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

Jim RosicaNovember 17, 2017

Chris Hart IV, who last was with Florida TaxWatch, will be the next CEO of the statewide Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers association, according to a Friday press release. He starts Dec. 4. Hart “will provide strong leadership to our association,” said Marcia M. Johnson, Franklin County Clerk and Comptroller and 2017-18 Board President, in a statement. […]

Jim RosicaNovember 15, 2017

State Sen. Tom Lee fired off a tweetstorm Wednesday in support of his proposed constitutional amendment to ban greyhound racing in Florida. Lee—a Thonotosassa Republican, previous Senate president and current candidate for Chief Financial Officer—called dog racing “cruel and inhumane,” and added the “greyhound industry opposes any real reform.” (His tweets are at bottom.) He filed […]

Jim RosicaNovember 15, 2017

A litany of lawsuits continues to jam up the state’s medical marijuana licensure process, the state’s top marijuana official told House lawmakers Wednesday. Christian Bax, executive director of the state Health Department’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use, gave the House Health Quality Subcommittee an overview of his work, including the latest tally of legal challenges. “(Our) position […]

Jim RosicaNovember 14, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott built gambling money from the Seminole Tribe of Florida into his proposed $85 billion state budget for 2018-19. The Tribe and the state this summer settled a lawsuit over its ability to exclusively offer “banked card games” such as blackjack. Since then, “the payments associated with banked card games that the state has held […]

Jim RosicaNovember 14, 2017

A Tallahassee judge has agreed to the release of Department of Children and Families (DCF) records on home health care abuses to the Tampa Bay Times. Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers last week OK’d an agreement between the newspaper and the department that would allow Times investigative reporter Kathleen McGrory access to certain redacted investigative records. State […]

Jim RosicaNovember 14, 2017

A conservative watchdog says it’s filed a public records request for emails from Justice Barbara Pariente and Chief Justice Jorge Labarga after what it calls “the justices’ overt political bias.” The D.C.-based Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) late Monday released a copy of its request to the Florida Supreme Court. It asks for copies of […]

Jim RosicaNovember 9, 2017

As Florida’s citrus industry “seeks consideration for federal emergency funding,” a U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast Thursday “confirmed a continuing decline in production due to Hurricane Irma’s impact on this season’s crop,” the Florida Department of Citrus said in a press release. “The report predicts Florida orange production for 2017-18 at 50 million boxes of oranges, a 27 percent […]

Jim RosicaNovember 9, 2017

A draft of a bill is circulating in the Capitol that would, among other things, expressly legalize steroids and trace amounts of cocaine in racing greyhounds, critics say. One lawmaker made aware of the language on Thursday jokingly asked if it was “written by The Onion.” But an industry representative said the legislation, backed by […]

Jim RosicaNovember 9, 2017

We’re just going to rip this line right from Thursday’s press release: “To get a head start on the next round of reapportionment in 2021, Florida House Democrats have formed a Working Group on Redistricting that will allow them to be fully prepared to present the citizens of our state with the fair maps they […]

Jim RosicaNovember 8, 2017

In an acutely personal attack, the head of a nursing-home advocacy group slammed a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a “nursing home and assisted living facility residents’ bill of rights.” The Florida Health Care Association’s Emmett Reed, this week called the amendment, filed by Constitution Revision Commissioner Brecht Heuchan, “glaringly bad.” Reed’s organization advocates […]

Jim Rosica
One of several proposed designs for Florida's new Margaritaville license plates. Image via the office of Rep. Linda Chaney.

Personnel note: Chris Hart IV to head Court Clerks group

Tom Lee defends dog racing ban; Pam Bondi noncommittal

Legal challenges bog down medical cannabis process

Blackjack cash bolsters state budget

Judge OKs release of abuse reports to Tampa Bay Times

Right-leaning watchdog now wants judicial emails after ‘hot mic’

More hits to citrus: Forecast portends further decrease

Bill would permit trace cocaine amounts in racing dogs

Talk about working ahead: Dems readying for 2021 redistricting

Nursing home group denounces proposed residents’ ‘bill of rights’