Tag Archives: Florida
Legislative overreach and hypocrisy Florida Republican style
Florida’s Republicans who have been a governing majority in both houses of the legislature for the last 18 years have some nice fluffy rhetoric about “big government”. Yet, the party which has become drunk on power have time and again proven to be hypocrites when it comes to this theory. We’ve spoken extensively about “preemption” in […]
Home rule hypocrisy and discrimination rolled into one – thanks Rep. Artiles
State Rep. Frank Artiles Transgender discrimination bill has gotten lots of attention in the two days since it was filed. HB 583 the so-called “Single Sex Public Facilities” legislation would for all intents and purposes criminalize the use of public restrooms by transgender citizens of Florida AND could depending on interpretation hold liable business owners […]
Flashback Friday: Tourist map of Florida from 1950
This is one of my favorites from my personal collection of old Florida maps. This tourist map which highlights Florida’s east coast is from 1950, when Harry Truman was still President and kept his “Little White House” in Key West. Interstate Highways hadn’t come to Florida yet and the first urban expressways would not be […]
Thrusday Bookshelf: It Happened in Florida
E. Lynne Wright’s It Happened in Florida: Remarkable Events That Shaped History (It Happened In Series) is a collection of largely untold short non-fiction stories about Florida’s rich history. The well-researched and written book is presented in a chronological order. Whether it is Ponce De Leon’s near landing on the present day Space Coast, Henry […]
Staples to buy Office Depot – Will the state do what it needs to do to keep HQ in Florida?
Staples, based on Massachusetts has agreed to acquire Boca Raton-based Office Depot for $6.3 billion. Office Depot, which acquired Office Max in 2013 is one of the largest companies based in the State of Florida.Governor Rick Scott, who has proven to be a specialist in failure for this state has to stand tall and work […]
Mass Transit in Florida getting a needed boost
Public transit has never been sexy in the state of Florida. For years the commuter car culture dominated the thinking of state planners despite the efforts of the political leadership in every major urban area. The opposition to high-speed rail from statewide Republicans and Palm Beach County Democrats (who represent the urban county with the […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
The Florida Squeeze 