Andy Gardiner

Last week, someone told the Rev. Joel Hunter that they hoped his family dies in a fire. Why? Because Hunter had the audacity to speak out against intolerance, specifically intolerance against Muslims. Hunter quickly paid the price, receiving...

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott should be at the high tide of his influence, dropping the hammer on fellow Republican legislators thwarting his agenda. The governor has made it clear he wants $2,500 pay raises for teachers and a $141 million...

TALLAHASSEE — With the 60-day lawmaking session complete, Florida legislators are wasting no time getting back to what they do the other 10 months of the year: raising copious amounts of cash from wealthy donors and companies. And thanks to a...

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott will get a slimmed-down tax-incentive toy box with tougher standards for evaluating the economic benefit of projects. But will the Dolphins get $350 million to shape up Sun Life Stadium and lure another Super Bowl? Can...

Last week, I shared with you the disturbing stories of profoundly disabled children being asked to take standardized tests that defy common sense. A tube-fed 10-year-old being asked questions about which fruit he would like to eat. A 9-year-old...

TALLAHASSEE – There's an obvious reason why Florida politicos spend so much time talking about the cleansing effect of transparency without ever hopping in the tub. Whether in war, business or politics, informational advantages are powerful forces...

They control some of the largest work forces in town. They can affect your health care, your daily commute, even your kids' education. Some of them have direct lines to the White House. They are Central Florida's power players. And you deserve to...

TALLAHASSEE – Florida education interest-groups are waging a multi-front fight this fall over traditional public-school alternatives like charters and voucher programs. Gov. Rick Scott's 2013 "college and career first" education agenda unveiled...

There's a new No. 1 this year. But before we get to him, let's first reveal the others who topped this year's list of "The 25 Most Powerful People in Central Florida." The top 10 includes three business executives, two mayors, two members of Congress, one...

They control some of the largest workforces, biggest budgets and loudest bully pulpits in town. And they can impact everything from your morning commute to your family's health care and entertainment options. They are Central Florida's power players....

It's alive! Citizen activism and public interest, that is. When Florida legislators swung through town this week, hundreds of Central Floridians poured into the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre to demand that politicians treat them, their money and...

Late last week, Gov. Rick Scott blindsided tens of thousands of disabled Floridians and their caregivers by signing an executive order to immediately cut their funding. Yet that very same day, the governor made time for a photo op — for the Special...