RealClearFlorida Articles

Today, Merrick Garland held a pep rally at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for his employees. Why now? Well, two nights ago, we heard President Donald Trump take aim at the weaponization of DOJ, and we heard Kamala Harris’s non-response. Trump clearly won that exchange, and the Swamp now has to play clean-up for her mess. Remember that in the debate, the ABC moderators interrupted Trump’s answer about illegal immigrant crime to push fake FBI statistics, which Trump swatted aside. In her response, rather than talk about immigration, Harris brought up that Trump has been prosecuted....

For many Floridians, living within a Homeowners Association (HOA) can feel like navigating a complex web of rules and regulations that often seem more restrictive than beneficial or sometimes even predatory. A recent survey conducted by the Florida Homeowners Association Reform Coalition reveals just how pervasive this sentiment is. The poll found that a staggering 72% of respondents are dissatisfied with their HOA experiences, with a notable 65% pointing to a lack of transparency and fairness and 58% criticizing the arbitrary enforcement of rules. These figures highlight the widespread...

In the heart of Riviera Beach, Florida, a company called K12 Print is redefining what it means to do business in America. This isn’t just about profits and productivity for John DiDonato, the CEO and founder. While financial success is part of the equation, his deeper mission is to help revive a vital cornerstone of the American economy: manufacturing. DiDonato’s vision for K12 Print is rooted in the belief that manufacturing can be a catalyst for change—not just for the company, but for the country and its communities. There is an ongoing conversation surrounding onshoring,...

Women facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies need resources, support, and especially intensive, holistic medical care.   As the executive director of LifeChoices Family Medical in the Tampa Bay area, Florida, I’m proud to say our work goes a long way in improving women’s health and supporting babies and moms. From its inception, our center's goal was to provide material and financial resources to women in need, and to join the heroic network of nearly 3,000 pregnancy centers across the United States, which have helped countless moms find hope and...

In a frantic attempt to preserve its monopoly over the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, attorneys for the union currently representing the district’s 24,000-plus teachers and support staff are relying on a strategy that has the potential to backfire and leave its members without workplace representation altogether. On March 18, United Teachers of Dade (UTD), using an argument that would invalidate its own petition, asked a hearing officer with Florida’s Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC) to reject a competing union’s bid to participate in a forthcoming...

Children growing up in foster care, sadly, often find it a confusing and tumultuous existence. On top of the difficult circumstances that lead to their separation from their families, they’re thrust into a new environment and a world of uncertainty. This is the unfortunate reality for the nearly 400,000 children in foster care in the United States today, but community collaboration can make a difference for these children.  Thirteen years ago, motivated by the belief that every child is valuable well beyond birth and regardless of their circumstances, we asked...

I know who my bosses are. They aren’t the special interests in Washington, it isn’t party leadership, it’s my voters in Florida. Earlier this month, I sat down with some of my bosses in Destin, Florida for a podcast they host in their driveway. I was there to be held accountable. Congress has yet to achieve the things voters are asking for like term limits and a balanced budget. That’s what this fight in Congress is all about. It’s about making sure the promises we’ve made to voters are fulfilled. The Speaker made promises to me and other lawmakers in...

After engaging with Florida lawmakers for several years, the Freedom Foundation played a key role in helping the state pass the country’s most muscular labor-reform bill since Wisconsin’s Act 10 in 2011. In the interim, several states have adopted portions of the Wisconsin model. Then the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME invalidated most government-employee membership forms and spurred new legislative opportunities. In response to Janus, many states have approved legislation codifying what a valid union membership form must include to be recognized...

The administration is aiding and abetting an invasion of the Southern border. Our rights are being stripped away. We are at war and the enemy is within. In response to this existential threat, we’re told that we need to entrust a congressman previously recognized as the “tech industry’s best friend” as our leader. That’s boneheaded. Kevin McCarthy is not the right leader for the moment. Fortunately, enough Republicans recognize that to stop him from being the next Speaker of the House. Five House Republicans, including myself, have announced that we will not vote...

“Why, after three decades of life as a New Yorker, did you move to Florida?” I’m often asked this question with a mix of wonder, as if I’d just traveled across Mongolia on horseback, tainted by Upper East Side disdain (“Did you retire early?” How was the hurricane?” etc.). For background, I first came to live in Manhattan in 1992, while the crack epidemic still raged. After Rudy Giuliani became mayor in 1994 quality of life in the city improved dramatically. Conditions continued to improve on sound policies through the Bloomberg era. However, after...

In 2020, President Donald Trump won Florida by a little over three points. It was the best showing for a Republican presidential candidate in Florida in 16 years. Trump outperformed the polls by four points and did better in Miami-Dade County with Hispanics than anyone expected. The 2020 results and Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s strong performance in office led many to see Florida as a budding red state, though it also seemed that this might be an overestimation. Now, however, in the aftermath of the 2022 midterms, Florida is clearly on its way to being a red state. After 2020,...

As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. If that’s true, then it is insane to expect Arizona to produce election results in a timely manner and free of controversy. Three months ago, Arizona’s administration of voting in the state primary election created chaos. Arizona let America down then, but many hoped that the state’s leaders would learn from that mistake and produce better results in November. No such luck: Arizona’s administration of the general election shows that its failed...

Despite Florida’s recent turn to the right, it still functions as a swing state. As a result, it has several competitive congressional seats this cycle. The congressional election results could decide who controls the state house – and these seats will matter beyond 2022, because some rising political stars are competing for them. While statewide races in Florida will draw most of the national attention, the congressional races should not be overlooked. Florida’s 13th congressional district is home to former governor and current Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie...

Charlie Crist is likely to lose by double digits in Florida’s gubernatorial election on Tuesday. For his trouble, he may land a job in the Biden administration, but his political career will essentially be over. That career has spanned more than 30 years, and it serves as a cautionary tale about political opportunism. Crist first ran for Florida’s state senate as a Republican in 1986 and lost in the run-off for the primary. In 1992, Crist won a state senate seat that Democrats had controlled for 128 years. His election helped shift control of the chamber. It also suggested...

Over the last decade, Democrats built an enormous voting edge with women. Republicans have largely failed to cut into it. A few weeks ago, Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis ran an ad featuring his wife, Casey, where she talked about how her husband has helped her through her cancer diagnosis. Some noted that the ad might matter less for DeSantis’s reelection campaign than for his likely presidential run. Casey DeSantis’s appeal to women can help Republicans across the nation close the gap with women in 2024. Democrats have capitalized on pro-choice issues by demonizing...

The University of Florida’s recent decision to hire Nebraska Republican senator Ben Sasse as its president spurred debate. Many on the Left predictably lamented having a Republican lead a major university. The Right was divided. Some praised Sasse for his previous university experience and independent voice. Others, including former president Donald Trump, criticized the pick, deeming Sasse a “RINO.” Still others speculated on the role of Florida governor Ron DeSantis in the move. DeSantis did not pick Sasse to be president of the University of Florida, however –...

A few years ago, while visiting the National Hurricane Center, I asked the staff to describe a worst-case weather scenario for Florida. They described a high-category hurricane stalling off the coast and pummeling the western side of the state with storm surge. In other words, they described Hurricane Ian. Over the course of that storm, Florida suffered as much as $50 billion in property damage. Whole communities were destroyed. Islands were cut off. And the death toll, now exceeding 100, continues to rise. It’s the worst natural disaster to hit Florida in almost a century. Much of what...

Florida has no shortage of political star power. While Gov. Ron DeSantis is receiving the most attention, many current and former Florida politicians loom large. One politician who is starting to receive more buzz is Francis Suarez, the Republican mayor of Miami. In the last month, Suarez has made the rounds on conservative media to position himself as a star in the making. His increased profile has fueled speculation about his future in Florida – and even nationally. But a closer look at Suarez’s record shows he should have no place in Republican politics, because he will sell...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s decision to send a plane of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard sparked debate on a range of issues, including how the move would play out politically. Politico published a piece last week that claimed DeSantis’s relocation of immigrants would cost him in South Florida, where many Hispanics live. The piece quoted liberal sources who said DeSantis would come off looking like the tyrants many Hispanic voters fled. But a look at political developments over the last decade show Politico is misreading Hispanic voters. In 2008 and 2012, the Republican Party...