Florida Independent

VIDEO: Priorities USA Action releases ad tying Romney to Big Oil

By Virginia Chamlee | 04.02.12 | 4:15 pm

Priorities USA Action today released an ad it says reveals Mitt Romney’s ties to Big Oil companies. According to Priorities, dedicated to protecting progressive leaders against what they call “misleading attacks,” the true motivation for Big Oil’s criticism of President Obama is to elect Mitt Romney, who the group says “stands to protect Big Oil’s profits at the expense of middle class Americans.”

Right-wing groups to ‘pressure states and localities’ to purge voter rolls

By Ashley Lopez | 02.15.12 | 1:59 pm

A right-wing group has announced it will “pressure states and localities” through lawsuits, if necessary, “to clean up voter registration rolls pursuant to Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).” The group claims that several states, including Florida, have voters on their registration rolls that are ineligible to vote.

Corrections Corporation of America looking to buy Florida prisons

By Ashley Lopez | 02.14.12 | 4:04 pm

This morning, the Huffington Post reported that a private prison company had approached 48 states — of which Florida is one — to trade cash in exchange for contracts to run state prisons.

Reports document how interest groups are playing vastly expanded role in 2012 election

By Marcos Restrepo | 02.03.12 | 11:03 am

Broadcast media still dominates the world of political campaign ads, which are financed more than ever by interest groups that will play an increasing role in the 2012 presidential election, according to media reports issued this week.

Scott not among GOP governors declaring ‘National School Choice Week’

By Marcos Restrepo | 01.19.12 | 9:57 am

Governors of 12 states, all of them Republicans, declared Jan. 22-28 “National School Choice Week,” according to organizers of the weeklong event. Not joining them: Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Latino evangelicals launch ‘Nuestro Futuro’ get out the vote campaign

By Marcos Restrepo | 01.12.12 | 2:13 pm

Local and national evangelical leaders joined DREAM Act-eligible youth in Orlando on Wednesday to launch Nuestro Futuro, a campaign to work with church networks and youth leaders to bring Latino evangelical youth to the polls in 2012.

Personhood Arkansas measure blocked by state attorney general

By Virginia Chamlee | 01.09.12 | 1:34 pm

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has blocked the state’s Personhood affiliate from introducing a bill that would define life from the moment of conception, on the grounds that it is “too vague” as written. Though fetal personhood measures across the country have been criticized for that very reason, Personhood Arkansas leaders are now accusing McDaniel of having “pro-abortion” leanings.

Scott says Florida’s ‘no strings attached’ policy didn’t help rejected Race to the Top application

By Ashley Lopez | 12.16.11 | 11:55 am

Florida’s application for up to $100 million in early learning federal grant money was rejected today. According to a statement issued by Gov. Rick Scott, his insistence that the grant not come with “strings attached” did not “win the favor” of the agency awarding the funds.

Florida legislators earn high marks from American Conservative Union

By Ashley Lopez | 11.16.11 | 3:35 pm

Not surprisingly, most of Florida’s GOP-led Legislature received high marks this week from the American Conservative Union, one of the oldest and most influential conservative groups.

Ohio joins Florida in restricting access to abortion notification judicial bypass

By Ashley Lopez | 11.11.11 | 2:36 pm

Ohio, much like Florida, now has a law on the books making it more difficult for young women to access a bypass of the state’s parental notification for abortion law.