Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Florence SnyderApril 9, 2017

In the 1960s, “morning announcements” at Miami Crestview Elementary School were served up with a side order of morning Scriptures. The daily Bible readings skewed heavily New Testament, and the Jewish kids always dreaded spring, with its Easter ham-handed swipes at “Christ-killers.” It was confusing, unsettling and sometimes downright scary. Somehow, we managed to weather […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 7, 2017

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For an indication of the seismic change in the office of 4th Circuit Public Defender Charlie Cofer, look no further than his just-announced appearance at a late April panel. The panel: “Better Justice Florida: A Forum on Criminal Justice Reform.” Among the focuses of the Apr. 29 event at the Florida Coastal School of Law: Florida’s […]

Associated PressFebruary 15, 2017

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The Republican-led Senate is moving to block an Obama-era regulation that would prevent an estimated 75,000 people with mental disorders from being able to purchase a firearm. The Obama administration had sought to strengthen the federal background check system with a rule requiring the Social Security Administration to send in the names of beneficiaries with […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 27, 2017

The state’s new abortion law sparked a contentious dialogue between a federal judge and a lawyer for the state on Friday. Part of that law requires those engaged in abortion referral or counseling services to pay a fee to register with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and provides for criminal penalties for not registering. The American […]

William PatrickJanuary 23, 2017

It’s a vicious circle: Poor people who can’t afford their court-related costs and penalties incur escalating costs for not paying, further indebting them to the state. “It’s a circle that some people get stuck in and they can’t get out,” Christopher Torres, a Tallahassee defense attorney and former Florida assistant attorney general, told Watchdog.org. Compounding the problem is […]

Associated PressNovember 4, 2016

A coalition of groups monitoring voting across the country says it’s getting more calls from voters in Florida than any other state. Members of the Election Protection Coalition said Thursday they’ve received more than 1,700 calls to their election hotline since Florida kicked off early voting late last month. Nearly 5 million voters have already […]

Brendan FarringtonNovember 1, 2016

A lawyer representing an abortion clinic told the Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday that the state’s 24-hour waiting period would significantly restrict a woman’s right to abortion and asked justices to continue blocking the law until a lower court can decide whether it’s constitutional. The delays could lead to victims of domestic abuse being forced […]

Scott PowersMay 12, 2016

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a challenge Thursday to block Marion County School District’s rule forbidding transgender students from using the restroom for the gender to which they identify. The complaint, filed Thursday with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, contends that Marion schools’ rule violates the civil rights of students who are transgender. […]

Gary FineoutMarch 4, 2016

With executions halted and the prosecution of some murder cases in limbo, the Florida Legislature overhauled the state’s death penalty law Thursday in response to a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that the current sentencing law is unconstitutional. Legislators sent to Gov. Rick Scott a bill that would require that at least 10 out […]

Associated PressFebruary 28, 2016

As a pediatrician, Dr. Judith Schaechter can ask parents of her patients all sorts of questions regarding their safety and well-being: what the child eats, whether there’s a backyard pool and whether the child gets enough sleep. Yet the question of whether there is a gun in the home is generally off limits. A Florida […]

Tag: American Civil Liberties Union
Buccaneers QB Teddy Bridgewater. Image via AP.

Florence Snyder: Prayers over the public-address system are a Florida fixture

Charlie Cofer panel appearance signals real difference in Jax Public Defender office

U.S. Senate will consider blocking rule on guns and mentally ill

Federal judge sounds dubious on abortion counseling registration

Proposed legislation could break the cycle of debt for many caught in Florida’s legal system

Florida voters sounding off about election problems

ACLU asks court to continue to block abortion waiting period

ACLU challenges Marion County schools’ transgender bathroom rule

Florida overhauls death penalty in bid to resume executions

Battle rages over Florida law limiting doctors’ gun speech