Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaAugust 23, 2017

Medical marijuana advocate John Morgan has added three more plaintiffs to his lawsuit against the state, filed after lawmakers refused to allow marijuana to be smoked, according to court filings accessed Wednesday. Diana Dodson of Levy County, a cancer patient; Catherine Jordan of Manatee County, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease; and Roberto Pickering of Leon County, […]

Jim RosicaJuly 20, 2017

A medical marijuana nursery is asking a Tallahassee judge to allow it to step in on a case over the state’s new law governing the drug. Canadian-based DFMMJ Investments, which inked a deal to take over operations of Chestnut Hill Tree Farm, filed a “motion to intervene” earlier this week with Circuit Judge Karen Gievers. Sarasota’s TropiFlora is […]

Jim RosicaJuly 11, 2017

A lawsuit over how the state funds its clerks of court still is trudging along in Tallahassee, court dockets show. Circuit Judge Karen Gievers set a case management conference for Sept. 7, after lawyers for plaintiff Howard Forman alerted the court of possible “additional or substituted parties.” Forman, a Democrat and former state senator, was […]

Jim RosicaMarch 6, 2017

The Florida Lottery went on an illegal spending spree when it inked a multiple-year, $700 million contract for new equipment and “blew up” the state’s budget process, a lawyer for House Speaker Richard Corcoran argued Monday. The Lottery’s lawyer countered that it takes money to make money, and the agency simply did what lawmakers told it to do: Follow […]

Jim RosicaMarch 6, 2017

A multiple-year, $700 million contract for new Florida Lottery equipment is “a complete departure from the way we’ve operated for many years,” a House budget analyst testified Monday. Bruce Topp, budget chief for the Government Operation and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee, was on the stand for the non-jury trial between the Lottery and House Speaker Richard Corcoran over the contract, made final last year. […]

Jim RosicaOctober 21, 2016

A Leon County circuit judge this week denied the state’s request to dismiss a case in which owners of a Tallahassee office complex — once described as a “biological hot zone” — are suing several agencies for abandoning their leases. Circuit Judge Karen Gievers‘ order, signed Monday, was entered into the court record Thursday. She instead told the parties […]

Tag: Circuit Judge Karen Gievers

Smoke this: John Morgan adds plaintiffs to marijuana lawsuit

Medical marijuana grower wants in on challenge to pot law

Court clerks funding case continues in capital

Lottery case now in judge’s hands; agency says it did no wrong

House witness calls Lottery contract ‘complete departure’ from protocol

Judge declines state’s request to toss Northwood lawsuit