Orlando

Scott PowersJanuary 2, 2017

U.S. Rep.-elect Stephanie Murphy has named her top congressional staff while announcing she intends to maintain two district offices – in Orange and Seminole counties, Murphy, the Winter Park Democrat elected in November to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District, announced that Brad Howard will serve as her chief of staff, John Laufer as her deputy […]

Scott PowersJanuary 2, 2017

U.S. Rep.-elect Val Demings has announced her senior congressional staff, a mixture of those who supported her 2016 election in Orlando and some Washington D.C. savvy. That begins with Wendy Anderson as the Orlando Democrat’s chief of staff, and includes Caroline Rowland as her communications director and Sonja White as her district director in Central […]

Scott PowersJanuary 2, 2017

Orlando lawyer and Republican fundraiser Ben Newman also is known — sadly not to all — as a merry prankster and over the weekend had many believing he was leaving the powerful GrayRobinson law firm to run a burrito truck. Me among them. Sorry about that. Newman has left GrayRobinson, where he’s been a shareholder […]

Scott PowersJanuary 2, 2017

A before-and-after time line now exists for Orlando – June 12, 2016 – and on this side of the Pulse massacre the city may be seen by the world and through its own citizens’ eyes as a very different place, with a new political perspective. Before June 12, Orlando was a city without an an […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterDecember 30, 2016

If you can’t make it to Times Square to ring in 2017, have no fear: The nation’s best place to party might be closer than you think. A new WalletHub report ranked Orlando as the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve. And the Central Florida city wasn’t the only Sunshine State city on the […]

Scott PowersDecember 29, 2016

Story co-written by Orlando-Rising staff reporters Scott Powers and Lawrence Griffin. In Orlando, 2016 will always be remembered as the year of the Pulse gay nightclub massacre, and Pulse redefined everything; but it’s not the only major event to have shaped politics in Orlando during the year. Here are a few events that defined politics […]

Scott PowersDecember 27, 2016

Orlando’s U.S. Rep.-elect Val Demings is entering Congress as one of the Democrats’ leaders. Demings was elected in December to represent Florida’s 10th Congressional District, covering Representative-elect Val Demings’ office announced Tuesday she has been appointed by Democratic leadership to serve as an Assistant Whip in the Democratic Caucus. The former Orlando Police Chief will […]

Florence SnyderDecember 26, 2016

Now that Pitbull has opened Pandora’s Box, all sorts of corporate welfare stories are flying around where Richard Corcoran can see them. Last week, the University of Central Florida (UCF) put itself on the radar with its unprecedented decision to turn a private, not-for-profit outfit called Limbitless into a university direct-support organization (DSO). Limbitless is by […]

Scott PowersDecember 21, 2016

Upset that the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission voted 3-2 this year to increase levels of water contaminants when it was short two members, state Sen. Linda Stewart filed a bill seeking to avoid such short-handed votes in the future. Stewart, a Democrat from Orlando, filed a bill Wednesday that would require the governor to fill […]

Scott PowersDecember 21, 2016

U.S. Congresswoman-elect Stephanie Murphy announced Tuesday she intends to join the two moderate-Democrat organizations in Congress, the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition. Murphy said the coalitions – the New Democrats promote small business, the Blue Dogs, fiscal conservatism – “align with her goals of strengthening Central Florida’s growing entrepreneurial and small business […]

Orlando

Stephanie Murphy names senior congressional staff

Val Demings announces senior staff in Congress

Ben Newman New Year’s prank: leaving GrayRobinson for possible political run, not love of burritos

Politics in Orlando now takes place in a post-Pulse city

Orlando, Miami ranked among top places for New Year’s Eve celebrations

2016 in Orlando politics: Pulse, outside money, hotel taxes, frogs

Val Demings named assistant whip for Congressional Dems

Hold the door on the DSOs

Linda Stewart files bill to stop short-handed contamination votes

Stephanie Murphy joining Blue Dogs, New Democrats