Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Janelle Irwin TaylorNovember 29, 2018

State Rep. Chris Latvala says he will file “Jordan’s Law,” a measure that would put protections in place for children to prevent them from becoming victims of abuse or neglect. The proposed law is named for Jordan Belliveau, the 2-year-old Largo boy whose body was found in the woods behind the Largo Sports Complex after his mother, Charisse Stinson, […]

Staff ReportsNovember 29, 2018

The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday appealed a circuit judge’s decision denying it from intervening in a medical marijuana lawsuit. House general counsel Adam Tanenbaum filed the “notice of appeal” to the 1st District Court of Appeal. Tallahassee-based Circuit Judge Charles Dodson filed the written version of his decision earlier in the day, after ruling from the bench last […]

Staff ReportsNovember 29, 2018

Florida will have to consider economic incentives if it wants television and film productions to shoot here, according to Florida TaxWatch‘s newest research report. That idea has found favor in the state Senate, but runs counter to new Republican House Speaker Jose Oliva‘s stance, who has called production incentives “tantamount to corporate welfare.” Even GOP […]

Danny McAuliffeNovember 29, 2018

The Florida Cabinet will be asked to approve the transfer of approximately 360 acres of land to Jackson County during its final meeting on Tuesday. The land includes and surrounds parcels of the now-shuttered Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement closed Dozier in 2011 after confirming […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 29, 2018

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State Sen. Rob Bradley is renewing for the second straight year his quest to protect Floridians’ vegetable gardens — local ordinances notwithstanding. This year’s bill (SB 82) by the Fleming Island Republican would eliminate as “void and unenforceable” local jurisdiction over front yard gardens. The goal: Facilitating “the development of sustainable cultivation of vegetables and fruits at […]

Jacob OglesNovember 29, 2018

While Florida communities persistently face affordable housing issues, a trust fund to help solve the problem remains an easy pot to raid. But state Sen. Kathleen Passidomo hopes to safeguard those dollars in next year’s budget. One of the first bills filed by the Naples Republican for this session aims to protect the State Housing […]

Danny McAuliffeNovember 29, 2018

Reported crimes and arrests are down and Florida has held fewer people behind bars in recent years. But forecasters working for the state aren’t expecting prison populations to continue to wane. Economists for the Criminal Justice Estimating Conference cited an uptick in drug crimes during the past four months as one cause for keeping the […]

Staff ReportsNovember 28, 2018

Cracking down on unscrupulous lawyers is the key to reining in auto and property insurance rates, the James Madison Institute concludes in a policy report released Wednesday. Specifically, the white paper targets Florida’s bad-faith law, which it claims has greased litigation against insurers alleged to have treated policyholders unfairly; and its one-way attorney fees law, which […]

Staff ReportsNovember 28, 2018

A West Palm Beach lawmaker has again filed a bill to increase the threshold by which voters must approve changes to the state’s governing document. Republican state Rep. Rick Roth filed the measure (HJR 57) on Wednesday. It would boost to two-thirds — or 66.66 percent — the margin by which a constitutional amendment must be […]

Drew WilsonNovember 28, 2018

Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced nearly four dozen members of his Transition Advisory Committee on the Economy, with several business leaders and some former lawmakers making the list. Among the 45 members are former House Speaker Allan Bense, JAX Chamber president Daniel Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers COO Brian Ford, JAXPORT CEO Eric Green, Gulf […]

Influence
Milton damage. Image via City of Tampa.

Chris Latvala plans to file child protection bill

House appeals being shut out of medical marijuana case

Action! Florida TaxWatch revives TV, film incentives debate

Cabinet poised to approve Dozier land transfer

Garden party: Rob Bradley renews fight for front-yard horticulture

Kathleen Passidomo aims to protect state’s affordable housing trust fund

Economists: Drug crimes could keep Florida prisons full

James Madison Institute offers fixes for rising insurance rates

Bill again filed to make it harder to amend Constitution

Ron DeSantis names four dozen economic advisory committee members