Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Martin DyckmanOctober 20, 2014

The title of the Florida Public Service Commission is about as relevant to reality as that of the People’s Republic of China. In each case, the true constituency is a narrow group of self-perpetuating special interests. Making the public interest the true constituency of the PSC ought to be high on the agenda of the […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 29, 2014

I know what it’s like to oppose John Thrasher. I was a very junior senator facing one of Florida’s most respected, influential leaders who believed, on his side, just as strongly as I did on mine. I felt the force of his muscular personality, his immense grasp of the issues and his access to great resources […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 16, 2014

The great divide in education is not between the haves and the have-nots, the smart kids and the ones who struggle, the white kids and kids of color. Those differences are all very real, but a decade of driving up and measuring performance has proven they are surmountable by effective teaching, parents who care and […]

Guest AuthorAugust 20, 2014

I have previously written that I support Amendment 2, the ballot initiative that may finally bring medical marijuana (MMJ) to the state of Florida. It is because there are people in my life for whom I care deeply that would benefit from it. Not to get them stoned, but to give them a greater quality […]

Shannon NickinsonJuly 23, 2014

David Waggonner gave the Pensacola area a lot to chew on. How much of his philosophy about environmentally sensible stormwater management we ultimately will swallow remains to be seen. But you can’t say the case hasn’t been made. Waggonner is an architect who is the guru behind the Greater New Orleans Water Urban Plan. He […]

Guest AuthorJune 10, 2014

Florida’s state-run insurer, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., is due for another investigation. This review is needed following the report “Revolving door of Citizens executives to companies with contracts raises questions” by Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times. The Herald/Times report found that at least three senior executives at Citizens went to work […]

Guest AuthorMay 8, 2014

I was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2000 and quickly participated in my first session — a special session called to determine which candidate for president would be awarded Florida’s electoral votes. There were 14 sessions during my first three years in office. Many of those sessions were special sessions needed to […]

Peter SchorschMay 4, 2014

Winner: Will Weatherford With the passage of the immigration tuition bill, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford is the single biggest winner of the 2014 legislative session. He has completely silenced his detractors by accomplishing something few of the old silverbacks could have pulled off, and it is the capstone on the first phase of a political […]

Guest AuthorApril 28, 2014

Florida legislators demanding more “accountability” as a condition for expanding the state’s premier school-choice program could learn a very valuable lesson from the example set by the late, great Mary McLeod Bethune. When Bethune opened her Daytona School for Negro Girls in 1904, she knew success would depend on satisfying two different constituencies — parents […]

Peter SchorschApril 9, 2014

With lawmakers dressed in sweaters to stave off the cold and holiday displays set in the Capitol Rotunda, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli gaveled in a rare December special session of the Florida Legislature. Almost immediately after Democrat Charlie Crist unseated Republican Rick Scott last month in the most expensive gubernatorial […]

Tag: Don Gaetz

Martin Dyckman: If you want the PSC to protect customers, vote for Crist

Don Gaetz: Thrasher has the skills, smarts and charm to be a great FSU president

Don Gaetz: Scholarship lawsuit threatens best interests of students, taxpayers

Gary Stein: Medical marijuana amendment: Forced choices or freedom to treat?

Shannon Nickinson: We must learn that we can’t fight the water forever

Dan Krassner: Citizens Property Insurance due for another investigation

Jeff Kottkamp: Low-key legislative session was a lull before election fireworks

Peter Schorsch: The winners and losers in the 2014 legislative session

William Mattox: Private schools must pass the ‘Mary McLeod Bethune’ test

Peter Schorsch: Here’s what a December special session might look like