Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ryan RayOctober 22, 2015

Citing growing inequality between the “haves and have nots” and higher-than-average levels of poverty in Florida, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers is pursuing legislation to establish a Commission on Poverty within the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity. SB 556 and HB 371 would create a commission made of representatives from the executive branch, legislative appointees, and low-income Floridians […]

Phil AmmannOctober 5, 2015

Florida lawmakers gave no money for sports stadium projects during the 2015 Legislative Session. But that was last session. With a new application period approaching, Legislative IQ powered by Lobby Tools reports the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Sports Authority are expected to seek state funds for renovations at Raymond James Stadium. This week, the Bucs announced details of […]

Sally SwartzAugust 24, 2015

Florida lawmakers did one thing worth celebrating in this year’s Legislative Session: They approved, at long last, a law that protects residents from SLAPPs: Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. Two champions deserve special credit for the success of the anti-SLAPP campaign: the Florida Press Association and the Motion Picture Association of America. On the Treasure […]

Guest AuthorJune 25, 2015

Now the Special Session is finally over and the Legislature finally finished the budget they worked on long into the night. They handed it to the governor so he could have his way with it and put his pen to paper, signing it into law with one hand and slashing it with his veto pen […]

Phil AmmannJune 19, 2015

A final vote on the near $79 billion budget Friday afternoon brought a disappointing end to Florida’s 2015 Legislative Session, according to House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford. “I think of all the missed opportunities,” said the West Palm Beach Democrat, who faces term limits in 2016. “As much as this budget funds many good programs and […]

Phil AmmannJune 19, 2015

Citing “blatant political maneuvering and a disregard for the wishes of voters,” few lawmakers can take pride in the 2015 Legislative Session, says Pamela Goodman, President of the Florida League of Women Voters. Her primary concerns in the recently ended Special Session A were notable failures in accepting federal Medicaid expansion money to cover more […]

Guest AuthorJune 15, 2015

One of the great advantages of the universe as well as one of its biggest problems is that everything is connected to something. From the forces that act on the tiniest subatomic particle to the most massive of planets, nothing works apart from everything. Nothing exists entirely within a vacuum, completely unaffected by anything around […]

Peter SchorschMay 15, 2015

As Florida lawmakers continue to face off over the multibillion dollar issue of whether to expand Medicaid, one of the fiercest critics of those opposed to such a plan is a prominent former member. Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano does not hide the fact that he is, at the very least, upset with those members […]

Phil AmmannMay 7, 2015

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After an abrupt and acrimonious end of the Legislative Session, both the Florida House and Senate have come to at least one agreement: a Special Session to finish a state budget. Many think nothing good came out of this year’s 60-day session (or 57-day, for the House). For them, the people at Moore Communications Group […]

James CallMay 5, 2015

Lawmakers left the statehouse last week amid a stream of insults and without a budget in place for the fiscal year that begins in July. Most observers seemed to think time away from Tallahassee would lower the temperature in the room and allow budget work to begin but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Senate […]

Tag: 2015 legislative session

Thad Altman, Alan Williams pushing for poverty commission within DEO

Tampa Bay Buccaneers expect to apply for stadium renovation subsidies in 2016

Sally Swartz: Free speech victory rose from Session morass

Gary Stein: What have tax cuts really accomplished?

House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford laments ‘missed opportunities’ in budget

Florida League of Women Voters blast record budget that ‘ignores Constitution’

Gary Stein: 6 degrees of health care is no idle game

Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano, one of the loudest critics of Florida House’s health care position, STILL employed by Florida Hospital Tampa

M&M’s, Special Sessions and productivity: the “Other Session Wrap-Up”

Sen. Tom Lee calls out Rep. Ritch Workman for comments involving his family