Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorMarch 6, 2014

Right now, one of the most economically devastating proposals in Florida history is making its way through the Florida Legislature. The proposal, if passed, would allow local governments to “zone out” vacation rental properties, destroying property values, taking houses off the vacation rental market, destroying neighboring property values, and upending Florida’s tourism industry. The resulting […]

Daniel TilsonFebruary 27, 2014

Let’s face it. Most working families and retirees in Florida take a pass on paying much if any attention to the 60-day lawmaking scrimmage that takes place in Tallahassee around this time each year. Maybe if legislators actually scrimmaged in pads and helmets while debating what they’re going to do to our lives, we’d pay […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 23, 2014

The curtain is about to go up on the 2014 session of the Florida Legislature and perhaps the top story is not what our leaders will accomplish, but what they will ignore. Since the enactment of term limits, legislators know when they are leaving from the day they are elected. The election night tally begins […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 27, 2014

A couple of gun-owning guys on Big Pine Key, about 30 miles up the Keys from Key West, must have figured it was too far to drive to the mainland to do some weapons practice. They built their own shooting range smack in the middle of the Eden Pines subdivision. Once a week for an […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 13, 2014

Think about your last visit to your primary care physician. You likely had to schedule an appointment weeks in advance. Then I’m sure you waited a considerable amount of time before seeing a nurse, and again before seeing your doctor. Have you noticed the wait times seem longer lately? One reason is that Florida is […]

Daniel TilsonJanuary 9, 2014

Working and retired Floridians from all walks of life commonly flock together in long lottery ticket lines, dreaming of better days. But joining forces to vote for progressive political candidates who could help fulfill that dream … that’s another story. I get it that no politician or elected official, no matter how progressive, can make […]

Daniel TilsonDecember 17, 2013

Bells tolled, tears rolled and prayers rose toward the heavens on the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School gun massacre last Saturday, while the profound lack of progress in reducing gun violence weighed down many a mourning spirit. In the wake of that tragedy, the victims’ families and friends galvanized millions of new […]

Guest AuthorDecember 16, 2013

After looking closely at how student-athletes move from one school to another, the Florida High School Athletic Association has proposed a significant policy broadening student-athlete eligibility. It will be better for the student-athletes, better for the parents and — most important of all — better for the cause of sportsmanship and fair play. Over the […]

Guest AuthorNovember 24, 2013

On the morning of Oct. 30, the Florida Department of Corrections told a legislative appropriations committee that it would need $58 million in the 2014-15 budget to meet the needs of a burgeoning prison population. Less than 12 hours earlier, Congressman Trey Radel, R-Ft. Myers, was caught purchasing cocaine from an undercover police officer in […]

Darryl PaulsonNovember 19, 2013

Second of a four-part series on political humor It’s no wonder that politics and politicians are held in such low esteem. Consider some of these absurd statements made by state legislators and members of Congress. A member of Congress was quoted as saying: “We’re going to wrestle to the ground this gigantic orgasm that is […]

Tag: Florida Legislature

Paul Hayes: Florida’s economy depends on vacation rental industry

Daniel Tilson: Middle-class Floridians, pay attention to the 2014 legislative session

John Grant: ‘Bulldozer politics’ is good for politicians, bad for citizens

Linda Cunningham: More craziness: a shooting range in a subdivision

Tamara Demko: Legislature should ease restrictions on nurse practitioners

Daniel Tilson: The Florida GOP’s 2014 version of ‘Believe It or Not’

Daniel Tilson: The secret to gun safety in Florida

Roger Dearing: Easing ‘follow-the-coach’ rules would help kids, schools

Jeff Clemens: Radel was wise to buy his cocaine in D.C., not Florida

Darryl Paulson: Looney Laws and Stupid Political Statements