Conservatives used to want to conserve. They wanted to conserve nature, wilderness, wildlife. They wanted to conserve art, historical sites, historical buildings, history itself. They valued American ...

When naturalist John James Audubon visited Florida in the 1830s, he marveled at our vast flocks of birds but complained about all the wetlands covering the landscape. “The general wildness, the eterna...

When naturalist John James Audubon visited Florida in the 1830s, he marveled at our vast flocks of birds but complained about all the wetlands covering the landscape. “The general wildness, the eterna...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“‘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...

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!...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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, ...

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 ...

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...

The primary proposal involves cutting all non-school property taxes on homesteaded properties. The Ledger ran the numbers for Polk County governments.

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.

“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...

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...

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...

Documentary makers seek to start ‘informed conversation’ in country where public is allowed on just 8% of land

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.

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...

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

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...

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.

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...