Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Martin DyckmanOctober 19, 2014

The term limits initiative that Florida voters put into the Constitution in 1992 was one of the most popular issues ever, passing with 3,625,500 “yes” votes to only 1,097,127 against it. But what it has done to the Legislature makes it one of the costliest mistakes in Florida history. The voters deserve an opportunity to […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 12, 2014

Whether to legalize marijuana for medical use — and with what conditions — are questions that should have been debated by the Legislature. There have been opportunities. But the profile most legislators display on such topics is not one of courage. Sports anglers encountered the same quicksand when they asked for restrictions on the massive […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 8, 2014

The campaign for governor strikes many Floridians as all sound and fury, signifying nothing but that too much money is being put to too little good. Some are even questioning why they should bother to vote. The answer is elemental. If they don’t, other people will be voting for them. At the end of the […]

Martin DyckmanOctober 1, 2014

In considering the exploitation of college athletes, it’s usually about how little they share of the stupendous wealth they generate for the big football and basketball programs. Not much is said about the risks they take. In that regard, it would be hard to find a worse case than what happened to Ereck Plancher and […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 28, 2014

“If the law says that,” said Mr. Bumble, “the law is a ass, a idiot.” — Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist Florida’s First District Court of Appeal sits in splendid isolation in a Tallahassee suburb, five and a half miles from the Capitol, housed in a magnificent edifice nicknamed the Taj Mahal for the $50 million […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 23, 2014

If the Legislature decrees that two plus two equals five or that water runs uphill, does that make it so? A similar question is percolating in the Florida courts. Does a blind trust constitute “full and public disclosure” of the financial interests of a public official? Common sense says no. A law passed in 2013 […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 18, 2014

Voters across Florida cast ballots in November 2000 to say whether they wanted to continue electing most of their circuit and county court judges or would let the governor appoint them. Election was the overwhelming favorite everywhere. In Duval, Nassau and Clay counties, which comprise the Fourth Circuit, it was the choice of 69.3 percent […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 14, 2014

The widely denounced Citizens United decision that did a great disservice to the nation and disgraces five Supreme Court justices is only the tip of a hulking iceberg. An urgent effort to melt that iceberg began in the U.S. Senate last week. You probably didn’t hear about it. The foundation for Citizens in 2010 was […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 8, 2014

Every judge gets a robe and a gavel. Until now, it has not been thought necessary to include barbecue mitts in the kit. But it seems some judges need them. Consider the hot-potato handling in the Tampa divorce case of Mariama Monique Changamire Shaw vs. Keiba Lynn Shaw. Married legally in Massachusetts in 2010, they […]

Martin DyckmanSeptember 4, 2014

When my old newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times, zinged Gov. Rick Scott with an editorial describing him as a man without a heart, an accompanying illustration put his face on the iconic image of the Tin Man in the “Wizard of Oz.” That was too generous to Scott. Jack Haley’s character in the classic motion […]

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

Martin Dyckman: Elect Crist if you want to fix the mess created by term limits

Martin Dyckman: Vote for Crist if you want much-needed constitutional reform

Martin Dyckman: Two huge reasons to vote — the courts, the state constitution

Martin Dyckman: Court to decide if college athletic programs can keep immunity

Martin Dyckman: Fla. Supreme Court must restore common sense in election dispute

Martin Dyckman: Blind trusts protect the politicians, not the taxpayers

Martin Dyckman: How the First District Court of Appeal ignored Florida voters

Martin Dyckman: Media must report nascent efforts to curb power of money in politics

Martin Dyckman: Same-sex divorce too hot to handle for many Florida judges

Martin Dyckman: Once again, Gov. Scott vetoed a modest appropriation for civil legal aid to the poor