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.

 

Older posts [back to 2002]

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The Blog for Monday, January 18, 2016

"Economic, not political refugees"

    The Miami Herald editorial board: "Following a South Florida Sun-Sentinel investigation last year, some of the Cuban Adjustment Act’s benefits have come under scrutiny, and congressional members, including Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo, have questioned the necessity of bestowing such largesse upon new arrivals who, unlike past waves of Cuban migrants, are economic, not political refugees. The act was created for the latter. But the United States’ new relationship with Cuba has changed the dynamic."
    For decades, Cubans were not allowed to travel outside the country without government permission; today, most can leave and return. Until a few years ago, those who left had to leave all of their belongings, give up their homes, cars and anything else of value to the government. That’s not the case now.
    "Mr. Curbelo, himself a Cuban American, last month filed a bill to amend federal law that treats all Cuban arrivals as refugees or political asylum seekers — entitled to food stamps, Medicaid and other assistance, a burden that falls on the county and the state."
    Under Mr. Curbelo’s proposal, Cubans would be treated like immigrants from most other countries, who are required to file a refugee or asylum claim — and wait years for it to be approved — before qualifying for special benefits.

    Indeed, it is time to engage this issue to bring long-term clarity to current policy. In the short term, however, Miami-Dade is about to see an abundance of migrants from Cuba. The U.S. government must ensure that Miami-Dade residents aren’t footing the bill alone.

    "Feds must pony up as Cubans settle here."


    First Days of Session

    Kevin Derby "One prominent theme out of Tallahassee in the first week of the 2016 legislative session was an insistence that things would be different from last year." "First Days of Session a Far Cry From Last Year's Tensions."


    "What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

    Marc Caputo: "Wasserman Schultz’s new worry – Marco’s narrow path – angry Jeb donor vents – Cost of business in FL Capitol: $28.5m – python hunt starts, but are armadillos worse?" "Florida Playbook."



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