Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Michael MolineApril 17, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott endorsed a key element of Senate President Joe Negron’s Lake Okeechobee plan Monday — storing and treating water south of the lake — and called upon the House and Senate to invest $200 million in repairs to the Herbert Hoover dike. Scott said during a news conference that the state can afford […]

Michael MolineApril 11, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an initiative against Florida’s “opioid crisis” Tuesday, calling upon the Legislature to help with tougher penalties and cracking down on sham “sober houses.” But Scott stopped short of declaring an opioid state of emergency. “We fought the pill mills, but now our challenge is bigger than […]

Staff ReportsApril 11, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency Tuesday because of the outbreak of wildfires across the state, and the potential for additional conflagrations amid forecasts of hot, dry weather. The fires have consumed 250 percent more acreage during the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2016, Scott said. […]

Staff ReportsApril 10, 2017

William Spicola, general counsel to Gov. Rick Scott for the past year, is leaving to become top legal officer of the Constitution Revision Commission. Replacing him as GC in the executive office of the governor is Daniel Nordby, a partner in Shutts & Bowen’s Tallahassee office. Both job changes become official on April 17, the governor’s […]

Staff ReportsMarch 31, 2017

Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe, who represented the state in its losing fight with the Seminole Tribe over blackjack, has won an appointment to sit on the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court. Gov. Rick Scott announced Moe’s and five additional trial judge appointments late Friday. Moe, 38, of Tampa, is a shareholder with Bush Ross who served a […]

Michael MolineMarch 30, 2017

A church atmosphere prevailed as some 300 people converged on the state Capitol Thursday to protest Gov. Rick Scott’s removal of Orlando prosecutor Aramis Ayala from the murder prosecution of Markeith Loyd. The protest, organized by Color of Change and Equal Justice USA, included denunciations of the Legislature for threatening to strike $1.3 million from […]

Michael MolineMarch 24, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott should spend less time talking about Enterprise Florida, and more seeking reform of the workers compensation system and assignment of benefits abuse, if he really cares about protecting jobs, House Speaker Richard Corcoran said Thursday. “We’re talking about a tremendous amount of bandwidth going to Enterprise Florida, going to Visit Florida,” Corcoran […]

Michael MolineMarch 21, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he would permanently suspend State Attorney Aramis Ayala. But Scott insisted his special prosecutor would be the one to seek the death penalty against Markeith Loyd, despite Ayala’s challenge to his order reassigning her. Under questioning by reporters at the state Capitol, Scott said only: “We are going […]

Michael MolineMarch 7, 2017

Karen-Woodall-Florida-Center-for-Fuscal-and-Economic-Policy.jpg

Poverty appeared to matter as the Florida Legislature opened its 2017 regular session Tuesday. Gov. Rick Scott, during his State of the State speech, recalled his impoverished youth and the importance of jobs to lift Floridians out of economic despair. Surely, music to Karen Woodall‘s ears? Now at the Florida Center for Economic and Fiscal Policy, she’s […]

Michael MolineMarch 4, 2017

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum took on Rick Scott, Donald Trump, and the National Rifle Association during the opening speech of his campaign for governor Saturday, and promised to “bring Florida home” for the state’s working people. “Together, we will build the kind of campaign that will move across this entire state and make this state proud — we’ll […]

Tag: Florida. Gov. Rick Scott

Rick Scott endorses water storage south of Lake Okeechobee, but not buying land

Rick Scott, Pam Bondi announce campaign targeting opioid crisis

Rick Scott declares emergency as wildfires burn and forecast looks dire

Personnel Note: Governor’s top lawyer joining Constitution Revision Commission

Attorney in state’s blackjack case one of six appointments to bench

Hundreds rally at Capitol in support of embattled Aramis Ayala

House Speaker: Rick Scott’s focus on Enterprise Florida is misdirected

Rick Scott reviewing options in Aramis Ayala death-penalty situation

Anti-poverty lobbyist skeptical as 2017 legislative session opens in Tallahassee

Andrew Gillum opens ‘people-centric’ campaign for Florida governor