Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Les NeuhausMarch 21, 2017

A litany of bills Tuesday show legislators intend to crack the whip on several social, criminal and commercial problems affecting the state. Each bill passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, covering issues as wide ranging as child predators, domestic violence, addiction recovery homes, skimming devices, the department of corrections, probation, terrorism — and protection of […]

Larry GriffinJanuary 23, 2017

A new bill filed Monday by Rep. Bill Hager of HD 89 would make it illegal to remove personal property from an emergency scene. The bill, HB 355, creates a new section of the statutes which makes it a third-degree misdemeanor to remove tangible personal property from an emergency scene – defined in the bill […]

Jim RosicaDecember 30, 2016

From algebra to Zika, 2016 brought a plethora of material to the Capitol Press Corps. Trying to pick the top state government stories is a subjective pursuit, to say the least, but here are the FloridaPolitics.com picks for the passing year. In (kind of) chronological order: — Kevin McCarty ousted as state Insurance Commissioner, replaced by […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterNovember 28, 2016

Sen. Jeff Brandes will once again file legislation to repeal the state’s no-fault auto insurance requirement, saying it’s time for Florida to move away from the troubled system. The St. Petersburg Republican said repealing the state’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) system will be one of his top priorities during the 2017 legislative session. The decision […]

guestJune 24, 2016

The formal qualifying period for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and legislative races ends today at noon. There are so many developments, it’s almost too hard to keep up. Almost. Here are five quick thoughts about the latest developments from Qualifying Week. — South Florida Republican legislative candidates like Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Anitere Flores […]

Ryan RayJune 1, 2016

A pair of eminent Florida politicos want to introduce legislation to create a specialty Florida license plate bearing the logo of Auburn University. That’s a bad idea for several reasons. No animus against Democratic strategist Kevin Cate, one of the kindest political people around, or Rep. Jamie Grant, who gives me courage despite my own receding hairline. But this […]

Phil AmmannMay 18, 2016

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Florida officials are calling for a $125,000 study to consider dropping state’s system of no-fault Personal Injury Protection auto insurance. The Department of Financial Services is looking for a vendor to produce the report by June, LobbyTools reports. A draft report would be due Aug. 26, with a final report by Sept. 2. In March […]

Jim RosicaApril 26, 2016

A second Florida Cabinet meeting has ended with no agreement on a new state Insurance Commissioner. Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater again deadlocked on Tuesday, further stalling the process. In a near replay of the last meeting, an intransigent Scott again moved to hire retired insurance executive Jeffrey Bragg. An equally intransigent Atwater declined […]

Jim RosicaApril 26, 2016

And then there were four. Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet are scheduled to interview four candidates Tuesday for the position of state Insurance Commissioner. The Cabinet meeting kicks off at 9 a.m. in the Capitol. The interviews, which could result in someone being appointed at the meeting, are last on the agenda. Time […]

Gary FineoutApril 25, 2016

Thanks to an arcane state law, Florida could enter hurricane season with no one firmly in charge of the state agency responsible for regulating the state’s at-times fragile insurance industry. The reason? The two Republican elected officials responsible for picking a new commissioner are locked in a stalemate over who should be hired to replace […]

Tag: Bill Hager
Image via AP.

House advances bills ‘cracking the whip’ on domestic abuse, child offenders, recovery centers, terrorism

Bill would make it illegal for people to block emergency scenes gathering personal property

Jim Rosica’s review of top state government stories in 2016

Repealing PIP, implementing Amendment 4 top priorities for Jeff Brandes in 2017

5 quick thoughts about the latest developments from Qualifying Week

An Auburn license plate in Florida is a bad idea

Florida to study the possibility of cutting Personal Injury Protection auto insurance requirement

Top state officials still can’t agree on new Insurance Commissioner

Could new Insurance Commissioner be hired Tuesday?

Stormy times: Florida officials squabble over insurance pick