Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaJanuary 8, 2016

The Florida Legislature is continuing to oppose an effort by the plaintiffs’ attorneys to get their fees paid by state government now that the congressional redistricting case has been closed. Lawyers for House and Senate filed more legal authority with the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday to support their position that the opposing lawyers are “not entitled to […]

Guest AuthorDecember 6, 2015

“ I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States and of the State of Florida …So help me God.” Article II Section 5 Constitution of the State of Florida. The Florida Constitution requires every elected or duly appointed member of the executive, […]

Ryan RayDecember 4, 2015

Three civics education initiatives proposed by U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham are set to become law as part of the just-passed Every Child Succeeds Act, approved Thursday by the House 359-64. Graham’s camp says the Tallahassee Democrat shepherded language into the bill by working with a bipartisan group of members to sway Education Committee Chairman John Kline to include […]

Jim RosicaDecember 2, 2015

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee on Wednesday said she was “disappointed” by the state Supreme Court’s decision in a redistricting case that could spell the end of her nascent congressional career. But Graham, elected in 2014, said she hadn’t decided which direction her public service will next take. The court approved a map that redraws […]

Jim RosicaNovember 24, 2015

The plaintiffs in the state Senate redistricting case have reshuffled their proposed maps to redraw the state’s 40 senatorial districts, saying they want to “narrow the issues for trial.” Part of their reason was the much-maligned “jumping the Bay,” or districts that cross the water from Hillsborough County into Pinellas County to capture a Democratic […]

Jim RosicaNovember 19, 2015

The plaintiffs in the state Senate redistricting litigation filed six versions of a redrawn district map late Wednesday night, according to an email from their spokeswoman. Despite previous directions against drawing districts that cross Tampa Bay in a congressional redistricting case, their plans include areas that ‘jump the Bay.’ The plaintiffs and the Legislature have now filed proposals for […]

Jim RosicaNovember 18, 2015

In the ongoing saga over state Senate redistricting, everything old is new again. The state Senate on Wednesday disclosed its proposed fix for its gerrymandered districts, a mash-up of two previous maps: One was passed by the Senate, another was drawn but not voted on in the recent Special Session. Because lawmakers couldn’t agree, it’s now […]

Jim RosicaNovember 10, 2015

Despite questions on many parts of the map, the Florida Supreme Court Tuesday focused on South Florida during the final scheduled oral argument in an ongoing congressional redistricting challenge. That inflamed Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, whose north-south district had been ordered changed by the court to an east-west configuration. That district didn’t get a mention. Brown, wearing […]

Jim RosicaNovember 10, 2015

The outside lawyer for the Florida House of Representatives argued in a legal brief against a set of suggested congressional district boundaries in part by saying there’s no legal requirement “to create the ‘best’ possible districts.” George Meros, a Tallahassee attorney who also represented then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential recount, says the court […]

Jim RosicaNovember 5, 2015

The Florida Legislature became the little engine that couldn’t on Thursday, failing to agree on a new map redrawing the state Senate districts after three weeks of trying in a Special Session. This makes three out of four legislative sessions this year that ended in discord, this time in a redistricting session that itself likely […]

Tag: Fair Districts Amendments
Image via Palatka Main Street.

The next redistricting fight: Who pays the attorneys?

John Wood: Defending our constitutions

Gwen Graham passes civics education initiatives in House

Gwen Graham staying course despite redistricting decision

Maps shuffled in state Senate redistricting fight

Redistricting plaintiffs come in with six new maps

Senate submits proposed redistricting map

Corrine Brown lambastes state Supreme Court over congressional redistricting

House lawyer: Congressional districts don’t need to be perfect

Senate votes down redistricting map, ending Special Session