BUZZFEED: FLORIDA GOP TO MITT ROMNEY: DROP DEAD “Despite Romney campaign request to Gov. Rick Scott to tone down talk of economic recovery, Florida Republicans are still hyping the accomplishments of their governor — and by extension, President Barack Obama. This email went out to reporters today, hours after the Bloomberg report.”

Romney leak couldn’t come at a worse time [Miami Herald] “The Bloomberg report surfaces at a bad time for anonymous Romney sources as well. The day before, Romney took the unusual step of smacking down a report, which originated with ABC and said that his team isn’t vetting Sen. Marco Rubio as a possible vice-presidential running mate…Remember, Scott campaigned as the businessman who can fix government. And Romney is campaigning as the businessman who can fix government.” 

ROMNEY GET’S BAD HEADLINES FROM VISIT 

CNN: Romney offers few specifics in speech to Latino leaders

The Atlantic: Romney Speaks on Immigration, But Doesn’t Answer the Question

Huffington Post: Mitt Romney NALEO Speech Does Not Clarify Stance On Obama Immigration Policy

Salon: Romney waffles on immigration, again

The Plum Line: On immigration, Mitt Romney dodges yet again

PRESIDENT OBAMA IN  ORLANDO & TAMPA Before rally in Tampa on Friday, President Barack Obama will address

Hispanic leaders [Tampa Bay Times] “Before President Barack Obama arrives in Tampa today to rally as many as 3,000 people, he will make his case to Hispanic leaders in Orlando.”

Obama’s new FL ad targets women voters [Miami Herald] WATCH “FIRST LAW” HERE

Obama renews call to stop student loan rate hike [Tampa Tribune] “President Barack Obama is urging Congress to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling on July 1.”

HYPOCRISY ALERT: SCOTT’S APPOINTEES AT THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS HIKE TUITION — AFTER SCOTT & GOP CUT FUNDING FOR HIGHER ED University tuition votes reveal divides within board of governors [WFSU] “The board that oversees Florida’s public universities fought long and hard over the schools’ plans to raise tuition, and the requests  narrowly cleared a sharply divided state board”

FLASHBACK: USF spells out impact of state budget cuts[Tampa Tribune 3/1/2012] “The Florida House and Senate compromised this week on university budget cuts, but they remain a “very significant” problem, said John Ramil, chairman of the University of South Florida Board of Trustees. If spread evenly among the universities, they could mean a 20 percent drop in state funding for USF…’We are being put in a position of having no choice but to raise tuition,’ Ramil said.

IS CONNIE MACK THREATENING REPUBLICANS? WE KNOW HE’S GOT A TEMPER: GOP Senate Candidate Connie Mack (R-FL) Accused Of Making Threats [Sinclair News] “Yesterday Sinclair News was contacted and informed that Rep. Connie Mack personally had been telling Republicans  ‘if you go against me in this senate race I will make sure your life is a living hell.’ Additionally we were told that Mack has even gone so far as to say that ‘if you do not support me you will not have any future in the Republican Party of Florida or anywhere else.’

SCOTT’S VOTER PURGE IN COURT Judges hear arguments on Fla. voting law changes [AP] “Lawyers for the state of Florida and the Justice Department argued in federal court on Thursday about whether Republican-backed changes to Florida’s voting laws constitute a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.”

5 Reasons you should care about the voter purge [Orlando Weekly] “Threaten to take away someone’s right to vote – a right that’s at the very foundation of a democratic society – and what happens? Not much, judging from the recent attacks on voter’s rights in Florida in which Gov. Rick Scott and Secretary of State Ken Detzner” 

Is Florida ‘diluted’ or deluded? [NW Florida Daily News editorial] “But supervisors of elections across Florida scoffed. They said rampant fraud just wasn’t happening.”

OTHER NEWS WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Fair and equitable [Miami Herald editorial] “This week, five years later, Jackson Health System was one of 71 organizations in the country named a “Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The group ranked Jackson for its handling of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients and their families in the areas of patient and employment nondiscrimination, visitation and staff training.”

Ex-Department of Health official blasts Scott [The Florida Current] “The ousted Department of Health official who left behind a withering indictment of Gov. Rick Scott’s management style Thursday accused the administration of replacing experienced professionals with political “ideologues” and tolerating no questions about conservative operating methods.”