Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Joe HendersonApril 12, 2017

The steady increase in Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating has reinforced the notion that if voters have a job and the economy seems to be humming along, other things don’t matter much. The latest poll, released this week by Morning Consult, put Scott’s approval number at 57 percent. Considering that he stood at 26 percent […]

Joe HendersonMarch 13, 2017

Rick Scott went to Tallahassee in 2011 as an outsider. He often has operated like one as well, and not always in a good way. In a private company, stubborn employees can get fired for standing up to the boss. In politics, though, defiance can be considered a virtue. Eventually, people who vow to run […]

Associated PressMarch 9, 2017

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College students in Florida could soon get extra help under an ambitious proposal passed by the Florida Senate. The Florida Senate voted 35-1 Thursday for an overhaul of the state’s higher education system that is a top priority for Senate President Joe Negron. It boosts financial aid and calls for new programs to help universities […]

Staff ReportsDecember 23, 2016

Consumer sentiment among Floridians surged up 6.9 points in December to 97.2, according to the latest University of Florida consumer survey. This is the highest reading since March 2015 and the second-highest since February 2004—before the Great Recession of 2008. All five of the components that make up the index increased. Perceptions of one’s personal […]

Mike SchneiderSeptember 15, 2016

While Floridians made economic strides last year, the state still lags behind the rest of the nation on important economic indicators, according to new figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Three Florida cities had the lowest median household income last year among the nation’s 25 largest metro areas, and Florida had one of […]

Phil AmmannApril 6, 2016

A glance at the March jobs numbers released last week suggests that the national economy is doing fairly well. Over 200,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate was virtually unchanged at 5 percent. The numbers look even better for Florida, whose state unemployment rate has fallen below 5 percent and which has created nearly […]

Peter SchorschMarch 25, 2016

Many Floridians had it rough during the Great Recession, losing jobs, facing cutbacks or otherwise struggling to stay above water financially. Manatee County homebuilder Carlos Beruff was not one of them. Beruff, now a candidate for U.S. Senate, boasted at a recent event that his company “actually profited” from the “huge” recession that devastated Florida’s middle […]

Brendan FarringtonDecember 18, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott said Friday that Florida has added more than 1 million private sector jobs since he took office in 2011. That means another 700,000 jobs need to be created in the next two years to fulfill a 2010 campaign promise. The million jobs mark also doesn’t take into account that Florida has 27,300 […]

Guest AuthorNovember 25, 2015

When President Abraham Lincoln wrote all of his Thanksgiving Proclamations, it was during a time of war. Most of us know the Civil War, maybe not all its ins and outs, but the gist of the deal. The war wrought havoc on the “mystic chords” of national unity that had held the nation together through […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 23, 2015

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says it’s high time America “did a better job regulating the regulators,” calling for a retrenchment of federal regulations in just about every area, including the financial sector, health care and the environment. Bush, the former Florida governor, outlined his plan in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published online Tuesday. “My […]

Tag: Great Recession

Joe Henderson: Rick Scott’s approval rating climbs because the economy trumps everything

Joe Henderson: After Enterprise Florida fight, Rick Scott has little political capital left

Florida Senate says yes to more help for college students

Florida consumer sentiment soars amid holiday shopping, improved state economy

Florida had economic gains in 2015 but lags behind nation

Alfredo Ortiz: Helping small businesses will get Florida’s economy rolling

Senate candidate Carlos Beruff brags about how he profited during Great Recession

Rick Scott: Florida added 1 million jobs since he took office

Chris Timmons: Remember, above all, your gratitude

Jeb Bush declares war on federal regulations