Arizona Under Fire: What you need to know about the Sheriff Joe Recall Effort

[Editor's note: Hey, look, it's a guest post! I've been a busy bee lately and haven't had as much time as I'd like to blog about all the intriguing things happening, so I've invited a few friends to do a little guest blogging here from time to time. So here's Amy Miller...enjoy! Also don't forget to follow my random mumblings on Twitter.]

I don't normally stick my nose into local or district races, mostly because it conflicts with my philosophy of letting the people choose their own. damn. representatives. That being said, I do believe that the people have a right to know who they're signing petitions against and voting for--especially when the Big Progressive Steamroller of Doom© is calling the shots.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings wants to use drone planes

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings

Privacy-schmivacy. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings wants to use drone planes to spy on us:

Orlando Sentinel | Sheriff's Office wants to fly drones over Orange County skies

The Orange County Sheriff's Office is experimenting with two surveillance drones that it hopes to turn loose over Metro Orlando skies this summer.

High Five to Texas

I'm spending a few days in Austin, Texas and while I was in the Capitol earlier this week, I came across this sign in a hallway:

Is the lottery a tax on the poor?

Earlier today, I saw an article posted by a friend on Facebook, asking whether lottery programs were a form of regressive taxation, in other words, whether they have a disproportionate effect on the poor.

Will Weatherford ready to lead "innovative conservative" Florida House

RedState's Erick Erickson and Will Weatherford

Speaker-designate of the Florida House Will Weatherford stopped by the RedState Gathering in Jacksonville last Friday to chat with the conservative activists and bloggers who were attending the conference. 

What I like about Weatherford is that he isn't just a proud Republican, but that he is consistently cheerful and positive about it, treating politics as a method for finding solutions. He truly believes that conservative principles are the best way to provide the most opportunities for success for the most people, and is dedicated to the idea of making government as simple and streamlined as possible.

While Weatherford was at the Gathering, he was nice enough to chat with me for a few minutes. Here is a video of the interview:

Why is the Florida Legislature playing Russian Roulette with our property insurance?

Our luck won't last forever.

Smart people don't play Russian Roulette. 

They definitely don't consider playing it repeatedly, knowing that every turn they take would increase the chances of catastrophe.

So why is the Florida Legislature using Russian Roulette as a model for our property insurance?

Here's a fun idea: Elect people who know how to manage money!

My friend Eric Lasso is running for the District 3 seat on the Orange County Commission, and Frank Torres posted a short interview with him on his blog earlier this afternoon:

Florida Politics with Frank Torres | Interview with Eric Lasso, Candidate for Orange County Commission District 3

In Winter Garden, Nice Guys Finish First: Bobby Olszewski Wins Commission Race

Winter Garden's newest
commissioner

In the middle of all the hullabaloo about the Alabama, Mississippi, and Hawaiian primaries (and also American Samoa, don't forget, ha), you might have missed a little municipal election in Winter Garden, but I was very glad to see the results.

My friend and fellow Orange County Young Republican, Bobby Olszewski, was elected to the District 3 Commission seat, winning an impressive 70.17% of the vote against incumbent Harold Bouler.

Lydia Gardner Wine Tasting Event Tomorrow

My friend Lydia Gardner is having a Wine Tasting Fundraiser to support her re-election campaign as Orange County Clerk of Court. Please attend if you can:

I endorse Eric Lasso for Orange County Commissioner

A friend of mine from college, Eric Lasso, announced today that he is running for the District 3 Seat on the Orange County Commission. I enthusiastically endorse Eric without reservation, and encourage you to check him out and consider supporting him as well.

Tonight: Re-election Campaign Kickoff for Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley

Ken Bradley has been a great mayor for Winter Park and is running for reelection. He's earned my endorsement, and you should come meet him tonight from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at Hot Olives, 601 South New York Ave., in downtown Winter Park.

Map and more event details here

As always, you can find this and lots of other great events at the "Events" tab at the top right of this website.

Campaign Kickoff to Re-elect Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley

Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley is kicking off his re-election campaign next week. I proudly supported him in his first run for office in 2009, and I'm happy to endorse his reelection. Bradley deeply cares about Winter Park and has established himself as a tough advocate for fiscally conservative principles.


The election will be January 31, 2012, the same day as Florida's presidential primary. This decision to have the election on that day is saving the taxpayers about $30,000 (see what I mean about being a fiscal conservative?).

Here's all the details for for the campaign kickoff:

November elections for Altamonte Springs & Lake Mary

Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Michael Ertel sent out an email today with information about the upcoming municipal elections in Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary (Oviedo and Longwood were originally scheduled to have elections as well, but the incumbent city commissioners were reelected without opposition):

• Election day will be November 8th for both Altamonte Springs and Lake Mary.
• If you just moved to Altamonte Springs or Lake Mary, October 11, 2011 is the last day you can register to vote and participate in this year's city elections.
• Altamonte Springs residents can vote at the City Hall building at 225 Newburyport Avenue.
• Lake Mary residents can vote at the City Hall building at 100 North Country Club Road.
• Early voting will be 10 am to 6 pm on Friday, November 4, noon to 4 pm on Saturday, November 5, and noon to 4 pm on Sunday, November 6 at the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections office at 1500 East Airport Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773.
• You can get an absentee ballot by calling 407-585-VOTE (8683) or at www.voteseminole.org.

Political Meteorology

It is often easier to get excited about Presidential and Congressional races, but here's a reminder of how important local and state governments are:

FLORIDA 2004 STORMS

Charley makes landfall on Florida's west coast

Hurricane Charley (pictured, left) made landfall as Category 4 (the day after Tropical Storm Bonnie), and still had winds over 100 mph when it crossed Orlando.

Hurricane Frances hit Florida only three weeks after Charley. Drenched Florida with severe rain (over 13" in some areas). Wind damage resulted in near total loss of citrus crops between West Palm Beach and Melbourne. Caused a sinkhole under I-95 in Palm Beach County.

Hurricane Ivan, the storm with its own sequel

Hurricane Ivan was a Category 4 and caused severe property damage to Panhandle. Then, after crossing the South, regained strength in the Atlantic and came back and hit Florida again with severe storms and heavy rain.

Hurricane Jeanne headed out to the Atlantic after causing massive devastation in Hispaniola. Then, made a complete loop and came back and hit Florida, just three weeks after Frances, making landfall just 2 miles from where Frances had struck.

FLORIDA 2004 GOVERNMENT

Governor Jeb Bush

Republican Governor Jeb Bush issued state of emergency declarations. National Hurricane Center, law enforcement and elected officials provided warnings and instructions to Floridians. Constant stream of information provided by government to news media. Millions of residents evacuated, schools and facilities closed. Governor Bush called in National Guard to help with relief efforts ahead of storms' impacts.

FLORIDA 2004 RESULT

It wasn't fun. I know. I lived here. Considering the severity of storms, fatalities were fortunately limited to less than 50. We got through it and rebuilt.

LOUISIANA 2005 STORM

Repairs to Lake Eola Fountain almost complete

Orlando's iconic Lake Eola Fountain, pictured on the official city seal, was damaged by a lightning strike in 2009.

After some wrangling with the insurance company and debates over how the fountain should be repaired and upgraded, the work is finally almost done and should be complete in time for the city's July 4th celebration.

Mike Synan at Fox35 covered the story, including some humorous segments with Mayor Buddy Dyer helping with some of the repair work himself. (Wow, those city budget cuts are rough, huh?)


MyFoxOrlando | Lake Eola repairs close to complete

As an Orlando native, it brings me a lot of pride to see a hometown landmark restored. Can't wait to see the completed fountain!

Some local and state government internet resources

I've written before about the great job that the City of Orlando does managing its online presence, and I just wanted to share some other local and state government links I found today:

Florida House of Representatives Goes Mobile

The Florida House has long had a website at www.myfloridahouse.gov, and while there's a wealth of information offered on that site, it wasn't exactly mobile friendly.

No worries, today the House launched a mobile version of their site at http://mfhmobile.com. ("MFHmobile" stands for "My Florida House mobile.")

I tested the site on my Blackberry and it worked very well. Loaded quickly, easy to navigate. Here's the home screen:

[Hat tip: Saint Petersblog]

Winter Park Links

The City of Winter Park has also done a great job developing its online presence.

Pete Weldon posted on his website a list of useful links for Winter Park residents, including how to sign up for e-mail updates and emergency alerts from city government, and of course the City of Winter Park's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Pete had this to say about Winter Park's efforts to provide information to its residents: "I am honored to live in a city that understands and lives up to the highest standards of government transparency. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these resources and to be informed about our city."
 

High Five to @citybeautiful

Yesterday I went to dinner with my parents and two of our neighbors to Scruffy Murphy's in College Park.  I love that place...lots of great beers on tap, good food, decent prices.  I highly recommend the Shepherd's Pie.  Yum.

Very appropriate slogan!

...but I digress...anyway, Dad parked the truck and we walked down Edgewater Drive to Scruffy's and I noticed that one of the trees had been removed and there was a hole left in its place with some stakes. It wasn't very well marked and there was no barrier around the spot.  Maybe because I'm an attorney, or more likely because I can be a total klutz sometimes, I tend to notice things like this:

Yeah, I almost tripped over this.  Ack.

I posted the photo on twitter with a comment to @citybeautiful (the official City of Orlando twitter account) and @orlandosentinel that the photo was a removed tree on Edgewater and Winter Park Street and that it needed to be fixed.  I had just been talking with my parents about how Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker is active on twitter and very responsive to his citizens' requests, and thought it might be worth a try to see if anyone in Orlando was really monitoring these accounts.

Well, this morning, @citybeautiful sent me a reply:

@rumpfshaker @orlandosentinel Thanks! Have forwarded photo and address to appropriate dept.. Re:Removed tree on Edgewater/Winter Park.

Then, this afternoon I got an email from Michael McCarthy, who is the "Interactive Programs Supervisor" in the city's Office of Communications and Neighborhood Relations:

Dear Ms. Rumpf,

Good afternoon.  I need to ask a little more information than I can ask in 140 characters about the picture you posted on Twitter.   I am going to assume that you want a new tree to go in, but let me know for sure. The other alternative is covering and resurfacing the hole.  Our Parks section handles replanting trees, but Public Works handles the sidewalk repairs - so they asked me for a little more information so they could assign the task to the right crew.

Again, thanks for bringing this to our attention.  Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Michael

Wow.  What a great, quick response.  I sent a reply back that I was mainly concerned about someone tripping and falling on the hole, and I like the trees but if filling in the sidewalk is cheaper, let's do that.

Next time I'm in that area of College Park, I'll have to check and see what they did there.  Regardless, it's nice to know that someone's actually paying attention.

FYI, Orlando residents should check out this list of official City of Orlando social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS Feeds, and a Flickr photo account:

City of Orlando Social Media Accounts

My hometown.  It really is beautiful here :)