Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Phil AmmannFebruary 19, 2015

Sachs Media Group is creating some big buzz with Big Data. Florida’s leading communications firm announced today the launch of Breakthrough Research, a new division specializing in “Big Data” – broad and complex data sets – for public policy opinion research and campaign message testing. Leading the innovative Breakthrough Research group is Karen Cyphers, who […]

Guest AuthorAugust 17, 2014

In November, Florida voters will likely approve Amendment 2 – a proposal that seeks to expand health-care options to include medical marijuana. At that point, it will be incumbent on lawmakers to implement regulatory schemes that protect rather than exploit Florida’s health-care system. Toward this goal, looking at the experience of other states can offer a […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 26, 2014

Every 68 seconds, another individual is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. One in every three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. It is the only top cause of death with no known treatments or cures. Alzheimer’s is the most costly disease to federal and state governments. To families, too. Federal dollars for Alzheimer’s fall […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 15, 2014

A pair of creative, well-purposed bills have been drafted and filed for at least the fourth time this year. These bills, SB 466 and HB 361, would create a special State Lottery scratch-off ticket for funding breast cancer research. The “Ticket for a Cure” would be available for a limited period of five years, […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 6, 2014

I’ve been instructed by my editor that referring to Florida as the “Sunshine State” is a cliché — a goofy term that is out of place in columns about momentous political happenings. Likely so. But here’s a case where the term is fitting: Florida, the state named for its sunshine, has more tanning beds than […]

Guest AuthorDecember 18, 2013

Home videos validate that I was fiercely camera shy. When my mother would come with the shoebox-sized camcorder on her shoulder, I’d duck away while my sister posed. I felt that cameras ruined the moment by forcing people to become self-conscious, in the way that means having to think about how you’re being. To me […]

Guest AuthorDecember 11, 2013

I wonder how my mother’s past year may have gone differently had telemedicine been an option for her care. Following the resection of the lower lobe of her lung due to cancer, she developed an inability to swallow properly. She was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, and after multiple hospitalizations, she was fitted with a feeding […]

Guest AuthorDecember 3, 2013

Charlie Crist was on to something with his 2008 plan to cover Florida’s uninsured, but he was also its undoing. Called “Cover Florida,” it was designed to offer lower-cost options to the uninsured without mandates or tax dollars. Instead, the program was designed to use competitive negotiations between the state and insurers. The state’s pitch […]

Guest AuthorNovember 19, 2013

My family’s big question for this coming week is how to celebrate the epically rare convergence of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. The two holidays haven’t started at the same time since 1888, and will not again for another 77,798 years. There isn’t a playbook for such an occasion. If you’re up for the challenge, here are […]

Guest AuthorNovember 6, 2013

How many examples can you think of where Florida law is unnecessarily complex? Where loopholes — intended or not — undermine a goal? Where a fix ends up worse than the problem? For instance, take casinos. It took years of patchwork lawmaking to create the identity confusion Florida has today with gaming regulations. You can […]

Tag: Karen Cyphers

Karen Cyphers to lead Sachs Media new Breakthrough Research division

Karen Cyphers: Lessons for Florida from a California cannabis tourist

Karen Cyphers: Rep. Hudson’s bill to help Alzheimer’s patients is a big deal

Karen Cyphers: Don’t ‘scratch’ Lotto bills; work to make them better

Karen Cyphers: Dangerous tanning beds popular in Sunshine State

Karen Cyphers: My smart-phone camera broke – and I’m relieved

Karen Cyphers: More ‘telemedicine’ would reduce costs, suffering

Karen Cyphers: Too easy on insurers, Crist doomed his health-care plan

Karen Cyphers: ‘Thanksgivukkah’ a rare alignment of feasts and miracles

Karen Cyphers: Sensible pot laws are needed, but amendment is flawed