Florida Watchdog
FL: Scott credits state job growth to government ‘partners’
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog PUBLIC HELP: Scott says government partnerships have helped thousands of jobs across the state. ST. PETERSBURG — Jobs numbers are growing, public debt is under control and Gov. Rick Scott is making sure the government can claim the credit. Since Dec. 2010, unemployment in Florida has dropped faster than all other…
FL: Lame duck session: What is your federal representative doing?
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog RUSH: In the final days of the congressional session, representatives are pushing for bills and resolutions to be passed. ST. PETERSBURG — In the final days of the lame-duck session of the 112th Congress, when most eyes have averted to the impending realities of the so-called “fiscal cliff,” Florida’s…
VIDEO: Florida Watchdog prompts tough questions for Gov. Rick Scott
A piece from Florida Watchdog’s Yaël Ossowski prompted Orlando’s WESH TV to press Gov. Rick Scott on an overseas trip, and questions of crony capitalism. PART ONE PART TWO Florida Watchdog prompts crony capitalism questions of @flgovrickscott yael.es/UpXEWT! #sayfie — Yaël (@YaelOss) December 6, 2012
FL: Profits of doom: Military contractors decry spending cuts but keep raking in cash
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — The nation’s largest military contractors may be doing everything they can to warn Floridians of impending doom coming in the form of military-spending cuts, but newly announced defense contracts may leave their claims falling on deaf ears. DOOM: Military contractors warn of coming defense cuts, but…
FL: State Internet taxes are ‘first step’ toward national online sales tax
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog CLEARWATER — The world’s freest marketplace is set to become the next playground for Florida’s tax collectors. Come 2013, the Sunshine State could find itself with an Internet sales tax, thanks to a bill put forward by state Sen. Gwen Margolis, D-Miami, on Monday. Margolis did not return calls to Florida Watchdog, but she told Jacksonville…
FL: Scott draws heat for Colombia trade trip
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Critics are blasting Gov. Rick Scott for takingoff on yet another foreign trade mission, this time to the booming Latin American tiger of Colombia. Critics view these kinds of trips at public expense as troubling for the average taxpayer, not just for the temporary costs, but also because of…
FL: Miami-Dade prison work program ‘obviously unconstitutional’
By Marianela Toledo and Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — Reacting to the news that Miami-Dade County wants to use accused criminals for manual labor in return for paying off debts, lawyers across the state say such a program could be rule unconstitutional. The proposed ordinance aims to save taxpayer dollars by offering “pretrial detainees” the option of cleaning roads,…
Video: RNC spoils help bolster Tampa’s surveillance state
While most of the RNC convention goers have long since left Tampa Bay, the millions of dollars in security costs awarded to local police departments have stayed put, engendering a new kind of technological surveillance state never before seen by Florida residents. Read more: Florida Watchdog
FL: Alan Grayson gives flawed lesson on Walmart economics
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — Taking his victory lap on the heels of his return to the U.S. House after losing two years prior, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson staged his first public spectacle against the retail giant Walmart over the Thanksgiving holiday. Grayson, a Florida Democrat, made Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday appearances at stores in St. Cloud and Orlando, handing workers turkey sandwiches and encouraging them…
FL: Convention spoils help bolster Tampa’s surveillance state
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog ST. PETERSBURG — A vast network of surveillance cameras, armored trucks with weapons mounting capabilities and state-of-the-art bulletproof vests strong enough to withstand high-caliber rounds. Those are just a few of the spoils enjoyed by the Tampa Police Department during the highly anticipated Republican National Convention, which occupied the city from Aug.27-30…