Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Christine Jordan SextonMarch 6, 2015

Senate President Andy Gardiner, who began the session by saying the state needed to have a “discussion” about Medicaid expansion, explained in a memo to senators why he was pushing ahead with a bill that would extend coverage to 800,000 Floridians. The Thursday memo was accompanied with a detailed breakdown of the lengthy bill that […]

Associated PressMarch 6, 2015

In the late 1980s, support for gay marriage was essentially unheard of in America. Just a quarter century later, it’s now favored by clear majority of Americans. That dramatic shift in opinion is among the fastest changes ever measured by the General Social Survey, a comprehensive and widely respected survey that has measured trends on […]

Guest AuthorMarch 6, 2015

For decades casino lobbyists have tried to turn Florida into Las Vegas. But they have been turned back time and again by voters, legislators, governors and business groups that understand the toxic nature of gambling economics. But gambling lobbyists are back again, this time pushing for the biggest expansion of gambling in Florida’s history. There […]

Associated PressMarch 6, 2015

Florida officials say more than 333,000 students have been able to take the state’s new standardized test. Education Commissioner Pam Stewart said Thursday that the problems that forced districts to suspend testing earlier this week have been subsiding. Stewart told school superintendents that the number of students successfully logging into the online portal is the […]

Gary FineoutMarch 6, 2015

Their session only days old, the Florida House and Senate appeared to already be on a collision course Thursday over how to balance the state budget. Sen. Tom Lee, a Brandon Republican and the Senate budget chief, warned Thursday that the potential loss of more than $1 billion in federal aid for hospitals is forcing […]

Ryan RayMarch 6, 2015

Marco Rubio doesn’t really project that Tallahassee Pol aura these days, but for years he was about as intimate with the levers of state governmental power as anyone in the game. Pema Levy in Mother Jones argues that while the former House Speaker was able to finesse several serious mistakes during his run for U.S. Senate, his excuses may […]

Ryan RayMarch 6, 2015

Marco Rubio doesn’t really project that Tallahassee Pol aura these days, but for years he was about as intimate with the levers of state governmental power as anyone in the game. Pema Levy in Mother Jones argues that while the former House Speaker was able to finesse several serious mistakes during his run for U.S. Senate, his excuses may […]

Mitch PerryMarch 6, 2015

It’s been written about ad nauseum about the lack of a strong Democratic bench in Florida. That certainly was the case in 2014, when the party had to resort to a flawed former Republican to become its gubernatorial nominee against an equally flawed current Republican. That’s why Bob Buckhorn began raising campaign funds for a […]

Phil AmmannMarch 6, 2015

Jeb Bush and his blockbuster GOP fundraising effort in the run-up to a likely presidential campaign has left fellow Floridian Marco Rubio wondering whether all the donors have been tapped out. Not quite, as billionaire Miami auto tycoon Norman Braman steps up to the plate, say Ed O’Keefe and Matea Gold in The Washington Post. Braman, […]

Christine Jordan SextonMarch 6, 2015

A fierce battle over the costs of medical record reproduction has been waged at the Florida Board of Medicine for two years. Now the Florida Legislature is being asked to weigh in on the issue. The Board of Medicine agreed at a Wednesday teleconference meeting to send the proposed rule to the Legislature for ratification […]

Uncategorized

Senate President Andy Gardiner memos members: “We have the obligation to make coverage affordable …”

Major survey shows most Americans support same-sex marriage

John Sowinski: Dana Young's gambling bill encourages parasite casinos

Education officials say testing mishaps easing

Budget battle may doom tax cuts, school spending

Good read in MoJo: Will missteps in Tallahassee doom Rubio’s White House bid?

Good read in MoJo: Will missteps in Tallahassee doom Rubio's White House bid?

Mitch Perry Report for 3.6.15 — Democrats lack of bench strength transcends Florida

Big-money support waits in wings if Marco Rubio moves for 2016 run

Legislature is asked to OK increases for medical record copying