Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressDecember 20, 2014

For decades, the politics of Cuba in Florida were simple: anything less than a hard line stance against Fidel Castro was a sure way to lose a race for office. President Barack Obama’s surprise decision this week to restore diplomatic relations with the communist nation is the surest sign yet that his is no longer […]

Mitch PerryDecember 18, 2014

The term “game-changer” was expressed often during the 90-minute press event that developer Jeff Vinik presented yesterday regarding his plans to revitalize a major part of downtown Tampa. But the true potential game-changer yesterday was President Obama’s announcement regarding a change in policies with Cuba, which has profound implications for both countries. Predictably, reactions were […]

Guest AuthorOctober 21, 2014

Answering questions is as unspeakable to Rick Scott as eating pork is to someone who keeps kosher. The governor treats talking with the press and public as trayf (Yiddish for tainted food), as though he would be putting himself at risk for the political equivalent of trichinosis. Ask him anything. And, as if unable to […]

Guest AuthorAugust 6, 2014

No one yelled “go back where you came from.” No one made political speeches. There were no hateful protests in the hot sun. No one even grumbled. Instead, we slipped aside to make room for them for the three-hour trip back to Key West from the Dry Tortugas. Clean clothes, food, water, a promise of […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 16, 2014

My parents honeymooned there 80 years ago and growing up I heard stories of this offshore paradise with pristine beaches and clear seas, classy Latin entertainment and a fantastic nightlife. It was a true American tourist destination. They sailed there on the steamship Florida. I have always dreamed of taking the kind of trip my […]

Guest AuthorAugust 29, 2013

Fidel Castro was a robust and menacing 33 when he and a band of revolutionaries toppled Cuba’s dictator of the moment, Fulgencio Batista. For a short time the U.S. foreign policy establishment had high hopes this would be a regime change worth embracing. It was not to be. Castro, it became clear, was a Communist, […]

Tag: Fidel Castro
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Obama’s Cuba moves reflect Florida political shift

Mitch Perry Report for 12.18.14 – Your move now, Raul

Stephen Goldstein: Scott won’t answer questions and too many voters don’t care

Linda Cunningham: The United States should put children before politics

John Grant: The Cuba conundrum: Free trade or further oppression

Doug Clifton: It’s time to admit our Cuban policy is absurd