Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorAugust 4, 2017

Make no mistake. Our country is divided. There is anger. It is palpable. No one side is fully to blame. The anger exists on all sides. Sadly, the most divisive areas of American life today are now in politics and religion. But it doesn’t stop there. We now live in an age where we can […]

William PatrickMarch 16, 2017

It’s Sunshine Week in the Sunshine State, and not just because it’s Spring Break. Since 2005, open government and freedom of information advocates have designated March 13-19 as a time to celebrate public transparency and raise awareness about the critical importance of access to government records. Sunshine Week is timed to coincide with the birthday […]

Florence SnyderMarch 14, 2017

Just in time for Sunshine Week, Tampa Bay Times environmental reporter Craig Pittman reminds us how focused, how ruthless, how relentless Gov. Rick Scott’s flacks are in their taxpayer-financed efforts to keep information out of the hands of taxpayers. Florida’s Ministries of Disinformation have been around since the Chiles administration, but “paranoia about the press” […]

Florence SnyderFebruary 27, 2017

Friends of the First Amendment have their hands full with the War in the White House Pressroom. That may explain why Miami-Dade School Superintendent Alberto (Rico Suave) Carvalho thought his attempted hostile takeover of the highly respected and ferociously independent WLRN newsroom might pass unnoticed. Thankfully, fans of the free press have taken notice, and […]

William PatrickFebruary 2, 2017

Five years ago, the Florida Department of Agriculture turned its regulatory power on a small third-generation dairy farm in the Panhandle’s Calhoun County, population 14,462. The Ocheesee Creamery, as it’s known, was caught being a little too honest. Mary Lou Wesselhoeft, owner, was selling all-natural pasteurized skim milk — whole milk with the cream skimmed […]

Joe HendersonJanuary 30, 2017

It might be easy to dismiss the harsh comments by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa regarding President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order that called for “extreme vetting” of potential refugees from seven Muslim nations. As Mitch Perry reported Sunday on SaintPetersBlog, Castor said, “President Trump’s executive order targeting and banning legal permanent residents and […]

Martin DyckmanJanuary 8, 2017

When a family member or another loved one dies of natural causes, we understand that death is the price we pay for life. We must accept it and count on memories to console us. But how do you grieve for your nation? How do you move beyond the death of everything you held sacred about […]

Associated PressNovember 30, 2016

Donald Trump, that most unconventional of presidential candidates, last spring pledged that he would act perfectly presidential when the time was right. “I will be so presidential that you’ll call me and you’ll say, ‘Donald, you have to stop that, it’s too much,'” he promised during a March television interview. Less than two months from […]

Mitch PerryNovember 15, 2016

After igniting a firestorm of criticism for his decision to sit down during the playing of the national anthem Sunday to protest Donald Trump’s election, Tampa Bay Buccaneer wide receiver Mike Evans said on Tuesday that going forward he will focus on “more effective ways to communicate my message,” and will stand with his teammates once again this coming Sunday. […]

Associated PressOctober 24, 2016

A defiant Donald Trump blamed his campaign struggles on “phony polls” from the “disgusting” media on Monday, fighting to energize his most loyal supporters as his path to the presidency shrinks. With just 14 days until the election, the Republican nominee campaigned in battleground Florida as his team conceded publicly as well as privately that […]

Tag: First Amendment

Francisco Gonzalez: #ComingTogether, the movement to make America united again

Sunshine Week: First Amendment Foundation goes to bat for Florida’s right to know

Florence Snyder: Ain’t no Sunshine where Scott’s gone

The Grimm truth about Alberto Carvalho’s assault on WLRN

Small dairy farmer seeks First Amendment protection from state regulators

Kathy Castor is right calling ‘extreme vetting’ order immoral, un-American

Jan. 20, 2017: A day that will live in infamy

Donald Trump’s idea of ‘presidential’ diverges from past presidents

Jack Latvala message heard: Bucs Mike Evans to resume standing for anthem

Donald Trump rejects ‘phony’ polls, insists ‘we are winning’