The state of the 2016 Florida senate race is in a precarious place. Senator Marco Rubio currently holds the seat and there’s no indication he wouldn’t cruise to an easy re-election, but Rubio is hinting that he may indeed run for President instead that year. Most Florida political power players…
With Debbie Wasserrman Schultz and Charlie Crist officially out of the race, Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Democrat from Palm Beach County, announced today that he’ll run for Senate in 2016 …whether or not Marco Rubio decides to vacate it to run for President or not. At just 31 year of…
Of the City of Miami’s five commission districts, it’s District 2 that wields the most power: The district stretches along the city’s eastern edge from Coconut Grove north past Edgewater, encompassing Brickell’s moneyed condos and much of downtown. And eight months before the election to decide the district’s next commissioner,…
Governor Rick Scott ran his first campaign as a political outsider, but apparently now he’s dreaming of becoming a Beltway insider. Scott is reportedly thinking of mounting a run for Senate, at least according to a vague report from The Tampa Bay Times. Though not in 2016 should Marco Rubio…
Though many residents remain skeptical, the Miami-Dade County Commission overwhelming welcomed the plan to build North America’s largest mall complex in Northeast Miami-Dade. The commission took its first official vote on a land deal at today’s meeting, and approved in a 10-2 vote. Triple Five, the developers behind the plan…
A bill that would ban transgender people from using their preferred public bathrooms has now made its way through its second committee, but not without some changes. The bill has been amended to make an exception for some transgender people who have legally changed their gender on government documentation. In…
The Florida Democratic party suffers from a noticeably weakened bench ready to run for higher officer when compared to its Republican counterpart. So it’s interesting news that two of the state’s best known — though perhaps most divisive — Democrats both announced that they will not run for Senate in…
Does the Republican party have much of a future in Miami-Dade County? Not if current voter registration trends hold steady. In terms of registered voters, Republicans are now effectively in third place behind Democrats and voters who have registered with no party affiliation. With 1,290,602 total registered voters, Miami-Dade has the…
In an effort to curb climate change, the Obama administration unleashed a plan last year with the goal of cutting carbon emissions. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection must come up with a plan to meet the goals, but Rep. John R. Wood introduced a bill that would require the…
Florida is not good at removing outdated laws from its legislation, even when they’re not enforced anymore. Technically, it’s still illegal for an unmarried and unrelated man and a woman to live together in this state, after all. However, a new bill that would officially remove the ban on gay…
Supporters say the bill would keep teachers and students safe in a school shooting. The Miami-Dade School Board isn’t buying it. “What’s going to happen,” says school board member and recently announced county mayoral candidate Raquel Regalado, “is you’re going to have more instances of violence, not less.” See also:…
Florida law forbids a candidate’s name from appearing twice on the same ballot. So if Marco Rubio ends up making a serious bid for president, he’d have to give up his seat in Congress. This could set up a very interesting four years in Florida politics, where a very likely…
Kratom, a plant in the coffee family, has been used for medicinal and recreational purposes in Southeast Asia for thousands of years. Chewing on its leaves provides a mild opium-like affect. And, thanks to the internet, its found itself at the center of growing popularity in America. Mostly because its…
Two new polls have landed today concerning Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Each presents two possible paths for his future. While one survey shows that his reelection to Senate is pretty much a given, the other suggests that he might actually have a chance at securing the Republican nomination for president…
After months of speculation and, recently, a spate of pointed criticism directed at incumbent Carlos Gimenez, Raquel Regalado has now confirmed she’s running for mayor of Miami-Dade County. “At some point you just have to decide and say, ‘Look, beyond the criticism, what should we be doing differently?'” Regalado tells…
Gwen Margolis, an 80-year-old Democrat and longtime political veteran, is Miami-Dade’s richest state senator, according to data recently released by FloridaWatchdog.org. For her 2013 filing, Margolis, who represents the state’s 35th district, which encompasses much of the eastern part of the county, including Key Biscayne and Miami Beach, reported a…
A day after being accused of punching a college kid, Miami-area Republican State Rep. Frank Artiles had a controversial victory in the Florida House. His bill that would ban transgender people using their preferred bathrooms without any exceptions in Florida cleared its first committee in the House. See also: Republican…
Sure, it’s still a long shot, but state Sen. Dwight Bullard’s efforts to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Florida got a bit closer to reality today. A companion bill has been filed in the house by Rep. Randolph Bracy, a Democrat from Ocoee. See also: Bill to Legalize Recreational…
The night before the official beginning of the Florida legislative session, Miami-area Rep. Frank Artiles was hanging out at a Tallahassee bar, Clydes & Costello’s, into the early hours of the morning. That’s all anyone seems to know for sure, but Artiles has been publicly accused of punching a college…
Today marks the beginning of Florida’s most turbulent 60 days of the year, a bizarre two-month stretch when 160 oddballs convene in a remote North Florida town and — between bites from gigantic plates of paella — find new ways to make our state even more dysfunctional. Yes, it’s time…
Advocates of bringing resort-style casinos to Miami-Dade and Broward counties are preparing to roll the dice once again this legislative session. Rep. Dana Young, R-Tampa, introduced an ambitious package of gaming bills today that would pave the way for two destination casinos in the counties. The bills would also allow…
Jeb Bush may be getting all the major scrutiny right now, but he’s not the only guy from Miami who is running a not-quite presidential campaign. Senator Marco Rubio has been busy the past few months fundraising, touring early primary states on a book tour and considering his future. Sure…
