Orlando

Scott PowersMarch 16, 2017

Former State Attorney Jeff Ashton – former boss and then election opponent to current State Attorney Aramis Ayala – said Thursday he believes she might not have legal ground to take the unprecedented “no death penalty” position she announced earlier Thursday. Ashton also said he believes Ayala may have adopted the position to please her political benefactor, […]

Scott PowersMarch 16, 2017

Saying she has concluded that Florida’s capital punishment laws are unjust for all, State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced Thursday she would not pursue the death penalty in any cases in Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit, which includes Orlando. The policy begins with perhaps the most obvious and highest-profile potential death penalty case that has come along […]

Scott PowersMarch 15, 2017

Orlando’s three Democratic members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Val Demings, Darren Soto and Stephanie Murphy, have sent the White House a wish list of transportation projects that include I-4, Sunrail and the Orlando International Airport. The trio sent the list Wednesday urging the administration of President Donald Trump to push the Central Florida package because […]

Scott PowersMarch 14, 2017

A social media campaign to draft Anna Eskamani to run for Orange County mayor is catching steam on Facebook and has convinced at least one major potential mayoral candidate to declare he won’t run because he’d rather back her – Bob Poe. Eskamani, a 26-year-old Orlando Democrat who is director of external affairs for Planned […]

Bill RuftyMarch 13, 2017

The current bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act will never pass Congress in its current form, freshman U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, an Orlando Democrat, told members of the Polk County Tiger Bay Club during a Monday lunch in Bartow. “I believe ‘Trumpcare’ will be difficult in the House now that the joy […]

Scott PowersMarch 13, 2017

The U.S. Department of Justice is awarding an $8.5 million grant to help the victims of last June’s massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. The grant, to be awarded Tuesday by the Department of Justice to the Florida Office of Attorney General Pam Bondi, was announced Monday by the office of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of […]

Mike SchneiderMarch 12, 2017

A federal judge in Orlando on Friday revoked bond for the wife of the gunman responsible for the Pulse nightclub massacre, the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. U.S. District Judge Paul Byron reversed the decision of a magistrate judge in Oakland, California, last week to release Noor Salman on $500,000 bond and ordered […]

Scott PowersMarch 10, 2017

Republican state Rep. Jason Brodeur had a very, very good fundraising month in February for his campaign for state Senate District 9, raising nearly $88,000 in his campaign account and another $318,000 for his political committee. But then he gave much of it back. “We worked real, real hard,” Brodeur, of Sanford, stated in comments to FloridaPolitics.com, […]

Scott PowersMarch 10, 2017

With a $17.5 million, third-party loan arranged and approved Friday by Space Florida, OneWeb expects to begin construction of its satellite factory next week outside the gates of Kennedy Space Center. OneWeb already had received approval for a $17.5 million package of state incentives through the Florida Department of Transportation in a deal SpaceFlorida worked out […]

Associated PressMarch 9, 2017

Former Florida lawmaker Dwayne Taylor has been charged with wire fraud in an indictment that alleges he misused campaign funds. The nine-count indictment made public on Thursday accuses Taylor of withdrawing money from his campaign fund and depositing that same amount in his personal bank accounts. The federal indictment in Orlando says Taylor used the […]

Orlando

Jeff Ashton: Aramis Ayala may not have legal grounds to ban death penalty

Orlando State Attorney Aramis Ayala vows no death penalties

Val Demings, Darren Soto, Stephanie Murphy submit transportation list

Draft-Anna Eskamani for Orange Mayor movement draws Bob Poe backing

Darren Soto: Current GOP health care bill won’t pass

Federal grant to provide $8.5 million to help Pulse victims

Orlando judge revokes bond for wife of Pulse nightclub shooter

Jason Brodeur raises nearly $400K for 2020 state Senate bid — then gives $165K back

Space Florida approves loan to get OneWeb factory under construction

Former Florida lawmaker charged with misusing campaign funds

Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.