Derek Hankerson, who challenged John Thrasher in the Republican primary form Florida Senate last August, sent in the following letter today explaining why he has decided not to run again in the coming special election for either Senate or House.
Guest Columns
Don’t Tell Us How You’re Feeling: Facebook and the Mirage of Positive Posting
After a steady onslaught of social media, is it any wonder we sometimes feel numb to the suffering—or joy—of others? Laurie Uttich rethinks the one-sided nature of Facebook declamations.
The Only Mandate From This Election: Protect Florida’s Environment
Earmarking 33 percent of the documentary stamp tax for buying critical habitat, wetlands and other environmentally sensitive properties, got 1.4 million more voters than Rick Scott.
Jeb Bush Could Win in 2016, But He’ll Have To Rely on The United States of Amnesia
Jeb Bush left too much fodder for his detractors, argues Stephen Goldstein, to be a viable candidate for very long in 2016–assuming voters can remember the damaging milestones of his governorship.
Elections 2014 R.I.P.
Why Democrats Keep Failing in Florida
For all its fear-based tactics, the Florida GOP focuses on understanding their base voters, and making them feel respected and protected. Democrats in comparison have no clue.
Old Kings’ “Leader In Me” Program: Corporate Indoctrination Posing as Character Education
Old Kings Elementary implemented FranklinCovey’s “Leader in Me” program with little oversight or proof of its effectiveness, through a $68,000 grant. Carmen Sanford, an Old Kings parent, sees too many similarities with Iron Curtain-era indoctrination.
Crist and Scott Aren’t Both Awful: Scott Wins That Contest By a Mile
Tired of what he calls false moral equivalencies, Adam Weinstein argues that pundits and cynics are wrong to flaunt the conventional wisdom about this governor’s race, and that Scott has been flat-out god-awful for Florida.
I Had a Stroke at 29
Two weeks after her then-fiancé proposed to her, Kari Cobham had a stroke. The former News-Journal reporter and current executive producer of social media for Orlando’s WFTV writes of her experience for the first time, on World Stroke Day.
Sanford, Ferguson, Tallahassee: When Cops Act Like Vigilantes
When police from Sanford to Tallahassee protect themselves or FSU football players and sit on information that should be disclosed and vigorously pursued, they invite mistrust and charges of a cover-up.
Brittany Maynard and the Right to Die: An Open Letter from a State That Denies It
Laureen Kornel, a Flagler Beach resident, was left helpless, watching her mother’s agonizing death from cancer because the right to die on terms other than those dictated by doctors was not an option. She writes Brittany Maynard in hopes of spurring the movement in Florida and other states that deny that right.