Florida Politics Archives

Florida Workers Owed Billions in Unpaid Overtime

February 21, 2023 Buck Banks

$11.4 billion

According to a wages study done by law firm Bisnar Chase, the average Florida employee in the private sector worked about 2.5 hours of “unpaid overtime” per week during 2022. The national average for unpaid OT is 2.1 hours. When this figure is applied to the number of exempt workers in the Sunshine State (and based on the median wage), and then annualized, Florida workers are collectively owed about $11.4 billion in backpay, researchers said.

Biden Entreats God to Enlighten Republicans

November 2, 2022November 2, 2022 Buck Banks

“God, give some of our Republican friends some enlightenment.”

— President Joe Biden, campaigning in Florida Tuesday, the AP reports.

Less Than Half of Floridians Want to Re-Elect Rubio

March 10, 2021 Buck Banks

46%

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds 46% of voters think Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) should be reelected in 2022, while 40% don’t. No major Democrat has emerged to run against him, so the poll could only cite “a Democrat” as an alternative.

Bloomberg Commits $100 Million Spend in Florida for Biden

September 15, 2020 Buck Banks

$100 million

“Mike Bloomberg plans to spend at least $100 million in Florida to help elect Democrat Joe Biden, a massive late-stage infusion of cash that could reshape the presidential contest in a costly toss-up state central to President Trump’s reelection hopes,” the Washington Post reports.

It’s Just Miami Pilitics, Folks

August 5, 2019 Buck Banks

$400,000

“During his final two years in office and for several months afterward, former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) paid a Miami dentist and childhood friend with no political experience nearly $400,000 for political consulting,” the Miami Herald reports. … And since losing his seat last November, he’s spent thousands of dollars from his leadership PAC — called ‘What a Country!’ — on wine and high-end restaurants. … Now, Curbelo’s friend, JP Chavez, is his business partner in a communications and public affairs startup venture called Vocero LLC.”

Floridians Split on Trump Re-Election

January 25, 2019 Buck Banks

46% to 45%

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds voters are nearly evenly divided on if President Trump should be re-elected, with 46% saying he should be replaced, 45% saying he should be re-elected and the remainder unsure.

As of Tuesday, 1.4 Million Ex-Felons in Florida Can Vote

January 8, 2019 Buck Banks

1.4 million

“Tuesday is a historic day in Florida. Under an amendment passed by the voters in November, as many as 1.4 million former felons are regaining the right to vote. The referendum overturned a 150-year-old law that permanently disenfranchised people with felony convictions,” NPR reports.

Gillum Demonstrates How to Call Someone a Racist Without Calling Them a Racist

October 26, 2018 Buck Banks

“I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.”

HuffPost, on challenger Ron DeSantis (R).

Dems Ahead in Florida

October 22, 2018 Buck Banks

12 points and 5 points

A new CNN/SRSS poll in Florida finds Andrew Gillum (D) holds a wide 12-point edge over Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for governor, 54% to 42%. In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Bill Nelson (D) leads Gov. Rick Scott (R) by five points, 50% to 45%.

Gillum: DeSantis is ‘Uniquely Unlikeable’

October 22, 2018 Buck Banks

“He’s easily dislikable. I don’t think anybody could spend a lot of time with him and walk away feeling inspired or encouraged or believe that he in some way knows what it means to to live their life. They realize they can’t package him in that way.”

$11.4 billion

“God, give some of our Republican friends some enlightenment.”

— President Joe Biden, campaigning in Florida Tuesday, the AP reports.

46%

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds 46% of voters think Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) should be reelected in 2022, while 40% don’t. No major Democrat has emerged to run against him, so the poll could only cite “a Democrat” as an alternative.

$100 million

“Mike Bloomberg plans to spend at least $100 million in Florida to help elect Democrat Joe Biden, a massive late-stage infusion of cash that could reshape the presidential contest in a costly toss-up state central to President Trump’s reelection hopes,” the Washington Post reports.

$400,000

46% to 45%

A new Mason-Dixon poll in Florida finds voters are nearly evenly divided on if President Trump should be re-elected, with 46% saying he should be replaced, 45% saying he should be re-elected and the remainder unsure.

1.4 million

“Tuesday is a historic day in Florida. Under an amendment passed by the voters in November, as many as 1.4 million former felons are regaining the right to vote. The referendum overturned a 150-year-old law that permanently disenfranchised people with felony convictions,” NPR reports.

“I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.”

12 points and 5 points

A new CNN/SRSS poll in Florida finds Andrew Gillum (D) holds a wide 12-point edge over Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for governor, 54% to 42%. In the U.S. Senate race, Sen. Bill Nelson (D) leads Gov. Rick Scott (R) by five points, 50% to 45%.

“He’s easily dislikable. I don’t think anybody could spend a lot of time with him and walk away feeling inspired or encouraged or believe that he in some way knows what it means to to live their life. They realize they can’t package him in that way.”

— Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D), telling the Tampa Bay Times that rival Ron DeSantis (R) is “a uniquely unlikeable candidate.”

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“This year is starting to feel a lot like 2016, a primary field that contains Trump and all the other not-Trump candidates. The only difference between this contest and 2016 is that other candidates then ran (ostensibly, at least) as their own selves and not just lesser versions of the OG.”

— Molly Jong-Fast

“His whole act can feel like a clunky contrivance—a forced persona railing against phony or hyped-up outrages.”

— Mark Leibovich

— Salt Lake Tribune

“I don’t want reality.”

— Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), quoted by The Guardian, while questioning a witness about the teaching of race.

“I’m going to leave it up to Kevin McCarthy to see if he wants to help defeat Putin,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Punchbowl News. “I mean, he’s been pretty good… But is the Republican Party going to be the party that bails out [Russian President Vladimir] Putin? I hope not.”

Numerati

1,225

62%

A new Yahoo News-YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans believe that Donald Trump should not be allowed to serve as president again if he is convicted of a “serious” crime. A slightly smaller majority — 52% — said they believe that Trump has committed a serious crime.

71%

Gallup: “Seventy-one percent of Americans think same-sex marriage should be legal, matching the high Gallup recorded in 2022. Public support for legally recognizing gay marriages has been consistently above 50% since the early 2010s.”

115,000

339,000