Wild Florida!
DeSantis again backs developers over what’s good for Florida
I don’t know if you noticed, but Gov. Ron “I Can Finally Stop Pretending I’m Not a Presidential Candidate!” DeSantis had a big week last week. Not necessarily a good week, mind you. But a big one. He launched his presidential run with an assist from Elon “Check Out My Big Brain” Musk. But all […]
Florida’s fertilizer addiction leads to ban on sales bans, roads that glow
Hey everybody, good news! We can all come out of the storm shelters! The Legislature left! The two-month session ended last week with the traditional declaration of “sine die,” which is Latin for “good riddance.” As the lawmakers departed, they left behind teams of lobbyists gleefully tallying their clients’ per-hour charges as a handful of […]
Florida has a burning issue involving fire — or the lack of it
Longtime Floridians are accustomed to the threats posed by water and wind. So often are we hammered by hurricanes and floods that I know people who refuse to take a storm seriously if it’s not at least a Category 3. They regard anything below that as an excuse to throw a hurricane party, nothing more. […]
Good news-bad news on Florida manatee deaths this year
My dad, an inveterate jokester, was a big fan of “good news-bad news” gags. One of his favorites was about two old codgers named Bill and Joe who were big baseball fans. As Bill lies on his deathbed, Joe makes him promise to find a way to tell him if there’s baseball in heaven. Sure […]
Time-traveling developer plows forward with 1991-era Florida subdivision
Where were you in 1991? I know where the U’s were: The U.S. was gearing up for the Gulf War. The USSR still existed but was about to dissolve. And U2 released what I think is their best album, “Achtung, Baby.” I was single but engaged to be married to a wonderful woman who shared […]
Transgender advocates fear FL legislation could ban or restrict drag shows
The longstanding LGBTQ+ tradition of drag shows, where performers dress in elaborate costumes that caricaturize or amplify gender performance to heightened levels for entertainment, may soon be under threat. A piece of legislation entitled “Protection of Children” was filed Thursday by Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Republican who represents Nassau County and part of Duval […]
We are losing our lions, the men and women who have given much of themselves to Florida
We are losing our lions, the people who have been Florida leaders for a long time. One by one we are losing a generation of the men and women who helped Florida become a decent place to live. The men and women who have given much of themselves to Florida and its well-being are leaving […]
President Biden to appear in Tampa next week
President Biden is returning to the Sunshine State next week. The White House announced on Friday afternoon that the president will travel to Tampa next Thursday (Feb. 9) to discuss “his plan to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare and lower healthcare costs.” The time and location has yet to be announced. This will […]
At Florida hot spring, developers get a warm reception
Florida has a lot of dinosaurs these days. I don’t mean the folks lining up for the Early Bird Special at Red Lobster, I mean actual dinosaurs, or rather statues of them. They range from Sexy Rexy, the Beach Boulevard dinosaur in Jacksonville, to Dino, the gas station shaped like a dinosaur in Weeki Wachee […]
Disaster relief: ‘We are trying to stabilize the state’ but will it be enough?
Florida lawmakers want to alleviate some of the financial struggles for Floridians devastated by Hurricane Ian and Nicole, but concerns have arisen about whether proposed legislation will go far enough in protecting Florida families and beaches. In the first day of a special session that includes disaster relief for storms, Republican Sen. Travis Hutson, the […]
Two months after Hurricane Ian, 13 families have been set up with FEMA direct housing program
The flooding and debris from Hurricane Ian left thousands of families with uninhabitable homes, with some 16,000 households qualifying for a federal direct housing program that provides temporary home solutions. But it appears things are slow moving in the program. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has set up housing for only 13 households, according to […]
Add auto insurance to the increasing costs of living in Florida
Florida lawmakers are scheduled to return to Tallahassee soon for another special session to deal with the state’s property insurance crisis. But it’s not just homes and condos where Floridians pay high insurance costs, but automobiles as well. In fact, Florida’s auto insurance rates are among the top in the nation. An analysis from insure.com […]