Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersApril 12, 2017

A Florida Legislature Conference Committee showdown appears likely over how much money will be cut from Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s office now that the Florida Senate passed a budget package Wednesday that includes a much smaller cut than is being proposed in the Florida House. Engineered by state Sen. Randolph Bracy, an Oakland Democrat, […]

Scott PowersApril 11, 2017

Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s office would take a much smaller budget hit this year under a compromise worked out by state Sen. Randolph Bracy and Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala Tuesday. Both the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives have been pursuing budget proposals that would have cut at least $1.3 million […]

Scott PowersApril 11, 2017

Among material filed Tuesday with Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s Florida Supreme Court challenge of Gov. Rick Scott‘s executive orders stripping cases from her is a year-old letter from his office affirming her position – that her prosecutorial decisions cannot be overridden. Ayala’s attorneys Roy Austin Jr. of Washington D.C. and Marcos Hasbun of Tampa included the […]

Guest AuthorApril 11, 2017

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For so long, prosecutors have repeated the mantra that the death penalty is needed for murder victims’ families and to provide them justice. This idea developed into an unquestioned assumption that guided many district attorneys in handling cases and crafting campaign messages. Yet the recent announcement by State Attorney Aramis Ayala of Orlando, Florida, to […]

Scott PowersApril 11, 2017

Arguing Gov. Rick Scott had no legal basis to strip murder cases from her jurisdiction, Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala filed challenges Tuesday morning in both the Florida Supreme Court and federal court. In complaints filed by her attorney, Roy Austin Jr. of Washington D.C., Ayala contends that she legally exercised prosecutorial discretion in deciding not […]

Scott PowersApril 10, 2017

A new poll by Public Policy Polling finds that a strong majority of voters in State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s Orange and Osceola counties prefer some form of life-in-prison sentence for first-degree murderers rather than the death penalty. The poll, commissioned by the Center for Capital Representation at the Florida International University College of Law, finds results that […]

Scott PowersApril 7, 2017

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is declining to file a challenge supporting Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala against Gov. Rick Scott and may intervene to oppose anything Ayala files. That sets the stage for Ayala to likely present her challenge early next week, seeking to get a judge to declare that, short of a finding […]

Scott PowersApril 7, 2017

An attorney representing embattled Orlando State Attorney Aramis Ayala has initiated the process to challenge Gov. Rick Scott‘s murder case reassignment orders by asking State Attorney General Pam Bondi to petition the court on Ayala’s behalf. Ayala intends to challenge the legality of Scott’s now 23 and counting executive orders stripping 9th Judicial Circuit first-degree murder cases from […]

Scott PowersApril 5, 2017

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You get a former prosecutor, a retired judge and a defense attorney together to talk about legal issues underpinning Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala‘s decision to not pursue death penalty prosecutions, and you might expect lively disagreement. But a brawl? A debate in Orlando Wednesday between former 9th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jeff Ashton and […]

Michael MolineApril 5, 2017

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The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a proposed $83.2 billion state budget Wednesday after its chairman agreed to study a proposal to shift $1.3 million from Orlando State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s office. Sen. Randolph Bracy withdrew his amendment to restore the money after Jack Latvala said he would work on a possible floor amendment. “Let us work […]

Tag: Aramis Ayala
Image via AP.

Florida Senate passes budget with limited cut to Aramis Ayala’s office

Randolph Bracy, Jack Latvala reach compromise on Senate cut to Aramis Ayala’s office

Governor’s office affirmed prosecutorial discretion, state attorneys’ independence, in letter last year

Darlene Farah: Prosecutors recognize death penalty’s harm to victims’ families

Aramis Ayala files challenges of Rick Scott with Florida Supreme Court, federal court

PPP poll finds Orange, Osceola counties prefer life punishment to death sentence

Pam Bondi declines to file writ for Armamis Ayala

Aramis Ayala asks Pam Bondi to initiate challenge of Rick Scott’s murder case orders

Legal debate over Aramis Ayala’s decision turns into hockey game

Committee OKs Senate budget that contains Aramis Ayala money shift, for now