Florida Watchdog
FL: As state appeals pension decision, cities driven to reform
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA—In the Supreme Court of Florida on June 11, attorneys for Gov. Rick Scott filed the first brief in their appeal against a lower court’s ruling barring mandatory pension contributions from state employees. A 2011 National Bureau of Economic Research study first alarmed state officials to the magnitude of the pension problem, calculating that yearly contributions to…
FL: Welcome to Fantasyland: America’s mayors come to Orlando, forget to discuss pension reform
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ORLANDO— Mayors from cities across the United States have traded the heated council meetings and stressful budget negotiations of their respective municipalities for the sunshine and amusement parks of central Florida. But despite the scores of elected municipal leaders attending the 80th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Orlando, the official agenda forgoes…
FL: House candidate wants to deport illegal immigrants ‘taking American jobs’
By Yaël Ossowski and Marianela Toledo | Florida Watchdog PEMBROKE PINES — Speaking exclusively to Florida Watchdog, businesswoman Karen Harrington laid out her case for the Republican nomination in the battle for the Congressional District 23 seat against Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “The first thing we have to do is not spend more money than we take in,” she…
FL: Stalled by GOP convention committee, Ron Paul festival goes on
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — During the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, more than 10,000 supporters of Texas congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paulgathered at a competing celebration they dubbed the “Rally for the Republic,” complete with speeches, music and campaign flair meant to clash with the official convention across town. The rally was organized…
FL: GOP Senate hopeful Connie Mack shrugs off primary opponents
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— While television viewers recover from last season’s ratings bonanza known as the GOP presidential primary debates, voters in Florida learned this week that the next season’s senatorial debates will be aired without the cameo of one of the most important contestants: Cornelius McGillicuddy IV. Two months to the…
FL: After attempts to reform voting and pensions, Gov. Rick Scott remains a perpetual defendant
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— In the state of Wisconsin, it took an $80-million recall election to validate Gov. Scott Walker‘s fiscal reforms on public-sector collective bargaining and pension requirements for state employees. In Florida, where similar legislation has been passed and signed into law, the biggest impediment to Gov. Rick Scott‘s agenda has not been…
FL: Rick Scott defends voter reforms on CNN, Fox News
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog Florida Gov. Rick Scott responds to questions about his voter reforms being blocked by the federal government during an interview Tuesday with Christine Romans, host of CNN’s “Starting Point.” TAMPA— In the past two days, Gov. Rick Scott has been busy on the national airwaves defending his attempts to legitimize voter…
Sunshine Staters: Meet your candidates for federal office
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Florida‘s political season is ready to move full steam ahead. With the statewide primary for the Democratic and Republican parties set for Aug 14, voters in theSunshine State have been presented with a slate of 120 candidates for27 House congressional seats and 11 for the U.S. Senate. Of those…
FL: Congressional candidate calls himself “terrorist watchdog”
By Yaël Ossowski and Marianela Toledo | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— In an interview with Florida Watchdog, congressional candidate Joe Kaufman laid out his case for seeking the GOP nomination in Florida’s 23rd district, the newly-drawn seat held by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston. Kaufman is a journalist and activist, concentrating on “combating bigotry and exposing the activities of radical extremist organizations,” according…