Politics & Law
Judge knocks greyhound racing ban off the November ballot
A circuit judge has knocked a measure off the fall ballot that would give voters a chance to ban greyhound racing in Florida Groups working to end dog racing say it is a cruel sport and they are vowing to appeal the ruling to try to keep the Constitutional amendment before voters this fall. Leon […]
Dueling doctors, different credentials, in Democratic state Senate primary in North Florida
On the “Kayser Enneking for state senate” website, the candidate appears in a typical white doctor’s coat, with a stethoscope around her neck. Move on to the link for “Kayser’s Story” and the first paragraph highlights her profession: “Kayser Enneking, MD, is a mother of two, a lifelong Gainesville resident and longtime UF Health physician.” […]
Democratic candidates for governor debate Thursday – last time before the primary election
The five Democratic candidates for governor will debate Thursday night in West Palm Beach for the fifth and final time before the August 28 election. It will be televised live in the ten major media markets around the state at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (It will also be streamed online at wpbf.com). The most recent poll […]
Bernie Sanders endorses Andrew Gillum in Florida Democratic gubernatorial election
Senator Bernie Sanders announced Wednesday morning that he is backing Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in the Democratic race for governor in Florida. I’m proud to endorse Tallahassee Mayor @AndrewGillum in his race for governor of Florida. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 1, 2018 “As governor, @AndrewGillum will work to provide health care for all through […]
Women candidates: “That’s what a state senator looks like.”
Gainesville anesthesiologist Kayser Enneking remembers watching the crescendo of comments coming from presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016, spurring her to act. “As he began spewing disgusting, racist, misogynous comments, I thought, ‘If he wins I am going to run for office.’” And she could count on her first vote: “My husband looked over and […]
38 Florida Democrats get “F” grade from conservative ‘Florida Family Action’ legislative scorecard
Conservative activist John Stemberger’s Florida Family Policy Council has released its 2018 state legislative scorecard, and it includes failing grades for dozens of Democratic legislators. The group scored each member of the 2017-2018 legislative body on ten issues of “life, family, religious liberty and related matters.” Overall, 38 Democrats received an “F”. Sixty-three Republican lawmakers […]
Reproductive rights advocates meet in Tallahassee to demand scrutiny of “fake” women’s clinics
Advocates for reproductive rights converged Tuesday morning at the state Capitol to demand Gov. Rick Scott and other state departments scrutinize what kind of services and information “fake women’s health clinics” offer to women who walk through their doors. A law that went into effect July 1 mandates that state government fund a network of […]
Trump and his supporters are rallying in Tampa tonight
Dozens of hardcore supporters for President Trump camped overnight last night outside Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, the site of the president’s primetime appearance tonight. The event comes four weeks before Floridians go to the polls in the primary election, and if there were any doubts about how the Florida Republican […]
Are voting systems safe or not? Some officials are confident but others are concerned
With crucial midterm elections approaching around the country, election supervisors – and voters – are likely wondering if their voting systems are safe. What sounded like good news came earlier this month: U.S. Homeland Security Dept. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told state election officials at a convention that there are currently no signs Russia will be […]
Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law is causing a ‘state of emergency’ for people of color, governor’s candidate Andrew Gillum says
Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum called Monday for Gov. Rick Scott to issue a state of emergency to suspend the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law because police didn’t arrest a white man who started an argument and then killed an unarmed black man – over a parking spot. “Stand Your Ground has created an […]
Lawyers v. lawyers: Florida attorney general races are getting nasty
The race for Florida’s top legal job – attorney general – in both political parties is growing more vitriolic in the days leading up to the August 28 vote. On the Democratic side, candidate Sean Shaw filed a lawsuit last week to throw his opponent Ryan Torrens off the ballot, saying Torrens violated campaign finance […]
“The people will protect the dogs:” New campaign ad targets greyhound racing cruelty
Every three days, a greyhound dog dies on a Florida racetrack. This is according to a new online ad urging voters to end the practice with a vote on the November ballot. The ad begins with an unidentified man in dark sunglasses and a dark shirt looking at the camera. “They’re dogs, they’re not people,” […]