Opinion: “The Promise of Litigation Reform”

By John C. Kramner For decades, Florida has been viewed as one of the worst places to do business, mainly because of our litigious justice system.  We seemed to be stuck on the annual “Judicial Hellholes” list put out every year by the American Tort Reform Association. That all changed in 2023 when Governor Ron […]

Stewart: City Commission Pay Raise is a Bad Idea

Stewart: City Commission Pay Raise is a Bad Idea

This Wednesday the City Commission will vote to take another step towards placing a referendum on the 2024 general election ballot asking City electors to decide whether the City Charter should be amended to raise the salary of the members of the City Commission. In my view, this is a bad idea. But first the […]

Opinion: We Need A Special Session for Lawsuit Reform

Opinion: We Need A Special Session for Lawsuit Reform

The Florida Legislative session concluded March 8 and while so much progress has been made to restore balance to the tort system in Florida, much remains to be done. Make no mistake about it.  Due to the work of the legislature and governor in last year’s legislative session, Florida’s lawsuit culture has improved by leaps […]

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 […]