William Patrick, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

William PatrickApril 2, 2017

Enterprise Florida Inc. could survive 2017 after all. Established in 1996, the taxpayer-funded organization has awarded nearly $2 billion in economic incentives to private businesses to create jobs and boost the state economy. Its record is mixed, and its reputation has been scarred by exorbitant executive pay, high-profile taxpayer losses and a failure to match private […]

William PatrickMarch 30, 2017

From smartphones to smart cities. The next generation of wireless connectivity will require enough signal coverage to support the exploding demand for consumer data use, and innovative new technologies such as driverless cars. But it will take a massive influx of wireless communications infrastructure to achieve, according to Beth Cooley, state legislative affairs director for […]

William PatrickMarch 24, 2017

In 2008, an Orange County, Florida, judge sentenced William Forrester to 15 years in prison for 15.6 grams of oxycodone, or about 30 pills. Forrester was on disability insurance and had a lung surgically removed due to cancer not long before his arrest, according to court documents. But possession of the oxycodone, combined with a […]

William PatrickMarch 23, 2017

Braiding hair without a license could get you in trouble in Florida. So could cutting and wrapping hair, manicuring fingernails, auctioneering property, landscaping, interior design and timekeeping at a boxing match. If you want to earn money or start a business in dozens of job categories, Florida requires a state-approved license – and they don’t […]

William PatrickFebruary 14, 2017

On the same day an Uber- and Lyft-friendly ridesharing bill passed its first committee stop in the Florida House, state Sen. Jeff Brandes was presenting his vision of where he believes the transportation industry is headed. “We’re in a generational shift from the horse and buggy to the Model-T,” Brandes said Wednesday evening at the […]

William PatrickFebruary 2, 2017

Five years ago, the Florida Department of Agriculture turned its regulatory power on a small third-generation dairy farm in the Panhandle’s Calhoun County, population 14,462. The Ocheesee Creamery, as it’s known, was caught being a little too honest. Mary Lou Wesselhoeft, owner, was selling all-natural pasteurized skim milk — whole milk with the cream skimmed […]

William PatrickJanuary 31, 2017

Lawmakers vying to make civil citations mandatory for first-time misdemeanor offenders under the age of 18, received some added support at the Florida Capitol last week. Pastors, reverends and priests representing churches from around the state stood alongside Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, as she spoke to reporters about her “second chance” juvenile justice reform bill. Civil […]

William PatrickJanuary 11, 2017

Florida’s state economic development efforts are “underperforming,” according to a new legislative report. An undesirable label by any standard, critics and lawmakers already skeptical of providing taxpayer support for private businesses are likely to seize on the bureaucratic euphemism and underlying findings to bolster their anti-incentives position ahead of the March state legislative session. The Office […]

William PatrickDecember 27, 2016

On the verge of being snuffed out by Obama administration regulators, Florida’s traditional and culturally distinct premium cigar industry has a chance at new life. Late last week, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the incoming chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, met with President-elect Donald Trump and submitted a list of 232 items that […]

William PatrickFebruary 10, 2015

Office Depot is packing up its corporate bags and shipping out of the Sunshine State, but not before scoring millions in state and local taxpayer incentives. The Boca Raton business giant announced this past Wednesday that Staples Inc., its chief office supplies competitor, is buying the Fortune 300 company and moving its South Florida corporate […]

William Patrick

House speaker’s ‘corporate welfare’ crackdown runs into Senate roadblock

Will Florida pre-empt local governments to complete next-Gen wireless connectivity?

‘Safety valve’ wanted for mandatory-minimum drug law

Lawmakers aim to create jobs by cutting occupational licensing red-tape

Ridesharing bills could pave the way for transformational changes

Small dairy farmer seeks First Amendment protection from state regulators

Reverends, priests and pastors show support for juvenile civil citation reform

Florida’s economic development efforts are ‘underperforming’

Under Donald Trump, Florida’s premium cigar industry could escape job-killing FDA regulations

Millions in taxpayer incentives later, Office Depot leaving business-friendly Florida