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Christine Jordan SextonJune 3, 2015

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The multibillion health care fight in has been “sucking the oxygen” out of the Capitol and has taken attention off Amendment 1, Senate Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee said Tuesday. Lee, the Senate’s chief budget writer, told reporters after an Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday afternoon that “frankly, Amendment 1 is a big deal and deserves more attention […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 31, 2015

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The 2015 Special Session-A kicks off Monday. Here are five questions to consider going into the Special Session, which was called by House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and Senate President Andy Gardiner despite not having reached any agreement on the budget or spending in the month since the regular session came to a crashing end without […]

Diane RobertsMay 27, 2015

Last Saturday, the Republic of Ireland came out in rainbows, saying yes to marriage equality: 62 percent in favor. Yet Ireland is a “conservative” country, still – despite clergy sex abuse scandals – very Catholic. Divorce has only been legal since 1997; and abortion is only allowed to save the life of the mother, no […]

Diane RobertsMay 27, 2015

Last Saturday, the Republic of Ireland came out in rainbows, saying yes to marriage equality: 62 percent in favor. Yet Ireland is a “conservative” country, still – despite clergy sex abuse scandals – very Catholic. Divorce has only been legal since 1997; and abortion is only allowed to save the life of the mother, no […]

Diane RobertsMay 20, 2015

It’s tempting to take a break from the 83-car pileup that is Florida government and amuse ourselves with, say, the festival of unseemliness that is former Congressman Alan Grayson who, when he’s not accusing the Tampa Bay Times’s Political Editor of being a robot with bowel issues (I paraphrase, for which you should thank me), […]

Guest AuthorMay 7, 2015

A few days ago we saw an unfortunate failure of leadership in the Florida Legislature. As a businessman still somewhat new to the process, I was disappointed that the will of the majority was bypassed. By putting politics before the work of the people, too many important issues were left stuck in the balance. One […]

Bruce RitchieMay 6, 2015

As I sat in the press gallery looking down into the darkened Senate chambers on the last day of the 2015 Legislative session, I was reminded of how the environment usually seems to lose amid debate and controversy. The O.J. Simpson trial. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael Jackson’s death. A police shooting in Ferguson, […]

Diane RobertsMay 6, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE — Which is worse: stupid and evil or smart and evil? It’s a thought experiment: You can apply it to, say, George W. and Jeb Bush, Rick Scott and Adam Putnam, the Florida House and — Jesus, those idiots don’t deserve to be in the same paragraph as the word “thought.” But while […]

Diane RobertsMay 6, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – Which is worse: stupid and evil or smart and evil? It’s a thought experiment: you can apply it to, say, George W. and Jeb Bush, Rick Scott and Adam Putnam, the Florida House and – Jesus, those idiots don’t deserve to be in the same paragraph as the word “thought.” But while […]

Bruce RitchieMay 6, 2015

As I was sitting in the press gallery looking down into the darkened Senate chambers on the last day of the 2015 Legislative session, I was reminded of how the environment usually seems to lose amid debate and controversy. The O.J. Simpson trial. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael Jackson’s death. A police shooting in […]

Tag: Amendment 1

Amendment 1 getting short shrift because of health care battle

Five questions heading into Special Session

Diane Roberts: If Florida is “conservative,” let’s conserve something besides freedom to cash in

Diane Roberts: If Florida is 'conservative,' let's conserve something besides freedom to cash in

Diane Roberts: Big Shug and Rick Scott's minions poison land deal and Amendment 1

Wilton Simpson: We must create a statewide plan to restore, protect all environmentally sensitive areas

Bruce Ritchie: Environmentalists think lack of legislation could be a good thing

Diane Roberts: The unavoidable subject of stupid

Diane Roberts: The unavoidable subject of stupid

Bruce Ritchie: Environmentalists think lack of legislation could be a good thing