Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorMarch 10, 2014

Florida is firing the first cannon in a battle to convince veterans across the country and around the world to retire here. Today in Tallahassee is Military Day when the Legislature honors the deeds of men and women who have committed themselves to the defense of our country. So placed around the Capitol Courtyard will […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 9, 2014

Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court set off a useful debate over her frank views on the importance of diversity among judges. Personal experiences, she explained, “affect the facts that judges choose to see.” To be confirmed, she had to walk back some from a celebrated quote that a “wise Latina with […]

Guest AuthorMarch 9, 2014

The gavel is down and the race is on. The annual session of the Florida Legislature has begun; it ends May 2. As Gov. Rick Scott delivered his fourth State of the State message, he was hoping it would not be his last. The press gallery was overflowing with members of the capitol press corps […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 5, 2014

“He’s a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction…” When Kris Kristofferson wrote that line in his classic 1971 song, “He’s a Pilgrim,” he might have been having a premonition about this week’s paradoxical 2014 State of the State speech delivered by Gov. Rick Scott. In the 2013 version, Scott said, “Accountability is working” with […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 4, 2014

Typical of its genre, Charlie Crist’s recently published campaign memoir, “The Party’s Over,” won’t be a convenient resource for historians. It has no footnotes and no index. Another characteristic of such books–indeed, of much autobiography–is a selective memory. There are some fairly obvious omissions in Crist’s, although fewer than I had expected to find. One […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 3, 2014

Florida’s 2014 legislative session runs from March 4 until May 2. Then comes Election Day on Nov. 4. It’s that last date you want to keep uppermost in mind when you hear about winners and losers in Tallahassee these next couple of months. When it comes to predicting win/loss percentages, let’s just say the casino […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 26, 2014

North Carolina, the vacation or retirement home for throngs of Floridians, seems to be competing with the Sunshine State for dishonors. The Tarheel state is winning. North Carolina’s legislature has managed to repeal a century of progress in a single session. Its new voter suppression law is among the nation’s most diabolical. In just one […]

Julie DelegalFebruary 24, 2014

Second of three parts. We bristle at the idea that marriage is closely associated with economics, but, as the studies tell us, it is: Men wait to marry until they’re financially ready, and women see it “as a sign of having arrived rather than a way to get there,” as “The New York Times” reported […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 23, 2014

The curtain is about to go up on the 2014 session of the Florida Legislature and perhaps the top story is not what our leaders will accomplish, but what they will ignore. Since the enactment of term limits, legislators know when they are leaving from the day they are elected. The election night tally begins […]

Julie DelegalFebruary 23, 2014

First of three parts. A Jacksonville attorney says that despite all the GOP rhetoric about the importance of matrimony, the Florida Legislature is poised to hasten its demise. Judith Erwin embodies most people’s definition of accomplishment, but she’s not so sure. She’s a successful family law attorney. She recently published her first novel, “Shadow of […]

Tag: Rick Scott
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Barney Bishop: Legislation designed to make Florida more attractive to veterans

Martin Dyckman: LaBarga’s opinion demonstrates need for minority appointments

John Grant: The race is on

Daniel Tilson: Rick Scott’s State Of State devoid of accountability

Martin Dyckman: Despite obvious omissions, Crist’s memoir is good reading

Daniel Tilson: Winners and losers in Florida 2014 legislative session

Martin Dyckman: Feds should force Florida to restore right to vote to felons

Julie Delegal: The end of marriage? The economics of being married

John Grant: ‘Bulldozer politics’ is good for politicians, bad for citizens

Julie Delegal: The end of marriage? Alimony reform would mean more divorce