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

Associated PressNovember 29, 2016

Battalion Chief David Dangerfield‘s nickname was “Super Dave,” a moniker the veteran firefighter had earned over the years for his cheerful, get-things-done personality. The leader of a fire department dive team in a quiet Florida beach community of 15,000 volunteered for charities helping kids and families and was the 2013 Treasure Coast Emergency Service Provider […]

Associated PressNovember 29, 2016

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President-elect Donald Trump moved to fill out his Cabinet Tuesday, tapping Georgia Rep. Tom Price to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Aides signaled that at least one other Cabinet nomination was imminent. The president-elect appeared to still be torn over his choice for secretary of state. He summoned former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

The drama, disputes and falsehoods that permeated Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign are now roiling his transition to the White House, forcing aides to defend his baseless assertions of illegal voting and sending internal fights spilling into public. On Monday, a recount effort, led by Green Party candidate Jill Stein and joined by Hillary Clinton‘s campaign […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

Florida Gov. Rick Scott will pick a new state Supreme Court from one of three finalists. A state nominating panel on Monday interviewed 11 applicants for the job and then whittled down the list before coming up with a list for Scott. The panel recommended that Scott consider Charles Alan Lawson, the chief judge for […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

Celebration turned to somber reflection and church services Sunday as Cuban-Americans in Miami largely stayed off the streets following a raucous daylong party in which thousands marked the death of Fidel Castro. One Cuban exile car dealer, however, sought to turn the revolutionary socialist’s death into a quintessential capitalist deal by offering $15,000 discounts on […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

When Randall Baker began renting out a pair of College Park cottages through Airbnb, he says he thought he had done everything right. He had a business license through the state and tax receipts from the city and county. But after a neighbor complained, Orlando code enforcement determined Baker was violating zoning rules. Though he […]

Associated PressNovember 27, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump looked at hundreds of marble samples before selecting one for the lobby of Trump Tower. He can recall, in painstaking detail even decades later, how he stood in the cold and oversaw the ice-making process at Central Park’s rink. And, during the campaign, he personally reviewed every single campaign ad, rejecting some […]

Associated PressNovember 27, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump claimed without evidence Sunday that “millions” voted illegally in the national election, scoffing at Hillary Clinton‘s nearly 2 million edge in the popular vote and returning to his campaign mantra of a rigged race even as he prepares to enter the White House in less than two months. Trump and his lieutenants […]

Associated PressNovember 27, 2016

Sherry Riggs didn’t stay awake to find out who the next president would be. Her heart literally couldn’t take it. Riggs, a 55-year-old barber, has been ordered to avoid stress after a heart attack and bypass surgery last month. Last year, she had a stent put in, paid for by insurance she purchased under President […]

Associated PressNovember 27, 2016

Wearing his “Bay of Pigs Veteran” shirt, 80-year-old Rafael Torre stood amid hundreds of Cuban-Americans celebrating the death of Fidel Castro and marveled that he remained in power for so long. Cuban exiles such as Torre tried numerous ways to dislodge Castro after he took control in 1959, including the failed 1961 CIA-backed invasion memorialized […]

Associated Press
Image via St. Pete Catalyst.

For firefighters, emotional stress often the deadliest enemy

Donald Trump taps Tom Price to lead HHS, plans 2nd meeting with Mitt Romney

Donald Trump drama rolls on: Disputes, falsehoods hit transition

Commission settles on three finalists for Supreme Court vacancy

Miami Cuban celebration turns to reflection on Castro death

Orlando grapples with Airbnb, other rental networks

Donald Trump’s hands-on management style to be tested by presidency

Donald Trump assails recount push, claims millions voted illegally

Floridians fear repeal of Obama health care under Donald Trump

Miami’s joyous Cubans hope for change with Fidel Castro’s death