FLORIDA POLITICS
Since 2002, daily Florida political news and commentary

 

UPDATE: Every morning we review and individually digest Florida political news articles, editorials and punditry. Our sister site, FLA Politics was selected by Campaigns & Elections as one of only ten state blogs in the nation
"every political insider should be reading right now."

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Welcome To Florida Politics

Thanks for visiting. On a semi-daily basis we scan Florida's major daily newspapers for significant Florida political news and punditry. We also review the editorial pages and political columnists/pundits for Florida political commentary. The papers we review include: the Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Naples News, Sarasota Herald Tribune, St Pete Times, Tampa Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Tallahassee Democrat, and, occasionally, the Florida Times Union; we also review the political news blogs associated with these newspapers.

For each story, column, article or editorial we deem significant, we post at least the headline and link to the piece; the linked headline always appears in quotes. We quote the headline for two reasons: first, to allow researchers looking for the cited piece to find it (if the link has expired) by searching for the original title/headline via a commercial research service. Second, quotation of the original headline permits readers to appreciate the spin from the original piece, as opposed to our spin.

Not that we don't provide spin; we do, and plenty of it. Our perspective appears in post headlines, the subtitles within the post (in bold), and the excerpts from the linked stories we select to quote; we also occasionally provide other links and commentary about certain stories. While our bias should be immediately apparent to any reader, we nevertheless attempt to link to every article, column or editorial about Florida politics in every major online Florida newspaper.

 

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The Blog for Monday, January 30, 2006

I Am Shocked

    "Florida GOP may continue to have edge in donations".


    Government Handouts

    "Years after Florida's first effort to jump-start venture capital investment in the state fizzled in controversy, Gov. Jeb Bush will arrive in Tampa today to announce a new proposal aimed at pumping $75-million into start-up companies." "Bush wants funds for start-ups".


    Such Problems

    "Lawyer's Rolodex just too powerful".


    "California Model"

    "Surprisingly, after years of ignoring problems, the Legislature named a bipartisan committee to study migrant farmworker issues. Even more surprising, the Joint Legislative Committee on Migrant and Seasonal Labor actually may produce reforms." "Use California model for Florida ag reforms".

    Note: the "Californial model" also includes collective bargaining rights for farmworkers; will that be part of the Florida migrant worker package too? But wait a minute, don't the 1968 revisions to the Florida Constitution already make collective bargaining a fundamental constitutional right for all Florida workers, including migrant workers? (Answer: yes it does, the Florida Legislature just hasn't gotten 'round to passing a law implementing those constitutional rights, so they are in a state of limbo; someday maybe).


    "Push for litigation 'relief' never ends"

    "The sideshow over the Legislature's lawsuit reform proposals grabbed more attention last week than the actual proposals. That tells Floridians something about the need for this legislation, drafted to address a problem that exists mainly in lawmakers' and lobbyists' minds." "Sideshow politics".


    Outsourcing

    "Franklin Sands dabbled in a lot of businesses during his working years, from costume jewelry to casinos, so he knows something about making a deal. Now, as a legislator, Sands wants to test some of the savings Gov. Jeb Bush and his department heads claim to have reaped with the state's 'outsourcing' contracts." "Legislator questions outsourcing".


    "'A Powder Keg Ready to Explode'"

    "For seven years, Florida taxpayers pumped more than $100 million into the Florida Civil Commitment Center, a facility set up to treat the mental disorders of the state's most dangerous sexual predators." "'A Powder Keg Ready to Explode'". See also "Lack of care, lack of rules".


    Gift Ban

    Stop whining:

    For so long, wining (whining) and dining were integral to making things happen in Tallahassee. Powerful lawmakers and moneyed lobbyists met over drinks at Clyde's or intimate dinners at the Silver Slipper. The lobbyists, as a matter of form, picked up the check.

    Then, as if by magic, legislators decided to give up this perk. All of a sudden it seemed to dawn on them that what had been tradition had become corrupting, and they passed legislation banning free trips, gifts and meals.

    But rules that on the surface seem straightforward raise lots of questions. Do lawmakers have to pay for munchies at receptions? Are there any gifts they can accept? Are all expense-paid trips totally out of bounds?

    The general rule for lawmakers is and should be that they pay their own way. That's how they can cure the appearance that politicians are for sale.
    "New Lobbying Rules Mean Few Things Should Be Free".


    GOoPer Business Savvy

    "Yet, lawmakers, who are Citizens' ultimate watchdogs, failed to fix the company. Instead, they sat on their hands while Citizens dumped its red ink on Floridians by surcharging every policyholder in the state." "Red Ink".


    "A stick of partisan dynamite"

    "Ken Pruitt's sophomoric diatribe against "anti-God, left-wing liberals" may not violate Florida Senate ethics rules, but it sure casts his impending presidency in a different light. A chamber that prides itself on relative comity and moderation could be putting a stick of partisan dynamite at the rostrum." "Pruitt's puerility".


    No Problem ... Next Question

    "Crist said the economy is on fire and he predicts there will be no slowdown at all." "Crist isn't worried about economy".


    Off Topic

    From Mr. Ruth:

    Do you think it's remotely possible the Sun Tzu of the Potomac could be any more condescending toward the body politic?

    Does the Caesar of Kennebunkport honestly believe the people of this nation are that stupid, that vapid, that dense they don't clearly recall the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, the smoldering Pentagon, the hole in the heart of Pennsylvania?
    "Could You Pass This History Test?"

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