News
Many in GOP say Trump would set dangerous precedent if he declares national emergency over border wall – but Rick Scott supports it
There are just 15 days left for President Trump and congressional Democrats to find common ground on border security, or the threat of another government shutdown looms. The president has threatened to declare a national emergency to fund a $5.7 billion wall on our southern border, but many Republicans have said that would set a […]
Fixing Florida’s voting woes – lawmakers pledge new reforms
In the aftermath of the November election, the one with seven recounts and a flurry of lawsuits, Democrats have promised a package of electoral reforms that they will unveil in advance of the 2019 legislative session. But Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t convinced that reforms are necessary. “The election stuff is not rocket science,” DeSantis said […]
Florida on the road to allowing sick people to smoke legal weed – finally
Legislative leaders say they intend to meet the March 15 deadline that Gov. Ron DeSantis set for allowing sick people to smoke medical marijuana. But it’s not clear whether that resolution will be acceptable to DeSantis or to advocates for smokable marijuana. “I believe we will get something to the governor by March 15 and […]
Fla. Democrat ‘disappointed’ IG won’t investigate Acosta
U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz has told members of Congress he will not investigate Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s controversial handling of a 2007 sentencing plea deal for a Palm Beach County sexual abuser while Acosta was serving as U.S. attorney in Miami. More than a dozen House Democrats had asked Horowitz to […]
Florida House leaders clash on Medicaid expansion
If there’s one thing you need to know about House Speaker Jose Oliva, it’s that he believes that most of the answers to make Florida a better place to live come from the free market, and not from government. So it was hardly a revelation when he told reporters who gathered at the Associated Press’ pre-legislative session briefing in the Capitol on Wednesday that he has […]
Conservative confab: FL governor, AG are featured legal Federalist Society speakers
The Florida chapter of the Federalist Society, the powerful organization of conservative lawyers, will meet this weekend in Orlando, and its renewed influence on policy and law Sunshine State will be on display. Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody will the main speakers on Friday night at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resort […]
Should Florida level the playing field for university performance funding?
Florida has handed out nearly $1 billion in special “performance funding” to its public universities since the fall of 2014. But Florida A&M University, one of the largest and oldest historically black universities in the country, has received less than two percent of that funding – just $17 million. Compare that to the University of […]
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet wander far afield of Florida, taking symbolic votes to support Israel
The Florida Cabinet made a symbolic vote Tuesday to place online booking platform Airbnb on its list of “scrutinized companies” that the state invests in. The reason? The San Francisco-based corporation in November removed about 200 listings for lodging in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank – a region that’s central in the dispute […]
Florida Republican Party chief files new abortion-restriction legislation
Another extreme anti-abortion bill has been filed for the 2019 Florida legislative session, this one by the head of the state Republican Party. Sarasota Republican State Sen. Joe Gruters filed legislation that would make it a crime for a woman to get an abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy. Current Florida law allows a woman […]
Democrat Susan Bucher resigns as Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections, ending what could have been a fierce partisan battle
Susan Bucher had been keeping a low profile since she was suspended as Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections by GOP Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this month, but on Monday afternoon she resigned, saying that she didn’t believe she would receive a fair hearing by a state Senate committee with “the governor’s lawyers as the […]
DeSantis chooses new Secretary of State after first pick resigns over racially offensive photos
Governor Ron DeSantis has selected Hillsborough Circuit Court Judge Laurel Lee to be Florida’s new Secretary of State – just four days after his original pick for the job resigned in disgrace. Lee was among the list of 59 candidates who applied to the Judicial Nominating Commission for the recent openings at the U.S. Supreme […]
Legislative proposal would change winner-take-all method of electoral vote allocation in presidential elections
Florida’s 29 electoral votes are crucial in winning the presidency. Now a state Democrat is proposing to change the current system from winner-take-all to one based on winning congressional districts. Boca Raton Democratic state Sen. Kevin Rader has filed legislation that would change how the state’s electoral votes in presidential elections are allocated. In today’s […]