Monthly Archives: December 2016
On Leslie Wimes and Sunshine State News
I had no intention of continuing the discussion on Leslie Wimes and The Sunshine State News though now it has been forced out of me. The reference to Wimes and SSN was simply a passing part, one which I had believed was largely accepted by Democrats in a larger narrative about the current state of […]
Will North Carolina be the new model for Florida Republicans?
The State of North Carolina has become an international embarrassment. Since the GOP takeover of NC legislature in 2010 and the victory of Pat McCrory in the 2012 Governor’s race, the state has become further and further radicalized at the political level. Despite being a purple state at the national level and perhaps the most […]
Florida Democrats chairs race: What would you like to see in a chair?
This is an open forum for readers. What would like to see in a new FDP Chair? Any suggestions for a party platform? Should the FDP headquarters leave Tallahassee and if so, why? Do you have a candidate you prefer in the race for chair? Feel free to opine in the comments section!
New Project – Florida soccer, Orlando, Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale from 2011 to 2017
More details to come in the near future but I am launching a project in the next month (subject to legal restrictions) that will compare and contrast the fortunes of the three long-term Florida professional soccer clubs – The Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Orlando City SC and Tampa Bay Rowdies. In late 2010, the NASL/USL split […]
Delta bringing A330 service to Fort Myers
Delta Airlines is bringing one of its biggest planes, the Airbus A330 to Fort Myers in the first quarter of 2017. The A330 has flown to Fort Myers before on Delta, but due to increased bookings, the airline will be resuming A 330 service from Minneapolis/St Paul to Fort Myers on February 17. Southwest Florida […]
Rowdies sign Lakeland native and UNF product
The Tampa Bay Rowdies have signed Alex Morrel for the 2017 USL season. Morrell, 22, is a Lakeland native that joins the Rowdies from Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. He spent part of last season in the USL on loan to St. Louis FC. Morrell will wear the No. 9 jersey for the Rowdies. “We’re […]
Florida Democratic Party chairs race finally takes shape
Why anyone would actually want the job of Florida Democratic Party (FDP) Chair is beyond many who watch the process. The seemingly thankless task of organizing a party on a record losing streak (losers of 17 of the last 18 races for Governor and Cabinet) has solicited the interest of five properly-qualified (via the party […]
Democrats failed to take advantage of top of the ticket down-ballot again in 2016
In 2010, 2012 and 2014 Democrats failed to take advantage of decent performances at the top of the ticket in legislative races. We’ve written about this extensively in the past but given some new data it bears repeating. In 2012 President Obama carried 54 State House districts but the Democrats only elected 44 members (which […]
FDP State Committee – One county, one vote may need to be revived
Those clicks you hear might be that of urban Floridians summoning Google Maps to find out where Hampton and Bradford County are following Alan Clendenin’s election to the State Committee from that county. Or perhaps they are trying to find where Gadsden County is because of Dwight Bullard? Two years ago the idea of one […]
2017 FDP chairs race – a look back
By Dr. Rachel Pienta Like many Democrats across the nation, I’ve been engaged in some political introspection since November. For this Florida Democrat, the national victories of the Obama presidency served as a soothing blue balm to counteract the red tide that has dominated state politics since the mid-1990s. In the final weeks of […]
The Florida Squeeze 