The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Dec 1, 2023. OUR POSITION: The cost of providing air conditioning to Florida’s state prisons is staggering but the cost of human suffering may be worse. Some people take a hard line when it comes to inmates in Florida’s state prisons. They would argue that criminals
By Rosemary Nidiry and Lauren-Brooke Eisen, August 14, 2023, The Brennan Center for Justice. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has once again taken it upon himself to remove a local elected prosecutor from office. Last week, the target was Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, who won office in 2020 promising reforms that keep communities safe while
The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on August 15, 2023. OUR POSITION: Once again, Gov. Ron DeSantis has overstepped his authority in suspending a second state prosecutor, giving vague, broad reasons for his actions. Gov. Ron DeSantis is dodging a lot of bullets nowadays as he works to put his presidential campaign on solid
By Hannah Knowles and Kelsey Ables Sen. Lauren Book, center, holds hands with roughly a dozen activists Monday while protesting legislation that would ban abortions after six weeks in Florida. (Alicia Devine/AP) TALLAHASSEE — Florida Democrats chair Nikki Fried and state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) were among 11 people arrested Monday night while
By Editorial Board, The Washington Post October 7, 2022. President Biden’s announcement of mass pardons for those convicted of federal marijuana possession charges comes just weeks before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. It is not hard to detect the political calculation behind a decision likely to appeal to — and motivate — the
By Matthew Dallek, Washington Post guest columnist, February 18, 2022. When President Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, the odds of his standing trial for obstruction of justice seemed high: His actions undermining the Watergate investigation had been tape-recorded, and his part in the coverup led to pressure on the legal system to hold him accountable. In
By John Kennedy, Capital Bureau, USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA, July 9, 2021 TALLAHASSEE – A year after George Floyd’s death exposed deep divisions over race and policing, a new Florida law seeks to spark what supporters say is a needed cultural change across many law enforcement agencies. The measure orders that every police department have use-of-force policies, bans chokeholds and makes it
A Punta Gorda man is accused of conspiring to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Charlotte Sun Staff Report, July 2, 2021 David Moerschel, 43, is the 18th member of the Oath Keepers organization to be arrested in connection with the riots, the Washington Post reported. He was charged with obstruction of justice/Congress, conspiracy
By Zac Anderson and Dinah Voyles Pulver, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, June 17, 2021 Florida is emerging as a cradle of the insurrection as the fallout from the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol building paints a clearer picture of those involved. Florida is tied with Texas for the most individuals facing charges stemming from Jan. 6, with 47 arrests
By Becky Smith and Kay Blue Punta Gorda Police Chief Pamela Davis was the featured speaker at the July 13, 2020 Zoom meeting of the Charlotte County Democratic Women’s Club (DWC). Davis, Punta Gorda’s first woman police chief, arrived in 2018 after serving in Maryland police departments for over 20 years. Her presentation focused on
Editor’s note: Fran Dance, Communications Chair for Charlotte Dems, submitted this editorial column to the Charlotte Sun. In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, activists have called for re-evaluating the scope of police officers’ work. What would such a re-evaluation look like? Our county and city leaders and police executives would evaluate if a portion
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels Charlotte County Democrats issue recommendations to local police to address racial bias by Fran Dance The Charlotte County Democrats (CC Dems) have released a twelve point set of recommendations to Punta Gorda Police Chief Pamela Davis and Charlotte County Sheriff Prummell for their consideration and response. This unorthodox approach to seek