Staff Reports, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Staff ReportsDecember 22, 2017

Vestcor Chairman John Rood was reappointed to the Florida Prepaid College Board on Thursday. Rood, who served as Ambassador to the Bahamas during the George W. Bush Administration, chairs the politically connected Jacksonville development company Vestcor. Rood and Vestcor are frequent donors to Republican causes and candidates in Northeast Florida and beyond. Rood has been on the […]

Staff ReportsDecember 19, 2017

Legislation being called the “Tobacco 21 Act” has been filed for the 2018 Session to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21. Backing this year’s bills (SB 1288, HB 1029) are Sen. David Simmons, a Longwood Republican, and Reps. Don Hahnfeldt of The Villages (a Republican) and Lori Berman of Lantana (a Democrat). “Raising the age […]

Staff ReportsDecember 18, 2017

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday filed a complaint seeking to shut down a Florida charity falsely claiming to use charitable donations to provide financial support to families of firefighters lost in the line of duty, according to a press release. Community Charity Advancement, Inc. (CCAI) also allegedly falsely claims to use donations to provide assistance […]

Staff ReportsDecember 18, 2017

The Miami Herald has promoted one of its regional government reporters in South Florida to cover the Legislature in Tallahassee. Elizabeth Koh, a 24-year-old Brown University graduate, started working at the Herald in May, and has written stories ranging from a Puerto Rican baby stuck in medical limbo after Hurricane Irma to the recent passage […]

Staff ReportsDecember 18, 2017

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EDGE Communications, a Democratic political and public affairs consulting firm, has promoted Kalynn Cook from Senior Campaigns Director to Vice President, the company announced Monday. “Since joining my firm in 2015, Kalynn has been of the strongest hires we’ve made as she brings top-notch work ethic and a passion to serve our clients,” said EDGE Communications […]

Staff ReportsDecember 18, 2017

Alix Miller, formerly of Tallahassee’s On 3 Public Relations (On3PR), will join the Florida Trucking Association as vice president, according to a Monday press release. Her first day at the association will be Jan. 2. “I am thrilled to join the FTA team and get to know our members,” Miller said. “I look forward to working with external […]

Staff ReportsDecember 18, 2017

This weekend, delegates to the Florida AFL-CIO 2017 Biennial Convention unanimously reelected Mike Williams as President and Andrew Spar as Secretary-Treasurer of the state federation, according to a press release. Williams represents the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Spar is with the Florida Education Association (FEA). “I am honored that my union sisters […]

Staff ReportsDecember 17, 2017

A deadly 2016 fight outside a St. Petersburg bar is the subject of a lawsuit by the wife of the victim, while the man who threw the fatal blow faces an appeal of his Stand Your Ground self-defense protection. On Feb. 10, 2016, Bobby Ryan and Christopher Motlenski were at Angelo’s Grill and Bar on First […]

Staff ReportsDecember 14, 2017

Florida’s U.S. Senators, Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, teamed up on a bill Thursday that could ensure that Florida and other hurricane-hit areas get their fair share from the federal government by cleaning up a process that Rubio describes as “unsynchronized and burdensome.” The Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, also sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, would […]

Staff ReportsDecember 14, 2017

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A renowned St. Petersburg restaurateur faces accusations of refusing to pay back wages to the former general manager of Proper Kitchen. In a lawsuit filed Dec. 6 in Pinellas County Circuit Court, Michael Rideout, a 35-year-old St. Petersburg resident, claims he is a minority owner of Watch the Throne, which does business as Proper Kitchen […]

Staff Reports
Mario Cristobal. Image via AP.

Jacksonville insider John Rood reappointed to Prepaid College Board

State could raise smoking age to 21

Pam Bondi says firefighter charity is a fraud

Personnel note: Miami Herald’s Elizabeth Koh to cover Florida Legislature

Personnel note: Kalynn Cook promoted at EDGE Communications

Personnel note: Alix Miller to join Florida Trucking Association

State labor union re-elects top officers

Widow sues St. Pete bar over fatal fight; Stand Your Ground appeal continues

Marco Rubio, Bill Nelson team up on Disaster Assistance Simplification Act

Former Proper Kitchen general manager sues owner for back wages