Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaOctober 28, 2015

For the first time in recent memory, a sitting Florida senator invoked the Senate Rules during a floor session to call out a colleague specifically for impugning his integrity. State Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican and previous Senate President, raised a “question of personal privilege” to defend his honor against attacks made in the press […]

Associated PressOctober 21, 2015

Amid a deepening rift that has split top Republicans, the Florida Senate may require voters in 2016 to pick senators for all forty of the state’s current Senate districts. The move may end a growing and contentious debate that has threatened to derail the 19-day special session that started this week. The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature […]

Staff ReportsOctober 21, 2015

The state House and Senate have issued legislative calendar changes for the final week of 2015 Special Session C, which is set to end Nov. 6. The session was convened to amend Senate maps, ordered by a Florida Supreme Court judgment that found the upper chamber violated anti-gerrymandering laws. A number of scheduled hearing times […]

Jim RosicaOctober 20, 2015

Two more state Senate maps were submitted late Tuesday as part of the ongoing Special Session to redraw the districts, which the chamber previously admitted were gerrymandered to benefit Republicans. State Rep. Matt Caldwell, a North Fort Myers Republican, and state Sen. Jeff Clemens, a Lake Worth Democrat, each filed their own map. A cursory […]

Ryan RayOctober 19, 2015

The Florida House of Representatives briefly gaveled into Session Monday and Speaker Steve Crisafulli told his 120-member chamber to expect to take a back seat to the state Senate, who like the House returned to Tallahassee this week for the third time this year. “Since the subject of this session is the Senate map, we’ve established […]

Ryan RayOctober 16, 2015

The office of Republican Majority Leader Sen. Bill Galvano on Friday released a detailed outline of the schedule lawmakers will follow as they redraw Senate maps in accordance with a consent judgement wherein the chamber admitted it violated the state constitution during the decennial redistricting process in 2011. A quick look at the schedule the majority leader wants […]

Peter SchorschAugust 24, 2015

In an announcement that will only further shake up campaign machinations across the state, Secretary of State Ken Detzner has issued a directive declaring 2016 a “year of apportionment.” That means all candidates for the Senate – including those set to term out in 2018 – can continue to collect campaign funds and collect petitions across the state, not […]

Brendan FarringtonJuly 29, 2015

Legislative leaders announced Tuesday they will hold a Special Session to redraw the state’s 40 Senate districts after the chamber acknowledged it violated the state constitution by creating maps that benefit Republicans and incumbents. The decision comes less than three weeks after the state Supreme Court threw out the congressional districts the GOP-dominated Legislature approved, […]

Tag: 2015 Special Session C

Don Gaetz strikes back against ‘bully’ Jack Latvala

Florida Senate may require senators to be on 2016 ballot

Legislative chambers revise schedule for final week of Special Session

2 more maps filed for Senate redistricting

Speaker Steve Crisafulli says Senate will (mostly) take the lead in redistricting Session

Senate Majority Leader outlines proposed schedule for redistricting Session

In directive, Florida elections chief declares it an “year of apportionment,” freeing up state Senate campaigns

Florida Legislature will return to redraw Senate maps