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

Scott PowersDecember 16, 2016

Decrying the horrors of atrocities in the Middle East, President-elect Donald Trump both denounced reckless interventions and pledged to destroy ISIS and radical Islam during his “Thank You” tour stop in Orlando Friday night. Speaking before a huge outdoor crowd that he said numbered 22,000, Trump argued that the United States can’t get involved in […]

Scott PowersDecember 16, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott called on Visit Florida’s Executive Director Will Seccombe to resign Friday afternoon, continuing a bloodbath at the pseudo-state agency that saw two other top executives fired earlier in the fallout from how it handled a marketing contract with Miami rapper superstar Pitbull. In a letter the governor sent to Visit Florida’s board […]

Scott PowersDecember 16, 2016

Florida added another 31,600 private-sector jobs in November, the 56th consecutive month of job growth in the Sunshine State, Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday. Orlando continued to lead the state in job growth in November, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate went up slightly since October and held […]

Scott PowersDecember 16, 2016

Florida’s beleaguered tourism promoter has fired two of its top executives in the wake of revelations and criticism of a $1 million contract with Miami rapper Pitbull, an action that Gov. Rick Scott said was a matter of holding people accountable. Scott confirmed Friday morning in Eatonville that Visit Florida’s President Will Seccombe has fired Chief Operating Officer […]

Scott PowersDecember 15, 2016

The seminal historic moments in our lives: for Americans today nothing comes close to 9/11, and the Pulse massacre in Orlando this summer is up there, according to a newly-released survey from the Pew Research Center for U.S. Politics and Policy. The Pew survey taken last summer, then broken down by generation (Greatest, Silent, Baby Boomer, X, and Millennial,) various […]

Scott PowersDecember 15, 2016

In a surprise move, Miami rapper Pitbull released his entire controversial contract with Visit Florida this morning by posting it onto a tweet Thursday, revealing the breadth of duties he’d signed onto as a celebrity tourism ambassador for the state, and Florida’s fee for his service — $1 million per year. The move comes just […]

Scott PowersDecember 15, 2016

A Pegasus XL rocket dropped from beneath an airplane off the coast of Daytona Beach Thursday morning, then launched from there into orbit and deployed eight NASA hurricane-tracking satellites into orbit. The drop-launch from an altitude of 39,000 feet, about 110 miles east of Daytona Beach, went as planned after the mission was postponed twice […]

Scott PowersDecember 14, 2016

A new group calling itself AirbnbWatch Florida has emerged declaring its goal as “to bring attention to illegal hotel operations in residential areas” in the Sunshine State. The group is a state chapter of a national group called AirbnbWATCH, which is a project of the American Family Voices, a non-profit advocacy group that does not disclose its […]

Scott PowersDecember 14, 2016

Turnover of staff at Florida’s prisons is so high that a substantial majority of guards in some prisons have less than two years experience, Corrections Secretary Julie Jones said Wednesday before the Senate Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee. Jones was at the subcommittee’s introductory meeting to push hers’ and Gov. Rick Scott administration’s priorities. They start with […]

Scott PowersDecember 14, 2016

A number of popular internet-connected toys including children’s tablets, a talking stuffed bear and smart watches are vulnerable to hacking that could expose information about the child and the parents’ credit cards, according to a new cautionary report released Wednesday by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Nelson’s report, “Children’s Connected Toys: Data Security and Privacy Concerns,” […]

Scott Powers

In Orlando, Donald Trump decries ‘reckless interventions;’ vows to crush ISIS

Visit Florida housecleaning continues: Rick Scott calls on chief Will Seccombe to resign, board to publish business

Rick Scott touts 31K new jobs added in Florida in November

Rick Scott says Visit Florida firings are holding people accountable

Americans agree on historic events: 9/11, Barack Obama, tech revolution, Vietnam War, Pulse

Pitbull releases $1M Visit Florida contract on Twitter; state suit still pending

Drop-launch of rocket off Florida coast sends NASA satellites into orbit

Anti-Airbnb group arrives in Florida

Julie Jones says prisons need higher pay to stop ‘churn in the hiring’

Bill Nelson warning about cyber attack vulnerability of toys