Florida

In Florida, the St. Petersburg City Council passed an ordinance, sponsored by council member Darden Rice, that will allow workers to file a wage theft claim with the city without having to hire an attorney or entering the legal system. After receiving the claim, the city is then charged with pursuing the employer. It is expected to take the program three months to be up and running, but it is the first program of its kind in the state.

Florida Governor Rick Scott threw a bit of a tizzy when he heard his challenger had brought a small fan to the gubernatorial debate to keep cool. But the rationale for not coming out he gave reporters later is even stranger.

American Unity PAC, the high-powered super PAC founded by major GOP donor and gay rights activist Paul Singer, has entered a new congressional race — cutting a new round of ads slamming Democratic incumbent Joe Garcia as a scandal-prone Washington hypocrite.

A House bill passing through Florida's legislature allows oil companies to refuse to disclose which chemicals are being injected into the ground during the fracking process if those companies deem the chemicals 'proprietary.' The industry-friendly bill was put together from none other than our tea party friends at ALEC, and the environmentally-conscious ExxonMobil.

Data collected by the Florida Department of Health has found that four out of every ten people who are rushed to a Florida hospital with a nonfatal gunshot injury were unintentionally shot. In Orange County, Florida that number jumps to more than half of the people treated for nonfatal gunshot injuries.In addition to leaving injuries which can be permanent, these gunshot wounds cost more than $57 million. The average unintentional gunshot patient admitted

Megan's Laws and the AMBER Alert system have helped save the lives of thousands of children across America, but are new laws needed to redefine self-defense? Require law enforcement officials to learn about the inaccurate snap judgments that disproportionately lead to the shooting and killing unarmed men of color? If Trayvon's case was about the law, what does the law say about us?

A Better America Now — a Florida-based organization — reported to the Federal Election Commission it had spent about $65,000 for a spider-themed mailer and TV advertising in the hard-fought race to represent Texas’ 23rd district. But in a tax return recently filed with the IRS, the group claimed it did not spend any money at all on “direct or indirect political campaign activities.” Right.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has banned paid sick leave by signing an ALEC-backed bill supported by many of his state's big businesses. The people of Orange County had successfully fought to put paid sick leave to a vote in 2014, but this bill has now made their effort moot.

Call me crazy, but I believe firmly that the statutory laws are in place for a reason – to prevent the exploitation of young men and women who don’t have the ability to make informed decisions, who don’t have the ability to “consent.” Moving the boundaries on what constitutes statutory rape is a slippery slope. After all, would we be hearing this same outcry in Chicago, if an 18-year-old black male were given a similar plea offer or a similar charge with a 15-year-old white female victim?

President Obama had not even been sworn in for his second term when he used the ‘bully pulpit’ to introduce his initiative to control guns outside of Congressional action.