The Palm Beach Post editors: "GOP lawmakers’ cries of foul over redistricting ring hollow."

Favored son follies

"Five of [Jeb's past] business associates have been convicted of crimes; one remains an international fugitive on fraud charges."

One of them was a tenant in Museum Tower, a high-rolling young Colombian named Alberto Duque, who had somehow secured

$124 million in loans to finance a small bank and a coffee company. Duque drove around town in a Rolls-Royce and hosted Bush and other Miami luminaries at a lavish dinner. He once flew Bush to Costa Rica on his private jet to attend the presidential inauguration.

In 1986, Duque was convicted on 60 counts of bank fraud involving up to $100 million in loans. After serving seven of 15 years in prison, he fled from a halfway house and remains a fugitive.

Meanwhile, "Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is slamming President Barack Obama's outreach to Iran and Cuba, calling his diplomacy with the two nations evidence of 'every flawed strategic, moral and economic notion' that has driven his foreign policy." "In speech, Rubio slams Obama's outreach to Iran and Cuba." See also "Jeb Bush refuses to rule out use of torture if he becomes US president."

Batista's last gasp

As the revisionists whine, the Sun Sentinel editors write that the "End of Cuba isolation should benefit all."

RPOF front group loads up

"Florida Chamber of Commerce Expands Team, Bringing on New Staffers."

"Bad news for Jeb"

Kevin Derby: "Outsiders are starting to find the 2016 presidential election to be fertile ground, which is bad news for Jeb Bush." "Jeb Bush Swimming Against the Tide as 2016 Favors Outsiders."

At least three amendments were filed to the proposed map Wednesday — two of them in the House and one in the Senate — as lawmakers prepared for meetings Thursday of the House Select Committee on Redistricting and the Senate Reapportionment Committee.

Both panels will take up the same “base map” developed by staff to start discussions about the districts. Senate leaders have indicated that more than one hearing could be held if necessary.

Here's the Florida Senate's Redistricting web page, and the Committee on Reapportionment's web page.

"Dems Go Left"

"The two congressional Democrats running to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., are trying to rally the party’s base behind them as they ready for what should be a competitive primary. Rubio is running for the Republican presidential nomination and has said he will not run for a second Senate term." "Democrats Go Left in the Race to Replace Marco Rubio in the Senate."

Floridians "living from paycheck to paycheck

It is no surprise that "the South had a much higher percentage of adults living from paycheck to paycheck, with 38 percent saying they lived that way."

[O]nly two Southern states (Alabama and Florida) had their own minimum-wage laws, which means people in those states have to rely on the federal minimum wage.

But an even greater percentage of Floridians were living paycheck to paycheck -- nearly 10 percent higher than the average for the entire South. The survey polled 139 Floridians with a margin of of error of 8 percent.

Nearly half of Floridians from the ages of 25 to 34 said they’re living paycheck to paycheck. Now, according to Sperling’s Best Places, Florida doesn’t have an average cost of living higher than the national average, but Floridians do make less money than the national median income.

Debtors prisons persist in Florida

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "Free poor from 'debtors prison'."

Favored son follies

"Rubio's plight that should be considered more carefully: the dork factor. Rubio's latest dork-out is not rap-related, nor does it involve a water bottle, but it's still pretty hard to take." "Marco Rubio Wants You to Know that a Fertilized Human Egg Cannot Become a Cat (or a Donkey)."

See also "Walker and Rubio would be GOP's most extreme nominee on abortion ever" and "Jeb Bush Is Even Nuttier Than Trump Now."

Grayson doubles down on his attacks against primary rival U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy

"U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., doubled down on his attacks against primary rival U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., as the battle to replace U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in the Senate heats up." "Alan Grayson Recommends 'Schoolhouse Rock' for 'Ineffective' Patrick Murphy."

A "voucher" by any other name

Scott Maxwell: "Ever since Florida implemented school vouchers under Jeb Bush, many of Bush’s “reform” disciples have been on a crusade to try to stop people from calling them vouchers."

Instead, they have insisted they were “scholarships.”

Now, I’ve always been of the opinion that you can call a pile of dog poop a tricycle. It’s still a pile of dog poop.

Bondi continues to establish her right-wing bona fides at taxpayer expense

"Bondi, who chairs the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), and 16 other state attorneys general filed a petition on Tuesday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) act focusing on emissions from power plants. . . . While Bondi has closed the door to running for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2016, she has garnered some buzz as a potential candidate in 2018. Bondi has been active at the national level, leading the coalition of states that unsuccessfully challenged Obama's federal health-care law." "Pam Bondi Leading States Against Obama Administration Again, This Time on EPA."

While the House’s discussion on the process remained fairly succinct and lasted only a few minutes to hammer out scheduling details, the Senate stayed to discuss the redistricting process for much longer.

Senators had a particularly keen interest in the way the maps would be redrawn -- the chain of events in this special session is bound to play some role for state senators down the road, because another special session to redraw the state Senate districts is set for October.

Taxpayers pay for governor’s misdeeds

"Taxpayers should not be forced to shell out at least $700,000 for governor’s misdeeds." "Pay up, Mr. Scott!."

FloridaStrong

"The liberal group FloridaStrong is back at it with attacks against the Florida Legislature, this time criticizing state lawmakers for their 'blatant disregard for the state constitution.'" "Liberal Group FloridaStrong Attacks State Lawmakers over Redistricting."

Jeb's phony war on Planned Parenthood

Mary Sanchez of the Kansas City Star writes that, "with one careless comment, Jeb Bush revealed a fundamentally indifferent attitude toward half the U.S. electorate."

“I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues,” he said in a speech at the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville.

The inevitable statement soon followed, admitting he “misspoke” and adding that “there are countless community health centers, rural clinics and other women’s health organizations that need to be fully funded.”

Too late. The game was on. Hillary Clinton blasted back, “When you attack women’s health, you attack America’s health.”

The plain truth is that the Republicans really don’t care that the bulk of Planned Parenthood’s work has nothing to do with abortion. Nor do they care about standards of accuracy in the accusations they make against the organization.