Working & The Economy
Blockbuster research report shows groundwater is contaminated with toxic waste at 91 percent of coal plants
Last week, 52 U.S. senators voted to confirm a new Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the polluting coal industry. The vote went mostly along party lines (with Republicans approving Wheeler) and 47 senators (mostly Democrats) voting against the absurd idea of allowing a man who made a […]
Gov. DeSantis wants to train more Florida sheriff’s deputies to enforce immigration laws
Groups that advocate for undocumented immigrants are sounding the alarm about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to expand a federal training program for local sheriff’s deputies to serve as immigration enforcement agents. Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Brooksville this week to applaud the Hernando County Sheriff’s Department for participating in the controversial federal program, which has […]
The boys of ‘Old Florida’ make way for the women
Florida Blue Key, the 96-year-old honorary society at the University of Florida, has long been a springboard for successful political and business leaders in the state. The organization can claim governors, U.S. senators, state Supreme Court members, legislative leaders, law firm partners and prominent business executives. But for decades the beneficiaries of the friendships and […]
What about traditional public schools? State teacher’s union fights back over voucher programs
With the governor and Republican-led Legislature pushing to expand state voucher programs for kids to attend private schools, the Florida Education Association is fighting back. The statewide teacher’s union has launched what’s called a “Fund Our Future” broadcast and digital ad campaign to promote public education and neighborhood schools, saying traditional public schools face obstacles […]
In the Florida Legislature, there may be a new attitude toward criminal justice this year
In a crowded legislative committee meeting room at Florida’s Capitol, six prison wardens assembled to tell state lawmakers exactly how years of inadequate funding and overly harsh sentencing policies have hurt their jails. Corrections officers, they said, only make an average of $33,000 a year. It’s hard to hold onto an employee who makes such […]
What do people from all walks of life really think about FL’s education system?
Education isn’t high on the list when it comes to the most important issues facing Florida, according to a new statewide poll. Jobs and the economy, heath care, the environment and climate change, and immigration and crime ranked higher than education in the poll of 800 registered voters commissioned by the Foundation for Excellence in Education […]
The people you elected are not actually the key to making laws happen. Guess who is?
In journalism school, we got two directives to guide our reporting careers: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. Follow the money. It’s easy to follow the money in Tallahassee – we just stroll a few blocks from our downtown Florida Phoenix office. Like the azaleas and camellias, political fundraisers are in […]
Gov. DeSantis and Trump claim they’ll import cheaper Canadian prescription drugs to Florida
Nobody likes the high cost of prescription drugs. Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to do something about it. But it could be a big reach for the rookie Republican governor. He is trying to accomplish something that no other state has ever done. In an announcement at the sprawling retirement community of The Villages […]
Now in Washington, multimillionaire Rick Scott still out there hustling for more cold cash
No doubt you’ve been wondering whatever became of Rick Scott, the fellow who wrested the title of Worst Governor Ever from Sidney J. Catts soon after he was elected in 2010. Scott was last seen in Tallahassee shortly after the November midterms squealing like an outraged tapir when his lead over incumbent Florida senator Bill […]
Medicaid patients who need to get to the doctor: There should be an app for that, lawmaker says
It’s often a hassle getting to a doctor’s appointment and back in a timely way. It’s even worse if you’re sick and poor. You might not have a car. Your medical condition might prevent you from driving. It’s a dilemma faced by many of the 3.87 million Floridians who rely on Medicaid, the state-federal health […]
Helping addicts survive: FL lawmakers advance statewide needle exchange program
Five Florida cities made the top ten list for new U.S. HIV cases in 2016, the most recent year of data analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That distinction makes the time ripe for Florida to expand statewide a needle-exchange pilot program first introduced in Miami-Dade County four years ago, says state […]
Republicans pushing hard-line anti-immigration measures in Legislature
With a national backdrop of anti-immigrant fervor whipped up by President Trump, Florida Republicans are intent on passing laws in the upcoming 2019 legislative session to crack down on undocumented immigrants. They’ve tried and failed to pass tougher laws before, but this year they think they’ll be successful, and Gov. Ron DeSantis is a supporter. […]