For the past year and a half, Florida Voices has stood out as an exemplary source of credible analysis of the many issues facing our state.
Florida Legislature
Florida Legislature serves big business first, that was confirmed when it passed the “reform” of the state's nuclear cost recovery act.
Ocala Star-Banner
Lwmakers approved a bill that would restrict investigations by the FHSAA and expand the ability of student athletes to transfer schools.
Keysnet.com
Florida lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves if a proposal to ban texting while driving fails to pass into law this year.
Tampa Tribune
CS/CS/HB 1355, would bar firearm sales to people who undergo voluntary commitment for mental health care after being deemed a danger to themselves.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida's prescription drug monitoring database could starve to death unless the House takes action today, the last day of the regular session.
Tampa Bay Times
Every legislative session begins with Yankee Doodle Dandy optimism that elected officials in Tallahassee will do right by the people they serve.
Tampa Bay Times
HB 7129, is a response to the atrocities uncovered in an investigation into the state's religious group homes and boarding schools.
Tampa Bay Times
A dispute over whether to accept federal funding for an expansion of health care threatens to force a special session to resolve the issue.
Citrus County Chronicle
The governor signed into law ethics legislation to keep politicians clean and enacted a campaign-finance law to increases contributions.
Miami Herald
One of the most important areas headlining this year's legislative session was tweaking K-12 education.
Orlando Sentinel
Courts
The Florida House confirmed its support for the death penalty when it easily approved a bill aimed at shortening the long road to execution.
Gainesville Sun
The Florida House confirmed their support for the death penalty when it easily approved a bill aimed at shortening the long road to execution.
Lakeland Ledger
Speed isn't the most essential element in carrying out the death penalty, accuracy is but the Legislature passes a bill to speed it up.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Children
The existence of these innocent victims, children, who are not counted is one of the reasons why war will always be a scourge of mankind
Diario Las Americas
Environment
The Florida Legislature is congratulating themselves for spreading around a record $74.5 billion budget, bit it has shafted the environment.
Palm Beach Post
Public Safety
The recommendations by Florida’s Innocence Commission should be standard operating procedures for law enforcement agencies on the Treasure Coast.
Treasure Coast Palm
World
Most Americans surely prefer that the United States avoid becoming militarily involved in the Syrian war, but can we ignore chemical weapon use?
Tampa Tribune
Nation
he United States does not compare well with other developed countries.
Florida Times-Union
Congress
Fixing the nation’s broken immigration system tops the short list of important things Congress might accomplish this year.
Fort Myers News-Press
Culture
Bradenton has sharp designs on improving Village of the Arts as one of the keys to the city's economic and cultural growth,
Bradenton Herald
Higher Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is on the brink of a major breakthrough in the development of its Aerospace Research and Technology Park.
Daytona Beach News-Journal
For two days, caps will be tossed, parents will beam and graduates will party. It’s a special time in Tallahassee, job well, done.
Tallahassee Democrat
Ethics
We thank Gov. Scott for his role in improving state government by trying to rid the Capitol of corruption and signing the ethics reform bill into law.
Pensacola News-Journal
Kudos to Gov. Rick Scott Wednesday for signing into law ethics and campaign reform bills, both represent important steps forward for Florida politics.
Panama City News Herald
Local Government
Bay County government to pursue an agreement that could open up playgrounds, and other facilities to be utilized when school isn’t in session.
Panama City News Herald
Residents will have to decide whether tackling the panhandler problem is worth an escalating price tag.
Northwest Florida Daily News
Key Topic:
K-12 Education
Are Common Core school standards right for Florida?
There is almost nothing in public life that's guaranteed to ignite controversy like education. How children learn, how to measure progress and how to reward teachers are issues on which it's hard to find common ground. But a casual follower of education in Florida might be forgiven for thinking something called “Common Core State Standards” might at least be something people can agree on.
Letters and Op-Eds
"According to Hollywood's version of the truth, "honest" Lincoln decided slavery's abolishment was worth lying to Congress. He claimed to be unaware that a peace delegation was headed his way, though this was known by senior members of his Cabinet...
"mong small and midsized businesses of every stripe that are working to build the kind of diversified economy Florida needs: one that offers higher-paying, more resilient jobs than the predominantly low-paying, service-sector jobs that currently...
Dear readers,
I’m sorry to tell you that we’re closing Florida Voices at the end of the week. Our last day of publication will be Friday, May 3.
Rosemary Curtiss and I had high hopes when we launched Florida Voices 18 months ago. But the business of online media is a tough slog. While we managed to secure...
As media websites throughout Florida on Tuesday told of the end of the notorious “parent trigger” bill for this year, one state senator nailed the problem – the law already allows parents to get involved in fixing failing public schools but few of them bother to do so.
The speaker was Sen. Bill Montford, a respected lawmaker and executive director of the Florida Association of District School...
As Winston Churchill warned about the Soviet Union in a famous 1946 speech, it is urgent for all Americans to understand today that an iron curtain of tyranny is descending upon Venezuela.
Under the direction of Cuba’s secret police, a Marxist cabal of fascist thugs led by the former bus driver Nicolas Maduro, 50, stole last month’s presidential election in a stealth voting machine coup. They...
Quotable Quotes
Referring to a provision in the budget approved by the House that cuts taxes for manufacturing companies that will last three years and cost $100 million next year.
Talking about the chaotic session in the House on Wednesday.
Reacting to Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of a bill that would have ended permanent alimony in Florida.
Key Topics
Clickable archive of statewide commentary, sorted by topic.
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