Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Shannon NickinsonJune 3, 2014

When the First Amendment Foundation publicized its transparency scorecard last month, it found that on average, cities and counties in Florida had lots of room for improvement in sharing the workings of government with the governed. On average, local government websites earned 52 out of 100 possible points on a transparency scorecard. The scores were […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 22, 2014

Pensacon is going places, and if Pensacola is smart, we will help it get there. The sci-fi, comic book, fantasy, horror and gaming pop culture convention packed out the Pensacola Bay Center in its first year. Though the idea had been in Chairman Mike Ensley’s mind for years, Ensley teamed with Ben Galecki, CEO of […]

Guest AuthorMay 15, 2014

There are no fancy brochures for this nursing home, no limousines to ferry the residents to malls and concerts, no menus offering an array of choices. It’s not a bad nursing home. It’s old but it’s clean, and the halls are full of staffers who mostly seem cheerful and helpful and attentive even though the […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 14, 2014

Joe Sims believes in paying it forward. So does Nicole Brown. And why wouldn’t they? They are flesh and blood proof of what it can get you. Joe is a social worker in Crestview who works for the United Methodist Children’s Home, a group home for children who are in the state foster care system. […]

Shannon NickinsonMarch 20, 2014

Bruce Beach deserves to be more than the dumping ground for fill dirt, riprap and spoil for every other construction project along Pensacola’s downtown waterfront. It deserves to be more than the tangle of brush and overgrowth that shelters a makeshift home place for vagrants. Bruce Beach in its current state is not the kind […]

Guest AuthorMarch 5, 2014

Northwest Florida has felt like the redheaded stepchild of Florida ever since term limits forced the powerful W.D. Childers out of the Florida Senate in 2000. Before then, the westernmost counties could dominate the Florida Legislature because they always re-elected the incumbents. Today, we have to share legislative power with the rest of the state, […]

Guest AuthorDecember 23, 2013

Let’s give a shout out to some good news, but do it quietly because it involves libraries. It’s refreshing in this anti-education, Tea Party era to see that so many people say that they support public libraries, those hotbeds of learning, entertainment and advancement. A new study by Pew Research Foundation found plenty of support […]

Guest AuthorDecember 11, 2013

In Northwest Florida, politics is a blood sport. There is one brewing now that deserves statewide attention. On one side is Mayor Ashton Hayward, who was elected three years ago as Pensacola’s first strong mayor. He’s a handsome, likeable person with a big bright smile and who likes to speak of big ideas. Hayward has […]

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Palm Beach resident Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and conservative commentator, is set to become Deputy Director of the FBI.

Shannon Nickinson: Cities, counties do poor job of sharing information with citizens

Shannon Nickinson: If Pensacola is smart, it will encourage Pensacon

Mark O’Brien: There’s a nursing home in your future

Shannon Nickinson: Programs tackle poverty one child at a time

Shannon Nickinson: Pensacola’s Bruce Beach deserves its time in the sun

Rick Outzen: Panhandle grumbles over State of the State address

Mark O’Brien: Libraries provide more than just books, movies and CDs

Rick Outzen: A Panhandle political battle is brewing