Elevator pitch

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

Florida Building Codes are in for a host of changes under a bill approved Wednesday by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government. SB 704, sponsored by Elkton Republican state Sen. Travis Hutson, passed with a 5-1 vote. If enacted, the bill would make more than two dozen adjustments to Florida Building Codes. According to […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

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As the South Carolina primary approaches, a group of leading South Carolina state and federal lawmakers are endorsing Jeb Bush for president. The new crop of supporters includes Education Superintendent Molly Spearman, State Sen. Ross Turner, State Rep. Kirkman Finlay, and former U.S. Rep. Henry Brown. Spearman has been superintendent of education since 2014; Turner and […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

A Senate committee rejected a proposal Wednesday to scale back the state’s certificate of need (CON) program for licensing hospitals, hospices, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. LobbyTools reports that SB 1144, filed by Niceville Republican state Sen. Don Gaetz, sought to give exemptions from the CON requirement to facilities that provide “charity care in […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

An independent audit finds Florida court clerks are struggling with increased workloads, declining revenue and need increased state funding to keep up. LobbyTools reports Sarasota Clerk of Court Karen Rushing presented the independent audit Tuesday to lawmakers on the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee. Rushing said the report concluded that “resources are inadequate to meet the needs of the workload […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 17, 2016

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio laughed off a supporter’s suggestion that he ‘‘waterboard’’ Democrat Hillary Clinton. The suggestion came just after the Florida senator promised to keep the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay open ‘‘forever.’’ A supporter at a Tuesday evening rally in North Myrtle Beach shouted, ‘‘Waterboard Hillary,’’ referring to the interrogation technique that […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 16, 2016

A series of rewrites to Florida’s economic-incentive programs, a chief priority of Gov. Rick Scott, passed its first House panel Tuesday afternoon. Lobby Tools reports that HB 1325, from Bradenton Republican Rep. Jim Boyd, seeks to establish a new Florida Enterprise Fund, as well as changes in the process of administering economic incentives for businesses […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 16, 2016

The Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation had a story to tell last week about education improvement. Like politicians, they don’t let facts get in the way when making their case. In its new “From Excuses to Excellence” report, the Chamber urges businesses to stick with education reforms that it says have led to “extraordinary accomplishments” […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 16, 2016

The opportunity to volunteer presented itself to me last year — and it turned out to be an educational lesson about patience and communications. I had been wanting to volunteer some place, and purposely chose teaching Sunday school with kids 3 to 5 years old because it was completely different than anything I had done […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 16, 2016

The Florida Senate Health Policy Committee today will decide Dr. John Armstrong’s fate as a group of bipartisan senators confront Florida’s surgeon general with tough questions that include his absent leadership on HIV/AIDS. Florida leads the nation with the highest rate of new HIV infections. Like that of President Ronald Reagan’s shameful legacy of refusing […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 15, 2016

The next person who will sit behind the desk in the Oval Office needs to have a heart for people, says Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. Speaking to a South Carolina audience at the Faith and Family Presidential Forum in Greenville last week, Bush said eight years as Florida’s governor gave him the perspective and […]

Phil Ammann

Senate panel passes over 2 dozen changes to Florida Building Codes

Postcards from South Carolina: Key state leaders endorse Jeb Bush ahead of GOP primary

Senate panel rejects bill scaling back Florida’s certificate of need program

Independent audit finds Florida court clerks need money, resources to keep with workload

Marco Rubio laughs off suggestion to “waterboard” Hillary Clinton

House committee OK’s rewrite of state economic incentive program

Joanne McCall: Chamber’s report ignores the grim facts about Florida public education

Traci Evison: Volunteering may teach you something about yourself

Michael Emanuel Rajner: Senate must reject Dr. John Armstrong, demand leadership on HIV/AIDS

Postcards from South Carolina: Next president needs to have “heart for people,” Jeb Bush says