Bitchin’ Car, Al! But How Will You Explain It to Stacy?

The Broward Sheriff’s Office is rolling out a fleet pair of 2009 Dodge Challengers,* but if this is the first you’ve heard about it, that’s probably because they arrive amid a fierce round of budget slashing in other county agencies. Not exactly a climate for bragging about muscle cars.It’s a…

Aronberg Derails Gravy Train for State Contractors

Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres has convinced the Florida Department of Transportation to abandon its practice of awarding automatic annual raises to private contractors, and now the Florida attorney general candidate is going after other state agencies.As Juice reported a few weeks ago, “escalation clauses” are a boom-era fad that…

Hallandale Beach Police Union Dispute Makes Strange Bed Partners

  That’s a video of a recent protest by the Broward County Police Benevolent Association, which is turning up the heat on Hallandale Beach City Manager Mike Good for stalling on contract talks with the city’s cops. But since that hasn’t worked, the PBA has moved to phase two, circulating…

For Wexler, It’s Hard to Be Good Cop When White House Is So Bad

By helping Obama win Florida, Congressman Robert Wexler earned himself a higher profile in Washington, but the new administration has also placed him in some no-win foreign-policy situations.Wexler, who is Jewish and has a large Jewish constituency in his central Palm Beach and north Broward district, has the unenviable task…

Tonight, Crist to Feed on Fort Lauderdale’s Bluest Blood

Charlie Crist will appear at a fundraiser tonight at the Tower Club in downtown Fort Lauderdale. For those who want to roll VIP, the price is five grand.Not sure if that’s a discount from the club’s monthly rate (membership director didn’t return a call immediately), but I suppose this is…

Rep. Hastings Backs Off Helping Gays in Military, Digs at Obama

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-Miramar) tried to help gays in the military but says he has been forced to back off “due to pressure from some of my Congressional colleagues and from the White House.” Yesterday, he withdrew his proposed amendment to H.R. 3326, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act,…

Commissioner Rodstrom: Yep, Gretsas Meeting was “P.R. Stunt”

Yesterday, I wrote about local businessman and political busybody Earl Rynerson having called out City Manager George Gretsas for holding two controversial meetings for city employees. Today, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom chimed in on the matter. Although she didn’t go as far as Rynerson (who likened Gretsas to…

Stimulated Yet? Tiny Boca Airport Gets Millions From Feds

Millions of dollars for police officers, schools, roads, bridges — no one’s going to argue with most of these federally funded stimulus projects. In tough times, people want cops, teachers, and construction crews to stay on the job and pump money back into our battered economy. But the Boca Raton…

City Manager Gretsas = Hitler?

Anyone who paid attention to Fort Lauderdale’s most recent mayoral elections may remember Earl Rynerson, a local businessman (he owns a tile company) who ran unsuccessfully for the seat now occupied by Jack Seiler. Despite losing the election, Rynerson hasn’t stopped sticking his nose in the goings-on at City Hall…

Hallandale Rep Clashes With Blue Dog in Black Caucus

Joe Gibbons better watch out. Not only is he no longer chairman of the Florida Legislature’s black caucus. But the new chairman is Gary Siplin, the state senator from Orlando famous for trying to put a crucified Christ on the Florida license plate. And Siplin doesn’t share Gibbons’ highfalutin notions…

Hey, GOP: Why Not Let Mrs. California Proselytize to Floridians?

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video.One is a beautiful, single, 21-year-old who poses seminude and is prone to tone-deaf, divisive political commentary. The other is a beautiful, married 34-year-old with three children and whose political cause is increasing child literacy. Which of these two would make a better ambassador for…

Man and Beast: Delray Great Place to Live, If You’re a Shark

Delray Beach City Commissioners may balk at housing too many ex-drug addicts, but at least they did vote last Tuesday to make Delray a safe haven for sharks. The commission banned shark fishing on the Delray municipal beach or within 300 feet of it. Or, they didn’t exactly ban it;…

Tides Foundation Funds Florida Culture War

Ruh-roh. Just when you thought you’d finally stuffed all those pesky gay people back into the closet where they belong, along comes an organization like the Tides Foundation, which has just awarded a $150,000 grant to “educate and train gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender leaders across Florida.” That’s all we…

Obamas: We’d Rather Be in Cleveland

Anyone else a little miffed that Barack and Michelle have chosen to go campaigning for health-care reform in Cleveland instead of South Florida? Is our health care not bad enough for you?Even the Plain Dealer acknowledges that the president is  “us[ing] Cleveland as a backdrop to flog Congress into action.”…

Ex-Husband Maligns Crist Donors

Charlie Crist and wife Carole Rome are recently returned from a star-studded fundraising trip to the Hamptons. Rome’s ex, Todd Rome, was not invited, probably because he was a threat to give a toast like the one he gave to the New York Post:”THEY figure they might as well come…

Uh-Oh! Nut-Stomping Deerfield Blogger Laces Up a Steel-Toed Boot…

Marty Popelsky is the latest Deerfield Beach commissioner to wander into the crosshairs of the city’s ethics-obsessed blogger, Chaz Stevens. The man behind Acts of Sedition tells Juice that later today, he’ll publish a post that details a flagrant abuse of power by Popelsky. He’ll then blast that post across…

Cash Dries Up in Key Races for Dems

On paper, the congressional district of Rep. Bill Young of St. Petersburg would seem to be one of the best chances for the Democratic Party to pick up a seat. Although Young has kept that district Republican for almost 30 years, it went for Obama last November, and at 78…