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
Financial reform dominated the U.S. Senate again this week as members debated and voted on dozens of amendments. One of the amendments that took some time on the floor was offered by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). It proposed to break up the government-sponsored enterprise we know as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
WASHINGTON -- When Chancellor Angela Merkel decided that Germany would pay part of Greece's bills, voters punished her party in elections in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. How appropriate.
From Uppsala, Sweden comes the news that cartoonist Lars Vilks was attacked and head-butted by an angry Muslim at a university lecture. A group of Muslims surrounding him shouted "God is great!" in Arabic as the cartoonist lay on the floor, his glasses broken. Ever since Vilks impolitely drew the prophet Muhammad's head on a dog, he's been a wanted man.
No one has been more startled than this pollster that immigration has burst onto the scene as an issue more significant to most Americans than health care, financial bailouts and the economy.
So maybe I'm a better pollster than prognosticator. But I do have enough horse sense to trace the trajectory of a new issue once it gets to be headline news.
WASHINGTON -- The magnificent author and son of the Great Santini, Pat Conroy, began "The Prince of Tides" with these words: "My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call."
Those 13 words imprinted on my brain when I first read them years ago and have stuck with me. Somewhat oddly, they came to mind a few days ago upon the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.
We started FloridaOil.org to propose our own constitutional amendment, but something we heard from thousands of peoplewho signed our petitions is that they would prefer to accomplish the goals without changing the Constitution. The Constitution should be reserved to preserve rights, not take them away or grant them.
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Bills that would give the state Commission on Ethics more power to collect fines, prohibit legislators from voting on proposals that benefit them or lobbying any state agency for two years after leaving office, cleared two Senate committees on Wednesday.
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The co-chairmen of the Florida congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, will host a delegation meeting Feb. 14 on the future of Floridas ports.
Port directors from throughout Florida have been invited to the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C., to address jobs, port security and other challenges at the states seaports.
By Kevin Derby
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., has released a letter slamming President Barack Obama for his policy of authorizing theassassinationof American citizens, without constitutional due process, on the basis of his administration's suspecting them of terrorism. The full letter follows:
'Dear Mr. President,
By Kevin Derby
The Daily Caller reports U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's gracious response to BuzzFeed's caricature of him following a wide-ranging, 40-minute interview Florida's conservative junior senator gave to the liberal news outfit.
By Kevin Derby
The Florida Senate Committee on Military Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security has unanimously approved two bills: one which effectively bans the staging of protests and funerals, and another which grants in-state tuition benefits to nonresident military veterans stationed in Florida.
Check out our previous coverage of SB 92 ("Funerals, Burials, and Memorial Services"), which now must go through the Criminal Justice committee.
By Kevin Derby
TheFlorida Senate's Committee on Community Affairs unanimously approved two bills this morning, one greatly limiting the use of unmannedsurveillancedrones and another comprehensively overhauling Florida's ethics laws.
Check out Sunshine State News' previous coverage of Sen. Joe Negron's SB 92, the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act.
By Kevin Derby
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has named St. Petersburg Police Department Sergeant Karl Lounge and St. Petersburg Police Department Officer Douglas Weaver her 2012 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year.
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Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday that Siemens is bringing 50 new jobs as its builds a 40,000-square-foot wind service training center in Orlando, near the American headquarters of the companys energy business.
The release from the governors office is the first of two expected as he is scheduled to be in Sunrise at 2 p.m. as Emerson Latin American holds a new jobs announcement.
By Kevin Derby
The AP reports that Judge Debra Nelson of the 18thJudicial Circuit Court of Florida has denied a request by defendant George Zimmerman's lawyers to delay the start of his murder trial until November. The defense argued the delay was necessary because the prosecution was slow to turn over its evidence.
"I don't see any of your issues to be insurmountable," Nelson said in denying Zimmerman's motion.
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