Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

William MarchFebruary 21, 2016

A proposal to remove a statue of a Confederate leader at the National Statuary Hall is generating speculation among Florida legislators about whose image should replace it. Legislation to replace the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith doesn’t propose a successor. Smith’s place in history is due to his being the last officer to surrender […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 17, 2016

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry has a variety of “individual meetings” scheduled in Tallahassee Wednesday to push the Discretionary Sales Surtax bill. Four of them are set up with Senate Rules Committee members, which will be the final Senate committee to deliberate the bill. The bill has cleared two of three Senate committees, and both House committees. […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 10, 2016

The executive director for the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission told Florida lawmakers on Wednesday he’s OK if they ban his agency from regulating ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Kyle Cockream came before the House Economics Committee to speak in support of the bill, sponsored by Republican Dana Young from Tampa and Plant City’s Dan […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 10, 2016

A House committee on Wednesday OK’d a legislative move to replace the statue of a Confederate army general as one of Florida’s two eminences in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall where it’s been since 1922. The House Economics Committee unanimously approved the proposal sponsored by Miami Republican Rep. Jose Felix Diaz to replace the […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 29, 2016

Among the items Hillsborough County legislators are requesting in the just-unveiled 2016-2017 House budget, none looms larger than the $22.5 million sought for the USF Morsani College of Health Heart Institute. In February 2015, USF’s request to relocate its new Morsani College of Medicine and USF Heart Institute to downtown Tampa was approved, and in […]

Mitch PerryDecember 10, 2015

Wednesday night, organizers with the group Regulate Florida told supporters in a conference call that they’re ending their attempt to put a pro-legalization of marijuana on the ballot next year in Florida. FloridaPolitics.com was on that call, and posted the story soon after. In a statement sent shortly after that call was completed, Regulate Florida […]

Mitch PerryDecember 9, 2015

Florida Governor Rick Scott has been targeting the Florida public hospital industry for much of this year, after the Florida Hospital Association made a strong pitch for the Legislature to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, a push that failed for the third straight year in Tallahassee, and after the federal government announced deep cuts in hospital funding […]

Mitch PerryDecember 9, 2015

Tampa area state Rep. Jamie Grant said Wednesday he’s not backing away from his Monday tweet calling Donald Trump‘s proposed ban on Muslims from entering the country a “a fascist proposal.” “The answer to immigration problems in this country is not fascism. It’s not registries of people who look a certain way or believe a certain thing,” […]

Mitch PerryDecember 8, 2015

The Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation spent hours (and hours) on Tuesday discussing proposed legislation that would bring ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft into compliance with the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission, but whether they actually moved the issue forward at the end of the day is dubious. The setting for the local group of state lawmakers […]

Phil AmmannNovember 15, 2015

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium “hauled in” a $25,000 contribution this week to help underserviced local students. The donation from telecommunications giant AT&T will go toward afterschool programs that give 11- to 14-year-old students hands-on experience in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A presentation ceremony Friday included a boat ride in Clearwater Bay pulling a net […]

Tag: Ed Narain

Legislators speculate on great Floridian for Capitol statue

Lenny Curry lobbying Senate Rules Committee members

Hillsborough PTC chief tells House committee he still wants ride-share drivers fingerprinted

Proposal to replace statue of Confederate general advances in Florida House

USF Heart Institute is largest request from Hillsborough House members

Mitch Perry Report for 12.10.15 – Recreational pot measure supporters back off 2016 ballot bid

Tampa house Democrats blast Scott administration’s investigation into public hospitals

Jamie Grant doubles down on referring to Donald Trump proposal on Muslims as “fascist”

Hillsborough Legislative Delegation OKs measure to regulate Uber and Lyft, but future unclear

Clearwater Marine Aquarium “hauls in” big AT&T check for afterschool STEM programs