Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Darryl PaulsonMay 1, 2017

On July 16, 1949, seventeen-year-old Norma Padgett claimed that her husband Willie was assaulted and she was raped by four black males near Groveland, Florida. Groveland is located in Lake County in central Florida. In July 1986, I co-authored the first scholarly article on the Groveland case in the Florida Historical Quarterly, along with historians […]

Scott PowersApril 21, 2017

Friends of the court are beginning to crowd into the Florida Supreme Court case pitting Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala and Gov. Rick Scott, with families of homicide victims siding with Scott, and the ACLU and House Minority Leader Janet Cruz siding with Ayala on Friday. Several filings Friday are loading the case with friends. Also Friday, a group […]

Scott PowersFebruary 14, 2017

Two South Florida lawmakers are hoping to get Florida to make some amends for one of the darkest moments of the racist Jim Crow days, with bills seeking exoneration for the so called “Groveland Four,” young black men and teenagers killed or imprisoned over false 1949 rape charges. State Rep. Bobby DuBose and state Sen. […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 20, 2017

There were rumblings last week that some civil rights leaders in Jacksonville were unhappy with the yearly Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast. This week, there is written confirmation. A letter in the mailbox of Mayor Lenny Curry from Jacksonville NAACP President Isaiah Rumlin let it be known that while the NAACP, the SCLC, and the Urban League […]

Peter SchorschOctober 24, 2016

First, the good news for Charlie Crist. A new St. Pete Polls survey shows that the Democrat is maintaining his lead in the race for Florida’s 13th Congressional District over Republican David Jolly. The bad news is that this lead is a narrow three points, giving him little margin for error during the final two weeks of the campaign. But unforced errors […]

Mitch PerryAugust 29, 2016

Tampa Bay Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor expressed disappointment Monday that only 13 percent of eligible voters in Hillsborough County have voted by mail or at the polls heading into Election Day on Tuesday, the last day to vote in this year’s primary election. “We can do a lot better,” said Castor, who will face Republican Christine Quinn when she runs for her seat […]

Mitch PerryAugust 1, 2016

Florida is one of only three states in the nation where felons and ex-felons permanently lose their right to vote, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. So on the last day to register to vote in the Aug. 30 primary election, advocates throughout the Sunshine State called for a repeal of that law Monday. “The voting […]

Mitch PerryJuly 13, 2016

The issue of school choice and vouchers is a touchy one for Democrats. In the Democratic Party platform completed last weekend in Orlando, it declares support for “high-quality public charter schools” and opposition to “for-profit charter schools focused on making a profit off of public resources.” The national NAACP, however, is against public support for school choice AND vouchers, saying it takes […]

Melissa RossJune 9, 2016

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is out with a new report detailing the state, county, and local voting changes — proposed or implemented — during the past three years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder. The report, titled “Democracy Diminished,” looks at how states and counties with […]

Mitch PerryMay 25, 2016

An advocacy group pushing for strong regulations on predatory payday loans is once again applying pressure on members of Florida’s congressional delegation, shortly before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is expected to announce new national rules for payday lending next week. Allied Progress has been conducted an aggressive campaign against Florida lawmakers who support legislation sponsored by […]

Tag: NAACP

Darryl Paulson: Groveland — Florida’s legacy of hate

Families of homicide victims, ACLU, Janet Cruz join filers in Aramis Ayala case

‘Groveland Four’s’ haunting 1949 injustice addressed in resolutions

Jacksonville civil rights groups plan to take control of MLK Breakfast

New poll shows Charlie Crist with 3-point lead over David Jolly, but will unforced errors do him in?

On eve of primary election, Kathy Castor laments low turnout so far in Hillsborough County

Advocates call for repeal of Florida’s ban on automatic restoration of voting rights for ex-felons

Darryl Rouson and Ed Narain battle it out on policy in SD 19 NAACP-sponsored debate

‘Democracy Diminished’ report outlines potential threats to voting in Florida

Advocacy group again attacks “Florida model” of payday lending in new video