Scott Powers, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersMarch 1, 2017

Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow believes existing technology, NASA interest, and business opportunities are ready now for a return to the moon — and his company is ready to provide a space station there. In an exclusive interview with FloridaPolitics.com Wednesday, the Las Vegas-based billionaire space entrepreneur made the argument that there already exists the technology, the […]

Scott PowersMarch 1, 2017

As state Rep. Amy Mercado declares, Florida’s now-annual black bear hunt has become a “slaughter.” Mercado and fellow Orlando Democratic state Sen. Linda Stewart laid out bills Wednesday to ban the hunts for 10 years, as well as steps to keep bears happy enough in the forests and stop raiding neighborhoods. “The bears, we’ve encroached […]

Scott PowersMarch 1, 2017

If SpaceX founder and billionaire Elon Musk is preparing to send civilian space-tourist astronauts around the moon by the end of 2018, how about having a place they can stop while they’re there? Take pictures? Buy souvenirs? Relax with some Tang? Another New Space billionaire entrepreneur is floating that proposition, or something like it, Wednesday. By […]

Scott PowersMarch 1, 2017

A gun laws debate featuring staunch 2nd Amendment Republican state Rep. Scott Plakon and irrepressible “common-sense reforms” Democrat state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith boiled down Tuesday night between a demand that fundamental rights should not be abridged without compelling reasons, and expressions of perceived compelling reasons. Plakon, a Longwood Republican who sponsored House Bill 6005, […]

Scott PowersFebruary 28, 2017

Republican businessman David Smith announced Tuesday he has filed to run for Florida’s House District 28 in 2018, seeking the seat that will be vacated by the term limit of state Rep. Jason Brodeur. Smith, 56, of Winter Springs, is a retired Marine Corps colonel and former director of the Marines simulation and modeling center in the University […]

Scott PowersFebruary 28, 2017

As is traditional, Florida’s congressional delegation is using its invite tickets to President Donald Trump‘s first address to a joint session of Congress mostly to make points, although U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is maybe making his points with his wife. Each member of Congress gets one SOTU invitation to pass out. Democrat Nelson’s goes to his […]

Scott PowersFebruary 28, 2017

With Florida’s 2011 law forbidding doctors from talking to patients about guns struck down in federal appeals court, state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and state Sen. Gary Farmer are seeking to repeal it. The law, introduced in 2011 by Republican state Rep. Jason Brodeur of Sanford as the “Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act” has been derided […]

Scott PowersFebruary 28, 2017

U.S. Reps. Bill Posey and Brian Mast of Florida’s Atlantic Coast have pulled together a bipartisan “Congressional Estuary Caucus” to focus on environmental health and recovery of places such as the plagued Indian River Lagoon the two Republicans share. The caucus has pulled in at least 23 members so far including Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie […]

Scott PowersFebruary 27, 2017

Florida’s Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio has joined with Democrat Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin on a bill that would force the return of, or restitution for, art and other belongings stolen by Nazis from Jews in the Holocaust. The bill, entitled ‘‘Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act of 2017’’ would seek to use the […]

Scott PowersFebruary 27, 2017

SpaceX announced Monday the company has plans to send two private citizen astronauts on a trip around the moon in late 2018. SpaceX still is trying to get its program together to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in a multi-billion contract with the nation’s space agency. And the company said in a […]

Scott Powers
A light switch glows warmly against a backdrop of blurred, softly shimmering lights, enhancing the inviting ambiance of the room during the evening.

Robert Bigelow: ‘We stand ready’ to send station to the moon

Linda Stewart, Amy Mercado introduce bills to protect bears, their food and habitat

Robert Bigelow tweets he wants his space stations in lunar orbit

Young Dems’ guns debate pits ‘fundamental rights’ versus ‘compelling reasons’

David Smith files to run in House District 28

Joe Negron, Pulse mother and doctor, a DREAMer, among Trump address to Congress guests

Carlos Guillermo Smith, Gary Farmer seek to repeal ‘Docs vs. Glocks’

Bill Posey, Brian Mast form Congressional Estuary Caucus

Marco Rubio joins Tammy Baldwin in bill requiring Nazi art theft restitution

SpaceX announces it will fly private astronauts around the moon soon