Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschFebruary 21, 2016

Borrowing from the Bard: “To (fill in the blank), or not to (fill in the blank), that is the question.” The week-that-was was filled with a fair amount of false starts, delays and Hamletian indecision. To name a handful, U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham still hasn’t decided whether to run again for her 2nd Congressional District […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 13, 2016

The sausage-making began in earnest Wednesday morning, as the Florida Senate teed up nine bills for final approval and passed a sweeping $95 million educational policy bill and a water protection measure desired by House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. The education bill (SB 672) was sponsored by GOP state Sen. Don Gaetz of Niceville, a former schools superintendent. Among other […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 10, 2016

Lawmakers may be prepared to pass a massive water bill, but that doesn’t mean the battle over Florida’s water woes is over. State lawmakers are expected to take up the measure — HB 7005 and SB 552 — shortly after the annual 60-day session convenes this week. The measure, years in the making, is likely […]

Associated PressDecember 1, 2015

The Florida House wants to dedicate as much as $200 million a year on projects to help restore the state’s fabled Everglades. House Republicans on Tuesday announced their “Legacy Florida” initiative. It would require that each year that the state set aside conservation money for a variety of Everglades restoration projects. The list would include […]

Gary FineoutOctober 19, 2015

Despite a bumpy and contentious year, the Republican-led Florida Legislature returns to the state Capitol on Monday with the goal of trying to draw up new maps for 40 state Senate districts. It’s the third Special Session of the year for legislators, and also marks the third time that lawmakers have altered the boundaries of […]

Shannon NickinsonSeptember 20, 2015

The Florida Children and Youth Cabinet recently voted to write state leaders urging them to prioritize early education and child services for “the first 1,000 days” – from pregnancy to age 3. Based on data from the Pensacola Metro Dashboard, only 66.2 percent of Escambia County’s 5-year-olds are ready for kindergarten; in Santa Rosa County […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 4, 2015

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater on Friday said the pending nuclear deal with Iran was a “direct assault” on the state’s own position not to support “sponsors of terror.” The deal, worked out between Iran and a group of world powers including the United States, will limit Iran’s ability to use nuclear technology in return […]

Guest AuthorAugust 10, 2015

Welcome back to another Special Session! It’s been fun blaming the Florida Legislature for gerrymandering and all that, but GOP state Rep. Mike Hill from Pensacola wrote penned an interesting letter to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. In part, he wrote: “Under the guise of interpreting Sections 20 and 21 of Article III of the Florida […]

Guest AuthorAugust 9, 2015

Welcome back to another Special Session! It’s been fun blaming the Florida Legislature for gerrymandering and all that, but GOP state Rep. Mike Hill from Pensacola wrote penned an interesting letter to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. In part, he wrote: “Under the guise of interpreting Sections 20 and 21 of Article III of the Florida […]

Julie DelegalJune 26, 2015

Let there be no doubt: The individual responsible for murdering a church pastor and eight parishioners in Charleston, S.C., is a white supremacist. Stating that fact does not politicize the horror, nor does it diminish our sense of mourning for the people who were lost. To the contrary, getting justice for the victims demands that […]

Tag: House Speaker Steve Crisafulli

Takeaways from Tallahassee — the “Hamlet, Magna Carta, and MMA” edition

Senate passes education, water bills

2016 Legislative Food Fights: Water policy, money for Everglades could be hot topics

Florida House: Use conservation money on Everglades

It’s map-drawing time again for Florida legislators

Shannon Nickinson: Our children need more than a letter

Jeff Atwater slams Iran nuclear deal

Henry Kelley: It’s time to fix high court’s districting overreach

Henry Kelley: It’s time to fix high court’s districting overreach

Julie Delegal: Harvest of Thorns: We won’t be rid of racism until elected leaders stop using it