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

Shannon NickinsonJune 10, 2014

I read some pretty subversive stuff in high school under the watchful eyes of teachers. Thank God. Like the one about the little boy who helps an ex-con on the lamb. As a young man he ends up in a tortured love affair with a beautiful, icy young woman who is groomed by her mentor […]

Shannon NickinsonJune 3, 2014

When the First Amendment Foundation publicized its transparency scorecard last month, it found that on average, cities and counties in Florida had lots of room for improvement in sharing the workings of government with the governed. On average, local government websites earned 52 out of 100 possible points on a transparency scorecard. The scores were […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 26, 2014

Here in Northwest Florida even the matter of who is recycling and who is just moving trash around has a political undertone. The closure of West Florida Recycling left the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, the City of Pensacola and Santa Rosa County without a processors for the recyclables we so dutiful sort into the appropriate, […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 22, 2014

Pensacon is going places, and if Pensacola is smart, we will help it get there. The sci-fi, comic book, fantasy, horror and gaming pop culture convention packed out the Pensacola Bay Center in its first year. Though the idea had been in Chairman Mike Ensley’s mind for years, Ensley teamed with Ben Galecki, CEO of […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 14, 2014

Joe Sims believes in paying it forward. So does Nicole Brown. And why wouldn’t they? They are flesh and blood proof of what it can get you. Joe is a social worker in Crestview who works for the United Methodist Children’s Home, a group home for children who are in the state foster care system. […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 24, 2014

Domestic violence is about power and control. That is its essence, advocates and law enforcement alike say when describing the root of the crime and why it can be such an intractable problem. It’s especially bad in places like Escambia County, where poverty and limited access to services can feed the cycle of silence that […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 15, 2014

City officials are finalizing a lease agreement to build a fish hatchery and research facility on city-owned property at Bruce Beach. We’ve been talking about this since June of 2011. The agreement would allow the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to lease Bruce Beach for $1 a year from the city. In exchange, the state […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 2, 2014

It’s hard to think when you’re hungry. It’s an old adage. Ask any teacher at a school with lots of students who are eligible for free-and reduced-price lunch and they will tell about the limits of the attention span of a hungry youngster. Who knew you could apply the same adage to our college students? […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 1, 2014

It’s time to adjust our idea of what high school should look like. The Atlantic is the latest publication to highlight the way some schools respond to the “skills gap” between what the American public education system produces and what the work force requires. The Atlantic featured Camden County High School in St. Marys, Ga. […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 24, 2014

The Pensacola Technology Campus’ long and winding road from overflow parking lot to hub for technology-based businesses finally may be cresting the hill. Since 2009, it has lain fallow. It has had some darn spiffy signage, though. Nearly five years after a $2 million infrastructure grant brought the basics to what was heretofore known as […]

Shannon Nickinson

Shannon Nickinson: Unassigning Cory Doctorow’s book isn’t doing teens a favor

Shannon Nickinson: Cities, counties do poor job of sharing information with citizens

Shannon Nickinson: Northwest Florida governments fighting over recycling

Shannon Nickinson: If Pensacola is smart, it will encourage Pensacon

Shannon Nickinson: Programs tackle poverty one child at a time

Shannon Nickinson: Battling the shadow of domestic violence

Shannon Nickinson: Here we go again, another Pensacola ‘what-if?’

Shannon Nickinson: Some college students can barely afford to eat

Shannon Nickinson: To fix the “skills gap,” high schools need a new look

Shannon Nickinson: Economic development often requires patience