Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Bruce RitchieMarch 29, 2015

Words matter, or they should – at least for journalists. Not necessarily for politicians. Case in point: the Florida House leadership saying that it has $205 million in the proposed 2015-16 state budget for Florida Forever, the state’s land-buying program. Nope, not true. In fact, the House budget proposal doesn’t include a single dollar for […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 29, 2015

Words matter, or they should – at least for journalists. Not necessarily for politicians. Case in point: the Florida House leadership saying that it has $205 million in the proposed 2015-16 state budget for Florida Forever, the state’s land-buying program. Nope, not true. In fact, the House budget proposal doesn’t include a single dollar for […]

Bob SparksMarch 26, 2015

The Florida Legislature is deciding, with certain restrictions, whether to allow guns on Florida college campuses. This brief, but controversial, bill (House Bill 4005 and Senate Bill 176) removes restrictions on campus for qualified gun permit holders. Other prohibitions remain untouched, including courthouses, polling places, K-12 schools and numerous others. Republicans generally favor the legislation […]

Guest AuthorMarch 26, 2015

While attending a college information program with my high school son recently, I heard an admissions officer say something that every Florida legislator ought to hear. “The three most important letters in the college selection process aren’t S-A-T or A-C-T,” the admissions officer observed. “The three most important letters are F-I-T.” The admission officer’s point […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 23, 2015

We’re more than a quarter of the way through the 60-day 2015 legislative session. And our Florida Legislature remains deeply divided about whether to close the health insurance coverage gap that upwards of a million Floridians have fallen into, through no fault of their own. Almost a quarter of them are unemployed workers actively looking […]

Guest AuthorMarch 23, 2015

As with most issues, there is another side to legislation pertaining to punitive damages that is now being considered by the Florida Legislature. A Tampa Bay Times editorial, “Don’t change law to limit damages for Big Tobacco” on Feb. 26, suggests this bill is a bailout, and one that changes the rules long after the […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 22, 2015

Most mornings I walk my dog down to the neighborhood lakeside park. In the evening I go there to jog while others go bicycling, walking and fishing. In 2000, my yard and the hundreds of homes surrounding it were pastureland owned by The St. Joe Co., the timber and paper conglomerate. In 1998, St. Joe […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 22, 2015

Most mornings I walk my dog down to the neighborhood lakeside park. And in the evening I go there to jog while others go bicycling, walking and fishing. In 2000, my yard and the hundreds of homes surrounding it were pastureland owned by The St. Joe Co., the timber and paper conglomerate. In 1998, St. […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 19, 2015

Funny thing about the “will of the people” in Florida. Even when expressed via an overwhelming majority “Yes” vote on a constitutional amendment, the Legislature can and does subvert it. That’s what’s happening with the environmental protections and preservations Floridians thought were a done deal after more than 75 percent of voters joined forces to […]

Guest AuthorMarch 17, 2015

As the chief of cornea and contact lens service at Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry, I specialize in contact lens fittings and know the good, the bad, and the ugly of contact lens use. The “good” which comes from contact lens use is that millions of people achieve excellent vision and improved lifestyle with […]

Tag: Florida Legislature
Image via the Associated Press.

Bruce Ritchie: Is House giving Florida Forever $205 million? Nope

Bruce Ritchie: Is House giving Florida Forever $205 million? Nope

Bob Sparks: Logic, passion and courage describe guns-on-campus debate

William Mattox: Legislature should empower parents to enroll child in school that best fits

Daniel Tilson: Tell House to end hidden healthcare tax, close coverage gap

Tom Feeney: Time is now for common-sense damages reform in Florida

Bruce Ritchie: How much is enough conservation land for Florida?

Bruce Ritchie: How much is enough conservation land for Florida?

Daniel Tilson: Florida Legislature is subverting our will on Amendment 1, water

Andrea Janoff: Allowing big corporations to make eye-care decisions is “terrifying”