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

Guest AuthorOctober 2, 2013

If you are considering a job change or are looking for your first job, how do you know what direction to take? Early in my career when I worked for General Electric, I had the opportunity to participate in a two-year leadership-development program. As part of this program, every six months I met with a […]

Guest AuthorOctober 1, 2013

Last week, it was reported that former Florida Congressman Allen West recently got “fired” as director of programming for Next Generation TV at PJ Media after he allegedly called a staffer a “Jewish American Princess” during an “exchange.” Both West and PJ Media denied that he had been let go, or even demoted. They claimed […]

Guest AuthorOctober 1, 2013

Florida needs to take the problem of public corruption more seriously. Florida led the nation in federal public corruption convictions between 2000 and 2010 and recently three of our mayors were arrested in one month. Even the New York Times is calling Florida a “hothouse for corruption.” A reputation for corruption hurts all Floridians and undermines […]

Guest AuthorOctober 1, 2013

Florida is gambling against Mother Nature. We’re entangled in a decades-long game of chance, hoping to dodge her strikes. But hurricanes happen, and it’s only a matter of time before another storm hits our shores. Even if it’s not this year, Florida will be directly hit by a hurricane and our current property insurance system […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2013

Last week, the news from downtown St. Petersburg set my heart racing. The Tampa Bay Times headline said it all: Ax-wielding man shot by St. Pete police had been institutionalized — and released — seven times. We have lost something in this country when a man can be institutionalized seven times, released, and still find […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2013

A new study, reported by the Wall Street Journal and conducted by UnitedHealthcare, suggests that regular dental care improves outcomes and reduces costs for persons with chronic conditions. Specifically, the study found that people with chronic conditions who received appropriate dental care had net medical and dental claims that were over $1,000 lower per year […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2013

Until the wheels fell off the newspaper business, the Fourth Estate did a pretty good job of meeting its societal obligation: casting a skeptical, disinterested eye on the workings of government. The formula was simple. Attract readers with a well-edited, well-written package of news, entertainment and features at a reasonable price and let advertisers pitch […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2013

This month marked the five-year anniversary of the global economic meltdown that, as the White House says, “rocked Wall Street” and compounded the “recession that was already hammering Main Street.” Global financial institutions either collapsed or were bailed out by the government. Entire investment portfolios were wiped out. The economic autopsy revealed the ugly details: […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 29, 2013

Dysfunction and paralyzing political gamesmanship from Congress has sadly become America’s new normal. Washington has never been more disconnected from the real lives of everyday Americans. Members of Congress far too often forget that we send them to the Capitol, not to fight ideological wars or score political points, but to solve the real problems […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 28, 2013

Until I was 13, I had never attended a funeral and always assumed that the first one I attended would be that of an elderly, distant relative, maybe as the result of a peaceful and natural passing. I certainly never envisioned my first funeral experience would be to watch my 14-year-old best friend’s body being […]

Guest Author

Bob Porter: Run toward your next job, not away from current one

Steve Kurlander: It’s time for the GOP and conservatives to disavow Allen West

Dan Krassner: Florida must rid itself of corruption reputation

Jerry Parrish: Legislature must reform property insurance system

Ben Kirby: For our children: a renewed commitment to mental health

Karen Cyphers: New study provides strong case for keeping children’s Medicaid dental services separate

Doug Clifton: Philanthropy is the last best hope for quality local journalism

Ben Kirby: Indicator of next economic calamity: income inequality

Gwen Graham: Paralyzing political gamesmanship from Congress has become the new normal

Erin O’Flaherty: Listen, you may save someone’s life