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

Guest AuthorMay 14, 2017

As this Mother’s Day approaches, I find it particularly ironic to be advocating for the same support for women as our founder did four decades ago. Helen Gordon Davis opened this nonprofit to help women who needed extra support just to survive — serious counseling, intense skills development, assistance to the homeless and domestic violence […]

Guest AuthorMay 9, 2017

For the last five years, my big brother, Ben Pollara, has fought to bring medical marijuana treatment to suffering citizens in the state of Florida. He acted as campaign manager for United for Care, which was the chief facilitator of Amendment 2’s passage November, and has since worked tirelessly to craft and pass fair legislation […]

Guest AuthorMay 8, 2017

“It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men (and women)” — Frederick Douglass It is incredible how many societal ills arise out of a failure to educate, in the fullest sense of the word, the children of our great state. We utter platitudes like, “we must do better,” as we watch […]

Guest AuthorMay 4, 2017

Today, there are approximately 200 teacher openings in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) for the 2016—2017 school year, which ends next month. That means students in 200 classrooms are being managed by a substitute. The teacher shortage is not surprising, but the Duval County School Board’s consideration to cut Teach for America (TFA) is. If […]

Guest AuthorMay 3, 2017

As the president of a multifacility company with arguably the highest quality rating in the State of Florida, I feel compelled to respond to the misguided comments about the proposed Prospective Payment System (PPS). The current proposal, for the first time in Florida Medicaid history, will create a true incentive for long-term care centers to provide higher quality care to our residents. The current system of reimbursement […]

Guest AuthorMay 2, 2017

Facing yet another drug overdose epidemic, the Florida Legislature has an opportunity to move the needle in the right policy direction — finally. As members of the Florida House and Senate are poised to pass new criminal violations, this time for trafficking in fentanyl and synthetic drugs, the heat is on to include policies that […]

Guest AuthorMay 2, 2017

Florida must invest in smart cities that support entrepreneurs. We are the third largest state in the United States, yet rank 34th in innovation according to a 2016 Bloomberg study. Simply put, that is not what leadership looks like. It is not enough to just prepare for the next wave of technology. We need to […]

Guest AuthorMay 2, 2017

You may have heard about a man having a grand mal seizure on the Florida Senate floor two weeks ago. That was me. I am a die-hard conservative activist. I support Floridians’ now-constitutional right to access medical marijuana. And I’m a patient. I was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 13 and like most went through […]

Guest AuthorMay 1, 2017

I wanted to take a moment to alert Floridians to The Estates’, a Lakeland-based nursing home, significant concerns with the Florida Health Care Association’s (FHCA) plan, which would change the way nursing homes are paid, under consideration in the Florida Legislature. The FHCA is asserting that this prospective payment system (PPS) plan will incentivize nursing […]

Guest AuthorApril 30, 2017

I have been honored and humbled to serve our South Florida community for almost four decades. From helping everyday people with constituent cases to standing up to dictators around the world, I am proud of the work we have accomplished over the years. However, it is now time to take a new step. With the […]

Guest Author
Aerial photo courtesy Jesse Biter.

Ann W. Madsen: Where are the champions for women?

Samantha Pollara: In defense of my big brother Ben Pollara

Michael Bileca and Manny Diaz: Florida’s educational industrial complex earned need to be reformed

Dave Chauncey: Teach for America Jacksonville, not billboards, is better way to recruit teachers

Jamey Richardson: Proposed nursing home reimbursement plan will make Florida senior care even better

Jason Pye, Sal Nuzzo: Mandatory minimum reform needed in overdose epidemic

Lucas Lindsey: Private, public partnership necessary to make ‘smart cities’ possible

Michael J. Bowen: For epilepsy, Senate medical marijuana bill is ‘step in right direction’

Brian Robare: Proposed nursing home payment system raises serious concern

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: Why I’m retiring from Congress