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

Scott PowersFebruary 14, 2017

Two South Florida lawmakers are hoping to get Florida to make some amends for one of the darkest moments of the racist Jim Crow days, with bills seeking exoneration for the so called “Groveland Four,” young black men and teenagers killed or imprisoned over false 1949 rape charges. State Rep. Bobby DuBose and state Sen. […]

Scott PowersFebruary 14, 2017

Walt Disney World employee unions, community members, faith leaders, immigrant organizations, students and others are planning a protest outside the gates of the theme park resort Tuesday afternoon seeking to urge Walt Disney Co. Chairman Bob Iger to step down from President Donald Trump‘s Strategic and Policy Forum. he organizers, who include Disney’s UNITE HERE union […]

Scott PowersFebruary 13, 2017

Winter Park businessman Chris King is mulling a 2018 Democratic run for governor in Florida, sources close to him said Monday. While not highly active in Central Florida political circles, King, president and CEO of Elevation Financial Group in Winter Park has been exploring prospects, with national consultants based in Washington D.C., of an outsider’s run with […]

Scott PowersFebruary 13, 2017

Orlando businessman and former lawyer Paul Paulson has seeded his campaign to run for Florida Agriculture Commissioner in 2018 with a $120,000 personal loan. Paulson, a state committeeman with the Orange County Republican Party and 2015 candidate for Orlando mayor, entered the agriculture commissioner race in late December, seeking to succeed fellow Republican Adam Putnam, […]

Scott PowersFebruary 13, 2017

Five possible corridors are being unveiled publicly to possibly expand Central Florida Expressway Authority’s East-West Expressway eastward toward Brevard County and none of them can avoid going through the environmentally- and politically-sensitive area of East Orange County. The expressway authority will unveil the five Thursday night at a 5 p.m. public workshop at the Eastpoint […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

No one has identified Orlando as one of the “sanctuary cities” providing safe havens for undocumented immigrants while sustaining conservatives’ wrath and potential funding cuts from President Donald Trump‘s orders, but when the question comes up, Orlando responds with a puzzle. “While it’s not clear exactly what the definition of a “sanctuary city” is, it is clear […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

Decrying that racing dog owners are “doping greyhounds,” state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith joined state Rep. Alexandra Miller and Dana Young Friday in another effort to tighten regulation of dog racing in Florida, with a bill explicitly banning the use of steroids. Smith, the Orlando Democrat, and Miller, the Sarasota Republican, introduced House Bill 743 […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

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Never mind who’s running for Governor in 2018, Floridians want to know which Republicans are in the running for Florida Chief Financial Officer now that CFO Jeff Atwater announced he is leaving this year, with speculation starting with Tom Grady, Tom Lee, Will Weatherford and Teresa Jacobs and including seven or eight others. Grady, a securities lawyer who is a former state representative who also has held several […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

Miami and Orlando are among the biggest homes in the United States to unauthorized immigrants, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. The report, base on 2014 data analyzed by Pew, estimates that there are 450,000 undocumented immigrants in the Miami-megaplex that includes Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, ranking the metro […]

Scott PowersFebruary 9, 2017

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio continued his sharp attacks on Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday calling any potential grand deals “immoral” and “fantasy” while positioning himself to be in staunch opposition to any agreements President Donald Trump may want with Russia. On Thursday, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing entitled, “The United States, The Russian Federation and the […]

Scott Powers

‘Groveland Four’s’ haunting 1949 injustice addressed in resolutions

Unions, others urging Disney Chair Bob Iger to quit Donald Trump

Winter Park businessman Chris King mulling gubernatorial run

Paul Paulson seeds state Ag Commissioner campaign with $120K

Five routes proposed to extend S.R. 408 eastward on tap Thursday

Is Orlando a ‘sanctuary city?’ What’s a ‘sanctuary city?’

Carlos Smith, Alexandra Miller, Dana Young push new greyhound bill, banning steroids

Jeff Atwater’s surprise departure makes CFO job the hottest in state

Report cites Orlando, Miami, for having large undocumented immigrant populations

Marco Rubio re-sharpens condemnation of Putin and any U.S.-Russia deals