Category Florida Legislature
A Progressive’s Guide to the 2015 Legislative Session – Issues: Water
Everybody is talking about water due in large part to the overwhelming popularity of Amendment 1. The 75% passage rate changed the dialogue in Tallahassee: now at least the Legislature has recognized this is an important issue for voters on both sides of the aisle. While there will be huge battles of the allocation of […]
Some words on the start of session, recent legislative history and where progressive energy should be focused
I have been going to Tallahassee or following legislative sessions for 20 years. I plan to be in the capital city at some point this session though I cannot say I am overly enthusiastic about it. The one thing I can positively say is that Tallahassee has really grown up since I was first driving […]
A Progressive’s Guide to the 2015 Legislative Session: Democratic Players
Session overview here Legislative session kicks off tomorrow in Tallahassee and the Democrats have six less members of the House than last session and continue with 14 Senators. The Republicans have basically maxed out on potential seats (TFS estimates 83 as the maximum number of House seats the Republicans can win under this current map […]
A Progressive’s Guide to the 2015 Legislative Session: An Overview
With the Republicans back with a super-majority in the house, an almost super-majority in the Senate, and a secure seat for Governor Rick Scott in the governor’s mansion for the next four sessions, there is little hope the next two months will be easy for progressives. This week begins one of the greatest defensive battles […]
Where have you gone Claude Pepper?
By The Old Man Sitting on the Green Bench Last April our state became the third most populated state. Seniors, those people over age 65, compose 18.7% of the state’s population that makes us the state with the highest percentage of seniors in the nation. The population of seniors is projected to double in the […]
Criminal Justice reform for senior inmates to be considered
Florida’s costly Criminal Justice system has been the subject of many studies through the years about potential cost savings. One Democratic State Representative has a creative solution that will provide a humanitarian approach and save the state money. Earlier this week, Rep. Katie Edwards (D-Plantation) filed legislation to create a conditional release program for elderly […]
Progressive Juvenile Justice legislation filed
Rep. Katie Edwards (D- Plantation) has taken on an issue which has been a bugaboo for years for progressives across the state. Trying minors as adults is not something that should be a regular part of a prosecutors arsenal, but it has become standard operating procedure in some parts of Florida. The Criminal Justice and […]
Manufacturing tax credits yet to work
Governor Scott on Wednesday announced the creation of 100 jobs by Volkswagen in Jacksonville. This got me to thinking, given the success of other southern states in attracting manufacturing jobs, how has Rick Scott’s tax abatement scheme of 2013 done? The VW jobs are not at all related to manufacturing as Florida’s economy is service […]
House Democrats making massive strides
Coming off a difficult election where House Democrats were routed, losing six seats (four of which were carried at the top of the ticket by Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist) several positive developments can be reported from the caucus as Legislative Session approaches. Much of the divisiveness that characterized the previous two years of caucus […]
Monday Musings: Rep Artiles explanation, FDP Vice Chairs, Jacksonville Armada debut, the FDP and African American women
Rep. Frank Artiles (R-Miami) is rightly feeling the heat for his ill-advised preemption legislation which was interpreted as an intention to discriminate against transgender citizens of Florida. Many Republicans have quickly abandoned Artiles leaving him desperate to backpedal publicly. Rep. Artiles has claimed in a bizarre Facebook post that his legislation is aimed at sexual deviants, […]
The Florida Squeeze 