Everything you need to know about this week in Florida politics and more!
On this edition of the Politically Incorrect Podcast with Joe Henderson, Tom Jackson, Alan Steinberg and host Jim Williams, look at some key local topics. The big Congressional race between former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and incumbent Congressman David Jolly, as they fight it out for the newly redrawn District 13.
This is some background on the new districts from a recent article penned by Joe Henserson that is discussed.
Following a lawsuit spurred by the Florida League of Women Voters, the state Supreme Court redid the congressional and state Senate district boundaries.
That led organization president Pamela S. Goodman to declare in an email, “Make no mistake, for the first time in Florida’s history, we now have Senate and Congressional maps that give Floridians the opportunity to elect Senators and Congressional Representatives that reflect the political choices of voters – not legislators.”
The effect?
In 2014, only 13 legislative races were considered remotely competitive. This year, predictions are that 57 seats could be hotly contested.
That’s all anyone really asks. The state is a near-even red/blue split, with another 3.2 million voters choosing no party affiliation. State government is supposed to be a place where all sides get a fair hearing. Having one party in total control – regardless of which one – is not healthy for the state and certainly not representative of the people who live here.
We also discuss the massive impact that the new relations between the United States and Cuba on our region. This is going to be big for the Bay Area with new flights out of Tampa International Airport, brand new family cruises that will bring more tourist dollars to the region.
Lastly, the United States Consulate to Cuba will be based in Florida, but where? The Battle lines have been drawn and it will be in the Bay Area not Miami. The fight is on between St. Petersburg and Tampa to see who wins.
Time for the Politically Incorrect Podcast….
