Florida Politics

x

x

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."

E-Mail Florida Politics

This is our Main Page
Our Sister Site
On FaceBook
Follow us on Twitter
Our Google+ Page
Contact [E-Mail Florida Politics]
Site Feed
...and other resources

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.

Older posts [back to 2002]

Previous Articles by Derek Newton: Ten Things Fox on Line 1 Stem Cells are Intelligent Design Katrina Spin No Can't Win Perhaps the Most Important Race Senate Outlook The Nelson Thing Deep, Dark Secret Smart Boy Bringing Guns to a Knife Fight Playing to our Strength

The Blog for Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Early Voting

Senate panel OKs bill to expand early voting

Make early voting easier

Who Cares

"Gingrich Discusses Health Care".

Voucher Madness

"Voucher bill heading for House floor vote". See also "House voucher bill urges private school accountability, background checks".

Harris Challenger ...

tight with his cash. "Rooney's Bucks".

Strange Bedfellows

"The state Senate's champion for Gov. Jeb Bush's constitutional amendment preserving school vouchers has hired as his lawyer one of the state's most influential foes of school vouchers. Sen. Ken Pruitt, who will be Senate president next session, paid Tallahassee attorney Ron Meyer $10,000 last week using money from his Floridians for a Brighter Future, according to the political committee's Web site." "Pruitt hires anti-voucher lawyer".

Charter Schools

"Approve tougher oversight of charter schools".

Leon COunty Update

"The board approved a motion designating its liaison, Commissioner Jane Sauls, to work with Mr. Sancho's office and report back to her colleagues; asking Secretary of State Sue Cobb to expedite the review and certification process to enable Leon County to legally use the equipment from IVS; and informing the U.S. Department of Justice of Leon County's "good-faith efforts" so that federal officials don't intervene." "The right course".

Income Reduction

"A Senate committee approved a measure Tuesday that would bar lawmakers from being paid by any agency or organization that receives state funds while they are in office." "Legislation bans certain source of outside income for lawmakers".

However, the bill would prohibit teachers and university professors, among others, from serving. "Senate leader wants to bar `double dipping'".

Tort "Reform"

"Stakes High In Tort Reform Struggle".

A GOoPer Thing

"Former Corrections Secretary James Crosby tried to shut down an investigation into the scandal-ridden prison system by threatening one of his employees, whose father is the head of Florida's law enforcement agency, according to an agency report released Tuesday." "Report: Crosby tried to stop prisons probe".

Education Experts

"GOP plan for sixth-graders". See also "Middle, high school changes gain in House".

Early Start

"Revised bill would let public schools start in early August" "".

Hmm ... Could It Be A Race Thing? ... Or Just Politics?

"African-American lawmakers vowed Tuesday to continue fighting an uphill battle to restore the voting rights of felons who have paid their debt to society." "Felon-voting change faces hurdles".

Session Developments

- "Major calendar events in and around the Legislature today".

- "Legislature 2006: Developments from Tuesday, March 14".

Petition Process

"The people of Florida have made it clear that they want the right to petition state government for change, so unless lawmakers offer an alternative, they should stop trying to create barriers to citizen-backed state constitutional amendments." "Making Petition Process Painful Inept Way To Guard Constitution".

Heaven Help Us

"The Republican- controlled House is ready to pass a sweeping education bill that would overhaul the state's education system." "An 'A-plus-plus' of changes".

Bad Bill

"Once again lawmakers are back with a bill that would sabotage the state's growth management laws and promote the paving of agricultural lands." "A Bad Farm Bill Resurfaces".

Election Year Litigation

"Attorney General Charlie Crist sued a New York company Tuesday because the insurance broker allegedly lied to companies and obtained improper commission fees." "State lawyer sues insurance company".

Secretary of the Interior?

"Frustrated by a purported disconnect between environmental agencies and nature lovers, several lawmakers want to elevate the job of protecting Florida's environment to a statewide elected office." "Broader Interior proposed".