Associated Press, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressAugust 14, 2017

Crews on Monday were removing one Confederate statue in a Florida city and authorities said someone had splashed red paint around a Confederate memorial park in another city. Sounds of a jackhammer echoed in downtown Gainesville as workers tore out the foundation of the statue known as “Old Joe” after local authorities decided to move […]

Associated PressAugust 14, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott wants to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make it harder for state legislators to raise taxes or fees. The Republican governor will announce his proposal Monday. Scott, who is considering running for the U.S. Senate, wants the measure to go before voters in 2018. If passed by 60 […]

Associated PressAugust 13, 2017

Wildlife officials say a federal review of the Florida panther’s endangered species status will not jeopardize protections for the big cats. The panther is one of over a dozen animals whose listing status is being reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Panther biologist David Shindle said in a News-Press report that his agency’s review aims […]

Associated PressAugust 13, 2017

Why doesn’t President Donald Trump just unequivocally condemn white supremacists? It’s a jarring question to ask about an American president. But it’s also one made unavoidable by Trump’s delayed, blame-both-sides response to the violence that erupted Saturday when neo-Nazis, skinheads and members of the Ku Klux Klan protested in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump has faced such […]

Associated PressAugust 13, 2017

President Donald Trump is drawing criticism from Republicans and Democrats for not explicitly denouncing white supremacists in the aftermath of violent clashes in Virginia, with lawmakers saying he needs to take a public stand against groups that espouse racism and hate. Trump, while on a working vacation at his New Jersey golf club, addressed the […]

Associated PressAugust 13, 2017

The president of a Florida NAACP chapter says a white supremacist rally in Virginia has prompted him to resume efforts to remove Confederate monuments. James Muwakkil leads the NAACP chapter in Lee County, which is named for Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The chapter’s 2015 efforts to change Lee’s portrait in county commission chambers were […]

Associated PressAugust 13, 2017

A nuclear showdown. The world’s most unpredictable foe. A world on edge. What will the new president do? Be Trump. Faced with perhaps his gravest international crisis yet, President Donald Trump this week responded precisely as his some of supporters hoped and his critics long feared. The mix of plain-spoken bluster, spontaneity and norm-breaking risk […]

Associated PressAugust 11, 2017

Beyond the bluster, the Trump administration has been quietly engaged in back channel diplomacy with North Korea for several months, addressing Americans imprisoned in the communist country and deteriorating relations between the longtime foes, The Associated Press has learned. It had been known the two sides had discussions to secure the June release of an […]

Associated PressAugust 11, 2017

The Trump administration’s own actions are triggering double-digit premium increases on individual health insurance policies purchased by many consumers, a nonpartisan study has found. The analysis released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that mixed signals from President Donald Trump have created uncertainty “far outside the norm,” leading insurers to seek higher premium increases […]

Associated PressAugust 10, 2017

More and more Florida school districts are joining a looming legal fight over a new law that steers money to privately run charter schools. The Miami Herald reports the Miami-Dade School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to join a proposed lawsuit to block the sweeping legislation pushed by House Speaker Richard Corcoran. Miami-Dade is now one […]

Associated Press

1 Florida Confederate memorial removed, another vandalized

Rick Scott wants tax measure on 2018 ballot

Wildlife agency: Review won’t jeopardize panther protections

Why won’t Donald Trump condemn white nationalism?

Donald Trump drawing criticism for not explicitly rebuking white supremacists

Florida NAACP chapter wants Confederate monuments removed

Donald Trump answers call of crisis with familiar bluster, spontaneity and norm-breaking risk that defined his political rise

Beyond bluster, U.S., N. Korea in regular contact

Study: Donald Trump actions trigger health premium hikes for 2018

Florida school districts join fight against new school law