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Christine Jordan SextonJune 16, 2015

The Legislature can pass the budget at 5:37 p.m. Friday and call it quits. After meeting late into Monday night and adding $300 million more in spending, the General Appropriations Act was electronically furnished to the Legislature, governor and Cabinet at 5:37 p.m. Tuesday. The Florida Constitution requires the Legislature to wait 72 hours before […]

Mitch PerryJune 16, 2015

The Legislature began its final scheduled week of the Special Session with a $428.9 million package of tax breaks it OK’d Monday. The tax breaks were scaled back from Gov. Rick Scott‘s original goal of nearly $700 million, but he appeared in no mood to quibble when he issued a statement before returning from Paris. “Giving […]

Ryan RayJune 16, 2015

At a final budget conference meeting that began at the tender hour of 11:05 p.m. and ran until nearly midnight, state budget writers failed to fully address new state funding for hospitals — the primary impetus for the June special Session to begin with. But they did find time to load up the budget with […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 14, 2015

There’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The National Federation of Independent Business Florida wants to tuck “Small Business Saturday” between those days and has been advancing a proposal that would give shoppers a tax break for shopping locally-owned, independent businesses. The tax holiday was in the House tax reduction package HB 33A, and economists predicted it […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 13, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott traveled to Paris on Friday aiming to bring back to his home state economic development projects. But while Scott is away House and Senate budget negotiators have reached a deal to give the governor considerably less money than he wanted for business recruitment. Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Richard Corcoran on Saturday […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 12, 2015

Legislative leaders on Friday said the House and Senate budget chairs would continue to work over the weekend in order to bring the General Appropriations Act in for a landing. The goal is for a copy of the budget to be on lawmakers’ desks by Tuesday so they can wait the mandated 72 hours before […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 12, 2015

Budget chairmen Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Richard Corcoran came to terms early Friday on what was the biggest stumbling block during the 2015 session and what Lee called the “linchpin” of the budget: supplemental Medicaid funding. After working for days, the House made a Low Income Pool offer to the Senate that takes advantage […]

Staff ReportsJune 11, 2015

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed a $400 million tax package reduction, absent the direction of Chairman Sen. Tom Lee who was preparing for a noon budget meeting with House counterpart Richard Corcoran. HB 33A was placed on the Senate Special Order Calendar so it will be on second reading Friday, the end of […]

Christine Jordan SextonJune 10, 2015

Fort Walton Beach Medical Center — included in the list of hospitals with some of the highest Medicare charges in the nation — could get a $1 million gift from the Florida Legislature. House and budget health care conferees on Tuesday made their best and last offer to settle differences between the House and Senate […]

Ryan RayJune 9, 2015

The presiding officers of the Legislature’s two chambers, Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, made a show of unity Tuesday after a turbulent beginning to 2015 Special Session A. They issuing a joint statement early Tuesday afternoon saying they will allow budget conference subchairs to continue to work out their differences rather than have leadership […]

Tag: Tom Lee

Tick Tock: Budget is on the desks

Florida TaxWatch laments Legislature cut only $400 million in taxes

In last-minute budget talks, lawmakers add some $300+ million in new spending in dark of night

Senate says no to Small Biz Saturday tax break

As Rick Scott travels to Paris, lawmakers inch closer to final budget

Everybody’s working over the weekend, really

House, Senate agree on new LIP model

Senate panel OKs $400 million tax package; budget chairs meet at high noon

NW Florida hospital with high Medicare mark-ups could get $1 million from Legislature

Andy Gardiner, Steve Crisafulli agree in joint statement to extend budget conference

Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.