LOCAL and Florida Politics

[elefants]

 

[spenser1058]

Scott Maxwell weighs in on I4 Ultimate’s latest update:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/scott-maxwell-commentary/os-op-interstate-4-cost-overrun-coronavirus-scott-maxwell-20200408-3envrab6cnftzdksnzukst3pha-story.html

From the Sentinel 

 

[spenser1058]

Another smidgen of progress on voting for those who have completed their sentences in Florida:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-felon-voting-ruling-expands-20200408-vegbck7w6zf2hcmwr4cgcu3szi-story.html

As this government has done on just about everything affecting our citizens’ rights, DeSantis and his cronies are dragging their feet on doing the right thing. Thankfully, the federal courts are not amused and will put these cretins on a very short leash.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-felon-voting-ruling-expands-20200408-vegbck7w6zf2hcmwr4cgcu3szi-story.html

From the Sentinel 

Speaking of dragging their feet, FL Senator Randolph Bracy (D-Orlando) is requesting a special session of the Legislature to expedite repairs to Rick Scott’s latest doomed IT system, this one affecting applications for unemployment.

As usual for the government that has been in charge for the last 20 years, the Speaker of the House and Senate President are dragging their feet on relief for Florida citizens.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/jobs-economy/os-ne-session-bracy-unemployment-system-20200408-zn57guloi5g63awz5jqourwnjm-story.html

From the Sentinel 

Edited April 8, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

The Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell was on CBS News This Morning talking about the Rick Scott-implemented unemployment system specifically designed not to help citizens even as corporate taxes were lowered again and again or often not even collected. 

https://twitter.com/scott_maxwell/status/1248224966341996546?s=21

 

[spenser1058]

Are OUC’s coal plants, increasingly obsolete in these days of climate change and renewable energy, contaminating nearby East Orange neighborhoods? The residents think so and are suing OUC as well as the home construction companies that ostensibly put them in harm’s way.

Local Judge Roy Dalton says they may have a point and litigation is proceeding at a slow pace (a jury trial, should it come to that, would not take place before next year).

City-owned OUC, meanwhole, is claiming sovereign immunity, a point Judge Dalton must also rule on. Stay tuned....

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/environment/os-ne-ouc-coal-lawsuit-green-light-20200409-wn4qvlncqnhijig4ckjrrnxhiy-story.html

From the Sentinel 

[spenser1058]

Oh, good grief. The DeSantis solution to the Rick Scott DEO boondoggle is to take the technology backward in time.

“The Florida GOP - Making Its Way Back To the 1950’s As Fast As We Can”.

https://twitter.com/annaforflorida/status/1248342689961201664?s=21

 

[spenser1058]

U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy is calling for a probe of Florida’s woefully inadequate unemployment system:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/jobs-economy/os-ne-stephanie-murphy-audit-unemployment-20200410-bxfziwzeqjcynontzmvsksecbi-story.html

From the Sentinel 

[aent]

On 4/9/2020 at 2:04 PM, spenser1058 said:

Are OUC’s coal plants, increasingly obsolete in these days of climate change and renewable energy, contaminating nearby East Orange neighborhoods? The residents think so and are suing OUC as well as the home construction companies that ostensibly put them in harm’s way.

Local Judge Roy Dalton says they may have a point and litigation is proceeding at a slow pace (a jury trial, should it come to that, would not take place before next year).

City-owned OUC, meanwhole, is claiming sovereign immunity, a point Judge Dalton must also rule on. Stay tuned....

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/environment/os-ne-ouc-coal-lawsuit-green-light-20200409-wn4qvlncqnhijig4ckjrrnxhiy-story.html

From the Sentinel 

What in the world? Its insane for people to be able to sue a builder for a power plant TWENTY THREE YEARS LATER. Awful judge. Statute of limitations is set to 10 years for good reason. Let alone the power plant visible from the homes providing ample warning.

[spenser1058]

While governors across the nation, both Democratic (Cuomo-NY, Newsome-CA) and Republican (DeWine-OH, Sununu-NH) have been getting rave reviews of their handling of COVID-19, Florida’s governor has seen his numbers take a hit and the state, as it has been often in the last 20 years, is seen as a tragic laughingstock. 

Even local officials across the state from both parties wonder why Tallahassee is so clueless. 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/11/why-ron-desantis-popularity-has-taken-a-hit-since-the-pandemic-started/

From the Tampa Bay Times

[spenser1058]

For those who insist that it’s only because of COVID-19 that Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis’ inept system has crashed and burned - well, the Sun-Sentinel reported on what a boondoggle it was IN 2015:

https://twitter.com/jdprx15/status/1249144899301244928?s=21

Worst of all, it was SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to keep our citizens from its use to make GOP numbers look better.

Yep, 20 years of awful governance has come home to roost. Let’s finally fix this, folks.

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

And there they go again. These idiots in Tallahassee will go to any lengths to protect their precious image no many how many of our most vulnerable citizens die:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241942211.html

From the Miami Herald

[AmIReal]

19 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

While governors across the nation, both Democratic (Cuomo-NY, Newsome-CA) and Republican (DeWine-OH, Sununu-NH) have been getting rave reviews of their handling of COVID-19, Florida’s governor has seen his numbers take a hit and the state, as it has been often in the last 20 years, is seen as a tragic laughingstock. 

Even local officials across the state from both parties wonder why Tallahassee is so clueless. 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/04/11/why-ron-desantis-popularity-has-taken-a-hit-since-the-pandemic-started/

From the Tampa Bay Times

DeSantis is one of the few govs who has seen his approval numbers decline during the pandemic.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/most-americans-like-how-their-governor-is-handling-the-coronavirus-outbreak/

[spenser1058]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/us/politics/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-endorsement.html?referringSource=articleShare

Thank you, Bernie!

[spenser1058]

While you and I are warned not to get a haircut, our Florida Governor has overridden the quarantine guidelines and declared the fake wrestling at WWE an “essential activity”. Why, you may ask? I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact Vince McMahon is a YUUGE contributor The Donald and The GOP. What else matters, right?

But wait, there’s more! The Wisconsin GOP insisted on conducting an election in the middle of a pandemic and even pulled the lackeys on the state supreme court and(!) SCOTUS to enforce the order. Even worse, only FIVE precincts were available in Milwaukee, the largest city (there’s usually 180). Well. The fine folks of Wisconsin, when offered the option of voting and dying, acted like, you know, citizens, took the risk.

The GOP seat on the WI supreme court the party was so keen to hold by these dirty tricks went down in flames to the Democrat.

These people respect nothing, but to quote Moscow Mitch, “Still we persist”. See you all in November despite the Republican attempt to kill us all to maintain power.

[spenser1058]

Meanwhile. In the Panhandle’s Walton County, Mike Huckabee, who tried to reverse a century old right of Florida citizens to have beach access and give it to the wealthy (like himself), has flip-flopped.

The county had closed the beach for public safety during the pandemic. He sued and demanded access. The court was not amused.

Are we detecting a pattern here? America is only for rich folks - no one else matters!

[spenser1058]

The folks in charge in Tallahassee these past 20 years insist we should “run Florida like a business.” Here’s what that means:

https://twitter.com/scott_maxwell/status/1250892130601652224?s=21

i’m glad we’ve cleared that up!

[spenser1058]

200 days until Election Day 2020 - did you register to Vote By Mail yet?

[spenser1058]

Totally a rumor at this point, but any thoughts on Blue Dog Stephanie Murphy vs. Marco in 2022? 

[spenser1058]

Florida swinging back to BLUE in 2020? CNN thinks it’s doable:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/18/politics/florida-2020-analysis/index.html

[spenser1058]

You probably know that the counties along the I-4 Corridor have been closely watched in federal election contests because, for the last couple of decades, it has been one of the swingiest regions in the swingiest state.

The six counties along the corridor (Pinellas is often included as well) haven’t been static. Orange and Osceola keep getting bluer; Seminole has become increasingly purple; Hillsborough and Pinellas have done some back and forth (in Hillsborough, Tampa’s pretty blue except Carrollwood, while they’re still flying Confederate flags over toward Seffner).

But the most intriguing changes are in Polk and Volusia.

Lakeland and Davenport (overflow from Poinciana with lots of WDW cast) are moving the formerly ruby red Polk more purple but we don’t know how many retiree  villages may sprout up over toward Winter Haven and Lake Wales. If one fine day @dcluley98 does indeed retire to WH, he can sign ‘em all up for the Yang Gang and that will take care of that.

Volusia, meanwhile, is likely to follow adjoining counties Brevard and Flagler as solid red. For years, as Deltona built out and became the county’s largest city, the growing Hispanic population moved Volusia blue.

Today, as the now Republican-led county council has opened the Palmetto Curtain to full sprawl, those areas are filling up with retirees in the LPGA areas and more conservative younger families in Port Orange.

We could see these trends become the new normal in November. Watch for them.

Also, one other thing about Seminole: other than Sanford, it’s pretty much as suburban as a county can be.

The main reason the US House flipped to the Democrats in 2018 was because the suburban congressional districts turned en masse against the president and his policies. Seminole County simply followed suit.

More amazingly, if this trend continues in November, look for several precincts in South Lake County (Turnpike commuters to Orlando) and West Orange to do the same thing.

Edited April 20, 2020 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Well, it’s official, the gang in Tallahassee that hasn’t been able to shoot straight for 20 years (ironi, given they are the puppets of NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer), is OFFICIALLY the worst in the Union at processing unemployment claims:

https://twitter.com/carlosgsmith/status/1252374037570842625?s=21

Yes, even worse than Mississippi, for God’s sake.

And, the sad part is, we know exactly why: the Florida GOP, following the lead of former Governor (now Senator) Rick Scott, intentionally designed it to be this way.

At least these idiots are consistent: they botched SunPass, they rolled back environmental protections and were shocked, shocked! I tell you, when we had the worst red tide blooms ever, they decimated the public schools and gave the money to private “academies” with few of the standards required of public schools and allowed them to discriminate against students who are disabled or gay.

This is your government, Florida. THE WORST IN THE COUNTRY. Let’s start fixing it in November.

Edited April 21, 2020 by spenser1058

[jgardnerucf]

Yowzers!

[spenser1058]

6 minutes ago, jgardnerucf said:

Yowzers!

That pretty much sums it up.

[spenser1058]

Your unfriendly, rapacious Florida GOP is now playing a game among its top leaders and legislators as to just WHOM was responsible for the intentionally designed disaster that is the DEO website.

As it happens, there are STILL a lot of folks who aided and abetted this disaster going back to 2011. Guess what: EVERY person who voted for this disaster still in government is a REPUBLICAN.

Meanwhile, those DEMOCRATS voting at the time who are still here ALL VOTED NO.

As the Florida GOP tries to play Whack-A-Mole and pass the blame for this mess. all you need to know is this: it was the GOP all the way down.

20 years of disastrous government in Tallahassee and now THE WORST GOVERNMENT IN THE COUNTRY on unemplyment. Fix this, Florida!

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-edit-keeping-track-lawmakers-punish-unemployed-workers-20200414-oj5mdgpbbnasxdb5ldlveuy3dy-story.htm

From the Sun-Sentinel 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spenser1058]

A fifth generation Floridian whose family has long been active in Republican politics discovers there’s no room for him in the party he was raised in (a local story):

https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/10/11/republican-party-out-closet

From The Advocate