Working & The Economy
Three questions for the candidates running for governor: Gambling
Today in the Florida Phoenix, we continue our election series, where we ask three questions of the candidates for Florida governor, who face off in the Aug. 28 primary. Each day we’ll cover a different topic of interest to voters. Today we ask about gambling. The Republican candidates — Adam Putnam and Ron DeSantis — […]
State audit: Ineligible kids get private-school scholarships anyway
Some Florida students who weren’t eligible for private-school scholarships got the money anyway, due to “human errors” and outdated information used to calculate awards, a new state audit shows. The nonprofit Step Up for Students, Inc., acknowledged concerns and made a variety of fixes, in part saying that “appropriate corrective actions were taken with individual […]
Attitudes on race could be a key factor in midterm elections, poll shows
The nation’s most competitive midterm races may hinge on President Donald Trump’s attitudes about race, according to a recent poll co-sponsored by the NAACP and other groups. Most of those polled said they feel this November’s midterm election is more important than the 2014 midterm, but respondents were split about their reasons to vote. Of […]
Momentum growing for free college tuition in Florida — but will it happen?
Last year, Florida state Rep. Shevrin Jones pushed for a free college tuition program statewide – an ambitious plan to cover tuition for low-income and middle-class students earning two and four-year degrees. But within a few months, the proposal was overhauled and then lost steam, failing to get the Legislature’s approval. Jones, a Broward Democrat, […]
Florida locals taxing themselves to cover shortfalls from state cuts in education and transportation funding
For years, Republican lawmakers in Tallahassee have boasted about Florida’s charms as a low-tax state, and according to a recent report, Sunshine State residents do have the lowest tax burden in the continental United States (trailing only Alaska nationwide.) But with more than 21 million people in the state and hundreds more coming by the day, […]
Nelson-Scott race gets national attention
Two heavyweight national publications – the New York Times and Talking Points Memo – are drilling down on the Rick Scott-Bill Nelson race for the U.S. Senate, calling it among the most important – and expensive – in America. Some key questions: Will Scott’s buddy-buddy relationship with President Trump hurt him or help him? And […]
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 […]
New “Love Vote” website promotes poignant stories of Floridians who can’t vote
In Florida’s last midterm general election in 2014, nearly half of the state’s registered voters (49 percent) chose – for whatever reason – not to come to the polls. Meanwhile, more than a million people in Florida are legally ineligible to vote. Now, a New York City-based filmmaker and school teacher has created a website to align the disenfranchised […]
Traffic gridlock: Critics say pricey, exclusive toll lanes (“Lexus Lanes”) hurt the poor. Will it change with a new governor?
Vexing traffic congestion seems to be an issue in all of Florida’s major urban regions, yet it has not received much attention from the seven major candidates for governor this campaign season. Plenty of people have criticism for Gov. Rick Scott’s approach, which saw the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) over the past eight years […]
Making history: Reporters vote for a union at Jacksonville’s 154-year-old daily paper
Sick of stagnant pay, shrinking benefits, and newsroom layoffs, reporters and other workers at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville voted to join a national union this week, a historic vote that makes the 154-year-old newspaper the third in Florida to do so. “We think organizing as a union lets the staff speak in a voice […]
The Florida Legislature keeps stomping on local laws
After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in South Florida, the mayors of twenty Florida cities filed a legal challenge to a state firearm law. The controversial law allows the state to impose a $5,000 fine on any local official that dares to pass local gun regulations. The firearm law is an […]