Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorAugust 6, 2014

No one yelled “go back where you came from.” No one made political speeches. There were no hateful protests in the hot sun. No one even grumbled. Instead, we slipped aside to make room for them for the three-hour trip back to Key West from the Dry Tortugas. Clean clothes, food, water, a promise of […]

Guest AuthorJuly 20, 2014

Probably not time to order the cake or get those wedding attire alterations done, but if you’re a-hankering for a gussied up Key West wedding, you’d better book the venue. On Thursday, 16th District Circuit Court Judge Luis Garcia pulled the first thread that will unravel the Florida straightjacket prohibiting marriage equality. Garcia overturned the […]

Guest AuthorJuly 9, 2014

One of our phone conversations before the aneurysm burst and John died barely past his 50th birthday went like this: Me: Well, we always said we’d know we were old when “Chorus Line” returned as a Broadway revival. John: Yeah, the previews are great. Want me to book three tickets for October? You, Ed and […]

Guest AuthorMay 19, 2014

In what has to be a classic “duh” moment, she invited me to tag along to a Key West bar for some drinking liberally. Made sense, right? Key West? Bar? Drinking with abandon? From Hemingway to the morning’s cruise ship passenger, Key West lures them with the promise of a permanent alcohol fugue. I went. […]

Guest AuthorMay 15, 2014

On May 7, four Key West city commissioners outnumbered the other three and made one of those decisions that rankles days later, can’t be explained in anything other than snarky political sarcasm and will likely haunt the city for years to come. They brought back twice-a-week garbage pickup. Oh, I know, you’re sitting there thinking […]

Guest AuthorApril 21, 2014

“Well, good luck with that,” chuckled two Key West master gardeners as I enthusiastically explained our preparations for planting tomatoes in the front yard. Huh? This is sunshine country. Tomatoes thrive in sunshine. When grocery store tomatoes don’t come from Mexico, they come from Florida, right? Tomatoes are a fruit the last time I checked […]

Guest AuthorApril 7, 2014

Drop this question into any Key West conversation and watch the blood pressure meters soar: What are you paying for wind insurance? Monroe County property owners pay up to four times as much for wind insurance than the rest of Florida. A homeowner in Key West foots an annual bill that on average runs almost […]

Guest AuthorMarch 11, 2014

Here we are, eight months from Key West’s annual October Fantasy Fest and, right on schedule, we’re talking about naked. More to the point, the definition of naked. Let’s step aside for a moment to bring those who’ve never heard of Fantasy Fest to the party. Cash registers don’t ring much in October. It’s the […]

Guest AuthorMarch 4, 2014

First in an occasional series about Florida history. As the Legislature convenes in Tallahassee, it’s a good time to reflect on how we got to where we are as a state and how it all began. On March 3, 1845, Florida joined the Union as the 27th state. Hanging in my office is a map […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 13, 2014

The world of disappointment is littered with cliches. Sucker born every minute. Too good to be true. Key West has its very own: Ain’t no sweet deals on vacation rentals in paradise. High season starts the day after Christmas and for the next four months shivering mainlanders scour the Internet looking for that sweet deal. […]

Tag: Key West
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Linda Cunningham: The United States should put children before politics

Linda Cunningham: It’s time to think about booking Key West for gay weddings

Linda Cunningham: Two Key West men challenging state’s gay-marriage ban

Linda Cunningham: ‘Drinking Liberally’ lets progressives share sober ideas

Linda Grist Cunningham: Trash talk: What were Key West commissioners thinking?

Linda Cunningham: Naysayers proven wrong: a tomato grows in Key West

Linda Cunningham: Trying to curb the soaring cost of wind insurance

Linda Cunningham: Key West grapples with Fantasy Fest exposure

Ed Moore: Celebrating an important birthday: Florida’s!

Linda Cunningham: Rent scams: if it sounds too good, it probably is