Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Florence SnyderApril 17, 2017

Planting pinwheels may “raise awareness” of child abuse, but the hard and labor-intensive work of preventing child abuse goes on in places where skilled professionals collaborate to do more difficult things. One such place is Orange County’s B.A.B.Y. Court. There, Circuit Judge Alicia Latimore offers lollipops to toddlers and tots who have suffered the trauma […]

Scott PowersApril 10, 2017

A new poll by Public Policy Polling finds that a strong majority of voters in State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s Orange and Osceola counties prefer some form of life-in-prison sentence for first-degree murderers rather than the death penalty. The poll, commissioned by the Center for Capital Representation at the Florida International University College of Law, finds results that […]

Scott PowersMarch 23, 2017

In January, when she took office, new Denver District Attorney Beth McCann reaffirmed her campaign promise on an extraordinary policy: There would be no death penalty cases in her district under her watch. The reaction? Virtually nothing. No expressions of shock or outrage from other politicians, no calls for cases to be stripped from her, […]

Les NeuhausMarch 22, 2017

Orange County and state officials are making an example of a man who attempted to collect a bogus insurance claim on his car after reporting it stolen, accusing him of arson and insurance fraud. Michael Abrams, 43, is now held on $50,000 bond in an Orange County detention facility, a statement said Wednesday. Abrams is […]

Scott PowersMarch 21, 2017

The Orange County Democratic Party announced late Tuesday its executive committee has unanimously backed Orlando State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s decision to not pursue the death penalty in Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit. Orange County Democratic Chairman Wes Hodge said more than 200 people attended the Monday night meeting at which the committee passed two resolutions; one […]

Scott PowersMarch 7, 2017

Osceola County Expressway Authority plans to run a new highway through an Orange County nature park drew strong fire Tuesday at the Orange County Board of Commissioners meeting, but Mayor Teresa Jacobs and the commissioners were uncertain they could do anything about it. Several dozen people came to the meeting to appeal to Jacobs and […]

Scott PowersFebruary 21, 2017

With a rapid increase of pedicabs that apparently now include many that are currently unregulated, Orange County officials laid out a proposed ordinance Tuesday to require permits, insurance, inspections, and enforcement along International Drive. The ordinance is largely supported by a handful of pedicab companies that already are operating under a separate set of rules […]

Scott PowersFebruary 21, 2017

Facing the increasingly obvious conclusion that its 30-year-old animal services shelter is no longer adequate, Orange County is moving ahead with plans to replace it, but a new one could cost up to $35 million and take several years. The Orange County Board of Commissioners heard that news Tuesday while also reviewing information that showed […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 13, 2017

Searching for the best way to teach our nation’s children, many communities see charter schools as one of the most effective ways to help students otherwise struggling to make it in public education. Nevertheless, the pursuit of alternative solutions does not sit well with some, particularly those in the media who view charter schools a […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

No one has identified Orlando as one of the “sanctuary cities” providing safe havens for undocumented immigrants while sustaining conservatives’ wrath and potential funding cuts from President Donald Trump‘s orders, but when the question comes up, Orlando responds with a puzzle. “While it’s not clear exactly what the definition of a “sanctuary city” is, it is clear […]

Tag: Orange County

Florence Snyder: Why children die: B.A.B.Y. Court works, but Florida prefers to pay for things that don’t

PPP poll finds Orange, Osceola counties prefer life punishment to death sentence

If Aramis Ayala had been in Denver, people might have shrugged

Officials use Orlando man, attempted insurance fraud, as example of abuse

Orange County Democratic Party unanimously backs Aramis Ayala

Planned Osceola Parkway extension through park draws fire in Orange meeting

Orange County moving forward on I-Drive pedicab regulation

New Orange County animal shelter would cost $25-35 million

ProPublica hit piece will deliver ‘inaccurate, untruthful’ attack on Orlando charter school

Is Orlando a ‘sanctuary city?’ What’s a ‘sanctuary city?’