Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonJune 21, 2018

Ballard Partners added a load of lobbying clients after an expansion to Washington D.C. last year; one of the biggest was pleased enough to ink another contract with the firm. In mid-2017, the Turkish government inked a $1.5 million deal with the firm aimed at improving US-Turkey relations and promoting the country’s public image by […]

Scott PowersMay 19, 2017

Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis Friday condemned the security forces of Turkish President Recep Erdogan for attacking protesters in Washington D.C. and also condemned Erdogan. DeSantis, of Ponte Vedre Beach, chairs the House Subcommittee on National Security. His First Coast district includes Volusia County. In a news release issued Friday morning, DeSantis did not address […]

Associated PressDecember 31, 2016

As 2016 draws to a close, revelers around the world are bidding a weary adieu to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and deaths of legendary celebrities. How people are ushering in the new year: AUSTRALIA Sydney sent up a dazzling tribute to 2016’s fallen icons with a New Year’s Eve fireworks display […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterNovember 21, 2016

If you still need to pick up the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner, here’s a bit of good news: This year’s feast will cost you a bit less. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual price survey, the average cost of Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people is $49.87. That’s a 24-cent decrease from the 2015 […]

Florence SnyderNovember 7, 2016

AT&T, the communications conglomerate which owns Direct TV, was hauled into the court of public opinion Friday, charged with censorship for pulling the plug on Fox News. Irate customers of the satellite television subscriber service took to the internet to voice their suspicions, tar and feathers at the ready. They did not for one New […]

A.G. GancarskiJuly 23, 2016

Saturday afternoon saw Sen. Marco Rubio hosting a town hall on Jacksonville’s Southbank as part of a two-day swing through the city that included a fundraising event. The turnout? Maybe 150 people. But for Rubio, this tour of the last week was a re-introduction to the grassroots as a U.S. Senate incumbent, rather than a presidential candidate, and […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 27, 2016

The economist John Kenneth Galbraith memorably said that politics “consists of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.” But what if the only choice is between the disastrous and the disastrous? That’s the predicament of establishment Republican politicians who think John Kasich, the only decent human being who remains in their presidential primaries, is either […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 18, 2016

The governor may have already signed the budget, but that isn’t stopping Florida TaxWatch from looking for turkeys. Joe Follick, a spokesman for Florida TaxWatch, said the private, nonprofit organization still plans to release a 2016 turkey list. The organization will be in a similar position to 2015, when it issued its report days after […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorJanuary 13, 2016

Congressman Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Sarasota, is joining the list of conservatives including GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump in calling on the U.S. to block Syrian refugees from seeking asylum on American soil. He’s asking the Senate to pass the American SAFE (Security Against Foreign Enemies) Act that would bar Syrian refugees from entering […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 16, 2015

In our Declaration of Independence it’s written that all people have certain unalienable rights, including “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” As Americans, we strive for equality and opportunity. We are taught to treat everyone justly and with respect, for everyone is equal. We are taught to “ask not what your country can do […]

Tag: Turkey

Turkey re-ups Ballard Partners lobbying contract

Ron DeSantis condemns Turkish violence in D.C., Turkish president

Revelers bid adieu to a year of conflicts, celebrity deaths

Cost of Thanksgiving Day meal down in 2016

Censorship and ‘censorship’

In Jacksonville, Marco Rubio reiterates support for Donald Trump

Martin Dyckman: Cruzing to a police state?

Gobble, gobble: Florida TaxWatch still planning to release 2016 budget turkey list

Amid Turkey bombing, Vern Buchanan again calls on blocking Syrian refugees

Elizabeth Santiago: We must be that 'shining city on the hill' for Syrian refugees