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A state senator from Miami tries again for a Florida ban on “conversion therapy”
A Democratic state legislator is trying once again to pass legislation to ban the highly controversial practice of “conversion therapy,” which attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Miami state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez has filed legislation for the 2019 session that would prohibit licensed professional counselors from practicing or performing conversion […]
More than a quarter of Florida voters are disenfranchised – and it’s not who you might think
About 3.5 million Floridians were disenfranchised this past election – and we’re not talking about convicted felons. They are “No Party Affiliation” voters – people who don’t want to register as Democrat or Republican. They are Florida’s fastest growing political group – more than a quarter of the state’s registered voters. Florida law locks them […]
In Florida’s Republican-majority Legislature, a progressive speaks
With a solid majority of Republicans gathered together Tuesday for an organizational session of the new, post-election Florida Legislature, a progressive grabbed a rare opportunity to take the floor. He was state Rep. Kionne McGhee, a 40-year-old Miami-Dade County attorney and college adjunct professor who has served in the Legislature since 2012. On Tuesday, he […]
Democrat Charlie Crist & Republican Matt Gaetz team up in Congress to help veterans get medical weed
An independent poll commissioned by the American Legion last year showed that 22 percent of veterans are currently using cannabis to treat a medical condition. Now two members of Florida’s congressional delegation are teaming up to protect veterans’ access to medical pot. St. Petersburg Democrat Charlie Crist and Panhandle area Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz announced last week that they are […]
Ron DeSantis says he would have dumped Brenda Snipes if she hadn’t resigned
Shortly after Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes submitted her office’s official numbers in Florida’s hand recount Sunday afternoon, she announced her resignation from office, effective in January. That’s a good thing, says Florida Governor-Elect Ron DeSantis, who told Fox News Monday that if she hadn’t done so, he would have terminated her when […]
Using his personal fortune and millions more from outsiders, Republican Gov. Rick Scott wins U.S. Senate seat in Florida
In what’s being called the most expensive race for U.S. Senate in history, Republican Gov. Rick Scott has defeated three-term incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida. Of more than 8 million votes in November, Scott garnered 10,033 more votes than Nelson, according to Sunday vote counts, ending Nelson’s longtime public […]
Janet Cruz apparent winner in Florida’s most expensively fought state Senate seat, flipping it from red to blue
With the hand recount completed in the Hillsborough County Senate District 18 contest, former Democratic Florida House Minority Leader Janet Cruz is declaring herself the winner in her hard-fought battle against Republican incumbent Dana Young. With only overseas and military ballots yet to be counted, Cruz leads Young by 376 votes, a margin of .17%. […]
Incoming Florida Senate President says lawmakers will look at ‘modifications’ regarding elections
With Florida becoming “the laughing stock of the world,” according to a federal judge tied up in election lawsuits, the new president of the Florida Senate says election reform will be addressed when the Legislature convenes in 2019. “We’ve had too many problems through too many cycles,” said Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican who is […]
Florida U.S. Senate race now goes to hand recount with Rick Scott still leading, while Bill Nelson fights on
With a machine recount complete in most counties, the U.S. Senate race between Rick Scott and Bill Nelson will now move into the next stage – a statewide hand recount that must be completed by this Sunday. Scott now leads by 12,603 votes, or 0.15%. Those totals are a disappointment to the Nelson campaign, as […]
A Ron DeSantis win for Florida governor: How will he govern? And what’s in store for Floridians?
It may not be official yet, but it looks like Florida has a new governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, based on the most recent tallies that included machine recounts in Florida’s tumultuous general election. As of the state’s 3 p.m. deadline today, Democratic challenger Andrew Gillum hadn’t garnered enough votes to move on to a manual […]
Judge denies Nelson’s request to extend recount deadline in Palm Beach
A federal judge in Tallahassee has denied a request by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s campaign to extend the deadline for the machine and hand recounts in his election contest against Republican Rick Scott. The decision came from federal Judge Mark Walker from the Northern District of Florida. Nelson trails Scott in the race for U.S. […]
Federal judge sets new Saturday deadline for voters with disputed mail-in ballot signatures to fix the problem
A federal judge ruled that Floridians who had their vote-by-mail ballots rejected in last week’s election because the signature on their ballot doesn’t match the one on file now have until 5 p.m. on Saturday to correct the problem, a move that could affect between 4,000 to 5,000 voters. The announcement comes hours before today’s […]