Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorJanuary 6, 2014

Guns. We are awash in them and words about them. Some of the latest came from Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal, which ruled that the University of North Florida could not ban students from keeping guns in their on-campus cars. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by Florida Carry, a gun […]

Guest AuthorDecember 22, 2013

“Times Publisher Sets Out Plan for ‘Native’ Ads” So read the headline that appeared over a 20-inch story telling Times readers its website would soon be carrying advertising content having the appearance of news content. The story took pains to say that the so called “native ads” would be clearly marked as paid content so the […]

Guest AuthorDecember 12, 2013

ELECTIONmurphy01_1415161884111_9450843_ver1.0_640_480-1024x1024.jpg

It’s never a good idea to take on an issue after Jon Stewart has had his way with it, but you know what they say about fools. The subject, in case you missed it, was the Obama-Castro handshake at the Nelson Mandela funeral celebration. Fox and CNN went gaga with speculation and condemnation over the […]

Guest AuthorNovember 26, 2013

In these days of warring ideologies, red vs. blue, it’s comforting to know that officeholders from either party can agree on something. Too bad it’s the wrong thing, keeping secrets from the public. The pages of our newspapers are not big enough to record the daily violations of our open-government laws, so the public only […]

Guest AuthorNovember 13, 2013

Somebody needs to grab Sen. Lindsey Graham by the scruff of the neck and give him a shake or two. In the ideal, it would be one of his Republican colleagues but that’s not likely, given the party’s weapon of choice — extortion. Last month the party nearly shut down the government and pushed the […]

Guest AuthorNovember 11, 2013

Last week’s vote to retain Florida’s Stand Your Ground law should come as no surprise, not even that, at 11-2, it was so lopsided. After all, Florida was a national leader in passage of the law in 2005. The state’s gun laws are among the most liberal in the nation and the torrent of debate […]

Guest AuthorNovember 5, 2013

If it seems like just a couple of years ago that the Florida Department of Corrections announced the closure of seven prisons and four work camps. That’s because it is. The department’s January 2012 press release announcing the closings attributed their need to “declining prison admissions and excess bed space.” By fiscal year 2012/13 the […]

Guest AuthorOctober 23, 2013

When a man in Revolutionary War garb shows up at your public hearing, you can pretty much count on a downhill slide in the quality of debate. That was surely the case in Davie, Florida the other night when the aforementioned costumed man was abetted by shouts of “Marxism” and “communism” from the audience. Said […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2013

Until the wheels fell off the newspaper business, the Fourth Estate did a pretty good job of meeting its societal obligation: casting a skeptical, disinterested eye on the workings of government. The formula was simple. Attract readers with a well-edited, well-written package of news, entertainment and features at a reasonable price and let advertisers pitch […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 18, 2013

The headlines are achingly familiar: “Financing loosens up for new condo projects/ Lenders provide nearly $900 million in financing” “Brickell project changes to condo” “Fort Lauderdale rental boom underway” “Related Group plans 4 more condo towers.” And so on. With the wounds of South Florida’s last boom/bust cycle still fresh in our memories – to […]

Tag: Doug Clifton
Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting. Image via AP.

Doug Clifton: With all the slaughter, how does gun lobby continue to win?

Doug Clifton: Website readers risk being deceived by ‘native ads’

Doug Clifton: Breathless talk of Obama-Castro handshake ignored crucial issue

Doug Clifton: Expect dark days ahead for government in the sunshine

Doug Clifton: Lindsey Graham needs to stop playing the crazy card

Doug Clifton: ‘Warning shot’ provision exposes bystanders to gunfire

Doug Clifton: Being tough on crime is tough on taxpayers

Doug Clifton: Some Common Core opponents are proof the standards are needed

Doug Clifton: Philanthropy is the last best hope for quality local journalism

Doug Clifton: South Florida building boom will surely end in another bust