Wednesday's Daily Pulse

sTATEWIDE
Oil Spill May Be Worse Than Recession

A Moody's report released Tuesday on the potential impact of the oil spill on Florida warns it could hurt the state on a major scale. "The state's high dependence on tourism dollars and jobs is significant and a gradually worsening disaster associated with any part of Florida's 1,197 coastline miles could likely have long-term implications even greater than the recent global recession or Hurricane Ivan in 2004," said Moody's Investor Service analyst and senior credit officer Edith Behr. In effect, the impact could simulate a double dip to the economy in a state already struggling more than most to emerge from one of the country's worst recessions. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]

MIAMI
UF Study Finds Miami's Soils are 'Heavily Contaminated' With Vehicle-exhaust Pollutants

A University of Florida study has revealed that soil in urban Miami has high amounts of 16 pollutants commonly found in vehicle exhaust that have been linked to respiratory, immunological, neurological and other diseases. According to the study, published in the current issue of Soil and Sediment Contamination, the concentration of these pollutants is higher than that found in other large cities, including Chicago, London and Helsinki. However, they are lower than in New Orleans and Detroit. The studied spanned just over 55 square miles of the Miami area with more than 85 percent of the surface covered by parking lots, streets, large buildings, shopping centers, houses and other impervious structures. [Source: UF News]

ORLANDO
'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' Casts a Spell

REVIEW: On Monday night, a small group of media outlets invited to tour the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" attraction at Universal Studios in Orlando. The park opens to the public on June 18. Author J.K. Rowling, who invented the "Harry Potter" series, has signed off on the park. She even wrote a new poem for the Sorting Hat and personally drank some butterbeer before giving it the thumbs up. Universal has done an excellent job creating some immersive experiences and putting in a large number of attractions. The main elements are a street through a group of shops meant to replicate Hogsmeade village, which in the books is near Hogwarts. The castle itself is at the end of the street, and two roller coasters — the Flight of the Hippogriff and the Dragon Challenge — are just off the street. [Source: Tampa Tribune]

» From the Whoa, Momma! Blog: No Warts on Hogwarts

TAMPA
Medicare Plan Suspended, Fined

Quality Health Plan, based in Tampa, was notified late Monday that it has been suspended from the federal Medicare program and socked with a fine of almost $600,000 following a rash of enrollee complaints. In separate letters dated Monday and sent by express mail, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told QHP that it can no longer enroll Medicare beneficiaries in its plans as of June 2 and that it must pay a fine of $586,800 for "serious non-compliance" with CMS rules. An attorney for QHP, Tina Dunsford of Tampa, said the administrative problems for which it was cited were caused by a "misunderstanding" between QHP and another company that was supposed to be handling the billing, Envision Pharmaceutical Service. She said the situation is likely to result in litigation. [Source: Health News Florida]

TAMPA
Greene Spends Big on TV Ads

Flamboyant Democratic U.S. Senate candidate is proving he can't be written off, launching a statewide TV ad campaign estimated at roughly $1.3 million a week. "The career politicians have had their chance — I have a real plan to bring back and create jobs in Florida, jump-start the housing market and revitalize our economy," Greene says in one of two TV ads that aired around the state Monday. "I have always gotten results, and I'll shake up Washington to get results for Florida." [Source: St. Petersburg Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› McCollum takes gloves off: Rick Scott is "embarassment" and "fraud" [St. Petersburg Times Buzz Blog]
An excerpt from a McCollum campaign e-mail:
"Our Republican Party cannot afford to have Rick Scott lead our ticket. It would end in an absolute disaster for our Party, our principles and our candidates throughout our state. Rick Scott not only oversaw fraud, Rick Scott is a fraud."

› Loophole lets clinics peddle pills in volumes [Palm Beach Post]
A glaring loophole in a bill meant to crack down on Florida pain management clinics would allow cagey operators to continue peddling huge amounts of narcotics to drug traffickers and junkies. Authorities say unscrupulous pain clinics, which gained a foothold in Broward and Palm Beach counties before spreading across the state, figure prominently in elaborate drug-selling operations and are fueling a dramatic spike in overdose deaths across the Southeast.

› Manatee County throws its hat into rowing as economic engine [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Manatee River could be the next venue for a 5,000-meter head race and a practice headquarters for dozens of collegiate teams around the nation, said Benderson project manager Paul Blackketter. Manatee County's partnership would strengthen and regionalize the success already experienced at Benderson Park, located on North Cattlemen Road just south of University Parkway. The park has hosted four regattas in the past two months, which drew more than $4 million to the local economy, Blackketter said.

› Florida Surfer honored by US House [Orlando Sentinel]
Proving that lawmakers aren’t always uncool, the U.S. House today passed a resolution honoring uber surfer Kelly Slater of Cocoa Beach, Florida. The measure notes Slater’s long list of accomplishments, including nine Association of Surfing Professionals World Championships, 42 World Championship Tour victories and his 2002 induction into the Surfers Hall of Fame.

› Updates about Oil Spill in the Gulf:

• Fish and wildlife officials to discuss oil spill
  
• Oil spill's wildlife effects could be felt for years, feds say
  
• USF ship heads to loop current to study oil
  

› Specter’s loss in Pennsylvania has Rubio camp pushing Crist parallels [Palm Beach Post
Long before Gov. Charlie Crist abandoned the GOP, conservative critics likened him to Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Senator who switched from Republican to Democrat in 2009 to better position himself (he thought) for his 2010 reelection bid. Specter was defeated in Tuesday's Pennsylvania Democratic primary. And Florida Republican Marco Rubio’s Senate campaign is saying that bodes ill for Republican-turned-independent Crist.

› Anonymous donor gives Georgia O'Keeffe painting to St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts [St. Petersburg Times]
A painting by modern master Georgia O'Keeffe was hung on a gallery wall Tuesday in the Museum of Fine Arts and became one of the most significant additions to its collection in several decades. Grey Hills Painted Red, New Mexico is the gift of a donor who prefers to remain anonymous.
(Short video clip below.)



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› Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods win right to bury power lines [Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel]
Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods that want to pay to bury their utility lines underground will be allowed to do so. City commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to allow such projects, but only under rules much more restrictive than supporters initially wanted. Interest in undergrounding utility lines has been building since Hurricane Wilma left much of the area with electricity for weeks in fall 2005.

› New Taylor Bean & Whitaker team claims ex-CEO Lee Farkas took $50 million for own benefit [St. Petersburg Times Venture Blog]
Just when you thought the Ocala-based mortgage debacle that was Taylor, Bean and Whitaker was finally over comes disturbing allegations that former chairman Lee Farkas (photo) withdrew more than $50 million from the business for his personal benefit and for companies he controlled.

› ABC group ends push for new Rays home [Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel]
The ABC Coalition on Tuesday wrapped up its last meeting on a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, leaving members wondering: "What's next?" A few months ago, this panel of civic and business leaders decided the Rays need a new ballpark to be successful. But, with the ABC Coalition going dormant, it's not apparent who will take up the cause of pushing for a new stadium. For now, the issue appears to be back in the Rays' court.