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 10, 2014

"Behind every great donor there is a potential crime"

    Marc Caputo writes that, "Behind every great donor there is a potential crime."
    It’s especially true in scammer-rich Florida.

    Had Scott’s campaign-finance team realized this, someone might have vetted (or Googled) James Batmasian. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to failing to collect and pay $253,000 in federal withholding taxes regarding his Boca Raton investment company’s employees. Batmasian spent eight months in prison, paid a $30,000 fine and had his law license suspended in Florida.

    "Indeed, this is Scott’s fourth fundraising woe, and the governor won’t directly answer questions about any of them:"
    • The Gator Hunt Gaffe: In September, Scott canceled a $25,000-per-donor “private gator hunt” fundraiser after questions arose about the classiness of the event (alligators are a de facto Florida symbol) and the legality of it (gators are a protected species, and hunting permits are limited and supposed to be awarded by lottery).

    • The Execution Delay Debacle: Days later, word got out that Scott delayed the execution of convicted Miami murderer Marshall Lee Gore so that Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi could raise funds for her reelection. Scott, who then scheduled a Broward fundraiser for himself on that day, said he didn’t know the reason Bondi’s office requested the delay.

    • The Mike Fernandez Fiasco: The Coral Gables billionaire and million-dollar donor to Scott was the campaign’s top finance chairman, but he quit amid a personality dispute in March. Along the way, some of his emails to the campaign leaked out in which he expressed displeasure with the reelection effort’s direction and with the staffers, who were allegedly overheard by a Fernandez business partner joking around in mock Mexican accents on the way to a Chipotle in Miami. The campaign denied the claims.

    "Scott campaign flunks crime-watch."


    "Despite some nice wins under her belt"

    Jeff Henderson argues that, "despite some nice wins under her belt -- including Amanda Murphy picking up a House seat and Rick Kriseman becoming mayor of St. Petersburg -- [Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison] Tant has, so far, failed to build her party." "Allison Tant: It's My Party and I'll Cry (Only) if I Want to."


    Flip-flopper on an international scale

    Rick Scott is a new man: "Gov. Rick Scott approves in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants."

    This from the charming fellow who "gave his blessing to the practice of asking suspects who are stopped by authorities for proof of their citizenship, a measure suggested in a recent Arizona-style immigration bill proposed in his state." "Rick Scott Takes Page Out Of Jan Brewer's Illegal Immigration Playbook."


    What's a FlaBagger to do?

    "Gov. Rick Scott, who faced intense criticism for rejecting federal money for high-speed rail from Tampa to Orlando, has new train troubles for favoring a controversial rail project on Florida's east coast." "Opposition strengthens to Gov. Scott's All Aboard Florida plan."


    Trust us

    "Miami-Dade voters say they want to be able to decide whether to give Miami Dade College money for renovations and expansion, but county legislators in Tallahassee said they won’t allow a referendum." "Herald Poll: On pot, plebiscite and power lines, politicians out of sync with Miami-Dade voters."


    ALJ Recommendation: "Rivera broke ethics laws"

    "A state administrative law judge has recommended that the Florida ethics commission pursue most — but not all — of its remaining charges against former Rep. David Rivera." "Judge: Rivera broke ethics laws with 'corrupt intent'." "The recommendation goes to the state Commission on Ethics, which will make a final determination." "Judge: Rivera received improper travel payments from state."


    We're sure North Carolinians appreciate this

    "Florida Politicians Take Sides in North Carolina Senate Race".


    The best they can do?

    Uber-conservative former Jeb Bush speechwriter Lloyd Brown jokes that "the end of the world may be nigh: Uber-liberal politician Sandy D'Alemberte and [he] agree on something. It is that state Sen. John Thrasher would be a great president for Florida State University." "Why Not the Best for FSU?"

    Meanwhile, the "consultant brought in to help find FSU a new president, abruptly resigned from the job Monday." The consultant resigned

    had advised the committee that Thrasher's aspiration for the job was keeping other desired candidates from wanting to apply.

    Thrasher, 70, is an influential figure in state politics. Currently chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, he served as House speaker from 1998 to 2000. Also, he is chairman of Gov. Rick Scott's re-election campaign and previously served as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

    "Recruiter Steps Down From FSU Presidential Search."


    Latest web ads in gubernatorial race

    Kevin Derby: "With five months to go in the Florida gubernatorial contest, the two major parties took to cyberspace on Monday, launching new Web videos attacking the leading candidates in the race." "Parties Attack With Web Ads in Gubernatorial Race."


<< Home