Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschSeptember 22, 2015

Before Augustus and Marc Antony and before Julius Caesar and Spartacus and everyone else you can barely remember from Latin class, there was Lucius Cornelius Sulla, a dictator who was a master of the eternal city a generation before all of that “Et tu, Brute” stuff. Sulla’s infamy is borne because he was the first Roman […]

Shannon NickinsonSeptember 22, 2015

It’s easy to tell what a government values. What it values is what it funds. Escambia County Commissioners were scheduled Tuesday to talk more about their values – in the form of the $412 million overall budget they have before them. It will be the second public hearing on the document, which includes requests for […]

Sally SwartzSeptember 22, 2015

Deposit play money labeled “Martin mobility bucks” in boxes labeled with road projects. Or play a big screen computer game, voting for projects on a hand-held clicker. Martin County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization gets an “A” for effort in trying to get residents involved in deciding how the state should spend money building roads, bike paths […]

Julie DelegalSeptember 22, 2015

My heart doesn’t bleed for murderers. My father was a homicide detective whose life was cut short, in part, by the stress and strain of putting bad guys in prison. He helped send his share to death row, too. It was a grisly job, being a janitor to humanity. Dad supported the use of capital […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 21, 2015

The Republican debates say a lot about who shouldn’t be president but almost nothing about which of the 16 might deserve to be. For all but a few moments, the tedious brawl last week was to good government as a demolition derby is to auto safety. It’s hard to disagree with Marco Rubio’s take on […]

Julie DelegalSeptember 21, 2015

My heart doesn’t bleed for murderers. My father was a homicide detective whose life was cut short, in part, by the stress and strain of putting bad guys in prison. He helped send his share to death row, too. It was a grisly job, being a janitor to humanity. Dad supported the use of capital […]

Marc YachtSeptember 21, 2015

Teen pregnancy rates for girls 15 to 19 years old have fallen in the United States in direct relation to extensive preventive efforts. Those efforts include discussions about responsible sexual behavior, birth control pills, IUDs, the patch, abstention, vaginal rings, injectable birth control and the extensive network of family planning and women’s health services. Local […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 21, 2015

Happy Monday to ‘y’all, the last Monday of summer (of Trump), and with the change of seasons, will we see a change in the running narrative of the GOP presidential race? Well, Donald Trump remains the front-runner in the CNN/ORC poll released yesterday, the first major survey taken from last week’s debate. But The Donald […]

Jac VerSteegSeptember 20, 2015

Open government sustained a serious setback this month. For this, you can “thank” the city of West Palm Beach, along with West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio and spokesman Elliot Cohen. As reported extensively by WPTV NewsChannel 5 and The Palm Beach Post, the city – in response to public records requests – posted information […]

Shannon NickinsonSeptember 20, 2015

The Florida Children and Youth Cabinet recently voted to write state leaders urging them to prioritize early education and child services for “the first 1,000 days” – from pregnancy to age 3. Based on data from the Pensacola Metro Dashboard, only 66.2 percent of Escambia County’s 5-year-olds are ready for kindergarten; in Santa Rosa County […]

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Peter Schorsch: Richard Corcoran, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, and the idea of reforming Tallahassee

Shannon Nickinson: What will be our definition of the future?

Sally Swartz: Are real changes or just distractions coming from FDOT?

Julie G. Delegal: Cruel and unusual punishment for one murder victim’s family

Martin Dyckman: Debate reveals Jeb Bush’s deficit of reality

Julie G. Delegal: The third rail in death penalty debate: The victim's family

Dr. Marc J. Yacht: Teen pregnancy rates down – so far

Mitch Perry Report for 9.21.15 – Time for last rites for Scott Walker’s campaign?

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: West Palm’s version of Wikileaks

Shannon Nickinson: Our children need more than a letter