Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Bruce RitchieOctober 2, 2014

California became the first state in the nation this week to ban disposable single-use plastic shopping bags. The ban is needed, supporters said, to reduce litter and protect birds and sea life from becoming entangled in bags. The ban also prevents bags from clogging storm drains or winding up in landfills. That new law prompted […]

Guest AuthorOctober 2, 2014

Unfortunately, it’s a true story. Last week I was flying from D.C.’s Reagan National Airport to West Palm Beach on US Airways flight 1935, scheduled to depart at 3.15 p.m., changing planes in Philadelphia. Arrival in Palm Beach 8 p.m. I had high hopes for this journey since US Airways had just merged with American Airlines and […]

Gary FineoutSeptember 30, 2014

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been crossing the state this past week, vowing at campaign stops that if he’s re-elected he will enact another $1 billion in tax cuts over the next two years. Scott has said he can enact the tax cuts as well as boost spending on education and pay for new projects […]

Gary FineoutSeptember 30, 2014

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has been crossing the state this past week, vowing at campaign stops that if he’s re-elected he will enact another $1 billion in tax cuts over the next two years. Scott has said he can enact the tax cuts as well as boost spending on education and pay for new projects […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2014

I converted to Judaism over 20 years ago. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was dating, and later married, a Jewish guy. Poor thing thought he was getting an Irish shiksa and instead wound up with his mother. No, my best girlfriend Julie took me to her synagogue so I could […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2014

A new AARP poll shows what nearly everyone who lives in Florida has known for some time. There are three basic economic engines in Florida: tourism, agriculture and retirees. Sure, under the umbrella of retirees you can include home building and health care, but if retirees don’t come, the jobs associated with those industries will […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 29, 2014

With five weeks left in Florida’s governor’s race, the contest is almost exactly where prognosticators expected it to be. The most recent numbers from Survey USA (ranked by data guru Nate Silver as the most reliable pollsters operating this cycle in the state) peg the race at Rick Scott 43 percent, Charlie Crist 42 percent. […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 28, 2014

“If the law says that,” said Mr. Bumble, “the law is a ass, a idiot.” — Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist Florida’s First District Court of Appeal sits in splendid isolation in a Tallahassee suburb, five and a half miles from the Capitol, housed in a magnificent edifice nicknamed the Taj Mahal for the $50 million […]

Gary FineoutSeptember 28, 2014

When Gov. Rick Scott surprisingly entered the Republican primary four years ago, he took a strong tea party stand on most issues. He vowed to cut government spending and debt. The multimillionaire businessman promised to slash taxes to create jobs. He called for enacting a tough Arizona-styled immigration law and chided his primary opponent for […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 25, 2014

Having returned from a quick vacation, I find my inbox bombarded with emails from all sorts of Florida Democrats bent out of shape by the “new lows” and “repulsive” tactics of their Republican adversaries. Upsetting Florida Dems the most is the Gov. Rick Scott campaign having trackers videotape license plates at a Democratic Party fundraiser […]

Tag: Charlie Crist
Aerial photo courtesy Jesse Biter.

Bruce Ritchie: Florida won’t follow California on bag ban because of 2008 law requiring study

Rachel Patron: A special Yom Kippur prayer for the pilot and crew who flew us home to West Palm Beach

State may not have enough money for Rick Scott's plans

State may not have enough money for Rick Scott’s plans

Catherine Durkin Robinson: Yom Kippur — the day to forgive each other

Jamie Miller: Florida needs to attract more retirees to help the economy thrive

Peter Schorsch: Gubernatorial race is a politician version of “The Hustler”

Martin Dyckman: Fla. Supreme Court must restore common sense in election dispute

Rick Scott abandons tough talk from 2010 campaign

Peter Schorsch: Democrats should stop whining — and just stop the other team