Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschFebruary 9, 2015

Like most everyone else in Florida politics, I read with interest the Tampa Bay Times‘ profile of Rick Scott’s Chief of Staff, Melissa Sellers. Because I have personally done almost as much research on Sellers as Times reporters Adam Smith and Steve Bousquet, there wasn’t much that they wrote that surprised me. In fact — and this is […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 28, 2015

A St. Petersburg consumer law attorney is demanding an official investigation into Gov. Rick Scott, the Florida Cabinet and staff for possible violations of the state’s open records laws. On Tuesday, attorney Matthew Weidner sent a letter of complaint to William Meggs, state attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit in Tallahassee, requesting a formal investigation […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 15, 2015

A new scandal exploded across Tallahassee on Tuesday afternoon after Gov. Rick Scott admitted that Gerald Bailey did not voluntarily resign as commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, but was forced out against his will. Under Florida law, the governor cannot fire the head of FDLE without the support of at least one other member […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 15, 2015

Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty is reportedly on the chopping block as the Rick Scott administration continues to attempt to put its new team on the field as it enters a second term. McCarty’s alleged transgression? Actually having the audacity to protect Florida’s insurance-buying public by not rubberstamping every self-serving scheme insurance lobbyists try to […]

Associated PressJanuary 13, 2015

Florida’s main law enforcement agency is getting a new leader, but questions remain about why Gov. Rick Scott abruptly shook up the agency. Scott and the Florida Cabinet voted on Tuesday to appoint Richard Swearingen as the new commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Swearingen is a longtime veteran of the agency. Former […]

Associated PressJanuary 13, 2015

Florida’s main law enforcement agency is getting a new leader, but questions remain about why Gov. Rick Scott abruptly shook up the agency. Scott and the Florida Cabinet voted on Tuesday to appoint Richard Swearingen as the new commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Swearingen is a longtime veteran of the agency. Former […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 29, 2014

The voters of Florida have an opportunity on Nov. 4 to amend our constitution and make cannabis legally available to patients with debilitating medical conditions. It’s a cause you should support, because it’s an initiative that heals rather than harms, helps rather than hurts. Long overdue, after four decades of criminal prosecutions, passage of this […]

Gary FineoutSeptember 29, 2014

A two-year voter fraud investigation that centered on a company once aligned with the Republican Party of Florida has wrapped up with the arrest of a former employee. Four people, including William T. Hazard of Boynton Beach, wound up getting up charged over allegations of submitting false voter registration forms. State investigators looked at questionable […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 10, 2014

Where is the outrage? The news that University of South Florida anthropologists found 55 bodies buried on the property of the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna prompted the usual anger from former inmates and relatives of boys who died there. But the silence from our state’s legal and political establishment is disconcerting. Attorney General […]

Tag: Florida Department of Law Enforcement

Make fun of Melissa Sellers all you want, but not for this…

St. Pete lawyer files Sunshine Law complaint letter over Baileygate

Peter Schorsch: What’s the Scott administration going to do about Bailey’s firing?

Does the Scott administration really have Kevin McCarty on the chopping block?

Gov. Scott won't explain shakeup at state police agency

Gov. Scott won’t explain shakeup at state police agency

Norm Kent: Amendment 2 brings reason, common sense to cannabis laws

2 year voter fraud probe results in arrest

Andrew Skerritt: Where is the outrage over the bodies at Marianna?