TAMPA - Men and women differed sharply in a poll sampling the mood of Florida voters on the economy and nation's direction, and some believe the gender gap will give the Democrats ammunition for 1996.

In the poll, women were more likely than men to side with President Clinton in his battles with the Republican Congress, and somewhat more likely to be dissatisfied with the general direction in which the country is heading.

They were more pessimistic about the economy and their own families' prospects.

And they were far more likely than men to say social issues such as education and poverty are more important than the federal deficit and government spending.

To state party Chairwoman Terrie Brady, that means votes in 1996.

``Women are the ones being affected by what's happening in the country, and this will have a strong, major effect on the 1996 election,'' she said.

But Republicans and others said the poll reflects early opinions that could change when the Republicans have a nominee to rally around.

And, some pointed out, not all the poll numbers are favorable to the Democrats.

``There's some bad news in these numbers for Clinton in Florida,'' said University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus.

For example, even women respondents gave Clinton less than majority support - 47 percent - in his battles against the Republicans in Congress.

His margin among his own party was only 54 percent. Two of every five Democrats said they would take neither side or the Republican side in that battle.

The Tampa Tribune/News Channel 8 poll was done by the Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research Inc. It surveyed 406 Floridians who said they are registered to vote and vote frequently, a sample size expected to yield a 5-point margin of error.

On the national economy, respondents divided about evenly - 50 percent said it's excellent or good, 48 percent ``not so good'' or poor.

They felt better about their family's economic condition: 70 percent said it was excellent or good, and 34 percent said it was improving.

That's a substantial improvement over the results of the same question during 1992 and 1993, when no more than 17 percent said their personal economic outlook was improving, said Mason-Dixon Vice President Robert Joffee.

``In Florida, at least, the economic anxieties that helped Bill Clinton get elected in 1992 appear to have abated considerably,'' which could help him get re-elected, Joffee said.

Overall, the respondents split between Clinton and the Republicans on the budget battle, 35 percent siding with Clinton and 38 percent with the Republicans.

But men gave the Republicans a 47 percent plurality, while women gave the president exactly the same plurality.

The biggest gender difference was on the question, ``What is more important: reducing the deficit and government spending, or solving social problems of poverty and education?'' Overall, social problems led with a 46 percent plurality.

But among men, spending issues won a 47 percent plurality, while women named social issues by a 62 percent majority.

Women also were less likely than men to say the country ``is on the right track'' - 34 percent to the men's 44 percent.

``We're going to educate people on which party best represents their needs,'' Brady said, ``and that Republican officeholders represent their party, not the people.''

MacManus said nationwide, women are more likely than men to identify themselves as Democrats, and to worry about social issues. ``They bear a disproportionate amount of concern for children and their futures.''

But, MacManus cautioned, ``Some of this gender gap is created by conservative women worried about the country's morals. Not all of it is to the benefit of Clinton.''

Cassandra Pauley, president of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans Club, said she's surprised by the gender differences ``because most of the people who call about joining the party are women.'' Their usual motive, she said, is the economy.

To Republican political operative Sally Harrell, the numbers mean ``we haven't done as good a job in communicating to women... There's work to be done, but there's lots of time.''

And State GOP Executive Director Randy Enwright said it's too early to take polls seriously in predicting the election outcome.

TALLAHASSEE - Are companies owned by women and minorities getting their fair share of state government contracts?

Yes, a new study concludes.

In fact, the review by Florida State University says state purchasing managers have been so successful in meeting minority contracting goals that lawmakers should scrap them altogether.

In their place, researchers recommend the state adopt a program to assist small and disadvantaged businesses, without setting goals based on race or gender.

Those conclusions have set off shock waves at the Capitol.

A black lawmaker who fears a regression to the discriminatory practices of the past is denouncing the findings as flawed. A statewide contractors association that has challenged minority set-asides is cheering them as overdue.

Meanwhile, state bureaucrats are scrambling to determine if the study's numbers can be trusted. And a House panel is planning hearings in January.

The study by FSU's College of Business arrives in a political climate in which affirmative action programs are coming under scrutiny nationwide.

It has potentially far-reaching policy implications, since lawmakers are supposed to use the study to make changes to the state's minority goals program next spring.

TRYING TO FIX PAST ILLS

Ten years ago, lawmakers passed an act to help minorities win state contracts, finding ``a systematic pattern of past and continuing racial discrimination.''

A 1990 review concluded ``clear evidence of disparities'' in the awarding of contracts still existed.

As a result, lawmakers set lofty goals for the percentage of contracts minorities were to receive, ranging from 21 percent for construction to 50.5 percent for contractual services.

But the landscape was dramatically altered by a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said states could only adopt race-based remedies if they found qualified, willing, and able minority contractors were excluded from public work.

It's a key point. FSU researchers say the state's goals were set relative to an estimate of 192,000 minority firms in Florida. But in fact, by 1994 when their study ended, only a tiny fraction - 2,231 - were certified for the minority goals program.

Researchers say they're the firms that truly meet the definition of being qualified, willing and able to do the work.

CONCLUSIONS DEBATED

The result: Eager to comply with lawmakers' goals, agencies and universities overused the certified firms to the extent that researchers found no discrimination in awarding contracts to blacks, Asians, Hispanics, American Indians or women.

That conclusion outrages Rep. Alzo Reddick, a black Democrat from Orlando and key supporter of the minority contracting goals. He can't fathom how anyone could conclude minority and white-owned businesses are treated the same.

``I am disgusted at what I think is extremely shoddy scholarship,'' Reddick said.

But praise came from Rick Watson of Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, which represents 60,000 construction workers. The mostly-white group has challenged minority set-asides, saying contracts should go to the most qualified low bidder.

``We thought there was some problems with the program, largely caused by the unrealistically high goals,'' he said. ``If the purpose is to nurture and develop small businesses, we certainly haven't done that.''

Indeed, the FSU study says the state should instead focus on helping both minorities and whites create and grow struggling small businesses. Researchers stand by their numbers, and warn the state could face a legal challenge to its minority goals program if the report is ignored.

Alexander finishes second in a straw poll of Florida Federation of Republican Women.

ORLANDO - A convention of Florida Republican women went strongly for Sen. Bob Dole, but with a surprising second-place for Lamar Alexander in a presidential straw vote in Orlando.

In a sign of the importance of Florida in the Republican primary, Sunday's convention of the Florida Federation of Republican Women attracted visits by Dole, Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, Pat Buchanan, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Alexander, former Tennessee governor.

Gramm's wife, Wendy, and Alexander's wife, Honey, both attended and sponsored breakfasts.

In the straw poll, Dole got 119, or 45 percent, of the 262 votes cast. Alexander got 69 votes (26 percent). Sen. Phil Gramm was third with 38 votes (14 percent), Arlen Specter was fourth with 19 votes (7 percent), and Pat Buchanan was fifth with nine votes (3 percent). U.S. Rep. Bob Dornan of California got two votes; radio talk show host Alan Keyes and Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana got one each, and Colin Powell got a write-in vote.

Gramm has won early straw polls in other states, including Iowa, and Dole campaign officials have dismissed Gramm's claim that the results are significant.

But after Dole won Sunday, his campaign was happy to claim it as evidence of Dole's support.

``The key to any successful campaign is grass-roots support, and I am glad so many members of the Florida Federation of Republican Women have decided to support Bob Dole for president,'' said GOP Rep. Tillie Fowler, Dole's campaign co-chairwoman in Florida.

The poll could be a foretaste of the state Republican convention and its straw poll, Presidency III, Nov. 17-18 in Orlando.

Some convention attendees considered the outcome an upset because political speculation has been that Gramm, rather than Alexander, is running second to Dole in campaigning for Presidency III votes.

A few Republicans had criticized the GOP women's group for holding a straw poll, saying it would steal thunder from Presidency III. Federation President Carole Jean Jordan of Vero Beach rejects that.

``This is just the appetizer to the main entree,'' she said ``I'm proud Republican women got in the first word, since we're the ones who are always there, the ones they call on.''

Votes in the straw poll were allocated according to membership among Florida's 66 Republican women's clubs. Club members elected delegates prior to the convention, and the delegates could vote as they wished.

Staff members from most of the campaigns worked the convention to recruit votes.

Jordan and Vee Hicks, federation spokeswoman, both attributed Alexander's second-place showing in part to enthusiastic work by Alexander volunteers, even though Alexander had a lower profile at the convention than Gramm or Dole.

A state lawmaker wants to keep insurers from denying them coverage.

TALLAHASSEE - State Rep. Sally Heyman believes some domestic violence victims are abused twice - once by the people they love and a second time by insurance companies who deny them coverage.

But under a bill sponsored by Heyman, which will get its first hearing today, insurance companies won't be able to refuse coverage to anyone simply because they live in a dangerous setting.

The same restriction would be placed on health-care providers, such as health maintenance organizations, which would be barred from refusing to pay for treatment of domestic violence-related injuries and illnesses.

The measure (HB 467) will be heard in the House Business and Professional Regulation Committee today. It already has the endorsement of women's groups, domestic violence experts and Attorney General Bob Butterworth.

Heyman introduced the legislation based on a May 1994 article in The Tampa Tribune that reported some of the nation's largest health-care providers sometimes deny insurance to battered women.

``I will not tolerate insurance carriers or health-care providers re-victimizing domestic violence victims,'' said Heyman, a first-term Democrat from North Miami Beach.

Insurance companies sometimes deny coverage to domestic violence victims on grounds that it's a pre-existing condition.

The industry says if someone is a high risk because they are injured in an abusive relationship, the underwriter can't ignore that information for the protection of the company's other policyholders.

Heyman said injuries from domestic violence shouldn't be treated any differently than injuries some people receive again and again, such as skiers' broken bones or bad drivers who repeatedly have accidents.

The bill doesn't preclude insurance companies from charging higher rates for domestic violence victims, as they would people who live in other high-risk situations or who are accident-prone.

Insurance industry lobbyist Vince Rio said insurance companies don't oppose the bill, but still want to be able to consider a particular health condition and decide whether to cover it, regardless of how it was caused.

Rep. John Cosgrove, the Miami Democrat who heads the House Insurance Committee, said he supports the bill, but agreed it shouldn't be so broadly worded that pre-existing conditions not caused by abuse couldn't be restricted in coverage.

Other provisions in the bill require licensed health-care providers in the state to complete a one-hour course on domestic violence in order to renew their license every two years and that courses on AIDS include information on domestic violence. The measure also would put tight restrictions on how state money for domestic violence centers is spent so they aren't built with a state grant and then have no money to pay for services.

TAMPA - After sending a Republican majority to Congress in November, voters are on the verge of massive disillusionment with the party and its policies, the head of a national fundraising group for Democratic women candidates said Tuesday.

Ellen Malcolm, president of Emily's List, told a group of about 50 women she expects a Democratic majority returned in 1996, and Newt Gingrich removed as House speaker, after right-wing groups like the Christian Coalition and the National Rifle Association reveal their agendas.

``We're all going to be very surprised by the agenda of the second hundred days,'' she said.

Gingrich has vowed to devote Congress' first 100 days to the GOP's Contract with America. He told conservative social organizations, such as the Christian Coalition, that their concerns can be brought up afterward.

When that happens, ``The Republican Party will start showing the rest of us how radically conservative their positions are, and how out of step they are with the country,'' Malcolm said.

``We can expect a major assault on abortion rights, on any issue involving working women, like President Clinton's family leave act, and on anything that benefits children,'' she said in an interview.

She said only a change of 14 House seats is enough to change the majority and remove Gingrich as speaker.

Malcolm spoke at a reception at the Davis Islands home of former state Sen. Helen Gordon Davis.

The appearance is part of her biennial membership recruiting tour of Emily's List chapters.

Since Malcolm founded Emily's List in 1985, it has become the nation's largest political action committee, with $8.7 million given to candidates in the 1994 election cycle, said Executive Director Mary Beth Cahill.

The name, for ``Early Money Is Like Yeast,'' refers to the common problem faced by congressional challengers and non-incumbents: Major contributors will give money only to candidates who can raise it somewhere else first.

Emily's List supports only pro-choice, Democratic women candidates expected to have a chance of winning. The committee operates in an unusual fashion that some experts say accounts for its success.

Most PACs collect money from members and give it to candidates the organization picks.

Emily's List distributes some money that way but most contributions are made by the members themselves. They pledge to give at least $200 to candidates they choose from a list endorsed by the group.

``They consist of thousands of small donors who aren't looking for a special-interest tax break,'' said Washington political consultant Anita Dunn. ``That makes them very powerful.''

Malcolm said the group ``reinvented political fundraising.'' That has allowed the group to start providing training classes and consulting services for favored candidates and their campaign staffs.

Emily's List also is starting a program to identify registered women Democrats who seldom vote, and use mass mailings to bring them to the polls.

In Florida, Emily's List has supported House winners Corinne Brown, Carrie Meek and Karen Thurman (who lost the endorsement in 1994 for voting to end public funding for abortions); and unsuccessful candidates Lois Frankel and Gwen Margolis. Those present at Tuesday's meeting included State Attorney Harry Lee Coe and former Mayor Sandy Freedman.