Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Phil AmmannMay 1, 2015

Editorial cartoonist Bill Day sharpens his pencil to mark the “official” sine die of Florida’s 2015 Legislative Session. While Friday would usually be filled with post-hanky drop celebrations throughout the Florida Capitol and along Adams Street, there is no joy tonight in Mudville (otherwise known as Tallahassee). On Tuesday, the House abruptly adjourned its session, hightailing […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 1, 2015

“You can count on me to show up, to read legislation before I vote, to represent every part of Duval County.” Those words, from At Large Group 1 Council Candidate Anna Brosche, were a purposeful jab at her opponent, Kim Daniels, who no-showed the Beaches Watch forum. It was unsurprising, given that Daniels has been at loggerheads […]

Christine Jordan SextonMay 1, 2015

The Florida House of Representatives has asked the state Supreme Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by 13 Democratic senators over the House going home three days early. The House argues in its legal briefs that the separation of powers doctrine prohibits the high court from compelling legislators to return to Tallahassee. “The Florida Constitution’s […]

Mitch PerryMay 1, 2015

If you were growing weary of reading Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota every day in your local sports pages for the past four months, Buc fans, congrats. Now you’ll just be reading about Winston every day up until football season begins. Let’s just hope for all concerned it’s only in the sports pages. Thursday night […]

Phil AmmannMay 1, 2015

On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott named two Tampa legal experts to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, which serves Hillsborough County. Judge Christopher Nash, 43, of Tampa, currently serves as Hillsborough County Judge in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. He previously practiced with Leavengood, Nash, Dauval & Boyle from 2004-2013. Before that, he worked with Akerman Senterfitt […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 30, 2015

While we had a reasonably comprehensive look into the mechanics of Bill Bishop endorsing Alvin Brown on Thursday, new information has come to light, via Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union, that puts that endorsement in a different context: namely, competing claims from Bishop and Lenny Curry about the lead up to the endorsement. Curry said that Bishop, by endorsing Brown, reneged […]

Bob SparksApril 30, 2015

What a week. First, Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Florida is suing the Obama administration over the Medicaid expansion issue. Then, we witnessed some remarkable political gamesmanship when the House adjourned three days early. The words “insurmountable differences” on the budget and Medicaid expansion accompanied the banging gavel in the House […]

Daniel TilsonApril 30, 2015

So, conservative extremists disabled our Florida Legislature this week. House Speaker Steve Crisafulli rocked the ship of state and shocked many of his GOP colleagues when he abruptly adjourned the 2015 session several days early. This, with a state budget and much important legislative work still undone. This, because of an iron-clad commitment by Gov. […]

Martin DyckmanApril 30, 2015

Florida Gov. Rick Scott continues to build a record that no successor should be allowed to emulate. None should even want to. But you never know. Twenty-one times now, Scott has rejected lawyers recommended by the Florida Bar for seats on some of Florida’s 26 judicial nominating commissions. The latest such act was on April […]

Guest AuthorApril 30, 2015

Remember when you blew off high school in April of your senior year because you thought it’d be more fun to travel with the Grateful Dead and sell grilled cheese sandwiches? Or how about that time you skipped finals to spend a week harvesting marijuana seeds because hydroponic pot was the wave of the future? […]

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Bill Day’s latest: Gone fishin’

Jax at large council candidates address Beaches Watch forum

House asks high court to dismiss Senate Democrats’ sine die lawsuit

Mitch Perry Report for 5.1.15 — On the so-called Fight of the Century

Gov. Scott names Tampa’s Christopher Nash and Mark Kiser to Circuit Court

Bill Bishop’s endorsement and the “lost decade” claim

Bob Sparks: Do new statements jump-start budget negotiations?

Daniel Tilson: Florida should shun radicalism of Gov. Scott, House Republicans

Martin Dyckman: Gov. Scott's contempt of court must be stopped

Catherine Durkin Robinson: How a mentor can help a teenager who is about to make bad choices