Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJuly 17, 2018

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has received the endorsement of Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala, someone who polarized much of Florida last year with her anti-death penalty stance but also won strong statewide recognition and support among many progressive Democrats. “I’m proud to stand with Mayor Andrew Gillum in his campaign to take this state back […]

Ryan NicolJuly 1, 2018

Chris King knows he has ground to make up in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. But as the August 28 primary closes in, he says his campaign can make it happen. “I’ve got to work very, very hard all across the state of Florida to communicate our message, communicate our ideas.” In an […]

Scott PowersMay 31, 2018

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham is rolling out her criminal justice reform platform to include reduced sentencing for non-violent offenders, decriminalization of minor marijuana possession, tighter rules for charging juveniles as adults, and a new level of review for death penalty prosecutions. In a news release issued by her campaign Thursday, Graham contended that Florida […]

Danny McAuliffeMarch 22, 2018

Announcing a surge of 250 Drug Enforcement Agency task force officers to “places across America where the opioid crisis is at its worst,” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions promised “to put drug traffickers right where they belong — the slammer,” and in extreme cases go as far as sentencing kingpins to death. Sessions, a former […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 15, 2018

Though much of the talk from elected officials and politicians in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shooting in Parkland has been of increased mental health screening and “school hardening,” there will be a legal case against Nikolas Cruz who killed 17 people at his old high school. Cruz made his first court appearance Thursday, and was […]

Scott PowersJanuary 16, 2018

Republican state Rep. Bob Cortes called on Gov. Rick Scott Tuesday to reassign a “heinous” murder-for-hire prosecution case away from State Attorney Aramis Ayala of Orlando – but her office basically shrugged off the lawmaker’s demand, contending that Scott no longer has any reason to remove cases from her review. “The author of the letter […]

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 12, 2017

The ongoing conflict between Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala and Gov. Rick Scott over her death penalty policies took another turn as Ayala cut a murder deal with a suspect that avoids a death penalty then answered the governor’s questions by asking her own questions. Scott and Ayala, state attorney for Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit, […]

Scott PowersDecember 4, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott‘s administration upped the pressure on Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala with a letter Monday demanding answers on why she apparently missed a deadline for filing notice of a death penalty case and accusing her of possible “willful disregard” of the law. The letter from Scott’s general counsel Daniel Nordby might be setting […]

Scott PowersNovember 20, 2017

New twists in the battle between Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala and Gov. Rick Scott after she agreed to prosecute death penalty cases; Scott is accusing her of missing a filing deadline, and Ayala responding Monday that Scott missed the case, and it will still be filed for capital punishment. “It is absolutely outrageous that Aramis […]

Tag: death penalty

Aramis Ayala endorses Andrew Gillum in governor’s race

Chris King looks to differentiate himself from Democratic field

Gwen Graham justice reform emphasizes juvenile justice, inequity, sentencing

In Tallahassee, Jeff Sessions touts death penalty as option for drug traffickers

Pam Bondi: Parkland massacre ‘will be a death penalty case’

Bob Cortes calls for Rick Scott to take murder-for-hire case from Aramis Ayala

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

After cutting murder plea deal, Aramis Ayala demands answers from Rick Scott

Governor’s office accuses Aramis Ayala of negligence, possible ‘willful disregard’

Rick Scott, Aramis Ayala battle over missed deadlines in death penalty cases