Florida Innocence Commission draws up agenda for reducing wrongful convictions

TALLAHASSEE — One by one, the names of 11 men wrongfully convicted flashed on a large screen.

James Bain, 55, watched a room full of judges, lawyers and cops study his case in sobering silence.

The Tampa resident spent 35 years in prison for rape before being exonerated with DNA testing nearly a year ago.

"I thought I'd walk right out of (the trial) because I knew they had the wrong person," Bain recalled....

Did Sink scrub a reference to Obama from her campaign site?

It looks like Republican Rick Scott's attempts to link Democrat Alex Sink to President Barack Obama may hit close to home. First Sink ducked a joint appearance with Obama at a Miami fundraiser last month. And now Scott supporters point to Sink's environment agenda page on her campaign website, which no longer includes a reference to the increasingly unpopular president....

Sink had electioneering committee set up while speaking of it as vague possibility

TALLAHASSEE — Earlier this month, Alex Sink was asked whether she would establish a controversial political committee to raised unlimited campaign cash.

"If my campaign decides to set up a 527 (committee), then the contributions will be fully transparent," she replied.

But her answer was less than transparent.

Two days earlier, state records show, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate signed a form to solicit contributions and manage a political electioneering committee called Hold Them Accountable Inc....

Dan Gelber asks Pam Bondi for more debates in attorney general race

A week ago, Repbulican Pam Bondi agreed to participate in two debates in the attorney general's race. But her Democratic rival Dan Gelber says two isn't enough.

Gelber is proposing seven or more debates. In a letter sent Thursday to the Bondi campaign, Gelber said "your proposal of two public debates will make it very difficult for many of the voters to learn where each of us stands on the issues." The one point of agreement is the Oct. 16 debate hosted by Bay News 9/Central Florida News 13....

Alex Sink's 527 double-talk

Asked earlier this month about establishing a political committee to raise unfettered contributions, Alex Sink said this: "If my campaign decides to set up a 527, then the contributions will be fully transparent."

But her answer on Sept. 2 was less than transparent. State records show two days earlier, on Aug. 31, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate signed a form to solicit contributions and manage a 527 called Hold Them Accountable Inc....

Bondi touts FOP endorsement

Republican Pam Bondi's campaign for attorney general touted an endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police on Wednesday. The organization cited Bondi's 18 years as a state prosecutor. Read the full release below.

“The support of the Fraternal Order of Police is so important because I am committed to fighting criminals and protecting our families, our neighborhoods and our communities,” said Pam. “Florida’s sworn law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every single day to keep our state safe, and I am honored to be their choice as Florida's next Attorney General.” ...

CNN/Time poll: Sink 49%, Scott 42%; Senate race deadlocked

A new CNN/Time poll of registered voters puts Democrat Alex Sink ahead of Republican Rick Scott in the Florida governor's race by a 7 point margin. Sink's 49 percent to 42 percent lead is built with a significant advantage among independent voters.

The poll includes "leaners" -- voters who aren't yet sold on their pick -- and is tempered by a 3.5 percent margin of error. See the full results here....

Alex Sink calls on Rick Scott to release 5 years of tax returns

UPDATED: Democrat Alex Sink said Wednesday she will release her tax returns for the past five years and called on GOP rival Rick Scott to do the same.

Sink plans to make public her tax returns and those of her husband, former gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride, next week. Her campaign called it a "40-year tradition" for candidates for governor and hopes Scott and his wife, Ann, will release their returns at the same time....

Sandi Copes to join Bondi campaign

With less than two months before the election, Republican Pam Bondi's campaign for attorney general is hiring someone who knows the office: Sandi Copes, the current spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Copes, who is taking a two-month unpaid leave from the AG's office, starts Wednesday as the campaign spokeswoman from Bondi's Tampa headquarters. It's her first foray into the campaign world....

GOP makes last ditch effort to remove tea party candidate

UPDATED: In a Leon County courtroom, the Republican Party of Florida made a last minute attempt to remove a tea Party candidate from the ballot in a Central Florida state legislative race. But time was an issue because the ballot gets certified at 5 p.m. Thursday and the circuit judge appeared skeptical about granting an injunction.

Rep. J.C. Planas, a termed-out Miami lawmaker, was hired by the party to argue the case on behalf of a voter in House District 34, Christopher Denion. (Rep. Chris Dorworth, a future House speaker, currently holds the seat.) Planas argued that John DeVries is a bogus tea party candidate and asked Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford to disqualify him for technical issues surrounding his paperwork and a loan from Florida Tea Party leader Fred O'Neal....

Rick Scott makes it official: Jennifer Carroll is running mate

Rick Scott's campaign just sent this letter to supporters:
 
I am so grateful today to announce that Representative Jennifer Carroll of Fleming Island Hill is my pick for lieutenant governor. She is the House Representative for District 13, which is in Jacksonville.

Even more importantly, I am honored that Jennifer is the first African-American Republican woman to be part of a statewide ticket in Florida....

Sink buys more TV time, Scott silent (for now)

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Updated: Jeff Atwater 'clearly disappointed' on oil session

UPDATED: Senate President Jeff Atwater said Wednesday he is "clearly disappointed" that the House is unwilling to consider relief for those impacted by the oil spill. "I have that urgency," he said in an interview. "I feel there is an uncertainty that still exists about the claims-paying process."

Atwater told senators a special session appeared unlikely after the memo from House Speaker Larry Cretul (see it below) suggesting there is no pressing need....

House speaker doesn't see need for special session

House Speaker Larry Cretul issued a memo to lawmakers Wednesday that suggests a special session to address the oil spill is not necessary.

Cretul stopped short of nixing the idea altogether, but his intent is clear in his tone: "It would appear that while there are some issues where legislative action may be appropriate, there are no issues that require immediate formal legislative action. ... Moreover, many of these issues require solutions that would benefit from closer scrutiny during a regular legislative session." (See the House workgroup reports here.)...

Chiles expected to withdraw from governor's race

UPDATED: It appears that Bud Chiles' days as a candidate for governor are numbered. We are hearing considerable Buzz that Chiles is calling supporters to tell them he is ending his independent bid. An announcement is likely to come in the next two days.

Democrat Alex Sink had lunch with Chiles on Tuesday in Miami but declined to discuss the conversation....