Today on Context Florida:
Ben Pollara says Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli is right: no one has really made the case that the statutory language of SB 1030, legalizing low-THC medical marijuana, is flawed; but it absolutely is and must be fixed legislatively. Two groups have largely driven conversations surrounding 1030: advocates like Pollara, who have criticized the law as weak and industry players like Costa Farms and the Stanley Brothers, who have focused their energies (and lobbying/legal teams) on creating a more favorable business model within the confines of the law.
The Florida Legislature, always interested in preserving families, is working on a reform that guarantees to prevent some breakups. In the short run, that is, says Jac VerSteeg. The 2015 session that starts March 3 is almost certain to produce a package of alimony reforms. Alimony was a hot topic two years ago, and an alimony reform measure passed the House and Senate. But Gov. Scott vetoed it just before it could become law without his signature.
Avenir Holdings, LLC, the Coral Gables-based developer is proposing to create Palm Beach County’s 15th-largest town on the 7-square-mile Vavrus Ranch site they refer to as “New Urbanist.” Timothy Hullihan believes using the New Urbanist approach creates a self-sustaining, pedestrian-oriented community with a tiny environmental footprint, one that is critically important. However, he sees Avenir as just sprawl in New Urbanist clothing.
“Saturday Night Live” patriarch Lorne Michaels produced an incredibly entertaining one-hour tribute to himself on the show’s 40th anniversary. Sad to say it dragged on two and a half hours longer than it should have, writes Florence Snyder, because who’s going to say “no” to the founder of one of the entertainment industry’s most enduring and profitable franchises?
