Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaJuly 18, 2018

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Simone Marstiller, a retired appellate judge, has been appointed to the Florida Supreme Court’s Judicial Management Council. Marstiller now is with the Gunster law firm’s appellate and government affairs teams, based in the Tallahassee and Tampa offices. The council “serves as high-level management consultants to the Supreme Court and (is) responsible for assisting the chief justice in proactively identifying trends, potential crisis situations, […]

Peter SchorschJune 26, 2018

It’s only been eight years since Tallahassee’s “Taj Mahal” courthouse scandal made headlines, sparking an investigation into the state’s decision to fund a lavish $48 million building for the 1st District Court of Appeals. Granite counter tops, flat screen TVs and framed artwork were among the building’s high-end amenities. Now, it appears another Taj Mahal, […]

Jim RosicaJune 19, 2018

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Lawyers on Monday filed recommendations as to how an administrative law judge should rule in a bid protest over the statewide law enforcement radio system, a deal potentially worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The recommended orders from Motorola Solutions and the Department of Management Services (DMS) were filed under seal, however, meaning they are […]

Jim RosicaMay 10, 2018

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Harris Corp., already fighting its loss of a more than half billion-dollar state radio contract, now is suing over allowing winning bidder Motorola to use its radio towers. The Melbourne-based communications company filed suit Wednesday afternoon in Leon County Circuit Civil court against the Department of Management Services (DMS) and the Agency for State Technology — one day […]

Jim RosicaMay 9, 2018

Motorola’s bid for a statewide law enforcement radio system is based on an “unknown design,” one that “no one knows what it’s going to look like” and that it “may never be able to deliver,” an attorney for Harris Corp. told an administrative law judge Tuesday. Furthermore, the state’s decision to go with Motorola is […]

Staff ReportsApril 30, 2018

Work on the Senate side-grounds of the Florida Capitol and its underground parking garage is nearing an end after the garage was first closed in May 2016. It was shut down when its primary support girder showed signs of stress after years of water intrusion. “Structural work inside the Senate parking garage was completed last […]

Jim RosicaApril 23, 2018

A month after losing a contract for the state’s first responder radio system, Harris Corp. has filed a public records lawsuit in Tallahassee. The Melbourne-based company filed its complaint last week. It seeks an “expedited hearing” after it asked for information that its competitor, Motorola Solutions, says is covered by a “trade secrets” exemption. The state on March […]

Danny McAuliffeDecember 7, 2017

Legislation providing for a review of efficiency in government procurement is making its way through the Legislature. St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes’ SB 368 cleared the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government Thursday with a unanimous and undebated yes vote. Brandes’ bill — which is accompanied in the House by Wauchula Republican Rep. Ben Albritton’s […]

Jim RosicaDecember 5, 2017

An “educational display of the astronomy causing the winter solstice” is the first holiday display to gain approval this year for the Florida Capitol rotunda. A “triptych poster,” sponsored by the First Coast Freethought Society of Jacksonville, is approved for display Dec. 15-22. Nina Ashley, spokeswoman for the Department of Management Services, the state’s real […]

Jim RosicaOctober 11, 2017

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is asking for an additional $29.3 million in the 2018-19 state budget to build a local office in Pensacola. An FDLE representative told a meeting of the Florida Cabinet Aides on Wednesday that the budget request was being moved from the Department of Management Services (DMS), the state’s real estate […]

Tag: Department of Management Services
Jennifer Barbosa. Image via campaign website.

Personnel note: Simone Marstiller appointed to Judicial Management Council

Taj Mahal Part Deux?

Judge close to decision in radio system bid protest

Lawsuit: You can’t use our radio towers, Harris Corp. tells state

Technology, towers at issue in state radio system bid protest

Construction on Capitol grounds, underground nears completion

Harris files open records suit over statewide radio contract

Bill to review government efficiency sails through committee

T’is the season: First Capitol holiday display approved

FDLE seeking $29M for new Pensacola regional office