Emails & Opinions

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

State Sen. Gary Farmer was taken off the chamber’s Banking and Insurance Committee, but Senate President Joe Negron told Florida Politics there was “nothing nefarious” about the removal. Capitol insiders buzzed that Senate leadership was looking to exact revenge on the trial bar because of its financial support of Annette Taddeo, the Democratic opponent of […]

Joe HendersonOctober 12, 2017

State Sen. Dennis Baxley just couldn’t resist. At a Senate subcommittee hearing Wednesday to investigate the 14 deaths of elderly patients at a Hollywood Hills nursing home, Baxley made the reasonable point that the tragedy was “outrageous.” But then, as Scott Powers reported for Florida Politics, Baxley ventured into what-is-he-talking-about land. “We keep getting new […]

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

Bill Nelson just cannot help himself. After Republicans blasted a “tone deaf” email last month that sought to raise funds off Hurricane Irma, Florida’s senior U.S. Senator is at it again. Nelson writes: “There’s been a lot going on in Washington recently, from finding ways to fund these massive hurricane recovery efforts to prevent the […]

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

Session hasn’t even started, and we already have a winner for “Legislative Nice Guy of 2018″—Senate President Joe Negron. Negron, who we’ve already reported as having found a new gear as he enters his last year in leadership, gave up his primo parking spot in the Capitol garage so that his colleague, Dorothy Hukill, can […]

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

Delegation at the forefront of gun control debate Members of the Florida delegation are taking a lead role in the most recent discussion on gun control following the tragedy in Las Vegas. While pleas for “reasonable” gun control measures are always part of the discussion, the specific targeting of devices such as “bump stocks,” which […]

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry and Jim Rosica. Richard Corcoran has “planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway.” Yes, he does it his way. The House Speaker is on a tear this week, going Sinatra on Visit Orlando after […]

Peter SchorschOctober 11, 2017

Sixty Days — A prime-time read of what’s going down for Florida’s 2018 Legislative Session. The Last 24 A Senate panel asked lots of questions but didn’t get the answers they wanted as members tried to get a handle on the state’s new $85 million jobs fund. An ethics committee cleared a bill that would […]

Guest AuthorOctober 11, 2017

In the wake of this year’s hurricane season, many Floridians face an unexpectedly challenging holiday season. No one public policy can fix the physical and emotional toll of the last few weeks. But with a few long-overdue improvements to America’s unfair tax code, Congress can ensure that small businesses give Americans more bounteous returns on […]

Guest AuthorOctober 11, 2017

In an effort to stifle competition from short-term rentals and maintain their ability to price gouge consumers during compression periods, the hotel lobby is pressuring government officials in states like Florida to implement regulations that would severely restrict or ban homeowners from welcoming visitors into their private residence. A recent piece penned by the hotel […]

Joe HendersonOctober 11, 2017

Negative campaigning has long been an accepted tactic. As much as people say they hate it, they seem to respond to that message. We saw the truth of that again in Tuesday’s special election for the GOP nomination in House District 58. Mailers that labeled Plant City businesswoman and civic activist Yvonne Fry as a tax-loving liberal […]

Emails & Opinions

Joe Negron: ‘Nothing nefarious’ in Gary Farmer’s reassignment

Joe Henderson: Dennis Baxley’s misdirection play

Bill Nelson fundraises off Irma again, Republicans say it’s ‘disgusting’

Joe Negron’s class act: ‘Here, Dorothy Hukill, take my spot’

The Delegation for 10.12.17 — Insights from the Beltway to the Sunshine State

Sunburn for 10.12.17 — Richard Corcoran warming up; State budget already being crunched; Rick Scott criticized; Janet Cruz delivers PR aid; SpaceX goes 3-for-3

Sixty Days for 10.11.17 — A prime-time look at the 2018 Legislative Session

Mike Valdes-Fauli: Pass small business tax cuts now

Matt Kiessling: Florida needs commonsense short-term rental policies

Joe Henderson: Negative campaigning works again