Storms are a fact of life for the 20-plus million that call ourselves Floridians. Mother Nature reminded us of this when Hurricane Irma made her one-two punch – the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005. Before and after Irma’s impact, Floridians responded.
The Florida House of Representatives has recently espoused a philosophy of not “picking winners and losers,” but House Bill 1A does just that. As I watched Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, and Speaker Richard Corcoran announce their plans for a special session to discuss tourism funding, I felt hopeful for the fate of Florida’s tourism industry. However, my optimism faded when I read the strict VISIT Florida provisions tucked inside House Bill 1A. Of course, I am deeply…
Former President Bill Clinton will address the Florida Education Association’s conference in Orlando Friday and then go on a bus tour to rallies in Jacksonville, Panama City and Pensacola, the Hillary For America campaign announced Wednesday. Clinton’s two-day, four-city swing on behalf of his wife Hillary Clinton‘s Democratic presidential bid begins Monday morning with an address to the teachers union’s delegate assembly Friday morning. The event is closed to the public. From there he’ll be riding a bus to Jacksonville for…
An appeals court has decided not to revive a lawsuit filed after a man was hurt by a collapsing movie theater seat in Pensacola. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal Monday unanimously agreed that a lower court was right to grant summary judgment against Isaac Simmons. Summary judgments allow parties to win a case without a trial. Simmons had filed suit as a product liability case. Wrong move, the courts said. “(The) seating system is an integral part of the movie theater’s operation,” Monday’s opinion…
National Ice Cream Day is Sunday, but ride-hailing service Uber announced it would celebrate the holiday a couple of days early in Florida with #UberIceCream. The company said between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, users can open their app, set their location and request “ICE CREAM” at the bottom. A few minutes later, users can expect a pair of Magnum ice cream bars to be delivered free of charge. “Ice cream is the frozen treat that everyone loves —…
Sen. Greg Evers is running for Florida’s 1st Congressional District seat left vacant by retiring U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller. Evers filed his candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Monday. He had made a formal announcement in Milton. Evers’ move to jump into the race for the deep-red Northwest Florida seat sets up a contentious GOP primary race against Rep. Matt Gaetz, who filed for the seat in March. The decision comes after the hometown Northwest Florida Daily News reported Evers was favored against Gaetz…
Today on Context Florida: Steve Schale explains why Hillary Clinton should easily defeat Bernie Sanders in Florida’s presidential primary. For the first time in a while, the Florida Democratic Primary will mean something. For Bernie Sanders, it is a chance to prove he can win a big, diverse state. For Hillary Clinton, it is an opportunity to solidify her position as the party’s standard-bearer. Yet, unless something dramatic changes, Schale says Clinton will win Florida and firmly position herself as the…
