Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaFebruary 25, 2016

Screen-Shot-2016-02-25-at-10.03.35-PM-1024x1024.png

Legislative leaders issued a joint statement on the 2016-17 state budget Thursday night: Members, We are pleased with the progress President (Tom) Lee and Chair (Richard) Corcoran (the Senate and House budget chiefs) have made and are optimistic we will be ready to begin the budget conference this weekend. We will update you as early […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 24, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday suggested, with as much subtext as he could muster, that lawmakers need to come around on his two main budget goals for 2016-17: $1 billion in tax cuts and $25o million for business incentives. After all, legislative leadership passed their priority bills early on, which Scott happily signed. The message was […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 11, 2016

Screen-Shot-2016-02-11-at-2.53.43-PM-1024x1024.png

Now the horse-trading begins. The Florida Senate on Thursday unanimously passed its $80 billion budget 40-0, setting up the conference process where legislators grind out a budget each year. Both sides of the aisle united to pass the spending plan, though some Democrats still raised concerns. Jeff Clemens of Lake Worth, for instance, suggested extra money would […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 10, 2016

As the Florida Senate began considering its proposed $80.9 billion budget, state Sen. Don Gaetz on Wednesday defended his recommendation for a $30 million competitive grants program for after-school mentoring instead of direct funding. Gaetz, who chairs the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said he wanted to save nonprofits on “expensive lobbying and the anguish of the Legislative Session.” […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 3, 2016

Democrats on Wednesday questioned the Florida House’s proposed banning of Planned Parenthood for any funding in 2016-17. The House Appropriations Committee met to go over that chamber’s proposed $79.9 billion spending plan. It was cleared along party lines, with Democrats opposing. A leading senator later said the Planned Parenthood provision would likely become a talking point in the House-Senate budget […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 29, 2016

The Florida House released its almost $80 billion proposed 2016-17 state budget in the wee hours of Friday morning, along with a list of all the member requests for money for projects back home. The requests — all 1,067 of them — are also posted on the House website. Appropriations Committee chair Richard Corcoran, the Land O’ Lakes Republican slated to be House Speaker […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 29, 2016

State Sen. Joe Negron, a former budget panel chief, told his colleagues last month in an acceptance speech for his upcoming Senate presidency that the state must do more for its troubled children and teens. “We should not and we will not tolerate serious wrongdoing by young people but, at the same time, let’s not criminalize adolescence,” he said, […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 29, 2016

Southwest Florida’s members of the Florida House can hold their own when it comes to requests for funding in next year’s state budget. The House released its proposed $79.9 billion spending plan on Friday, with a list of requests for money from individual lawmakers. Here’s a selection of submissions from the southwest part of the […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 11, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott delivers his yearly State of the State Address on Tuesday, but his office teased a couple of highlights from his remarks the day before. Below are excerpts from his speech “as prepared for delivery”: Real prosperity is created by the ingenuity and hard work of the American people. The people of Florida have proven that […]

Jim RosicaNovember 23, 2015

With Monday’s release of Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed 2016-17 state budget, so begins the game of smoke signals between the governor’s office, legislative leaders, and the lobbying corps and their clients. What lobbyists took away from the “Florida First” budget is that Scott will be focused like a Tesla death ray on getting his $1 […]

Tag: 2016-17 state budget

Budget conference to begin this weekend

Rick Scott calls session “successful” – but still hasn’t got what he wants

Senate unanimously passes its proposed 2016-17 budget

Senate budget: Don Gaetz questioned over mentoring funding

Democrats question House’s defunding of Planned Parenthood

Takeaways from Tallahassee — The “budget knives come out” edition

Senate budget eliminates direct funding for youth mentoring

Southwest Florida House members make budget requests for special projects

Rick Scott to focus on job creation, tax cuts in #SOTS

Lobby corps has muted reaction to Rick Scott’s budget