Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 16, 2016

Ballard Partners finished the second quarter as the top earning governmental affairs firm in Florida. The Tallahassee-based firm reported second quarter median compensation of about $2.2 million. The earnings mean the firm will once again be among the state’s Top 3 earners. Firms must file compensation reports each quarter, and the reports covering the second quarter […]

Peter SchorschJuly 7, 2016

Isn’t it fun to have new friends to play with? That’s how I felt when I learned Republican communications operative Brian Burgess was launching The Capitolist website where he (and other notables like Sarah Rumpf) blogs and aggregates. I’ve always been of the opinion that Florida politics needed more bloggers and tweeters and writers. At the national level, when the […]

Drew WilsonMarch 17, 2016

A Lake Mary Democrat has filed to run against incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Plakon as he seeks re-election in House District 29. Fred Marra filed for the Seminole County seat earlier this month and, with Libertarian David Leavitt and fellow Democrat Chuck O’Neal both ending their HD 29 campaigns, he is currently the only candidate […]

Ryan RayDecember 24, 2015

Former Rep. Mike Clelland will pursue a return to Tallahassee in the open Senate District 13 seat vacated by term-limited Senate President Andy Gardiner, according to multiple Democratic operatives. The Morgan & Morgan attorney and former firefighter has made calls to past supporters to gauge interest in a bid for the Orlando-based Senate seat. One local Democrat told FloridaPolitics.com Clelland […]

Drew WilsonOctober 14, 2015

Republican state Rep. Scott Plakon’s House District 29 re-election campaign got a little easier after his only opponent dropped out of the race last week. Libertarian David Leavitt sent a withdrawal letter to the Florida Division of Elections on Oct. 5 and was just recently removed from the 2016 candidate list. Leavitt’s candidacy alone didn’t […]

Peter SchorschAugust 24, 2015

Say what you will about Chris Dorworth — and I have said a lot — but the former Republican state lawmaker is having a banner week. An Orange County judge has upheld an October decision throwing out a charge of breaking state public records laws against Dorworth, reports Dan Tracy of the Orlando Sentinel. Judge […]

Peter SchorschAugust 21, 2015

Thursday was a another wild one in the Legislature, and particularly for the Senate, who seemed for a moment to have adopted a “not one damn” comma approach to their tweaks to the congressional “base map” drawn by staff earlier this month. Just hours before, a story by Mary Ellen Klas again stoked the fires of […]

Peter SchorschApril 27, 2015

During a story arc of the third season of 30 Rock, Jon Hamm plays Drew, the boyfriend of Tina Fey’s character Liz Lemon. In the episode “The Bubble,” Fey begins to notice that people treat Hamm differently because of his good looks. After watching a traffic cop rip up a ticket for Drew, and fashion […]

Ryan RayApril 8, 2015

As debate over a bill to protect “religious conscience” — the upshot of which is to prevent gay couples from adopting children — raged for hours Wednesday afternoon on the floor of the House, another battle in the Capitol was just beginning: one that might cost staunch social conservative Rep. Eric Eisnaugle the 2021-22 House […]

Phil AmmannApril 3, 2015

Over the course of the past decade, Kirk Pepper has been a top Florida House aide, a political adviser to both House Speaker Dean Cannon and former state Rep. Chris Dorworth, and has helped elect officials in seven states in the Southeast. Pepper also was deputy director of the Republican Party of Florida during the […]

Tag: Chris Dorworth

Compensation reports show Ballard Partners had another stellar quarter

No, Brian Burgess, Chris Sprowls will not ‘feel the Bern’

After opponents drop out, Scott Plakon draws one Democratic challenge in HD 29

Former Democratic lawmaker Mike Clelland eyeing bid in Senate District 13

Libertarian drops bid to unseat Scott Plakon in HD 29

Chris Dorworth an early front runner for Winner of the Week in Florida politics?

Don’t go roping Will Weatherford into the Florida Senate’s mess, Andy Gardiner

Peter Schorsch: When will Speaker Steve Crisafulli's bubble burst?

Could Eric Eisnaugle’s speakership be casualty of House gay adoption fight?

4th Floor Files talks with Kirk Pepper about creating wealth, fixing problems and just being nice