Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 16, 2016

Rep. Corrine Brown has a message for her supporters: send money now! To that end, a new website reflects the new operational reality for the 23-year congresswoman, whose last election likely was the Aug. 30 primary she lost to Al Lawson in Florida’s 5th Congressional District. The Corrine Brown Legal Defense Trust is “under construction,” a cyberspace synecdoche […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 15, 2016

Rep. Corrine Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, are staring down 24 counts for fraud and misrepresentation related to the One Door for Education charity. And now, they are staring down a status conference, slated for Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. at Jacksonville’s federal courthouse. Neither Brown nor Simmons have to attend. Counsel for the defendants and […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 12, 2016

At long last, a coherent defense strategy in the One Door for Education case — one that sees Rep. Corrine Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, as co-defendants — is taking shape. Brown and Simmons both — as has been amply documented — have had difficulties retaining counsel in their case, which involves 24 counts of allegations […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 8, 2016

In the federal courthouse Wednesday, Natalie Jackson was responsible for getting the business cards of every media member and generally letting the press know the legal team representing Rep. Corrine Brown was accessible and willing to talk about the case. Jackson was represented as a colleague of James Smith, the sole attorney of record in the Brown case, […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 7, 2016

The big reveal from Wednesday’s hearing for Corrine Brown included a new defense lawyer, and likely a new trial date. Despite the fact that Congresswoman Brown’s political career appears to be over, she and key exponents of her political machine still have a show to put on in federal court. To get there, however, hurdles have to be […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 7, 2016

There is a lot of uncertainty about the One Door for Education case, in which Rep. Corrine Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, are co-defendants. As of Wednesday afternoon, it is still uncertain whether or not Brown has a lawyer. That will be resolved, theoretically, by 3 p.m. And it is still uncertain when this case, which […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 7, 2016

The world of political influence is a small one, and a conflict in Congresswoman Corrine Brown‘s sphere was brought to light Wednesday in court. This particular conflict illustrated the intersection of Brown’s charitable and political endeavors, providing further evidence of the blurred lines between the two relative to the federal “One Door for Education” trial. […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 6, 2016

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and Ronnie Simmons, her chief of staff, will be at the federal courthouse in Jacksonville Wednesday for separate hearings regarding their counsel — or lack thereof — in the blockbuster One Door for Education case. Simmons’ lawyer, Anthony Suarez, may have a conflict that precludes him from representing Simmons. In a different matter, Suarez represented a prosecution […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 1, 2016

Whether it’s the tropical weather or the fact that his boss and co-defendant is slated to have a hearing on her own situation with counsel, the hearing scheduled for Elias “Ronnie” Simmons (chief of staff for Rep. Corrine Brown) has been pushed back from Thursday to Sept. 7. Brown’s hearing, regarding her own lack of counsel and […]

A.G. GancarskiAugust 31, 2016

The northeast Florida primaries have been in the books for almost 24 hours at this writing. A review of the winners — and the losers — goes beyond the election returns to look at what happened to create these outcomes that will, in historical retrospect, seem inevitable. Winners Lenny Curry — The chattering classes told him he couldn’t get […]

Tag: Corrine Brown

‘Woman of integrity’ Corrine Brown seeks ‘legal defense’ funds

Status conference set for Oct. 25 in Corrine Brown, Ronnie Simmons trial

Coherence emerges in Corrine Brown’s defense strategy?

Financial troubles mount for ‘volunteer’ lawyer linked to Corrine Brown defense

James Smith is latest Corrine Brown lawyer; trial likely delayed until 2017

Ronnie Simmons’ lawyer sees ‘some weak spots’ in One Door for Education prosecution

Corrine Brown COS disregards counsel conflict, retains Anthony Suarez

Two counsel hearings loom Wednesday in Corrine Brown One Door for Education case

Corrine Brown chief of staff’s hearing on his legal counsel pushed back to Sept. 7

A rundown of the winners and losers from northeast Florida’s primary elections