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Staff ReportsMay 10, 2017

Florida Democratic Party Chair Stephen Bittel and President Sally Boynton Brown are taking a two-day tour of the Panhandle to “energize the Democratic base and spread the party’s message of economic growth and opportunity to all corners of the state,” they said in a Wednesday news release. “I ran for party chair to build permanent progressive infrastructure […]

Associated PressFebruary 17, 2017

A small rural county in Florida’s Panhandle is going to become the first district in the state to have all of its students attend a charter school. The State Board of Education on Thursday voted to approve a turnaround plan for Jefferson County schools that calls for turning over day-to-day operations to a charter school […]

Peter SchorschOctober 11, 2016

Remember the “deer dog” case? This is the one where several families were having their lives disrupted because a group of hunters in the Panhandle was allowing hounds-in-pursuit-of-deer to trample across private property. It’s a quirky case. The Blackwater Wildlife Management Area (BWMA) is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) and, […]

Associated PressAugust 30, 2016

Recent redistricting makes the U.S. House seat from the eastern part of Florida’s Panhandle one of the few nationally that are likely to flip from Democrat to Republican this year. Democratic incumbent Gwen Graham cited the redrawn 2nd Congressional District’s heavy Republican presence in saying she won’t seek a second term. A physician, a former […]

Peter SchorschAugust 12, 2016

Republican Sen. Greg Evers and Rep. Mike Hill put out a joint press release Thursday calling incoming Senate President Joe Negron’s plan to purchase South Florida farmland for water storage “shortsighted.” Negron’s plan calls for $2.4 billion in state and federal dollars to purchase about 60,000 acres of farmland to divert tainted polluted water from […]

Peter SchorschJune 20, 2016

This crazy election cycle has already seen a few lawmakers and candidates playing musical chairs with their districts, swooping in to run from a favorable neighborhood or playing fast and loose with their exact address. But House District 5 candidate Bev Kilmer is taking it to a whole new level. Kilmer wants to carpetbag her way into […]

Peter SchorschApril 10, 2016

Is State Sen. Greg Evers becoming the Hamlet of the Florida Panhandle? Reports first floated last year that the Okaloosa County Republican was toying with the idea of running for Santa Rosa County sheriff, to replace the retiring incumbent there. He was later mentioned as eyeing the job of Okaloosa County’s property appraiser. And Pensacola political blogger Rick Outzen added a 2018 run for Commissioner of Agriculture to […]

Phil AmmannApril 1, 2016

Every day in Florida, volunteers serve at schools, senior centers, state parks, and non-profits. They mentor and tutor vulnerable students, restore Florida’s precious natural resources, provide meals to homebound individuals, and work with those with unique abilities. They make our communities safer, stronger and healthier. Volunteer Florida is proud to recognize April as Florida Volunteer […]

Ryan RayFebruary 25, 2016

George Gainer blasted the Legislature and his Senate District 1 opponent Rep. Matt Gaetz in an email appeal to supporters on Thursday, contending a pair of measures considered this year amount to a “power grab” by state government. Gainer, a Republican and longtime Bay County Commissioner, said bills on so-called “fracking” and local taxes aim at “stripping authority […]

Associated PressFebruary 17, 2016

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Florida may soon change how it handles the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. A House panel on Wednesday approved a bill that would change how families are notified of their right to skip the daily pledge. The measure is now headed to the full House. Students are required to recite the pledge unless a […]

Tag: Panhandle

Democratic leaders touring Panhandle

Troubled Florida school district to use charter schools

FWCC judicial beat down in ‘deer dog’ case

U.S. House district in Florida Panhandle likely to flip to GOP

Two Panhandle lawmakers call Joe Negron’s land-buy plan shortsighted

The plot thickens in Bev Kilmer’s residency saga

Peter Schorsch: The Top Five stories from Tallahassee – and more

Chester W. Spellman: April is ‘Florida Volunteer Month’

Email Insights: George Gainer decries “Tallahassee power grab” in 2016 Session

Florida may change Pledge of Allegiance school law

Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.