Jim Rosica, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaFebruary 22, 2018

Danielle Babilino will become senior vice president of global sales and marketing for Seminole Tribe-controlled Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, the company announced Thursday. Babilino was most recently executive vice president of sales and marketing for Alon Las Vegas, the proposed luxury hotel and casino on the Strip. She now will have “overall responsibility for the […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 22, 2018

A bill to ban pre-reveal games, slot machine-style entertainment consoles, was rescued Thursday in a procedural move after it initially failed on a tie vote. The measure (HB 1367) now is available for the floor after a subsequent motion in the House Commerce Committee to reconsider the bill won the day. The pre-reveal concept has […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 22, 2018

The Seminole Tribe of Florida is airing an ad in the Tallahassee market urging passage of a new gambling deal between the Tribe and the state. But with lawmakers saying their “bandwidth” has been sapped by a fight over the 2018-19 budget and by a legislative response to the Broward County high school shooting, it’s […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 21, 2018

House Speaker Richard Corcoran told a group of Marjory Stoneman Douglas students Wednesday “how guns are treated is absolutely on the table” for bills that are in the works. Corcoran, a Land O’ Lakes Republican, and other House members met with dozens of teens who attend the Broward County high school in a midday meeting […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 20, 2018

House Speaker-designate José Oliva on Tuesday didn’t quite put the nail in the coffin for a gambling bill this Session—but he’s holding the hammer. The reason: Lawmakers, overrun by events, are running out of time. With less than three weeks left in the 2018 Legislative Session, the House and Senate are scrambling to come up with […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 20, 2018

On a voice vote, the Florida House Tuesday approved a resolution recognizing pornography as a “public health risk.” That was after a House Democrat pressed the sponsor why he didn’t think gun violence was a more pressing health risk in Florida. The resolution (HR 157) doesn’t carry the force of law, but simply memorializes a […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 20, 2018

A bill that would create a financing program to bring TV and film production back to the Sunshine State cleared a Senate panel Tuesday. But with less than three weeks left in the 2018 Legislative Session, the effort could be for naught: A House companion measure has not yet been heard. The Commerce and Tourism […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 19, 2018

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A spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott Sunday rejected comparisons between a 2016 state investigation into the Parkland school shooter and the FBI’s lack of follow-up on tips on his potential danger. “It is absurd and irresponsible to compare the DCF’s investigation, completed nearly 18 months ago in response to allegations of caregiver abuse and neglect, […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 16, 2018

The federal government on Friday said it was opening Florida’s Gulf Coast to “oil and gas exploration and development.” A Interior spokesman, however, soon added that the “small slice available (approximately 944,000 acres) … is more than 100 miles offshore Florida.” A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson also said the proposed area is “currently open to […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 16, 2018

A leading gun-rights activist on Friday said his group didn’t draft controversial language on concealed weapon licenses (CWLs) in a bill backed by Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. It would have allowed the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services‘ Division of Licensing to issue concealed-carry permits without complete criminal background information. Putnam’s department grants permission for concealed carry in the state. Jacksonville attorney Eric Friday, […]

Jim Rosica

Personnel note: Danielle Babilino joins Hard Rock in Florida

Pre-reveal games ban barely survives in House

Seminole Tribe ad is a Hail Mary for a gambling deal

Richard Corcoran to teens: Gun legislation ‘on the table’

José Oliva’s hopes for gambling resolution plummet

House declares pornography ‘public health risk’

Cut, print: Film financing proposal moves in Senate, stalled in House

Governor’s Office rejects FBI, DCF comparisons post-Parkland

Feds announce opening of Florida to offshore oil drilling, but it’s not not as bad as you might think

Florida Carry says it’s not behind Adam Putnam’s concealed carry language