Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jacob OglesJanuary 2, 2019

A new year means lower workers’ compensation insurance bills in Florida. The state Office of Insurance Regulation in November approved an overall 13.8 percent decrease in workers’ compensation insurance rates for 2019, which went into effect on Tuesday. That marks two consecutive years of decreases for Florida employers. The rate dropped 9.5 percent in 2018. […]

Staff ReportsJanuary 1, 2019

Three bills that passed the 2018 Legislative Session and were signed by Gov. Rick Scott will take effect on the first day of the new year. Summaries below have been adapted from various staff analyses: — HB 85, on “Voter Registration List Maintenance.” The bill allows the Department of State to become a member of a nongovernmental […]

Drew WilsonJanuary 1, 2019

It’s “auld lang syne” for $8.25. When the clock struck midnight Tuesday, Florida’s minimum wage went up 21 cents to $8.46 an hour. Employees who earn tips at their jobs will see their wages tick up by the same amount, from $5.23 an hour to $5.44 an hour. In the Sunshine State, minimum wage increases […]

Joe HendersonJanuary 1, 2019

Welcome to Florida 2019, a time of hope and optimism that maybe, finally, we’ll get it right. That feeling usually lasts about 24 hours before we realize that while the calendar may have changed, most everything else won’t. People keep moving here. Traffic gets worse. And the National Rifle Association usually gets whatever Marion Hammer wants. […]

Jacob OglesDecember 31, 2018

Ed Shoemaker, who last year ran in Florida’s 15th Congressional District, now wants to chair the effort to keep the seat in Republican hands. And one former opponent quickly lined up behind him. Danny Kushmer, another Republican candidate, endorsed Shoemaker to become the congressional district’s Republican Party caucus chair for the district. The fight to keep […]

Jacob OglesDecember 31, 2018

The coalitions director for Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial campaign was involved in a fatal crash in Fort Myers on Sunday. Peter Cuderman, who joined DeSantis’ team in September, drove a vehicle that crashed into two individuals outside a disabled vehicle off Interstate 75 in Fort Myers, according to NBC-2. A 2014 Chevrolet Silverado driven by […]

Ryan NicolDecember 31, 2018

U.S. Rep.-elect Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has finished filling out her senior leadership team after previously announcing Laura Rodriguez as her chief of staff. “This past November changed the face of Congress,” Mucarsel-Powell said. She will take over as the representative for Congressional District 26 after unseating U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo in November. “When choosing my senior staff, […]

Peter SchorschDecember 31, 2018

A new ramen restaurant will open its doors in downtown Tallahassee in the coming days, just in time for the first legislative committee meetings of the new year. Downtown Ramen Bar will be located at 109 E. College Ave in the space once occupied by the Jasmine Café, which shuttered earlier this month after 17 […]

Staff ReportsDecember 31, 2018

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the ‘Tow to Go’ program, a partnership between AAA and Anheuser-Busch – the maker of Budweiser – to prevent impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel. It’s a ride to a safe location within 10 miles of pickup in a AAA tow truck, which takes the vehicle and driver […]

Jacob OglesDecember 30, 2018

President Donald Trump’s administration may soon rescind recognition of the Cuban Baseball Federation as an organization independent of the Cuban government, according to a report by the McClatchy DC Bureau. The aim of such an action, reversing a 2016 decision made as then-President Barack Obama sought to normalize relations with Cuba, would be to scuttle […]

Headlines
Florida Politics' Drew Wilson a few pounds heavier and with a bit more hair next to Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell ... (guess who we're rooting for?).

Workers’ compensation insurance rates drop for second year

Tick tock: Laws that go into effect on Jan. 1

New year brings minimum wage hike

Joe Henderson: How much will Florida change in 2019? Probably not much

Ed Shoemaker vies for caucus chair, rallies old opponents in CD 15

Ron DeSantis campaign official involved in fatal crash

Personnel note: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell rounds out senior staff

Downtown Ramen Bar opening in Tallahassee this week

AAA and Anheuser-Busch offer rides for New Year

McClatchy: Donald Trump to call strike on baseball deal