In true 2015 style, social media dominated the news scene in Florida and national politics. Websites like Twitter, Facebook, and apps like Periscope vastly altered the way politicos received news in 2015.
Here’s what made headlines in social media this year:
WE’RE LIVE: INTRODUCING PERISCOPE
Reporters who generally hid behind computer screens were able to easily report via live stream thanks to a new live video streaming app called Periscope. By connecting with users’ Twitter accounts, Periscope gave reporters a quick way to share a video stream of live events in real time.
Periscope launched in March, just in time for the 2015 regular legislative session. Using links from reporters’ Twitter accounts, users were easily able to get first-hand glimpses of Florida politics, watching interviews with state lawmakers and even watch the hanky drop during sine die.
WHEN TWEETS GO WRONG
This year’s regular legislative session was a storm of political drama, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, added to the fire when he posted a pointed tweet after Senate Democrats requested an emergency ruling from the Florida Supreme Court to force the state Florida House to reconvene in Tallahassee after it abruptly left over an impasse on Medicaid expansion.
“This lawsuit reads like it was researched and drafted by Sen Joyner......and spell checked by Sen Bullard,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter.
Gaetz’s tweet ignited a fierce Twitter war, with several state lawmakers responding to his post.
Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, said the tweet was “absolutely disgraceful for a public official to say,” while Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, seemed to shrug off Gaetz’s comments.
“Hmm @mattgaetz drafted by a former bar association Pres and civil rights icon and spell checked by a HS teacher #winning,” Bullard said.
Former Florida senator and current Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano said Matt Gaetz wouldn’t be a help to his dad if his father decided to run for a bigger statewide office.
“Put Pasco and Pinellas in the no thanks column,” Fasano wrote.
Sen. Joyner accused Gaetz of firing a “racist barb” at her on Twitter.
"The only difference in the members of the Senate Democrats involved in bringing the lawsuit he chose to attack or ignore in his Twitter rant is the color of our skin,” the Tampa Democrat wrote in a statement.
Gaetz’s remarks and the outcry which followed prompted House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, to apologize for his fellow representative’s tweet.
“I don't condone the Tweet by @MattGaetz,” wrote Crisafulli. “He is an agitator, yes, but not a racist. Please accept my apology to those offended.
“I'm sure liberal members of the Senate would rather talk about a tweet than about forcing Obamacare on Florida,” Gaetz later tweeted.
Eventually, Gaetz said his tweets were related to Obamacare and apologized.
"My criticisms of Obamacare Expansion and it's supporters are based solely on the facts,'' Gaetz wrote. "Deeply sorry if anyone read more into it than that."
….AND POLITICIANS THROW SHADE
Sen. Jack Latvala had no qualms about throwing Rep. Matt Gaetz under the bus after Gaetz tweeted a not-so-subtle jab at his father, Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, over Medicaid expansion.
“I occasionally borrow Senator Gaetz's neckties. I wish he would occasionally borrow my conservative principles :),” the younger Gaetz tweeted.
Not soon after, Latvala pounced on Gaetz, saying he “wasn’t surprised” he called out his father on the popular social networking site.
“I’ve always thought family differences should be handled behind closed doors,” Latvala wrote. “Show some respect for your dad!”
“Although @chrislatvala and I don’t agree on this issue, I appreciate him having enough respect for me to not question my principles,” Latvala wrote. “It’s sad to see @mattgaetz question his dad’s conservative principles especially as his dad plans a run for Congress.”
A PICTURE’S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., found himself in hot water after posting a photo with profanity earlier this year.
Grayson, who is well-known for his fiery remarks (including calling the Tampa Bay Times’ Adam Smith a “sh*tting robot”), penned a tweet saying he opposed the militarization of police forces. Scribbled in graffiti in the accompanying photo with the tweet was a photo with graffiti saying “F*** the police.”
Grayson’s staffers later apologized for the incident.
“The tweet sent out by Congressman Grayson’s staff about the militarization of the police included some graffiti that used an obscenity to disparage the police,” said a statement from Grayson. “This graffiti was part of the original image, and the photo house’s agreement does not allow altering of the image (outside of cropping) in any way. No offense was intended towards anyone, and had we been able to alter the image we would have.”
JEB & HILLARY’S MEME WAR
Jeb Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went at it on Twitter earlier this year.
It all began when Clinton tweeted out a photo with a link to her plan to make college easier on students’ pocketbooks, which then elicited a similar image from Bush, who had taken her photo and tweaked it -- but with a very different message. Bush said in the photo college debt has increased 100 percent under President Barack Obama’s White House, which Clinton served in as secretary of state from 2009-2013.
Bush’s tweet set off a back-and-forth between the two consisting of battling memes which circulated for several hours.
HILLARY, MARCO HEAD TO SNAPCHAT
Snapchat quickly rose as a way for presidential hopefuls to spread their political message to the younger generation, with both Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio using the app frequently to give updates on their political agendas and campaign trail whereabouts.
Clinton used Snapchat, a popular photo and video sharing platform, as a way to better interact with millennials who might not pay attention to politics via TV or regular news platforms.
Snapchat, which allows users to send pictures or videos which expire within 10 seconds upon opening, is one of the most widely used platforms, with users sending around 2 billion “snaps” a day, according to Snapchat.
"You may have seen that I recently launched a Snapchat account," she said.
"I love it. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves,” Clinton continued, alluding to the email scandal which has plagued her for the majority of her campaign.
Rubio mostly uses Snapchat as a campaign trail diary, highlighting his whereabouts as he travels from state to state in his attempt to win the GOP presidential nomination.
TRUMP TAKES TWITTER
Republican Presidential hopeful and business mogul Donald Trump took politics by storm in 2015, and his Twitter feed was no different.
Trump took to Twitter to routinely bash his GOP primary opponents. Just this week, Trump began a tirade of retweets of insults to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, saying he was as “dumb as a rock” as well as tweeting out a doctored Reuters photo which showed Bush picking his nose.
The posts drew the attention of Bush’s national press secretary, Kristy Campbell, who called Trump a “Twitter-drunk.”
Trump used the social media platform to pounce on pretty much everyone he disagreed with, with some of Florida’s top politicos getting caught in the crossfire.
“Weak and totally conflicted people like @TheRickWilson shouldn't be allowed on television unless given an I.Q. test. Dumb as a rock!,” Trump tweeted about Florida Republican consultant Rick Wilson.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
