James Call, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

James CallMay 8, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order Friday to crack down on the violent culture within Florida’s prison system. The order includes provisions addressing safety and transparency and that hold guards, wardens and Department of Corrections Secretary Julie Jones accountable. Newspaper investigations have detailed a series of unexplained inmate deaths, allegations of retaliation against whistleblowers, […]

James CallMay 8, 2015

The latest challenge to proposed regulations for Florida’s medical marijuana law is in its final stage. Late Thursday, attorneys for the Department of Health and Baywood Nurseries filed proposed final orders with Judge W. David Watkins. The two sides repeated the arguments they made during a hearing last month. Baywood went into greater detail in […]

James CallMay 7, 2015

Included in the package of bills sent to Gov. Rick Scott Thursday is SB 248, which would make a body camera recording by police exempt from public record disclosure when the recording is taken: Within the interior of a private residence; The interior of a mental health care or social service facility, or; In a […]

James CallMay 6, 2015

Expect Florida lawmakers to spend a long hot summer in Tallahassee. Plus, they will be at the state Capitol for a pretty contentious fall as well. And they just might, with a little luck, be able to fit in a holiday break before returning for the 2016 Legislative Session in January. That’s the consensus of a handful […]

James CallMay 6, 2015

Florida lawmakers will return to the state Capitol June 1 for a special session. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and Senate President Andy Gardiner have agreed to call a special session for June 1 through June 20. In a joint memo to the Legislature, Crisafulli and Gardiner said a schedule needs to be finalized and that […]

James CallMay 5, 2015

Lawmakers left the statehouse last week amid a stream of insults and without a budget in place for the fiscal year that begins in July. Most observers seemed to think time away from Tallahassee would lower the temperature in the room and allow budget work to begin but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Senate […]

James CallMay 4, 2015

Baywood Nurseries’ challenge to a proposed regulatory structure for a medicinal marijuana industry will move forward. Judge W. David Watkins, on Monday, rejected a Department of Health’s motion to dismiss the challenge based on the Apopka growers’ lack of standing. DOH had cited a 30-year-old ruling in a Medicaid case in which a challenge to […]

James CallMay 4, 2015

Stymied by legislative inaction and thwarted by legal challenges, medical marijuana supporters are taking it to the streets. People United for Medical Marijuana (PUMM) and United for Care have begun collecting signatures and raising money to get a constitutional initiative on the November 2016 ballot to allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to treat sick people. […]

James CallMay 1, 2015

The state Capitol is quiet. Usually the fourth floor rotunda on the last day of Session is packed with lobbyists, lawmakers and staff. The noise of chattering deal-making bounces off the terrazzo floor, travertine marble columns and walls to reach the decibel level of a steroid-fueled chainsaw in a shouting match with an oncoming steam […]

James CallMay 1, 2015

On Friday morning, lobbyist Ron Watson prepared reports for clients’ whose interests he represents before the Florida Legislature. The curtains close officially on the 2015 Regular Session Friday, but for all intents and purposes, it ended Tuesday when any accord between House and Senate degenerated into insults and the House adjourned without a state budget […]

James Call

Governor reforms prisons with executive order

Final arguments heard in Charlotte’s Web challenge

Body camera public record exemption sent to Governor

Reporters’ roundtable: Lawmakers back again, and again, to Tallahassee

Speaker, Senate president agree to Special Session dates

Sen. Tom Lee calls out Rep. Ritch Workman for comments involving his family

Judge allows Charlotte’s Web rule challenge to continue

Medical marijuana advocates push toward 2016 ballot initiative

Deserted Capitol has tourists looking for tumbleweeds

Epilogue: Lawmakers hit new low in number of bills passed