Thousands of jobless Floridians will be kicked off unemployment benefits in two weeks unless Congress extends the benefits before the end of the year.

A federal budget deal passed by Congress last week did not include an extension of emergency unemployment benefits, meaning 75,000 jobless workers in Florida will stop receiving benefits Dec. 28 if no further action is taken.

As Gov. Rick Scott and fellow Republican lawmakers have reduced weeks of state benefits and added work search and skills test requirements as conditions of receiving benefits in recent years, unions and workers’ rights groups have grown more vocal about the difficulty of pulling down jobless benefits in Florida.

The task of receiving an unemployment check has grown more difficult in recent months. A switch to a new computer system called CONNECT in October has caused delays for thousands. Legal service providers say they’ve seen a spike in claimants reaching out for help since the switch happened Oct. 15.

Big of 'em

"Florida school named for KKK leader to change name".

To replace Young

"With U.S. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., in Florida to raise money for former state CFO Alex Sink, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is on the attack. Sink is the Democratic candidate in the special election for the congressional seat left open by the death of longtime U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla." "Alex Sink, GOP Candidates Battle for Position in Pinellas County Special Election".

"The first order of business for the Miami-Dade County Commission’s last meeting of the year Tuesday will be to uphold or override a veto by Mayor Carlos Gimenez." "Miami-Dade commissioners scheduled to take up mayor’s veto on workers’ pay".

"Will Anyone Investigate Hollingsworth?"

Nancy Smith: "It probably never occurred to Adam Hollingsworth that the lie he told on a job application in the mid-1990s could set him up for a second-degree felony conviction in 2013."

It probably won't, but it could. The governor's chief of staff is, after all, serving in one of the highest public posts in the state of Florida. . . .

Chapter 837.06 of the Florida Statutes reads, "Whoever knowingly makes a false statement in writing with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of his official duty shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.775.082 and s.775.083."

Mary Ellen Klas of the Times-Herald Tallahassee bureau broke the story Dec. 6, revealing Hollingsworth, who worked for CSX Corp. from 1995-2000 and again from 2002-2004, inflated his resume with the transportation giant by claiming he had received a bachelor’s degree in 1990.

Hollingsworth, 45, denied that falsifying his resume contributed to his departure from CSX in 2004, but he fully, apologetically admitted he lied on his resume.

The Week Ahead

"As the Capitol quiets down this week with the approach of the Christmas holiday the Office of Economic and Demographic Research holds three meetings this week, one to discuss long-term expenditures of Medicaid, another to discuss the state's long-term revenue picture and another to discuss PreK-12 enrollment." "The Week Ahead for Dec. 16 to Dec. 20, 2013".

Rubio got his

"Sen. Marco Rubio is at odds with some Obamacare critics in Congress who are refusing a federal employer contribution for their healthcare." "Rubio defends subsidy after Obamacare signup".

Lawson rules out run

"Lawson rules out run for contested congressional seat".

This GOP race could get ugly

"Businessman Jay Fant started strong out of the gate as he battles Paul Renner for the Republican nomination to replace Daniel Davis in the Florida House. Davis is leaving the House to focus on leading the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce."

Fant has raised eyebrows with his strong fundraising. After doing nothing after jumping in the race in October, Fant went all out in November, raising more than $139,000, loaning his campaign $138,000 and keeping most of it in the bank. Fant is getting looks from the Republican leadership in Tallahassee and having pros like Brett Doster in his corner can only help.

But Renner is no lightweight, even though he is not keeping pace with Fant in the money race. Since getting in the race in early July, Renner has raised almost $77,000 and had around $69,000 on hand at the end of November. Renner also has pros on his side, including Data Targeting.

With two strong candidates running in the race so far, First Coast Republicans are starting to take sides. Having done legal work for the Republicans, Renner has major ties and he’s reeled in some major endorsements, including the backing of John Thrasher and John Rutherford. At first glance, Renner should have the edge on Fant in terms of GOP ties. But Fant’s family has been in banking for decades in the area and he has gotten some big endorsements of his own, including John Peyton.

This race could get ugly.

Dan Gelber, a former state senator from Miami Beach and a Crist supporter, recently praised Crist for helping felons restore their civil rights, which includes the right to vote.

Gelber wrote that Crist, as governor, "sought for and got approved the automatic restoration of felon rights for nonviolent offenders for the first time in Florida history (since reversed by Governor Scott)."

Was Crist the first? Not really.

Restoring felons' civil rights can include the right to vote, serve on a jury and run for office.

In the 1970s, there was pressure from the Legislature on Gov. Reubin Askew, a Democrat, to make it easier to restore civil rights. Legislators passed a bill in 1974 that included automatic reinstatement, but the Florida Supreme Court declared that unconstitutional because it bypassed the governor's clemency power.

Askew then persuaded the Cabinet to amend the clemency rules to make restoration easier.

Randall Berg, a civil rights attorney at the Florida Justice Institute, told PolitiFact that Askew was motivated by a personal belief that "after one had served their time, they had paid their debt and ought to start with a clean slate so they might become productive members of society."

Askew also wanted to speed up the process. The Cabinet restored rights in its role as the Executive Clemency Review Board, but meetings were only held quarterly, and the process was slow.

Kerry Claims to be Involved' With Freeing Gross from Cuba

"On Sunday night, CNN ran an interview with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in which he talked about Latin American affairs, including efforts to release American relief worker Alan Gross from Cuba. Kerry said he has 'personally been involved' with efforts to release Gross." "John Kerry Says He Has 'Personally Been Involved' With Freeing Alan Gross From Cuba".

Dream Defenders branching out, form nine Florida chapters

"As Florida lawmakers were preparing to defeat a bill last month that would repeal the "stand your ground" self-defense law, the leader of the fledgling Dream Defenders pledged his group would "remember, remember" the vote next November."

"We are here because we are very, very serious and we do not feel safe," Philip Agnew told the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee shortly before Democrats and Republicans joined in killing the bill. "We ask you to not allow Disney World to be the only place in this state where dreams come true for young people."

Initially helped out by Democratic-aligned organizations and civil-rights groups such as the Advancement Project, the Dream Defenders are making good on that pledge. They are branching out, forming nine chapters on state university campuses from Tallahassee to Orlando to Miami and targeting the 2014 elections.

"Low-wage work swamp"

Joan Walsh: "2013 is the year many Americans discovered the crisis of the working poor. It turns out it’s also the crisis of the welfare poor. That’s tough for us: Americans notoriously hate welfare, unless it’s called something else and/or benefits us personally. We think it’s for slackers and moochers and people who won’t pull their weight."

So we’re not sure how to handle the fact that a quarter of people who have jobs today make so little money that they also receive some form of public assistance, or welfare – a proportion that’s much higher in some of the fastest growing sectors of the workforce. Or that 60 percent of able-bodied adult food-stamp recipients are employed.

McDonald’s workers alone receive $1.2 billion in public aid, the study found. This is an industry, by the way, that last year earned $7.44 billion in profits, paid their top execs $52.7 million and distributed $7.7 billion in dividends and stock buyback. Still, “public benefits receipt is the rule, rather than the exception, for this workforce,” the study concluded.

Then there’s Wal-Mart, which as Salon’s Josh Eidelson recently reported, boasted to a Goldman Sachs conference that “over 475K” of its 1.3 million workers make more than $25,000 a year – which lets us infer that almost 60 percent make less.

Democrats on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce estimated that the giant low-cost retail chain benefits from many billions in public-assistance funding; one Wisconsin “superstore” costs taxpayers at least $1 million a year in public assistance to workers’ families. Remember, too, that six members of the Walton family own as much wealth as 48 million Americans combined.

Republicans demanded work from welfare recipients; (most) Democrats went along, but demanded new support for low-wage workers: an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, wider Medicaid and food stamp eligibility, new (though not nearly sufficient) child care subsidies. (As an Illinois state senator, Obama was critical, but later endorsed the deal.) The new support programs also helped millions of low-wage workers who never relied on welfare; as wages continued to stagnate and even decline, more people became eligible.

But as labor advocates began to realize and protest the extent to which employers were relying on taxpayers to support their workforce a decade ago, some liberals told them not to worry about it. Responding to an earlier wave of organizing against Wal-Mart’s labor practices, President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors chair, Jason Furman, wrote a hugely influential 2005 paper, “Wal-Mart: A Progressive Success Story.” (Eight years later, it sounds like he was trolling us.) The former Clinton economic advisor argued that the big box chain’s low prices helped poor people, and that its employees’ reliance on public assistance wasn’t a bug but a feature of progressive social policy.

Furman credited President Clinton with presiding over “the transformation of our social safety net from a support for the indigent to a system that makes work pay… expansions in support for low-income workers, including a more generous Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and efforts to ensure that children did not lose their Medicaid if their parents took a low-paid job.” Essentially, Wal-Mart employees’ reliance on such programs represented good social democratic policy, Furman argued. And in a memorable exchange with Barbara Ehrenreich in Slate, he chided Wal-Mart’s progressive critics for “playing on the atavistic anti-welfare, anti-government, anti-tax instincts of some conservatives.” (Leave it to a Clinton-era Democrat to blame progressives for the well-established “atavistic anti-welfare instincts” of the right.)

Although Furman’s Wal-Mart paper is eight years old, it was widely cited as a reason for progressives to question his appointment as CEA chair earlier this year (though progressive economists from Jared Bernstein to Paul Krugman endorsed his selection). Just a few months ago, when the Washington, D.C., City Council passed a bill requiring non-union big-box retailers to pay a $12.50 minimum wage, Wal-Mart emailed reporters Furman’s piece in defense.

Interestingly, I’ve never seen Furman defend or qualify or update the paper, even in the face of a new wave of anti-Wal-Mart organizing. I wasn’t entirely comfortable using an eight-year-old paper to stand in for his views, so I asked White House communications officials if he would talk to me about it. I got no reply.

GOP Primary Complicates Danish-Harrison Rematch

"Shawn Harrison wants a rematch with Mark Danish for a Florida House seat representing parts of Hillsborough County but a new Republican candidate could complicate things." "New Candidate Complicates Mark Danish-Shawn Harrison Rematch in Hillsborough County".

Florida grads drowning in debt

"More Florida college graduates are drowning in debt".

Effort to sell conservation lands off to rocky start

"Florida's effort to sell off unneeded conservation lands is off to such a rocky start that it is unlikely to produce anything close to the $50 million envisioned by lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott."

Trying to kick-start the state's stalled land-conservation program, Scott and legislators agreed last spring to spend $70 million on environmental land-buying. Most of that amount — $50 million — would have to come from selling other lands "no longer necessary for conservation."

But since Florida's Department of Environmental Protection released a list of potential sales parcels totaling 5,300 acres in August, resistance from local politicians and environmental activists has been a steady drumbeat. More than 2,500 individuals and organizations have written letters and emails, the vast majority opposed to selling off various tracts.

Floridians desperate for employment gave him the benefit of the doubt and voted Mr. Scott into office despite the sketchy details of his job-creation promise. Three years later and working up a head of steam for a second campaign in 2014, the Republican chief executive unashamedly takes credit for every new job in the state.

Not so fast, governor.

The larger economic picture has undoubtedly improved since Mr. Scott took over. Some 440,000 private-sector jobs have been created in the state since January 2011, when Gov. Scott took office. The state’s unemployment rate has dropped from 11.1 percent to 6.7 percent. Those are positive measures of the economy’s rebound from the depths of the Great Recession, but the credit is not Mr. Scott’s alone by any means.

The analysis also found a loss of 49,163 jobs at companies with more than 100 employees and the loss of 37,736 jobs at companies with fewer than nine employees. Most important (and overlooked by Mr. Scott and his spokesmen), the nonpartisan economists at the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research announced in mid-2010 that Florida would add 1.05 million jobs between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2018, no matter who lived in the Governor’s Mansion, as a result of normal job growth.

Thus, to fulfill his promise of making a difference, Mr. Scott would have to come up with 1.7 million jobs in seven years. It would require the state to produce 20,000 jobs per month on average, every month, for seven years. The actual number is 12,000.

And who really deserves credit for those jobs that have been realized?

The effort to lure new companies and their jobs to the Sunshine State by pledging $266 million in tax breaks and other incentives is the most troubling. The number of jobs promised came to 45,258. Jobs delivered: 1,939. Meawhile, the number of layoffs at companies with more than 100 workers between January 2011 and November came to 49,163, according to federal data.

Given this poor performance, it may be time for the governor and Legislature to ask whether the state’s money could be put to better use. Making deals and attending ribbon-cuttings make for good PR, but so far this program hasn’t lived up to the governor’s promises.

More: "Shareable infographic detailing Gov. Rick Scott's jobs record", "County-by-county database tracking Gov. Rick Scott's jobs deals" and "Florida's lost jobs".

"Sink Ready for GOP Attacks "

"The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is going after former state CFO Alex Sink, the Democratic candidate in the special election for the congressional seat left open by the death of U.S. Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla." "Alex Sink Ready for GOP Attacks as NRCC Pours it On".

"Profoundly disturbing"

Carl Hiaasen writes that Willie Nelson "has canceled an upcoming performance at SeaWorld Orlando because of a CNN documentary called Blackfish, a profoundly disturbing account of the theme park’s exploitation of captive killer whales."

If you haven’t yet seen Blackfish, download it today. The film has been shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination, with good reason.

Last week, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart also scratched a SeaWorld show amid the outcry. The rock group has roots in Seattle, which isn’t far from the site of brutal roundups of baby killer whales during the late 1960s and early 70s.

Orcas are complex, highly intelligent mammals that in the wild would be traveling vast distances in close-knit family pods. Captive specimens spend their days in glorified guppy ponds performing stunts designed purely to amuse paying customers.

In a toothless response to Blackfish, Michael Scarpuzzi of San Diego SeaWorld defended the company’s “educational presentation” of orcas, and noted the thousands of uneventful interactions between trainers and whales during “exercise, play and enrichment.” . . .

There’s no denying that places like SeaWorld and the Seaquarium have educated millions of people about the beauty of orcas. Nor does the documentary leave any doubt that the trainers and vets who work directly with the whales care passionately for them.

It doesn’t change the fact that they exist in a state of extreme and stressful confinement. Imagine spending your whole life in a backyard swimming pool. Think you might get depressed every now and then? Bored out of your skull? Pissed off? . . .

The product being live, performing orca meat.

After watching Blackfish, you’ll wonder if that’s really what you want your kids to see on their next vacation.

Homestead absentee-ballot fraud case

"Miami-Dade police and prosecutors are investigating as potential fraud the case of four absentee ballots a Homestead family says campaign workers filled out against their wishes, the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald have learned." "Police, prosecutors investigate Homestead absentee-ballot fraud case" (subscription).

"Year of Water"

The Tampa Trib editors: "It’s too early to say whether the 2014 session of the Florida Legislature will be the 'Year of Water,' but momentum is building in that direction. And if correct policy decisions are made, the state will be in a stronger position to protect the environment, including Florida’s wondrous natural springs, strengthen the economy, and bolster agriculture."

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam recently noted that the environmental “devastation” on both sides of the state caused by the release of high volumes of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee this year has created “momentum” among lawmakers to fund water resource projects and discuss water policy next session.

In addition, Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, who has been chosen by colleagues to succeed House Speaker Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel after the 2014 session, has said that water issues will be a top priority during his two-year term overseeing the House.

Putting water on the front burner is essential to Florida’s future.

"High-stakes issue" in Miami-Dade

"Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez struck down Saturday county commissioners’ decision to restore most workers’ pay, forcing a new vote Tuesday on the high-stakes issue." "Mayor vetoes restoring workers’ pay, offers compromise bonus for low-paid employees" (subscription).

"His fists are forever clenched, and maybe his derriere, too"

John Romano: "There isn't an issue [Marco Rubio] can't attack, mock and then retreat from in a moment's notice. He speaks as if his fists are forever clenched, and maybe his derriere, too."

Yes, the clues are unmistakable.

Sen. Marco Rubio is positioning himself to run for … .

Columnist.

Think about it.

When does he lead? What does he accomplish? Who does he help?

Near as I can tell, he doesn't put in many office hours, has a hard time getting along with co-workers, and has few discernible skills other than a vicious ability to criticize.

In other words, he'd be perfect for this job.

Did you catch his critique on the bipartisan budget deal that passed the House last week? It was as if he was trying to scoop every columnist in the nation.

Before the deal was even completed, he was blasting it on Fox News radio. It didn't matter that details had yet to be released. . . .

He has absolutely no shame, which happens to be one of the first indicators a scout looks for in a budding columnist.

Go to Google and type in "Rubio" and "criticize" and "Obama." You get over a million hits. There's Rubio criticizing the president for not lecturing Raul Castro at a funeral. Rubio criticizing Obama for not intervening in Syria quickly enough. Rubio criticizing the Iran deal. Rubio criticizing executive actions. Rubio criticizing Obamacare. Rubio criticizing economic plans. Rubio criticizing the oil spill response. Rubio criticizing Obama's golf game. I could continue, but I think you get the idea.

Who else could spend months crafting his own signature piece of legislation for immigration, and then shamelessly turn his back on it at the first sign of pushback? It was as if he wasn't trying to solve this ongoing problem for immigrants and the rest of the nation, but was only interested in how it affected his own career and image.

I'm telling you, the guy could be a major newspaper columnist tomorrow.

The best he could do

"Sen. Tom Lee calls lieutenant governor's role 'opportunity to serve'".

"Scott and Weatherford are oblivious to reality"

The Tampa Bay Times editors remind us that: "Florida is stuck with a tea party governor who won't talk and a tea party House speaker who won't listen."

Gov. Rick Scott refuses to repeat his earlier support for Medicaid expansion, and House Speaker Will Weatherford refuses to hear the economic and moral arguments for accepting billions of federal dollars to cover the poor. Congress is finally rejecting such ideological rigidness in embracing a budget compromise, and the Legislature should do the same on health care. . . .

While the governor dodges, Weatherford clings to his flawed arguments against expansion as if they will ring true if he repeats them often enough. The Wesley Chapel Republican complains that Medicaid is a flawed system, yet fails to mention he refused to let the House vote on a bill passed 38-1 by the Senate that would have used the Medicaid money to subsidize private insurance. He accuses the Obama administration of being inflexible, yet the administration has allowed Arkansas to spend the Medicaid money on private insurance. He contends the Medicaid expansion would be too expensive, yet Washington would pay the entire cost for three years, other federal money to treat the poor will be cut and the state could save millions it spends now on health programs.

The real problem is that Weatherford believes adults are not entitled to access to affordable care and should just work harder to get better jobs that provide coverage. He's out of touch, and Floridians who need health care are out of time.

Their pinched ideology ignores the pent-up demand for health coverage by the Floridians they were elected to represent. In October and November, more than 18,000 Floridians tried the federal marketplace and learned they are eligible for Medicaid under the existing program. More than 17,000 Floridians picked a private plan — more residents than in any other state using the federal marketplace. Imagine how many more residents would be covered if the federal marketplace worked as intended or Florida had created its own exchange. . . .

The U.S. House stood up to conservative groups last week, approving a modest bipartisan budget compromise. Why won't reasonable Democrats and Republicans in the Florida Legislature do the same and stand up for uninsured Floridians and fiscal responsibility?

GOPers sling the mud in CD13

"The negative campaigning has begun in the Republican primary for Pinellas County's open congressional seat, with candidates David Jolly and Kathleen Peters attacking each other in separate mailings."

Jolly's mailing says "It's Pinellas County's worst nightmare … keeping Obamacare," and features pictures of Republican Peters, Democratic congressional candidate Alex Sink and President Barack Obama.

Which brings us to the piece Peters' campaign is sending out.

It asks "What kind of Republican makes campaign contributions to Obamacare liberals in Congress?"

It goes on to say that Jolly has contributed to some notable Democrats, including Jesse Jackson Jr., something not likely to be welcomed in a Republican primary. Jolly is a former aide to the late U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, and Jolly later became a lobbyist and Washington-based attorney and consultant. He said he has maintained relationships with several elected officials, and has contributed to many Republicans as well.

Entrepreneurs in action

"Some patients say South Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen is a ‘godsend.’ The feds say he bilked Medicare of $9 million." "Despite federal probe, patients of Palm Beach County eye doctor see him as ‘godsend’". More: "Fla. couple charged with Medicaid fraud".