Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorAugust 19, 2014

Ferguson is Florida redux. In Miami, in 1980, after four white police officers were acquitted by an all-male, all-white jury of killing Arthur McDuffie, an African-American, some of the worst race riots in America occurred. The violence that erupted went beyond the perceived injustice of the verdict and the particulars of the incident. (At trial, […]

Guest AuthorAugust 19, 2014

That snarky putdown headlined an opinion piece in The New York Times last week. Written by Pamela Druckerman, a former Miamian transplanted to Paris, where she gained notoriety with a book on the superiority of French mothers, the essay wrote Miami off as a vapid, anti-intellectual backwater. The piece was filled with half-true generalizations based […]

Shannon NickinsonAugust 19, 2014

We’re going to need a bigger bridge. To make a meaningful dent in crime prevention, the gap between law enforcement and those they are sworn to protect needs to be narrowed. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Northwest Florida is trying to do its part, and for that it deserves due credit. It hosted a […]

Julie DelegalAugust 18, 2014

The police-shooting death of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, continues to bring citizens out of their homes and onto the streets. On August 9, 28-year-old Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black. The shooting itself was tragic enough. Police actions after the shooting, though, have made Ferguson […]

Guest AuthorAugust 18, 2014

For the moment, the prolific images on CNN of bleeding and maimed Gazan children being used as human shields by Hamas in hospitals have ceased. So has the castigation by the White House of Israel’s use of harsh military force to stop the rockets from being shot from these humanitarian facilities. While the on-again, off-again […]

Guest AuthorAugust 17, 2014

In November, Florida voters will likely approve Amendment 2 – a proposal that seeks to expand health-care options to include medical marijuana. At that point, it will be incumbent on lawmakers to implement regulatory schemes that protect rather than exploit Florida’s health-care system. Toward this goal, looking at the experience of other states can offer a […]

Martin DyckmanAugust 17, 2014

There are some things for a judge not to do. Picking a fist fight — in court — with an assistant public defender is one. John C. Murphy, a Brevard County judge, has just been charged with that. He could be kicked off the bench. Some other no-no’s, as previously decided by Florida’s Judicial Qualifications […]

Mark FerruloAugust 17, 2014

Last month, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that consumers accessing Obamacare through state-run health insurance exchanges should not be eligible for tax credits under the health-care law. This is an eye-opening reminder of the profound impact that the courts can have on our daily lives. This ill-conceived decision also […]

Guest AuthorAugust 14, 2014

When you vote in Florida’s 2014 primary election on August 26 (or vote early or by absentee ballot), ask why more than 2.9 million Florida voters who are registered “no party affiliation” (NPA) or are affiliated with a minor political party can’t vote. They can’t vote because Florida’s primary election is closed, meaning it is […]

Guest AuthorAugust 14, 2014

Not a word has been uttered. Not a campaign ad has been created. Not a single news story has been written. Yet, this will be one of the most important decisions the next Florida governor will make – and it only happens every 20 years. And Democrats, in particular, should be very worried. Either Republican […]

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Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zeleneskyy, Vladimir Putin. Image via AP

Stephen Goldstein: Will Florida be another Ferguson?

Doug Clifton: The headline said, ‘Miami Grows Up. A Little’

Shannon Nickinson: A bigger bridge is needed between law enforcement, community

Julie Delegal: Ferguson, Missouri: Police didn’t trust the system

Steven Kurlander: Gaza and Obama’s castigation of Israel: A sign of the growing insignificance of the ‘Jewish vote’ in American politics

Karen Cyphers: Lessons for Florida from a California cannabis tourist

Martin Dyckman: Judges should not bad-mouth a jury

Mark Ferrulo: Bad judicial appointments can be harmful to your health

Ray Hudkins: Ask me why I can’t vote in Florida’s 2014 primary election

Brian E. Crowley: Makeup of next Constitutional Revision Commission should worry Democrats