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Staff ReportsFebruary 27, 2017

A privately registered website is urging Gov. Rick Scott to name Sen. Anitere Flores to replace Jeff Atwater when he resigns as the state’s chief financial offer at the end of the coming legislative session. “Ask Gov. Scott to stand with working class Floridians and appoint Flores as our next CFO!” the site, http://www.flores4cfo.com, urges. […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 27, 2017

Representatives of hospitals that provide a lot of charity care in Florida were headed to Washington Monday to urge federal health care officials and members of Congress to give them more money and freedom to spend it. Tony Carvalho, president of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, said members hope the Trump administration will […]

Michael MolineFebruary 20, 2017

Is Sen. Bill Nelson up for a contested Democratic primary in his re-election bid next year? “You want to do a contest on pull-ups or push-ups?” Nelson replied to a reporter who asked that question during an informal news conference in Tallahassee Monday. News reports have mentioned Tim Canova, who tried and failed to replace Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Congress, former U.S. […]

Michael MolineFebruary 15, 2017

State attorneys and public defenders face off in court, but they agreed on one thing during a meeting Wednesday of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice: Their staff attorneys need pay raises. Trouble is, committee chairman Aaron Bean isn’t convinced there’ll be enough money to pay for that, as much as he sympathizes. […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 15, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott has chosen litigators to fill four vacancies on the state trial bench. James T. Ferrara will replace Moses Baker Jr. on the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in West Palm Beach. Ferrara is a shareholder at Shraiberg, Ferrara, Landau & Page who practices commercial litigation. He holds a J.D. from Samford University’s Cumberland School […]

Michael MolineFebruary 14, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget would shift nearly 77 percent of the $293.4 million earmarked for low-income housing next year to other state priorities. That works out to $224 million from state and local housing trust funds that won’t go for their intended purpose. State law reserves a portion of the take from documentary stamp […]

Michael MolineFebruary 14, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott may be overreaching with his plan to cut state taxes by $618.4 million, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said Tuesday. “I would consider it a little bit ambitious, in light of our current financial situation,” chairman Jim Boyd told reporters after Scott’s aides briefed his committee. “We certainly share […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 10, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday named sugar industry insider Barbara Miedema to the board of Trustees of Palm Beach State College. Miedema, of Wellington, is vice president for public affairs and communications at the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. She replaces William Berger for a term ending May 31, 2019. Miedema has made news […]

Michael MolineFebruary 10, 2017

Jeff Atwater announced Friday that, following the conclusion of the 2017 legislative session, he would leave office to become vice president for strategic initiatives and chief financial officer at Florida Atlantic University. The move will allow Gov. Rick Scott and Atwater’s remaining Cabinet colleagues to name someone to fill the remainder of his second term […]

Michael MolineFebruary 7, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott accused House leaders Tuesday of political posturing on Florida’s economic- and tourism-development programs. “It’s pretty clear. If you don’t care about people’s jobs, you must be caring about something else,” Scott told reporters following a Cabinet meeting. “What else can it be? How can anybody say, ‘We don’t want to help a poor family […]

Tag: Florida. Gov. Rick Scott
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Mystery website urges Scott to name Anitere Flores chief financial officer

Safety net hospital executives travel to Washington in search of money

Bill Nelson seems undaunted by prospect of primary challengers

Lawyers for the state tell Senate committee they need pay raises, too

Rick Scott chooses trial attorneys to replace four judges

Rick Scott’s budget would raid affordable housing trust funds

Jim Boyd calls Rick Scott’s $618 million in tax cuts ‘a little bit ambitious’

Personnel note: Rick Scott appoints sugar executive to college board

Jeff Atwater leaving office early to take job at Florida Atlantic University

Rick Scott accuses House leadership of playing politics on economic development