FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA RALLIES ORLANDO AND MIAMI First lady Michelle Obama rallies supporters on campaign stops in Florida [Times/Herald] “Grass roots rallies in Miami Lakes and later at the University of Central Florida in Orlando marked Mrs. Obama’s first public campaign events in Florida this election cycle. The crowds greeted her as no less a star than the president, with her fans standing in long lines in sweltering heat to see her.”

Michelle Obama campaigns for husband in Florida [AP] 

Michelle Obama rallies supporters at Miami Lakes campaign stop [Miami Herald] 

Michelle Obama drops by Blanchard Y, works out with area kids  [Orlando Sentinel] 

RICK SCOTT DAMAGING GOP BRAND — A “DRAG ON THE GOP’S FORTUNES” Rick Scott Is Turning Down Obama’s Medicaid Expansion. Is He Turning Off Florida Voters Too? [Times] “Scott’s doctrinaire defiance is politically risky for the Republican Party. Florida is arguably the most important swing state in November’s presidential election…The Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa, Fla., at the end of August; but Scott, whose dismal approval ratings make him one of the nation’s least popular governors, is widely considered a potential drag on the GOP’s fortunes.”

Scott’s thoughtless edict on cancer centers [Tampa Bay Times editorial] “Gov. Rick Scott is toying with Florida’s economy by sending mixed messages about the state’s commitment to partner in high-tech medicine…The state needs to continue to build its biomedical research centers and align itself to fully capitalize on breakthroughs in commercial and personalized medicine. It is artificial to build a wall between academia and industry when the two working hand in hand benefits the whole state. The governor needs to communicate that vision and work quickly to dispel concerns that Florida under his direction is moving the other way.” 

1.2 million Floridians get free health screenings [Miami Herald] “Because of the healthcare reform act, more than 1.2 million Florida seniors and disabled persons received at least one preventive service during the first half of 2012 without having to pay anything out-of-pocket, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday.”

List of 180,000 suspect Florida voters to be made public [Miami Herald] “Releasing the list could be an election-year nightmare for Scott’s administration, which has acknowledged that the database is flawed”

The GOP’s Crime Against Voters [Real Clear Politics column] “Spare us any more hooey about “preventing fraud” and “protecting the integrity of the ballot box.” The Republican-led crusade for voter ID laws is revealed as a cynical ploy to disenfranchise as many likely Democratic voters as possible, with poor people and minorities the main targets.”

Florida Democrats urge panel to probe TB outbreak; GOP lawmakers defend state [Palm Beach Post] “Lawmakers want Gov. Rick Scott to create a panel to investigate a tuberculosis outbreak after learning that state officials kept mum about the epidemic even as the legislature was debating closing Florida’s only TB hospital in Lantana.”

Government corruption: Ethics rules need updating [Florida Times Union column] “If you follow the news, it may seem like Florida is corruption central in America. And you would be right. Florida led the nation in public corruption convictions from 2000 to 2010, according to U.S. Justice Department data.”

CONNIE MACK IV, CALL YOUR OFFICE  Seniors picket Congressman Mack’s office over health care [Fox Fort Myers] “Senior citizens in Cape Coral are sending a message to southwest Florida congressman Connie Mack.  They don’t want Mack to fight President Obama’s health care overhaul plan” 

ON THE CONGRESSIONAL FRONT — ROMERO ROSES UP WITH AD, BUCHANAN STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION, “BILL YOUNG’S MACACA MOMENT? 

 Gloria Romero Roses, a Democrat vying to challenge David Rivera, releases first TV ad [Miami Herald] “The 30-second ad, titled ‘Progressive,’ tries to appeal to Democrats who will vote in the Aug. 14 primary…The ad mentions Roses’ experience as a parent dealing with past overcrowding in Miami-Dade public schools and describes Roses as someone who would ‘stand with President Obama to guarantee equal pay for equal work and protect Medicare from Tea Party extremists.'” WATCH “PROGRESSIVE” HERE. 

Vern Buchanan still under investigation [New York Times] “It is continuing to examine a more serious set of accusations against him centering on possible campaign finance violations…The ethics committee is continuing a separate review it announced in May into accusations that Mr. Buchanan illegally made a $2.9 million settlement offer in a business dispute to try to influence the testimony of a witness regarding possible fund-raising violations in his 2006 campaign, people involved in the case said.”

Bill Young’s “Macaca” Moment? [WUSF] “On the Fourth of July, Congressman Bill Young was at a campaign event and told someone to “get a job” when that person asked Young about a Jesse Jackson-backed proposal to raise the minimum wage. “

RSSFlorida duel: Republican vet vs. tea party freshman [Politico] “In one corner, tea-party-affiliated freshman and insurgent Sandy Adams. In the other, 20-year vet and Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica.”

OTHER NEWS WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW

SEIU FL State Council Endorses Saunders in House District 49 Race [West Orlando News] “Today, Joe Saunders, Democratic candidate in the race for Florida House District 49, secured the endorsement of the Florida State Council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).  Saunders picked up too, the endorsement of the Orange County Professional Firefighters.”

Five questions for Josh Shulman, Democratic candidate for House District 69 [SaintPetersBlog] “When Rep. Rick Kriseman announced he would not be seeking another term in the Florida House of Representatives, Democrats were forced to find someone able to carry on Kriseman’s progressive legacy.” 

Adam Fetterman racks up endorsements [Adam Fetterman] “I am proud to announce our next round of endorsements in our campaign for the State House. People from all walks of life, from different professions and backgrounds are recognizing the importance of sending a principled leader to Tallahassee.” 

Production work begins on Orion spacecraft at KSC [Florida Today] “Production work on NASA’s first space-bound Orion spacecraft is beginning at Kennedy Space Center and manufacturer Lockheed Martin is on track for a first flight test in 2014, a company official said today.”