If just-announced state Senate candidate Lauren Book was anybody but the daughter of one of the most influential lobbyists in Tallahassee, the media would be over her like vultures on road kill.
After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton
You probably can't imagine how much fun I've had at Sunshine State News over the last 10 years. I don't think anybody could.
November 1, 2019 - 6:00am
Politics
Columns
In my last column, I looked at the possibility of two impossible things -- impossible things in the sense used by Alice and the Red Queen -- happening in the already turbulent 2016 presidential cycle. Here I'll look at another: the possibility that the partisan division lines that have endured with little change for two decades might suddenly shift and change.
Despite reflections recently about the “good old days” in Florida government, I'm not sure there ever was any such thing.
Florida is always seen as something of a model for the nation’s future politics as America grows older and more Hispanic. In recent years, Republicans from the Sunshine State tapped into a trend which is now taking over the GOP across the nation: disgust with career politicians.
The fact that Donald Trump is currently leading in national polls in the Republican race for president is interesting -- but hardly a predictor of the outcome of the election. In fact, based on the
Look for lawmakers to revisit Florida's new drone law. Maybe later rather than sooner. But certainly tweaks are on the horizon for a law governing a budding industry that few understand and even fewer trust. The bill the Legislature passed last session and Gov. Rick Scott signed May 14 -- the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act -- lays out a gold-plated welcome mat for personal injury law firms looking to establish a new cottage industry.
On Sept. 5, 2014, Russian agents crossed into Estonia and kidnapped an Estonian security official. Last week, after a closed trial, Russia sentenced him to 15 years.
Those of us who make it a point to stay up-to-date on foreign affairs took great interest in last month’s Iran deal aimed at stopping the volatile country from developing nuclear weapons.
The double standard our media impose on child sexual abuse is garishly obvious. On Aug. 14, The Washington Post set the stage for the coming American visit of Pope Francis with another splashy front-page story on a man still berating the Catholic Church after being abused by a priest from 1969 to 1976.
There was never a count of how many hundreds of people descended on Tallahassee the day before Hurricane Katrina hit. Frightened people, lost people, certainly very vulnerable people. I know something about them. I know they will never forget the extraordinary kindness and heart they were shown by residents of Florida's capital 10 years ago today. I know I won't.
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Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist duked it out for their first of three televised debates Friday morning in Miramar, but both candidates mainly stuck to their talking points and pointed fingers at each other on a wide range of issues.
By Kevin Derby
A new poll shows Miami Dade School Board Member Carlos Curbelo, the Republican nominee, has the edge on U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla.
The poll from Saint Leo University Polling Institute shows Curbelo taking 46 percent while Garcia garners 42 percent.
By Kevin Derby
With reports emerging that President Barack Obama wants to close the terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by using executive power, a prominent Republican congressman from the Sunshine State is pushing back.
Why is the White House even discussing this as we battle a brutal enemy that has beheaded two Americans? asked U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., the only member of the Florida delegation to sit on the Ways and Means Committee. Bringing dangerous terrorists into the U.S. makes no sense and sends the wrong message to our enemies and allies.
By Kevin Derby
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., announced on Friday that he was backing Republican challenger Carol Platt over U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla.
"Carol is a principled leader with the ability to work across party lines for the betterment of our community, state and country, Rubio said. We need Carol in Washington because she will fight for Central Florida and to help more people achieve the American dream. She's the kind of uniting voice our state and our country need right now. I'm proud to give her my full support."
By Kevin Derby
On Thursday, Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a super-PAC connected to the conservative American Action Network (AAN),announced plans to get active in North Florida as U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., tries to fend off Democrat Gwen Graham. CLF plans to spend $600,000 in ads attacking Graham.
Gwen Graham may talk about the North Florida way, but her record shows she only operates the Washington insider way, said Dan Conston, a CLF spokesman.
By Kevin Derby
A new poll shows Amendment 2, which would expand medical marijuana use in Florida, having enough support to pass at the November ballot. Earlier this week, WFLA/Survey USA released a poll which shows only 51 percent of likely voters back Amendment 2, below the 60 percent needed to pass.
The University of North Florida (UNF) released a poll on Thursday showing Amendment 2 in much better shape. UNF finds 67 percent of likely voters back Amendment 2 while only 28 percent of those surveyed oppose it.
By Kevin Derby
A new poll from the University of North Florida (UNF) shows former Gov. Charlie Crist ahead of Gov. Rick Scott in the hotly contested Florida gubernatorial race.
The poll of likely voters shows Crist taking 43 percent of those surveyed while Scott garners 38 percent. Libertarian Adrian Wyllie takes 10 percent.
When Wyllie is taken out of the mix, Crist retains a 5 percent lead, beating Scott 47 percent to 42 percent.
The poll of 471 likely voters was taken from Sept. 29-Oct. 8 and had a margin of error of +/- 4.74 percent.
By Kevin Derby
With a lawsuit in placeto get into the debates between Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist, Libertarian Adrian Wyllie plans to be active on Friday in Miramar, protesting in front of the studio where the first debate between Crist and Scott will take place.
The debate is being held by Telemundo and will air on that station at 7 pm on Friday.
The Wyllie campaign plans to hold a rally in front of Telemundo before the debate where the Libertarian candidate will speak.
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Libertarian candidate for governor Adrian Wyllie wants in to the Florida Press Association gubernatorial debate, and he's willing to sue to get there.
By Kevin Derby
Appearing on the Lars Larson Show on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., continued to sound the alarm that taxpayers could be on the hook, insisting President Barack Obamas federal health-care law will lead to bailouts of insurance companies.
Rubio led a group of conservative senators in writing U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, warning that Obamacare could lead to bailouts.
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