Columns

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the  chairwoman of the House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, ,held a hearing on “Testing the Limits: Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program, Sanctions, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Wednesday. Her opening remarks were as follows:

Aramis Ayala, who probably 90 percent of Florida had never heard of before March, may wind up as one of the 2017 legislative session's most prominent figures. Indirectly, anyway.

From ring to ring, you have entertained. From generation to generation, you have brought families together. You have invited us in to witness and be a part of the Greatest Show on Earth.

Regardless of the profession, if an individual cannot or will not perform their duties, then they must vacate that position.  Such is the case with State Attorney Aramis Ayala who refuses to pursue any death penalty cases while in office.  In particular, Ayala refused to seek the death penalty for Markeith Loyd who is accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon and murdering of Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton.  

ABC Fine Wine & Liquors, Florida’s largest alcohol retail chain, struck a deal last year with a mobile app service to start offering one-hour alcohol delivery with the click of a smartphone. 

This legislative session, a group of lawmakers with a shared free-market philosophy are working to eliminate an important health care planning process called the Certificate of Need (CON) program. They believe by deregulating health care, costs would be reduced and quality would be improved. We disagree.

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has lost the first round of his clash with Gov. Rick Scott and his fight to raise the city's minimum wage to $13.31 per hour. Circuit Judge Peter R. Lopez issued a ruling Tuesday declaring Miami Beach's Living Wage Ordinance invalid.

Ahead of the U.S. Senate’s procedural vote to consider the Montenegro Treaty, Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., spoke on the Senate floor on Monday  and urged his colleagues to support the accession of Montenegro to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Last week, Rubio met with Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srdjan Darmanovic and reiterated his support for the country to join NATO, which will help counter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe. Rubio’s remarks are below:

All Aboard Florida doesn't want to pay for safety, thinks it shouldn't have to. So it's fighting like a jackrabbit to get off on a technicality as the Florida High-Speed Passenger Rail Safety Act reaches committees in both chambers.

As a conservative who holds governments accountable for a living, I support Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s announcement to suspend the death penalty’s use. Our political beliefs may differ, but when it comes to capital punishment, the State Attorney and I are in perfect alignment.

Under the dark gray cloud, amid the general gloom, allow me to offer a ray of sunshine. The last two months have brought a pleasant surprise: Turns out the much feared, much predicted withering of our democratic institutions has been grossly exaggerated. The system lives.

This column is a vehicle for a number of items in a bits-and-pieces, strictly opinion, sometimes irreverent format. Look for "Just Sayin'" to run once a week in this spot.  

So now Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran is getting in on the act. I guess we should have expected that, since he has aspirations of higher office. 

On this day, seven years ago, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. I did not have the chance to vote for it then, but today, I will vote to protect the progress it has achieved.

A Florida couple lost their successful franchise business after a large international corporation abruptly shut them down in 2011. After investing tens of thousands of dollars into their franchise business and becoming one of the most successful in the Tampa area, the couple was stripped of their business and left with no recourse against the giant international corporation.