FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWS CLIPS u2014 FEBRUARY 6

**FLASHBACK, NOVEMBER 3 2010**  “Voters passed two amendments to the state’s constitution Tuesday intended to radically limit the ability of the Republican-controlled legislature and governor’s mansion to gerrymander state and congressional districts…‘No apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.’ At the same time, redistricting should not have the ‘result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process.’ The districts must also be contiguous and compact.” [Politics Daily]

What to watch for this week: Legislative redistricting maps head to the Senate.

Romney’s enthusiasm gap by the numbers:
2008 Nevada Caucuses: Romney received 22,646 votes.
2012 Nevada Caucuses: Romney received 16,486 votes.
Romney lost independents by 16 points.
A recent Pew Research poll found nearly 3 in 5 GOP primary voters wanted another candidate to enter the race.

FDP’S TAKE ON THE GOP’S MAPS:

A slap in the face to Florida voters [SaintPetersBlog] ““This vote by the GOP is nothing less than a slap-in-the face to the 63 percent of Florida voters who approved Fair Districts — the maps passed today by the Florida House are unconstitutional, pure and simple,” state Democratic Party Executive Director Scott Arceneaux said in a statement Friday. “They represent just the type of partisan gerrymandering and incumbent protection voters rejected in 2010.”

Fighting to protect the voice of every Floridian [Washington Post] ““We have no doubt that the Florida courts will ultimately step in to protect the constitutional rights of every Floridian and throw out these maps,” said Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Scott Arceneaux in a statement.”

2012 RACES

Republican turnout in Florida primary speaks volumes [Tampa Bay Times] “Turnout in last week’s Republican presidential primary dropped 14 percent from Florida’s 2008 GOP primary.”

Obama campaign is gearing up for Florida November battle [Tampa Bay Times] “For Romney allies, who boasted of five full-time staffers — a fraction of what Obama already has in Florida — and a Florida ground organization that mainly consisted of mailing fliers to absentee votes, the scene in Tampa should be intimidating. Four years ago, Obama won Florida with the largest voter mobilization effort ever seen in Florida. This year’s effort could dwarf that.”

GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE

Florida Democrats working for fair budget [Florida Independent] “Flanked by nurses and educators, a group of Democratic state lawmakers held a press conference in the capital yesterday to denounce the GOP-led Legislature’s plans to cut health services in the state budget in order to save money for education.”

State Report: High speed rail would have been profitable [Tampa Tribune] “The high-speed rail project that Gov. Rick Scott doomed last February by turning down more than $2 billion in federal money would have made an annual surplus of $31 million to $45 million within a decade of operation, according to a state report.”

Prison privatization push stalls despite big spending [Palm Beach Post] “Millions of dollars in campaign contributions from for-profit prison companies may not be enough this year to push through a prison privatization plan that is a priority of Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislative leaders.”