Dorworth, who is line to become speaker of the Florida House in 2014, leads Democratic challenger Mike Clelland 40 percent to 37 percent, according to a summary of the results prepared by The Kitchens Group, a Maitland-based polling firm. That’s within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 5.5 percentage points. The remaining 23 percent are undecided.

The Kitchens Group surveyed 308 likely voters on Oct. 13 in House District 29 in Seminole County.

One-in-four respondents — 25 percent — had an “unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” opinion of Dorworth, a controversial lawmaker who has struggled with financial turmoil. Only 16 percent had a “favorable” or “very favorable” opinion of him and 59 percent had no opinion.

500,000 Floridians have cast absentee ballots

"In a sign of the intense interest in the presidential race, about 500,000 Floridians have already cast absentee ballots and that number is growing by the day."

More than 1.8 million additional voters have requested the ballots, which are typically mailed in.

The heaviest voting so far is taking place in Tampa Bay, Miami-Dade and the so-called I-4 corridor.

Outsourcing madness

"County tax collectors in Florida are fighting a proposal by Gov. Rick Scott’s highway safety chief to hire a private vendor to distribute millions of new license plates across the state. The tax collectors warn that if tag sales are outsourced, costs will go up and the quality of customer service will go down." "Tax collectors fight state plan to outsource license-tag sales".

"Justices battle"

"An election that normally gets scant attention has heated up this year with the decision by the state Republican Party and some conservative groups to oppose the retention of three Supreme Court justices." "Justices battle effort to have them voted out of office".

FlaDem hopes dimming in SD 8

"With less than three weeks left until the Nov. 6 election, the Florida Democratic Party has yet to buy any advertising time on Orlando broadcast networks to promote Frank Bruno, the Volusia County politician once seen as one of the minority party's strongest Senate challengers. It's a clear signal that Democratic hopes are dimming in Senate District 8, which includes parts of Volusia, Marion and Lake counties and was considered one of the state's two most competitive races." "Democratic hopes fade in Volusia Senate race".

Matt's mad

Matt Towery whines, claiming that "Only Republican Gaffes Dominate Presidential Coverage".

"Increase in job openings in STEM-related fields"

"An increase in job openings in STEM-related fields is trumpeted as a sign of an improving state economy and now lawmakers want Florida's higher education system to produce home-grown graduates that can more readily fill those positions." "Job openings touted, but how to fill them?" Meanwhile, "Jobs agency offers cuts to workforce boards, development programs but not itself".

So much for Schwab

"Charles "Chuck" Schwab rolled into Towne Square this afternoon to urge seniors to vote for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Schwab, who's traveling around the state this week to stump for the Republican candidate, argued President Barack Obama and his administration slowed the nation's growth and hurt retirees' investments and savings with falling interest rates." "Mitt Romney campaign stages 'Victory Town Hall for Seniors' in Leesburg".

DEP wants to sell conservation land

"Department of Environmental Protection asks for no new money for the Florida Forever land-buying program but asks the Legislature for authority to spend up to $50 million from the sale of state land for new conservation land-buying. Audubon Florida says the department should ask the legislature to go back to funding land-buying." "DEP asks to sell so it can buy more conservation land in the coming fiscal year".

Entrepreneurs in action

"Florida man charged in dinosaur smuggling case".

Mini-Mack "rarely let facts get in the way of his attacks"

"Florida's sleepy U.S. Senate race saw a jolt of energy Wednesday night as Connie Mack IV came charging at Democrat Bill Nelson in their first and only televised U.S. Senate debate."

Mack accused Nelson of chronic tax-raising, of taking President Barack Obama's side over Florida Medicare beneficiaries, and even using cows to exploit a tax loophole. The 45-year-old Fort Myers congressman looked confident, stayed firmly on message and rarely let facts get in the way of his attacks on the 70-year-old incumbent senator.

"Bill Nelson cast the deciding vote to cut $700 billion out of your Medicare to pay for Obamacare. I voted against Obamacare," Mack said in his opening remark, a charge that PolitiFact Florida rates Mostly False.

"Bill Nelson voted for higher taxes 150 times — 150 times!" he continued, repeating a claim PolitiFact Florida rates False. "I've got a simple litmus test: If you voted for higher taxes 150 times, it's time for you to go."

It was a feisty 60 minutes at Nova Southeastern University, long on charges and counter charges and short on substance from the men vying for the world's most deliberative body. . . .

At least three times, Mack used essentially the same line in the debate organized by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association: "Senator, the people of the state of Florida are tired of you saying one thing to them and then going back to Washington, D.C., and voting with Barack Obama 98 percent of the time."

Mack seized on his one opportunity to share a stage with Nelson by aggressively casting Nelson as a liberal ally of Obama, often using suspect or false charges.

Palm Beach absentee ballot snafu

"Questions raised about legality of Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor’s plan to copy flawed absentee ballots".

HD 107 primary challenge rejected

"Both key witnesses at the center of the contested House District 107 race denied collecting fraudulent absentee ballots on behalf of the Miami Gardens Democrat who narrowly won the primary. Wednesday’s testimony prompted Leon County Chief Circuit Judge Charles Francis to rule against Rep. John Patrick Julien, a North Miami candidate who had alleged fraud in trying to overturn his primary election loss to Rep. Barbara Watson." "Judge rejects Florida House primary challenge".

"Florida's low wages haven't kept up with inflation"

"South Florida is the least affordable of the nation's 25 largest metro areas for moderate income households struggling to pay for housing and transportation, according to a new study released Thursday."

South Florida households that make between $25,444 and $50,888 per year end up spending nearly three-fourths of their income just for shelter and to get around, the national study found.

Those who live in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties shell out an average 40 percent of their income for housing and an additional 32 percent toward transportation, according to the research conducted jointly by the Washington-based Center for Housing Policy and the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago.

In contrast, their counterparts in the nation's other large urban areas pay an average of 59 percent of their gross income for both, the study reported.

Researchers blame South Florida's high percentage of low wages that haven't kept up with inflation.

"Lord of the Three Rings"

Frank Cerabino: "Somebody needs to defend presidential candidate Mitt Romney for talking about the 'binders full of women' he collected when he was the governor of Massachusetts."

Poor Mitt’s being called “Lord of the Three Rings” since Tuesday night’s debate. While sidestepping a question on equal pay for women, Romney opted instead to wax lovingly about his devotion for hiring women in leadership positions in Massachusetts state government.

“And so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet,” he said. “I went to a number of women’s groups and said, ‘Can you help us find folks?’ And I brought us whole binders full of — of women.”

For some reason, the virtual universe has exploded with mockery over this remark. “Mitt Romney, Binder of Women” is how some people have put it.

This is very unfair. For starters, Romney’s probably got binders for lots of things. His financial services company provided the seed money for Staples, which is in the binder business.

So I’ll bet Mitt’s got more binders than he knows what to do with.

And if you think his binders full of women are impressive, imagine what his binders full of Caribbean tax shelters look like. I’m guessing those are the 5-inch, slant-ring, high-capacity ones.

So ease off, Romney. It’s not like he’s got some agenda against women, at least not the top 53 percent of them who don’t need to rely on Planned Parenthood for their lady parts’ preventative and diagnostic care.

CD 22 Poll

"Congressional District 22 -- rock-ribbed conservative Adam Hasner vs. outspoken liberal Lois Frankel -- has something many districts do not: more than a quarter of its voters are up for grabs. They don't belong to any party. Yet, a Sunshine State News Poll of 750 likely voters in the district shows that only 6 percent of the undecideds remain that way. Conducted by Voter Survey Service (VSS) of Harrisburg, Pa. on Oct. 14-16, the poll puts Republican Hasner and Democrat Frankel dead even at 47 percent. " "Adam Hasner and Lois Frankel in a Dead Heat at 47 Percent".

Obama claims Florida ground game advantage over Romney

"President Barack Obama's Florida campaign argued Tuesday that it has a ground game advantage over Romney, who seems to be benefiting from a shift in polls in this crucial state in the race for the White House."

The memo from Obama Florida Director Ashley Walker points to a closing of a gap in absentee voting and gains made in voter registration since Obama beat Republican nominee John McCain in 2008.

While more Republicans are requesting and returning absentee ballots, Walker noted that the margin is far smaller than it was four years ago. This year, just more than 900,000 Republicans have requested absentee ballots, compared to nearly 834,000 Democrats, or a difference of more than 61,000. But at the same point before the 2008 election, the difference in requested ballots favored Republicans by about 250,000.

The Republican-led Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott shortened early voting from 14 days to eight days, which puts more pressure on the Obama campaign to emphasize absentee voting. It's doing so by encouraging supporters to request absentee ballots in person and fill them out and turn them in on the spot.

The Romney campaign pointed out that there's only one number that matters, and that's the difference in overall voter registration from 2008. There are almost 89,000 more Republicans now than there were four years ago, while the number of Florida Democrats has dropped by more than 94,000.

Southwest Florida science haters in red water

"Red tide is microscopic algae that can release toxins poisonous to marine life. It can cause respiratory irritation. Officials are cautioning people with asthma and emphysema to avoid the beach until the toxin levels are reduced." "Red tide reported on southwest Fla. beaches".

"Negron will barely need to roll up his sleeves to win"

"In the race for the new Florida Senate District 32 seat, there will be no debates, candidate placards littering roadsides or glossy color fliers in your mailbox. No name calling, robo-calls or innuendo about the candidates’ places of birth. However, if name recognition, political connections and campaign contributions are any indication of victory, Sen. Joe Negron (R-Stuart) will barely need to roll up his sleeves to win. 'I take every race seriously,' said Negron. 'If someone has taken the time to pay the filing fee and get their name on the ballot, I consider it a contest.' That is about all Negron’s opponent, businessman Ray D’Amiano, D-Stuart, has done. D’Amiano, 55, has not responded to interview requests from local newspaper editorial boards. He doesn’t have a website and for every $285 that Negron has raised, D’Amiano has raised $1." "Negron outraising political newcomer".

New Jersey pharmaceutical executive drops a cool million in West's lap

"A super PAC that supports U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Palm Beach Gardens, got $1 million from a New Jersey pharmaceutical executive, new Federal Election Commission reports show."

The Treasure Coast Jobs Coalition was formed in July and started running ads in September slamming West’s Democratic challenger, Patrick Murphy. The PAC’s first report, filed Monday, shows Mutual Pharmacy Co. senior adviser Richard Roberts contributed $1 million on Sept. 2. The PAC got only $81,000 in other contributions.

According to the nonprofit Sunlight Foundation, which tracks campaign spending, Roberts was chairman and CEO of URL Pharmaceuticals, also known as Mutual Pharmaceutical Co., until the company was sold to Japanese firm Takeda in June for $800 million.

Murphy’s camp labeled Roberts a “millionaire drug profiteer” and said his contribution shows that West “puts the interests of Big Pharma over the interests of his constituents.”

Or so he hopes

"Don Gaetz says Ellyn Bogdanoff Poised to Capture Dem-leaning South Florida District".

Scott sniffs up to "Jeb!"

"Gov. Rick Scott has joined a chorus of critics calling for changes to the Florida Board of Education’s strategic plan, which has stirred controversy over a set of learning goals based on factors such as race and ethnicity. The goals are intended to cut in half the number of students performing below grade level in reading and math over a six-year period." "Scott: Education goals unacceptable". Related: "Jeb Bush gloats about Florida education reforms looks ill-timed".

FlaDems convene circular firing squad

"As two of Florida's three Haitian-born legislators contest their primary election defeats through the courts, one of them is insisting his conflict isn't just with his opponent, but with the very leadership of his own Democratic Party." "Rep. John Patrick Julien: Florida Democratic Leaders Expect Haitians to Be Their Slaves".

FPL rate proposal in Supreme Court

"Public Counsel J.R. Kelly is asking the state Supreme Court to stop regulators from considering a proposed rate settlement offered by Florida Power & Light Co." "FPL rate proposal challenged in state Supreme Court". See also "FPL Rate Proposal Challenged in Supreme Court".

"So we're going to make lemonade," Victor T. Curry, senior minister at New Birth Baptist Church, told 150 black pastors from South Florida on Monday.

Thus began Operation Lemonade, a massive vote-turnout operation scheduled to start before the first early in-person voting polls open Saturday, Oct. 27.

The effort is technically nonpartisan. The name "President Barack Obama" was notably absent from the ministers' gathering.

But it didn't need to be said.

At the same time, Republicans are making a big push to bank early votes by absentee ballots. . . .

Relatively few of the absentee ballot voters, though, are black.

By and large, black voters don't trust the mail-in ballot system. And they prefer to head to the polls to personally hand their ballot to a local election official.

In 2008, black voters swamped the early voting polls, leading then-Gov. Charlie Crist to issue an executive order to keep the stations open longer. In all, early voting lasted a total of 120 hours over 14 days in 2008. Obama carried Florida — a must-win for his Republican opponents — and therefore won the presidency.

The GOP-controlled Legislature responded by capping early voting hours to a maximum 96 hours over eight days. It also eliminated early voting the Sunday before Election Day, when African-Americans would vote in droves as part of their "souls to the polls" turnout tradition that began with the advent of early voting in 2002.

The Republican early vote limitations have black voters fired up — and ready to vote, Curry said.

"South Florida's key Jewish vote"

"Even though Jews make up only 3.4 percent of the state's population, they're critical in elections because they're far more likely to be registered and show up at the polls than the general population, said Ira Sheskin, professor of geography at the University of Miami and director of the Jewish Demography Project. Sheskin estimates 6 percent of the state's voters are Jewish." "Parties woo South Florida's key Jewish vote".

"Mixing politics and work"

"Be careful about mixing politics and work".

"12 million Latinas and Latinos expected to cast ballots this year, up from 10 million in 2008"

"Teresa Rey is one of the millions of mothers across the nation who carefully watched the first presidential debate of 2012. It is fair to say that Rey felt frustrated with the moderator’s lack of questions around family economic-security issues."

Questions about unfair wages for mothers, the high price of childcare and the lack of paid leave to care for children and the elderly were left off the table. The moderator also failed to ask the candidates about the contributions of immigrant families to the overall economy of our country. For Rey, who lives in Tampa, paying close attention to the candidates’ position on issues such as these is vital to ensuring that our communities thrive.

Rey will be among an estimated 12 million Latinas and Latinos expected to cast ballots this year, up from 10 million in 2008, according to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. Moreover, the size of the Latino constituency specifically in states expected to be very competitive in 2012 — such as Florida, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Virginia — means that the Latino vote is critical to choosing our next president.

"Jeb picked a bad time to engage in freelance gloating"

Frank Cerabino: "Jeb Bush picked a bad time to engage in some freelance gloating."

The former governor wrote an op-ed piece last month for [Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church right-wing newspaper] The Washington Times to point out how his educational reforms in Florida have led to such impressive gains by minority students that the state hasn’t had to resort to redefining success.

Bush held out Florida as an example of a state that didn’t need to adjust its expectations for minority achievement because of the annual testing he brought to the state.

“Traditionally, low-performing schools that produce strong learning gains are rewarded,” he wrote. “Florida’s A schools are represented in both the suburbs and inner cities. This policy rewards achievement and progress, without lowering the bar for students based on skin color, national origin or a parent’s salary level.”

But the numbers in this month’s strategic plan from the State Board of Education show a far less rosy picture.

After more than a decade of testing-based education reform in Florida’s public schools, only 38 percent of black students are reading at grade level. That’s far below Asian students (76 percent), white students (69 percent) and Hispanic students (51 percent).

So coming up with a goal of getting 74 percent of Florida’s black students to be on reading level would nearly double the success rate for those students in just six years. That’s not racial profiling. That’s magic.

And announcing that plan is less of an insult to those students and more of a belief in the existence of a transformative post-FCAT educational system yet to be unveiled.

Business shills

The Employment Policies Institute, a "front group" created by a lobbyist for the restaurant and hotel industries, declares Florida's minimum wage a bad thing. "DC Think Tank: Florida's Minimum Wage Hike Hits Teens, Adds Unemployment Barrier".

Data breach

"Thousands of past Florida college and university students have not yet been notified that hackers may have accessed their sensitive identifying information, including dates of birth and Social Security numbers." "Students not yet notified of Bright Futures data breach".

"Florida's left-wing 'community' is up in arms"

Lloyd Brown: "Florida's left-wing 'community' is up in arms, opposed to every amendment to the state Constitution that will be on the ballot in November."

The gist of their arguments is that the sacred document (we know how liberals revere constitutions) should not be cluttered with extraneous matter.

Roll the tape:

In 1998, liberals were excited, eager to jam into the state Constitution a provision concerning public schools.

Political stunt

"Leon County Sheriff candidate Lisa Sprague has filed a complaint with the state Elections Commission against incumbent Sheriff Larry Campbell, alleging he’s lied about his education and military background. Campbell, a Democrat, denied the allegations, saying that his five decades in law enforcement included several extensive federal and background investigations that verified his experience." "Sprague files elections complaint on Campbell in sheriff race". More Tallahassee follies: "Is Tallahassee Police Department Violating City Watchdog's Free Speech?".

Never mind the "increased recidivism rates"

"A 2004 study by Yale economists Patrick Bayer and David Pozen on privately-run juvenile facilities in Florida found a trade off in the results. Their cost-benefit analysis implied that the short-run savings offered by privatization would be reversed by increased recidivism rates." "DJJ to privatize five facilities".

Federalist Society Hoedown

"Regardless whether three state Supreme Court justices survive their challenges at the polls next month, politics has become a permanent part of judicial elections in Florida as voters react to 'judicial activism,' a former circuit judge with long experience in Republican politics told a panel of other forensic experts Monday night during a law school forum."

"The barn door is open," Allison DeFoor, former vice-chairman of the Republican Party, said in an interview after speaking at the Federalist Society panel discussion on the state's system of merit appointment and retention of appeals court jurists. "You have a system now where everybody seems to be unhappy with it, which tells me it's probably crying out for being reformed."

"Insurance regulators outline cuts"

"The Office of Insurance Regulation has already seen sharp cuts since the onset of the recession, but included cuts to travel and administrative expenses as part of a budget exercise." "Insurance regulators outline cuts, hope they won't come".

CD 12

Joe Henderson: "The bigger the race, the more daunting the challenge. But it hasn't stopped Paul Elliott, 69-year-old NPA candidate for Congress, from trying to win the new 12th district that covers Pasco County and parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas. He is actually one of two unaffiliated candidates in the race; acute care nurse John Russell is the other. Jonathan Michael Snow, 25, is running as a Democrat." "Unaffiliated candidate eyes new congressional seat".

90 percent of Florida's big money goes to Republicans

"In Florida's vast political orbit, Barbara Stiefel hardly registers. Yet if President Barack Obama wins re-election, the 59-year-old retiree from Coral Gables will have played an outsized role."

Stiefel this year has written checks for $50,000 and $1 million to the pro-Obama Priorities USA Action, one of the new breed of "super PACs" using unlimited donations to scramble the rules of political campaigns. Her money — a mountain compared to the $5,000 she was legally allowed to give directly to Obama — helped produce an onslaught of TV ads portraying Mitt Romney as an out-of-touch corporate raider. Stiefel, whose family made money in the pharmaceutical business, is not alone in Florida, but she is the only Democratic super donor. Ten residents have given at least $500,000 to super PACs.

• John W. Childs, 71, of Vero Beach. He runs a private equity firm in Boston and has given $3.1 million to three conservative super PACs, according to records collected by the Center for Responsive Politics. He contributed $1 million to the pro-Romney Restore Our Future; $1.1 million to Club for Growth Action; and $1 million to American Crossroads, a group started by Karl Rove. (Crossroads' latest work is an ad attacking Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson for getting a tax break on pasture land in Brevard County.)

• Bill Koch, 72, of Palm Beach. He is not as well known as his brothers, David and Charles, who have donated millions to conservative causes. Koch and two of his coal companies, Oxbow Carbon and Huron Carbon, have given $3 million to Restore Our Future. "He's a big believer in Mitt Romney," said Koch spokesman Brad Goldstein.

• Irving Moskowitz, 84, of Miami Beach. The businessman and California bingo operator has long been a pro-Israel activist, pushing for Jewish settlements in Arab sections of Jerusalem. Moskowitz gave $1 million to American Crossroads in February.

• Grace Evenstad, 68, of Naples, who owns a winery in Oregon. She has given $250,000 to American Crossroads and $500,000 to Restore Our Future.

• Margaret Caveney, 88, and husband Jack Caveney, 86, of North Palm Beach. They have ties to Panduit Corp. in Illinois. They have given $550,000 to several groups, including Restore Our Future and Winning Our Future, which supported Newt Gingrich in the GOP presidential primary.

• Jerry Jordan, 73, of Palm Beach. He founded a hedge fund in Boston and is close to Romney. He and his wife, Darlene, 45, are also on Romney's Florida finance team. The couple have given $500,000 to Restore Our Future.

• Miguel "Mike" Fernandez, 60, of Miami. The chairman of MBF Health Care Partners, a private equity firm, is also on Romney's finance team. He gave $500,000 to Restore Our Future. The related MBF Family Investments gave $500,000 to the same committee.

"Florida numbers should be worrisome for the Romney campaign"

Senior Obama adviser David Plouffe: "Keys to Obama winning Florida, he said, include women voters and the growing Puerto Rican population in the Orlando area. Plouffe, who led the president's 2008 campaign, also believes Obama can win Miami-Dade by even more than the 139,000-vote margin he won it by in 2008."

Rich Beeson, national political director for the Romney campaign, contends the Romney/GOP grass roots campaign is keeping pace with the vaunted Obama machine. "Since the debate, we've seen a 63 percent increase in volunteer hours, a growing enthusiasm gap that continues to favor Gov. Romney, a strengthening of our already strong ground game, and we're seeing the effects of this in polling numbers across the battleground states," Beeson said in an email. "What the Obama campaign didn't tell you is that we are leading or even with them in early vote in key states across the country — FL, NC, CO, NV, and NH. Our early vote numbers are outperforming voter registration in battleground states, demonstrating the strength of our ground game and the excitement for the Romney/Ryan ticket."

While it's true Romney appears to be leading Obama among absentee ballots requested and cast so far in Florida, the numbers actually should be worrisome for the Romney campaign.

At this point in the campaign four years ago, Florida Republicans had requested 14 percent more absentee ballots than Democrats, an advantage of more than 220,000 absentee ballots. Republicans had returned nearly 17 percent more at this point four years ago. Through Thursday, Republicans had requested only about 68,000, or 3 percent, more absentees than Democrats. The Democrats have cut the GOP advantage on returned absentee ballots to 3.5 percent.

"Judge will accept even the most meager excuse to dispatch him to oblivion"

Fred Grimm: "Notions of 'normal Christian belief' must be slightly different up there in Bradford County. Either that or when the convict before the court has eight murders on his rap sheet, a judge will accept even the most meager excuse to dispatch him to oblivion." "Nothing good about execution of mentally ill man".

HD 72

Zac Anderson: "Whether voters in one of Sarasota County’s more liberal state House districts buy into [Sarasota attorney Liz] Alpert’s depiction of [Florida House District 72 Rep. Ray] Pilon as right-wing idealogue, and how much weight they give local community service, will help determine the District 72 election, along with lingering questions about whether Alpert has the right connections, resources and resume to make the race competitive." "A challenge to Pilon in redrawn District 72".

Nelson maintains lead

"Independent voters and party switchers are providing the edge for Democrat Bill Nelson as he maintains his lead over Republican challenger Connie Mack in the U.S. Senate race, according to a new Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll." "A look into the Senate race".

"Shortening the ballot"

Thomas Tryon: "The general election ballot includes 11 proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. All of the proposals came from the Florida Legislature." "Tryon: Shortening the ballot".

"The most valued of voters, and the most vulnerable"

"With a relentless barrage of phone calls, mailers and targeted ads, local and statewide campaigns are now aggressively pursuing absentee voters — the most valued of voters, and the most vulnerable."

Absentee voters, who submit their ballots by mail, make up an ever-increasing share of the Florida electorate — the result of relaxed voting laws and aggressive campaign strategies. In the coming election, as many as one in four Florida voters will cast their ballots from home instead of a voting booth.

In Miami-Dade County, the share of absentee voters this fall could be even higher: Already more than 208,000 absentee ballots have been mailed to Miami-Dade voters since Oct. 5.

“Absentee ballots seem to be prone to manipulation,” said Joe Centorino, director of Miami-Dade’s Ethics Commission and a former assistant state attorney who prosecuted several vote-fraud cases stemming from Miami’s tainted 1997 mayoral election. “Once those ballots go out, there’s no more control.”

But despite the recurring fraud problems, state lawmakers have repeatedly loosened the state’s absentee voting rules, making it easier to vote from home — while also making vote fraud harder to detect, critics say.

At the same time, the state has increased scrutiny of in-person voters by requiring those voters to provide photo ID at the polling place — a burden that absentee voters don’t have to bear.

“It is clearly easier to vote, with less obstacles, absentee than in person at the polls. And there’s more room for shenanigans,” said Murray Greenberg, the former Miami-Dade County Attorney who now teaches election law at the Florida International University College of Law.

In recent years, the Republican Party of Florida has aggressively promoted high absentee turnout among GOP voters. Republicans have dominated the Legislature as it has loosened absentee voting rules and cut the number of days for early voting, which tends to favor Democrats.

For candidates, absentee ballots present an alluring opportunity: Their campaigns can target these voters with mailers, ads, phone calls and at-home visits while the voters have the ballots in their hands.

Florida law now allows campaigns to track absentee ballots in real time, confirming on a daily basis who has voted and who still has a ballot at home. Campaigns pester the slackers with phone calls “until you drive them crazy,” said Dario Moreno, a campaign consultant and political science professor at Florida International University. . . .

Once a voter receives a ballot, the campaigning begins.

Under a 2005 state law, all local election offices must report daily which voters have received absentee ballots, and which voters have mailed them in. Candidates and political committees can then download this data every day and contact voters who have not yet voted. (Absentee request information is not a public record under Florida law; however, candidates and political committees are specifically allowed to receive this data.) . . .

The boletero arrests this summer highlighted the risks of absentee voting: If campaigns can identify who has an absentee ballot, they can also send workers to voters’ homes to influence them, or even take their ballots. This danger is most acute among older or disabled voters, or those unfamiliar with the process. Ballot-broker Deisy Cabrera, for example, is accused of filling out the ballot of an incapacitated woman in a nursing home. Police found her carrying the ballots of a dozen voters, court records show.

Over the years, prosecutors have also chased rumors of campaigns sending stooges to collect ballots from a rival’s supporters, and make the votes disappear. But because of the secrecy of the ballot, such claims are almost impossible to prosecute after the fact, Centorino said.

Randy Schultz: "Absentee balloting should be for those who can’t to the polls — college students, members of the armed forces, the infirm and shut-ins. Anything else invites risk and, worse, fraud. The Miami Herald has reported how absentee ballot brokers work Cuban-American and Haitian-American neighborhoods. Similarly, as The New York Times reported, operatives at senior-heavy communities in Florida 'help' elderly voters fill out their ballots."

Since all commentary on Florida election problems comes back to 2000, recall the claims that Democrats and Republicans tried to “steal” that election. “Stealing,” though, happens only when one side does something illegal. Lawsuits and staged demonstrations aren’t illegal. The only illegal act involved…absentee ballots.

In Martin and Seminole counties, Republican operatives filled out absentee ballot applications. Only the voter is allowed to do that. The elections supervisors were not prosecuted — wrongly — and a lawsuit to throw out all the absentees in both counties failed — rightly. Legitimate votes also would have been tossed.

Voting at the polls is more reliable in all ways, since you won’t get surprised by faulty ballots or late campaign developments. Heavy absentee voting might be good for the parties, but it’s bad for democracy.

"Dysfunctional madhouse"

Tom Lyons on Jennifer Carroll, Florida’s lieutenant governor. Lyons admits he "didn’t know all that much about her, either, but that has changed of late."

Who wouldn’t now love to know for sure what the heck has been going on in Carroll’s capitol building office and on her official overnight trips, if even half of what a former aide says is true?

That former aide, Carletha Cole, is now a felony defendant, charged with the heinous crime of giving a reporter a recording of an office conversation, possibly taped in secret, to help show what she says was a dysfunctional madhouse.

Cole says in court documents that she was harassed vindictively — and that her criminal charges are now part of that — ever since she saw Carroll in a sexually compromising position in Carroll’s office with an employee of the same gender. . . .

Lt. Gov. Carroll’s reason for not wanting to be questioned under oath is exactly the reason I hope she has to.

Carroll just doesn’t want her elected office’s laundry — whether really dirty or only mildly muddy — to be further exposed in court. Nor does she want her image linked to all this stuff any more than it is now.

Well, golly, it’s tough being an elected official sometimes.

Too bad if being cross-examined under oath about what Cole says she saw wouldn’t be any more comfortable for Carroll than the time she so awkwardly explained to reporters how such a thing is not possible for someone who looks like her.

I’d pay to see her on the witness stand having another go at that.

"A simple-minded and dangerous way of thinking"

Scott Maxwell: Florida "legislators have become increasingly angry about not getting their way. So they vowed to exact revenge and reshape the state's entire court system."

They became petulant boys trying to undo generations of work by great men.

After House Speaker Dean Cannon lost an argument in front of the Supreme Court, Cannon actually tried to break apart the state's highest court.

He wanted to split the court in two, paving the way for new justices more to his liking.

His proposal was ultimately watered down. What's left is Amendment 5, which, among other things, would give the Legislature the power to overrule the courts on certain rules and procedures.

You'll have the chance to vote that down in November.

And now, Cannon's Republican Party of Florida has upped the stakes, launching a battle to remove members of the Supreme Court whom it doesn't like.

You see, for some people, the definition of an "activist judge" is simply one who makes a ruling with which they disagree.

It's a simple-minded and dangerous way of thinking.

Debatable

"The 9,000 people expected to swoop in next week for the final presidential debate at Lynn University will be providing an economic boost during Palm Beach County’s off-season." "Lynn debate expected to boost PB County economy".

Presidential candidates see Treasure Coast

"Presidential candidates now see Treasure Coast as appealing campaign stop".

"The poster child for the next worker-rights campaign"

Beth Kassab: "Darden Restaurants just became the poster child for the next worker-rights campaign in Orange County. With an experiment designed to test whether it can still serve up Olive Garden breadsticks hot and fast enough with an even larger number of part-time vs. full-time workers, Darden also is dishing up a hearty helping of corporate distrust."

The Sentinel's Sandra Pedicini uncovered and reported how the chain that also owns Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse is testing whether it can run restaurants mostly with workers who clock fewer than 30 hours a week. That way, the company can avoid the cost of offering them a health plan under the Affordable Care Act.

"The spectrum of Florida voters"

"To capture voices across the spectrum of Florida voters, Malone and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Patrick Farrell logged more than 2,000 miles during a 10-day trek crisscrossing Florida. Their criteria: to get personal stories from a cross-section of Floridians, then layer in the politics." "The eloquent voices of Florida’s voters".

"Tea party/GOP conspiracy to win the country for corporate America"

Stephen Goldstein writes about the "nationwide strategy of voter suppression."

The clumsy model for it was home-grown in Florida in 2000, when Gov. Jeb Bush and his puppet, Secretary of State Katherine Harris, purged voter rolls with abandon.

This year, it's been refined and become brazen.

On the flimsy, and disproven, contention that voter fraud is epidemic, 12 years later, tea party/Republican governors and their party-dominated legislatures all across the country followed the same playbook — reducing or eliminating the days and hours for early voting, requiring picture identification, challenging the legitimacy of registered voters. In fact, it has been a blatant attempt to disenfranchise traditional Democratic voters — for example, minorities, older voters, college students.

Now, directly or indirectly, every American has gotten to experience the rejection and connivance that would-be African-American voters routinely experienced in the Jim Crow South. Fortunately, the Department of Justice and the courts have intervened to stop some suppression efforts. But the bitterness of the attempt will not be lost on voters — ever.

The net result of the tea party/GOP conspiracy to win the country for corporate America is the greatest threat to the survival of our founding principles in all of our history. To set out to deny people the right to vote is so dastardly, that it is unthinkable, were it not so open and blatant.

"'snowbirds' and special interests"

"Amendment 4 seeks major reforms to Florida’s property tax system. Supporters say its passage will revitalize the housing industry, while opponents slam it as a tax break that favors 'snowbirds' and special interests." "Amendment 4 offers big tax break for some, big revenue drain for local governments". See also "Realtors, local governments spar over effects of property tax amendment".