Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorAugust 24, 2014

Florida was lucky that Trayvon Martin’s killing in Sanford in February 2012 did not trigger a riot. But if we consider the anatomy of a riot, we’ll know that it wasn’t simply dumb luck — but the absence of destructive forces. First, the entire country, both black and white, grieved for Trayvon. Apart from some loony […]

Guest AuthorMay 29, 2014

I’ve been wearing the clothes of a scary thug for 40 years and I didn’t even know it. I’m talking about the hoodie, the low-cost hooded jacket that intimidates both neighborhood vigilante George Zimmerman and business tycoon Mark Cuban alike. It all depends on where you get your fashion sense, I guess. My first hoodie […]

Guest AuthorApril 9, 2014

In the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, Florida legislators recently sent Gov. Rick Scott new legislation that will allow a gun owner to fire warning shots during a similar altercation. The Legislature passed a “warning shot” bill and Scott will probably sign it into law. It allows a person without a criminal record to […]

Guest AuthorMarch 30, 2014

Florida is ground zero for the weird and unusual, but there are many people, places and events that Florida can point to with pride: Gov. Reubin Askew, our world-class beaches, beautiful wetlands, Disney World, Gasparilla and our universities’ title-winning athletic teams. But George Zimmerman is not something we’re proud of. For those people who have […]

Guest AuthorMarch 12, 2014

They had the numbers: about 2,500 protesters marched to the State Capitol on a Monday morning. They had the enthusiasm: “Change the law!” “Get rid of it, now!” they chanted. They had the celebrities: The Rev. Al Sharpton, and Fly jock Tom Joyner, and Sabrina Fulwood, Trayvon Martin’s mother. Sharpton was in full flight: “ […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 24, 2014

The Armed Occupation Act of 1842 gave 160 acres of Florida land to anyone who could fight the Seminoles and hold his ground for seven years. The congressional legislation was designed to increase the nonnative population of Florida. In 2005, the Florida Legislature approved the “stand your ground” provision of the self-defense law ostensibly to […]

Peter SchorschDecember 30, 2013

To outside observers, Florida always appears to march to the beat of its own drum — or, for some, the beat of no drummer at all. In 2013 the state provided a never-ending flow of news stories that were engaging, compelling and controversial; with many, it was a combination of all three. From the debate […]

Guest AuthorNovember 20, 2013

Recent developments in the Florida Panhandle have reinforced the sad fact that we are increasingly becoming two nations under the gun. The divide widens between those who believe the Second Amendment right to bear arms trumps every other constitutional guarantee and those who disagree. Both sides, winners and losers, are keeping score. Liberty County Sheriff […]

Guest AuthorNovember 11, 2013

Last week’s vote to retain Florida’s Stand Your Ground law should come as no surprise, not even that, at 11-2, it was so lopsided. After all, Florida was a national leader in passage of the law in 2005. The state’s gun laws are among the most liberal in the nation and the torrent of debate […]

Guest AuthorOctober 24, 2013

The Florida Legislature is holding hearings with the goal of possibly fixing serious flaws in our state’s Stand Your Ground law. I am encouraged that these important discussions are taking place in Tallahassee, as this is a promising first step. As leader of one of the nation’s largest fully accredited sheriff’s offices, I support the […]

Tag: Trayvon Martin
The Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse is located at 801 North Florida Ave., in Tampa, Fla. (Brooke Johnson/Fresh Take Florida)

Rachel Patron: Ferguson, Missouri: The anatomy of a riot

Mark O’Brien: Mark Cuban’s comment about hoodies is revealing

Steve Kurlander: Time to eliminate, not expand ‘stand your ground’ defense

Gary Stein: Time to make George Zimmerman disappear

Andrew Skerritt: Stand your ground protest: Loud message with little impact

Andrew Skerritt: ‘Stand your ground’ is a 19th century solution for a modern problem – incivility

Peter Schorsch: Here’s my top 15 Florida news stories of 2013

Andrew Skerritt: We have become two nations under the gun

Doug Clifton: ‘Warning shot’ provision exposes bystanders to gunfire

Scott Israel: An important first step in fixing Stand Your Ground statute