Emails & Opinions

Peter SchorschApril 25, 2017

Updated 2:45 p.m. — The House has sent over an offer and the Senate is reviewing, according to staffers in both chambers. — After teetering toward a late-session meltdown, the bones of a roughly $83 billion 2017-18 state budget are in place, according to three sources close to Gov. Rick Scott‘s office and several lobbyists familiar with […]

Peter SchorschApril 25, 2017

Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster, Mitch Perry and Jim Rosica. LEGISLATURE AT STALEMATE OVER NEW BUDGET via Gary Fineout of the Associated Press For more than a week, the House and the Senate privately traded broad offers that outlined how much money would […]

Florence SnyderApril 24, 2017

After a lifetime of drawing the short straw, Keishan Ross may finally have caught a break. The 17-year-old Broward County boy has an IQ that tops out at 61, on a good day. By age 3, his teachers knew that he was severely limited in his capacity to learn. He suffers from mental illnesses that […]

Joe HendersonApril 24, 2017

Frank Artiles’ forced resignation last Friday from the state Senate provides the first real test for Democrats to show they have finally learned they can’t keep offering up the same ol’, same ol’ and expect to win enough seats in the Legislature to make a difference. No one articulated that better than Dwight Bullard, the […]

Florence SnyderApril 24, 2017

In less pretentious times, St. Petersburg Junior College hired presidents without the help of consultants who make them look ridiculous. But it’s a “state college” now, and its presidential search is an expensive and entertaining-for-all-the-wrong reasons mashup of Marcel Marceau and The Muppets. To be fair, variations on the Soviet- stylings of SPC’s presidential search […]

Peter SchorschApril 24, 2017

Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster, Mitch Perry and Jim Rosica. DRINKING FROM A FIREHOUSE From wildfires burning throughout the state to the smoldering embers of Frank Artiles‘ political career and from the soon to ignite race to be Florida’s governor to the […]

Joe HendersonApril 24, 2017

It’s a good thing the Florida House of Representatives wasn’t in session when Columbus wanted to sail the ocean blue. Lawmakers would have passed a bill prohibiting the trip because science hadn’t yet proven that the earth was round. Oh, there were those crackpots who said it was, but the representatives of the day would […]

Martin DyckmanApril 23, 2017

When former Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins was nominated in 1964 to head the nation’s new Community Relations Service, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond opposed him aggressively because Collins had renounced racial segregation. “…I hope that as long as the good Lord lets me live on this earth I will continue to grow and to recognize […]

Bob SparksApril 23, 2017

According to Sen. Charles Grassley, the U.S. Supreme Court may need to fill another opening this summer. The Iowa Republican, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not name names, but rumors are swirling it could be the Court’s swing vote, 80-year-old Anthony Kennedy. If that occurs, President Trump will go back to his list of […]

Blake DowlingApril 22, 2017

What now? More breaches. More leaks. Internet carriers selling your data? Hackers coming at us like United Airlines security? (For an interesting read, see Nader v. Airlines 1972) So you are worried about hackers, and — of course — the National Security Agency is watching (and logging) you surf on PredictIT.com or Lolcats.com. Or are […]

Emails & Opinions

State budget deal struck? Jack Latvala says, ‘no,’ but…

Sunburn for 4.25.17 – Budget stalemate; an Uber signing; 50 Day rule in effect; Jeff Miller back to D.C.; Florida Channel gets angry

Florence Snyder: Why children die, Part 5 — An alphabet soup of agencies can’t drain the swamp

Joe Henderson: In wake of Frank Artiles’ departure, Democrats have chance to offer something new

Florience Snyder: St. Pete College’s Soviet-style presidential selection would make Vladimir Putin proud

Sunburn for 4.24.17 – Drinking from a firehose

Joe Henderson: House just made life a lot more difficult for public school boards, teachers

Martin Dyckman: On death warrants, Florida governor’s ‘awesome moral responsibility’

If another SCOTUS opening occurs, will Charles Canady get a serious look?

Blake Dowling: Look out for hackers (and the government)