Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 13, 2017

Florida’s unemployment rate ticked up in January, reaching 5 percent for the first time in a year. The January unemployment rate marks a slight uptick from December, when state officials reported an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent. The statewide rate is higher than the national unemployment rate of 4.8 percent. Despite the increase in the […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 10, 2017

Matt Caldwell raised more than $700,000 ahead of the the 2017 Legislative Session, building up his coffers ahead of an anticipated 2018 run for Agriculture Commissioner. State records show Friends of Matt Caldwell, the North Fort Myers Republican’s political committee, raised $412,075 in February. That one-month fundraising haul marked the largest fundraising raising period since […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 9, 2017

Two Florida lawmakers want to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco in the Sunshine State. Sen. Darrly Rouson and Rep. Lori Berman held a press conference Thursday to tout legislation they filed to raise the age to purchase tobacco to 21. The proposals (SB 1138 and HB 1093), lawmakers said, would help lower the […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 8, 2017

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State lawmakers applauded Florida TaxWatch this week, hailing the organization for its role in the legislative process. “The folks that formed Florida TaxWatch had a good focus in mind,” said Sen. Jack Latvala. “And as a result of Florida TaxWatch’s efforts, we’ve turned things around.” The taxpayer advocacy group hosted its State of the Taxpayer […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 8, 2017

Call it another small victory for recess. The Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Subcommittee unanimously approved a bill (SB 78) requiring school districts to provide at least 100 minutes of supervised, unstructured free play each week — or 20 minutes of free play each week — to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. While the bill received […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 7, 2017

The Senate Environmental Preservation & Conservation Committee unanimously approved a bill to ban fracking Tuesday, marking a reversal from previous legislative actions on the issue. “Florida has such a unique geological make up and one-of-a-kind environment that we should not be putting it at risk by allowing fracking in the State of Florida,” said Sen. […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 7, 2017

State lawmakers aren’t looking out for everyday Floridians, an advocate for one of the state’s largest labor unions said Tuesday. “In 2010, Rick Scott said ‘let’s get to work.’ In 2014, he said ‘let’s keep working,’” said Rich Templin, the legislative and political director for the Florida AFL-CIO. “The problem is, Florida is not working […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 7, 2017

Advocates blasted Gov. Rick Scott for failing to mention the LGBT community in his State of the State address, despite dedicating a significant portion of his comments on the June shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. “We heard about the horror that our state has experienced; we heard about the heroism from first responders […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 6, 2017

A bill giving judges some discretion over whether to award attorney’s fees in public records cases cleared its second committee hearing Monday, but not before being amended in an attempt to alleviate opponents concerns. The bill (SB 80), sponsored by Sen. Greg Steube, aims to give judges discretion in whether they should award fees to […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 3, 2017

The state’s sandy shores have a powerful ally in the Florida Legislature. Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala announced Friday he filed legislation aimed at saving the state’s beaches from continued erosion. The proposal (SB 1590) would, among other things, dedicate a minimum of $50 million a year to beach nourishment and inlet management restoration projects […]

Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster

Florida’s unemployment rate ticks up to 5% in January

Matt Caldwell raises more than $700K in anticipation of agriculture commissioner run

Darryl Rouson, Lori Berman urge Florida to become a ‘Tobacco 21’ state

State lawmakers applaud Florida TaxWatch during annual State of Taxpayer dinner

Mandatory recess bill sails through second Senate committee

Senate committee unanimously approves bill to ban fracking

Advocates call on Legislature to focus on working Floridians during annual ‘Awake the State’ event

Rick Scott criticized for not mentioning LGBT community in State of State

Controversial public records bill clears second Senate panel

Jack Latvala, Kathleen Peters file beach renourishment bill