Florida, no longer the nation's bellwether

In my years of covering Florida government and politics, I had been struck by the extent to which everything that happens in Florida was a precursor to what happens in the nation. In 2010, the state elected a businessman with a shaky past who had never held public office as governor. Rick Scott's campaign appealed to xenophobic fears and economic insecurity eight years before those themes would elevate Donald Trump into office. All that ended in 2022, when the predicted red wave only happened in Florida. Florida is now a state in transition. Here is a look at where we've been and where we may be going. 

Cashing in on state of Florida contracts is growth industry

Florida, like the federal government, has become so dependent on outside vendors to taxpayer-supported work that it has transformed government into a contract brokering service, with more attention paid to who wins the deal than how well the service is performed. In an exclusive interview, this former contract manager walks us through how the private sector lobbyists outwit and outman the state at the negotiating table.

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