Michael Moline
The Florida Phoenix
New York, United States
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Past articles by Michael:
State of the State: DeSantis keeps pressure on to keep moving right; 'you ain't seen nothing yet'
Legislative Republicans were ebullient as the Florida House and Senate gathered in joint session Tuesday to open the 60-day regular session. They now enjoy supermajorities in both chambers, and Gov. Ron DeSantis, their unquestioned leader, is a strong contender for president in 2024. Yet DeSantis’ State of the State address, his yearly report to the […] → Read More
Clinics appeal to FL Supreme Court's conservative bent in fighting abortion ban
Attorneys for a group of abortion clinics are pleading with the Florida Supreme Court not to overrule decades of precedent protecting access to the procedure under the Florida Constitution, citing the plain text of that document’s Privacy Clause and the danger to millions of Florida women. Arguments, filed Tuesday on behalf of Planned Parenthood and […] → Read More
Gov. DeSantis plans legislative attack on Florida's undocumented immigrants
Gov. Ron DeSantis has unveiled an anti-immigration agenda that would deny jobs, education, and possibly health care for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who call Florida home. If the governor gets his way with the state Legislature — as is likely — all private employers would have to screen potential hires against the dodgy […] → Read More
A.G. Moody, citing Dobbs ruling, seeks to cut off Planned Parenthood funding
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has asked a federal trial court to allow the state to enforce a seven-year-old law denying taxpayer support for health facilities that provide abortions, even if the money wouldn’t pay directly for abortion services. Back in 2016, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle cited Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme […] → Read More
Senator concedes defeat in legal challenge to DeSantis' migrant flights
A state senator waived the white flag on his lawsuit challenging Gov. Ron DeSantis’ migrant flights, conceding during a court hearing Wednesday that the Florida Legislature has repealed aspects targeted in the litigation while reauthorizing the program. Sen. Jason Pizzo, who is an attorney, still objects to the rejiggered version that cleared the House and […] → Read More
Gov. DeSantis preaches anti-'woke' sermon to suburban audiences up North
Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered a sharply anti-“woke” message during his Presidents Day speeches to police audiences outside three Democratic-controlled northern cities, sounding for all the world like a candidate for president himself. The Florida governor, fresh off his 19-point reelection win, traveled to suburban Chicago and Philadelphia plus Staten Island, N.Y. (the only NYC borough […] → Read More
DeSantis near Chicago to address cops; state's Dem governor not impressed
Will Gov. Ron DeSantis try to poach Chicago area-cops for Florida when he addresses that city’s Lodge No. 7 of the Fraternal Order of Police? Stands to reason: The governor’s been aggressively courting law enforcement officers from states where cops feel undersupported by political leaders, through offers of $5,000 signing bonuses and other inducements. DeSantis, […] → Read More
Andrew Warren asks FL Supreme Court to reinstate him as state's attorney
Andrew Warren, a twice-elected state prosecutor suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis, has taken his case for reinstatement as Hillsborough County state’s attorney to the Florida Supreme Court. In a motion filed with the court on Thursday, attorneys for Warren cited a federal judge’s Jan. 20 ruling that DeSantis violated the state and federal constitutions by […] → Read More
New measure could grease the skids on DeSantis' elections-crimes prosecutions
Say you’re a governor who announced during a splashy press conference that your new and much vaunted elections-crimes unit had rounded up some 20 former felons for improperly voting, only to see the cases fall apart in court. What do you do? Well, one option would be to consolidate prosecution authority in one, statewide entity, […] → Read More
Andrew Warren asks federal appeals court to undo his suspension as state's attorney
Andrew Warren, suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis for reasons a federal trial judge ruled were politically motivated, has taken his fight for reinstatement as state’s attorney for Hillsborough County to a federal appeal court. The twice-elected prosecutor filed a notice of appeal on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in […] → Read More
DeSantis pushing legislation to expand his crusade against 'woke' capitalism
Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders are promising to extend the governor’s campaign against “ESG” investing through legislation barring state and local agencies from putting taxpayer money in banks that consider more than the naked bottom line in managing investments. “ESG stands for “economic, social, and governance” considerations in investments on behalf of stockholders or […] → Read More
DeSantis' migrant-transportation revamp clears FL Senate, despite lawsuits, Constitutional issues
The Florida Senate has gone along with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to fix problems in his asylum-seeker airlifts, voting along party lines to place it on firmer but not unassailable constitutional footing. The focus now shifts to the Florida House, where that chamber’s version of the legislation (HB 5B) passed its last committee meeting Wednesday […] → Read More
Fixes to DeSantis' immigrant program won't necessarily solve his legal woes
The Florida Legislature is trying to repair Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legally embattled asylum-seeker airlifts but, no matter what lawmakers pass during a special session going on this week and next, it won’t eliminate the governor’s legal exposure in state and federal courts. Prominent on the House and Senate calendars for the special session that opened […] → Read More
Legislature issues last-minute special-session call for next week
House and Senate leaders have called a special session of the Florida Legislature beginning on Monday to take up items including the future of the Walt Disney Co.’s private government and to add money to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ asylum seeker removal fund. The special session is scheduled to close on Friday, Feb. 17. “In coordination […] → Read More
Did DeSantis endorse abortion 'heartbeat' legislation? Nope — not really
Democrats have leapt to denounce Gov. Ron DeSantis’ apparent endorsement of a ban on abortion in Florida after six weeks’ gestation. But that endorsement is less solid than it might seem. During a news conference Wednesday in which he released his $114.8 billion budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, the […] → Read More
DeSantis proposes $115 billion in state spending plus a big chunk for state reserves in 2023-24
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants state government to spend nearly $115 billion during the fiscal year due to begin on July 1, while holding $15.7 billion in reserve against unforeseen contingencies, including a possible recession. The actual bottom line would be $114.8 billion should the Legislature pass DeSantis’ budget as proposed; legislative leaders will have their […] → Read More
Professor emerita to FL Dems: Voters want diverse candidates; 'someone who’s inspirational'
Those public opinion polls matching Gov. Ron DeSantis and other presidential aspirants against Joe Biden and Donald Trump? Pay them no nevermind, a leading Florida political scientist advised during a speech in Tallahassee this week. “These polls that are being taken right now are nothing but clickbait,” Susan MacManus, professor emerita at the University of […] → Read More
Florida GOP, sheriffs, pursue permitless carrying of firearms; Dems call it reckless, dangerous
Legislative Republicans have taken the first step toward allowing any adult Floridian without a criminal record to carry concealed weapons free of any need to take gun-safety classes or register with the state. They wouldn’t be allowed to openly pack handguns, as in the Wild West. Still, Democrats warned that bills introduced Monday in the […] → Read More
Florida GOP, sheriffs, pursue permitless carrying of firearms; Dems call it reckless, dangerous
Legislative Republicans have taken the first step toward allowing any adult Floridian without a criminal record to carry concealed weapons free of any need to take gun-safety classes or register with the state. They wouldn’t be allowed to openly pack handguns, as in the Wild West. Still, Democrats warned that bills introduced Monday in the […] → Read More
Florida police chiefs: We 'do not support what happened' to Tyre Nichols
Florida’s police chiefs have denounced the actions by Memphis, Tenn., police officers that resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols following a traffic stop on Jan. 7. Authorities in Memphis planned to release police bodycam footage of the attack Friday evening. “Based on what we know, the actions and conduct of the officers involved were […] → Read More