State & National News - Rick's Blog

Circuit Judge declares marriage ban unconstitutional

Today, Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Luis M. Garcia issued a ruling declaring the state of Floridaâ€™s ban on marriage for same-sex couples unconstitutional. The…

Crist taps Annette Taddeo as Running Mate

Charlie Crist, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, today announced Miami businesswoman Annette Taddeo as his nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Taddeo is the…

Wild West Florida: Felons can use ‘Stand Your Ground’

An appeals court Wednesday said a convicted felon could use the state’s “stand your ground” self-defense law to seek immunity from prosecution in the shooting…

Putnam: Beware of Giant Land Snails

With inspectors at Los Angeles International Airport confiscating 67 Giant African Land Snails, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam issued a warning Tuesday about the destructive…

Prison Captain fired for failing to report on criminal activity

With the Florida Department of Corrections under heavy scrutiny, Secretary Michael Crews on Tuesday ordered the firing of a Columbia Correctional Institution captain because of…

Breaking News: Legislature won’t appeal redistricting map ruling

House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz said this morning the Legislature does not plan to appeal a judge’s ruling that struck down…

Context Florida: Sanity comes to immigration reform debate

My latest column for Context Florida: A political odd couple recently held a press conference in Tallahassee on what has been a hot button issue…

Judge strikes down Congressional Map

By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA In a highly anticipated ruling, a Leon County judge struck down a map of the state’s congressional…

Scott earns NRA love

By JIM TURNER THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott appears nearly bulletproof right now in the eyes of the National Rifle Association. That…

Nagin sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud and bribery

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Jr. was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison for his Feb. 12 conviction of fraud, bribery and…

Corrections employees sue, claiming retaliation

By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA Four investigators for the Florida Department of Corrections have filed a lawsuit against the agency, saying they’ve…

Public employees fired over Facebook comments

The Sun-Sentinel reports today that two Broward County assistant public defenders were fired yesterday for Facebook comments calling Palestinians “cockroaches” and “filthy swine.” The newspaper…

Candidate’s qualifying check bounced

South Florida Democratic Rep. David Richardson no longer has an opponent for his District 113 seat. The state Division of Elections on Wednesday disqualified Richardson’s…

Even Crist’s supporters are questioning his political future

Peter Schorsch runs the most influential political blog in the state of Florida, SaintPetersBlog.com. He also runs Context Florida, a web service that post ediorial…

Viewpoint: A long time coming

By Michelle Wilson, Executive Director Florida Commission on Human Relations On July 2, 2014, the Florida Commission on Human Relations will join the State of…

GOP strategist reviews book about Greer that skewers Crist

A frequent guest on the most recent version of IN Your Head Radio was GOP political strategist Rick Wilson. The owner of Florida-based political consulting…

Florida GI BIll, E-Cigarette Ban, Among New Florida Laws July 1

By Jim Turner THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA On Tuesday, the state’s record-setting, $77 billion election-year budget goes into effect, along with 157 other bills…

DCF has its own secret list, involves child deaths

By Marge Menzel, The News Service of Florida THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, June 24, 2014……….As the Florida Department of Children and Families rolls out a new…