Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorNovember 2, 2014

Over the years, I’ve observed that Floridians want their politicians to be driven by Florida values. This election season, voters must be wondering: how has Gov. Rick Scott lived up to key Sunshine State commitments? Rewarding hard work:  Floridians don’t want handouts they believe in working for a living. That’s why they believe in […]

Guest AuthorJuly 1, 2014

Walt Disney, whose anthropomorphic bent morphed a large, rat-like urban scavenger into beloved Bambi and made us cry, was a piker compared to today’s U.S. Supreme Court. Or at least that five-guy majority bent on turning for-profit corporations into people. Thanks to the Supremes, corporations can donate front-end loaders of cash to political causes with […]

Guest AuthorJune 19, 2014

Walt Disney World is without a doubt an amazing enterprise. In creating a place built on fantasy, nostalgia and imagination, it is truly Florida’s jewel. One of the largest employers in Florida, Disney is responsible for the influx of millions of tourists to our state and billions in revenue. Even our small attempts at state-wide […]

Guest AuthorApril 26, 2014

Protectionist behavior inadvertently shaped Florida into the tourism mecca it is today. In the early 1960s, Walt Disney had plans to locate his new studios and theme parks in New Orleans, but he faced such fierce protectionist behavior from officials there that he chose Central Florida instead. The rest is history, and Floridians can hardly […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 23, 2014

“All politics is local” is a saying most are familiar with. “Think globally, act locally” is another. Both underline a point that people of any ideological persuasion or political affiliation (except for fascists) ought to be able to agree on. The only way middle-class, working poor and retired folks can have some say over how […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 26, 2014

Most of us know Florida as the home to Disney World, LeBron James, and the reigning college football national champions. Small-business owners and those looking to invest and create jobs see a far different side of the state: its growing reputation as a hotbed of lawsuit abuse, especially for lawsuits alleging violations of the […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 12, 2013

People sometimes ask me when Florida officially went nuts. I like to tell them that the sane-train derailed somewhere between Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Carl Hiaasen. Rawlings’ classic stories are from a Florida that was settled, but not yet subdued by man. Like her fictional characters from “The Yearling,” she and a handful of “Cross […]

Guest AuthorAugust 25, 2013

The recent 60-foot wide sinkhole just outside of Orlando, in a town not far from my own, is an unfortunate reminder that our state and our community must be ready for natural disasters and other traumatic events to strike without warning. Fortunately, guests at the resort just outside Disney World were all evacuated and everyone was safe. […]

Tag: disney world
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows cucumbers recalled for salmonella. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration via AP)

Ralph Nader: Nine Florida values that Rick Scott opposes

Linda Cunningham: Hobby Lobby ruling puts us on a slippery legal slope

Gary Stein: Behind the Disney magic, reality bites back for those who work there

Justin Kintz: Legislature needs to remove barriers to innovative mobile app

Daniel Tilson: ‘Orange Rising’ redefining “Home Rule” in Florida

Tom Scott: Florida, don’t follow California’s lead by choosing lawsuits over jobs

Jim McClellan: We need a test to determine who can survive life in Florida

Capt. Gail Lazenby: Ocala and the surrounding area need a safeguard: local access to trauma care