The future of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into question Tuesday when residents of Jackson County voted down a sales tax measure that would have helped to fund a new downtown ballpark along with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.
The vast majority of Americans believe democracy, despite its problems, is the best system of government. But a nationwide poll from Florida Atlantic University shows that far fewer younger voters …
The vast majority of Americans believe democracy, despite its problems, is the best system of government. But polling shows that far fewer younger voters agree.
The nationwide poll conducted in mid-March by Florida Atlantic University found 73% of voters agree that “Democracy may have problems, but it is the best system of government,” including 50% who strongly agree. Just 13% disagree.
But the youngest group of voters, those from 18 to 35, felt much differently.
Slightly more than half — 53% — agreed it’s the best system of government. Just 15% strongly agree while a quarter — 25% — disagreed.
…
People who said they plan to vote for former President Donald Trump, the presumed Republican nominee, in November were 22 percentage points less likely to agree that democracy is the best system of government than people who said they plan to vote for President Joe Biden.
Among Biden voters, 85% agree democracy is the best form of government even though it may have problems, 6% disagree, and 10% don’t agree or disagree.
Among Trump voters, 63% agree, 18% disagree, 19% don’t agree or disagree.
First part was unexpected but second part was not. Other highlight from the article was that there was no major difference by gender with men in the survey polling higher than women about their support of democracy.
The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature has unveiled another election bill that would further restrict where voters can drop off mail-in ballots and also force party primary candidates into runoffs if they don’t get more than 50% of the vote.
….
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, called the continued attempt at culling drop boxes “unnecessary and politically motivated.”
“Republicans continue to feed into its rhetoric that elections are stolen and are not legitimate,” Eskamani said. “… When you limit the options for folks, it is intentionally designed to just make it harder to vote.”
But Eskamani said the other major proposal in the new bill, a return to primary runoffs for state and federal races, was “worthy of exploration,” even if she couldn’t support the overall bill.
Currently, party primaries are held the third week of August. Whoever gets the most votes in their respective primaries, even if just a plurality, face off in the November election.
The new bill would change the primary date to the third week of June. Any primary race in which the winner doesn’t receive more than 50% of the vote would move to a runoff between the top two candidates in August, with the winner of that primary securing his or her party’s nomination.
Despite the unneeded restrictions on the ballot drop boxes the changing of the primaries would be really good.
President Biden may owe his place in the top third to his predecessor: Mr. Biden’s signature accomplishment, according to the historians, was evicting Donald J. Trump from the Oval Office.
The dispute between Broward County and the city of Fort Lauderdale over the choice of a tunnel or bridge for the New River railroad crossing has raised concerns among other cities that a long-await…
From Hallandale to Deerfield Beach, local political leaders are becoming nervous about the potential delays in the development of the proposed Broward Commuter Rail service that would operate along the Florida East Coast Railway line.
The immediate chief hurdle: a new rail crossing at downtown Fort Lauderdale’s New River. Mayor Dean Trantalis and business interests that support him want a tunnel. Broward County commissioners and other local leaders favor a bridge.
The next window for a funding application to Washington opens in February and the county is nowhere near the point where it can submit one. If no agreement is reached, some fear that hundreds of millions of dollars will be lost.
Mayor Trantalis is killing the Broward Commuter Rail which in turn is ruining projects throughout SFL. Please contact the mayor’s office and tell his staff that you want Mayor Trantalis to stop blocking the bridge.
The Pew poll found strong support for policies such as legalizing accessory dwelling units, commonly known as granny flats, on single-family zoned areas; legalizing duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes; reforms to create affordable housing development near major transit; and simplifying the housing permitting process.
Efforts to expedite permitting processes gained the broadest support, with 86%, while at the lower end, 49% approved of the ideas of allowing smaller lots and homes to be built closer together.
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In Minneapolis; Portland, Oregon; New Rochelle, New York; and Tysons Corner, Virginia, new zoning rules that allow more housing have helped slow rent growth, according to a study this year by Pew Charitable Trusts. Towns and cities in the same metro areas that did not reform zoning laws generally saw faster rent growth. While rents nationwide grew 31% nationwide from 2017 to 2023, rents in those four cities all grew under 5%, according to the study.
Despite the favorable polling on housing reforms, local political opposition to new housing development in single-family neighborhoods often can remain strong. People tend to be supportive of more housing in general, just as long as it’s not right next to them.
If you care about affordable housing, make sure to attend your own city council’s meetings to voice support for affordable housing because there is 2-12 NIMBYs already advocating against it.
Sea-level rise and stronger storms are making flood control in South Florida obsolete, but officials are studying how massive water pumps and taller spillway gates could keep South Florida drier un…
If everything goes to plan, the Army Corps of Engineers and SFWMD would install 20 pumps in the matrix of canals in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. “Some gates would be raised in height, but we would also have to tie in the gates to higher lands,” said SFWMD resiliency officer Carolina Maran.
The “study” phase means the Army Corps of Engineers is asking lots of questions about what life looks like 100 years from now in South Florida, and what the flood infrastructure will need to be to protect it, said Col. James Booth of the Army Corps of Engineers during the panel discussion. “The Corps is taking into consideration what sea-level rise curves we’re going to be using, what’s actually going on with rain intensification, are we using the right models? Are we designing a system that’s ready to handle that?”
In an email, Tim Gysan, the Corps’ project manager for the study, and lead hydraulic engineer Amanda Bredesen, said that their study will assess sea-level rise across the project life cycle of 50 years, from 2035 to 2085, and will be “evaluated under low, intermediate, and high sea-level rise scenarios to determine the overall project performance.” The low scenario shows 1.2 feet of rise since 1992, intermediate shows 2 feet or rise and the high scenario predicts 4.4 feet of rise since 1992.
Maran said SFWMD is doing its own sea-level rise modeling. “When we run our studies we look at plus-one feet, plus-two feet and plus-three feet of sea-level rise.”
Though no-fault divorce was first legalized more than 50 years ago, it has long been sneered at in conservative circles, who see it as a danger to the sanctity of marriage and the concept of the American family.
Right-wing commentators like Steven Crowder and Matt Walsh have ramped up complaints in recent months that it is too easy for people — specifically women — to get divorces. All states currently have some version of a no-fault divorce law, but Republicans in Texas and Nebraska list the dissolution or restriction of no-fault divorce in their state party political platforms.
In Louisiana earlier this year, state GOP members debated officially backing the dissolution of no-fault divorce, but no decision was made.
So we have the Democratic Party protecting and even expanding women’s rights in the states they control while the GOP has already dismantled reproductive rights and are now angling to repeal no-fault divorce.
Yet millions of people will say “Both sides” as they either not vote, vote Republican, or vote 3rd party while agreeing that no-fault divorce should be allowed…
Since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when cruise ships filled with sickened passengers were blocked from U.S. ports, residents in Key West, Fla., have been trying to limit the size and number of vacation vessels on the tiny island, using the momentum created during the pandemic to argue for continuing restrictions on cruise vessels.
Activists flooded City Commission meetings, protested on the dock, collected signatures and managed to pass three ballot measures in 2020 imposing stricter controls to protect the marine environment and limit passengers to 1,500 a day — only to see the state Legislature, with the approval of Gov. Ron DeSantis, void the new restrictions the following year.
Now the wealthy hotelier who operates Key West’s cruise ship port is doubling down, asking the state for permission to expand, which would allow bigger ships with more passengers to operate legally out of the port.
The issue will soon land on the desk of Mr. DeSantis, who has received nearly $1 million in campaign donations from the pier’s owner. It represents a tough balancing act for the Republican governor, a 2024 presidential candidate who has touted his environmental record but has also been a booster of Florida’s tourism industry.
Hopefully Key West wises up and doesn’t vote for Republicans next year.
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved an amendment to its civil code to allow same-sex marriage, with an expectation for the draft to be proposed to Parliament next month.
[Article] Voters reject stadium tax for Royals and Chiefs (www.espn.com)
The future of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into question Tuesday when residents of Jackson County voted down a sales tax measure that would have helped to fund a new downtown ballpark along with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.
[Article] A poll asked voters if democracy is the ‘best system.’ Then came all the unexpected responses. (www.sun-sentinel.com)
The vast majority of Americans believe democracy, despite its problems, is the best system of government. But a nationwide poll from Florida Atlantic University shows that far fewer younger voters …
US says no troops to Haiti as country reels from explosion of gang violence (www.theguardian.com)
Washington says no despite ‘frantic’ talks between diplomats, as bodies lie in street and army battles gun-toting gang members
Florida election bill targets drop boxes again, brings back primary runoffs (www.sun-sentinel.com)
A new Florida election bill would further restrict where voters can drop off ballots, as well as force party primary candidates into runoffs.
[News] Republicans Furious as Speaker Johnson Turns GOP Leadership Meeting Into Religious Revival (www.meidastouch.com)
[News] Wisconsin’s Democratic governor signs his new state legislative maps into law (www.politico.com)
Republicans control the Legislature but approved the new lines to avoid a court fight.
News: Poll Ranks Biden as 14th-Best President, With Trump Last (www.nytimes.com)
President Biden may owe his place in the top third to his predecessor: Mr. Biden’s signature accomplishment, according to the historians, was evicting Donald J. Trump from the Oval Office.
[Analysis] AOC's questions years ago helped spark the investigation into Trump's business. Now, he's been ordered to pay $355 million. (www.businessinsider.com)
In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned Michael Cohen about Donald Trump. Cohen's answers eventually led to Letitia James's fraud lawsuit.
Crocodile spotted sunbathing at condo complex in Fort Lauderdale (www.wptv.com)
A resident at a condo complex in Fort Lauderdale spotted a crocodile enjoying a little sunshine on a dock.
[Analysis] Broward cities concerned New River tunnel-bridge dispute will delay commuter rail buildout (www.sun-sentinel.com)
The dispute between Broward County and the city of Fort Lauderdale over the choice of a tunnel or bridge for the New River railroad crossing has raised concerns among other cities that a long-await…
[News] America is becoming a country of YIMBYs (www.cnn.com)
::: spoiler spoiler...
A wet future: South Florida’s plan to fight flooding if sea levels rise 3 feet by 2075 (www.sun-sentinel.com)
Sea-level rise and stronger storms are making flood control in South Florida obsolete, but officials are studying how massive water pumps and taller spillway gates could keep South Florida drier un…
[Analysis] What is no-fault divorce, and why do some conservatives want to get rid of it? | CNN (www.cnn.com)
Though no-fault divorce was first legalized more than 50 years ago, it has long been sneered at in conservative circles, who see it as a danger to the sanctity of marriage and the concept of the American family.
[Analysis] DeSantis Faces Critical Decision on Cruise Ships in Key West (www.nytimes.com)
A campaign donor to Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to expand cruise ship operations in Key West, where voters have tried to restrict them.
Thailand's Cabinet approves a marriage equality bill to grant same-sex couples equal rights (apnews.com)
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved an amendment to its civil code to allow same-sex marriage, with an expectation for the draft to be proposed to Parliament next month.
Jill Stein formally launches 2024 White House bid as Green party candidate (www.theguardian.com)