Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschMarch 6, 2017

After a local news outlet reported seven Tampa Bay-area Publix grocery stores failed health inspections, the Department of Agriculture pulled all pass/fail grades and inspections from the online database. “I believe that the pass/fail system is unclear because if it’s a failure, why is it still open?” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam explained to WFTS-TV. Which raises […]

Staff ReportsJanuary 26, 2017

Clay Hollis and Andrew Liebert are joining the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced Thursday that Hollis would serve as the director of external affairs, while Liebert will serve as the deputy legislative affairs director. “Clay and Andrew are both great additions to our team, and their professional experience will […]

Jim RosicaOctober 1, 2016

Yet another batch of mosquitoes in Miami Beach tested positive for the Zika virus. The results were in the same location “where five other samples had previously tested positive,” the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Saturday. The latest positive sample of Aedes aeqypti mosquitoes was from a trap located on West 49th Street in Miami […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 9, 2016

The trip is back on. Gov. Rick Scott will head to Washington D.C., next week to push for Zika funding. The governor’s office said Scott will travel to the nation’s capital on Sept. 13 and 14. The Naples Republican was scheduled to travel to D.C. earlier this week to meet with members of Congress and ask […]

Bill RuftyFebruary 13, 2016

Hopes that the Florida Legislature would give the city of Winter Haven enough money to buy the unused Nora Mayo Hall from the state are gone for this year. The reason is a lack of support from Gov. Rick Scott, members of the Polk County Legislative Delegation said. Although the purchase won’t happen this year […]

Scott PowersFebruary 3, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott has declared a public health emergency in four counties with diagnosed cases of Zika virus: Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Santa Rosa. There have been nine confirmed travel-related instances of the Zika virus in those counties. The Zika virus has become a profound public health crisis throughout much of Latin American and the […]

Ryan RayJanuary 19, 2016

U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham began her 14-county “North Florida Farm Tour” Tuesday in Tallahassee with an announcement that nearly all of the counties in her Second Congressional District are now included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “StrikeForce” initiative. Graham brought some Washington, D.C., brass back to the newly redrawn district in the person of USDA Deputy […]

Staff ReportsAugust 31, 2015

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and St. Johns County Tax Collector Dennis W. Hollingsworth jointly announced Monday that participating tax collectors throughout Florida will expand concealed weapon license services to include renewals. “We’re making both the application and renewal process for concealed weapon licenses even more convenient for Floridians,” Putnam said in a […]

Guest AuthorAugust 25, 2015

While I was having lunch with Tallahassee banker Ben Graybar recently, we had an open dialogue on cyber security, cyber threats and how we can make sure our customers were protected. We discussed common threats such as boss phishing, identity theft, crypto-locker, password protocols, and then some new threats came up. One I had never […]

Blake DowlingAugust 25, 2015

I was having lunch with Tallahassee banker Ben Graybar and we had an open dialogue on Cyber Security, threats and how we can make sure our customers were protected. Some common threats were discussed, like boss phishing, identity theft, crypto-locker, password protocols, and then some new threats were revealed. There was one in particular I […]

Tag: Department of Agriculture

Why does Florida use pass/fail for health inspections, not actual grades?

Personnel note: Clay Hollis, Andrew Liebert join Department of Agriculture

Still more Miami-Dade mosquitoes test positive for Zika

Rick Scott headed to D.C. to talk Zika next week

State: No to Nora Mayo Hall … for now

Zika virus spread leads Rick Scott to declare health emergencies in 4 counties

Gwen Graham kicks off North Florida farm tour, trumpets new “StrikeForce” USDA designation

Adam Putnam announces expanded concealed weapon license service with tax collectors

Blake Dowling: Beware cyber-skimming at the pump

Blake Dowling: Cyber-skimming at the pump