Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Associated PressApril 6, 2017

Florida could put into law police lineup guidelines that the state’s top law enforcement agency developed six years ago. The Senate voted unanimously for a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to use the lineup standards to avoid eyewitness mistakes that could lead to wrongful convictions. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement encouraged agencies […]

Les NeuhausMarch 23, 2017

A sub-contracted case manager with the Florida Department of Children and Families was arrested for falsifying information regarding the well-being of children living alone, officials confirmed Thursday. Spokespeople for both DCF and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed Vanessa Arias, 33, was arrested Friday for lying on safety reports. “The department has no tolerance for […]

Les NeuhausMarch 9, 2017

A consultant with more than two decades’ experience working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) was arrested and charged with grand theft and organized scheme to defraud the state government, a spokesperson confirmed Thursday. John Leland Goelz, a non-sworn technical consultant to the FDLE for 23 years, oversaw the cellphones used by agents […]

Les NeuhausMarch 8, 2017

A bill introduced and passed unanimously in the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice Wednesday would take away a tool long since considered useful, but increasingly controversial – the power of discretion. The measure – SB 196 — could drastically limit what those in the policing community could do when responding to calls involving […]

Tag: Florida Department of Law Enforcement

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

Florida could put police lineup standards into law

Five children used candle for ‘light and heat’ after child welfare worker ignored calls for help

FDLE consultant arrested in fraud scheme

Appropriations Committee approves bill removing police ‘discretion tool’ in first-time cases with juveniles