Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Brendan FarringtonJune 6, 2016

There was a significant increase in murders, rapes and motor vehicle thefts in Florida last year, according to crime statistics released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Friday. There were 1,040 murders in Florida last year, up from 984 the year before. That includes 767 murders involving guns, an increase of 11.2 percent. […]

Mitch PerryJune 1, 2016

My colleague Jim Rosica has a piece up this morning entitled, “Did Adam Putnam just launch the first ad of the 2018 gubernatorial campaign?” Check it out and decide for yourself whether indeed that’s the case. What’s truly not in dispute is that the 41-year-old Agriculture commissioner has been THE guy referred to by seemingly everyone […]

Jim RosicaJune 1, 2016

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Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam may have fired the first shot in 2018’s race for Florida governor. Putnam on Tuesday released a video on Facebook from his political committee’s “Friends of Florida Agriculture Barbecue” in April at Peace River Valley Ranch in Zolfo Springs. The event included remarks by and a Q-and-A session with Republican U.S. Senate candidates Ron DeSantis, Carlos Lopez–Cantera and Todd Wilcox. […]

Larry GriffinMay 26, 2016

At the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kissimmee, trained scientists will work this summer to stop the spread of the Zika virus before it becomes a problem in Florida. At a news event Thursday morning, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said no Zika cases have originated in Florida yet. Although there are currently 158 cases of […]

Associated PressMay 26, 2016

Florida has received less than half of the special traps it has ordered to help detect the Zika virus in mosquitoes, and nationwide the only U.S. distributor of the traps has a backlog of almost 1,950 orders from governments and private businesses, officials said Thursday. State workers in Florida had ordered more than 300 of […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMay 26, 2016

The state of Florida has a request for graduates this commencement season: Stay in Florida. The push to keep Florida graduates in the Sunshine State was a constant theme during the 2016 Degrees to Jobs Summit at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. The two-day summit wrapped up Thursday with a series of […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMay 25, 2016

Calling it an opportunity to connect businesses and university leaders, Gov. Rick Scott kicked off his 2016 Degrees to Jobs Summit in Orlando on Wednesday morning. The goal, Scott told a room of about 350 university, college and business leaders, is to “challenge everything we’re doing.” “This is going to be a fun two days,” […]

Drew WilsonMay 24, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott’s political committee, Let’s Get to Work, brought in $70,100 in contributions during the first two weeks of the month. The contributions came in through just five contributions, with $50,000 of that money coming from the political committee of prison contractor the GEO Group, which operates many detention centers across the country, including […]

Jim RosicaMay 18, 2016

The Florida Department of Citrus could get a pared-down budget that will result in staff cuts. The Citrus Commission, which oversees the department, meets Wednesday to consider the $20.6 million spending plan. If approved, the department’s full-time employees would be reduced to 23 from 39. Commissioners won’t vote on that budget, but will offer “feedback,” department spokeswoman Shelley Rossetter said. The […]

Jim RosicaMay 9, 2016

When there’s something strange about your Frontier Communications service, who you gonna call? Or rather, who you gonna call that can actually do something about it? In Florida, it’s not clear. On April 1, Frontier took over Verizon‘s landline, internet and cable TV service in Florida, specifically for Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota customers. Since then, […]

Tag: Adam Putnam
A sign that reads, Gaza Solidarity Encampment, is seen during the Pro-Palestinians protest at the Columbia University campus in New York, Monday April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Florida crime rate drops despite increase in rapes, murder

Mitch Perry Report for 6.1.16 — Let the 2018 GOP gubernatorial chatter begin

Did Adam Putnam just launch the first ad of the 2018 gubernatorial campaign?

Adam Putnam talks about traps for mosquitoes to test for Zika virus

Nationwide backlog of traps to detect Zika virus

Florida leaders hope to keep graduates in Sunshine State

Rick Scott kicks off 2016 Degrees to Jobs summit

Let’s Get to Work adds another $70K so far in May

Citrus Department facing smaller budget, staff cuts

Adam Putnam, Pam Bondi fight Frontier on spotty service