Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Gary FineoutMarch 7, 2017

Once the Florida Legislature kicks off its 60-day Session March 7, legislators are expected to pass, or kill, dozens of measures dealing with everything from abortion to gambling and the environment. So far, more than 2,000 bills have been filed, but in the end, legislators usually pass fewer than 300 pieces of legislation each year. […]

Mitch PerryMarch 7, 2017

Speaking to an audience in her home district of Tampa last month, House Minority Leader Janet Cruz feels Florida doesn’t have a spending or revenue problem. Tallahassee has a “priority problem,” the House District 62 representative said. She maintains that attitude going into the 2017 regular Legislative Session, which officially kicks off Tuesday. “The Republicans have continued […]

Jim RosicaMarch 6, 2017

The Florida Lottery went on an illegal spending spree when it inked a multiple-year, $700 million contract for new equipment and “blew up” the state’s budget process, a lawyer for House Speaker Richard Corcoran argued Monday. The Lottery’s lawyer countered that it takes money to make money, and the agency simply did what lawmakers told it to do: Follow […]

Jim RosicaMarch 6, 2017

A multiple-year, $700 million contract for new Florida Lottery equipment is “a complete departure from the way we’ve operated for many years,” a House budget analyst testified Monday. Bruce Topp, budget chief for the Government Operation and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee, was on the stand for the non-jury trial between the Lottery and House Speaker Richard Corcoran over the contract, made final last year. […]

Peter SchorschMarch 6, 2017

House Speaker Richard Corcoran announced that Sen. Darryl Rouson, Rep. Chris Sprowls, and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco will be among his nine picks for the Constitution Revision Commission. The Land O’Lakes Republican’s selections will round out the 37-member review panel, which meets every 20 years to look over and suggest changes to the Florida Constitution. The panel must be […]

Jim RosicaMarch 6, 2017

Lawyers for the Florida Lottery and House Speaker Richard Corcoran will square off today in what’s expected to be a one-day trial. The non-jury trial, before Circuit Judge Karen Gievers in the Leon County Courthouse, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Each side has said they will call only two witnesses. The speaker sued the agency, which […]

Associated PressMarch 6, 2017

Florida Senate President Joe Negron and House Speaker Richard Corcoran are Republican lawyers. But the similarities start to drift from there. Negron calls himself boring and is the quiet, deliberative type. Corcoran likes listening to music at top volume, and his approach to leadership reflects that. The Associated Press interviewed each separately about their backgrounds, […]

Staff ReportsMarch 5, 2017

Think of it as the last hurrah before the 2017 Legislative Session. Members of the House and Senate can’t raise money while the Legislature is session, putting a 60-day pause on fundraising each year. And while that may be good news for their most loyal contributors’ pocketbooks, it does mean you can expect a mad […]

Jim RosicaMarch 5, 2017

This is the first legislative session that South Florida’s Oscar Braynon II will be the Senate’s Democratic Leader. The 40-year-old, who succeeded term-limited former Leader Arthenia Joyner, was first elected in 2011 after serving in the House and on the Miami Gardens City Council before that. Though he’s in the minority, Braynon has high hopes […]

Gary FineoutMarch 5, 2017

The outcome of this year’s Florida Legislature session may depend largely on a 51-year-old firebrand attorney with a deep conservative streak and a love for cigars and the band U2. New House Speaker Richard Corcoran has taken on rapper Pitbull, gotten in a knock-down fight with fellow Republican Gov. Rick Scott and vowed to keep […]

Tag: Richard Corcoran

Guns, gambling and taxes: Legislators return to work

Janet Cruz is ready to lead her caucus during what’s expected to be a raucous Session

Lottery case now in judge’s hands; agency says it did no wrong

House witness calls Lottery contract ‘complete departure’ from protocol

Richard Corcoran selects Darryl Rouson, Tom Lee to constitution panel

Trial to begin in Richard Corcoran v. Florida Lottery

Florida’s legislative leaders talk issues, personalities

Final push for fundraising before 2017 Session kicks off

2017 Legislative Session preview: Oscar Braynon on juvenile justice, incentives and Chance the Rapper

Combative House Speaker vows contentious Session