Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 6, 2016

With the 2016 legislative session slated to begin Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott is calling on lawmakers to support his tax cut and incentive package in a new advertisement. The advertisement — a 30-second spot dubbed “Small Business” and paid for by Let’s Get to Work, his political committee — is set launch next week, reported […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 5, 2016

Now that 2015 is history, Florida’s Senate Republican caucus is looking to 2016 with a major fundraiser planned on the eve of the start of the upcoming Legislative Session. The Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee 2016 Welcome Back Reception will be held Monday, January 11 beginning 5:30 p.m. at the Tallahassee Doubletree Hotel Ballroom, 101 S. Adams […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 4, 2016

New legislation affecting bulk users of beer kegs was filed at the behest of the state’s theme parks, according to one of Tallahassee’s top beer lobbyists. The bill (HB 1079) was filed Monday by state Rep. Ray Rodrigues, an Estero Republican. Under the measure, instead of charging certain customers a deposit on each individual keg bought, […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 3, 2016

As we head into the New Year, the Florida Legislature has a hefty agenda to tackle in 2016. Session begins Jan. 12 and runs for 60 days or nine weeks, until March 11. Committee meetings have been held since last September, bringing the total time for the 2016 session to 15 weeks. As with every session, […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 1, 2016

Political prognostication is not an exact science despite what forecasters and pundits would have readers believe. Many fall somewhere between the obvious and the inane, and often take a familiar and non-threatening shape. “The race for (insert candidate here) comes down to which campaign turns out their voters,” or some similar form. Imagine a sports […]

Peter SchorschDecember 23, 2015

The 2015 holiday season marks a quiet before the storm in Florida politics, before the lawmakers and lobbyists take over Tallahassee in January and the high drama of Jeb Bush vs. Marco Rubio and the rest of the GOP presidential field reaches its primary crescendo. So this year, before the annual rites and rituals of “The Process” come to […]

Drew WilsonDecember 21, 2015

Much like Santa Claus, Americans for Prosperity Florida will be checking its “naughty list” this Christmas. And if the conservative group gets its way, lawmakers shouldn’t expect too much quiet time during their break before the Legislature convenes next month. “Typically, lawmakers think they can escape the pressures of calls from their constituents to do […]

Drew WilsonDecember 21, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott announced that drugstore chain CVS will add 500 jobs in Orlando and build a new 112,000-square-foot facility in Orange County. “We are excited to announce the creation of 500 new jobs for families in Orlando,” Scott said in a news release. “With hundreds of locations already in Florida, CVS’ decision to expand […]

Staff ReportsDecember 21, 2015

Two Republican lawmakers are joining the Department of Economic Opportunity in the fight against unemployment-benefits fraud. State Sen. Kelli Stargel of Lakeland and state Rep. Mike La Rosa of St. Cloud on Monday filed legislation (SB 1216/HB 1017) called the “DEO Cybercrime Prevention Act.” “In the past two years, DEO’s state-of-the-art technology has prevented more than 135,000 […]

Jim RosicaDecember 21, 2015

A bipartisan show of support for Israel has been filed in the Florida Legislature. State Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a Miami Republican, and state Rep. Lori Berman, a Lantana Democrat, filed their respective bills (SR 1184/HR 1001) last week. The resolutions are intended as ceremonial shows of support from each chamber, to be sent […]

Tag: 2016 Legislative Session
Orlando Pride

Rick Scott seeks support for tax cut proposal in new ad campaign

Florida Senate Republicans plan major fundraising on eve of Session

Beer keg deposit bill would benefit theme parks

Matt Caldwell: Legislative Session busy from start

Five bold predictions for 2016

This holiday season is brought to you by these Florida lobbyists and political associations

Americans for Prosperity goes digital to keep lawmakers in check during holidays

CVS to add 500 jobs in Orlando, build new Orange County facility

Anti-fraud measures filed for 2016 session

South Florida lawmakers file bills supporting Israel