Tag: David Simmons
Image via tipster who wants to remain anonymous.

Ryan RayMarch 11, 2016
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3min304
A compromise between Republican lawmakers and ride-hailing firms like Uber was on thin ice Friday afternoon as Session raced to a close, until finally, the bill hit a brick wall. Sen. David Simmons, the Senate Rules Chair, had worked on the bill (SB 1118) for months. It would have mandated minimum commercial insurance requirements for drivers with Uber and […]

Jim RosicaMarch 10, 2016
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4min406
The House sponsor of legislation this year that would have benefited Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services slammed the Senate’s inaction, saying the chamber wasn’t “interested in the free market.” State Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican, talked to reporters Thursday evening with Uber public affairs director Colin Tooze and state Sen. Jeff […]

Jim RosicaMarch 10, 2016
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3min318
A leading state senator Thursday yanked his bill that would have benefited ride-booking services such as Uber and Lyft, saying there was no compromise that pleased everyone involved, including the House. State Sen. David Simmons, the chamber’s Rules chairman, had worked on the bill (SB 1118) for months. It would have mandated minimum commercial insurance requirements […]

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3min161
The Florida Taxicab Association is calling on Sen. Jeff Brandes to withdrawn a pro-Uber amendment and “respect the legislative process.” In an email Thursday, the association said Brandes has pushed “model legislation” written by the ride-sharing company Uber “as a solution for any regulatory impediment the company may encounter in Florida now or in the […]

Ryan RayFebruary 18, 2016
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3min245
The ride-hailing company Uber continued its legislative push at a news conference at the Capitol on Thursday. Backers brandished new economic impact numbers indicating growth and told reporters it’s time for lawmakers to finally make good on a pledge to enact a uniform statewide law governing so-called transportation network companies, or TNCs. An Uber lobbyist said nearly […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016
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2min183
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has a variety of “individual meetings” scheduled in Tallahassee Wednesday to push the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill. Four of them are set up with Senate Rules Committee members, which will be the final Senate committee to deliberate the bill. The bill has cleared two of three Senate committees, and both House committees. […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 9, 2016
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5min318
A motion to reconsider a contentious bill banning discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people failed in a Senate panel Tuesday, signaling its virtual demise for the 2016 Legislative Session. On a voice vote, the Judiciary Committee deadlocked again on a procedural move to bring the bill (SB 120) back, one day after the bill died on […]

Ryan RayFebruary 8, 2016
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7min266
A bill to prohibit gender- and sexuality-based workplace discrimination died momentarily in a Senate panel, before being revived by legislative maneuvering. Monday afternoon’s meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee was likely the most controversial of the 2016, in both form and in substance. Senators took up SB 120, a bill supporters are calling the “Competitive Workforce Act,” […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 27, 2016
google-to-offer-ride-sharing-service-to-compete-with-uber-1102870-TwoByOne-1024x1024.jpg

4min561
The Florida House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill regulating “transportation network companies” such as Uber and Lyft, and mandating insurance and other requirements. But the measure also includes a provision that may not find favor in the Senate: It vests regulatory power over the ride-booking services solely with the state, cutting out local bodies such […]


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