TALLAHASSEE — With a billion dollar battle forcing the legislative session off the rails, lawmakers are in the unique position of being able to hold political fundraisers just before they meet in a special session to approve the state’s nearly $80 billion budget. Legislative rules don’t allow lawmakers to raise political coin during the state’s…
The First Amendment permits states to ban judicial candidates from personally soliciting campaign funds, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a divided opinion. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joined with the court’s liberals to uphold the Florida judicial conduct rule that bars judicial candidates from personally asking for campaign donations. His opinion (PDF)…
Apr 27, 2015 | By Nigel Walsh Behind new fuel cells, connected cars are the next biggest disruptor driving innovation in the automotive industry. Today’s cars can already park themselves, help drivers avoid traffic, and automatically find the closest gas station when the tank is low. In the very near future it will be the…
“Instantaneous death” is how one veteran lobbyist described the impact of the House’s abrupt adjournment Tuesday, three days before lawmakers were supposed to go home. Rumors about the possibility of an early departure by the House had been circulating for more than a week, but lobbyists clustered on the fourth floor of the Capitol were…
Sine die came three days early for the Florida House as the Legislature looked no closer on Tuesday to reaching an agreement over whether the state should expand Medicaid. “At this time, we are at an unfortunate impasse,” House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, wrote in a letter to the Florida Senate. “It’s our understanding…
By Ron Hurtibise Sun Sentinel Insurance industry-backed bills aimed at restricting repair contractors’ ability to require homeowners to sign over insurance benefits before repairs can commence likely won’t become law this year, supporters and opponents concede. The bills — in the state House and Senate — stemmed from arguments by insurers that water restoration companies…
The state House sent an initial budget offer to the Senate on Thursday, an apparent effort to jump-start moribund efforts to reach an agreement on a spending plan for the year that begins July 1. It wasn’t clear if the proposal was enough to get lawmakers talking about their budget differences, which have now ensured…
Despite the fact that the Southeast has experienced more billion-dollar disasters in the past 30 years than the rest of the country combined, a number of coastal states took no action to improve their building code systems since 2012, and a few have weaker systems in place, according to the Insurance Institute for Business…
Marco Rubio leads the GOP field in a new national poll and runs best against Hillary Clinton, a big shot for his campaign that’s just over a week into effect. Rubio takes 15 percent of the GOP primary vote, according to the Quinnipiac poll, with Jeb Bush earning 13 percent and Scott Walker 11 percent.…
TALLAHASSEE — As he approached the side entrance to the Senate chamber a day after delivering a fiery speech condemning Florida’s high-stakes testing of schoolchildren, Sen. Tom Lee encountered a throng of women holding posters emblazoned with some of his words. The women squealed, waved and called out their appreciation before cajoling him into posing…