Author Archive
Daniel C. Vock
Senior Reporter, Route Fifty
Dan Vock is a senior reporter at Route Fifty, where he focuses on transportation and infrastructure. He has covered state and local government for two decades, first as an Illinois statehouse reporter and later as a national reporter based in Washington, D.C. Dan has written stories about every state in the country, and has reported on the ground from half of them (so far). He won a Jesse H. Neal award for best profile and earned a fellowship from the Columbia Journalism School’s Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights.
Politics
Politics
No longer above the fray, state supreme courts pulled into overtly political conflicts
The courts have become top-tier targets for party leaders, often considered the key to unlocking control of state legislatures, gubernatorial mansions and even Congress.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
Blue state governors pressing Biden administration to help with migrant surge
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is the latest to outline policy changes the feds could make to alleviate some of the strain on states, cities.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Personality
Personality
Are elections enough to keep state legislators in check? No, says one expert
In a new book, political science professor Steven Rogers argues that voters don’t have the tools to keep tabs on their lawmakers. That could affect how legislators do their jobs.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
The hazards of facial recognition in schools
New York has banned the technology in its schools. Florida has long been opposed to gathering any kind of biometric data from students.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Politics
Politics
GOP states announce new voter roll systems. Are they as secure as ERIC?
An expert in elections administration and one of the founders of ERIC says the new systems could suffer from low data quality, high costs and inadequate security.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
Crunch time in Congress could hit state and local programs
The legislative logjam on Capitol Hill is backing up everything from child care to disaster funding.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
Analysis: What the police raid of a Kansas newspaper says about government and the press
The raid raised concerns about the eroding relationship between government officials and the reporters who cover them. Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, has made a combative relationship with the press part of his public persona.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
In national race to build EV chargers, Florida lands in list of top 10 states
State policy, the electric grid and business considerations can all determine how many public charging stations a state’s residents will see.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
As temperatures spike, state and local governments act to protect residents, workers
Governments geared up protective measures against the dangerous weather baking nearly every part of the country, including Florida.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
State AGs, including Ashley Moody, at odds over proposed federal tailpipe emissions rules
Republican attorneys general say they are impractical and illegal. Democratic AGs applaud the proposals, but say they don’t go far enough.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
New Florida law invalidates out-of-state driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants
It's not clear how the state will roll out the requirement, or which out-of-state licenses it will declare invalid.
- By Daniel C. Vock
MagazineShow All
Politics
Politics
Jacksonville mayor's race wasn't the only barn burner in this week's elections
Women make electoral history and Republicans lose ground: Here are five takeaways from Tuesday's contests, in Florida and across the country.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
Florida sees largest increase in pedestrian deaths, new report shows
The findings demonstrate that the dramatic jump in pedestrian deaths over the last decade shows no sign of stopping.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Politics
Politics
How state lawmakers tweet
An analysis of tweeting habits found that women lawmakers tweet more often than their male counterparts. Experts have a few ideas as to why that is.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
HUD offering cities help to add housing near public transit
Meantime in Florida, lawmakers are considering a 'Live Local Act' to boost affordable housing.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
Putting federal aid into local hands works, White House says
State budget surpluses are a sign the American Rescue Plan worked, Biden adviser Gene Sperling told the National Association of Counties conference.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
Fired up: Battle over gas stoves, furnaces heads to the states
Moved by environmental and health concerns, action by state officials to ban natural gas in buildings is heating up. But not in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending gas stoves.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Policy
$45M for new trails grants included in federal funding deal
Cycling and pedestrian advocates had pressed for more, but say the money included in the legislation would be a good start.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
Gulf Coast passenger rail to restart, but won't go to Florida
Amtrak and freight railroads said they struck a deal to revive the route. It’s a bright spot for passenger rail advocates who hope to see service expand as new federal infrastructure funding flows.
- By Daniel C. Vock
Policy
After Ian: Why many fire departments aren’t ready for electric vehicles
When EV batteries go up in flames, as they did in Hurricane Ian, they present different challenges than car fires involving gasoline. What are the new risks and how can firefighters prepare?
- By Daniel C. Vock