Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mark FerruloJune 23, 2014

Whether it’s handing out tax breaks for their campaign donors, funneling public school funding to unaccountable for-profit schools, blocking access to health care or allowing polluters to despoil our environment, far too many Florida politicians, Gov. Rick Scott chief among them, routinely ignore the needs of middle-class and working families. But there are those legislators […]

Julie DelegalJune 22, 2014

Jacksonville is ground zero for the public education budget disaster that is the result of 15 years of misguided “reform” in Florida. Three months ago, Duval Superintendent of Schools Nikolai Vitti introduced an innovative, if short-lived, proposal to allow open enrollment district-wide to keep more students in the public system. His reason? The public school […]

Guest AuthorJune 15, 2014

Gov. Rick Scott has signed the state budget, the only legislative enactment that has to become law. In so doing, he went light with his veto pen, not wanting to offend any legislators by killing any pet projects. A large stack of bills remains on his desk. He will sign most, veto a few and […]

Martin DyckmanJune 12, 2014

It was one of those “There IS a God” moments when Gov. Rick Scott had to cancel a $10,000 per person fundraiser this month because his co-host was to be a convicted tax-evader who couldn’t legally vote for him. With all the lawyers and law-enforcement agencies at his command, how could Scott not know that […]

Mark FerruloJune 11, 2014

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s attempt to explain away her preposterous claim that recognizing same-sex couples would “impose significant public harm” doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Not even close. In explaining her actions, Bondi claimed to be “defending the voters” who passed the 2008 constitutional amendment defining marriage in Florida as between a man and a woman. She […]

Bruce RitchieJune 4, 2014

When he signed the 2014-15 state budget on Monday, Gov. Rick Scott decided not to veto $88.5 million in local water projects. The governor had vetoed more than $50 million in water projects during his previous three budget signings. Some supporters of environmental programs say the water projects need to go through a better review. […]

Guest AuthorJune 3, 2014

Republicans have just discovered poverty and income inequality — a remarkable revelation, considering they have caused so much of it. The Tea Party GOP has declared Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty” a failure. And with the 2014 elections looming, following the advice of their pollsters and word-testers, Republicans are trying to remake themselves as sympathetic […]

Guest AuthorJune 2, 2014

Amidst the Memorial Day barbecues, shopping sprees, sporting events and endless miles of “are we there yet?” there were speeches and commentaries to remind us of the fallen and the freedoms they died to protect. Typically, these tributes mentioned the rights specified in the Constitution: religion, speech, assembly and press. U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross wrote […]

Peter SchorschJune 2, 2014

Gov. Rick Scott deserves some credit for being one of the loudest critics of the Obama administration’s handling of the scandal at the Veterans Administration. Last week, Scott announced that Florida is suing the VA to grant state health inspectors access to VA hospitals. For more than a month, the Obama administration denied state health inspectors […]

Mark FerruloJune 1, 2014

Secret meetings. Deleted emails. Hiding documents from the public. Perhaps nothing exemplifies Florida’s “Government in the Shadows” under Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican Party of Florida more than the ongoing legal battle over redistricting. The redistricting trial is exposing the partisan hijinks and shady backroom conniving that enabled Republican leaders to pick their voters […]

Tag: Rick Scott

Mark Ferrulo: Here are your 2014 ‘Champions of Florida’s Middle Class’

Julie Delegal: Florida’s school-budget chickens come home to roost

John Grant: The Scott vs. Crist campaign is going to be ugly and expensive

Martin Dyckman: Scott’s voter suppression snares one of his contributors

Mark Ferrulo: Bondi’s rationale for opposing same-sex couples is bogus

Bruce Ritchie: When is a water project justified – or just legislative pork?

Stephen Goldstein: Republicans ‘discover’ how to end the poverty they created

Martin Dyckman: Republicans are winning the gerrymander game in Florida

Peter Schorsch: Scott outraged by VA scandal, but unfazed by DCF cover-up

Mark Ferrulo: Government in the shadows, not the sunshine