Politics
Remembering a first love — the written word
I will never forget my first series of books.
It wasn’t the Hardy Boys; those were given to me as gifts, but I couldn’t really relate to Frank and Joe Hardy and their shenanigans in Bayport.
I suppose the 1983 version of me needed something edgier.
The first series that hooked me was the “Ashes” books by William Johnstone. I was at Atlanta airport when I saw book one, “Out of the Ashes.” It was a post-apocalyptic series long before they became popular.
While Joe and Frank were solving the case of the missing trumpet from Old Lady Simm’s house in the Hardy books, Ben Raines and the “Rebels in the Ashes” series were forming the Tri-States and battling gangs, zombies, mercenaries, and even the Federal Government after a nuclear war.
Out of the Ashes earns the childhood book award from my 9-year-old self.
As the years passed and life’s journey opened its doors, I often thought I could write a book. Why not? If Franklin Dixon could create those Hardy characters, I could do that, right? Easier said than done. Once the actual writing challenge presented itself, I gained a new respect for the craft and Dixon.
My first writing opportunity came after an event in Tallahassee, where the local newspaper featured me on the front page in 2008. Our company had won an award, and the editor of the Tallahassee Democrat at the time, Dave Hodges, took a photo of us at the award ceremony.
After it was published, he called me and asked if I would write a column for the newspaper. I said yes — I might have even said “hell yes” — and I have been writing for them ever since.
When the pandemic hit, I had an interesting conversation with a friend named Jay Revell.
Over coffee one morning in late 2020, he suggested I put a book together. The suggestion sparked a wave of inspiration in part of me, while the other thought there was no time for that.
Though there wasn’t time to write the great American novel, I could compile my 20 top columns from 2020 into a pandemic business diary. We added a snappy intro from America’s favorite band, Sister Hazel, along with some great photos, an Honor Roll, and other literary nuggets, and my book was born: “Professionally Distanced.”
Since that first request to write, my motivation has been the feeling that I have to — or at least I should.
Stories must be told, cybersecurity concerns must be shared, new tech must be celebrated, awesome people must be featured, and the Hardy Boys must be ridiculed. I asked a legendary author why he writes, hoping to gain insight beyond my perspective. No joke, this author is a legend. He was named a Florida Literary Legend by the Florida Heritage Book Festival in 2020 and is a New York Times bestselling author of “Welcome to Florida” and many other titles.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Craig Pittman, who says: “I write because otherwise I would explode. It’s a way to relieve the tremendous pressure inside me whenever I take a break from writing. If I didn’t have this outlet, KAPOW! It would be pretty messy, too. Serious cleanup problem.”
If you transition from being a casual reader to getting deeply into reading, at some point, you’ll need to make the leap to attending book signings, listening to authors read their work, or even going to a literary festival. Florida boasts one of the coolest literary fests: Word of South.
I have attended several times, and when they asked me to be one of the opening local authors this year, I said yes; I may have even said, “hell, yes.”
I will discuss “Professionally Distanced” and introduce singer/songwriter Charlie Mars (we will close this column with one of his tracks) while checking out all the other bands, singers, and authors during this three-day fest founded by award-winning author Mark Mustain (check out his new book, “Boy with Wings”).
The festival will feature a big show on Friday night with the Violent Femmes and the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, followed by more intimate concerts and readings. There may even be collaborations between authors and musicians. Literary superstars will attend the fest, including science fiction author Jeff VanderMeer. (You can read about my pandemic collaboration with Jeff here.) Many others, including the legendary Craig Pittman, will also be there.
I love reading; it’s my favorite hobby. I still enjoy a good book series. Last year, I read the 18 or so books in the “Dresden Files,” and this year, I started the “Expeditionary Force” series by Craig Alanson. To me, the thrill of a series represents peak writing. It is inspiring to have everything mapped out in your head years in advance. How do they do that? Thanks, William Johnstone, for getting it started back in 1983.
The literary artists of our time are fantastic, and reading is a constant awakening and discovery. Last night, I read something by author Drew Williams as he finished his acknowledgments in “The Stars Now Unclaimed.”
He writes: “Because that’s the thing about books, right? They’re not just books; they’re doorways — doorways and mirrors at the same time. They open onto new worlds and reflect who we are in ways we never would have imagined otherwise. So, one last thank you to all the artists and writers who have ever opened a doorway for me. Thank you.”
Likewise, Drew, right on — or should I say, write on? Hell yeah.
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A battle of David versus Goliath has emerged in response to a bill filed in the House and Senate which is supported by the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR).
The bill (SB 1656) proposes amendments to Florida Statute 651 which are intended to reform the law that governs continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), especially provisions intended to give the OIR new tools to deal with CCRC bankruptcies.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky has gone on record criticizing a major continuing care provider association because some of its members have pressured retirement home residents to oppose provisions of the bill that are supported by Florida Life Care Residents Association (FLiCRA), the association made up of 13,000 residents of retirement communities across Florida.
The Commissioner communicated in writing to LeadingAge Southeast that he found the association was engaging in “unacceptable and unproductive behavior.”
Hank Keith, who is CEO of Westminster Communities of Florida, has also come under fire from Westminster retirement community residents across the state, after he wrote to residents personally several times urging them to launch a letter-writing campaign to urge legislators to oppose the OIR bill.
In his letters to residents Keith claimed that the OIR bill would lead to “significant increases in monthly costs” for residents and would “reduce charitable impact.”
FLiCRA Executive Director Bennett Napier says FLiCRA “supports specific provisions in the bills centered around new and improved definitions, additional financial transparency and protection of resident financial interests.”
“Like other stakeholders, FLiCRA wants to ensure the Florida CCRC marketplace is stable and able to grow to meet consumer demand.” Napier said. “We appreciate that a number of owner/operators of Florida CCRCs chose not to engage their residents in letter writing against the House and Senate bills that are likely to be amended during the committee process.”
Some Westminster residents believe their friends and neighbors may have been misled into signing the form letters that Westminster management provided to them.
One such resident is former Rep. Marjorie Turnbull, who lives at Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee. After receiving communication from Westminster that included a pitch from Keith criticizing the bill, sample letters, and contact information for legislators, Turnbull fired back a response asking Westminster to withdraw the request.
“I was perturbed by the email asking Westminster Oaks residents to contact their legislators regarding a bill that has not been explained to us in detail prior to this request,” Turnbull said. “Without more detailed information and a like statement from FLiCRA, which solicits resident input prior to taking a position, I would suggest that any resident, who sends such a letter to a legislator, may not be acting in his/her own best interest.”
“It would be wise (for Westminster) to retract the request until we receive more information,” she concluded.
It appears Westminster instructed managers at all 12 of its Florida CCRC locations to distribute the Keith communication to residents.
At the Sandhill Cove Senior Living Community in Palm City, local management took it a step further and made a presentation to the community at both the February and March “Cup of Joe” monthly gatherings.
Sandhill Cove resident Pete Morrisey said the presentations came without any advance notice. “At the end of the meetings they said there were form letters they could give to people,” Morrisey said.
Morrisey said he agrees with Turnbull that the tactics of Westminster and some other owner/operators surely led some residents to sign form letters without fully knowing what they were opposing.
The OIR bill is scheduled to be taken up by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Monday.
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Politics
AOC raises a ruckus over two Florida Democrats in Congressional races use her material without permission
Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, David Hogg, warned Democratic candidates to back off using unauthorized material.
Two Florida Democrats with long-shot campaigns for U.S. Congressional seats are taking heat from a national leader of the party for the unauthorized use of material in their advertisements.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC in political pop culture, is the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th Congressional District, is taking Gay Valimont and Josh Weil to task. Valimont is seeking Florida’s 1st Congressional District seat that was held by Matt Gaetz in the Panhandle until he resigned in November after President Donald Trump nominated Gaetz for U.S. Attorney General. Gaetz resigned his Congressional seat but then withdrew his name from the nomination after he had resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives.
Weil is running for Florida’s 6th U.S. Congressional District in and surrounding the Space Coast and as recent as Friday his Republican competitor Randy Fine called for his arrest because one of his campaign workers was distributing campaign flyers on a stolen bicycle. That congressional seat is up for a special election April 1 after Republican Michael Waltz vacated it to become National Security Advisor for Trump.
Ocasio-Cortez in a social media post on the X platform this weekend said neither Valimont or Weil had permission to take excerpts from the New York Democrat’s Instagram speech that lasted 92 minutes recorded in February. The two Florida Democrats were using Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram address to raise funds for their campaigns in the Sunshine State.
“Fyi this is being run as an ad without my consent. I’m not personally involved in any races right now,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an X post dated Saturday.
David Hogg, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee has gotten involved in the inner-party flap. Hogg, who is from Florida and one of the survivors of the school shooting in Parkland in 2018, said he has advised the Florida Democrats to back off.
“The campaign hasn’t been approving this type of content – it’s this consultant who’s running this without anyone’s consent,” Hogg said in an X post, adding he has sent a cease-and-desist order to the political fundraising consultants on the campaign.
Hogg singled out fundraising advisor Jackson McMillan for the unauthorized use of the the Ocasio-Cortez material.
“I’m done dealing with these a**holes and it’s time they start being called out. Everyone says f*** the consultants but won’t name names. Jackson is one of many,” Hogg said in his X post.
While Valimont is the up for the special election in April 1 for the vacant Gaetz seat, the favorite to win the seat is current Florida Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Patronis.
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