Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaFebruary 15, 2016

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Only two of the 25 applicants aiming to replace outgoing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty answered “yes” to the state’s two pre-screening qualifying questions as of Monday. Kirk Schmidt, of Jefferson City, Missouri, is president and CFO of an insurance company after having been chief financial examiner for the Missouri Department of Insurance, he said in his […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 21, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet Thursday began moving on replacing two high-profile state positions by agreeing on salary ranges and interview dates. Marshall Stranburg, executive director of the state’s Department of Revenue, and Kevin McCarty, the state’s insurance commissioner, both quit in the past two months. Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 12, 2016

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Outgoing Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty may have just turned in his resignation, but Gov. Rick Scott already is leaning toward his replacement: Tom Grady, former interim president of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Sources inside the Governor’s Office told FloridaPolitics.com that Grady, a friend of Scott’s and a fellow resident of Naples, is at the top […]

Janelle Irwin TaylorNovember 10, 2015

State Sen. Jeff Brandes filed a bill Tuesday that would allow spouses of now-deceased veterans moving to Florida from other states to receive the Florida veteran homestead exemption. Currently, those individuals cannot take advantage of the exemption. Senate Bill 804 would change that. “As a combat veteran I have seen firsthand the incredible sacrifice spouses make […]

Ryan RayOctober 28, 2015

The Florida Chamber‘s Annual Insurance Summit wrapped up Wednesday morning in Orlando with a group of Florida lawmakers peering into their crystal balls ahead of next year’s Legislative Session, set to start in January. The Chamber program listed participants as “members of the Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives,” but of the four panelists – […]

Melissa RossOctober 22, 2015

Transitioning from the Republican to the Democratic side of the aisle, 25-year-old Jared Rosenstein is wining raves for his work on the staff of another Jared, state Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Coral Springs. “I got into politics during the 2008 presidential election. I was proudly supporting Sen. John McCain and I discovered that the vast majority of […]

Jim RosicaOctober 5, 2015

Get your checkbooks ready: The Republican Party of Florida’s House Majority 2016 effort is highlighting a bevy of fundraisers this week in Tallahassee. The party sent an email listing all the events, coinciding with the October committee week. In chronological order, here are the events, subject to change and cancellation: State Rep. Elizabeth Porter of Lake […]

Ryan RaySeptember 23, 2015

Sen. Thad Altman filed a bill on Tuesday that would allow Florida law enforcement to pull drivers over solely for texting while driving. Under current law officers may only cite drivers for doing so as a secondary offense, not warranting a traffic stop on its own. State statute 316.305 provides that enforcement of the state’s texting-while-driving prohibition “must […]

Ryan RayJune 9, 2015

Daniel Silvers collected more money than any other Democratic challenger during a 2014 cycle that was difficult for House Dems, raising some $286,000 in a five-point loss to Republican Rep. Bill Hager in District 89, based in coastal Palm Beach County. He’ll likely need to keep it up in 2016 as he jumps into a race in […]

Ryan RayApril 22, 2015

With a newfound emphasis on a ridesharing scourge sponsor Sen. David Simmons called “rogue drivers,” a bill to require greater insurance coverage for Uber and Lyft continued along its road to this afternoon in the Senate. Simmons’ SB 1298 – which also deals with short-term property rental companies like Airbnb, another facet of the emerging “sharing economy” – […]

Tag: Bill Hager

Only 2 applicants clear Insurance Commissioner pre-screening

Governor, Cabinet move forward on high-profile hires

Report: Governor’s Office eyeing Bill Hager, Tom Grady for insurance commissioner

Jeff Brandes proposes homestead exemptions to military widows new to Florida

House-Senate divide was on display at Florida Chamber session preview

Meet Jared Rosenstein, one of the “30 Under 30” rising stars of Florida politics

Email Insights: House GOP fundraisers continue

Thad Altman seeking stricter rules on texting while driving

Democrat Daniel Silvers gears up for a 2016 run, this time in HD 89

Senate Uber insurance bill advances with new tweaks amid debate