Elevator pitch

Phil AmmannJanuary 19, 2016

Attorney and lobbyist Natalie Kato has been hired as an associate in the Tallahassee office of Lewis, Longman & Walker P.A. As a part of the firm’s Legislative and Lobbying team, Kato brings extensive knowledge of local and state government’s legislative and regulatory processes. In addition to governmental affairs issues, she will focus on a […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 19, 2016

Florida lawmakers are being asked to consider what appears to be a small change in an existing law, but one that carries a big, negative, and costly impact on consumers — reason enough to oppose this bad idea. For almost 30 years, Florida consumers have been well-protected by a law requiring certain used cars to […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 17, 2016

A roundup of Sunday editorials from Florida’s leading newspapers: Tampa Bay Times — Call time out on Florida executions, capital cases This week’s U.S. Supreme Court opinion that struck down Florida’s sentencing system for death penalty cases has created wholesale uncertainty for judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers and those convicted and accused of capital crimes. With […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 15, 2016

Jeb-Bush-AP-photograph-01.16-1024x1024.jpeg

Jeb Bush, fresh off a record-breaking fundraising effort, celebrated in July with major donors at an exclusive two-day conference in Kennebunkport, Maine. It was there the former governor boasted his $114 million hauls were “only the beginning.” That was last year. Months later, and weeks before the first votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Bush […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 14, 2016

In the lead-up to Iowa and New Hampshire, Marco Rubio’s campaign adds two staff members from the U.S. Senate, including a former Mitt Romney press aide. Kristine Michalson, who has been press secretary for Indiana Republican Sen. Dan Coats and the Joint Economic Committee, will be Rubio’s new director of press advance, Roll Call reports. “You […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 13, 2016

The Legislature is considering so-called alimony “reform” and a 50/50 “presumption” for child custody decisions. Both are bad ideas. “Reform” legislation almost always seems to be about taking away rights, benefits, or protections from less well-off individuals to the advantage of more affluent people and big corporations. Tort “reform” is a prime example. Alimony “reform” […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 12, 2016

After Jim King became Florida Senate President in late 2002, he did something that today might seem radical on both sides of the aisle: he elevated members of the other party. Just a few weeks earlier, Florida Republicans had reached a new zenith in their political ascendancy. For the first time in modern history, not […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 12, 2016

Brute force is one way things get done in politics. If a party has an overwhelming majority in the legislative and executive branches, it can simply ram everything through. But the Founding Fathers deliberately made it difficult. Therefore, both left and right seek compromise, where possible. In the last session of the Florida Legislature, there […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 11, 2016

During the 2016 Florida Legislative session, lawmakers will be asked by the self-storage industry to end the current system of publishing a public notice in a local newspaper before the seizure of property or an auction is going to occur. Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) is opposed to this because we represent the interest of […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 11, 2016

Florida Realtors have become the latest group to join the effort to modernize state law by including anti-discrimination protection based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. As real estate professionals descend upon Tallahassee to take part in the annual Great American Realtors Days on Tuesday and Wednsday, the Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce […]

Phil Ammann

Personnel note: Attorney, lobbyist Natalie Kato joins Lewis, Longman and Walker

Jennifer West: Legislature should keep consumer protection from auto fraud

A roundup of Sunday editorials from Florida’s leading newspapers

Anxious Jeb Bush donors await signal it’s time to move on

Marco Rubio campaign poaches 2 Senate staff members for communications team

Robert Doyel: The Legislature needs research before ‘reforming’ alimony

Chris Hand: Jim King’s legacy still holding court

Lloyd Brown: Special interests balking at a fair compromise on water bill

Brewster Bevis: Legislature shouldn’t limit public notice

Florida Realtors lends support to anti-discrimination Florida Competitive Workforce Act