Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Martin DyckmanFebruary 15, 2015

The premise underlying Florida’s death penalty is that it will be carried out fairly. To borrow a phrase, that is a bright and shining lie. As the first to re-enact capital punishment after the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down in 1972, Florida’s Legislature provided specific criteria for death sentences and required the state Supreme […]

Daniel TilsonFebruary 15, 2015

“Hello there, Gunshine State. Hello all you folks in the sunset of your winter snowboarding season – better then snow shoveling, right? And hello all you other freedom lovers, thanks for being here at the fair today! “When I’m done talking, make sure you come visit the extinct, uh, the exotic species deep-fry tent on […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 15, 2015

The ironically named Student Success Act of 2011 mandated something called the Valued Added Model, which attempts to quantify each teacher’s influence on each student. The complicated formula purports to predict what a student’s normal gain scores on a standardized test will be from one year to another. If a student gains more or loses […]

Jac VerSteegFebruary 15, 2015

If you don’t like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s stance on education, you might not like President Barack Obama’s stance either. They actually have toured Florida schools together, and both generally are in favor of high-stakes tests that they say bring accountability. Jeb had the FCAT-based school grading system, and the Obama administration was behind […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 15, 2015

Although some pundits say that Jeb Bush is the front-runner for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, a trio of new NBC News/Marist polls show in fact that the field is wide open in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. However, the only two candidates with poll numbers in the double […]

Associated PressFebruary 15, 2015

Jeb Bush was preparing to release the emails he sent and received as Florida governor when he was excoriated by a letter-writer to The Miami Herald. The headline: “Don’t trust Jeb Bush with the power of the presidency.” The subject of many of the emails was Terri Schiavo. The letter-writer was her husband, Michael. Bush’s […]

Associated PressFebruary 15, 2015

Millions of immigrants benefiting from President Barack Obama’s executive actions could get a windfall from the IRS, a reversal of fortune after years of paying taxes to help fund government programs they were banned from receiving. Armed with new Social Security numbers, many of these immigrants who were living in the U.S. illegally will now […]

Associated PressFebruary 15, 2015

Millions of immigrants benefiting from President Barack Obama’s executive actions could get a windfall from the IRS, a reversal of fortune after years of paying taxes to help fund government programs they were banned from receiving. Armed with new Social Security numbers, many of these immigrants who were living in the U.S. illegally will now […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 15, 2015

As the saying goes in Tallahassee, if you can’t fire the Insurance Commissioner and install the preferred choice of one of your campaign’s largest donors (Fred Karlinsky), you can always drop a negative story about him into a reporter’s lap. That’s what it certainly looks like this morning as the Naples Daily News Matt Dixon reports that the embattled […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 15, 2015

As the saying goes in Tallahassee, if you can’t fire the Insurance Commissioner and install the preferred choice of one of your campaign’s largest donors (Fred Karlinsky), you can always drop a negative story about him into a reporter’s lap. That’s what it certainly looks like this morning as the Naples Daily News Matt Dixon reports that the embattled […]

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Cape Coral 7-Eleven after Milton. Image via AP.

Martin Dyckman: Capital punishment in Florida is death by judicial whim

Daniel Tilson: Vice President Sarah Palin's Presidents Day message

Catherine Martinez: 'Value Added Model' of no value to teaching

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: How Jeb Bush made going nuts seem sane

New NBC News polls shows no clear front-runner in early states

Jeb Bush role in end-of-life dispute as governor now 2016 issue

Republicans say Obama giving immigrants 'amnesty bonuses'

Republicans say Obama giving immigrants ‘amnesty bonuses’

The Scott administration's best oppo dump since they knifed Adam Putnam

The Scott administration’s best oppo dump since they knifed Adam Putnam