Florida
updated
2:45 p.m.
Contains only posts that are ID'd as local content. An explanation. Want to help improve our local content filter? Add keywords here.
The area's very own Rep. Clay Ford (R-Gulf Breeze) is the sponsor of HB 1211, a sweeping rewrite of the open meetings and public statutes collectively referred to as Florida's Sunshine Laws. The bill would combine the two currently separate statutes into one and officially designate it as the "Open Government Act," as well as effecting numerous significant changes to the law. The bill's companion...
Progressive Pensacola - 7:42 a.m.
We regret to report that the First District Court of Appeals has declined to support the public interest, opting instead to affirm the Community Maritime Park Associates' opinion that Florida's Sunshine Law gives citizens the right to be present at public meetings, but not to speak. The Sunshine Law has always been broadly construed in the public interest by Florida's courts. Plaintiffs Keesler a...
Progressive Pensacola - Wed 1:20 p.m. - 2 clicks 
State representative Stephen Precourt (R-Orlando) has proposed using state tax dollars to promote the production of "family-friendly" movies and television productions . No surprise there. Republican office holders all across the nation are scrambling for ways to suck up to the increasingly narrow base of wackos, ignoramuses, and flat-Earthers that constitute their base. To identify HB 697 as "...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Wed 12:09 p.m. - 5 clicks
One hundred citizens attended last night's space forum to discuss post-Shuttle life here in Brevard County. One hundred people. I'd venture a guess that the same one hundred people would've shown up several years ago when the specter of a downsized NASA first loomed on the horizon. Either most still have their head in the not gonna happen to us sand or most are not so concerned about t...
Talk to Me - Wed 3:42 a.m.
Pensacola City Councilman P. C. Wu has filed to run for reelection to his District 1 seat. Councilman Wu was first elected to the Council in 2004. He joins newcomer Steve Fulford, who filed for the race last week. Mr. Wu becomes the seventh member of the City Council to declare his or her intentions. Mayor Mike Wiggins and Councilwoman Diane Mack are candidates for Mayor; Council members Megan Pr...
Progressive Pensacola - Tue 10:48 a.m. - 4 clicks
An addition to today's Pensacola City Council Committee of the Whole agenda could result in the City declaring the Community Maritime Park Associates an "instrumentality" of the City and assuming control of all appointments to the board. To date, the City Council has only appointed one-third of the twelve-member board, which oversees the Community Maritime Park development. According to City staf...
Progressive Pensacola - Mon 3:00 p.m. - 4 clicks
A few items we wanted to highlight today: Murzin on consolidation. This weekend NorthEscambia.com published a viewpoint from State Rep. Dave Murzin on the recent consolidation effort. Rep. Murzin implies that the consolidation scheme was an effort to shift the City's tax burden and pension obligations to the full population of Escambia County, and says, "It is time to fess up and be honest about ...
Progressive Pensacola - Mon 3:00 p.m. - 4 clicks
Pensacola City Councilman Ronald Townsend filed today to run for reelection to his District 7 seat. Councilman Townsend has served on the City Council since 2002. Mr. Townsend becomes the sixth member of the City Council to declare his or her intentions: Mayor Mike Wiggins and Councilwoman Diane Mack are candidates for Mayor; Council members Megan Pratt and Larry Johnson have filed for reelectio...
Progressive Pensacola - Mon 3:00 p.m. - 3 clicks
"[T]he game was to just find something about everything to be glad about -- no matter what 'twas," rejoined Pollyanna, earnestly. "And we began right then -- on the crutches." "Well, goodness me! I can't see anythin' ter be glad about -- gettin' a pair of crutches when you wanted a doll!" Pollyanna clapped her hands. "There is -- there is," she crowed. "But I couldn't see it, either, Nancy, at f...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Mon 3:00 p.m. - 3 clicks
We warned you . As Booman documents , once again the "proper," universally-accepted type of Sunday TV Talk Show guest is unavailable to us today: On Face the Nation , Lindsey Graham is balanced by Evan Bayh. On Meet the Press , Orrin Hatch is balanced by Harold Ford. On This Week , Mitch McConnell is balanced by no one. On Fox News Sunday , Mitt Romney is balanced by no one. On Sta...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Sun 8:41 a.m. - 4 clicks
From Friday, March 5, 2010, News Hour with Jim Lehrer : Index Rahm Emanue l: .10-3:00 Congressional Corruption : 3:11-6:30 Health Care Reform : 6:31-8:26 Unfunctional, Untrustworthy Senate : 8:26-10:35 Texas and Florida Primaries : 11:21-12:47 ...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Sat 7:06 a.m. - 2 clicks
Reporter Kimberly Blair covered yesterday's SRIA meeting about the latest beach re-do plan . [ "Beach's Future Cloudy" ] Her lede resonates with most beach residents and businesses in attendance: "Slow down. Scale down. And too expensive." [M]any people were concerned about committing so much money to beach improvements during tough economic times, especially when the beach is just now recov...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Sat 6:02 a.m. - 5 clicks
Progressive Pensacola sends our regards to Pensacola City Councilwoman Maren DeWeese, who celebrates a birthday today. Councilwoman DeWeese, who received our Councilperson of the Year award in January, continues to impress. The Pensacola's Promise committee is continuing to research the best ways to create a place-based scholarship program in the City of Pensacola. Her periodic beautification day...
Progressive Pensacola - Fri 8:03 a.m. - 7 clicks
You know, the world is a tiny place. I'm kicked back on the couch Thursday morning, nursing a sinus infection and considering my choice of television programming--the Florida Legislature in action. As one can observe bills pass though committee for only so long, I flipped over to the equally soothing Washington Journal to join the C-SPAN call-in crowd in full-scale health care ref...
Talk to Me - Fri 5:08 a.m. - 3 clicks
UPDATED BELOW Beach lovers will recognize something very unusual with the latest commercial core re-do plan for Pensacola Beach. Remember the original plan, unveiled in January? Someone finally is thinking outside the "parking-ramp box," just as we pleaded. The old parking ramp plan had its most recent germination two or three years ago when SRIA general manager Buck Lee openly began lust...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Thu 5:26 p.m. - 10 clicks
powered by Change.org Start a Petition » change_setup('300', '27683', '#dc0000'); ...
The 13th Juror - Mar 4 - 6 clicks
Not To Be Missed, tonight, 8 pm CST: Rep. Michele Bachmann, the darling of the Tea Party right, will square off in a debate tonight with Florida liberal stalwart Rep. Alan Grayson over health care. The two will be guests on Larry King Live, which airs tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 Central) on CNN. Both Bachmann and Grayson's offices confirmed their appearances to me this morning. It's an i...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Mar 3 - 5 clicks
At the federal level, Republicans are resisting all ideas to solve the mounting health insurance crisis -- even some of their own . At the state level in Florida, they're about to the make crisis worse by cutting back or even eliminating state employee health benefits. As Karen Davenport , writing for American Progress, says: If all health reform efforts are simply stopped in their tracks b...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Mar 3 - 6 clicks
A suspicious brown bag was spotted yesterday in a 10-story St. Petersburg building that houses "courtrooms and other government offices, including veterans services, the tax collector and the supervisor of elections." Security guards ran a metal-detector wand over it, got a hit. "Further heightening suspicion was that building employees told police they did not recognize the package and tha...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Mar 3 - 4 clicks
Bryan, at Why Now? has the quote of the week. And it's only Wednesday! Observing that the Florida legislature has gone into session this week, he notes that the idiotic "term limits" law ensures this is a "rookie team... of creative writing rejects" that "actually has only one job, the creation of the budget for the next year." Then, he strikes gold: Nonetheless, they manage to create havoc ...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Mar 3 - 5 clicks
Image via Wikipedia A bill to extend expiring unemployment benefits to nearly 50,000 Floridians is held up in the U.S. Senate due to Bunning's objections, his political agenda of "No." Kendrick Meek: "Florida's families are experiencing insult after injury because ideology is trumping public policy. This is what happens when politicians put party philosophy first, and people last." Nearly...
Change In Talahassee - Mar 2 - 3 clicks
Image via Wikipedia A bill to extend expiring unemployment benefits to nearly 50,000 Floridians is held up in the U.S. Senate due to Bunning's objections, his political agenda of "No." Kendrick Meek: "Florida's families are experiencing insult after injury because ideology is trumping public policy. This is what happens when politicians put party philosophy first, and people last." Nearly...
Change In Talahassee - Mar 2 - 4 clicks
What do you think? Can the opening sentence of this steamy novel we started a few minutes ago be saved by any of the speakers at the First Annual Writers Conference on Pensacola Beach? "Galvez Panferio, pale turquoise eyes shining with pride as a speckle of spit glinted on his fulsome lips in the burnt-orange glow of the setting sun, gingerly stepped back to admire the sumptuous three-decker sa...
Pensacola Beach Blog - Mar 1 - 5 clicks
I could wile away the hours, Conferrin' with the flowers, Consultin' with the rain, And my head I'd be scratchin' while my thoughts were busy hatchin' If I only had a brain. TPM , 2/24/2010 : Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has some advice for Sarah Palin: You'd be a great, if you only had a brain. In a recent interview with News...
Talk to Me - Feb 26 - 2 clicks
