Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Marc YachtSeptember 9, 2015

There are more than 600,000 homeless people in the U.S. on any given night, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says. Most have shelter or some sort of transitional housing. More than a third live in cars, under bridges, in alleys, the woods, or in some other way unsheltered. The homeless have untreated […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 9, 2015

Is there any greater struggle between instructor and student than the dreaded “group assignment”? From the day it’s assigned, students begin the process of passive-aggressive resistance and instructors have the difficult task of grading an assignment they know was likely completed by one overachiever. However, we keep giving these assignments because we realize the value […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 9, 2015

Let’s review some of the factors influencing the non-news of a teacher shortage. On Sept. 1, Alpine Testing Solutions, the company hired to assess the validity of the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), found that the test could be used at the “group level” to evaluate teachers, establish cut scores to measure student achievement and give […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 9, 2015

Rumor du jour is that there will be another candidate getting into the wide open countywide Hillsborough County District 6 seat, but it’s not a Republican taking on Jim Norman. The rumor that percolated over the Labor Day weekend is John Dicks, the 62-year-old former Plant City Mayor and Commissioner, is contemplating entering the Democratic […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 8, 2015

If you’re keeping track of time, there is B.T. and A.T.: Before Trump and After Trump. At the beginning of summer, there were (at least) 10 big questions facing Florida politics. But those questions, particularly the ones involving the myriad of presidential candidates hailing from the Sunshine State, are so B.T. On June 16, Donald Trump entered the […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 8, 2015

The story of the Port St. Lucie Crosstown Parkway Bridge tells how we lose Florida’s natural beauty, resources, and ecosystems, even if they exist in our Preserve State Parks. It’s the story of a battle that must be fought if we are to save any of them. In 1990, the city of Port St. Lucie […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 8, 2015

The biggest news on Labor Day in Tampa was the report that, in the wake of the tragic stabbing death of former USF student and football player Elkino Watson early Sunday morning outside an Ybor City nightclub, head coach Willie Taggert was banning his players from visiting the historic entertainment district. The biggest story this morning […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 7, 2015

The Tallahassee Democrat flatly rejected the first op-ed I tried to publish in a newspaper. Twenty years later, the Democrat still dismisses me. As an FSU freshman, I submitted an unwieldy piece about college life. It was rejected, but I applied to be a “community columnist.” Then-editorial page editor Mary Ann Lindley let me down […]

Jac VerSteegSeptember 7, 2015

You have heard, no doubt, that unions are a dying vestige of the days when people knew who Pete Seeger was. As Labor Day 2015 comes and goes, there are two examples to show that labor unions still have a few niches. Ironically, those niches benefit the rich and/or powerful. Start with that poor, mistreated […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 7, 2015

Today is the U.S. Labor Day. It’s not, by the way, American Labor Day. People in other countries on the two American continents celebrate workers on other days in other ways. But today is our Labor Day and I, like many of you, have received from a politician a peppy greeting of Happy Labor Day […]

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Dr. Marc J. Yacht: Homelessness on rise as agencies go underfunded

Michael Preston: Want to make it in this world? Learn to collaborate

Catherine Martinez: If policies stand, teacher shortage will worsen

Mitch Perry Report for 9.9.15 – Another Democrat to enter Hillsborough County District 6 race?

Peter Schorsch: Answers to top 10 big questions in Florida politics lurch into view

Shari Anker: Battle to save 2 preserve state parks teaches statewide lessons

Mitch Perry Report for 9.8.15 – USF Athletics audibilize on Ybor ban

Peter Schorsch: If I owned the Tallahassee Democrat — the “Gerald Ensley proves my point” edition

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Tom Brady and deflated unions

Pat Fowler: We’re all in this together