NO SURPRISE: MORE EXTREME RHETORIC FROM RUBIO 

Rubio at CPAC: Liberals Are “Freeloaders” [Salon] “Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., offered up a serving of red meat to the audience at CPAC, reiterating his support for ‘traditional marriage,’ calling liberals ‘freeloaders,’ and stating his opposition to tax increases and abortion. ‘Science has proven that life begins at conception,’ he told the cheering crowd.”

Rubio Goes Anti-’47 Percent’ [Washington Post] “Rubio drew his biggest laughs by talking about a middle-class family that fit that description. ‘They’re not free-loaders; they’re not liberals,’ he said.”

Marco Rubio: Opposing marriage equality ‘does not make me a bigot’ [Raw Story] “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Thursday told a conservative audience that liberals needed to respect his views because support the right of states to discriminate against LGBT people ‘does not make me a bigot,’ and opposing the reproductive rights of women ‘does not make you a chauvinist.'”

AFTER BEING REJECTED BY FL VOTERS, MORE ‘MALARKEY’ FROM ALLEN WEST

Change conservative values? ‘Malarkey’ says Allen West [Palm Beach Post] “Former U.S. Rep. Allen West urged conservatives this morning not to compromise their principles…’I’ll give it to you straight: Last November we did take one on the jaw,’ said West, who narrowly lost his re-election bid to Democrat Patrick Murphy in America’s most expensive U.S. House race. ‘But this movement and this fight is not defined by the punches that we take. We are defined by how quickly we pull ourselves off the mat and our perseverance.'”

RECAP: THE REVOLVING STAFF DOOR IN RICK SCOTT’S ADMINISTRATION

Rick Scott Turnover: 17 Staffers Who’ve Resigned Since Florida Governor Took Office [Huffington Post] “[…]Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll gave notice after being questioned as part of a investigation into a $300 million charity fraud. But Scott has hired three chiefs-of-staff in an 18-month period, and since taking office in January of 2011 accepted the resignations of eight agency heads, two general counsels, one policy advisor, and a communications director, as reported by Tampa Bay Times. At least 17 high-ranking staffers have left.”

REPUBLICAN REP. CAUGHT IN MILLION DOLLAR SCANDAL TRYING TO ‘COVER TRACKS’

Politicians in million dollar deal try to cover tracks [WTSP] “Our story aired on Monday, and now state ethics investigators are involved. All while the man at the center of the deal tries to spin the story. All the while people who can’t find work, like a woman we are calling Teresa, are fed up.  ‘It’s discouraging, it is disheartening, it’s just despicable,’ she says. Teresa has been out of work for more than a year and a half. That’s why she was so upset to learn that Tampa State Representative Jamie Grant engineered a deal with two other state reps to get $2.6 million taxpayer dollars to create jobs in Hardee County.”

GOP REP. SIDES WITH BANKS OVER FLORIDIANS

EDITORIAL: Help courts, not banks, to resolve Florida’s foreclosure crisis [Palm Beach Post] “State courts must deal with nearly 1 million foreclosure cases over the next three years. They need money from the Florida Legislature, not a bad bill. House Bill 87, filed by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, would make it easier for banks to foreclose by allowing lenders to seek an expedited hearing. Borrowers would have to prove they have a defense against foreclosure. But lenders are the reason foreclosure cases take an average of more than two years to resolve. Why make it easier to foreclose?”

GOP SEQUESTRATION (AND THIEF EFFORTS TO FUNNEL PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS TO CHARTERS) ARE KILLING PUBLIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

Sequestration to Take its Toll on Florida School Construction Funds [Tampa Bay Times] “Florida public schools have watched their PECO funds shrink in recent years, with the small amount remaining funnelled by lawmakers to charter schools. Now a top state economist warns that the amount could