Orlando

Jacob OglesDecember 11, 2018

Brevard County Republican Executive Committee Chair Rick Lacey faces a growing uprising opposed to his re-election. Today, a list of high-ranking Republicans signed an open letter indicting his leadership over the last two years. Hitting inboxes two days before Lacey stands for a vote, the letter makes clear there is a divide among establishment and […]

Scott PowersDecember 10, 2018

Juvenile arrests fell sharply in Florida for the second consecutive fiscal year, led by counties such as Orange, Miami-Dade and Hillsborough that are aggressively pushing civil citations, diversion programs, and other initiatives to deal with juvenile crime other than arrests. Overall, Florida saw an 8 percent drop in juvenile arrests, and a 10 percent drop […]

Jacob OglesDecember 9, 2018

The leader of the Brevard County Republican Executive Committee faces criticism over his own harsh remarks about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign. Rick Lacey, chairman of the Brevard County REC, spoke at a recent Federated Republican Women meeting in Palm Bay and questioned the messaging strategy for the Republican’s statewide efforts. “I’ve got to be honest,” […]

Jacob OglesDecember 8, 2018

Outgoing Cabinet members like won’t meet again to address a pardon for the Groveland Four. But Attorney General-elect Ashley Moody said the cause won’t go ignored. Asked about how her office will address the pardon for the Lake County men falsely accused of raping a woman in 1949, Moody told Florida Politics she will look […]

Drew WilsonDecember 8, 2018

State Rep. Randy Fine launched his 2020 re-election bid on Nov. 19, and thanks to his prodigious fundraising effort last cycle he was able to hit the ground running. A newly filed campaign finance report shows the Brevard County Republican already has $21,500 in the bank. The bulk of that money — $20,000 — marked […]

Scott PowersDecember 7, 2018

Republican state Rep. Tyler Sirois heads into his first term in the Florida House with high hopes of addressing two widespread Florida issues that have a particularly strong impact on his Brevard County, water quality protection and vocational education. And he’ll be looking for ways to use the Florida Forever fund to address the water […]

Scott PowersDecember 7, 2018

A challenge of Orange County’s Republican leadership fell flat Thursday night returning Chair Charles Hart and his team for new terms, this time full terms backed by strong showings in elections. Hart fended off a challenge from insurgent Randy Ross in a vote of 81 to 23 Thursday night, and the party’s designated slate of […]

Scott PowersDecember 6, 2018

Calling the Valencia College-University of Central Florida Creative Village campus going up a “living, breathing opportunity escalator,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer focused most of his annual State-of-the-Downtown address on anticipated improvements for the historically-segregeted and long-distressed downtown neighborhood of Parramore Thursday. “Education can change lives. It can change neighborhoods, it can change the downtown, it […]

Scott PowersDecember 6, 2018

Winter Park’s U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy has received another leadership role in Congress, elected chair of “Future Forum,” a caucus of young Democrats in Congress seeking to pursue positions of interest to millennials. Murphy’s office announced Thursday that she was unanimously elected to head the 50-member group of young Democrats in Congress, just over a […]

Scott PowersDecember 5, 2018

Republican state Rep. David Smith will be heading to Tallahassee with a broad platform of ambitions covering education, the economy and the environment, but the retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel gets particularly excited about prospects he sees to improve the lot for Florida’s military veterans. Smith was elected Nov. 6 to succeed Jason Brodeur in […]

Orlando

Brevard GOP leaders issue open call on chair to step aside

Juvenile arrests fall as counties such as Orange turn to alternative justice

Brevard GOP Chair: Ron DeSantis ‘ran a very bad campaign’

Ashley Moody: Groveland Four will be ‘one of the first things I look at’

Randy Fine starts off 2020 bid with a bang

Tyler Sirois heading to Florida House with water, vocational education in mind

Orange County Republicans return leadership

Buddy Dyer focuses on Creative Village impact on Parramore, downtown Orlando

Stephanie Murphy to chair Democrats’ Future Forum in Congress

David Smith riding new wave of veteran-advocates in the Florida Legislature