Tag: Florida Politics

Rubio Has Better Name Recognition in Florida than Bush

Buck Banks

92%

Of Floridians who voted when Marco Rubio was last on the ballot, in 2010, are still registered, a Bloomberg Politics study conducted with University of Florida has found. By contrast, political scientist Daniel A. Smith found that nearly three-quarters of Florida’s 12.9 million currently registered voters have never even seen Jeb Bush’s name on a ballot.

Gaetz Says Tallahassee Looks Like Washington

Buck Banks

We ought to wave a copy of the Constitution under everybody’s nose and say we have a constitutional obligation to pass a budget … If not, we’re Washington. We look like Washington.

— Florida Sen. Don Gaetz (R), on the Florida legislature closing its session three days early, sine die, with no date set for a special session to create a budget — the only legislative act required by the state’s constitution, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

For the Presence of a Fan, a Debate Hung in Limbo

Buck Banks

Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education and the environment and the future of our state? I mean, really.

— Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) as he stood alone on stage at Broward College on live TV waiting to start a gubernatorial debate, while Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) refused to take the stage Wednesday night because Crist insisted on using a fan to keep cool, the Miami Herald reports.>/h2.

Republican Crist Used Against Democrat Crist

Buck Banks

Hi, this is Charlie Crist calling to set the record straight. I’m pro-life. I oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants, I support traditional marriage, and I have never supported a new tax or big spending program.

— The voice of Charlie Crist, in a mysterious recorded call Democrats across Florida heard over the weekend that seemed to be attacking likely Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. As the Miami Herald noted, “Not exactly your standard Democratic primary platform. But the voice in the robocall really is Crist’s and so were the positions he stressed. But it was Charlie Crist circa 2006 — not 2014.”

Judge Overturns Florida’s Ban on Gay Marriage in Monroe County

Buck Banks

The Miami Herald is reporting this story:

Monroe County Circuit Judge Luis Garcia overturned Florida’s 2008 constitutional gay-marriage ban on Thursday, and ordered that two Key West bartenders and other gay couples seeking to wed be allowed to marry.

The judge ordered the Monroe County Clerk’s Office to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples Tuesday morning.

“The court is aware that the majority of voters oppose same-sex marriage, but it is our country’s proud history to protect the rights of the individual, the rights of the unpopular and rights of the powerless, even at the cost of offending the majority,” Garcia wrote in his opinion, released about 1 p.m. Thursday.

The judge gave the clerk’s office several days to prepare “in consideration of… anticipated rise in activity.”

It was unclear early Thursday afternoon whether the state will appeal the ruling. The decision applies only to Monroe County, because it was filed in front of a state judge who has jurisdiction only in the county where he sits. A judge in Miami-Dade County has yet to rule in a similar case.

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Legalizing Gay Marriage Would ‘Impose Significant Public Harm’ on Florida [UPDATED]

Buck Banks

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi jogging in her undies.
She’s a cute little button-nosed blue-eyed blonde, but don’t be fooled by the packaging. Pam Bondi, Florida’s (or should I say Rick Scott’s) attorney general has asserted in court papers that recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states would “impose significant public harm.”

Bondi’s assertion is in response to eight gay couples who were married in other states, but whose unions are illegal in Florida, who have filed a discrimination suit in federal court. Florida’s legal leader suggests the judge toss the suit.

Bondi’s reasons for objecting to the suit:

Bondi’s office says the state has a legitimate interest in defining a marriage as between a man and woman because Florida’s voters adopted an amendment in 2008 that banned same-sex marriages.

The filing also says same-sex marriage recognition would create significant problems for the state’s pension and health insurance programs.

Equality Florida responded to reports of Bondi’s legal argument this way:

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