Today we get to gauge the courage of some of our state lawmakers. Are they fearless? Are they gallant? Are they bold and principled? Or are they afraid of one lobbyist in the gallery? At 1 this afternoon, the state House’s criminal justice subcommittee will discuss a bill that addresses the growing concern over homemade…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Seeking to make Florida more “meaningful” in choosing a Republican presidential nominee, the Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to moving back the date of the state’s presidential primary elections. Senators, with little debate, unanimously backed a bill (HB 7035) that passed the House last week. It now goes to Gov.…
During his 57 years in Congress, longtime U.S. Sen. Carl Hayden, R-Ariz., often related what a colleague in the U.S. House told him after he gave his maiden speech. “If you want to get ahead here, you have to be a work horse and not a show horse,” a congressman told Hayden and the Arizona…
Fla GOP Chair: We want winner-take-all Mar 15 prez primary Thursday, February 26, 2015 State Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, the new chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, paid a visit this week to the Miami Young Republicans to rally their support and answer their questions about the party’s future. One of them was whether the…
Feb 27, 7:11 PM EST Judge: Taxpayers should pay legal bills for former speaker By WILLIAM MARCH Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Taxpayers should foot the legal bills a disgraced former state House speaker paid to defend himself against corruption charges that were later dropped, a Florida judge said Friday. Leon County Circuit Judge…
Bush Campaign’s Demand for Fidelity Ruffles Some Republican Rivals By MICHAEL BARBARO and MAGGIE HABERMANFEB. 26, 2015 The prestigious consulting firm, known for its close ties to Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, was orchestrating an extensive effort to remake his image and prepare him for the 2016 presidential campaign. But that was no deterrent for…
Two Northeast Florida Republican state legislators have given up their safe state House seats to compete for Senate District 6, which was recently vacated by long-time regional power broker and newly installed Florida State University President John Thrasher. State Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart, R-Ponte Vedra Beach, and Rep. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton, have well-staffed campaigns and…
TALLAHASSEE Florida would become the 25th state to allow people to register to vote online under one of a series of voting proposals awaiting consideration by the Legislature. It’s an idea Democrats have pushed for years without success. Now Republicans are also supporting it — but only after the 2016 presidential election. Twenty states now…
by Steve Bousquet TALLAHASSEE — The 2015 session of the Florida Legislature begins Tuesday here with new leaders facing fresh challenges and competing demands for a projected $1 billion budget surplus. Gov. Rick Scott ceremonially starts the session Tuesday when he delivers the annual State of the State speech to lawmakers. The 60-day session is scheduled…
Does a candidate having “party backing” actually have financial and political support from their party? No, not exactly. The political parties may seem like monolithic blocks on paper, but in practice they are not. Each party has a division which is run by legislative leaders. Their task is to help members of their party win…