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My world is usually one of dashed hopes and tamped-down expectations, particularly when it comes to restaurants recommended by others. And also with boozy Fort Lauderdale eateries featuring forced themes and mixed-up menus (crab Louie, rigatoni and sushi?). I went into Good Spirits Fifth and Fed expecting disappointment. Instead I got a treat, a place with remarkably composed dishes and polished service in a comfortable setting that works. And then I went back to make sure. And then I went... Read More

Twenty-seven months have passed since Floridians overwhelmingly voted for the right to access medical marijuana. But you wouldn’t know it by the way the previous administration obstructed access, slowed implementation, and denied the will of the people. Nearly 200,000 patients in Florida have used this medicine for relief from terminal and terrible conditions. Yet many are still seeking relief from suffering – and they need access to the flower in its natural form. Florida... Read More

With supporters touting benefits such as dislodging incumbents, the Florida House is moving forward with a proposal that could lead to term limits for school board members across the state. The House Oversight, Transparency & Public Management Subcommittee on Wednesday approved a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 229) that would ask voters in 2020 whether they want to impose eight-year term limits on school board members, similar to term limits in place for the Legislature. While... Read More

He’s picking on the wrong old gray lady. The ongoing war of words between President Trump and The New York Times reached a fever pitch Wednesday, with both sides slinging insults as they argued over one of the fundamental principles of American democracy: the rights of the free press. The commander-in-chief set off the fiery exchange with one of his most inflammatory anti-media insults — this one prompted by yet another damning news story about his administration in the Times. “The... Read More

The Broward School Board expects to approve new policies designed to correct security failures identified after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. A new policy on Code Red and other emergency codes is up for a final vote today, as is a policy requiring schools to identify spaces for students to hide in the event of an active shooter. Members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission criticized Superintendent Robert Runcie in November for not having enacted these... Read More

A lot of drivers who are speeding through one Oakland Park neighborhood are slowing down to get a look at this: a 7-foot-tall giraffe wearing a speed limit sign. Well, it mostly looks like a giraffe. One could argue that it’s an alpaca with more neck, but it’s enough of a giraffe for us. In any case, the shaggy, stuffed animal on the corner of Northeast Sixth Avenue and 35th Street wears a hand-painted poster board sign reminding drivers that the speed limit is 30 mph. Though he... Read More

When’s the last time you committed one of the seven deadly sins? If you live in Florida, chances are it wasn’t too long ago. The financial website WalletHub ranked the most sinful states in the country, and Florida came in No. 2. We only trailed Nevada, home of Sin City itself. To generate its list, WalletHub compared each state on various metrics that represent the categories of anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity and laziness. Florida was No. 1 for most... Read More

Broward County’s emergency 911 call centers are spending millions of dollars in overtime — with call-takers and dispatchers forced to work the extra hours— to make up for continuing vacancies, a county audit said. The 447 authorized staffing positions for the three centers in Coconut Creek, Sunrise and Pembroke Pines “are reasonable” to do the job, the audit said, but with an average of 30 slots vacant, workers end up being assigned mandatory overtime shifts to ensure there are... Read More

Florida is a fine-dining mecca, ranking high among states with the most top-rated restaurants, according to AAA. The Auto Club Group released its 2019 Five Diamond Award list and Florida ranks second for the most Four Diamond eateries, with 54 of 656. It also has three Five Diamond restaurants, ranking fifth on this year’s list of 67 nationwide. Professionally trained inspectors visited more than 650 U.S. establishments unannounced, rating them on overall food, service, decor and... Read More

The public would be blocked from accessing photos, video or audio involving the killing of a victim of mass violence, under a measure advancing in the Florida Senate. The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday backed a proposal (SB 186) that would create a public records exemption for records related to the death of an individual in incidents in which three or more people, not including the killer, are slain in an intentional act of violence. “In the age of... Read More