Senate Takes a Bite Out of Ethics Complaints

Senate Takes a Bite Out of Ethics Complaints

By Bill Cotterell, The News Service of Florida The Florida Senate wants to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Florida Commission on Ethics by shortening the leash on that somewhat toothless watchdog and — if anybody still has any idealistic expectations — further weakening public confidence in the integrity of our state’s elected officials. With […]

Jon Ausman: Charter Review Committee Should Recommend City Districts

Jon Ausman: Charter Review Committee Should Recommend City Districts

There are twenty-two municipalities in the United States that have populations within ten thousand (10,000) people of the population of the City of Tallahassee. The average size of the city commissions of these municipalities, including Tallahassee, is 8.2 members.  The largest commission is Overland Park (Kansas) which has thirteen commissioners. Four other cities, including two city-county […]

Stewart: Despite Facts, Local Progressives Say Violent Crime is “Way Down”

Stewart: Despite Facts, Local Progressives Say Violent Crime is “Way Down”

Despite a number of independent sources reporting increases in violent crime in Tallahassee, the progressive activists in control of the Leon County Democratic Party are promoting the claim that “violent crime is way down” and attribute reports related to crime increases to right wing media manipulation. The leader of the Leon County Democratic Executive Committee, […]

Opinion: LCS Official Reference to “Gender Identity” has Important Implications

Opinion: LCS Official Reference to “Gender Identity” has Important Implications

By Priscilla West On November 14th, Leon County School Board Chair Rosanne Wood moved to replace “gender” with “gender identity” in the district’s nondiscrimination statement.  The amendment was approved in a 4-1 vote, with only member Alva Striplin in opposition.  This seemingly innocuous change has important implications. While Florida law no longer allows classroom instruction […]

Stewart: Thanksgiving Will Be Different This Year

Stewart: Thanksgiving Will Be Different This Year

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The four day celebration combines family, friends, football, food, and traditions. The seasonal decorations and putting the leaf in the dinner table adds to to the anticipation of seeing friends and family together for the first time in months and in some cases, more than a year. Lately, one of […]

Legal Reforms Impact Insurance Rates

Think about this simple fact for a second.  Florida makes up just 10% of the nation’s property insurance market.  But up until earlier this year, we make up 70% of the nation’s insurance lawsuits.  When the governor and legislature passed the lawsuit reform bill this past April, over 100,000 lawsuits were filed in one week […]

Stewart: Matlow Supported SOMO Walls Project with Vote for $750k, Now Sees “Criminal” Activity

Stewart: Matlow Supported SOMO Walls Project with Vote for $750k, Now Sees “Criminal” Activity

Ahead of a Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency (IA) vote on a request for economic development funding by the developer of the SOMO Walls project, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow stated on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he believes “something criminal might be going on” with the project. However, what has not been reported amid these accusation […]

Terry Ryan: Lake Munson Needs More Help

Terry Ryan: Lake Munson Needs More Help

Hundreds of citizens have called for Leon County and the City of Tallahassee to review the erroneous decision to drawdown Lake Munson in light of the discovery of a Florida Department of Environmental Protection 2011 Lake Munson Drawdown Report which concluded drawdowns only address 20% removal of phosphorus, the main instigator of toxic harmful blooms (https://www.change.org/RestoreLakeMunson). […]

West: Proposed School Library Checkout Procedure Will be Disastrous

West: Proposed School Library Checkout Procedure Will be Disastrous

By Priscilla West Leon County Schools is making plans for a book-by-book permission system for library checkouts.  Parental screening options are welcomed, but the plan sidesteps parents’ greater need for LCS to do the right thing:  Please curate school library collections to be educational, enriching, and age appropriate.  While school libraries do a great job […]

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