdown — precipitated by the GOP over Obamacare — and the DC brinksmanship over the nation’s debt limit has started to damage Republicans much more than Democrats.

the far right has become more emboldened despite President Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential win and the calls for Republican leaders to play smarter politics. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio appeared to heed the call when it came to backing comprehensive immigration reform. But the conservative blowback was significant.

Rubio this July started talking less about immigration and more about defunding Obamacare or not voting for a debt-ceiling increase without a balanced-budget plan.

Rubio joined a Republican filibuster Saturday to block a so-called “clean” debt ceiling increase.

“I opposed Senate Democrats’ latest attempt to raise the debt limit by $1.1 trillion because it fails to address our real debt crisis, reform spending, encourage economic growth and do the necessary things to protect the American dream,” Rubio said.

But Democrats are making the case that failing to increase the debt limit could crash the economy and thereby ruin the American dream quickly. Also, Rubio did relatively little as a state House member and Florida House speaker to grapple with rising health insurance costs in a state with one of the highest rates of the uninsured.

There’s also a measure of irony in Rubio’s criticisms of the lack of certainty caused by Obamacare and current tax-and-spending policy: The Republican-precipitated budget-and-debt fights have led to economic uncertainty.

Some Republicans, like newly elected Gainesville U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, are part of a vocal but still-small group that are being branded “debt deniers” when it comes to their opposition to lifting the debt ceiling. “I think we need to have that moment where we realize [we’re] going broke,” Yoho told the Washington Post. “I think, personally, it would bring stability to the world markets.”

The overwhelming number of business leaders, economists and nonpartisan analysts say failure to lift the debt ceiling (set to be reached Oct. 17 or so) would eventually cause serious economic problems.

But Yoho and company say they’re not convinced. They say the Treasury Department, unable to fund government at current levels without a debt-limit increase, could prioritize payments to ensure there was no debt default and make sure that Social Security and Medicare payments are properly prioritized by the administration.

House District 36 special election

"Special election under way for House District 36 seat in Pasco".

Sink is well-positioned to take Bill Young's seat

Jeff Henderson: "Weeks after closing the door to running again for governor, Alex Sink could be on the verge of a political comeback. While she hasn’t officially jumped in, Sink is well-positioned to enter the contest for the Tampa Bay congressional seat left open by Bill Young’s retirement." "Alex Sink Goes to Washington?"

Meanwhile, "Republican former state Rep. Larry Crow has announced his candidacy for the congressional seat being vacated by C.W. Bill Young." "Former state Rep. Larry Crow announces for Young seat".

Puffing Putnam

Nancy Smith writes that "It's Easy to See Why Adam Putnam Wins Elections".

Campaign to Fix the Debt comes to Florida

Kevin Derby: "The Campaign to Fix the Debt, led by former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, will be hitting the airwaves in Florida, looking to get voters’ attention on the national debt." "'Campaign to Fix the Debt' Hits Florida Airwaves".

"Five Questions for Mark Pafford"

"Five Questions for Mark Pafford".

"Is Scott running for governor — or a well-tipped maitre d'?"

Daniel Ruth: "Scott's Let Get To Perks racket has pulled in $2.5 million from health care interests (including $637,500 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida), $1.2 million from real estate companies, $1.1 million from the "gaming" (read: gambling) industry, $980,000 from agricultural concerns, $911,000 from the insurance business, $865,000 from other political action committee bag men, $760,000 from developers and $729,000 from state-regulated utilities."

And this is only as of Sept. 20. We still have 13 months to go before the 2014 gubernatorial election, when you have to believe the ultimate tally of legalized baksheesh will top the $70 million Scott spent of his own money in 2010 to buy the governorship as if it was a charm bracelet trinket.

And as political figures go, Scott exudes all the joie de vivre of It's a Wonderful Life's Mr. Potter.

At the same time $18.5 million can buy a great deal of air time, transforming the governor's personality into an action hero. It buys an awful lot of access, too.

Up in Washington, government has ground to a virtual standstill.

But as Scott has demonstrated, the governor's office is wide open for business if you have the financial wherewithal to pay the cover charge.

It's an open question ,though. Is Scott running for governor — or a well-tipped maitre d'?

Common Core

"Florida's debate over Common Core will play out in public this week. The Association of District School Superintendents will call on the State Board of Education to continue with its implementation and the board will hold three public hearings on the proposed standards for English and math." "Florida talks Common Core".

Sorry Ricky, "It’s not working"

"Republican Gov. Rick Scott, whose catchphrase “It’s working” is the theme for his re-election, has been willing to try just about anything to get Floridians to like him."

It’s not working.

Since the day he was elected, polls have shown that more Floridians dislike him than like him. Not that he hasn’t made efforts to win them over. He tried social media outreach, then gave it up. He tried dressing casual, then gave it up. He tried doing “Let’s Get to Work Days” but seems to have abandoned those, too.

While Scott has said policy and not popularity is what’s important, it’s clear his staff and his party are trying hard to make him more likable. That could be especially important, with the prospect of opposing one of the state’s most likable politicians, former Gov. Charlie Crist, as he seeks re-election.

“They keep trying to grab at straws in trying to get his name out there, and they just need to let him be who he is,” said Jamie Miller, a Republican political consultant. “They don’t need to change who he is, they just need to portray him as who he is.”

Scott once said in an interview that polls don’t matter. “People think that being governor is a popularity contest. No. Your job is to be the governor,” Scott said during an interview with The Associated Press his first year in office. His office said he wasn’t available for an interview Thursday and Friday.

FlaGOPers ready to flip flop on shutdown

Florida GOPers are hiding under their desks, and expressing "resentment . . . against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and other tea-party hardliners involved in the shutdown." "Some local GOP Congress members reconsider shutdown goal".

"Boehner and his tea party posers"

Carl Hiaasen: "So they’ve shut down the national parks. No big deal, right?"

Evidently the parks are considered a minor, low-profile casualty in the Republicans’ war on Obamacare.

In the Florida Keys last Wednesday, about 150 boats filled with fishing guides and their families gathered at Cowpens Channel to protest the closing of Everglades National Park.

It’s unique among our 401 national parks because so much of it is water — more than 800 square miles accessible by boat, canoe or kayak.

ENP is a live tapestry of mangrove islets, flats and snaking channels stretching from Everglades City on the west coast almost all the way to Long Key, encompassing the Ten Thousand Islands and most of Florida Bay.

Since the days of Zane Grey, the area has been one of the world’s legendary sportfishing destinations. Now the guides who go there every day have been ordered to stay out. They’re losing customers, losing money and losing faith. . . .

Twice before the ENP and other parks were padlocked during a budget standoff. It happened in 1995 and 1996, back when House Republicans were trying to stick it to Bill Clinton.

The shutdowns were an epic failure sparking bitter political backlash, yet here we are again. . . .

OK, so a couple hundred fishing guides from Naples to Marathon have to suck it up while the political stalemate festers for a while longer. Hey, it’s better than closing down the Defense Department or the VA, right?

But here’s who else is getting screwed while the parks are shut down and the tourists stay away: Owners of all the nearby hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, bars, marinas, grocery stores, tackle shops and gas stations, and everybody employed by them.

Mechanics, maids, bartenders, waiters, cooks, checkout clerks — ordinary folks who’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve this. They don’t work for the government but they’ve effectively been downgraded to “non-essential.”

Ironically, no place has been spanked harder by the parks shutdown than Washington, D.C., where the economy depends on millions of tourists coming to the national monuments and free museums, now closed to the public.

The pain being suffered by the capital’s idle taxi drivers and tour bus operators isn’t enough to move House Speaker John Boehner and his tea party posers, nor is the distant plight of South Florida’s fishing guides.

And in the "stupid is . . ." category, we have this from Ted Yoho: "House Republicans being reasonable in shutdown debate"

"Parties spending heavily in Gunter-Murphy race"

"The special election for former Rep. Mike Fasano's House District 36 seat is to be held on Tuesday." "Parties spending heavily in Gunter-Murphy race".

A low bid world

"Contractor defaults — companies failing to perform the work they’re hired to do — are becoming a problem for the city of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the Department of Transportation. All three have seen contracts go bust this year because a low bidder failed to perform." "Broken contracts burden county, city, officials say".

"Las Vegas-style casinos in Florida?"

"Florida lawmakers will soon have to show their cards in a high-stakes game. Do they expand gambling by allowing Las Vegas-style casinos in Florida? And if they do, how will the Seminole Tribe of Florida react?" "Lawmakers to weigh Seminole gambling deal".

"Knowingly destroying our environment"

Bill Maxwell: "In Florida, environmentalists have their unique definition of insanity: knowingly destroying our environment — one of our major economic resources — while blocking efforts to slow or stop the destruction."

This brand of insanity plays out daily and has for decades, from the moment business owners, their political supporters and lobbyists learned that the abuse of our precious wild places can bring huge profits.

Here on the southeast coast, the Indian River Lagoon, the St. Lucie River and its estuary are being polluted like never before — perhaps irreversibly — by an algae slime that proliferates from excess manure, sewage and fertilizer released by municipalities and, of course, from Lake Okeechobee.

Research clearly shows that most of the nutrients flowing into Lake Okeechobee come from tributaries in the northern Everglades. This is Big Sugar country, the Everglades Agricultural Area, where most of the nation's sugarcane is grown. Adjacent regions also are affected by discharges from the lake.

Elected officials and others have known for more than 30 years about our nutrient-rich water problems, but they consistently have put business interests ahead of eliminating the sources of the pollution. The discharge of dirty water from Lake Okeechobee is not new. It has been going on since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the dike around the lake decades ago and created a reservoir system that enabled the sugar industry to operate without major interruptions or effective regulation.

That is a clear sign of the insanity.

Charter madness

"Under the large apple logo of the Charter Schools USA chain, uniformed children walk single-file down the tidy halls at Renaissance Charter School at Chickasaw Trail. Despite the school's F grade from the state, the K-7 school has a waiting list. Eager parents drop by in a steady stream, asking how to enroll their kids. And despite the Orange County School Board's determination to stop it, the school chain hopes to be expanding here soon." "Embattled charter chain fights to add schools in Orange County".

Meanwhile, "students and families are leaving a brand new Pinellas charter school by the dozens amid concerns of bullying and missing textbooks."