Members of Hillsborough County’s legislative delegation seem to agree on a lot when it comes to what to tackle in Tallahassee this year, but not always on how to execute it. Republican and Democratic senators and house representatives met with Tampa’s Tiger Bay today and few priorities were as divisive as the HB1 protest bill…. Read more »
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More Questions Than Answers?
Independent lawyer, limited subpoena power for citizen-led police review board could come as ballot initiative in Tampa
Water board unanimously approves permit for Seven Springs/Nestlé to pump more water from Ginnie Springs
New information about coronavirus vaccination availability in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties
Radioactivity Thursday: GOP controlled Senate moves to limit Florida's mail-in voting
Read MoreGroups will oppose Florida anti-protest bill on Saturday in Tampa
Read MoreRadioactivity Tuesday: Government watchdog calls for the resignations of FL GOP lawmakers who voted to overturn Electoral Col...
Read MoreFlorida lawmakers call for reform after DOJ report finds ‘systemic’ sexual abuse in women’s prison
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Go progressive like Georgia or keep center? Florida Dems choose new leader Saturday
Read MoreFlorida Supreme Court gives DeSantis until Wednesday to answer why he shouldn't replace Renatha Francis
Read MoreFlorida Supreme Court: Gov. DeSantis' appointment of Renatha Francis to high court "did exceed his authority"
Read MoreFuneral march for COVID-19 deaths
Read MoreGerman Consul to Florida discusses tourism business investment, the rise of the far-right and immigration
Read MoreState Union Leader Says More Than 17,000 State Workers Make So Little Money They Are Eligible for Public Assistance; Governor...
Read MoreIs Gov. DeSantis Running a Pay to Play Political Committee?
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Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried defends Florida cabinet meeting in Israel
Both of Florida’s U.S. Senators are Republicans; the governor and two of the three other members of the state cabinet are Republicans; on MidPoint we heard from the only Democrat elected statewide in Florida: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried. It’s from a recent speech at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club where… Read more »
Cabinet meeting in Israel “could be a violation” of Florida’s Sunshine Laws
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading a huge delegation to Israel beginning Saturday that includes a state Cabinet meeting inside the controversial new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. But is that meeting a violation of Florida’s open-meeting laws, known as “government in the Sunshine” laws? WMNF asked Barbara Peterson. She’s president of the First Amendment Foundation,… Read more »
Florida Rep. Jamie Grant says there isn’t a wage gap between men and women
Four Tampa Bay area members of the Florida Legislature answered questions Friday afternoon from the Tampa Tiger Bay Club about things like teachers with guns, toll roads through rural Florida and limiting the rights of ex-felons who got their right to vote back after voters passed Amendment 4. There was a testy exchange between Hillsborough… Read more »
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What has the Florida Legislature done in the last 2 days?
A lot. Florida’s legislature has 60 days (though special sessions can, and are often, be called) to make lots of laws. In odd numbered years, like 2019, the session begins the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March. This year our legislature is in session from March 5, 2019, through May 3, 2019. Let’s… Read more »
Update on Florida Legislative Session
The 2019 Florida Legislative Session is in full swing; so we got an update on the progress of a range of bills from Susan Smith, the former president of the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida. The first bill signed into law this session was for smokeable medical marijuana. It was a priority of Republican Governor… Read more »
Florida governor’s State of the State and Democratic rebuttal
Tuesday is the first day of the 2019 Legislative Session in Florida. WMNF aired live coverage of the State of the State address by Governor Ron DeSantis. Here’s a link to the 2019 State of the State Address. Here’s one Democratic response. Video and text provided by the party. It’s Democratic House Leader… Read more »
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Smokable medical marijuana ban might get overturned by Florida legislature
Smoke it? A medical pot idea tough for the Florida Legislature to swallow. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the Legislature to rescind a ban on smokable medical marijuana, but it might not be so easy. DeSantis wants a new law by mid-March that will end a ban on smokable medical marijuana… Read more »
Young Floridians turned out to vote in the 2018 midterm election
Florida’s 2018 youth vote swells over previous midterm By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — They rallied hundreds of thousands to march for gun reform, landed on the cover of Time magazine and raised millions of dollars from celebrities like Oprah and George Clooney. But could the teenage survivors of the Parkland school… Read more »
Next governor – not Rick Scott – will appoint new Supreme Court justices
Whoever is elected Florida governor next month will select the next three state Supreme Court Justices; Monday the court said current Governor Rick Scott “exceeded his authority” when he began the process to name new justices. WMNF News interviewed John Mills, the lawyer representing Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, which sued Scott… Read more »
Florida Proposed Amendments Update
Thinking about voting by mail? The deadline to request a ballot is 5pm 10/31/18, yes Halloween. SCARY. There are links to the local Supervisor of Elections’ offices at the bottom of this post. Does it matter if an amendment even passes? (more on that later) Amendments need 60% or more voter approval to pass. Overseas ballots started… Read more »
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From the Beaches to the Springs How Do We Protect Florida’s Waters?
From the beaches to the springs to the pristine underground aquifer to the Everglades and the rivers— Florida’s waters are like nowhere else on earth. Two of Florida’s most knowledgeable people about the state of our water join us in a moment to talk about Florida’s water resources. And later—Florida’s economy has mostly recovered from… Read more »
Red Tide shows up in Senate race and by Pinellas beaches
Florida Gov. Scott confronted by protesters at campaign stop Florida Gov. Rick Scott was confronted by dozens of protesters during a southwest Florida campaign stop. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that protesters upset with the state’s ongoing red tide outbreak jammed the sidewalk outside a restaurant that Scott visited. The newspaper reports that Scott was forced to… Read more »
Was there a Blue Wave or Red Wave in the Florida Primary?
Maybe a ripple more than a wave. 3,558,241 people voted in Florida’s primary on Tuesday, August 28. That is 27.43% of the 13,013,657 registered voters in the state. This does not include all of the provisional ballots. That is a higher turnout than the last three midterm primaries, when Floridians elect their governor [2014: 18%,… Read more »
