Monthly Archives: January 2015
Where is the Democrats statewide bench in Florida?
Having lost 17 of the last 18 races for Governor or Cabinet, Florida’s Democrats have a record of futility at this level unmatched by any other political party east of the Mississippi River. For all the whining about “gerrymandering” and institutional disadvantages that many Democrats and activists have become known for across Florida, losing close […]
2016 Legislative Races Preview: Part 2 – The Senate
Part II – The Senate This is the year for even numbered seats, so there are twenty seats up for election. With only two competitive races in the Senate in 2014, this has to be the year for Democratic gains in the Senate because the chances for ’18 are slim (although hopefully Democrats will be […]
Flashback Friday: An interview with Robert Buccellato
On Thursday we reviewed the soon to be released book Florida Governors Lasting Legacies (Images of America). Recently, I sat down with author Robert Buccellato for a candid chat about the legacy of Florida’s Governors and the challenges of leadership today in the Sunshine State. The lessons of Reubin Askew, perhaps Florida’s greatest governor were foremost […]
Sleepwalking through winter: Inside the Fort Lauderdale Strikers offseason of discontent (Part III)
Part I Part II The reaction to the first two parts of this series has been varied and demonstrates the massive rift between contingents of Fort Lauderdale Strikers fans. On one side you have die-in-the-wool club supporters who have given the benefit of the doubt to the new ownership and who believe other fans are […]
Thursday Bookshelf – Florida Governors: Lasting Legacies
Unlike other southern states, no definitive chronicle exists about Florida’s governors. That inspired Robert Buccellato to put together a first of its kind book about the governors – Florida Governors Lasting Legacies (Images of America) which will be released next week. In this day and age where institutional knowledge of Florida’s history and political culture has […]
2016 Legislative Races Preview: Part 1
With the 2014 election behind us and brutal legislative session around the corner, Democrats across Florida are looking toward 2016 with tentative hope, as down-ballot Democratic candidates generally do better in a presidential year and there is a desperate need for change on the horizon. With a Senate and a Presidential race on the line, […]
Florida Democrats at a Crossroads – The need for rules reform
Florida Democratic Party leaders as well as those from county parties have to navigate through an arcane set of rules that do little but impede the processes necessary to reform the party and elect Democrats. The reality is while critics of the party are frequent, many don’t realize the impediments placed by the FDP’s own […]
Florida without Oranges?
Florida’s citrus industry has been through lots of adversity in recent years. Cold spells, citrus canker, other diseases, fruit flies, invasive species and other factors have begun to marginalize the industry. But Asian citrus psyllid which by spreading Citrus Greening has slowly eaten away at Orange groves over the past ten years might be the biggest challenge the industry has […]
Sleepwalking through winter: Inside the Fort Lauderdale Strikers offseason of discontent (Part II)
Read Part 1 here Transitions and change are never easy. Each NASL club in recent years that has changed ownership or management has gone through a difficult transition. I was part of a transition at the league level that saw several senior staff, myself included out of work. But Commissioner Bill Peterson had a plan […]
A few words about the opening days of the 2015 Jacksonville Mayoral Campaign
Editors Note: George Farrar will be contributing to The Florida Squeeze during the 2015 Jacksonville Elections. You can find his excellent work at The Left Turn Network By George Farrar This article is my perspective about the opening days of the 2015 Jacksonville Mayoral Campaigns. It is the first article in a special series profiling […]
The Florida Squeeze 