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
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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 Thursday, January 22, 2015

Bondi last to Baileygate

    Steve Bousquet, Marc Caputo and Mary Ellen Klas report that "Florida Cabinet members are turning up the heat on Gov. Rick Scott over the botched removal of a top state police official, with [even] Attorney General Pam Bondi raising 'serious questions' about Scott's conduct."
    Bondi on Wednesday became the last of the three elected Republican Cabinet members to distance herself from the ouster last month of Gerald Bailey as commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Bailey alleges that Scott and his aides meddled in law enforcement business and used strong-arm tactics to pressure him to resign.
    But she hasn't quite grown a complete spine:
    Taking [only] indirect aim at Scott on his preference for secrecy over transparency, Bondi said that she and the public have a right to know the truth and that she would insist that the Bailey matter be discussed "thoroughly and in the sunshine" at the next Cabinet meeting Feb. 5.
    Big of her.
    All three Cabinet members have said they did not anticipate Bailey's ouster, but not one of them publicly questioned the decision at last week's Cabinet meeting.
    "Attorney General Pam Bondi joins Cabinet scrutiny of Gov. Rick Scott's actions in FDLE firing."


    Torpid editorial boards begin to call for an investigation

    The Miami Herald editors: "Investigate FDLE allegations."


    "FDLE chief's ouster could force changes"

    "The abrupt ouster of the leader of Florida's main law-enforcement agency could lead to a major shake-up in how the state Cabinet and the governor hire top officials." "FDLE chief's ouster could force changes in Cabinet hiring of leaders."


    Second amendment stoopid

    "Pinellas toddler finds his father's gun, kills himself."


    "Bondi (included only for comic relief)"

    John Romano writes: "The words were polite and the tone was measured, but the message Gov. Rick Scott delivered in a letter to Jeff Atwater seems unmistakable:"

    Kiss off.

    And while the letter was addressed to the state's chief financial officer, it might as well have gone to every politician in Tallahassee and every voter in Florida.

    For what Scott really did was draw a line in the sand and ask if anyone was tough enough to cross it.

    There really is no other way to interpret Scott's response when Atwater suggested the Cabinet reconsider the hiring of a new commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

    Romano insists that Scott
    be called out by his Cabinet colleagues. By Atwater (a strong possibility), by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam (a lesser possibility) or by Attorney General Pam Bondi (included only for comic relief). . . .

    More people voted against Scott than for him in consecutive gubernatorial elections. He has nothing approaching a mandate and no cause to believe he can act with impunity.

    What he has done this week is behaved like a bully.

    And if no one has the courage to knock him down, his disregard for laws, transparency and common courtesy will only get worse.

    Much more here: "If Rick Scott gets away with this, Florida is in trouble."


    JU, Really?

    "Mitt Romney to Receive Honorary Degree from JU."



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