Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressAugust 17, 2016

State Sen. Don Gaetz wants to be the next president of the University of West Florida. Media outlets in the Florida Panhandle report that the Niceville Republican is among more than 70 applicants for the job. Gaetz is serving his second term in the Florida Senate and faces term limits in November. He served as […]

Shannon NickinsonMay 9, 2016

A child’s work is play, the saying goes. Which is why adults are always trying to sneak learning into places where kids are already having fun. That’s part of the theory behind the Story Walk at Bryan Park in Northeast Pensacola. The park is built around the Tryon Branch of the West Florida Regional Public […]

Jim RosicaApril 19, 2016

Senate President-designate Joe Negron is asking: What do state university students need? Had Negron stuck around a few minutes longer Monday on one leg of his “state university listening tour,” he might have heard one answer. Negron is barnstorming the state with fellow senators and other state officials, hitting 12 institutions of higher learning in four […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterApril 18, 2016

Senate President-Designate Joe Negron is heading back to college. Negron kicks off a four-day listening tour of Florida’s State University System on Monday. The Stuart Republican is expected to visit all 12 of the state universities during the listening tour. “Over the last several years, I have had the opportunity to discuss with fellow senators […]

Shannon NickinsonApril 5, 2016

Sometimes it’s not about having all the answers — it’s about knowing where to go to find them. The Golden Apple roundtable is a gathering of teachers of the year from Escambia Schools. It’s a forum where the best and brightest minds on the front lines of education in Escambia County get together to share […]

Shannon NickinsonDecember 28, 2015

In Escambia County, minimum wage jobs aren’t just for kids. And that’s part of the reason this metro area lags behind others in the state in terms of prosperity. That’s according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, shared by the UWF Office of Economic Development and Engagement. About one of every five jobs (23.6 […]

Shannon NickinsonNovember 19, 2015

Way back in 1992, the political wisdom of the day came down to one thing: It’s the economy. In 2015 in Pensacola, it still is. The Pensacola Young Professionals rolled out the 2015 Quality of Life survey on Oct. 21. The survey, conducted June 11-16 by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research asked 800 people who match […]

Shannon NickinsonNovember 17, 2015

Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants the state university system to aim high. To achieve that he announced the “Ready, Set, Work” College Challenge this past week at the Association of Florida Colleges Trustee Commission meeting in Lake Buena Vista. The governor wants all 28 state colleges to participate by graduating 100 percent of their full-time […]

Shannon NickinsonOctober 19, 2015

Northwest Florida has a lot going for it. That was among the bits of wisdom and moments of insight offered throughout the recent Gulf Power Economic Symposium at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin. What we do with all that potential and goodwill created by our area’s natural beauty and a workforce influenced […]

Shannon NickinsonSeptember 29, 2015

This should be the University of West Florida time in the sun. Pensacola’s university saw funding restored this year following a marked improvement on the new state-mandated performance metrics. The measurements –10 in all from academic progression rates, to graduation rates to median first-year salaries for graduates — are Florida’s latest salvo in the ever-expanding […]

Tag: University of West Florida
Buccaneers QB Teddy Bridgewater. Image via AP.

Don Gaetz applies to be UWF president

Shannon Nickinson: Program takes aim at kids’ weight, readiness for kindergarten

What Joe Negron needed to hear during his “State University Listening Tour”

Joe Negron kicks off State University listening tour

Shannon Nickinson: Communities need to make sure kids are ready for kindergarten

Shannon Nickinson: Minimum wage now amounts to a minimum life

Shannon Nickinson: Investment can ease West Florida's economic worries

Shannon Nickinson: School, community collaboration key to educated workforce

Shannon Nickinson: Economic symposium points way for NW Florida's future

Shannon Nickinson: University of West Florida’s story is Pensacola’s story — striving to do more