Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschMarch 6, 2018

The headline above this story probably comes as no shock to those who follow the annual trial bar versus insurance industry drama and have witnessed Sen. Gary Farmer buzzing around committees. What’s surprising is how casually Farmer has been – messily even – doing the trial bar’s bidding. Public records requested by Florida Politics legitimize what […]

Ana CeballosFebruary 27, 2018

A bill intended to stop companies from dodging worker’s compensation benefit payouts to undocumented workers who are injured on the job is likely dead, state Sen. Gary Farmer, the bill sponsor, said Tuesday. “I hate to wave the white flag, but it looks like I will,” the Fort Lauderdale Democrat said. The effort was born […]

Ana CeballosFebruary 21, 2018

A Senate panel on Tuesday cleared a bill that could bring changes to a state law that has allowed insurance companies to avoid payouts to undocumented injured workers and has already led the state referring a handful of cases to federal immigration authorities. “The bill is designed to ensure workers injured on the job to […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 19, 2018

Parkland High School is not in Gary Farmer’s state Senate district. No children from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School live in his district. But … Farmer lived in Parkland for a decade and, as degrees of separation would have it, his family is closely connected to several of those who were directly and tragically impacted […]

Ana CeballosFebruary 12, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott‘s office said Monday the governor is expected to sign into a law a bill that would permanently set aside millions in taxpayer money to operate pro-life clinics in Florida, a concept that critics call “fake” clinics. The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill last week, with Democrats opposed. When the bill becomes law, […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 6, 2018

The Senate version of the “Campus Free Expression Act” cleared its first panel on a party-line vote Tuesday over the opposition of the state’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter. The ACLU of Florida says the bill (SB 1234) “would make Florida public colleges and universities legally liable for disruptions caused by student protesters.” Democrats on the […]

Danny McAuliffeFebruary 5, 2018

State-based activists are breathing new life into a campaign originally organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. The Poor People’s Campaign took to the fourth-floor of Florida’s Capitol on Monday to “serve notice to state and local legislative leaders that their failure to address systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and America’s distorted national morality […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 22, 2018

A contentious bill that would expand the state’s school voucher system to allow children who are bullied to use tax dollars to pay private school tuition was approved by a Senate committee Monday. Senate President-designate Bill Galvano’s bill (SB 1172) would establish the Hope Scholarship Program to provide the parent of a public school student subjected […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 19, 2018

With Congress potentially just hours away from a government shutdown in part because of a dispute over whether to include a plan to deal with those affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, a group of Florida Democrats slammed Gov. Rick Scott Friday for what they called his hypocrisy regarding DACA recipients, also […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 16, 2018

A Senate committee approved a resolution calling Congress to keep in place a moratorium against oil drilling in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico. The military uses the area in question for air and sea training. Tuesday’s vote by the Committee on Environmental Preservation and Conservation comes a week after the Donald Trump administration […]

Tag: Gary Farmer
Lake Mary’s team celebrates in the eighth inning of the Little League World Series Championship game against Taiwan. Florida won in eight innings 2-1. Image via AP.

Texts reveal Gary Farmer still lobbying for trial bar

Workers’ comp bill aiding injured immigrant workers likely dead, sponsor says

Once stalled in Senate, bill aiding injured immigrant workers advances

Gary Farmer’s moment

Gov. Rick Scott to sign state-funded pro-life clinics into law

ACLU objects but ‘free expression’ bill clears Senate committee

Florida revitalizes Poor People’s Campaign

Legislation: Bullied kids could transfer to private school

Florida Democrats blast Rick Scott op-ed supporting Dreamers

Senate committee advances moratorium on oil drilling in part of eastern Gulf