Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Tallahassee, FL, United States
Contact Bill
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Past articles by Bill:
Re-retiring: A lucky curmudgeon finally calls it quits
Editor William Hatfield said I can keep my key to the newsroom and my log-in, so I may contribute an occasional column. → Read More
No one is as good, or bad, as campaign ads say
For reasons beyond understanding, attack advertising is the tactic of first resort in too many political campaigns. → Read More
Florida Amendment 3 would increase homestead exemptions for teachers, first responders
Amendment 3 would authorize the Legislature to provide an additional $50,000 homestead exemption on certain property-tax assessments. → Read More
Florida Amendment 2 would abolish the Constitution Revision Commission
The Legislature put a constitutional amendment abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission up for a vote on Nov. 8. → Read More
Florida Amendment 1 would give a tax break on assessments for climate change, flooding
Floridians who prepare for rising sea levels and flooding by elevating their buildings won’t get hit with a property-tax increase. → Read More
Campaign sleaze season again: Ausley target ad attacking Simon out of bounds
Voters should apply a simple test: Don’t rely on anything Candidate A wants you to believe about Candidate B. → Read More
Do debates matter, or do we just want to see them?
Has anything any candidate has said in a debate ever changed your thinking about that politician’s qualifications to hold public office? → Read More
Only Florida could have a Democratic primary like this
This race for governor hasn’t been the strangest, but the Crist-Fried contest has enough peculiarities to be a real Florida Democratic primary. → Read More
For DeSantis, Crist and Fried, ad campaigns show candidates' vulnerabilities
Political advertising can be annoying, repetitive and not very useful, but it’s fun to read tactics into the messages the candidates present. → Read More
DeSantis to legacy media: You are not welcomed here
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he didn’t want “legacy media outlets to be involved in our primaries.” → Read More
Veto pen is a club in DeSantis’ hands
The word “veto” comes from a Latin word meaning “I forbid,” and this governor has used his pen as imperiously as any Roman emperor. → Read More
Let’s not get physical in our political disputes
Members of Congress can’t go home without being confronted by unhinged partisans at their own party convention. → Read More
High court takes aim at home rule, local control
The issue before the Supreme Court this week is not the state takeover of gun laws, but the harsh penalties for local governments and officers. → Read More
House abortion debate was a rare show of real passion
No matter what legislators or judges do, we’re sure to hear a lot more impassioned debate about abortion for many sessions to come. → Read More
'He faithfully served': Former Florida Comptroller Gerald Lewis dies at 87
Gerald Lewis served as the state's comptroller beginning in 1974 and ending when he lost the seat in the GOP wave election of 1994. → Read More
Filibuster isn’t pretty, but it’s still needed
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris probably didn’t help their cause by comparing their opponents to Jefferson Davis and Bull Connor. → Read More
DeSantis follows successful script while putting his stamp on legislative session, re-election
Anyone looking for surprises, or a slight departure from rightwing dogma, was surely disappointed. And the left was just as predictable. → Read More
Let’s do away with the pretense of amateurism and admit that college sport is a big business
if Alabama’s Nick Saban can team up with Deion Sanders to make those Aflac commercials, why shouldn’t their players make a buck from fleeting fame? → Read More
Florida doesn’t just act Republican — it is a GOP state now
"Well, we went and did it — Florida now has more Republicans than Democrats. It’s been a long time coming, since the Reagan era." → Read More
Random thoughts on the week’s events
Casey DeSantis sacrificed some personal privacy by announcing that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. → Read More