Daniel Tilson, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Daniel TilsonMay 21, 2014

Florida is nearing what could be a major step forward on marriage equality. And we have some ugly reminders that the ignorance, prejudice and downright stupidity that plagued us in a dark past, are still alive and unwell today. A ruling is expected soon in a lawsuit filed in Miami District Court in January. Equality […]

Daniel TilsonMay 17, 2014

The adage that “You get what you pay for” sure does hold true in Florida’s political and public policy circles. Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferullo wrote a great piece for Context Florida this week, laying out how we pay…for what we are unwilling to pay for. Let me explain. Ferullo detailed some of this […]

Daniel TilsonMay 13, 2014

Maybe if public policy deception were a crime, I wouldn’t have had to write this column. But there’s no law against disingenuous propaganda. So I had to write this. I had to push back against powerful vested interests advancing a dangerous social agenda while claiming it’s a public service. Vested interests like these pay “public […]

Daniel TilsonMay 10, 2014

An eye-opening new report makes clear there’s no “debate” about whether manmade, industrially driven climate change is happening. It is. And we’ve only just begun paying the price. The 2014 National Climate Assessment Report released this week was not the work of a liberal think tank or some environmental organization. It’s the third such exhaustive […]

Daniel TilsonMay 5, 2014

Call me a defiant “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” parent of a Florida public school student. And I’m looking for a few — a few million — good men and women to join me in battle. We’re decades into a war waged by shadowy business interests and religious […]

Daniel TilsonMay 1, 2014

One thing you can say as Florida’s 2014 legislative session concludes is that Democratic candidates have a lot to run for, and against, in this year’s mid-term election races. For the umpteenth year in a row, the Republican Party of Florida had dominant control over state lawmaking, including the budget process. Large majorities in the […]

Daniel TilsonApril 29, 2014

I’m guessing that about six of every 10 Floridians have no idea the state’s legislative session is in its final days. Probably the same percentage of people know what’s been done in the session, by whom, to whom, for what reasons, and to what possible effect. Mind you, no finger wagging here. I’m not looking […]

Daniel TilsonApril 26, 2014

Like a crew of clumsy card sharks armed with trick decks, Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislators have turned the final days of the 2014 session into a rigged political poker tournament. Bankrolled by our tax dollars, they keep betting, raising and bluffing with bravado. But we’re the ones with most of the skin in […]

Daniel TilsonApril 23, 2014

What if two intrepid reporters cornered Gov. Rick Scott and… Reporter A: Governor, why are you suddenly and so publicly supporting in-state tuition legislation that would let undocumented immigrants pay the same college tuition as legal residents? Scott: Anybody who grew up in Florida should get to go to a state university without paying 15 […]

Daniel TilsonApril 21, 2014

The fast-approaching, official end of the Florida legislative session is known as “Sine Die.” That’s Latin. It means the legislature adjourns with no fixed date for future meetings. True to form, when the respective House and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms stand side by side in the Capitol Rotunda on May 2 and drop their white hankies signifying […]

Daniel Tilson
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Daniel Tilson: Ugly reminders on road to Florida marriage equality

Daniel Tilson: Florida’s “Good Old Boy” government has to go

Daniel Tilson: Progressives are not falling for “parental choice” con game

Daniel Tilson: Silence and inaction won’t do on climate change

Daniel Tilson: Floridians need to fight the privatization of public schools

Daniel Tilson: It’s up to Democrats to redefine 2014 legislative session

Daniel Tilson: Tallahassee attention deficit disorder: Not your fault

Daniel Tilson: Going for broke in the Capitol casino

Daniel Tilson: Rick Scott’s Hispanic transparency

Daniel Tilson: ‘Live And Let Die’ legislators