Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorApril 29, 2014

Earlier this month, yet another disturbed student rampaged through a school, stabbing 20 students and a security guard with a pair of knives. Alex Hribal, a junior at Franklin Regional High School near Pittsburgh, walked into the school at the beginning of the school day and slashed and stabbed his way through the school’s packed […]

Guest AuthorApril 28, 2014

Florida legislators demanding more “accountability” as a condition for expanding the state’s premier school-choice program could learn a very valuable lesson from the example set by the late, great Mary McLeod Bethune. When Bethune opened her Daytona School for Negro Girls in 1904, she knew success would depend on satisfying two different constituencies — parents […]

Daniel TilsonApril 26, 2014

Like a crew of clumsy card sharks armed with trick decks, Gov. Rick Scott and Republican legislators have turned the final days of the 2014 session into a rigged political poker tournament. Bankrolled by our tax dollars, they keep betting, raising and bluffing with bravado. But we’re the ones with most of the skin in […]

Guest AuthorApril 26, 2014

Protectionist behavior inadvertently shaped Florida into the tourism mecca it is today. In the early 1960s, Walt Disney had plans to locate his new studios and theme parks in New Orleans, but he faced such fierce protectionist behavior from officials there that he chose Central Florida instead. The rest is history, and Floridians can hardly […]

Guest AuthorApril 26, 2014

As the school year comes to a close, the inevitable question arises for graduating students: What am I going to do? Some of you have a plan. Some of you already have a job or have been accepted into a graduate program. And then some of you have no clue. What is life after school? […]

Guest AuthorApril 24, 2014

The students who enroll at the school I founded in southeast Jacksonville in 1988 come for many different reasons, but a good number come after struggling elsewhere. Some got lost in schools that were too big, or didn’t fit in schools that were too cliquish. Some didn’t take full advantage of their opportunities and needed […]

Guest AuthorApril 24, 2014

NOTE: The views of state Sen. Jack Latvala, a Clearwater Republican, may influence the outcome of proposed legislation concerning state pensions and the Florida Retirement System. Dear Senator: Perhaps you hold some sway over this matter. In a little over a week, the Florida Legislature will make another momentous decision regarding Florida’s public retirement system. […]

Guest AuthorApril 23, 2014

Last week, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor returned to the Tampa Bay area to shore up her political base for what will be a tough re-election campaign and her noted policy prerogatives will be the hinge on which her political future hangs. If she wants to show support for countless drivers and small businesses in the […]

Guest AuthorApril 22, 2014

After Obamacare’s very rocky implementation, there are more and more Americans signing up for health insurance. President Obama recently announced that many more people signed up on Obamacare exchanges than expected — over 9 million Americans to be exact. That confirmed a Gallup Poll that found that close to 10 million people signed up for […]

Guest AuthorApril 22, 2014

A recent story about politics and elections caught my eye and it was, frankly, depressing. Not depressing from the “I am glad people from Obama’s campaign are not seeking public office because I am way more conservative” point of view. Although that pleases someone like me who wants a reduction in the size of the […]

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Steve Kurlander: School violence: More social workers needed, not cops or guns

William Mattox: Private schools must pass the ‘Mary McLeod Bethune’ test

Daniel Tilson: Going for broke in the Capitol casino

Justin Kintz: Legislature needs to remove barriers to innovative mobile app

Mark Routhier: You earned your degree, but you should never stop learning

Nadia Hionides: A school that works for one child may not work for another

Michael Richardson: An appeal to Sen. Jack Latvala for prudent pension reform

Ned Bowman: Rep. Castor needs to champion biofuels reform

Steve Kurlander: There are hidden costs even if you have health coverage

Ed Moore: Are you concerned about Millenials’ dreams?