Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiMarch 17, 2015

On a sunny March afternoon with the spring heat cooled by a persistent breeze off the St Johns River, Lenny Curry brought starpower to a rally on Jacksonville’s Southbank. It came in the form of former Texas governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry. “4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon,” Curry said, looking over the crowd. “We’re […]

Bruce RitchieMarch 17, 2015

House bills that involve oil and gas “fracking” passed their first committee stop with support from some environmental groups and opposition from others and tense questioning by Rep. Ray Pilon. HB 1205 would establish a permitting program for hydraulic fracturing and acid fracturing, which are processes used to extract oil and gas from rock. HB […]

Christine Jordan SextonMarch 17, 2015

Florida’s top Medicaid official said on Tuesday he wants to have a tentative agreement with the federal government on how much Florida can expect to receive in supplemental Medicaid dollars by early to mid April. Deputy Secretary for Medicaid Justin Senior told Florida Politics that the plan is to have a letter of agreement outlining broad principles […]

Christine Jordan SextonMarch 17, 2015

Despite testimony urging them to be wary of tapping into any increased Medicaid funding, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services on Tuesday passed its Medicaid expansion bill that would provide coverage to an estimated 800,000 uninsured Floridians. Though the committee had been given three hours to debate and discuss SB 7044, sponsored […]

James CallMarch 17, 2015

A handful of lawmakers broke away from the Capitol Tuesday afternoon to attend the inauguration of John Thrasher as Florida State University’s 15th president. Thrasher earned two degrees from the university, but his path to the presidency began in 1986 when was elected to the Clay County School Board. From there Thrasher embarked on a career where […]

Peter SchorschMarch 17, 2015

The era of Charlie Crist has come to an end. On Monday, the man who has been on a statewide general ballot six times since 1998 took to Facebook to say “no mas.” And while Crist may one day again run for office, his time at the center of Florida politics is officially over. Sure, Jeb Bush […]

Diane RobertsMarch 17, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE–When the Death Mermaid shows up, pay attention. Back in 1881, she appeared to Hamilton Disston, warning him against trying to drain the Everglades. Old Ham, never the most emotionally stable of multimillionaires, shut his eyes tight and swore on his mother’s grave he’d stop drinking cologne. In 1969, she scared the feds into […]

Daniel TilsonMarch 17, 2015

Happy Sunshine Week, Florida, let’s hear it for open government! OK, stop laughing, this is important. The more transparent our state budget formation and lawmaking are, the more likely middle-class Floridians can avoid getting sucker-punched by elected public “servants” sneakily serving only our state’s richest folks and biggest businesses. Unfortunately, that works vice-versa too. Welcome […]

Guest AuthorMarch 17, 2015

We know how Gov. Rick Scott feels about climate change: his administration refuses to allow the words to creep into any state policy documents. And what about former Gov. Jeb Bush – the likely GOP nominee for president in 2016? We know about his brother, George W., and climate change denial. The historical record is […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorMarch 17, 2015

A compassionate bill aimed at patients suffering from terminal illnesses pushed its way through the Senate Committee on Health Policy today. The Right to Try Act by St. Petersburg State Senator Jeff Brandes earned broad support in the committee. The law would allow dying patients to access experimental medical treatments that have passed a Phase One Clinical Trial, but […]

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Rick Perry, Lenny Curry draw hundreds to rush hour rally

Fracking bills pass House panel after testy exchanges

State Medicaid chief wants tentative agreement with feds by mid-April

Medicaid expansion passes its 2nd Senate panel unanimously

FSU inaugurates John Thrasher as its 15th president

Peter Schorsch: The bell tolls for the Charlie Crist era

Diane Roberts: Legislators, ignore the Death Mermaid at your peril

Daniel Tilson: Celebrate Sunshine Week with a song in your heart, Florida

Alan Farago: Jeb Bush stuck with anti-science bias

Jeff Brandes Right to Try Act bill clears Health Policy committee