The Florida Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to fast-track a lawsuit filed by a South Florida attorney alleging that Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials are interfering with the campaign for the abortion-rights amendment.
Elections 2024
Kamala Harris? Don’t Bet on the Hype.
Kamala Harris followed a script Tuesday. It was a solid, made-for-TV script. It wasn’t a knock-out. Trump lost from own goals, which his flagellant faithful always forgive him. If you’re a Harris fan you probably shouldn’t raise your hopes even with that Swift endorsement. It’s not just the electoral college. It’s an electorate inebriated on phony nostalgia, desperate for a nonexistent fantasy that Trump can nevertheless sell like bibles and steaks.
Douglas Emhoff Campaigns for Harris in Central Florida Friday
Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, plans to make a campaign stop in Central Florida on Friday, with the campaign announcing the event as part of a battleground tour. The stops scheduled for Emhoff days after the first debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump also include Henderson, Nevada, and Tucson, Arizona. However, the campaign did not announce where the Florida stop would take place.
Trump Support of Florida Pot Legalization May Show Growing Bipartisan Consensus
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s early Monday statement that he would vote to legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida sent a strong signal that both major parties are moving to adopt popular marijuana reform efforts, unexpectedly elevating the issue in the presidential battle.
The Problem with DeSantis’s ‘Election Police’ Intimidation
Is Gov. Ron DeSantis going too far in trying to defeat an amendment to restore abortion access? “Gov. DeSantis is using his election police to intimidate voters who dare to have beliefs that differ from his. This opens the door towards making voters and all Floridians feel unsafe for voicing their constitutionally protected opinions on important issues like abortion,” says All Voting is Local Action’s Florida State Director Brad Ashwell.
Attempt to Delay Borrowing Referendum Fails in 2-2 Vote as Council Splinters and Public Rebels
The Palm Coast City Council is at war with itself over a proposed referendum that would remove borrowing limits the city has had to comply with for 25 years. If the city is hoping for a successful outcome in November, this is not the way to go about it, especially for a mostly lame-duck council, three of whose members were rejected by voters and a fourth who just resigned. For all the grim writing on the wall, an attempt to remove the proposed referendum from the Nov. 5 ballot and let the new council rewrite it more clearly and with additional guardrails failed in a 2-2 vote Tuesday evening.
The GOP’s Romance with Misogyny
That was Donald Trump watching the Democratic National Convention, wheezing in impotent rage at those uppity, nasty women, and all those people determined to elect Kamala Harris. The Party of Misogyny (you know them as Republicans) simply cannot process the possibility a woman, a chick, a human with a vajayjay! might become the most powerful person on the planet.
DeSantis Blames Trump and Others for His School Board Endorsements’ Failures
Gov. Ron DeSantis was too busy to help conservative School Board candidates this year, and the man who beat him in this year’s presidential race may be partially to blame. That’s one takeaway from comments he made in Titusville, when he said assisting Donald Trump was one reason he couldn’t help his endorsements get over the finish line.
Infuriated Over Vague Ballot Measure Enabling Vast Borrowing, Danko Drags Council Back to Ugliest Days
Post-election tempers crackled and burned at the Palm Coast City Council this morning when Mayor David Alfin and Council member Ed Danko got into a confrontation over a proposed referendum that recalled the panel’s ugliest meetings of a few years ago. Danko snapped, yelled, derided Alfin, the city attorney and the council. Council member Theresa Pontieri called Danko “ignorant.” Alfin, striking unheard decibel levels until now, threatened to end the meeting or throw Danko out. Pontieri soon apologized to Danko, who apologized to no one. It looked like Cathy Heighter had resigned just in time.
Palm Coast Council Will Appoint Heighter Replacement on Oct. 1, with Sept. 11 Deadline for Applicants
A diminished and humbled Palm Coast City Council met for the first time this morning since last week’s wipe-out election and decided to appoint a replacement for Cathy Heighter on Oct. 1. The application deadline is 5 p.m. on Sept. 11, public interviews on Sept. 17, and a vote to appoint on Oct. 1.
17 of Ron DeSantis’s 23 School Board Picks Either Lost or Must Face Runoff
Only six School Board candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated victories in Tuesday’s Primary. Out of DeSantis’ 23 endorsed candidates, voters rejected 11 outright. Six others failed to get majority support, meaning they must face a General Election runoff. Those rejected included Derek Barrs in Flagler County, who lost to Janie Ruddy, a Democratic-backed candidate.
It’s Official: Pam Richardson Takes Down Ed Danko, Ending Term of Bluster and Animosity
When it was all done, the result was unchanged from Tuesday, except for this: it’s now official. The often cheery, at times underestimated Pam Richardson has taken down the blustery and divisive Ed Danko, the one-term Palm Coast City Council member, in the most closely contested Flagler County Commission race in memory.
Longer Than Expected Recount Recesses at 1 AM to Continue Saturday at 9
A bleary-eyed Flagler County Canvassing Board recessed the recount in a Palm Coast City Council race and a County Commission race a few minutes before 1 a.m. Saturday, only to resume it eight hours later, at 9, as the recount took significantly longer than expected and a hiccup further delayed it.
Ballot Review Doesn’t Change Outcome: Richardson Beats Danko, Stevens Holds 2-Vote Lead
With afternoon recounts still pending, this morning’s review of 46 provisional ballots and questionable mail-in ballots did not change the outcome of Tuesday’s election in the closest contests. Pam Richardson’s victory over Ed Danko for County Commission held. Ray Stevens’s two-vote lead held over Dana Stancel in a Palm Coast City Council race to determine who moves onto the runoff against Andrew Werner.
Ed Danko’s Chance of Flipping Result Is Remote as Provisional Ballots and Recount Steps Ahead Are Mapped Out
Ed Danko’s chances of flipping his 40-vote loss to Pam Richardson in a County Commission race is statistically very remote if not close to impossible, based on current numbers and next steps. That’s the case even as 47 provisional and mail-in ballots have yet to be judged as valid or not, and a handful of additional ballots–overcounts or undercounts–will also have to be judged by the Canvassing Board.
Final Day of Otherwise Calm Election Marred by Accusations of Insults from One Mayoral Candidate to Another
Palm Coast mayoral candidate and leading vote-getter Mike Norris dismissed accusations by Alan Lowe, one of the five candidates in that race, that Norris was openly insulting and threatening on Election Day outside the public library in Palm Coast, though Lowe’s wife captured some of the belligerence in a brief video clip.
Dance Wins Re-Election, Richardson and Carney Win Commission, Ramirez and Ruddy Win School Board, Norris and Manfre in Runoff
Andy Dance won his second term on the Flagler County Commission, trouncing Fernando Melendez in the only clear runaway victory of the evening as the Supervisor of Elections announced early results of the primary. Lauren Ramirez and Janie Ruddy won school board seats, Pam Richardson beat Ed Danko for County Commission, while Mike Norris and Cornelia Manfre looked headed for a runoff, leaving David Alfin behind.
Palm Coast City Attorney: Wait Until November for Heighter Replacement by Appointment, Not Election
Palm Coast’s city attorney is recommending to the council to appoint a member to the seat just vacated by Cathy Heighter, who has resigned, but also to wait until November to make that appointment, and to make the appointment effective for the remaining two years on Heighter’s term, foregoing an election for that seat until 2026.
Palm Coast City Council Member Cathy Heighter Resigns, Upending Budget and Election Timing
Palm Coast City Council member Cathy Heighter resigned Friday, less than two years into her first term. City Manager Lauren Johnston received Heighter’s resignation letter by text this morning. The resignation upends the council at a pivotal time: it is about to approve next year’s budget and its new Comprehensive Plan. It is in the middle of an election. And the proximity of the November election and the timing of ballot eligibility has the city administration and its lawyer scrambling to figure next steps.
Flagler’s U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz Stumps for J.D. Vance in Pennsylvania
Flagler County Representative Mike Waltz was one of two Florida Congressmen known for their military service to be stumping for J.D. Vance, the Republican nominee for Vice President in Pennsylvania. Both U.S. Reps. Brian Mast and Mike Waltz are telling Pennsylvanians the differences between Vance and Tim Walz.
Trump and Elon’s Musky Bromance
Elon Musk gives aid and comfort to right wing rioters in England, stokes hatred, accusing an Olympic boxer (a woman) of being a man, does his damnedest to destroy once-valuable companies, and spreads 19th Century racist pseudo-science. He’s also — no surprise here — supporting Donald Trump. The bromance is mutual.
J.D. Vance, Poornographer
The reality – one that J.D. Vance only subtly acknowledges in his memoir – is that he is not poor. Nor is he a hillbilly. He grew up firmly in Ohio’s middle class. His “Hillbilly Elegy” memoir is part of a genre called “poornography.” Created mainly by middle- and upper-class people for like-minded readers, this long line of novels, films and plays can end up spreading harmful stereotypes about poor people.
Flagler’s Election Turnout Tracks Down from 2020 But Elections Supervisor Lenhart Applauds Candidates’ Civility
Flagler County’s election turnout is tracking lower than in the 2020 primary as a variety of factors, including new laws restricting voter freedoms, have taken full effect. As of today turnout is less than 16 percent in the primary election in Flagler, with two days of early voting plus election day left. But Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart said she was proud of local candidates, who have maintained a level of civility unseen in years.
Appeals Court Backs DeSantis School Board Appointment, Rejecting Election
Calculating a vacated seat by the moment when a resignation becomes effective rather than when it is announced, a three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected arguments by James Golden that an election should be held in November for the Manatee County school-board seat that will be vacated by Rich Tatem.
Fake Endorsements Roil St. Johns County Republicans
St. Johns County Republican Party Chair Denver Cook says the party “learned that a fraudulent voter guide has been mailed to many Republican voters across the county.”
Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos for a 2nd Trump Term
“Eradicate climate change references”; only talk to conservative media; don’t leave a paper trail for watchdogs to discover. In a series of never-before-published videos, Project 2025 details how a second Trump administration would operate.
Latest Flagler School Board Follies: Hunt Celebrates Mediocrity, Furry Abuses His Seat to Push ‘Endorsements’
“Board member comments” at the Flagler school board have devolved almost always into a disaster, an embarrassment, a circus of ignorance, hypocrisy, stupidity or bigotry, compliments of the board’s trilobites: Sally Hunt, Will Furry and Christy Chong. No wonder they prefer illegal secret meetings. No wonder Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro can’t wait to escape the asylum. The sane ones weren’t there Tuesday to witness the latest drivel from Furry and Hunt, the first illegal, the second just creepy.
County Pulls Back from Heavy-Handed Attempt at Regulating ‘Behavior’ or ‘Objects’ at Polling and Public Grounds
The Flagler County Commission’s latest grapple with the messiness of democracy led it Monday to postpone until after the election any plans to regulate campaign zones or other forms of speech on public property, as it had sought to do last month, not without some controversy.
Hurricane Debby Cancelled Early Voting on Monday in Numerous Counties
Although originally scheduled to begin Monday, there was no early voting in Alachua, Bradford, Duval, Gadsden, Jefferson, Levy, or Taylor counties. As of Monday morning, most of those counties said they would begin early voting on Tuesday.
To Succeed Travis Hutson, Tom Leek’s Battle of the Fliers with David Shoar Is Among Key Florida Senate Races
The Republican primary for Senate District 7–made up of St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler and part of Volusia counties–has drawn a flood of money and endorsements as House Appropriations Chairman Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, former St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar and financial adviser Gerry James seek to represent the heavily Republican district. Term-limited Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, cannot seek re-election in the district.
The Kamala Harris Factor
Donald J. Trump, J.D. Vance, Speaker of the House Mike “Mighty Porn Resister” Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Mensa, British emotional support fascist Nigel Farage, regular fascist Nick Fuentes, comedian Russell Brand, comedian Megyn Kelly, her former Fox “News” klavern-mates, Ronbo DeSantis, and five or six white people in a Midwestern focus group all agree: You must not vote for Kamala Harris.
Florida Officials Want Supreme Court to Approve a Manipulated ‘Impact Statement’ on Abortion Amendment
Lawyers for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner on Friday urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject an attempt to invalidate a revised “financial impact statement” that would appear on the November ballot with a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights. A state panel made controversial changes to the financial impact statement, which Floridians Protecting Freedom–leading efforts to pass the constitutional amendment–wants invalidated.
Abortion Rights Bus Tours Florida Ahead of Convention
The national abortion rights advocacy group Free & Just brought its “Ride to Decide” bus tour to the Sunshine State this week, making appearances in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The bus tour kicked off in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention last month and is hitting states up and down the East Coast and South for the next few weeks before concluding at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later in August.
Ty Miller, Palm Coast City Council District 1 Candidate: The Live Interview
Ty Miller is one of four candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Shara Brodsky, Palm Coast City Council District 1 Candidate: The Live Interview
Shara Brodsky is one of four candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Andrew Werner, Palm Coast City Council District 3 Candidate: The Live Interview
Andrew Werner is one of three candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Dana Mark Stancel, Palm Coast City Council District 3 Candidate: The Live Interview
Dana Mark Stancel is one of three candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Jeffrey Seib, Palm Coast City Council District 1 Candidate: The Live Interview
Jeffrey Seib is one of four candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. It’s an open seat. The candidates who qualified are Kathy Austrino, Shara Brodsky, Ty Miller and Seib. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Derek Barrs, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 3: The Live Interview
Derek Barrs is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Janie Ruddy in District 3. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
J.D. Vance Eclipses DeSantis. But He Might Want to Watch His Back.
If Trump wins and somehow doesn’t declare himself president-for-life, Vance will be the nominee in 2028. Ditto if Trump loses and the country survives the violence. Vance could end up as president before then, possibly without lifting a finger — except maybe to pass Trump the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburgers that finally tip him over into massive stroke territory. Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and their autocracy-loving billionaire buds will see to that.
Project 2025 is a Bad Bet for Florida’s Future
Project 2025 is a blueprint for Trump’s next term. It is full of recommendations for clamping down on abortion, banning pornography, abolishing the Homeland Security and Education departments, killing the Head Start program for kids, and putting the entire executive branch, including the Department of Justice, under direct control of the president — no civil service protection.
Ray Stevens, Palm Coast City Council District 3 Candidate: The Live Interview
Ray Stevens is one of three candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 3. It’s an open seat, as Council member Nick Klufas is term-limited. He is running for a County Commission seat. The candidates who qualified are Dana Mark Stancel, Stevens and Andrew Warner. All registered voters in Palm Coast regardless of party or non-party affiliation may cast a ballot in this City Council race.
Revisiting J.D. Vance’s Middletown, Ohio
J.D. Vance’s Middletown, Ohio, his hometown – just north of Cincinnati – risks becoming an abstract symbol of Rust Belt America. Ironically, it is easy to lose sight of the city’s rich, distinctive heritage, from which Vance’s memoir drew its potency.
Kathy Austrino, Palm Coast City Council District 1 Candidate: The Live Interview
Kathy Austrino is one of four candidates in the Aug. 20 primary election for Palm Coast City Council, District 1. All registered voters in the city may cast a ballot in that non-partisan election regardless of party affiliation or location in Palm Coast.
Janie Ruddy, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 3: The Live Interview Template
Janie Ruddy is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Derek Barrs in District 3. The District 3 and District 5 seats are both open as incumbents Colleen Conklin and Cheryl Massaro have opted not to run again. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
Vincent Sullivan, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 5: The Live Interview Template
Vincent Sullivan is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Lauren Ramirez in District 5. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
Florida Democrats, Mirroring Nation’s, Quickly Rally Around Kamala Harris
Members of Florida’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention threw their support Monday to Vice President Kamala Harris, a day after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election campaign. As part of a rapidly moving effort to coalesce support behind the vice president, a group of Florida party leaders held a call with reporters to back Harris’ bid to become president and pointed to increased enthusiasm they hope translates down the ballot.
Lauren Ramirez, Flagler County School Board Candidate District 5: The Live Interview
Lauren Ramirez is one of four candidates in two races for Flagler County School Board in the Aug. 20 primary, facing Vincent Sullivan in District 5. School board elections are non-partisan races: all registered voters in Flagler County are eligible to cast a ballot in the two races–whether registered Democratic, Republican, Independent or from a minor party.
DeSantis’s Florida: The Who Cares State
Florida’s current regime (motto: “Ignorance is Strength”) operates on the theory that if you refuse to utter certain words — ”racism,” for example, “Covid,” or “climate crisis” — and pretend with all your might that what you see in front of you isn’t real, then the problem disappears.
Recreational Pot Amendment Backers Raise $61.5 Million as DeSantis Attacks
The political committee sponsoring a ballot initiative that would allow recreational marijuana collected nearly $314,000 in new donations, according to its latest campaign finance filing. Smart & Safe Florida has now raised nearly $61.5 million in its effort to pass the initiative.