Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 26, 2017

There is a movement afoot in the United States to allow reformed criminals to have a second chance, and a couple of bills in the Florida House could be part of that. Earlier this month, Rep. Shervin Jones filed House Bill 31, which would remove the requirement on job applications for an applicant to disclose whether […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 23, 2017

Drug Free America is urging Florida lawmakers to “proceed with caution” as they begin crafting legislation to implement the state’s newest medical marijuana law. “While we were opposed to Amendment 2 for a number of specific reasons, we recognize Florida voters have spoken,” said Calvina Fay, the executive director of Drug Free America, in a statement. “We also […]

A.G. GancarskiJanuary 17, 2017

A bill codifying statewide standards for the reporting of drug overdoses was filed in the Florida House Tuesday, a response to the opioid epidemic. House Bill 249, filed by Southwest Florida Republican Bob Rommel, requires certain people to report overdoses to authorities in their respective counties. Failure to report is not an option, according to the […]

Michael MolineJanuary 12, 2017

A House panel began talking Thursday about imposing term limits on judges — and also reviewed how quickly the courts are clearing their caseloads. Judicial term limits failed in the Legislature last year, but House Speaker Richard Corcoran has declared the issue an important priority. Heather Fitzenhagen, chairwoman of the Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee, said […]

Staff ReportsJanuary 12, 2017

EMTeLINK, a leading medical information company, has enlisted the help of Solaris Consulting. David Bishop, the president of Solaris Consulting, registered as a lobbyist to represent EMTeLink on Dec. 13 A technology company, EMTeLINK provides first responders with information patients medical conditions in the event of an emergency. The technology allows first responders and medical […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 11, 2017

The Florida House will push to make medical marijuana tax exempt, according the sponsor of the yet-to-be filed bill implementing Amendment 2. While lawmakers are in the early stages of drafting an implementing bill, House Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues said the House does not plan to include a tax on medical marijuana in its proposal. […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 10, 2017

Matilde Miller will take the helm of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation — at least temporarily. Gov. Rick Scott announced Tuesday Miller was named the interim secretary of DBPR, replacing former Secretary Ken Lawson. “Matilde has spent many years at DBPR serving in numerous leadership positions and understands how important it is to […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 10, 2017

The House Commerce Committee is poised to tackle everything from assignment of benefits to economic incentives, but it’s the most narrowly defined subcommittee that could be the busiest in the months leading up to, and during, the 2017 Legislative Session. The full House Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, met Tuesday morning to […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 4, 2017

Former Sen. Chris Smith is returning to his legal roots. Smith has joined Tripp Scott, the Fort Lauderdale-based law firm announced this week. “We’re so excited to have you here,” said Edward J. Pozzuoli, the president of Tripp Scott, in a video interview with Smith. The 46-year-old Fort Lauderdale Democrat got his start at Tripp […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 3, 2017

The number of lawmakers prepping for another run keeps on growing. State elections records show dozens of members of the state House and Senate have filed to run for re-election in 2018. Many of those are incumbents who faced little-to-no opposition in 2016, while others ran hard fought battles to win their spot in the […]

Tag: Florida House

Florida House to mull ‘ban the box’ bills

Drug Free America urges caution as lawmakers discuss Amendment 2 implementation

Mandatory overdose reporting bill filed in Florida House

House civil justice subcommittee takes up judicial term limits

EMTeLink hires David Bishop as legislative lobbyist

Ray Rodrigues: House bill won’t include tax on medical marijuana

Rick Scott selects Matilde Miller to serve as interim DBPR secretary

Seminole Compact, other gambling issues expected to be top priority in House Commerce committee

Personnel note: Former Sen. Chris Smith joins Tripp Scott

More than a dozen lawmakers file for re-election in 2018