Rep. Darryl Rouson (D-St Petersburg) two weeks ago claimed to have the commitments of a majority of members of the House Democratic caucus and was ready to call a vote to become Democratic Leader Designee. Last week in Tallahassee, sources indicate members were lobbied intensely by consultants associated with the party as well as some …
Exclusive: Developments in House Democratic Leader Race Read More »
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of only four Americans honored by a federal holiday. Some states have other Americans or Confederates to honor. For example, in Virginia Abraham Lincoln is not honored by President’s Day, but Robert E. Lee is honored on Washington/Lee Day. Here in Florida, the birthday of Senator Jefferson Davis, who …
Florida 500: Martin Luther King Jr’s Impact on 1970s Florida Read More »
The oldest city in what is now the United States provided the backdrop for a tense summer in 1964. Florida under the leadership of Governor Ferris Bryant was defiant in the civil rights era. Bryant who followed the visionary Leroy Collins was a decided step back for the Florida. The Florida Legislature of the early …
Florida 500: Martin Luther King Jr. and St Augustine Read More »
Twenty years ago, voters in Florida were asked to add a constitutional amendment to Florida Constitution to term limit the members of the Florida House and Florida Senate. The amendment, which was pushed with the slogan “Eight is Enough”, passed with 77% of the vote. While many on the Democratic side were against it, Republicans were …
The Beatles made only one concert appearance in Florida. That was in September 1964, just months after the Beatles had spent several days vacationing in southeast Florida before a February 16th performance on Ed Sullivan Show being recorded in Miami Beach. The concert was scheduled for Jacksonville on September 11, 1964. Just a week earlier …
Florida 500: September 1964 – Hurricane Dora and the Beatles Rock Jacksonville Read More »
At first, many people don’t associate ice hockey with Florida. The temperature in the state rarely gets below freezing and there have only been four players in the NHL who have been born in Florida. But even with this lack ice, snow and experience, Florida has slowly become a decent hockey state. In fact, only …
Florida 500: The History of Ice Hockey in Florida Read More »
Perhaps no piece of legislation has been more damaging to the American dream than Ronald Reagan’s irresponsible tax cuts passed in 1981. These tax cuts sent the US economy into a deep recession and allowed Reagan to build up a bigger Federal deficit than the every previous President combined. Much of the US economic engine …
A Tangential History of the Tamiami Trail By Ross Hancock Kartik’s recent series on the history of the Florida Turnpike got me thinking about a road project from an earlier time that also had a great impact on the state. On so many beautiful days like today, I have crossed the peninsula …
When the Turnpike was originally proposed the road was supposed to travel thirty five miles east of Orlando. Thomas B. Manual, a Broward County Commissioner and chair of the Turnpike Commission sought to link southeast Florida with the First Coast. Ferris Bryant, an influential legislator from Ocla, pushed Governor LeRoy Collins. Bryant, using his considerable …
Florida 500: History of the Florida Turnpike (Part 2) Read More »
In many ways, 1992 could be considered the birth of Democratic Party politics in Central Florida. Up until that time, Republicans were in complete control of the political landscape in Central Florida. But in 1992, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton and his running mate Al Gore thought that the I-4 Corridor was important enough that …
Florida 500: 1992 – Central Florida’s “craziest” election? Read More »
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