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 Tuesday, June 13, 2006

"To spank Ion"

    "Leon County Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho, backed by cheering local supporters, told state officials Monday that they did not have the power to approve the methods he uses to find flaws in his voting equipment."
    Sancho's public comments couldn't be more blunt, or more typically Sancho. He said the state's attempt to regulate the testing methods of the state's 67 independently elected supervisors of elections is unconstitutional.
    "Sancho blasts new testing rules"
    "We (elections supervisors) all know why this rule was put out there," [Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Ann ]McFall said. "It was to spank Ion Sancho."
    "Voting system battle flares". See also "Elections supervisors oppose proposal to test voting equipment".


    Ban Challenged

    "Florida's American Civil Liberties Union plans to file a lawsuit today to challenge a new state law that bans colleges from organizing and paying for trips to Cuba and other countries that may support terrorism. 'It's not in the overall interest of the United States for individual states to meddle in matters of foreign affairs and international security,' ACLU spokesman Brandon Hensler said Monday. The group's legal director will announce the lawsuit at an 11 a.m. news conference in Miami." "ACLU to fight Cuba travel ban".


    Hurricane Forces Changes

    "It's the tough new reality of campaigning in Florida, where too-busy hurricane seasons are becoming the norm. Campaign appearances and fundraising can come to a sudden halt and candidates tread a fine line to avoid being seen as exploiting a natural disaster." Political dance: the hurricane 2-step"".


    "Davis And Cobb"

    "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis calls on Secretary of State Sue Cobb to reject a proposed new rule requiring lelections supervisors to notify state election authorities and voting machine company officials before testing voting machines. conducting tests on voting machines." "Davis And Cobb".


    Medical Research

    "The bill drew additional attention because of an effort to tack onto it language that would have placed certain restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, but supporters of the bill resisted it because they didn't want the measure to get bogged down in that controversial debate." "Money for medical research among bills signed into law".

    Regarding another bill, "Last-minute additions to a bill now awaiting Gov. Jeb Bush's signature could weaken state oversight and leave consumers more vulnerable to fraud involving discount medical plans, Bush's top insurance official said." "Official opposes medical plan bill".


    Whatever They Wanted

    "Scripps given three more spending years".


    Death Penalty

    "In a ruling that could delay some executions, the Supreme Court Monday gave Death Row inmates a new route for challenging the constitutionality of lethal injections. The case revolves around Florida inmate Clarence Hill, who was strapped to a gurney with intravenous tubes attached to his body on Jan. 24, when Justice Anthony Kennedy issued a stay. Kennedy also wrote Monday's unanimous decision." "Old law is new challenge in lethal injections case".


    HD 52

    "The race to succeed Frank Farkas in state House District 52 in the St. Petersburg area stands to be one of the best races to watch anywhere in Florida. Former USF St. Pete CEO Bill Heller's recent entry in the race as a Democrat earned lots of attention, but there are plenty of other solid candidates." " The HD 52 Crowd". See also "Crowded field seeks seat held by Farkas".


    "Clinton's Advice"

    "The thrust of the former president's message: Democrats need to do more than just criticize Republicans and their policies and offer voters specific policy alternatives, from the relatively small (restoring cuts to college loan programs) to the much bigger (fighting global warming)." "Clinton's Advice". See also "President Clinton slams GOP in Orlando speech", "Clinton delivers message on party values", "Clinton Instructs, Raises Bucks For Party" and "Clinton helps rake in $250,000 for Democrats".

    Scott Maxwell, in "Clinton raises faithful's fever in Orlando", observes:

    "Bubba was back in Orlando on Monday, and the local liberals couldn't have been happier.

    While President Bush's numbers are dropping in the polls as fast as "W" window stickers are dropping off SUVs, Clinton is as popular with his base as ever."
    More details here.


    FCAT Follies

    Education Commissioner John "Winn said he determined there was a "failure of performance" in the course-work requirement after his staff reviewed more than 2,500 applications of individuals hired to grade this year's FCAT." "FCAT graders will need to have experience with subjects they are scoring".

    "A review of the applications, spurred by two senators, shows the test graders are as likely to be janitors as they are to be professionals." "Some FCAT scorers don't make grade". See also "FCAT graders under scrutiny".

    "The state requires that graders' degrees be matched with the subjects they are scoring on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. CTB/McGraw-Hill and its subcontractors "did not fully implement the requirement of the related degree fields to a degree that we would like," Winn said. 'I am not happy.'" "Clinton helps rake in $250,000 for Democrats".

    But for Dems the issue, Floridians apparently would never have known, and Mr. Winn and the rest of the FCAT fanatics would have remained blithely "happy".


    Davis Courts Hispanic Vote

    "Though the Hispanic vote is viewed as increasingly important, especially in this area, Davis framed the discussion as something larger. 'I am here because I want to build a relationship,' he said." " Davis seeks Hispanic support in Orlando".


    Miami Herald Slams Attendance Records

    The MH editorial board: "Absent while in office".


<< Home