Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaDecember 27, 2016

Enterprise Florida (EFI) would have to hire outside auditors “to verify compliance” of businesses getting incentive money under legislation filed Tuesday. New state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, a Miami-Dade Democrat, filed the bill (SB 216) on the state’s public-private economic development organization. The legislation, which does not yet have a House companion, would require the organization to then […]

Bob SparksFebruary 25, 2016

Sometimes during legislative sessions some unusual partnerships develop. Unlikely alliances can form to pass or defeat a measure that fits a common goal. Florida has provided a prime example of such teamwork. The philosophy of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” syndrome has played out in the area of economic incentives. House Bill […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 28, 2016

Raise your hand if you ever had an EBT card, or that is, been on food stamps. Whew! I am not alone. In 2012, I was let go from a job I held for six years. The economy was still recovering from the Great Recession, and being a working class fellow with no higher education […]

Drew WilsonDecember 21, 2015

Much like Santa Claus, Americans for Prosperity Florida will be checking its “naughty list” this Christmas. And if the conservative group gets its way, lawmakers shouldn’t expect too much quiet time during their break before the Legislature convenes next month. “Typically, lawmakers think they can escape the pressures of calls from their constituents to do […]

Daniel TilsonJuly 12, 2015

When is a “good” job growth report bad news? When it’s about Florida, and serves both to burnish Gov. Rick Scott’s ginned-up “job creator” status, and further the creation of a new socioeconomic order in the state. The job growth report released this month by ADP Research Institute places Florida second nationally with almost 32,000 […]

Daniel TilsonNovember 13, 2014

Unconvinced by Florida Election 2014 number crunching and tea leaf reading, both before and after Nov. 4’s Democratic doomsday? Me too. Of course, that’s not to say I haven’t been poring over plenty of it. But just as I wouldn’t give numbers undue weight in pre-election analysis, neither will I pin sweeping Democratic defeat on […]

Daniel TilsonApril 13, 2014

It is what it is. Most Floridians seem resigned to the corporate welfare system their elected officials have quietly created and perpetuated. As a result, another legislative session winds down without the welfare reform we need. You may remember how debate about a growing “culture of entitlement” drove the Clinton administration in 1996 to reform […]

Daniel TilsonApril 10, 2014

If you were among the most wealthy, privileged and politically powerful business people in Florida, and you prioritized limitless monetary gain over and above social responsibility to the state you called home; what would be the most troublesome obstacles in your path? Taxation would have to be “Private Enemy No. 1.” Paying personal income or […]

Tag: Corporate welfare
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Jose Javier Rodriguez files Enterprise Florida reform legislation

Bob Sparks: Battle over economic incentives features unlikely alliances

Chris Timmons: Florida wants welfare for the rich, not the poor

Americans for Prosperity goes digital to keep lawmakers in check during holidays

Dan Tilson: Rick Scott’s job-growth puffery masks Florida’s low-wage future

Daniel Tilson: Running campaigns ‘by the numbers’ doesn’t add up for Florida Democrats

Daniel Tilson: Florida’s corporate welfare crisis

Daniel Tilson: A tale of two Floridas