Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Marc YachtJuly 26, 2015

The recent Lafayette, La., theater shooting left two young women dead and nine injured; some with multiple gunshot wounds. The killer took his own life. The carnage has followed too many recent gun-related tragedies and demands attention for adequately funded comprehensive mental health services and sensible firearms regulation. The conservative mantras that “government cannot be […]

Associated PressApril 8, 2015

Traffic ticket quotas for law enforcement agencies would be illegal under a bill passed by the Senate Wednesday. The so-called “Waldo Bill” (SB 264) passed unanimously with no debate. It must still pass the House and be approved by Gov. Rick Scott to become law. The bill’s nickname comes from the city of Waldo on […]

Bob SparksMarch 26, 2015

The Florida Legislature is deciding, with certain restrictions, whether to allow guns on Florida college campuses. This brief, but controversial, bill (House Bill 4005 and Senate Bill 176) removes restrictions on campus for qualified gun permit holders. Other prohibitions remain untouched, including courthouses, polling places, K-12 schools and numerous others. Republicans generally favor the legislation […]

Shannon NickinsonAugust 19, 2014

We’re going to need a bigger bridge. To make a meaningful dent in crime prevention, the gap between law enforcement and those they are sworn to protect needs to be narrowed. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Northwest Florida is trying to do its part, and for that it deserves due credit. It hosted a […]

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

Marc Yacht: Will yet another gun tragedy finally lead to change?

Senate passes “Waldo bill” banning traffic ticket quotas

Bob Sparks: Logic, passion and courage describe guns-on-campus debate

Shannon Nickinson: A bigger bridge is needed between law enforcement, community