Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaJanuary 21, 2016

In another “strange bedfellows” moment in the Florida Capitol, an array of conservative and progressive interests stood in the Rotunda to support state Sen. Jeff Brandes‘ bill to rein in what’s known as civil asset forfeiture. “Before your private property can be taken, you must, at least, be charged with a crime,” Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican, […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 21, 2016

A new criminal justice reform organization is holding a kickoff event Thursday in Tallahassee with anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist as featured guest. The Coalition to Advance Justice will hold the invitation-only reception to introduce the organization to key lawmakers and policy influencers. It will be at the James Madison Institute, the Florida-based conservative think tank, and […]

Mitch PerryAugust 3, 2015

Jeb Bush told a group of elite Republicans and libertarians in a speech in Southern California on Sunday night that America is desperate for leaders, and he is the man who can fill that gap in Washington. “People are desperately looking for is a leader, and I hope you’re looking at him, ” Bush said to Politico […]

Guest AuthorJuly 27, 2015

For decades, conservatives have lamented federal subsidies in American farm policy accruing to Big Sugar. Strangely, the wailing falls silent south of the Georgia border. In Tallahassee, the glad-handing and back slapping by Big Sugar for its supporters is ubiquitous. The application of sugar money to lobbyists’ and lawyers’ net worth statements, contributions to lawmakers, […]

Mitch PerryJune 24, 2015

Most agricultural producers in the U.S. do not receive subsidies, as they compete in the open market on the basis of efficiency. Sugar producers, on the other hand, would probably be hard pressed to operate without the high prices guaranteed by government limitations on imports. The result is that the American consumer pays two to three times […]

A.G. GancarskiJune 11, 2015

Florida Politics has obtained a cache of emails related to Jacksonville Mayor-elect Lenny Curry’s transition. The emails date back to May 22. They provide an invaluable record of the transition, as the self-styled “transformational mayor” moves quickly from the seemingly perpetual candidate to the city of Jacksonville’s chief executive. To highlight the nature of the […]

Martin DyckmanMay 18, 2015

There’s a Republican running for president who promises unequivocally to “protect Social Security and Medicare…to kill anything that poses a threat to the promises we have made to America’s seniors.” But he’s also calling for a “tax reform” that would bleed seniors as they’ve never been bled before. What do you call such a politician? […]

Martin DyckmanMay 18, 2015

There’s a Republican running for president who promises unequivocally to “protect Social Security and Medicare…to kill anything that poses a threat to the promises we have made to America’s seniors.” But he’s also calling for a “tax reform” that would bleed seniors as they’ve never been bled before. What do you call such a politician? […]

Associated PressMay 7, 2015

In the traffic jam that is the Republican presidential race, Sen. Marco Rubio stands out — and not just for his youth and blue-collar, Cuban-American biography. Rubio has issued the most detailed economic agenda to aid the middle class, anchored by a book on countering the wage stagnation that has exacerbated inequality between the rich […]

Martin DyckmanAugust 3, 2014

Our texts today are not Biblical, but they are definitely topical. A wise man changes his mind often, a fool never -Spanish proverb. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines –Ralph Waldo Emerson. In every political campaign since the Stone Age, it has been an […]

Tag: Grover Norquist
Image via AP.

Jeff Brandes draws diverse support for asset forfeiture overhaul

New criminal-justice reform group to kick off in Tallahassee

Speaking at Koch Brothers event, Jeb Bush says he’s the leader that America needs

Alan Farago: Big Sugar has conservatives chasing their tails

Are Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio out of step with GOP on maintaining sugar subsidies?

Emails provide fly-on-the-wall perspective inside Lenny Curry’s mayoral transition

Martin Dyckman: Mike Huckabee’s tax plan is a huckster’s scheme that would slam seniors

Martin Dyckman: Mike Huckabee's tax plan is a huckster's scheme that would slam seniors

Marco Rubio tax plan shows challenge of GOP wage-stagnation fight

Martin Dyckman: Wise politicians learn, evolve — and change their minds