May 2017 - Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Phil AmmannMay 31, 2017

St. Petersburg has finally received the official OK to rebuild the Pier. This city received a permit Wednesday from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the last step to clearing the way for construction on the new Pier. “The ‘New St. Pete Pier’ will be a dynamic extension of our iconic waterfront park system, and […]

Phil AmmannMay 31, 2017

Among the five bills signed Wednesday by Gov. Rick Scott is HB 865, an omnibus measure that reforms several areas in the Florida Department of Transportation. LobbyTools reports that the bill, in part, mandates the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority to get DOT approval on contracts before receiving department money. The department must also submit a […]

Staff ReportsMay 31, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott signed five bills into law Wednesday, including legislation providing birth certificates in cases of miscarriage and punishing the desecration of graves. Scott did not explain his reasons in his transmission letter to the secretary of state. HB 101, the Grieving Families Act, would give parents the option of receiving a state-issued certificate […]

Scott PowersMay 31, 2017

Two Polk County airports, in Lake Wales and Winter Haven, have won federal grants for improvements, the office U.S. Sen. Darren Soto announced Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Authority awarded grants of of $82,851 apiece to the Lake Wales Municipal Airport and the Winter Haven’s Gilbert Airport. The Lake Wales Municipal Airport grant will pay for rehabilitation of […]

Scott PowersMay 31, 2017

Winter Park’s U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who was born in Vietnam and escaped with her family in a boat lift when she was six months old, returned to Vietnam Wednesday and joined U.S. Sen. John McCain and other members of Congress for a tour of the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” Vietnam War prison. Murphy, a freshman […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 31, 2017

With Jacksonville candidates mulling a challenge to Tallahassee Democrat Rep. Al Lawson in Florida’s 5th Congressional District, Lawson begins his fundraising in earnest June 1 with a fundraiser heavy on big names in the State Capital. Among those names: State Reps. Ramon Alexander and Lorraine Ausley; FSU basketball coach Leonard Hamilton; State Sen. Bill Montford; and Allison Tant, the most recent […]

Mitch PerryMay 31, 2017

Sarasota Republican Vern Buchanan wants the Department of Justice to begin paying the victims of Bernie Madoff‘s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme with some of the recovered funds. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Buchanan points out that the victims of Madoff’s crime have yet to receive a penny from the $4 billion victim fund […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 31, 2017

Northeast Florida, like the rest of the state, waits for Gov. Rick Scott to review the budget from the Florida Legislature. Scott has been typically vague on his real disposition on the budget: the new-school “Veto Corleone” hasn’t ruled out a full-on veto, or line item vetoes. And in recent months, Gov. Scott has been […]

Phil AmmannMay 31, 2017

Florida’s vicennial Constitution Revision Commission is drawing fire for a lack of transparency in scheduling a vote on a package of procedural rules for changes to the state’s constitution. A letter Wednesday from a coalition of advocacy groups said CRC Chair Carlos Beruff is throwing shade on the process by disbanding the eight-person Rules Working […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 31, 2017

In Jacksonville Wednesday for the JAXUSA quarterly luncheon, Florida Chamber CEO Mark Wilson described the 2017 Legislative Session as a “mixed bag.” “Things in Tallahassee are fairly predictable,” Wilson said, though “frustrating.” Urging those on hand to “have faith in the long-term,” Wilson said that while there’s a “period of time we need to band together […]

Month: May 2017

St. Pete gets Army Corps of Engineers OK to build new Pier

Rick Scott signs DOT reform bill

Rick Scott signs Grieving Families Act, plus four other bills, into law

Lake Wales, Winter Haven airports win federal grants

Stephanie Murphy joins John McCain for Vietnam war-era prison tour

Al Lawson draws on Tallahassee base for first re-election fundraiser

Vern Buchanan tells Justice Department ‘pay up’ for Bernie Madoff victims

Will Rick Scott’s veto pen affect Northeast Florida priorities?

Advocacy groups blast CRC Chair Carlos Beruff for ‘throwing shade’ on process

Florida Chamber CEO discusses ‘frustrating’ Legislative Session