During President Obama’s quick trip to Miami on Friday he stopped by Miami Central High School to deliver remarks on education reform and notably shared the stage with Florida’s former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. Afterward, he held a 14-member round table on education, though only one teacher was invited to…
Senate President Mike Haridopolos is the only well-known Republican who’s announced his intentions to run against Senator Bill Nelson in 2012, but his campaign isn’t off to such a great start. First there was the reminder that he once got $152,00 in taxpayer money to write some crappy book that…
Used to be when the president came to Florida, it was customary for our governor to man-hug him, but with Charlie Crist out of office, that tradition is long gone. During his quick day trip in Miami today, President Obama met both Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Jeb Bush…
Florida’s high-speed rail plan is officially dead — done in at the hands of Rick Scott. But the governor giveth as he taketh away. Scott says the state will pick up the tab on funding a project to dredge the Port of Miami, allowing it to handle larger ships. Scott…
Politicians, especially in today’s political climate, are greeted with protesters all the time. It’s part of the job, but no one wants to be picketed by a group of Holocaust survivors. Especially when they claim the politician never delivered on his promise. Well, Sen. Bill Nelson has saved himself and…
So this past weekend, the Associated Press published a story about some crappy book Florida Senate president and likely U.S. Senate candidate Mike Haridopolos received $152,000 in taxpayer money from Brevard Community College to write. Besides being of questionable quality, only one copy of the book existed. Well, like magic, Brevard…
With 14 states and the District of Colombia allowing the legal medical use of marijuana, acceptance of the issue is steadily growing in America. A new poll shows that 57 percent of Floridians support legalization of medical marijuana as buzz grows that the issue could be placed on the ballot…
There’s a reason cash-strapped states don’t turn down federally funded projects on ideological grounds: because some other state — where the residents have tiny lobsters embroidered on their yacht pants, say, and all claim to be the third Affleck brother — will snatch that money right up for itself…
Sure, it’s just a big swamp, but a fervor to protect the Everglades flows through the souls of most Floridians. It’s our big swamp, dammit, and most of us understand its ecological importance. Apparently, though, our Illinois-born governor, Rick Scott, doesn’t share such a passion. His controversial budget proposal includes…
Politics and publicity opportunities make strange bedfellows. President Barack Obama and former Gov. Jeb Bush will appear together this Friday at Miami Central High School. Obama will be in town for a Democratic fundraiser but will swing by the school with Bush to address ways to turn around low-performing schools…
As Norman Braman walked out of the North Shore Branch Library — fresh off casting his vote to recall Mayor Carlos Alvarez — volunteers in yellow T-shirts greeted him like a hero. “This is the man!” exclaimed an older Hispanic woman shaking his hand. “What a beautiful man for leading…
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who owns perhaps the most stunning collection of hats since Isabella Blow, has finally landed on the cover of a magazine. Unfortunately for Anna Wintour, it wasn’t on her Vogue magazine, but rather the Washington Post Magazine. Though the photo shoot certainly looked fun, the accompanying article…
Senate President and U.S. Senate candidate Mike Haridopolos lists his profession as college professor (though he’s actually merely a lecturer) but apparently does a hell of a lot less toiling on his written works than one would expect of his students. He certainly makes a lot more money for it,…
Last month, North Miami Beach blogger Stephanie Kienzle ripped her town’s mayor, Myron Rosner, after finding that he’d spent more than $500 on hotels in nearby Hollywood and Miami. Days later, a code compliance inspector came knocking at her front door. “I had no doubt the mayor was trying to…
In a stunningly speedy political flip-flop, Florida Governor Rick Scott has completely changed his stance on whether or not unions should have collective bargaining rights. He’s fallen in step with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union stance. What made Scott change his mind so fast? Well, for one, he had a…
Republican Rep. David Rivera is now under investigation by three separate agencies who are all looking into ethics charges involving his campaign finances. Perhaps no one told him, because he sure doesn’t have anything to say about it. Since his district includes part of Collier County, Rivera decided to give…
Ashley Cowie, a sophomore at Florida State University, was shot and killed last month after an AK-47 accidentally went off at a party at a property housing fraternity brothers. Clearly, firearms and college parties don’t mix well, but a bill introduced last month would allow students at Florida state colleges…
Naked Politics carries the results of a private poll showing that exactly 50 percent of Miami-Dade voters want to see Miami-Dade Carlos Alvarez recalled, while only 34 would vote to keep him in office. 46 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Alvarez, while only 24 percent view him favorably. There’s…
Raise your hand if this sounds like what Miami needs: fourteen new glowing LED billboards along the highway demanding drivers in hi-def to buy Svedka Vodka, iPods and cut-rate car insurance. Oh, hi there Commissioner Marc Sarnoff!This morning, the Miami Commission will decide whether to give Clear Channel the go…
On Sunday, The New York Times editorial board slammed Rick Scott’s decision to kill Florida’s federally funded high-speed rail system and suggested he was caught up in some high-speed race to out-pander to Tea Partiers faster than other Republican governors. Though, there’s one governor Scott apparently doesn’t want to match…
Among Governor Rick Scott’s cavalcade of controversial ideas is a plan to drug test all recipients of welfare in the state. Now Republican legislators have filed a bill to carry out a version of the plan, but it would only require welfare recipients with a felony drug conviction in the…
President Obama sure loves hitting up Miami for fundraisers. POTUS has been in the area several times since his election for numerous cash raising soirees (including one at the Estefan household) and will be back in town March 4 to attend a fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidates as well as…
