HR 4239, given the purposely misleading title of “SECURE American Energy Act,” would greatly undermine our coastal ecosystems, communities, and economy by fast tracking the use of seismic airgun blasting and other industrial activities up and down the Atlantic Coast. This would open up one of Florida’s greatest assets - our coast and beaches - to oil drilling.here
FOR a classic ultra-right wing initiative to require cost/benefit analysis of every regulatory change (which even the Republican controlled FL legislature has repeatedly vetoed),
FOR a ridiculous change to the ACA which does nothing more than punish working families while simultaneously putting more money into the pockets of WalMart. And this is only her FIRST WEEK in Congress." SourceTampa Bay Timeshere ------- Tired of losing. Tired of voting for Democrats beholden to Wall Street. Following groups that support these Dems? You are not alone. A recent poll shows that most Democratic voters want the party to move lleft. The party would be best served in embracing its more liberal wing rather than appealing to an ever-dwindling group of centrists.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, who made education reform the hallmark of his two terms in office, is praising a new state law that could spur the growth of charter schools in Florida.here
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Legislation (HB 7069) “Schools of hope” is meant to generate new charter schools near struggling public schools.
The law faces legal challenges, with the latest coming from a group of school districts that want the Florida Supreme Court to overturn the measure.
“You know you’re doing the right thing when you get sued by school districts,” said Bush
The 26-year-old, serves as the deputy political director of the immigrant rights group Florida Immigrant Coalition and is the chair of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party Progressive Caucus. He has developed a reputation as one of the leading voices of South Florida’s new Left.here
JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S OFFICE issues hundreds of pedestrian citations a year, drawing on an array of 28 separate statutes governing how people get around on foot in Florida’s most populous city.
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A ProPublica/Florida Times-Union analysis shows. The pedestrian tickets — typically costing $65, but carrying the power to damage one’s credit or suspend a driver’s license if unpaid — were disproportionately issued to blacks, almost all of them in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. In the last five years, blacks received 55 percent of all pedestrian tickets in Jacksonville, while only accounting for 29 percent of the population.here
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A truck driver, a mother, a lawyer and a number of young men offer their accounts of walking while black. here
Dr. Pacheco was born in the immigrant community of Ybor City in Tampa, Florida, to J.D. and Consuela Pacheco. He is of Spaniard-Cuban descent, and bilingual. His father was a pharmacist, and Ferdie sometimes helped out in the neighborhood drugstore owned by his father, sparking an interest in medicine. In his early teenage years, Pacheco got a job as a waiter at the Columbia Restaurant.
Boxing was a popular sport in Ybor City, with amateur matches regularly held at the Circulo Cubano de Tampa and other clubs and venues around the neighborhood. Though not a boxer himself, Pacheco took an early interest in the sport and attended many bouts. wikipedia
------------------ A state watchdog says it is "deeply troubling" that Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan is seeking reimbursement from four citizens for legal bills that stemmed from ethics complaints against him.here
Still waiting for the Cross Bay Ferry to return? It’s going to be a while.
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The ferry experiment connecting the downtowns of Tampa and St. Petersburg was lauded as a success.
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Considering Tampa was one of the four initial partners who covered the trial-run’s operating costs — Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and St. Petersburg also chipped in. Buckhorn’s lack of interest complicated bringing the boat back for a second season. here
To: Governor of Florida, State Representatives, State Senators, Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Police Chief of Tampa, Hillsborough County Commission, City of Tampa Council, Plant City Commission, Plant City Manager, Plant City Mayor and Vice Mayor.
The Legislature has tried to prevent cities and counties from adopting new regulations.
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City and county rules protecting trees are the next battleground in the rolling fight between local governments and the Florida Legislature.
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Sen. Greg Steube, of Sarasota,arguably the most right-wing member of the state Legislature is taking aim at tree ordinances, saying rules limiting the trimming and removal of trees infringe on property rights.Source ---------
Katie Edwards, a Democrat from Plantation is also in on it. here
Are these guys getting paid by the power companies?