In 2008, Barack Obama moved many young voters to raise their voices and vote for the first time. But have they stuck around in 2012? With less than 50 days to go before the general election, Jessica Palombo reports, Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are battling for Florida’s young voters, who could make all the difference in the notoriously close swing state.
Florida’s Hispanic population makes up eight-percent of total people living in the United States, making it the third largest in the nation. That’s one of the reasons both President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney are making trips to Florida almost every weekto capture the state’s large Hispanic population. As Sascha Cordner reports, political experts say a big component to winning the overall election this year will be grabbing the Latino vote, especially in key battleground states, like Florida.
Governor Rick Scott says unemployment is down and jobs are growing in Florida, but Regan McCarthy reports experts say the governor’s assessment of the Sunshine state, might be too sunny, and doesn’t count things like the number of people who are giving up on looking for jobs.
Florida’s jobless rate isn’t the only thing that’s stalled. In most of the state, new home and business construction is at a virtual standstill. Given that, you might not think that growth management would be an issue of concern in Florida right now. Tom Flanigan reports you’d be wrong.
Governor Rick Scott says he wants state lawmakers to hold education funding steady, and he’s open to revisiting issues like teacher merit pay. The Governor has been making the rounds to schools across the state on an education listening tour. Scott says he wants to gather ideas on education and is talking with parents and teachers, but some of his critics say they aren’t convinced that Scott’s outreach efforts are genuine.
This November voters will have more to decide than just who will be the next President of the United States. They’ll also have to choose whether or not to add up to 11 different amendments to Florida’s Constitution. The proposals cover everything from how education dollars are spent, to who gets additional property tax exemptions. Trimmel Gomes breaks down amendments two, nine and 11 which all deal with giving homestead exemptions…