Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorSeptember 29, 2014

I know what it’s like to oppose John Thrasher. I was a very junior senator facing one of Florida’s most respected, influential leaders who believed, on his side, just as strongly as I did on mine. I felt the force of his muscular personality, his immense grasp of the issues and his access to great resources […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 29, 2014

September is usually a time in American sports when devoted sports fans are treated to both baseball pennant races and the start of the NFL season. Traditionally, it’s a time when stars are born and veterans build their legacies. September 2014 has been a bit different, a season of contrasts. On one hand, the conduct […]

Diane RobertsSeptember 24, 2014

And in Florida State University news: the Heisman-winning quarterback is a clueless brat with a million-dollar arm and a five-cent head; the feds are investigating our handling of sexual assault accusations; and the new president-elect is a Koch-head political hack known for ethics violations. Higher education in Florida, y’all. The presidential “search” was a farce. […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 22, 2014

Florida State University trustees should not select state Sen. John Thrasher as the university’s next president when they vote today. Not on the grounds faculty and students claim: he lacks academic credentials, prefers creationist myths to sound science, and conveniently forgot several of his key votes on climate change. But for more compelling reasons: — […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 21, 2014

A misogynistic, vile, expletive punctuated public outburst on Florida State University campus would have been unacceptable for any college student. For the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and FSU starting quarterback Jameis Winston, the outburst was way out of bounds. Just as FSU has ramped up its kNOw MORE anti-sexual violence campaign, Winston stands on a […]

Adam WeinsteinSeptember 21, 2014

As early as Tuesday, we may learn who the trustees of Florida State University care about more: The FSU learning community, or their cronies. They can choose as college president any of three highly qualified administrators, fundraisers, and professors at other top-notch public universities. Or they can pick the man they’ve always wanted for the […]

Bob SparksSeptember 16, 2014

The audacity of Republican politicians is limitless. Someone wants to be president of a prestigious Florida university and this person has no experience in academia? Faculty is apoplectic. Students want to be heard. If this man becomes president, the school will lose prestige, grants, and perhaps a few members of the hyper-agitated faculty. But this […]

Adam WeinsteinAugust 31, 2014

The state of Florida and one of its flagship universities are about to embark on an exciting new experiment: What happens when you turn an institution of higher learning into an annex of the Legislature and lobbyists? That’s about the only conclusion I can come to when I look at the presidential search process — […]

Guest AuthorAugust 19, 2014

Lest the public be confused with the rhetoric about higher education costs, it’s wise to take a closer look at some costs and why they are going up. The news media attention about student loans also deserves a closer look. Some sensational stories are about exceptional cases, not the experience of most students. There is […]

Martin DyckmanJuly 7, 2014

No matter that the U.S. Supreme Court had ordered it, the state Supreme Court wasn’t going to let a black man attend the University of Florida law school. Writing in 1955, Justice W. Glenn Terrell claimed that Florida’s defiance in support of segregation fulfilled divine intent. “When God created man,” Terrell said, “he allotted each […]

Tag: Florida State University
Image via AP.

Don Gaetz: Thrasher has the skills, smarts and charm to be a great FSU president

Steven Kurlander: A September contrast: Classy Jeter vs. NFL misfits

Diane Roberts: The search for a new FSU president was a farce

Chris Timmons: Thrasher is the wrong choice for new FSU president

Andrew Skerritt: FSU survives Clemson; can its reputation survive ‘Jameis being Jameis’?

Adam Weinstein: In the FSU presidential battle, Thrasher is his own worst enemy

Bob Sparks: Thrasher’s critics should reveal their choice for FSU presidency

Adam Weinstein: Presidential search is latest battle for free-market lobbyists trying to transform FSU

Ed Moore: Interest rates, student loans and the cost of higher education

Martin Dyckman: Has the Court created a religious-freedom ‘slippery slope’?