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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 Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Convening the Circular Firing Squad

    "While he remains uncommitted as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando came under increasing attack from fellow Democrats on Tuesday, including one who filed an ethics complaint against him." "Grayson draws ethics complaints, attacks from fellow Democrats."


    Marion County restores Confederate flag

    "The Marion County Commission on Tuesday unanimously agreed to restore the Confederate flag that had been removed from the McPherson Governmental Complex two weeks ago." "County Commission restores Confederate flag."here.

    "Officials vote unanimously to return Confederate flag to Ocala complex."


    Scott faces "Pastor Protection Act"

    "More than 11,000 people have signed on to a Clermont pastor's petition pressing Florida Gov. Rick Scott to back a bill that would shield clergy who refuse to marry same-sex couples." "Petition seeks 'Pastor Protection Act' in wake of gay-marriage ruling."


    "Taking the fox out of the henhouse"

    Scott Maxwell: "Arizona and Florida have a lot in common."

    Both are run by politicians with long, proud traditions of hosing their residents.

    Specifically, legislators in both states have rigged their political districts — drawing twisted, deformed boundaries to keep themselves and their buddies in office.

    It's called gerrymandering. And for more than a decade, citizens in both states have tried without success to make their politicians behave.

    "So Arizona took the politicians out of the equation."
    By creating a commission with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, it forces those who draw districts to work together ... something Florida legislators rarely do.

    No system is perfect. Maybe Arizona's could be tweaked for Florida. But the idea of taking the fox out of the henhouse is way overdue.

    "The Supreme Court decision is a major victory for citizens of Florida," said Pamela Goodman, president of Florida's League of Women Voters, which has fought the frustrating battle for Fair Districts. "It means that the redistricting process can once and for all be taken out of the hands of legislators."

    It also means citizens can still make a difference when they take their issues directly to the polls.

    And why politicians and other vested interests are so darn nervous.

    "Supreme Court clears way for Florida to end gerrymandering."


    Castro drives a hard bargain

    Never mind wingnut superhero, dictator Fulgencio Batista's corrupt and repressive regime, and his relationships with mobsters, a Miami Herald columnist instead whines that Castro has the tenacity to drive a hard bargain: "On the Cuban side, talks are all take and no give."



9:35 AM

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