Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 24, 2018

Both of Florida’s U.S. senators and 22 of its House members are in a dither over mixed signals on offshore oil drilling from Washington. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke assured Gov. Rick Scott that Florida was “off the table” earlier this month. Soon, Zinke’s position was undercut by Ocean Energy Management Acting Director Walter Cruickshank’s telling the House Natural Resources […]

Scott PowersJanuary 22, 2018

Republican Wayne Liebnitzky qualified by petition for this year’s ballot in Florida’s 9th Congressional District Monday. Liebnitzky of St. Cloud is seeking a rematch with Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Darren Soto of Orlando. Soto beat him 57-43 in 2016. On Monday the Florida Secretary of State’s Office posted that it had received 120 valid petition signatures […]

Staff ReportsJanuary 19, 2018

Florida is not yet “off the table” in a federal plan to expand offshore oil drilling, according to an official of the Donald Trump administration. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) acting director Walter Cruickshank revealed to a congressional committee Friday that Florida could still be included in offshore drilling activities, paving the way for […]

Scott PowersJanuary 17, 2018

U.S. Rep. Darren Soto of Orlando has come under fire for statements he made last Friday at a Puerto Rico town hall meeting in Kissimmee, when he urged evacuees to declare they intend to stay in Florida. Soto’s comments had come during a question-and-answer period after he, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, and others including […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 9, 2018

Deepwater_Horizon_offshore_drilling_unit_on_fire_2010.jpg

A bipartisan group from Florida’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the Donald Trump administration opposing any rollback of safety regulations adopted after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. In a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, the group of 20 lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — warned that “an oil spill can devastate a regional […]

Mitch PerryDecember 29, 2017

Senator Bill Nelson met with local representatives from the Tampa Bay Puerto Rican community on Friday, blasting recent actions (and non-actions) by congressional Republicans in the wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact on the island exactly 100 days ago. “A knife was put to the neck of Puerto Rico.” That’s the phrase the Florida Democrat […]

Scott PowersDecember 28, 2017

Housing continues to be the toughest challenge and most likely the biggest long-term challenge as Central Florida absorbs tens of thousands of people displaced from Puerto Rico because of Hurricane Maria, surmised a new task force formed by U.S. Rep. Darren Soto. There still is no clear idea how many of the more than 260,000 […]

Scott PowersDecember 26, 2017

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto are planning to head to Puerto Rico Wednesday to check on recovery efforts and reports that up to 1,000 deaths might now be related to Hurricane Maria. Nelson and Soto, both Democrats from Orlando, plan to meet with Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and other leaders […]

Jim RosicaDecember 26, 2017

Spoiler alert: If you’re a regular of this site, and reading this story, you can guess what the #1 pick is. Otherwise, 2017 still offered a bounty of material to Tallahassee’s reporting ranks. We still chuckle at the uninitiated who ask, “What do you write about when the Legislature isn’t in session?” Without further ado, […]

Scott PowersDecember 18, 2017

A bill shepherded through the House of Representatives last week by U.S. Rep. Darren Soto to rename a Kissimmee post office for the Puerto Rican “Borinqueneers” U.S. Army regiment now is getting pushed in the U.S. Senate by Florida’s U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson. The bill, House Resolution 4042, intends to rename the […]

Tag: Darren Soto
Kathleen King and Joe Gruters. Image via Max Goodman.

Majority of Florida Delegation demands clarity on White House offshore drilling position

Wayne Liebnitzky qualifies by petition for CD 9 race

Doanld Trump administration official admits Florida offshore drilling still ‘on the table’

Darren Soto under fire for having urged Puerto Ricans to declare they intend to stay

Most of Florida congressional delegation protests lifting oil rig safety rules

Bill Nelson slams GOP response to Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico evacuees to Florida need immediate, long-term housing, task force concludes

Bill Nelson, Darren Soto heading for Puerto Rico, Kissimmee

Jim Rosica’s review of top state government stories of 2017

Bill to rename Kissimmee post office for Borinqueneers gets Marco Rubio, Bill Nelson push