Elevator pitch

Phil AmmannFebruary 23, 2016

It’s not surprising that David Guest and his radical Earthjustice group would use a true weather-related crisis – record rain and flooding across Central and South Florida – to level yet another mean-spirited and false assault on local farmers living and working in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Guest’s statement regarding the state and federal government’s […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 22, 2016

One of the most talked-about narratives in U.S. politics is that Democrats have an inherent advantage to digital campaigning over Republicans. It’s a story validated not just by the age demographics and tech sophistication of Democrats as a whole, but by digital missteps of Republican candidates on a national stage. That narrative may have played […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 21, 2016

If it weren’t so sick, twisted and perverted, the “security concerns” exemptions to Florida’s public records law would be downright hilarious. Consider the case of Steven Zerbe’s mom. Bonnie’s Zerbe’s 37-year-old son was sent to Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in 2013. He soon began to tell prison officials, and his mother, that he had been […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 21, 2016

In the manner of Socrates, a wise man on campus recently posed the question: “What removes youth? Is it time? Or is it apathy and cynicism? Other?” The question caught my interest since, at age 72, I’ve yet to lose my youth. Implied in the question is the thinking that sooner or later everyone loses […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 21, 2016

A roundup of Sunday editorials from Florida’s leading newspapers: Tampa Bay Times — Florida’s rotten record on helping jobless A report this month cements Florida’s standing as the worst provider of unemployment insurance in the nation. The state’s shameless attempt to save money at the expense of one of its most vulnerable populations is responsible […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 20, 2016

Today’s the big day in South Carolina for Tim Scott, one of two African-Americans in the U.S. Senate. Scott is also a recent convert to Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. A new primary-day email fundraising pitch tells how Scott, with his “friend Trey Gowdy,” spent the past couple weeks crisscrossing the state to campaign for Rubio, […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 18, 2016

It’s no secret that Florida has a high population of seniors. The quintessential Florida lifestyle has long been a favorite of retirees. But as we age, we encounter new expenses ranging from medical bills to unexpected home repairs, leaving many who are on fixed incomes at risk of losing their home or in search of […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 18, 2016

A pair of bills making way through both the House and Senate this week seek to make wide-ranging changes to the Department of Financial Services. Among the changes, according to LobbyTools, include the establishment of new public employee programs as well as modifying several existing programs, insurance regulations, fire codes and others. For fire departments, House […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

If you think drug misuse and abuse doesn’t affect everyone, think again. It’s an escalating problem spreading to all corners of our communities and across all socioeconomic levels, ethnicities, and ages. The business community in Florida is no different, and has been severely affected by prescription opioid abuse in particular. Prescription opioid abuse and addiction […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

The issue of outsourcing has now been jammed into the presidential race. Donald Trump has declared a mission to “bring back” the 5.5 million U.S. jobs from all the far-flung corners of the world to which they’ve historically been sent. The fanning of protectionist flames has long been used as a vote-getting tool, a way […]

Phil Ammann
Image via AP.

Phillip Roland: Environmental activist’s claims about Everglades water and farmers don’t square with facts

Joe Clements and Matt Farrar: Why Republicans now have advantage in digital campaigns

Florence Snyder: Prisons use “security concerns” to hide abuse

Rich Sloane: Our youth is to keep or surrender, as we choose

A roundup of Sunday editorials from Florida’s leading newspapers

Email insights: It’s a big day for Marco Rubio and Tim Scott

Steve Bahmer: Legislature must provide sufficient money for housing for seniors

House, Senate bills seek broad changes to Department of Financial Services

Julio Fuentes: Legislature must approve medication that is tough for patients to abuse

Sarah Maricle Ayers: Outsourcing still not getting a fair shake