Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Associated PressSeptember 7, 2016

Florida will have very little extra money to spend in the coming year. That means top legislators and Gov. Rick Scott may have slash the state budget to meet some of their promises. The annual forecast released Tuesday shows that despite the state’s gradual economic recovery Florida is expected to bring in just enough money […]

Lloyd DunkelbergerJuly 11, 2016

Brexit has caused state economists to shift their forecast for the national economy slightly downward. “Generally, the forecast is weaker than when we met in December,” said Amy Baker, director of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. Baker said Britain’s decision last month to leave the European Union was “a big piece” of […]

Jim RosicaApril 27, 2016

If it’s approved, would a proposed constitutional amendment outlaw currently legal kinds of gambling? A panel of state economic analysts debated the question on Tuesday. The Financial Impact Estimating Conference, a slate of economists for the Legislature and executive branches, held a public workshop in Tallahassee on the Voter Control of Gambling amendment. It would “ensure that Florida […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 23, 2016

A new slots casino in Palm Beach County could be a winner out of the latest version of gambling laws to come out of the Florida Legislature this Session, state economists said Tuesday. The Revenue Estimating Conference, a panel of economic forecasters, talked about its assessments stemming from the Senate’s current gambling bill (SB 7072). The actual numbers were […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 16, 2016

The 2016 Florida Legislative Session now in mid-February is more than halfway complete, an anomaly that usually happens once every decade. Under a bill, SPB 7076, that narrowly passed through the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Tuesday, the early start could happen again in 2018. It passed on a party-line vote, with all three Democrats […]

Ryan RayNovember 23, 2015

A panel of state economists and analysts estimated Monday one of two dueling ballot initiatives dealing with solar energy voters may consider on the November 2016 elections will not have any impact on state spending should it pass. The Financial Impact Estimating Conference, a slate of economists for the Legislature and executive branch, held a […]

Jim RosicaNovember 20, 2015

Legislation is moving in the Legislature that would allow people to buy their lottery tickets at the gas pump despite a lingering question that the measure is an expansion of gambling. The question is more than moral or academic: Expanded gambling is a condition for the Seminole Tribe of Florida to stop sharing revenue from its […]

Ryan RayOctober 19, 2015

A group of economists representing the executive branch, both houses of the Legislature and various state agencies identified a handful of sticking points – but few if any definitive solutions – when it comes to the possible economic impact of a 2016 ballot initiative legalizing marijuana. Among the issues discussed by the Florida Impact Estimating […]

Jim RosicaOctober 8, 2015

The Senate’s budget panel got the raw news Thursday: Florida isn’t getting a break on health care costs anytime soon. The Appropriations Committee, which helps write the state’s annual spending plan, heard presentations on “The Economics of Health Care” and “Factors Influencing the Price of Health Insurance.” One item conspicuously not on the agenda: Medicaid expansion. […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 30, 2015

It’s still not clear how much a proposed constitutional amendment allowing medical use of marijuana will cost the state to implement, nor how much Florida will gain financially from it. The state’s Financial Impact Estimating Conference, made up of various state officials, met Wednesday to go over nearly 600 pages of reference material on the initiative. One […]

Tag: Amy Baker
Rodney Guttman, image via University of West Florida.

Florida won’t have much extra money in 2017

Brexit brings slight chill in state economic forecast

Economists puzzle over proposed gambling amendment

State economists see Palm Beach as a winner under gambling proposal

Bill to start 2018 Legislative Session in January advances in Florida Senate

State economists say “Smart Solar” amendment unlikely to have fiscal impact

Is it “expanding gambling” to sell lottery tickets at gas pumps?

State economists deliberate over fiscal impact of medical marijuana amendment

Senate budget panel wrestles with health costs

State panel talks dollars and cents of medical pot