Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschOctober 12, 2017

Bill Nelson just cannot help himself. After Republicans blasted a “tone deaf” email last month that sought to raise funds off Hurricane Irma, Florida’s senior U.S. Senator is at it again. Nelson writes: “There’s been a lot going on in Washington recently, from finding ways to fund these massive hurricane recovery efforts to prevent the […]

Danny McAuliffeOctober 11, 2017

Hurricane Irma didn’t just rain on Florida’s agriculture industry – it poured. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) painted a bleak picture for Florida crops in a Tuesday presentation to the House Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee. Irma caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage. Grace Lovett, FDACS’ legislative affairs director, said the damage was […]

Michael MolineOctober 11, 2017

House leaders see the recovery from Hurricane Irma as an opportunity to investigate whether state regulations are getting in the way. The issue came up Wednesday during hearings before the Energy & Utilities Subcommittee. “Are there any regulations, whether laws that we’ve passed or administrative procedures the PSC might have put in place, that might […]

Staff ReportsOctober 10, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday directed state agencies to “immediately begin the formal rulemaking process to permanently enact a rule requiring emergency generators at assisted living facilities (ALFs) and nursing homes.” His edict went to the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) and the Department of Elder Affairs. “An emergency rule adopted Sept. 16 requires all ALFs and nursing […]

Mitch PerryOctober 10, 2017

After widespread power outages following Hurricane Irma, much of the public conversation has centered around the possibility of the electricity companies burying power lines underground. That likely isn’t going to happen in Tampa, according to Gerry Chasse, vice president of electric delivery with Tampa Electric Company. Speaking before the Senate Committee on Communications, Energy and Public Utilities on […]

Joe HendersonOctober 10, 2017

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One of the media’s highest purposes is to give a voice to the voiceless, like those in the elderly care system. Often that can mean making high-powered people uncomfortable, which brings us to John C. Simmons, president of the Florida Health Care Association. Simmons says it’s unfair for the media to generalize about how nursing homes […]

Associated PressOctober 9, 2017

Two women who lived at a Florida nursing home that lost air conditioning during Hurricane Irma have died, becoming the 13th and 14th fatalities linked to the home. Hollywood police spokeswoman Miranda Grossman told The Associated Press on Monday that Cecilia Franco, 90, and Francesca Andrade, 95, died from ailments suffered when the Rehabilitation Center […]

Peter SchorschOctober 7, 2017

Florida State University President John Thrasher announced the members of the President’s Advisory Panel on University Namings and Recognitions, according to a news release. “I want to thank the members of this panel for their willingness to take on this important matter,” Thrasher said in a statement. “I expect them to be deliberate, to be thoughtful and to […]

Scott PowersOctober 6, 2017

U.S. Rep. Darren Soto spent the early part of the week touring Puerto Rico and then on Thursday met with the House Natural Resources Committee, leaving convinced that the island is in desperate straights and that the administration of President Donald Trump still has not come to terms, but that Congress has. In an interview […]

Associated PressOctober 6, 2017

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A Florida nursing home that had 12 patients die after Hurricane Irma has laid off 245 workers. The Sun Sentinel reported the layoffs Friday for the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. The facility was evacuated last month, several days after the storm damaged the electric transformer that powered the facility’s air conditioning. State officials later suspended […]

Tag: Hurricane Irma
Aerial photo courtesy Jesse Biter.

Bill Nelson fundraises off Irma again, Republicans say it’s ‘disgusting’

Bleak outlook for Florida agriculture after Irma

Republicans see Irma as an opportunity to review energy regulations

Rick Scott wants generators required at nursing homes

TECO official tells legislative panel it would cost ‘billions’ to bury power lines

Joe Henderson: Giving voice to voiceless in elderly care

2 more dead from Florida nursing home that lost AC in Irma

Takeaways from Tallahassee — FSU takes on campus names, markers

Darren Soto: Congress understands Puerto Rico plight

Nursing home that had 12 people die lays off all workers