After one of the most tumultuous years since Republicans assumed control of the Florida Legislature – the GOP-controlled House and Senate return this week for a 60-day jaunt that many legislative leaders hope/predict is relatively calm and uneventful heading into what could be a highly unpredictable election year. Most insiders of course can recount the…
An election-year budget that includes huge tax cuts, record funding for public schools and a new initiative to bring jobs to Florida might be good politics for lawmakers. The question is whether they can afford it. When lawmakers start the 2016 legislative session Tuesday, it will have been years since the House and Senate were…
Stopping short of an endorsement, Rick Scott praised Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump for “capturing the frustration of many Americans” in a column Florida’s governor wrote Wednesday for USA Today. In the piece headlined “Donald Trump has America’s pulse,” Scott said he didn’t plan to endorse a candidate before Florida’s March presidential primary. But Scott…
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Rick Scott is launching an expensive television ad campaign to convince state legislators to back his tax cut package. Scott’s political committee will start airing ads next week in the state’s media markets. The ad buy by Let’s Get to Work is expected to cost more than $1 million. Scott wants…
By Steve Bousquet TALLAHASSEE It’s a numbers game with real-life political consequences. State Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, has asked the state auditor general to randomly assign numbers to all 40 Senate districts Tuesday morning, as directed by Circuit Judge George Reynolds’ Dec. 30 redistricting decision All 40 Senate seats will be up for election…
TALLAHASSEE (NSF) – Florida lawmakers will return to the Capitol next week for an election-year legislative session. Expect the 60-day session to start amicably enough, with the House and Senate poised to quickly pass bills about water policy and boosting opportunities for people with disabilities — priorities of House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, and…
By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, December 31, 2015……….After a strange and at times exhausting 2015, Florida’s government and political establishment is bracing for what could be another intriguing year. The legislative session that kicks off in January might not be as bizarre as last year’s gathering, but everyone will…
TALLAHASSEE Facing the threat of term limits, Florida’s appellate court judges will beef up their presence in the Capitol by hiring a lobbyist with strong political connections and a controversial past. The judges hired a former colleague, Paul Hawkes, who resigned a lifetime appellate judicial position in 2011 to avoid a trial and possible removal…
Some of Florida’s biggest politicians have continued to raise big money in December for political action committees that they control. Since the start of the month, special interest groups have dropped $800,000 into the 10 biggest political action committees controlled by the governor, state House members, and key state senators. Politicians are limited in how…
By some accounts, Florida has the highest homeowner’s insurance rates in the country and rates keep rising, despite not having a major hurricane in the last decade. The culprit – a concentration of non-weather related water claims. In many cases, these claims are pushed along by unscrupulous contractors and attorneys. According to Citizens Property Insurance…