The establishment wanted a sweet ’16, not a 17-candidate pileup. Here’s what happened. Jeb Bush, the man who would be frontrunner, was as surprised as anybody when Donald Trump jumped into the 2016 presidential race in June. His instinctive first reaction was to hold his tongue, and his advisers agreed the best option was to…
With 20 percent of Republican voters, Donald Trump is the clear leader in the crowded Republican presidential primary field, but he trails any of three leading Democratic contenders by wide margins in general election matchups, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released today. Trump’s 20 percent is the largest tally for a Republican contender…
Two decades ago, in the spring of 1996, Newsweek magazine described a group of voters it called the “radical middle.” Formerly known as the Silent Majority, then the Reagan Democrats, these voters had supported Ross Perot in 1992, and were hoping the Texas billionaire would run again. Voters in the radical middle, Newsweek wrote, “see…
Washington Post KISSIMMEE, Florida — Puerto Rico’s economic crisis meant Jeffrey Rondon, 25, struggled to find even part-time work, so he recently joined the growing exodus from his Caribbean island to Florida. Now he holds a full-time restaurant job and something that could upend the 2016 presidential election — the right to vote in Florida,…
on July 19, 2015 the Miami Herald ran the following op-ed by PIFF Executive Director Michael Carlson: For three years, state lawmakers have received mounting evidence about a scam in which frazzled homeowners are unknowingly signing away their insurance benefits to shady vendors during home repair emergencies. This spring’s annual legislative session melted down with…
PRINCETON, N.J. — After a historic Supreme Court session that included rulings on same-sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act, Democrats’ approval of the high court has surged to 76% and Republicans’ approval has plummeted to a record-low 18%. Americans overall are divided, with 49% approving and 46% disapproving. The new July 8-12 Gallup poll…
Florida representatives are turning their attention to flood insurance with a new bill and a proposition to extend a 2014 law. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.) and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) are calling for an extension of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, signed by President Barack Obama on March 21, 2014, which limited yearly flood…
Although hurricane season has yet to cause havoc this year, 2015 has already been a brutal year for insurance companies which provide homeowners’ coverage in Florida. The problem for property insurers? No one is willing to take a firm position against the surge of Assignment of Benefits (AOB) lawsuits, which are proliferating to the point…
Florida’s democracy is pretty, well…democratic. At least compared to other states. That’s according to a new report out this month from the left-leaning Center for American Progress Action Fund. The study looked at access to voting, representation in state government and the extent to which outside influencers can shape policy. Overall, Florida ranked 11th nationally, the…
Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s board of governors on Wednesday approved a 2016 rate package that lowers rates for nearly half of Citizens’ personal lines policyholders while addressing increased water loss claims and inadequate rates for its remaining policyholders along the coast. By a unanimous vote, the board approved an overall rate increase of 3.2 percent…