The special election to fill Travis Hutson’s Florida House seat in District 24, made up mostly of Flagler County, is turning into a combination of musical chairs band feeding frenzy.
Florida
Today’s The Day to Support the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
The Miami-based Florida Center for Investigative Reporting is one of the state’s leading non-profit news source, whose work frequently appears in FlaglerLive.
Said to Have Been Framed For Tampa Murder, Deaf Convict Felix Garcia Is Denied Release
Felix Garcia’s supporters had hoped he would be released with time served, arguing that he’d been unable to understand the evidence against him during the murder trial and wasn’t given an interpreter.
Divided and Diminished, Florida Democrats Choose West Palm’s Pafford to Lead in House
After Democrats lost six seats in elections earlier this month, some members pushed instead for Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach. Taylor pulled out of the race earlier Monday, saying he couldn’t work with the leadership of the state party.
Derek Hankerson Will Not Run in Special Election for Travis Hutson’s Seat After All
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.
Obamacare 2.0: Open Enrollment Starts With Few Glitches as Floridians Sign Up Over the Weekend
Sharply contrasting with last year’s roll-out, enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, which started Saturday, has gone smoothly, as the federal government expects nearly 10 million insured by the time the window closes in February.
Judge Throws Out Florida’s Medical Marijuana Rules, Calling Them Vague and “Unbridled”
Administrative Law Judge W. David Watkins sided with Miami-based Costa Farms and others that objected to the Department of Health’s use of a lottery to pick five licensees that will grow, process and distribute strains of non-euphoric marijuana authorized by the Legislature and approved by Gov. Rick Scott earlier this year.
Florida Supreme Court Orders GOP Consultant to Release Redistricting Records
The documents were requested by voting-rights organizations challenging the state’s congressional districts as Republican political consultant Pat Bainter refused to disclose them. Several media organizations also filed a “friend of the court” brief arguing for the documents’ release.
Despite Big Election Losses, LGBT Floridians Hope for Progress on Ending Workplace Discrimination
The Florida Competitive Workforce Act would ban discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation. It was sponsored by one of only two openly gal legislators, who lost. It will now be sponsored by a Republican lawmaker, Rep. Holly Raschein of Key Largo.
Times Investigation of Attorney General Pam Bondi Uncovers More Dubious Ties
Bondi’s questionable relationship with Lori Kalani, a lobbyist and lawyer, was reported about two weeks ago as part of an investigation by the Times into Bondi’s work with the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Dave Sullivan Won’t Give Way to Trevor Tucker in Race for House as Hankerson Joins It; Democrats Are No-Shows
Flagler School Board member Trevor Tucker said he was seriously thinking of running for an open Florida House seat in the Jan. 27 primary, but only if REC Chairman Dave Sullivan chose not to run, as Tucker doesn’t want to split the vote., Sullivan says he’s in it to stay.
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.
First Day on the Job for Thrasher at FSU: Facing Confrontational Students
John Thrasher spent the first hour in his new position engaging with a group of about 25 confrontational students that had vocally opposed his recent appointment and now refuse to recognize him as the school’s new president.
For 1 Million Floridians, Health Insurance Again in the Balance as Supreme Court Rethinks Subsidies
Enrollment and subsidies, along with provisions such as the prohibition on excluding people with pre-existing conditions, are now at risk, because once again, the Supreme Court will decide whether the Affordable Care Act lives or dies.
Backroom Briefing: The Best and Worst of Election 2014
The 2014 campaign had no shortage of drama, gaffes, mistakes and other attention-grabbing moments. It ended Tuesday with confetti for some and losses for others, but here are some of the highlights and lowlights for the always interesting annals of Florida elections.
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.
Cruel and Unusual: 2 Inmates Who Murdered as Juveniles Challenge Their Life Sentences
Two inmates serving life in prison for murders committed as juveniles are challenging their sentences based on a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that bans mandatory life sentences for juveniles.
UF and FSU Get New Presidents, Flagler Loses Sen. Thrasher, Special Election Next
The Board of Governors unanimously ratified Thrasher’s and Kent Fuchs’s appointments. Thrasher’s resignation is expected to set off a feeding frenzy in a special election for what may turn into a Senate seat and two House seats.
As GOP Surges Over the Nation, Party Grabs Supermajority in Florida House
The party retained two Republican-held seats where it faced serious challenges, while flipping six Democrat-held seats that were heavily contested in the Interstate 4 corridor.
“I’m On Your Side,” Charlie Crist Says on Final Push With Bill Clinton in Tow
Crist offered his final pitch as an advocate for middle-class Floridians to blacks, Hispanics, seniors and union workers before heading to Orlando for a final pre-election event headlined by former President Bill Clinton.
In Final Swing Along I-4 Corridor, Rick Scott Promises to “Kick Charlie’s Rear”
Two other Republican governors, Rick Perry of Texas and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, both prospective presidential contenders in 2016, joined Scott in what has become one of the most expensive, nastiest and closest governor’s races in the country.
Crist Clings To Statistically Insignificant Lead Over Scott in Last Poll Before Election Day
With early voting done and among those who have already voted, however, Charlie Crist has taken a more commanding lead of 44 percent to Scott’s 40 percent.
As Florida Bans Use of Biometric IDs in Schools, Other States Scale Back on Big Brother
Laws cracking down on student-tracking technology reflect a growing sense of unease among parents over how biometrics are being used, what student data is being collected and stored and what security protects the information.
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.
Daytona Speedway Seeking $3 Million A Year in Tax Gifts, Jaguars Close Behind
The Jacksonville Jaguars are following closely behind the Daytona Speedway in requests of up to $90 million in sales tax dollars over 30 years, tax revenue that would be subtracted from public needs.
Supreme Court Removes Leon County Judge For Running Religious Business Out of Her Chambers
Leon County Judge Judith Hawkins was running a business called Gaza Road Ministries, used a judicial assistant and sold her own books to attorneys who appeared before her.
Charlie Crist Takes 3-Point Lead in Latest Quinnipiac Poll, With Boost from Independents
The numbers suggest that independents, who decide most close elections in Florida, are migrating to Crist and may have been alienated by Scott’s negative ad blitz.
Crist Reaches Out to Democratic Base in Home Stretch, With a Stop in Daytona Beach
From now until Tuesday, Crist will shake hands and pose for pictures with black supporters in places such as Sarasota and Daytona Beach and focus on the Democratic stronghold of South Florida, all designed to infuse base voters with enough enthusiasm to get them to the polls.
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.
Palm Coast Broods as Ruling Declares Key Step in Red-Light Camera Ticketing Illegal
You may be better off not paying your red-light camera ticket in light of a court decision declaring issuance of those tickets illegal. Palm Coast is studying the ruling as its cameras continue to flash.
Sheldon Adelson Adds $1 Million to Fight Against Medical Pot Legalization
Sheldon Adelson had contributed $5 million of the $5,842,897 raised by the “Drug Free Florida Committee” as of Sunday. The committee also spent $1,254,013 in mid-October and reported an overall spending total of $5,582,772.
Florida Tries Again to End Decade-Old Lawsuit Calling State’s Children’s Health Care Inadequate
The state Agency for Health Care Administration is making a renewed attempt to scuttle a nearly decade-old lawsuit alleging the state’s Medicaid program has not provided adequate care for low-income children.
As 32 States Now Recognize Gay Marriage, Pam Bondi Files Latest Delaying Tactic
Same-sex couples should continue to be prevented from getting married in Florida until a legal battle plays out about the constitutionality of the state’s gay-marriage ban, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a federal-court filing.
Crist and Scott Deadlocked at 42% in Latest Quinnipiac Poll as Early Voting Begins
Among those who have already voted, the poll found Crist leading by 5 points–42 to 38, with Wyllie getting just 3 percent. Scott’s trump card is his ready millions of dollars, Crist’s is the younger voters hoping to pass the medical marijuana legalization amendment.
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.
Charlie Crist:
People’s Governor or Master Chameleon?
Charlie Crist profile: In an interview, the former governor said he is confident he can defeat Scott “by going to people in person and having the chance to reacquaint them with my heart and what I care about, which is them.”
Gov. Rick Scott: The Known Unknown Running on Four Years of Contradictions
Four years after his election, Floridians still have a mixed, at times almost-contradictory view of their governor, now running for a second term. The tea-party darling who won an election promising to slash spending but now boasts of the largest education budget in state history.
Briefing: Amendment 3 Would Give Governor Power to Make Midnight Appointments to Florida’s Courts
A low-profile ballot proposal that supporters say would avert a constitutional crisis but opponents say is nothing more than thinly-veiled partisan power grab is headed to voters in November, possibly with the future of the Florida Supreme Court at stake.
Nearly Sure Thing Months Ago, Medical Pot Initiative Appears Headed For Defeat Behind Snuff Money
The latest Tampa Bay Times poll has the measure winning only 48 percent of the vote, 12 points short of the needed 60 percent, as Sheldon Las Vegas gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson increased his contributions against the measure to $3.5 million.
From Favorite to Fanghazi: The Two Worst Days of Gov. Rick Scott’s Re-Election Campaign
If Scott does end up being the third Republican governor in 20 years to not serve a second term, two days this week can be pinpointed as the worst of his campaign, argues Peter Schorsch.
Florida Supreme Court Rejects Cell-Phone Tracking by Police, Citing Privacy Rights
Justices, in a 5-2 decision, sided with a man who was arrested in 2007 in Broward County after a search of his vehicle uncovered a kilogram brick of cocaine hidden in a spare-tire well. Police tracked the man, Shawn Alvin Tracey, through location information given off when cell-phone calls are made.
Flagler Posts Biggest Single-Month Unemployment Drop Since Recession, to 8.4%, as 474 Residents Gain Jobs
Flagler County still has the second-highest unemployment rate in the state, but September was a banner month for the county’s economic health in almost every regard.
Scott and Crist Make Blowing Air a Metaphor of Their Campaign in 2nd Tempestuous Debate
An electric fan at Crist’s feet hijacked the first portion of the second debate as Scott first refused to come out, as both camps later attempted to spin the embarrassment to their advantage. The debate itself was mildly substantial.
The Other University Presidency: UF Selects Kent Fuchs, Cornell Provost and Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Kent Fuchs’s resume includes six years at Purdue University, where he was head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and little more than a decade at the University of Illinois, where he was a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Coordinated Science Laboratory.
Bloodbath at Deteriorating Tallahassee Democrat Is Newspapers’ Latest For-Profit Suicide
The story of the Tallahassee Democrat’s decomposition is a deeper cautionary tale on how monopoly media can turn a vibrant, growing community into a cloistered cultural backwater.
Pot Amendment: For Debilitating Diseases or an Open Door to Full Marijuana Legalization?
A briefing on Amendment 2, the proposed constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana: supporters say it’ll help the sick, opponents claim it’s flawed and will result in “a joint in every backpack.”
Scott and Crist Trade Familiar Barbs and Mockeries in First of 3 Debates
Scott repeatedly took shots at Crist’s time as governor, saying the former Republican was all talk and no action. Crist, who is running this year as a Democrat, portrayed Scott as an uncaring plutocrat unresponsive to middle-class needs.
I’m 67 Years Old. I Smoke Pot. And It’s Time to Make It Legal, Period.
If anyone thinks that passing Amendment 2 is not a step toward legalizing recreational marijuana, then you’re been ingesting too much of the wrong kind of drugs, argues Thomas O’Hara, who is voting for Amendment 2 because it’s a step toward full marijuana legalization.
Advocates Call for DCF to Give Up Child Safety Oversight to Local Cops After Mass Murders
Roy Miller, spokesman for the Children’s Lobby, said last month’s mass murder-suicide involving six children in Gilchrist County amounted to the last straw in the department’s response to a series of child deaths stretching back many years.
Inmate Dies in a Florida Prison Less Than a Day After Family Questioned Safety; Federal Probe Sought
Latandra Ellington, 36, died Wednesday at Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, less than 24 hours after her family called prison officials to express concerns about her safety.