Lloyd Dunkelberger, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Lloyd DunkelbergerJanuary 8, 2018

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a decades-old legal fight between Florida and Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River. A court-appointed special master ruled in February that Florida had not proved its case that a water-usage cap should be imposed on Georgia to help the river and Apalachicola Bay, […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerDecember 15, 2017

The presidents of the University of Florida and Florida State University said a last-minute decision by congressional leaders to scuttle a proposal to tax tuition waivers for graduate students would be a major victory for higher education. A U.S. House tax-overhaul plan would have made graduate students pay federal income taxes on tuition charges that […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerDecember 7, 2017

As John Thrasher begins his fourth year as president of Florida State University, he said he has changed. In his annual “state of the university” address to the Faculty Senate on Wednesday, Thrasher likened his transformation to the students who were freshmen when he assumed the presidency in fall 2014 and who will graduate as […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerNovember 16, 2017

Another battle about using increases in local property taxes to bolster public schools will complicate upcoming state budget negotiations. In his $87.4 billion budget proposal for 2018-2019, Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for a $770 million increase in funding for Florida’s kindergarten through 12th-grade education system. But nearly $7 out of every $10 of […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerNovember 5, 2017

State college leaders are advancing the idea of having their 28-school system embedded in the Florida Constitution. The Council of Presidents, which represents the school leaders, voted unanimously Thursday to support the concept as part of the ongoing Florida Constitution Revision Commission, a panel considering constitutional changes for the 2018 ballot. “We are the only […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerOctober 30, 2017

The three top Democratic candidates for governor sat on a stage Saturday night in the Fiesta Ballroom at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and answered more than an hour’s worth of questions on issues facing Florida. There were few differences in the responses from former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerOctober 29, 2017

Buoyed by a win in a special election for a state Senate seat last month, Florida Democrats are using a three-day party conference to prepare plans for the critical 2018 election year when they hope to retain a U.S. Senate seat and reclaim the governor’s mansion. “Winning is so good. Let’s get used to it,” […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerOctober 23, 2017

Sen. Bill Galvano, a 51-year-old lawyer from Bradenton, will be designated Tuesday by Senate Republicans as the next president of the Florida Senate. The Republican lawmaker will lead the 40-member Senate for two years after the November 2018 general elections, assuming the Republicans hold their majority — now at a 24-16 margin — in the […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerOctober 18, 2017

In a rare move, Florida is considering taking on a large pharmaceutical company, alleging the state’s pension fund lost some $127 million in stock value because of federal security violations by the company. The State Board of Administration, which includes Gov. Rick Scott and two Cabinet members, will decide next month whether to hire a […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerOctober 15, 2017

The state is asking a Leon County circuit judge to dismiss a case alleging the state has failed to match $460 million in private donations to universities and state colleges that were made under Florida’s matching-gift laws. University of Florida graduates and Florida State University donors filed separate class-action lawsuits, which were consolidated, seeking to […]

Lloyd Dunkelberger
Joel Rudman with wife Sophie. Photo via Rudman.

Supreme Court ready to wade into water war

University leaders back dropping grad student tax

John Thrasher touts FSU progress, addresses challenges

Property taxes likely to spur school funding fight

State colleges look for place in constitution

Democrats campaign for governor as field could grow

Democrats look for momentum going into 2018 elections

Bill Galvano brings policy skills to top Senate post

State targets pharmaceutical company in stock case

State tries to scuttle matching-gift case