Newly appointed Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned from office last week after photos of him in blackface were leaked. Also, an ethics compliant against former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is moving forward after the state ethics commission found probable cause that he flouted ethics laws in 2016 by allegedly accepting gifts during trips with lobbyists. Elizabeth Koh, Tallahassee Bureau reporter for the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald, has been following both stories and joined Sundial to breakdown the implications of the actions to the future of both politician’s careers.
The Pew’s Research Stateline Project has released their “State of the State” series looking at some of the major policy issues in state legislatures for the upcoming election year. They’ve done daily reporting on trends within state policy and in Florida have looked at Amendment Four, a constitutional amendment that restores the voting rights of Floridians with felony convictions. Scott Greenberger, Executive Editor for the Pew Center’s Stateline Project joined Sundial to talk about the major pieces of Florida statewide voter legislation.
The Civilian Investigative Panel is reviewing body cam video that purportedly shows a suspect being kicked by police officers in Liberty Square. The independent panel is meant to hold officers accountable for their actions and file recommendations to the police force. They expect to present their findings at a public meeting later this month. Rodney Jacobs, Assistant Director of the Civilian Investigative Panel, joined Sundial to discuss the details of the case and explains how the process of their investigation works.
“FAKE,” a new play at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach, follows the story of Cuban politics within the high stakes art world. The play takes the audience to an auction house where art curators have gotten an extremely rare painting from prestigious Cuban artist Amelia Pelaez, but the painting is being questioned for its authenticity. Carmen Pelaez is the writer of the play and the great-niece of Amelia Pelaez. She joined Sundial to talk about how her character wrestles with defending her family’s name and honor despite the controversy it faces.
