Bill Nelson

Mayan Calendar Predictions Versus Reality

Charlie Crist Goes Full Democrat Finally, Officially, For Real This Time

After pretty much doing it unofficially over the last few years, former Florida governor Charlie Crist finally made his defection over to the Democrats over the weekend. The signs have been there for some time. -- In 2010, he left the Republican party in a failed attempt at U.S. Senate bid. -- Th ... More >>

Speakeasy Politics: Dozens of Candidates to Meet With Yuppies Tonight in West Palm Beach

Twenty Palm Beach County young-professional organizations have come together to host a pretty impressive roster of local and state political candidates for a free evening of schmoozing and stumping tonight in West Palm Beach.It's probably worth stopping by if you're interested in politics, as long a ... More >>

Rick Scott Wants Your Money to Continue His Dumb Voter-Purge Crusade

Rick Scott, who got back on the voter-purge horse last week in order to weed out the hundreds of thousands 198 people who would totally compromise elections, is now asking for donations to help his cause. See also: Rick Scott Continues Dumb Voter-Purge Crusade In a letter signed by Scott, Gov. McC ... More >>

Charlie Crist Will Switch to Democrat, According To Rumors

See also: Dear Dems, Please Do Not Run Charlie Crist for GovernorIn probably what is the least-shocking news ever, former Governor Charlie Crist might be switching over to Democrat this week. Saint Petersblog's Peter Schorsch tweeted out that a rumor is going around the Republican National ... More >>

New Poll: Connie Mack Leading Bill Nelson By Wide Margin

Republican Senate candidate Connie Mack started the day yesterday with some ugly press: The National Journal was looking at the possibility that Republicans could take back the Senate in November, and they weren't optimistic about the chances:The odds of Republicans taking back the upper chamber are ... More >>

Jeb Bush: I Will "Under No Circumstances" Be Vice President (VIDEO)

Quick audible on today's Jeb Bush update: This post was originally about Bush endorsing Republican Rep. Connie Mack in the Senate race for Bill Nelson's seat, which is news because people like Jeb and a former governor endorsing a primary candidate means it's either a sure thing or Bush thinks the g ... More >>

George LeMieux Camp Says Maybe Connie Mack's Water Bill Is So Low Because He Drinks Tiger Blood

While it's not clear if a Republican can beat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November, the fight for the Republican nomination has no shortage of interesting rhetorical maneuverings.The most recent spat between George LeMieux and Rep. Connie Mack started over a web ad the LeMieux campaign released t ... More >>

Failed Presidential Candidates Weighing in on Florida Senate Race

The Florida Senate race has gotten some national attention the past few days -- two of the Republican challengers to incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson got endorsements from people who used to be running for president.Republican George Lemieux received an endorsement from Herman Cain over the wee ... More >>

South Florida Muslims Seek a New Way to Get Along in the Wake of Terrorism Charges and Bigotry

Herman Cain Makes a Comeback! (In Ad for Steak Salesman/Senate Candidate Craig Miller)

Herman Cain is trying to work his magic again, this time by being featured in the new advertisement for U.S. Senate Republican hopeful and former Ruth's Chris steak house CEO Craig Miller.

Prisonville, Florida: Low Taxes and Big Yards, All for the Price of a Box Full of Immigrants

Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Ted Deutch Happen to Get Money From SOPA Supporters

​Believe it or not, South Florida Democratic Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Ted Deutch -- supporters of the Stop Online Piracy Act -- happened to get a lot of money from interest groups supporting the legislation.According to the nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization MapLight, Wasserman ... More >>

Marco Rubio Dropping His Support of the PROTECT IP Act

Sen. Marco Rubio​That was quick. Less than an hour ago, Sen. Marco Rubio announced he no longer supports the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) -- the Senate version of the Stop Online Privacy (SOPA) -- which he was previously a cosponsor of.As we noted this morning, two South Florida congressional representat ... More >>

Frederica Wilson Had Worst Attendance Out of Florida's Congressional Delegation

​No member of Florida's congressional delegation missed more votes this year than South Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson.In fact, South Florida Democrats -- excluding Rep. Alcee Hastings -- had some of the worst attendance records in the state, as Wilson, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and ... More >>

Connie Mack Makes His U.S. Senate Run Official

​Although one of Republican Rep. Connie Mack's advisers announced that the congressman was running for U.S. senator in 2012 more than a month ago, it's not official until there's a Fox News appearance involved.Mack appeared on Sean Hannity's show to make his formal announcement, spending most of h ... More >>

Mitt Romney Leads New Florida Poll; Ron Paul Most Unfavorable Candidate but Places Fourth

​With this afternoon's release of Public Policy Polling's survey of Florida Republican voters, Florida became the first Southern state polled by the firm that didn't select Texas Gov. Rick Perry as its front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.Instead, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ... More >>

Rick Perry Leads Florida Poll Going Into Debate, Followed by Mitt Romney and Still... Sarah Palin

Texas Gov. Rick Perry​Without much difference from the national poll released the day of the CNN/Tea Party express GOP presidential debate two weeks ago, most Florida Republicans would pick Texas Gov. Rick Perry as their presidential nominee, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released ... More >>

Patrick Murphy Also Contributed to Charlie Crist's U.S. Senate Campaign

Murphy for CongressPatrick Murphy​After yesterday's story that 2012 congressional candidate Patrick Murphy was the only recipient of campaign contributions from former Gov. Charlie Crist for this election cycle, we've discovered that Murphy also donated to Crist's failed U.S. Senate bid.According ... More >>

President Obama Blamed for Stealing All of Marco Rubio's Internets

​Somebody call Al Gore.Sen. Marco Rubio's official website has been down for nearly an entire day, and the St. Petersburg Times thinks President Barack Obama is to blame.Obama asked last night that people call all of their legislators to ask them to find a compromise on all this debt-ceiling drama ... More >>

Mike Haridopolos Quits U.S. Senate Race, Leaves Boring YouTube Video

Mike Haridopolos, Florida Senate President and quitter.​Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos announced this morning he's dropping out of the race to take on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012.Haridopolos was competing in an overly crowded field of GOP candidates to take on Nelson, and despite lead ... More >>

Allen West Raises $1.5 Million in Second Quarter, Drowning Patrick Murphy's Excitement

Rep. Allen West, possibly replacing his pupils with dollar signs.​Patrick Murphy -- Rep. Allen West's young opponent in the 2012 election -- had a lot to be excited about last week when he announced he'd raised $450,000 last quarter in his bid to unseat West.Yesterday, though, West released his qu ... More >>

Mitt Romney Leads Obama in Hypothetical Matchup, Sunshine State News Poll Says

Willard Mitt Romney​Let the horserace begin -- in a poll commissioned by Sunshine State News, pollsters say Florida voters would vote for Republican Mitt Romney over Democratic President Barack Obama in a hypothetical matchup between the two for president.In a survey of 1,000 likely Florida voters ... More >>

Adam Hasner Thinks Being a Fringe Candidate Can Win Him a Senate Spot

Adam Hasner​Touting yourself as a lunatic has just become a political campaign strategy.Adam Hasner -- the former Florida House majority leader who represented parts of southern Palm Beach County and northern Broward County -- thinks acting like a right-wing extremist will get him elected to the U ... More >>

Rick Scott's Administration Moves Like The Mob

Public records? Fuggedaboutit​With a governor who once invoked the Fifth Amendment 75 times, it's only fitting that his administration instills mafia codes into their office policy, which seems like something plucked straight from a Martin Scorsese film. Anyone who's seen the classic movie "Casino ... More >>

Voter Suppression Back in Style; Let's Party Like It's 1869

Screw the 15th Amendment. This is Florida.​Florida's legislative attack on voter rights easily passed the House last week and looks like it will surely sail through the Senate to become law. We're not alone, though. Our state's attempt to disenfranchise a massive amount of its citizens is actuall ... More >>

Florida Prisoners Lead The Nation in Tax Fraud

​Florida is number one again. The state that holds the championship belt in oxycodone consumption now leads the U.S. in fraudulent tax returns filed from prison. Perhaps our prisoners are trying to emulate the leadership traits of Captain Medicaid Fraud, aka Gov. Rick Scott. Florida inmates filed ... More >>

Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos Slammed for Using Taxpayer Money to Write Useless Book

​It was fodder for Florida columnists all week. By Saturday, the hypocrisy and intellectual ineptitude of Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos was on national display via the New York Times' op-ed page. Last week, the AP reported that Haridopolos, a so-called fiscally conservative Republican, ... More >>

Clinton Gives a Sign That Robert Levinson, Broward Man Who Disappeared in 2007, is Alive

​Robert Levinson's family says that the retired FBI agent was in Iran to investigate a cigarette-smuggling case when he disappeared in Iran in 2007. Since then, his family has urged the Iranian government to cooperate with an investigation, to little avail. No news of his whereabouts or whether he ... More >>

Judge Bounces Berger Singerman From Rothstein Bankruptcy Suit

In a blow to the lead counsel in the Rothstein bankruptcy case, Judge Raymond Ray disqualified the Berger Singerman law firm from representing the trustee in a clawback suit against Qtask, a California company in which Scott Rothstein invested millions of dollars i ... More >>

Alex Sink and Rick Scott: The Lost Debate

People are trying to make a big deal that Alex Sink's campaign relayed a forbidden message to her with a cell phone during the CNN debate. Cal Deal Who will replace this guy? ​But people seem to be missing the really scary part: Rick Scott thought the message was ... More >>

[UPDATED] It's Splitsville for Charlie Crist's Broward Bromance

​While he was a Republican Senate candidate, Charlie Crist didn't have an inner circle so much as a triangle. And all three points on that triangle were from Broward County. George LeMieux, the governor's former chief of staff, whom Crist appointed to the U.S. Senate last August; Eric Eikenberg, w ... More >>

"Maestro" Doesn't Like Charlie's New Tune

FlickrLeMieux's an expert on self-preservation, much like his star pupil, Crist.​The friendship between Charlie Crist and his chief handler, Broward native George LeMieux appears to be one of the casualties of the 2010 Senate race. Today LeMieux, who was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Crist last ... More >>

Would LeMieux Endorse Rubio if Crist Goes Indy?

If LeMieux wants another Senate office, he might have to throw Crist under the bus.​Sen. George LeMieux, the architect of Charlie Crist gubernatorial campaign, who owes his current job to the governor, is said to be considering giving an endorsement to Marco Rubio in the event that Crist declares ... More >>

Chinese Drywall Has Left Tens of Thousands of Homeowners Out of Options

Mo' Mustache Countdown: No. 4

myfwc.comRon Bergeron's mustache: because the 10-gallon hat alone isn't manly enough.​Developer Ron Bergeron is arguably the most powerful man in West Broward. Politicians, lobbyists, journalists: Mere crumbs in a single mighty mustache. Among Bergeron's many manly acts this year. This summer he d ... More >>

On the Hunt for Exotic Lizards in the Florida Everglades

For Coral Springs Family, Stakes Are High for This Year's Election of the Century

Robert LevinsonThat election is this June in Iran, pitting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of the Religious Neanderthal Republic of Iran, against Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a "reformist" who would moderate some of the nation's hard-line policies on human rights and in international diplomacy. That is, he'd ... More >>

War Between Obama Mamas and Palin Pretties in Lake Worth

Engle's Angle

Crist Is King

Bill Scherer's fall from grace is a clear sign from Jeb that he's chosen a successor

The Hospital on the Hill

A mean-spirited VA medical center director has patient care playing distant second to the bottom line

Ammo Blues

Maybe it's time for George W. to bring in the camels

Relax -- We've Got Ideas

The Graham campaign tries to show its mettle in Hollywood -- Grahamlessly

Queen of the Recount

Carol Roberts may not beat Clay Shaw, but don't count her out

Waiting For Otto

Why would a man sullied by Iran-contra and illegal propaganda campaigns be a Bush nominee? Good question.

Blowing Smoke

Andre Fladell doesn't change his clothes much, but he's made quite a splash in the national media

Undercurrents

Conservative coverage in the Senate and in the bar

Short Cuts

Magnolia Soundtrack, Central Avenue Sounds, Sheila Nicholls

Politics as Blood Sport

Need to oust a school superintendent or get your favorite Democratic candidate elected? Just call Andre Fladell. But don't ever cross him.