Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryFebruary 8, 2018

Some members of the Fourth Estate have had a field day with GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam, following the report that the current Agriculture Commissioner is seeking a rewrite of Florida’s concealed weapons law so that people can receive gun licenses even when criminal background checks are incomplete. Putnam’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issues […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 23, 2018

I’m writing to voice my opposition to a measure now before the Constitutional Revision Commission: To amend the state constitution to establish the right of all abused, neglected and abandoned children to their own attorneys in dependency court. After more than 40 years in law enforcement — including 26 as the statewide coordinator of FDLE’s […]

Jim RosicaDecember 20, 2017

Update: Jack Latvala resigned from the Senate Wednesday afternoon. In a resignation letter to Senate President Joe Negron, Latvala wrote: “I have never intentionally dishonored my family, my constituents or the Florida Senate. “My political adversaries have latched onto this effort to rid our country of sexual harassment to try to rid the Florida Senate of […]

Mitch PerryDecember 14, 2017

It’s time to deal with privacy in the age of Alexa, Sen. Jeff Brandes says. The St. Petersburg Republican has filed legislation (SB 1256) to protect the expectation of privacy in the use of cell phones and other microphone-enabled household devices. The surge in sales of “smart speakers” like Amazon’s Echo, with its “Alexa” cloud-based voice service, […]

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 […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 28, 2017

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A House member has filed proposed legislation to add violence based on “political affiliation or beliefs” to the state’s list of hate crimes. Rep. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican, first filed his 1-page bill Thursday. The bill is being redrafted to correct some technical errors and will be re-filed shortly, he said. The measure as filed (HB […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 6, 2017

Each day it becomes more and more apparent that opioid addiction and trafficking are plaguing Florida. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, five out of the nine types of drugs that caused the most deaths in 2015 were ones that fall within the category of opioids. Two years later, we are seeing the […]

Jim RosicaAugust 15, 2017

Protecting Gov. Rick Scott, First Lady Ann Scott, their family, and the Governor’s Mansion and grounds cost the state nearly $3 million last fiscal year, up from $2.6 million the year before. The annual Report of Transportation and Protective Services, issued Tuesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, showed the cost to safeguard the […]

Terry RoenJuly 27, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott joined local law enforcement and legislative officials Thursday to ceremonially sign a bill that brings stiffer penalties for dealers of synthetic opioid drugs and fentanyl. The bill cuts through the bureaucracy and allows state officials to immediately draw more than $27 million in federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Health […]

Joe HendersonApril 12, 2017

The steady increase in Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating has reinforced the notion that if voters have a job and the economy seems to be humming along, other things don’t matter much. The latest poll, released this week by Morning Consult, put Scott’s approval number at 57 percent. Considering that he stood at 26 percent […]

Tag: Florida Department of Law Enforcement

Adam Putnam: Media wrong on his gun license stance

Terry Thomas: Having children direct their own attorneys could put them in harm’s way

Attorney: Jack Latvala was blindsided by bribery allegation

Jeff Brandes wants privacy protection for Echo, Google Home

FDLE seeking $29M for new Pensacola regional office

Joe Gruters files ‘political’ hate crimes bill

Cheryl Elias: Addressing Florida’s opioid crisis must include helping the person with the addiction

Cost to protect Rick Scott, family now up to nearly $3 million

Rick Scott ceremonially signs legislation to fight opioid abuse

Joe Henderson: Rick Scott’s approval rating climbs because the economy trumps everything