Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jac VerSteegJuly 6, 2015

A tough question facing Florida – and particularly South Florida – is: How can we combat flakka? But first, a more basic question: Why should Florida bother to combat flakka? It’s mind-boggling that people continue to take the dangerous drug. And its use apparently is increasing. Anyone with half a brain should know that the […]

Jac VerSteegJuly 5, 2015

A tough question facing Florida – and particularly South Florida – is: How can we combat flakka? But first, a more basic question: Why should Florida bother to combat flakka? It’s mind-boggling that people continue to take the dangerous drug. And its use apparently is increasing. Anyone with half a brain should know that the […]

Guest AuthorJune 24, 2015

As I began to write this column, my ears rang with the news of another senseless shooting. This time it’s nine people slain at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. It hit particularly close to home because it’s the same denomination church my family helped found in Sarasota and that I […]

Jac VerSteegJune 15, 2015

“He did nothing wrong. He was afraid for his life. I commend him for his actions.” Those words were, in effect, Alberto Iber’s resignation letter. The Miami high school principal – excuse me, the former Miami high school principal – posted those fateful words online on a Miami Herald comment page. Iber was defending the […]

Associated PressMay 29, 2015

In an effort to curb cyberbullying, campus crime and suicide, the Orange County school district has started monitoring student messages on social media sites. The district has acquired new software that analyzes social media messages from its campuses, The Orlando Sentinel reports. The program also allows the district to search messages posted on various sites […]

Guest AuthorMay 10, 2015

I feel bad for Mike Rossi. He’s the Boston Marathon dad with an inflated ego who wrote a sanctimonious letter to his children’s principal for not excusing their absences when he took them out of school to cheer for him. Now, after allegations that he may have cheated in his race to qualify for Boston, […]

Guest AuthorMarch 15, 2015

Breaking news: thousands of students took the FSA writing test last week with no glitches or slowdowns. Oh, wait, shouldn’t this be a non-news story? This is only news because of the slowdowns and cyberhacks of the previous week. The Florida Department of Education is not yet ready to release the final number of students […]

Ryan RayMarch 13, 2015

Democratic U.S. Rep Ted Deutch of coastal Boca Raton took to social media Thursday with a pointed message to Gov. Rick Scott amid reports that the governor prohibited any mention of the terms “global warming” or “climate change” in state governmental reports and documents: Message for @FLGovScott: #DontCensorScience Retweet or tweet your pic to tell the Guv […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 22, 2015

As any lawmaker who has had the temerity to venture a passing glance at their official government email account knows, IT’S EMAIL SEASON! Look, I get it. You need to tell your clients to send in emails. Everyone loves a good lobbying effort coupled with a grassroots feel. And while every single person on the planet […]

Guest AuthorNovember 12, 2014

A large man in a black bear suit walks onscreen in a YouTube video. He stops in the middle of some guys tossing around two basketballs, makes some awkward 80s dance moves, and then moonwalks off the screen so well even Michael Jackson might have been impressed. More than 100 of my students watch the video […]

Tag: social media
Golf ball and golf club in bag on green grass

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Fight flakka with a tax on tobacco

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Fight flakka with a tax on tobacco

Anthony Major: “Be Nice to People”: Grandmother's advice could fix many problems

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: Miami principal inept but didn’t deserve ouster

Orange County schools to monitor students on social media

Catherine Durkin Robinson: Mike Rossi, the Boston Marathon, cheaters and 'attention whoring'

Catherine Martinez: Kids share test info on social media? That's non-news

Ted Deutch skewers Rick Scott on “climate change” ban

Peter Schorsch: Inane emails are endless and ineffective

Laurie Uttich: The social media mirage — and what we’re missing