Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Dan GelberJune 21, 2015

Jeb Bush earned the moniker of Florida’s “Education Governor” because he made education his primary policy focus while in office and the area he most focused on since. And Jeb Bush was a very busy education governor. He force-fed unprecedented testing into public schools, did all he could to neuter the teaching unions, and apologetically […]

Jac VerSteegJune 8, 2015

One result of former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s indictment is that Wheaton College has removed Hastert’s name from its J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy. In a news release the college, in Wheaton, Illinois, said: “In light of the charges and allegations that have emerged, the College has re-designated the […]

Associated PressJune 5, 2015

House Republicans appeared ready to reject the Senate’s plan on Medicaid, arguing Thursday that it is essentially an expansion that relies on money from the president’s health care overhaul. During a tense 2 1/2 hours of questions, House Republicans agreed the Senate plan was still a government entitlement program for “able-bodied adults” that would increase […]

Daniel TilsonJune 5, 2015

Dear Republican State Representatives in the Florida House: Word is, most of you are about to vote “Nay” and kill the Florida Senate’s healthcare bill that would insure hundreds of thousands of uninsured men and women stuck in the “Florida Coverage Gap.” Those are your fellow conservative Republican legislators who worked their butts off to […]

Associated PressJune 3, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott is vetoing bills designed to beef up convenience store security and give additional protections to customers of Citizens Property Insurance. Scott on Tuesday vetoed the two bills while also signing 17 other ones into law. The store security bill (HB 755) would have required family-owned convenience stores to follow certain security measures […]

Jac VerSteegJune 1, 2015

Mark Foley slowly has been returning to respectability. The former congressman from Palm Beach County resigned in 2006 after the public learned he had sent sexually-charged messages to male former congressional pages. Now, the emerging Dennis Hastert scandal is reminding Floridians of Foley’s misdeeds. After quitting Congress, Foley stayed out of sight for a while. […]

Bob SparksMay 28, 2015

Next week the Florida Legislature returns for an overtime session to fulfill their sole constitutional requirement of passing a budget. Not a Washington budget, but one where bean counters must have the same number of beans on the expense side as well as the revenue side. Conversations containing the word “shutdown” have gained a little […]

Diane RobertsMay 27, 2015

Last Saturday, the Republic of Ireland came out in rainbows, saying yes to marriage equality: 62 percent in favor. Yet Ireland is a “conservative” country, still – despite clergy sex abuse scandals – very Catholic. Divorce has only been legal since 1997; and abortion is only allowed to save the life of the mother, no […]

Diane RobertsMay 27, 2015

Last Saturday, the Republic of Ireland came out in rainbows, saying yes to marriage equality: 62 percent in favor. Yet Ireland is a “conservative” country, still – despite clergy sex abuse scandals – very Catholic. Divorce has only been legal since 1997; and abortion is only allowed to save the life of the mother, no […]

Peter SchorschMay 26, 2015

The imminent special session is just the warm-up to a hot political summer in Florida. The answers to these 10 questions will shape the immediate future for the state and – in some cases – the nation. What does Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign roll-out look like? Bush may look like a candidate, sound like a […]

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Dan Gelber: Beware of Jeb's education "revolution"

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Dennis Hastert teaches a lot about economics, government and public policy

House poised to vote down Senate’s Medicaid expansion bill

Daniel Tilson: Dear Florida House Republicans …

Governor vetoes insurance, store security bills

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Dennis Hastert scandal an unwelcome reminder of Mark Foley’s disgrace

Bob Sparks: Shutdowns, Obamacare and July special sessions

Diane Roberts: If Florida is “conservative,” let’s conserve something besides freedom to cash in

Diane Roberts: If Florida is 'conservative,' let's conserve something besides freedom to cash in

Peter Schorsch: Ten big questions facing Florida politics heading into summer