Free Republic

Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl announced late last week that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for the District 91 seat in the Florida House of Representatives, a run that until then had widely been expected. The announcement came less than two days after Republican Yomin Postelnik announced his candidacy for the seat being vacated by current Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff. Bogdanoff is running for the Florida Senate and is the clear frontrunner to replace State Senator Jeff Atwater, who announced his bid for State Chief Financial Officer late last month. When Bogdanoff, a former foster mother with extensive community...

Warning: Unless you put up a roadblock this minute, soon Florida Republicans will "Dubai" all the state's assets. Once again, Elephants in the Florida Legislature have sold their souls, assuming they ever had any. Routinely, they barter the public interest for a buck. This time, in a scheme that only Halliburton could hail, House Republicans just passed H.B. 7033, giving private companies virtual monopoly ownership of most of Florida's toll roads. (Democratic state Reps. Susan Bucher and Keith Fitzgerald told me they were outraged.) That's right! If the scheme becomes law, corporate interests will be able to make a profit...

TALLAHASSEE -- The parents of girls under 18 would have to be notified when their daughters are seeking an abortion under one of two abortion measures approved Wednesday by legislative committees. The other would spell out an array of regulations that abortion clinics would have to abide by, from rules dealing with sterilizing equipment and the training of employees to requirements for having certain rooms and equipment. Sponsors of that bill said it's aimed at making sure abortion clinics are safe, noting they're not regulated as thoroughly as other health care facilities. But opponents said the bill simply singles out...