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20 years ago, Sunshine Sunday launched. Here’s why we must continue to celebrate Sunshine Week
White-gold beaches, gentle-giant manatees, tangy key lime pie and bold public access to government – key features of Florida. The public cannot simply rely on the good-natured commitment of those in government to safeguard transparency. Falling this year March 13 to 19, Sunshine Week is the collective national effort to keep government doors to the […]
Orlando state senator moves to remove restrictions against prosecuting rape cases
Democratic state senator Linda Stewart from Orlando filed legislation Wednesday in hopes of trying to remove barriers on prosecuting rape cases. “Many young sexual battery victims do not come forward when they are first assaulted,” Stewart said in press release. “Sometimes they don’t understand, sometimes they are afraid, and sometimes they are simply ashamed. Each […]
Florida may not know how to give the right to vote back to newly-enfranchised felons
Questions, concerns and some confusion has arisen now that voters have approved a Constitutional Amendment to restore voting rights for thousands of Florida felons who have done their time. It’s even unclear whether the Florida Legislature needs to weigh in how Amendment 4 goes into effect after Jan. 8, according to according to the Herald-Tribune. […]
Florida Dems sign onto letter demanding an investigation into what led Homeland Security to kill key US immigration program
Saying that the program has been abused, the Department of Homeland Security announced earlier this year it that would be moving to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 immigrants in the U.S. Under TPS, immigrants from countries that have suffered a natural or man-made disaster are allowed to live and work in the […]
Beyond crime and punishment: A movement to stop Florida’s endless prison cycle and heal communities
Florida has an incarceration problem that is unsustainable, according to criminal justice reform advocates. The Sunshine State locks up people who commit a crime at a rate above the national average, and Florida is one of the top seven states that together hold nearly half of the nation’s entire incarcerated population, according to the research […]
Senate bill introduced Thursday looks to move concealed weapons permitting to FDLE
A bill introduced Thursday in the Florida Senate by Democrat Sen. Lauren Book would move a controversial concealed weapons licensing program from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It’s a measure that Democrat Commissioner of Agriculture-elect Nikki Fried supported during her campaign. Florida’s gun permitting process landed […]
Coalition supporting reproductive rights launches advocacy website
People who want to support reproductive rights – from promoting access to birth control, sex education and information about abortions – can now go online to www.FloridaReproFreedom.org, a new website backed by a reproductive rights coalition called Floridians for Reproductive Freedom. The coalition is made up of more than 50 organizations and includes the Florida […]
Don’t worry, your salad is OK: Florida’s romaine lettuce is safe to eat
Florida’s romaine lettuce is safe to eat, according to Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. Putnam announced Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say Florida-grown lettuce is free of a certain strain of E. coli, which has already made a number of people sick nationwide. […]
Grassroots group working to get a ballot measure banning assault weapons in Florida
A Miami political committee is working to put a measure before voters that would do something the Legislature hasn’t – ban assault weapons in Florida. The committee, Ban Assault Weapons Now, submitted a proposed Amendment to the state’s Constitution that they hope will make it onto the 2020 election ballot. The proposal defines assault weapons as […]
Florida authorities make another big arrest involving white supremacists and bombs
Earlier this month, authorities announced they had arrested dozens of white supremacist gang members from group called the “Unforgiven” and “United Aryan Brotherhood” in a Pasco County bust that turned up illegal firearms, heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine – and pipe bombs. The 39 people arrested in a region just north of Tampa Bay and west […]
Florida AG Pam Bondi takes on CVS, Walgreens in ongoing lawsuit to stem opioid crisis
Florida is suing national drugstore giants like CVS Pharmacy, Inc. and Walgreens Co., in an ongoing lawsuit dealing with the state’s opioid crisis. Attorney General Pam Bondi added Insys Therapeutics, Inc., Walgreens Co., CVS Healthcare Corp. and CVS Pharmacy, Inc. to a list of other “big pharma” companies in an ongoing lawsuit Bondi first filed […]
Florida Supreme Court rules Facebook “friendship” is not the same as having real friends
In the age of social media, the question of online friendship has made it up to the state’s highest courts to decide. In a ruling Thursday, Nov. 15, the Florida Supreme Court says that having Facebook “friends” is not the same thing as having friends in real life. The issue came up when a Miami […]