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Jim RosicaMay 2, 2017

The Seminole Tribe of Florida “will react accordingly” to the demise of a gambling bill this Legislative Session, the Tribe’s top outside lawyer said Tuesday. Chief negotiators for the House and Senate said earlier Tuesday they wouldn’t resolve their differences over the legislation before the scheduled end of the 2017 Legislative Session on Friday. When asked whether the Tribe plans […]

Jim RosicaMay 1, 2017

Senate President Joe Negron on Monday said lawmakers are “getting close” to a deal on a gambling overhaul bill for the year. The same day, however, a House Democrat who’s on the Conference Committee on Gaming tweeted “Nope” about the same thing. Negron was asked about the legislation during a media availability after the day’s floor […]

Jim RosicaMay 1, 2017

Mike Dew, the Florida Department of Transportation‘s chief of staff, now has applied to be Secretary of the department, according to a list of applicants released Monday. As of Monday’s deadline, 125 people had applied for the open position, created when former Secretary Jim Boxold resigned in January to join Tallahassee’s Capital City Consulting firm. Dew applied Monday […]

Jim RosicaApril 30, 2017

The House and Senate is seemingly at odds over whether to pay for the Constitution Revision Commission. A Sunday spreadsheet that came out of the first 2017-18 state budget conference chairs meeting of the day had a line item for the commission, which meets every 20 years to review and revise the state’s governing document. […]

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2017

Don’t expect any movement in the budgets for Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA at the conference committee level. “I’m authorized to negotiate quite a few things in this budget and there’s a few things I’m not, and those would be among the things I’m not,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes, the St. Petersburg Republican chairing the […]

Jim RosicaApril 27, 2017

Rick Scott did not look like he was negotiating. The governor fired a shot over the bow of the Legislature, all but demanding full funding in the state budget for his 2017-18 priorities: $200 million to begin fixing the dike at Lake Okeechobee, $100 million for VISIT FLORIDA, and salvaging Enterprise Florida from House Speaker […]

Jim RosicaApril 27, 2017

The reaction to the Florida Legislature’s repeal of the state’s “booze wall” law continued long after Wednesday’s vote. The House, on a close vote of 58-57, passed the Senate’s bill (SB 106) to allow retailers to remove the ‘wall of separation’ between hard liquor and other goods. (Full story here.) The legislation now heads to Gov. Rick Scott. If signed […]

Peter SchorschApril 25, 2017

Updated 2:45 p.m. — The House has sent over an offer and the Senate is reviewing, according to staffers in both chambers. — After teetering toward a late-session meltdown, the bones of a roughly $83 billion 2017-18 state budget are in place, according to three sources close to Gov. Rick Scott‘s office and several lobbyists familiar with […]

Jim RosicaApril 24, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott tweeted on Monday that he will sign into law a bill creating statewide regulations for ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft. “I look forward to signing the @Uber/ @lyft bill,” Scott tweeted from his official account, @FLGovScott. The governor is in Argentina on a trade mission. Colin Tooze, Uber’s director of public affairs, tweeted back, “Many […]

Gary FineoutApril 24, 2017

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With time running out in this year’s regular session, Florida’s legislative leaders are at a stalemate over a new state budget and are starting to lash out at one another over the breakdown. The first but crucial round of negotiations between the House and Senate fell apart on Sunday. The session is scheduled to end […]

Tag: Gov. Rick Scott
Lake County breaks another record development deal. Image via GT Homes.

Lawyer: Seminole Tribe ‘will react accordingly’ to gambling bill’s death

Joe Negron: Lawmakers ‘getting close’ to agreement on gambling

Mike Dew now vying for top spot at Dep’t of Transportation

Constitutional review panel money becomes a ‘bump issue’

Top line tourism, economic development money closed out, chair says

Rick Scott demands full funding for tourism, development

Interests for and against ‘liquor wall’ legislation react to passage

State budget deal struck? Jack Latvala says, ‘no,’ but…

Rick Scott says he will sign ‘Uber bill’

Legislature at stalemate over new state budget