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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing

@dkroberts.bsky.social
389 followers 21 following 161 posts

Writer, political columnist, childless cat lady. Allergic to fascists.

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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
For God's sake, people, what is wrong with us? floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/24/r...
floridaphoenix.com
Commentary: Rezoning Florida scout camp land for development has deep ramifications • Florida Phoenix
Back when my kids were in Boy Scouts, our troop spent a lot of time at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Brooksville. We always brought home a lot of that sand — in our tents, in our uniforms, and in...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New College is dead. See this excellent film and learn how and why: floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/21/f...
floridaphoenix.com
Film explores the sack of New College • Florida Phoenix
Ron DeSantis and his over-paid, under-qualified, anti-education Visigoths have been on a mission to ruin every college and university in Florida. Things have mostly been going according to plan. Mostl...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Can Florida get more embarrassing! Yes! floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/08/h...
floridaphoenix.com
Hit dogs holler over Hope Florida disclosure • Florida Phoenix
Just when you thought state politics could not possibly get sleazier, Hope Florida comes roaring back from the dead, putrid yet powerful, casting a light on the breathtaking arrogance and corruption o...
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
Oxford American @oxfordamerican.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
“My house is haunted.” From the Summer/Fall 2026 Home issue, @dkroberts.bsky.social reflects on loss and memory in her family's Florida house, which she refuses to ever leave. 🔗: shorturl.at/afKNn
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The "Free State of Florida" is trying to hamstring the nation's most important newspaper. floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/23/u...
floridaphoenix.com
Uthmeier's found another windmill to tilt at • Florida Phoenix
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is a busy, busy bee, darting from human trafficking prosecutions to going after shoplifting gangs to trying to outlaw drag queen Christmas shows to accusing Mic...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
What is it about rich white folks and their rage to destroy? Craig Pittman presents another atrocity, this time in (what's left of) panther habitat. floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/13/r...
floridaphoenix.com
Rich guys with racecars want to roar into Florida panther habitat • Florida Phoenix
Do you like where you live? I sure do. I live in a house built 100 years ago. It’s got a porch swing out front. It’s in a quiet neighborhood with brick streets. You could say it’s my ideal habitat. An...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Do you know where home is? oxfordamerican.org/magazine/iss...
oxfordamerican.org
Memory Architecture
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Florida DOT thinks "The Jetsons" is nonfiction. Craig Pittman reports: floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/06/i...
floridaphoenix.com
Instead of installing more EV chargers, Florida DOT dreams of flying cars • Florida Phoenix
I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid. None was more visually stunning than “The Jetsons.” It focused on a family coping with life in a streamlined future filled with snazzy gadgets. George Jetson, for...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Hey, Florida Republicans: your primary choices range from embarrassing to crazy. Well done. floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/03/f...
floridaphoenix.com
Florida's GOP primary for governor: Undignified. Unedifying. Flat-out godawful. • Florida Phoenix
I know y’all would probably rather not talk about the Republican candidates for governor of Florida. However, distasteful as it is, we must: The primary is Aug. 18. Now, this family-friendly publicati...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Will we ever stop destroying our best things? Florida's government seems hell-bent on using our waters as one big toilet. floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/30/s...
floridaphoenix.com
Sweet samples shows sour truth: Sewage injected beneath Florida Key is bubbling back up • Florida Phoenix
There’s an old saying, one that’s often brought up when Florida men fire off their guns to celebrate New Year’s: What goes up must come down. Look out for those falling bullets, boys! But when it come...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Florida surveillance state: we don't need no stinking constitution--https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/23/florida-wildlife-agency-targeted-its-critics-for-secret-surveillance/
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Ron DeSantis is a loser once again. Free Speech is the winner: floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/20/a...
floridaphoenix.com
A victory for 'the right to tell people what they do not want to hear' • Florida Phoenix
“‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’” That’s how federal judge Mark Walker began his 2022 injunction blocking enforcement of Ron DeSantis’ “Stop Woke Act” in Fl...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Florida treats its once-beautiful waters like a toilet. Craig Pittman shows how Ron DeSantis is full of it: floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/16/f...
floridaphoenix.com
Florida governor’s betrayal of clean water promise reaches peak with biosolids veto • Florida Phoenix
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been a huge fan of Bugs Bunny cartoons. I just love it when he does something outrageous and then turns to the camera and says, “Ain’t I a stinker?” It’s hilarious!...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Department of EverythingTrumpTouchesDies: US loss to Belgium in the World Cup. Here in Foreign Parts, you could cut the Schadenfreude with a knife.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Will this one stick? University of Florida presidential follies. floridaphoenix.com/2026/07/06/p...
floridaphoenix.com
Power struggle delayed the University of Florida's presidential search • Florida Phoenix
As Oscar Wilde might have said (had he lived in Florida), “To lose one university president may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose three in three years looks like carelessness.” Or arrogance with a ...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Florida is dirty is pretty much every conceivable way: floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/25/l...
floridaphoenix.com
Lobbyists work for and against Florida governments dealing with PFAS pollution • Florida Phoenix
A couple of millennia ago, when I was in elementary school, the teachers dispatched us kids to sell chocolate bars to support our school. That’s how I learned one of the basic principles of salesmansh...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
North Florida! Coming to a back yard near you! floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/18/p...
floridaphoenix.com
Python captures by Florida scientists overshadowed by hoopla over annual amateur contest • Florida Phoenix
According to the Bible, the world’s first con man was a snake. It deceived Adam and Eve, leading them to commit the first sin, which is how we wound up living in this messed-up world we have now. I me...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
One good line in the Fla budget: floridaphoenix.com/2026/06/01/j...
floridaphoenix.com
Justice for the Groveland Four • Florida Phoenix
Florida has a budget. Finally. It is not, however, a thing of beauty. There’s $725,000 for an “education” company connected to former Florida Man and current ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee for mat...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Sing it with me, children: "We don't need no ejucashun . . ." floridaphoenix.com/2026/05/28/r...
floridaphoenix.com
Red snapper fish fight highlights Florida governor’s disdain for science • Florida Phoenix
One of the great joys of living in Florida is our access to fresh seafood — shrimp, scallops, grouper, you name it. I grilled some on Memorial Day and it was delicious! The source of all this bounty, ...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
In the stopped-clock-right-twice-a-day dept, we have Byron Donalds: floridaphoenix.com/2026/05/21/g...
floridaphoenix.com
GOP frontrunner for governor says Florida needs growth management • Florida Phoenix
Back when dinosaurs ruled the earth and I was in high school, there was a popular song, played on the radio and even featured in the movie “All That Jazz” called “Everything Old is New Again.” “Don’t ...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Bottom of the pile again: teacher pay in Florida. floridaphoenix.com/2026/05/18/d...
floridaphoenix.com
Does Florida really value education? • Florida Phoenix
Florida: We’re Number One!  Number One in low teacher pay, that is. We rank 50th out of 50 states. Average K-12 salaries in Florida hover around $56,000 a year. Lower than Oklahoma, lower than Mississ...
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
bill @bill-66.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
DO NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT THE EPSTEIN FILES
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Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
#Florida Gov. Ron DeSastrous has been talking for months about cutting property taxes. The Lakeland Ledger ran the numbers & offers a look at how this would devastate Polk County & its 17 municipalities. www.theledger.com/story/news/p...
theledger.com
What will Polk County and the cities lose if property taxes are cut?
The primary proposal involves cutting all non-school property taxes on homesteaded properties. The Ledger ran the numbers for Polk County governments.
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Rep. @brotherjones.bsky.social burns a confederate flag in the rotunda after the House passed 9-0 maps stripping Memphis of representation… #Memphis #JimCrow @MarshaBlackburn @GovBillLee
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 07/05/2026
the basic logic of plessy — that the constitution has no bearing on social inequality — undergirds every roberts court ruling on the state’s ability to deal with the effects of racism from parents involved to calais.
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
#Florida Power & Light's St. Lucie nuke plant authorized by the feds to operate for another 20 years or until it melts down, whichever comes first. www.tcpalm.com/story/news/l...
tcpalm.com
Florida nuclear power plant approved to operate this many more years
Florida Power & Light nuclear power plant's two reactors, in operation since 1976 and 1983, have been approved to operate for this many more years.
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
John Fugelsang @johnfugelsang.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
commentary on the illegal iran war and the White House lies.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Florida dipshit of the week (so far--it's only Wednesday)
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Florida's worst invasive species: Bro-Flakes. The Sentinel's Scott Maxwell nails it. www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/05/06/f...
orlandosentinel.com
Maxwell: Florida bro-flakes. They’re angry, loud, entitled and convinced they’re victims
“Bro-flakes” are on the rise in Florida. They’re guys who are angry, loud, entitled and convinced the world is out to get White men. The governor and a candidate who wants to replace him have gone all...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Can Democrats in Florida fight back against gerrymandering for white people? floridaphoenix.com/2026/05/04/f...
floridaphoenix.com
Florida Democrats have reason for hope, but could still mess this up • Florida Phoenix
Florida Democrats have gotten a bit giddy lately. Optimistic, even. These are unfamiliar emotions for them. Some election year polls are perking them up something fierce. Democrats — “Dixiecrats” as m...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
As if Lake Okeechobee needs another blow to its environment. floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/30/s...
floridaphoenix.com
Secretive push to build new Florida slaughterhouse endangers Lake O • Florida Phoenix
America has had a long love affair with cowboys. We picture them riding, roping, and ranching and just swoon. But we don’t like thinking about what happens to the cattle they’re tending, and how these...
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
John Teets @suenitos.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
The editorial cartoonist's pen is one of the sharpest tools in journalism, whittling issues down to basics for satire or rage. I'm proud to say that my long-ago colleague, Milt Priggee, is unafraid to shock with a tough point of view.
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Robert Macfarlane @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
I had a small part in writing OUR LAND, Orban Wallace’s brilliant new film about land access in England, feat. @guyshrubsole.bsky.social et al. “We’ve found that [with access] people really do care for the land…We all belong to the land, it doesn’t belong to us.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Momentum building for Scottish-style land access rights in England, says film
Documentary makers seek to start ‘informed conversation’ in country where public is allowed on just 8% of land
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 02/05/2026
this is a great piece and i'm also somewhat annoyed because it means i have to rework the piece i was writing for next week www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Ruling by Ruling, the Supreme Court Is Undoing the Civil Rights Movement
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Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
#Florida Constitution specifically forbids the kind of partisan gerrymandering that Gov. Ron DeSastrous & President Convicted Felon are trying to muscle through the Legislature during this week's special session. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-... via @svdate.bsky.social
huffpost.com
Florida’s Constitution Bans The Sort Of Map-Rigging Republicans Want To Do There
The focus of Trump’s mid-decade redistricting war now turns to Florida, where his demands face a constitutional ban on districts drawn to favor a party.
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
D. Earl Stephens @dearlstephens.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
📌Barack Obama was targeted 11 times in assassination attempts during this two terms. I bet you don't remember any of them because they were handled through proper channels, professionally, and he isn't a whiny bitch.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Florida continues to cover itself in glory. This week's atrocity? Doing our best to destroy the Suwannee River. floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/23/w...
floridaphoenix.com
Way down upon this Florida river, pollution and water withdrawals spell double trouble • Florida Phoenix
If you’re an old canoe paddler like me, Florida offers a delightful assortment of rivers to navigate or just plain contemplate. They range from the laidback Blackwater in the Panhandle to the northwar...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Sylvester Stallone "is an entitled asshole." Somehow he thinks he's entitled to remove normal people and their boats from the IntraCoastal, where they've always moored their boats and enjoyed the Florida waterway we all own. floridatrident.org/sylvester-st...
floridatrident.org
Sylvester Stallone played a leading role in booting boaters from Palm Beach. Now they are fighting back.
Of all the large lavish mansions lining the northern end of Palm Beach looking west on Lake Worth Lagoon, the one owned by Sylvester Stallone is
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
@GovRonDeSantis: save us from these domestic terrorists! floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/20/f...
floridaphoenix.com
Florida's leaders see terrorists behind every bush • Florida Phoenix
Rejoice, Florida: Domestic terrorism is about to be terrorized, thanks to a terrific team headed by our triumphant governor, the talented Cabinet, and our tough law enforcement hombres. The state — in...
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
Tim Byrne @tbyrne75.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Happy 80th birthday to Tim Curry who has always, *always* understood the assignment.
Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture ShowTim Curry in ClueTim Curry in The Three MusketeersTim Curry in Muppet Treasure Island
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Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
In #Florida, huge gas hikes tied to our idiotic Iran War mean higher prices for seafood too. Thanks, President Convicted Felon! www.tcpalm.com/story/news/l...
tcpalm.com
Florida gas hike means higher prices for fish markets and restaurants
It's getting costlier to get fish from the dock to your plate. Here's how fuel prices are affecting fish markets, restaurants and commercial fishers.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Come have cocktails with Pulitzer Prize-winner Gilbert King, author of The Devil in the Grove. Celebrating Freedom: FLCGA's Fifth Anniversary Celebration Monday, April 20. 5:30 – 7:00 PM Orlando Museum of Art 2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803 Tickets at events@flcga.org.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Celebrate Democracy. Come meet Pulitzer winner Gilbert King and Florida journalists Jason Garcia, Scott Maxwell and Beth Kassab. April 20 at the Orlando Museum of Art. flcga.org/about/specia...
flcga.org
Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA)
The Florida Center for Government Accountability, a non-partisan nonprofit, focuses its government accountability and journalistic efforts primarily on local governments, providing support and assista...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
flcga.org/about/specia...
flcga.org
Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA)
The Florida Center for Government Accountability, a non-partisan nonprofit, focuses its government accountability and journalistic efforts primarily on local governments, providing support and assista...
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Reposted by Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
“Let those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace. Not a peace pursued by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate the other, but to encounter them.” — Pope Leo XIV
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Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
#Florida man turned Secty of State Li'l Marco Rubio not being very diplomatic about religion in govt.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
DeSanctimonious, DeFuture, DeMented: floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/06/b...
floridaphoenix.com
Back to DeFuture! • Florida Phoenix
Run, Ron, run! Seriously Dude, run for president in ’28. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. You broke hearts back in ’24 when you dropped out after the Iowa Caucuses: You tried so hard and came so...
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Floridians: your legislature hates you. floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/23/w...
floridaphoenix.com
What your Legislature did instead of taking care of you • Florida Phoenix
Back in the last century, before condos choked the beaches and theme parks displaced orange groves, I was a page in the Florida House of Representatives. All you had to do was fetch coffee and copies ...
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Craig Pittman @craigtimes.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
You can't open up a gun range in a suburban neighborhood in #Florida ... except where you can & there's nothing the cops can do about it. www.tampabay.com/news/hillsbo...
tampabay.com
Why Florida law allows people to shoot guns in the backyard
It’s technically illegal to shoot guns in a residential neighborhood, except for when it isn’t.
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Diane Roberts, formerly BadDebutante on the twixxy thing @dkroberts.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Suddenly, it's 1956 here in Florida! floridaphoenix.com/2026/03/09/o...
floridaphoenix.com
Our leaders look to the past, but it's not a pretty picture • Florida Phoenix
Tired of Black people thinking their lives matter? Sick of hearing Spanish every time you’re in a Miami restaurant? Annoyed by uppity women asserting their so-called rights, gay types flaunting themse...
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