Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Diane RobertsNovember 25, 2015

It’s America’s holiday season, when we’re supposed to give thanks for our blessings, when we gather around tables laden with festive food, commemorating a bedraggled boatload of refugees who just showed up one day on our shores, needing a decent meal and a safe place to crash. The Wampanoag welcomed those undocumented immigrants back in […]

Diane RobertsNovember 24, 2015

It’s America’s holiday season, when we’re supposed to give thanks for our blessings, when we gather around tables laden with festive food, commemorating a bedraggled boatload of refugees who just showed up one day on our shores, needing a decent meal and a safe place to crash. The Wampanoag welcomed those undocumented immigrants back in […]

Mitch PerryNovember 17, 2015

The revelation that one of the men involved in the terrorist attacks in Paris entered Europe with a Syrian passport was enough evidence to convince 23 governors (all Republican, with the exception of New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan, involved in a tight bid for re-election) yesterday to say that they don’t want the federal government to expatriate […]

Mitch PerryNovember 16, 2015

Rick Scott‘s request to congressional leaders that they find a way to stop the funding of several hundreds of Syrian refugees may be playing well with in some quarters on Monday, but the ACLU and the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) are blasting him over it. “In these moments of pain and escalated fear, we should […]

Melissa RossNovember 13, 2015

Just as a closely watched U.S. Supreme Court case may strike down Florida’s death penalty sentencing laws, ACLU staff attorney Adam Tebrugge of Bradenton is discussing the death penalty Monday night in St. Augustine at an event sponsored in part by Amnesty International. The high court is reviewing what the New York Times calls Florida’s […]

Melissa RossNovember 6, 2015

A bipartisan summit on criminal justice reform is expected to draw local and national thought leaders to Jacksonville this month. Operation Reform, sponsored by #Cut50, the Ford Foundation and Operation New Hope, will focus on re-entry solutions for people leaving incarceration, and reducing recidivism through employment. This was a major focus of the Jacksonville Journey, […]

Guest AuthorNovember 3, 2015

What in the world is going on? As if our political world isn’t enough to drive us crazy, we seem to be bombarded by a constant barrage of bizarre events that are difficult to comprehend. Nonetheless, the news media insists on producing stories testing our common sense. They would be funny if we knew they […]

Mitch PerryOctober 12, 2015

For several years, it’s been a given that Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn would try to take his brand of leadership to a new level in 2018 by seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Facing just token opposition in his re-election bid, Buckhorn won with nearly 96 percent of the vote in March, setting himself up […]

Mitch PerryOctober 9, 2015

The activists went home unhappy Thursday night, but their goals were never the same as the majority on the Tampa City Council regarding the creation of a citizens review board to watchdog the Tampa Police Department. City Council voted 5-2 Thursday evening to a compromise proposal on who gets to select the members of the […]

Mitch PerryJuly 24, 2015

717d1f_28b03b60f81c4803bcde39a077b58d34.jpg_srz_p_698_506_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz-1024x1024.jpeg

Florida is one of only three states that require a governor’s order to restore civil rights to ex-felons. As the law stands, men and women released from the prison system must wait five years before applying for full citizenship rights. Then they must petition the governor and Cabinet for clemency, a process that can take 10 […]

Tag: ACLU

Diane Roberts: Who vetted the guest list?

Diane Roberts: Who vetted the guest list?

Mitch Perry Report for 11.17.15 – No Syrian refugees, please

CAIR, ACLU blast Rick Scott for requesting Syrian refugees not be allowed to settle in Florida

Florida’s death penalty reviewed by U.S. Supreme Court, discussed in St. Augustine

Operation Reform Summit seeks bipartisan approach to criminal justice reform

Tim Bryce: It's getting strange out there

Bob Buckhorn still considering 2018 run for governor

Mitch Perry Report for 10.9.15 – First chapter in Tampa citizens review board saga ends

Bid for constitutional amendment to restore ex-felons’ rights not looking good for 2016 ballot