Elevator pitch

Phil AmmannMay 5, 2016

People remember President George W. Bush for his often-fractured way with words. Wordsmiths immortalized the presidential malapropism machine with his own category of flubs — “Bushisms.” True, his tongue often may have been in overdrive as his brain shifted gears. On one occasion, however, Bush nailed it: “America is the land of the second chance […]

Phil AmmannMay 4, 2016

You live from headline to headline and from deadline to deadline. Those are the rules. You try to make this story sharper than yesterday’s. You try to squeeze out the money quote. You try to get one source, one more fact, one more comment. You work until the ink stains your fingers and, sometimes, your heart. […]

Phil AmmannMay 3, 2016

Ted Cruz, the insurgent Texan whose presidential campaign was fueled by disdain for Washington, dropped out of the 2016 race Tuesday night, removing the last major hurdle in Donald Trump‘s quest to become the Republican nominee for president. Cruz’s decision came after losing overwhelmingly to Trump in the Indiana primary, all but ensuring that real estate […]

Phil AmmannMay 3, 2016

Mel Sembler and I have something in common. We both had children who abused drugs. The similarities end there. Mel’s children are all alive, thank goodness. My son, Jonathan, died of a heroin overdose in 2006, after being dumped outside of an ER in Hialeah by the dealers who sold him his final shot. Mr. […]

Phil AmmannMay 2, 2016

In the mad dash to get federal funding for education reform, the accountability buzzword was bandied about as if simply replacing one system with another was going to magically transform public education into something better. Florida, a state that still refuses to accept Medicaid expansion funding, was one of the states that saw no problem […]

Phil AmmannMay 2, 2016

A Miami federal judge has agreed to a hearing date for the settlement of a decade-old class-action lawsuit over children’s Medicaid services in Florida. LobbyTools reports that Friday the judge set a June 28 hearing to formally consider the settlement in a suit that seeks to increase medical and dental services to nearly 2 million […]

Phil AmmannMay 1, 2016

A roundup of Sunday editorials from Florida’s leading newspapers: Tampa Bay Times — St. Petersburg commits unforced errors on stadium site search St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has a curious way of building public enthusiasm to invest in a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. First his chief of staff insults North Pinellas fans […]

Phil AmmannApril 30, 2016

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott announced three appointments to two Judicial Nominating Commissions. Seventh Circuit Judicial Nomination Commission Andrew Morgan, 37, of Saint Augustine, is a partner with Canan Law, P.A. He fills a vacant seat for a term ending July 1, 2018. The Seventh Judicial Circuit Court covers Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns, and Volusia […]

Phil AmmannApril 27, 2016

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott announced five judicial appointments to a variety of courts throughout the state. Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Scott began with the appointment of Kemba Lewis to the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, which serves Pasco and Pinellas counties. Lewis, 43, of Land O’Lakes, has served as an assistant public defender for the […]

Phil AmmannApril 27, 2016

As George Clooney and the cast portraying the ill-fated anglers of the Andrea Gail set out to sea, a TV weatherman foreshadowed their impending doom. His face weathered with concern, forecaster Todd Gross pondered calamity. “Look, look at this. We got Hurricane Grace moving north off the Atlantic seaboard. … Two, this low south off Sable Island, […]

Phil Ammann
A screenshot of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Social Media Policy page.

Darryl E. Owens: Second chances start with taking a second look past prison stripes

Gary Shelton: The loss of the Tampa Tribune is difficult for this former rival

Ted Cruz suspends campaign after loss in Indiana

Joy Fishman: Let’s tackle drug abuse with ‘harm reduction’ strategies

John Meeks, Jr.: It’s time to reform education reform

Judge sets date in settlement of decade-old Medicaid reimbursement lawsuit

A roundup of Sunday editorials from Florida’s leading newspapers

Rick Scott names 3 to Judicial Nominating Commissions

Rick Scott announces five judicial appointments

Darryl E. Owens: Employers must hire more disabled workers to weather labor storm