Peter Schorsch, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschFebruary 20, 2015

Senate President Andy Gardiner and House Speaker Steve Crisafulli are beginning their first legislative session as their chambers’ leaders with a unified front and much in common. Both are conservative Republicans with business backgrounds who list faith and family among their highest values. Gardiner is considered “old Orlando” — where his family has lived since […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 19, 2015

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio says New Hampshire voters can expect many opportunities to engage with him directly in town hall-style events if he makes a bid for the White House. “If I run for president, we’re going to do as many of those as we possibly can; I enjoy that forum,” Rubio told The Associated […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 19, 2015

The Auditor General’s Office and staff from the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee selected Thursday 26 lobbying firms for the first-ever audits of lobbyists’ compensation forms. Fourteen firms that seek to influence the Legislature in the making of policy and 12 firms focused on the executive branch are the first group subjected to audits mandated by a measure signed […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 19, 2015

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The usual environmental advocacy groups have been beating the drums, trying to interest somebody, anybody in state government to exercise an expiring option to buy 46,000 acres of U.S. Sugar land for almost $500 million. The enviro mantra justifying the land purchase is “Send the Water South.” Opponents of the purchase have argued that there is […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 18, 2015

There is no best quarterback in the National Football League, only a collection of elite players who can each make a claim for that title. Is Tom Brady really better than Aaron Rodgers? When healthy, is Peyton Manning the top thrower? What about Drew Brees or Russell Wilson? Similarly, there isn’t a best political reporter […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 17, 2015

If you needed any more proof that Florida GOP Chairman Blaise Ingoglia is working overtime to unify his party, look no further than a fundraising invitation that went out Tuesday afternoon that has Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, former Gov. Jeb Bush, Senate President Andy Gardiner, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and the Cabinet at the […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 17, 2015

Rick Scott’s Baileygate scandal isn’t going quietly into the night, despite what some conservative media outlets say. A political advocacy group is delivering 10,000 petition signatures from Floridians urging U.S. Attorney Pamela Marsh and State Attorney Willie Meggs to launch an investigation into Gov. Rick Scott’s controversial termination of Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 15, 2015

Almost all of the headlines surrounding the annual session of the Florida Legislature will have already been written by the time lawmakers are gaveled into business on March 3. Those headlines will involve calls to expand Medicaid; a budget hole created by the federal government’s refusal to fund the Low Income Pool health care program; […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 15, 2015

Remember the Tom Cruise movie “Minority Report,” about Pre-Cogs predicting crimes before they happened so the PreCrime unit could swoop in and punish people before they did anything wrong? Well, apparently the Tampa Bay Times’ Adam Smith thinks that’s how responsible journalism should work, too. You’ll find in Smith’s latest column precise reporting of a future lapse in Jeb Bush’s decorum when he says “our […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 15, 2015

As the saying goes in Tallahassee, if you can’t fire the Insurance Commissioner and install the preferred choice of one of your campaign’s largest donors (Fred Karlinsky), you can always drop a negative story about him into a reporter’s lap. That’s what it certainly looks like this morning as the Naples Daily News Matt Dixon reports that the embattled […]

Peter Schorsch

House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, Senate President Andy Gardiner reveal softer sides

Marco Rubio plans public meeting, book signing in New Hampshire

Thoughts on selection process of which lobbying firms will have their compensation reports audited

Pie in the sky idea for the Everglades?

Will the Times/Herald continue to ignore former colleague Marc Caputo?

RPOF chair Blaise Ingoglia announces major fundraising event with Rick Scott, legislative leaders, Jeb, Marco and Cabinet

Progress Florida to deliver 10,000 petitions Wednesday calling for investigation into Baileygate

Big tobacco, Brecht Heuchan, and one of the most interesting food fights of the 2015 Legislative Session

Adam Smith, Pre-Cog

The Scott administration’s best oppo dump since they knifed Adam Putnam