Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Daniel TilsonMarch 8, 2015

You’d think 50 years was long enough for Florida lawmakers to get something right. But when it comes to ensuring all Floridians have equal opportunity to exercise their right to vote, and then overwhelmingly choose to use it, most of us know we’ve still got a long way to go. Here we are, fresh off […]

Guest AuthorMarch 8, 2015

Florida’s educational ship of state hit an iceberg last week. By the end of the week, Education Commissioner Pam Stewart was insisting that it was just a “small gash” and that the problem had been fixed. Legislators are rushing in to change the route and even suggesting that the ship return to port. The voyage […]

Guest AuthorMarch 6, 2015

For decades casino lobbyists have tried to turn Florida into Las Vegas. But they have been turned back time and again by voters, legislators, governors and business groups that understand the toxic nature of gambling economics. But gambling lobbyists are back again, this time pushing for the biggest expansion of gambling in Florida’s history. There […]

Julie DelegalMarch 4, 2015

Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, has been listening to parent complaints about high-stakes testing. Mayfield, like most parents and educators, is so frustrated with the entire standards-based accountability system that she wants to give entire school districts the ability to “opt out” of standards-based tests altogether. Judging from an action alert obtained from a Tea […]

Associated PressMarch 3, 2015

The Republican-led Florida Legislature kicked off its annual session Tuesday with the usual pomp, but the celebratory nature was overshadowed by lingering questions about the state budget, tax cuts and health care. The two GOP legislators in charge opened the session by stressing areas on which they plan to work in tandem over the next […]

Associated PressMarch 3, 2015

The Republican-led Florida Legislature kicked off its annual session Tuesday with the usual pomp, but the celebratory nature was overshadowed by lingering questions about the state budget, tax cuts and health care. The two GOP legislators in charge opened the session by stressing areas on which they plan to work in tandem over the next […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 3, 2015

Once again, Rick Scott owes George Orwell a debt of gratitude. Without the classic novel “1984” and its primer on political doublespeak, the governor’s State of the State speech this week would have been way more…let’s say transparent, since that’s a word repeatedly and ridiculously run through Scott’s Orwellian propaganda grinder recently. My dictionary defines […]

Julie DelegalMarch 3, 2015

And you thought the Obamacare web rollout had problems. Computer malfunctions, brand new curriculum standards and unparalleled stress have characterized the debut of the new Florida Standards Assessments. But could Florida’s testing debacle be alleviated by a stroke of the governor’s pen? On Monday, 36 of Florida’s 67 counties – more than half – experienced […]

Diane RobertsMarch 2, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – Some Florida towns have a strawberry festival; some have a seafood festival or a jazz festival or even a frog leg festival. Here in Florida’s capital, we put on an annual Festival of Bad Ideas. Its other name is the Legislative session. Come spring, legislators swarm, careening madly down our narrow, pretty […]

Diane RobertsMarch 2, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – Some Florida towns have a strawberry festival; some have a seafood festival or a jazz festival or even a frog leg festival. Here in Florida’s capital, we put on an annual Festival of Bad Ideas. Its other name is the Legislative session. Come spring, legislators swarm, careening madly down our narrow, pretty […]

Tag: Florida Legislature
Family members appear behind a pile of debris outside their home in Steinhatchee, Fla., Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, after Hurricane Helene slammed Florida's Big Bend as a Category 4 storm Thursday night. (Ashleigh Lucas/WUFT News)

Daniel Tilson: Voting rights – from Selma, 1965 to Tallahassee, 2015

Catherine Martinez: Florida's Titanic testing journey

John Sowinski: Dana Young's gambling bill encourages parasite casinos

Julie Delegal: Tweaking the tests – Common Core pushback

Budget, health care issues cloud Legislature’s opening day

Budget, health care issues cloud Legislature's opening day

Daniel Tilson: Gov. Scott touts Florida 'Exceptionalism' full of exceptions

Julie Delegal: Gov. Scott, give kids a break from computer-plagued tests

Diane Roberts: Welcome to Tallahassee’s Festival of Bad Ideas

Diane Roberts: Welcome to Tallahassee's Festival of Bad Ideas