Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorSeptember 7, 2014

Tourists visit Florida for its sunny beaches, shining amusement parks and natural landscapes. In fact, the Sunshine State welcomes nearly 100 million of them each year. They come to stay, play, and pay…taxes. Nearly 74 percent of Florida’s general revenue comes from sales and use taxes, and a large part of that $19.4 billion is […]

Guest AuthorAugust 26, 2014

Floridians voted yesterday. But it hardly mattered. Worse than gerrymandered, Florida’s voting districts have now been “terrymandered,” thanks to Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis. The whole sordid affair is enough to make a manic-depressive out of all Floridians who care about clean government. For a euphoric nanosecond, it looked like Florida was about to enjoy […]

Bruce RitchieJuly 31, 2014

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Former Gov. Charlie Crist says if elected governor again in November, he would again issue executive orders dealing with climate change. But we’ve been down that road before — and it didn’t take us very far. If Crist is elected and does what he says, you can expect a battle with industry groups and their […]

Dominic CalabroJuly 29, 2014

Florida schools will be back in session very soon, and the new school year brings plenty of changes. Students, teachers and parents will face new learning standards and a new assessment to test student achievement, but one thing will stay the same: the need for paper and pencils, clothes to wear, and maybe even a […]

Guest AuthorJune 11, 2014

Reporters and political operatives breathlessly tell us almost daily what the polling numbers are in the all-important governor’s race. Interestingly, the numbers are always bouncing around — and they should. That’s because essentially what we are seeing in the collective sense are tracking polls that provide us with an almost daily barrage of numbers. Well-funded […]

Guest AuthorJune 11, 2014

As the premier association representing professionally managed senior living communities that care for more than 28,000 Floridians, FLORIDA ALFA is deeply disappointed that the Legislature did not pass comprehensive reform of the assisted living facility industry in Florida. The proposed legislation, championed by Sen. Eleanor Sobel in the Senate and Rep. Larry Ahern in the […]

Guest AuthorMay 21, 2014

The Legislature missed out on a crucial economic development opportunity this session: the chance to attract new businesses and grow existing ones — all of which employ highly skilled and high-wage workers. I am talking about a proposal sponsored by Sen. Nancy Detert that would have extended the life of the successful Entertainment Industry Financial […]

Guest AuthorApril 26, 2014

Protectionist behavior inadvertently shaped Florida into the tourism mecca it is today. In the early 1960s, Walt Disney had plans to locate his new studios and theme parks in New Orleans, but he faced such fierce protectionist behavior from officials there that he chose Central Florida instead. The rest is history, and Floridians can hardly […]

Guest AuthorApril 13, 2014

One of the most frustrating things in today’s political climate is the sense that if we hold one party accountable for its actions, we somehow are endorsing the other party’s behavior on all things. I am proud of my opposition to many Republican bills, not because I suddenly love the Democrats, but because I believe […]

Guest AuthorApril 8, 2014

Florida has always been a very conservative state when it comes to gambling. Voters rejected casino gambling three time (1978, 1986 and 1994). The state aggressively challenged the Seminole Tribe when they opened a high stakes bingo parlor in 1979. Even the state lottery was not approved until 1984. Pursuant to Article X section 7 […]

Tag: Legislature

Jerry D. Parrish: More tourists mean lower taxes for Florida’s residents

Stephen Goldstein: Florida Republicans celebrate death of democracy

Bruce Ritchie: If voters want new energy policy, they need to elect new legislators

Dominic M. Calabro: Floridians benefit from back-to-school sales tax holiday

Barney Bishop: If Crist is governor, expect to see D.C. antics in Tallahassee

Gail Matillo: Legislature must pass assisted-living reform in 2015 session

Leah Sokolowsky: Helping the entertainment industry would benefit Florida

Justin Kintz: Legislature needs to remove barriers to innovative mobile app

Henry Kelley: Beer battle shows how cronyism trumps good policy in Florida

Jeff Kottkamp: Legislature should be wary of turning dog tracks into mini-casinos