Emails & Opinions

Mitch PerryFebruary 18, 2016

Tallahassee – U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was in the Capitol Wednesday. With the Senate (what else?) off for the week on “President’s Day holiday,” the only statewide elected Democrat was in town to congratulate the League of Women Voters on their Fair Districts court victory. It was great to see the LWV folks in the […]

Jac VerSteegFebruary 17, 2016

Sen. Joe Negron’s SB 832 declares that “fantasy contests” — meaning endeavors such as DraftKings and FanDuel — “involve the skill of contest participants and do not constitute gambling, gaming or games of chance.” Negron, R-Stuart and a Senate-president-to-be, would regulate this non-gambling via a newly created Office of Amusement. It’s not “gambling,” it’s an […]

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 […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 17, 2016

If you watched Saturday’s Republican debate in South Carolina, you may have walked away shaking your head, wondering if there were any really truly qualified GOP candidates running for president. Or any decent candidates for president, period. Viewers were treated for the most part to infantile behavior and/or the same old shallow “conservative” talking points […]

Marc YachtFebruary 17, 2016

The Republican Party must return to its roots and embrace the quality of Jeffersonian ideals. It must rid itself of religious extremists, cold-blooded conservatism, and their abandonment of critical human services. Republicans circa 1800 were a party of the people — no more. The Koch brothers – David and Charles — and their ilk must […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 17, 2016

As reported by FloridaPolitics.com earlier this week, the pool of applicants to replace outgoing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is so far anything but impressive. The applicant list stands at 32 interested parties, yet only three appear to be eligible based on the state’s pre-screening questions. On Tuesday, we learned that former Rep. Tom Grady would not be applying […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 17, 2016

The passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 3, has created an opportunity for both the executive and legislative branches to work together. If they can’t, American politics will face a crisis of enormous magnitude. That is how serious the situation has become. Whether liberal or conservative, most agree that Scalia was a […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 17, 2016

Mitch McConnell couldn’t even wait until Justice Antonin Scalia‘s corpse was cold before exploiting his death for partisan politics. The oleaginous majority leader means to keep the seat empty, no matter the likelihood of that paralyzing the sharply divided Supreme Court for a year, on the chance that voters might elect a Republican president to […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 17, 2016

Tallahassee – WWGGD? Okay, nobody is saying that, but let me pose the question that Florida Democrat will begin talking about more frequently as the year progresses – What Will Gwen Graham Do? The North Florida Congresswoman told reporters at a news conference in Tallahassee yesterday that she still has not decided if she’ll run […]

Emails & Opinions

Mitch Perry Report for 2.18.16 – Do we have new entrant in GOP Senate race?

Jac VerSteeg: Fantasy sports aren’t gambling? How amusing

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

Sarah Maricle Ayers: Outsourcing still not getting a fair shake

Steven Kurlander: Michael Bloomberg should seek presidency, form new party

Marc Yacht: Republicans must change their policies

Bryan Nelson for Insurance Commissioner? Not so fast

Darryl Paulson: The Antonin Scalia battle: The stakes have seldom been as high

Martin Dyckman: Refusing to approve Obama nominee could hurt the Party of No in November

Mitch Perry Report for 2.17.16 – What will Gwen Graham do?