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

Guest AuthorApril 6, 2015

If there was any doubt that House Appropriations Chairman and Speaker-In-Waiting Richard Corcoran is a conservative crusader whose commitment to his principles leaves him indifferent to comity, convention and the nuances of legislative diplomacy, that doubt was laid to rest last week when he went on a rampage through the legislative china shop. It began […]

Guest AuthorApril 6, 2015

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is, in the words often attributed to Einstein, the definition of insanity. Unfortunately for Floridians, so too are the calls today to expand our state’s Medicaid system under the Affordable Care Act. After decades of failed reforms, this $450 billion federal health care […]

Guest AuthorApril 5, 2015

As the president and CEO of the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I speak to business owners and leaders every day, and I’ve heard their concerns over healthcare coverage in our state. Business owners are suffering from rising health insurance premiums and communities are struggling to care for their uninsured neighbors. It is for […]

Guest AuthorApril 2, 2015

The prescription drug program Florida legislators created in 2009 to monitor controlled substances has helped reduce the number of Floridians who suffer from prescription drug addiction. Medications provide great benefit to patients when used correctly and under the guidance of their treating physician. Some opiod drugs are now being crushed into powder or injected and […]

Guest AuthorApril 2, 2015

Every day in Florida, countless volunteers serve in our schools, mentoring and tutoring our most vulnerable children. They serve at senior centers, state parks, and even in our homes, providing meals to homebound individuals and caring for those with unique abilities. They make our communities safer, stronger and healthier. That is why Volunteer Florida is […]

Guest AuthorApril 1, 2015

The ideological fissure that cleaves the Republican Party nationwide will be on display in Tallahassee as the legislative leadership labors to bring the state budget in for a landing by May 1. The critical issue, which on its face is about as exciting as watching paint dry, is whether to accept federal money to indirectly […]

Guest AuthorApril 1, 2015

Florida drew national media attention in 2008 when 2-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony of Orlando was reported missing. In the months and years that followed, her mother, Casey, was charged and ultimately acquitted of Caylee’s murder. Along the way she became society’s public example of a bad mother. During the months leading up to and after […]

Guest AuthorApril 1, 2015

A major debate is taking place in the Florida House and Senate over public policy regarding water and the allocation of Amendment 1 funds. Various special interests are striving to make their voice the most influential regarding these two high profile issues. At stake is finding a balance of effective policies, which will guard our […]

Guest AuthorApril 1, 2015

With the million-dollar sugar babies still running the show in the Legislature, it might seem impossible to stop the polluting discharges bombarding the coasts and sucking dry the Everglades. And yet there seems to be a sense of momentum for change in the air. More and more angry citizens are realizing that purchasing 46,000 acres […]

Guest AuthorMarch 31, 2015

Dear legislator: A number of years ago I was playing golf at Solivita, a community near Poinciana on the Polk County side of Osceola County. The area looked strangely familiar, especially the cypress swamps and pine woods between the holes. As I came up one fairway and looked into an oak hammock, I saw the […]

Guest Author

Jack Stevenson: House will pay for Richard Corcoran's Medicaid rant

Chris Hudson: An alternative to Medicaid expansion

Julio Fuentes: Healthcare exchange program would help Florida economy

Sandi Frear: Why abuse-deterring opioids should be legislative priority

Chester W. Spellman: April is volunteer month. Join in

Jack Stevenson: Health care pits RINOS vs. Tea Partiers in budget fight

Melody Bowdon: Practical ways everyone can advocate for children

Dan Peterson: Buying more land isn't Amendment 1's first priority

Karl Wickstrom: Use Amendment 1 to buy land, take on Big Sugar

Rick Dantzler — Dear Legislator: Where will Fla. kids learn to hunt and fish?