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 Friday, March 10, 2006

"Harris defies buzz"

    "Trying to combat the image of a campaign in disarray, Longboat Key Republican Katherine Harris said her Senate bid is gaining momentum and she has no plans to drop out." "Harris defies buzz she'll drop out". See also "Jupiter man may challenge Katherine Harris for Senate" ("A nephew of Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said Thursday he has been urged by Republican insiders to challenge U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris for the party's nomination for the U.S. Senate.")


    Why Do GOoPers Hate Higher Education?

    "Despite the importance of higher education to Florida's well-being, lawmakers are taking abusive aim at our state universities." "Hammering higher ed".


    "Blind trusts for trust"

    "It's not that Tom Gallagher, Florida's chief financial officer and a Cabinet member, did anything wrong by approving a construction permit for an energy company in which he owned 1,000 shares of stock. It's that no one can be sure he didn't." "Blind trusts for trust".


    Whatever

    "Pruitt warns senators to put away the cell phones".


    They Said It

    "Crist: Ambiguous?"

    "Ambiguous: 'capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways'".


    Trib "Disappointed"

    Why is the Tampa Trib surprised? These are corporations out to make a buck, nothing more nothing less:

    It's not surprising that special interests would target politicians who don't do their will, but it's disappointing that a good corporate citizen like Publix is helping to finance the sleazy effort.

    Publix, Food Lion, Sears and the Florida Chamber of Commerce are among the businesses bankrolling Florida Mainstreet Merchants, a group formed under Section 527 of the federal tax code. These groups cannot tell voters who to vote for, but they can raise unlimited amounts of "soft money" to try to influence voters' decisions.
    "Political Flier Only The Beginning".


    "Jeb!" Jobs

    "The rebuilding demand after two busy hurricane seasons helped the construction industry add 55,900 jobs over the past year, a 10.3 percent increase. That was the biggest increase among the state's leading industries. The leisure and hospitality industry also enjoyed 4.4 percent growth with an additional 38,200 jobs, many of those in the food and beverage sectors. Those low-paying service jobs trouble labor leaders." "Florida unemployment falls to 3 percent; lowest in three decades".


    "Davis Takes Heat"

    "Critics say he kissed off the close congressional vote while garnering TV time in Tallahassee as a gubernatorial candidate." "Davis takes heat for missed Patriot Act vote".


    The Session

    - "Legislature 2006: Developments from Thursday, March 9".

    - "Today is Day 4 of the 60-day session of the Florida Legislature." See also "Friday is usually a light day for the Legislature, especially this early in the session. Today is no exception".

    - "Lawmakers target slots".

    - "Florida affordable housing advocates stress need for change".

    - "Let gas be sold below cost, three urge".

    - "Senators think twice on tax-cap portability

    - "
    Homestead bill hangs on".".

    - "Senate panel to push for nursing home staffing increase".

    - "House resolution would reject unanimous death recommendations".

    - "Firing teachers could get harder".


    Gay Adoption

    "Gay-adoption supporters rally". See also "Preteen lobbies for gay adoption" and "Advocates for gay adoption calling for support".


    Voting Machines

    "The state has requested a meeting with Leon County officials regarding contingency plans for helping disabled people vote without assistance in the event of a special election, saying the county puts Florida at risk for a federal lawsuit over noncompliance." "State: Leon voting system jeopardizes fed compliance".


    "He's battling cozy contracting"

    "The head of Florida's beleaguered prison system told legislators Thursday he is combatting nepotism, cronyism and cozy contracting in a two-fisted "culture" that makes many employees want to be tougher than the criminals they guard." "DOC chief: 'Culture' change ahead".


    Choice

    "Justices asked to allow abortion notification waivers statewide".




    "For the second time, Senate President Tom Lee has written a fat refund check to a disgruntled lobbyist from his 527 fund known as FLUST ... ." "Tom Lee's 'Liberal' 527 Refund Policy".


    Scripps

    "County officials make Scripps sales pitch in Capitol; legislators happy with progress". See also "Scripps deal shows secrecy flaw, Senate chief says".


    Loophole

    "Some lobbyists have something to cheer about in the sweeping gift ban intended to curb their influence over Florida lawmakers. Because of an oversight when the gift-ban was drafted, the Legislature has given a free pass to 43 lobbyists who owed $83,250 in fines for failing to file timely forms detailing what they'd spent on lawmakers." "Legal loophole in gift ban dismisses lobbyists' fines".


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