Books in the Florida Government and Politics series

"e;Addresses fascinating aspects of obtaining justice in Florida: both historical court systems before Florida became a state and alternative courts operating within Florida now. Anyone with an interest in the diversity of Florida's legal past and present will find this book invaluable."e;--Mary E. Adkins, author of Making Modern Florida: How the Spirit of Reform Shaped a New State ConstitutionPushing past the standard federal-state narrative, the essays in Florida's Other Courts examine eight little-known Florida courts. In doing so, they fill a longstanding gap in the state's legal literature.In part one, the contributors profile Florida's courts under the Spanish and British empires and during its existence as a U.S. territory and a member of the Confederate States of America. In part two, they describe four modern-era courts: those governing military personnel stationed in Florida; adherents of specific religious faiths in Florida; residents of Miami's black neighborhoods during the waning days of Jim Crow segregation; and members of the Miccosukee and Seminole Indian tribes.Including extensive notes, a detailed index, and a complete table of cases, this volume offers a new and compelling look at the development of justice in Florida.

Against the backdrop of the Tea Party-dominated GOP, former Florida governor Jeb Bush may appear comparatively moderate, but his record tells a different story. In Conservative Hurricane, Matthew Corrigan probes beyond the mild veneer, the sound bites, and the photo ops to examine the real evidence of Bush's political leanings-his policies, politics, and legacy as the state's most powerful governor.After remaking himself from a strident ideologue into a restrained conservative policy wonk, Bush became Florida's first two-term Republican governor. The small-government conservative-who in his second inaugural address dreamed of an idyllic Tallahassee free of government employees-was unstoppable. He presided over the largest accumulation of executive branch authority in the state's history and advanced a multitude of social and economic reforms, the effects of which are still felt in the Sunshine State today. It was the beginning of a new kind of conservative activism, one that has only gained strength in the years since Bush left office.From the culture wars to the management of state government, Corrigan examines the governor's indelible mark on Florida. He demonstrates how the issues most closely associated with Bush's leadership, including education reform, end-of-life decisions, and gun rights, would guide Republican governors in other states as they rode the rising tide of conservative populism.For anyone curious about a potential Jeb Bush presidency, this book is required reading.