Florida legislators have a choice on a key piece of legislation this year: Do something that makes sense or do something supported by the left.
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
The apparently intentional downing of a Germanwings airliner by the co-pilot has us riveted, as commercial plane crashes usually do.
Maybe I'm too sensitive, but when a foreign autocrat leads his people in chants of "Death to America," I take it personally.
Welcome to "The Dean's List" -- an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida's political achievers were (and weren't) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor's or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.
WASHINGTON -- With Ted Cruz announcing and Rand Paul and Marco Rubio soon to follow, it's time to start handicapping the horses and making enemies.
The newspapers are awash every day with stories about the Florida Department of Corrections and the systemic problems a longstanding culture has created.
It's as if they were waiting, breathlessly. The moment Ted Cruz announced his presidential campaign, the national media proclaimed their horror. He was "brash," a "hardliner," an "uncompromising conservative," they warned. ABC anchor David Muir announced his agenda was the usual No list: "Promising no abortion, no gay marriage, no gun control, no IRS."
Though "Bibi" Netanyahu won re-election last week, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will still look into whether the State Department financed a clandestine effort to defeat him.
WASHINGTON -- The rate of dog ownership is rising ominously. How can a profusion of puppies be worrisome? A report from the Raymond James financial services firm concerning trends in the housing market explains: Increasing numbers of women "are adopting dogs for security and/or companionship," partly because of "the great education divide."
WASHINGTON -- I'm standing in the Starbucks line behind 10 other sleepyheads waiting to order my tall skinny cappuccino, otherwise known as a shot of coffee described as I wish it to be.
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The environment has been a hot topic from both candidates during the 2014 gubernatorial race -- and officials from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have weighed in to support Gov. Rick Scott for his "Let's Keep Florida Beautiful" environmental plan.
In recent weeks, Scott has honed in on his plan to push environmental protection across the state and has pledged to increase the state's spending on the environment if he is re-elected this year.
By Kevin Derby
A poll released by Rasmussen Reports on Tuesday leaves little room for doubt that Americans view clinical depression as a major burden for those diagnosed with it.
By Kevin Derby
Adrian Wyllie, the Libertarian candidate challenging Gov. Rick Scott, announced on Tuesday that he had been invited to a debate being held by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association at Broward College on Oct. 15.
We are pleased that Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association has extended this invitation to us, and have acknowledged that there is a viable third option in this race, said Wyllie. I gladly accept their invitation without preconditions.
By Kevin Derby
Gov. Rick Scott said on Tuesday that tourism was continuing to set records across the Sunshine State. According to Visit Florida, 24 million tourists visited Florida in the second quarter of 2014, a 3 percent increase from last year and a record high.
Tourism jobs are also growing with more than 1.15 million Floridians employed in the industry, an increase of 43,600 from the same period last year.
By Kevin Derby
From his perch on the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., issued a warning on Monday on the rise of Islamist terrorism in northern Iraq. In an op-ed over at National Review published Monday, Rubio supported President Barack Obamas efforts to provide humanitarian relief in the region and backed airstrikes:
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The Republican Party of Florida announced Monday it would be filing an ethics complaint against former Gov. Charlie Crist over several billboards in Tampa Bay.
The party alleges the billboards, which are located in St. Petersburg and in Tampa, do not have the disclaimer required under state law.
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Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist will go head to head at a debate at Broward College's main campus onOct. 15.
The one-hour debate will be broadcast on all of Florida's media markets and will also be simulcast on Florida Public Radio member stations.
South Florida's CBS 4 anchor Elliott Rodriguez will moderate the debate. Panelists will include Rosemary Goudreau, editorial page editor of the Sun Sentinel, and Matt Walsh, editor and CEO of Observer Media Group.
By Kevin Derby
U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Fla., joined with Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Monday to showcase his proposal to ensure the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps will not expand their jurisdiction over bodies of wanter managed by states or in conjuction with them. Southerland's proposal would also force the federal government to talk with state and local governments as to which waters should be regulated at the federal level.
By Kevin Derby
A poll from the Florida Chamber Political Institute (FCPI) unveiled on Monday shows Gov. Rick Scott has taken the lead over former Gov. Charlie Crist. Despite having spent most of his political life as a Republican, Crist is the favorite to win the Democratic primary next week.
Scott takes 44 percent in the poll of likely voters while Crist garners 41 percent. Scotts lead expands when Libertarian Adrian Wyllie is added into the mix. In that scenario, Scott takes 41 percent, Crist gets 35 percent and Wyllie takes 4 percent.
By Kevin Derby
Three members of the Florida Cabinet -- Attorney General Pam Bondi, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and CFO Jeff Atwater -- will be taking the ice bucket challenge to help raise funds to combat ALS. In recent weeks, the ALS Association has raised more than $13 million, in part due to viral videos of people dumping buckets of ice water on their head, then challenging others to do the same.
The Florida Cabinet members will be taking the challenge on Tuesday at the Old Capitol in Tallahassee to help the Florida chapter of the ALS Association.
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