Conexion Miami / Fantasy Fest
For those who like debauchery, don’t forget that Fantasy Fest has begun in Key West, kicking off a 10-day schedule of more than 40 costume contests, masquerades and processions. The festival’s highlight is an Oct. 25 parade. Its grand marshals will be Key West bartenders Aaron Huntsman and William Lee Jones, who launched a landmark challenge to Florida’s same-sex marriage ban.
Is Joe in trouble?
Nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report switched its rating of the District 26 race to “Pure Tossup” from “Pure Tossup/Tilts Democratic.” District 26 is where incumbent Joe Garcia is tussling with Carlos Curbelo.
Early voting by the numbers
More than 854,000 Floridians cast absentee ballots through Friday (Oct. 17), with Republican participation ahead of the Democrats 48.6 percent to 34.5 percent. In terribly important to the Democrats Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, 122,251 voters cast absentee ballots, with Democrats leading Republicans 42.7 percent to 40.9 percent. Crist adviser Steve Schale said that 32 percent of the Democrats who’ve voted absentee didn’t vote at all in 2010 compared to 20 percent of Republicans.
Blown by a fan
Hoping to scare people into forgetting his performance last week, Gov. Rick Scott has started an Ebola scare tour in Florida. At a recent press conference Scott said, “The federal government needed to do more to prevent Ebola in Florida.” He added that he would take his own steps to guard against a possible outbreak. It reminds us of when the President W administration would issue those color alerts at airports to remind us all that we were under attack by terrorists. The scare tactic is an apparent diversion from his rich kid rant when he complained that Charlie Crist was getting blown by an illegal fan on the Broward College debate stage.
More about Fangate
The line of the night at the gubernatorial debate last week, possibly the most serious one, anyway, was when Charlie Crist stood alone on stage at the beginning and asked: “Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education, and the environment and the future of our state. I mean, really.”
Vest or vote
A satirical voting campaign has spawned in Florida. In the outskirts of Tallahassee a large billboard announces: On Sale Now! Bulletproof Vest for Boys. And when people call the number on the billboard, they hear this message: “If you don’t want to live in a world where you have to send your child out with a bulletproof vest … vote on Nov. 4.” When asked, Regina Joseph, of the Dream Defenders, who sponsor the message, said: “If Trayvon Martin had a bulletproof vest, he would be alive.”
Bad news on the marijuana front
The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that there’s bad news for those in favor of the constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana in Florida. A brand new poll shows that only 48 percent of likely voters said they would vote for Amendment 2. Forty-four percent oppose it. The amendment needs at least a 60% approval to pass. So don’t delete your pot dealers’ phone numbers just yet…
Free transportation
Good news if you live in Miami Beach. Well, at least the northern end of the small city. A free trolley ride will start rolling in your area starting Oct. 29. There’s a kickoff party on that day at 10 a.m. at the North Shore Bandshell, 7275 Collins Avenue. For more info visit www.miamibeachtrolley.com.
Haiti, water and a film
What will it take to keep water flowing in Haiti? Who pays the bills? How can the Haitians take charge? The Inter-American Development Bank explored these questions in its documentary “Water Everlasting? The battle to secure Haiti’s most essential resource”. The film is a 25-minute window into the challenges of turning around the public water service in Port-au-Prince. There will be a panel discussion afterward. It’s scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 30, at 6:30 p.m. at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, 212 NE 59th Street, Miami, FL 33137.
Jeb watch
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said in an interview with the Associated Press that his press-shy wife, Columba, is “supportive” of the fact that he is considering running for president in 2016. Earlier this year, Bush’s mother, Barbara Bush, said that while she believed her son was the “best qualified” person to run for president in 2016, “I hope he won’t.”.
Same sex marriage and the governors
Speaking of gay marriage… Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger and former governor Charlie Crist are on opposite sides. Scott has said on TV that he supports traditional marriage but ultimately it is a question the courts will decide. Crist on the other hand said he supports same-sex marriage but agreed the courts will decide.
Skyrise developer pulls bait and switch
Remember Skyrise – the 1,000-foot tower that will look like a nail clipper shooting up on Bayside Marketplace in Miami. City voters favored the project last year. Before the vote developer Jeff Berkowitz promised it would be 100% privately financed. Now that it has passed, though, we have learned that the county commission has approved $9 million in county funds for the project. And who’s behind the bait and switch? Mayor Carlos Gimenez who has received beaucoup political contributions in the past from Berkowitz.
ObamaCare at work
The University of South Florida has received a $5.38 million second-year Navigator grant to help enroll more eligible Floridians in the Health Insurance Marketplace. It will oversee and work with a consortium of 12 organizations from across the state. In Miami, Florida CHAIN will be back as one of the 12 organizations. You can call them at 855-352-4246 for more info. The next open enrollment period starts November 15 and runs through February 15.
Preserving the Florida environment
Hundreds of environmental, boating, fishing, hiking, hunting and conservation groups are making their last pitches for Amendment 1, which, if approved, will send hundreds of millions of dollars to the state’s land preservation program. The Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment would set aside one-third of state excise documents taxes, such as real estate transaction fees, and bookmark those funds for land purchases and management for the next 20 years.
