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LGBTQ advocates hoping this is the year that workplace discrimination protections will pass Legislature
(Updated) In Florida, it’s still legal for an employer to fire workers because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. That’s despite the fact that a growing number of state lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle support legislation to change that law. Unbowed by the lack of progress, two St. Petersburg Democrats, Senator […]
Two Florida congressmen fighting against animal cruelty
Two Florida members of Congress want to make it a federal crime to abuse an animal. Boca Raton Democrat Ted Deutch and Sarasota Republican Vern Buchanan are the main sponsors of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, which was passed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate last year. It also had a […]
More legal weed laws coming to Florida?
Cannabis activists and supportive state lawmakers say they will propose a host of measures during this spring’s legislative session to give Floridians more access to medical marijuana. “There is going to be legislation to match every single issue under the sun related to medical cannabis and recreational adult-use cannabis this year,” promised Orlando Democratic House […]
It’s now a month with no pay for federal workers
As the partial federal government shutdown grinds on, the stress on affected federal workers in Florida is showing. They’ve now gone 32 days without receiving a paycheck. “The morale is at the bottom of the barrel, but they hang in there,” says Tampa meteorologist Dan Sobian, speaking about his colleagues at the National Weather Service, […]
A power grab or good government? DeSantis suspends Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections; puts in attorney with GOP ties
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher on Friday, and replaced the elected Democrat with an attorney with Republican Party ties. DeSantis announced that West Palm Beach attorney Wendy Link would be replacing Bucher, but added that she has told the governor she will not run for the post […]
Women’s March in D.C. is filled with controversy: FL Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz won’t participate
Two years ago this weekend, more than half-a-million people descended on Washington D.C. for the first Women’s March. Similar rallies were held around Florida and around the country, as was the case in 2018. But this year’s Women’s March, taking place Saturday, is filled with controversy after accusations of anti-Semitism have been levied at some […]
FL Gov. DeSantis is for smokable pot for sick people; pushes Legislature to quickly fix the medical marijuana law
Saying “We need to have the people’s will represented,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday pushed the Florida Legislature to quickly fix the state’s medical marijuana law to allow smokable pot for sick people. He also said he’s filing a motion with the First District Court of Appeal, requesting a stay of opinion on a key lawsuit […]
Entire Florida Democratic Congressional delegation backs raising federal minimum wage to $15 an hour
One of the central tenants of the Democratic Party nationally and in Florida over the past several years has been to raise the minimum wage, and this week every Florida House member signed on as a co-sponsor of a measure that calls for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024. The […]
Could changes be in store for felons who finally can vote?
Felons who have done their time flocked to supervisors of elections offices last week, eager to register to vote after Constitutional Amendment 4’s passage last November. But changes could be in store if the Legislature gets involved – even though nearly 65 percent of Floridians approved allowing voting rights for certain felons who have completed […]
Should Florida open up primary elections? New poll says yes.
A new poll says there’s substantial support for opening up Florida’s primary elections to independent voters. Why does it matter? Right now, if you’re not a registered Democrat or Republican, you are locked out of voting in primary elections. The survey of 615 voters in Florida taken by Public Policy Polling says that 70 percent […]
Confusion reigns over Marsy’s Law: Critics and supporters agree it’s going to need more clarity
Killearn Estates residents in the northeast part of Tallahassee were concerned and confused about a news blackout regarding a death that closed down traffic in their neighborhood for several hours this past Saturday morning. What was going on? After an initial press release announced an accident had occurred, it took more than 48 hours before […]
City Commissioner under fire for saying Muslim member of Congress might “blow up Capitol Hill”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for Hallandale Beach Commissioner Annabelle Lima-Taub to resign following her Facebook post accusing newly elected Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan of plotting to “blow up Capitol Hill.” The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on Monday night that Lima-Taub had written alongside a Facebook petition to remove Tlaib […]