la liberté avant tout
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — As a powerful member of the Senate Commerce, Finance and Intelligence committees and the former state treasurer of Florida, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is no stranger to the intricacies of backroom politics. With 40 years of successive public service in Tallahassee and onCapitol Hill, the senator has garnered a reputation as a staunch…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — More than four months remain until the primaries for the Republican and Democratic parties in Florida, but the parties have decided on their candidates for the 22nd Congressional District. In the race to replace GOP U.S. Rep. Allen West, who is seeking election in the newly drawn 18th District, the…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — After a litany of civil lawsuits and scrutiny from the federal government, it seems Florida’s Legislature may be vindicated in its efforts to combat voter fraud. At least three Florida counties are investigating cases of registered voters who do not have legal citizenship status, adding support to…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — For Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus and much of the news media, the presidential nomination process is wrapped up. The much-televised reality show and political horse race has crowned former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the party’s “presumptive nominee,” amounting to a “complete merger wherein the RNC (which) is…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TALLAHASSEE– Florida Gov. Rick Scott took to CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday morning, seizing the opportunity to tout the latest job numbers in the state. He received praise from interviewer Joe Kernen on taxes and regulations, and even criticized President Barack Obama’s narrow focus on student loan interest rates. “People want a job, and that’s…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Florida Gov. Rick Scott was dealt a blow Thursday morning when a federal judge declared unconstitutional mandatory drug screening for state employees. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro in the Southern District of Florida, issues a permanent injunction on the drug tests, which were required by an executive order in March 2011. “The executive order does…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI — The past few months haven’t been kind to the fourth-generation Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy. The four-term Fort Myers Republican congressman, better known as Connie Mack IV, was once considered the conservative favorite in the race for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. But fresh questions about the congressman’s…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Dogged by rumors of a potential vice presidential nomination, the junior U.S. senator from Florida spent the week giving speeches on the campaign trail and in national interviews, boosting his public profile and giving credence to those who view him as the rising star of the Republican Party. As…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog SANFORD — In more tranquil times, the city of Sanford was known as the Historic Waterfront Gateway City, a tribute to its comfortable position between Lakes Monroe and Jesup. But, since the death of Trayvon Martinin late February, the city has become the volatile epicenter of the battle for justice, social activism and political maneuvering leading…
By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — The measure was intended to promote “personal responsibility” and put an end to millions in “misused” tax dollars. If welfare recipients expect to receive a check, warned Sunshine State lawmakers last spring, then they must submit their urine to the state and prove their bodies are clean of illegal…