Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiDecember 2, 2017

As storm clouds continue to build around Sen. Jack Latvala in the wake of sexual harassment charges, many politicians with statewide notoriety have made their positions clear. The tipping point occurred this week, when Rachel Perrin Rogers, a legislative aide to Republican Sen. Wilton Simpson, went public with her accusations against Latvala. Perrin Rogers was tired of Latvala lying […]

Ana CeballosDecember 1, 2017

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday said her “heart breaks” for the Senate staffer who in a sworn statement said Sen. Jack Latvala groped her private body parts and sexually harassed her for years, and called for legislation to protect sexual harassment victims. “I was astonished to learn that one of the victims of […]

Jim RosicaDecember 1, 2017

More text messages from the Senate staffer accusing Sen. Jack Latvala of sexual misconduct show her describing her dream of a younger, thinner Latvala and calling him “mo betta.” The exchange between Rachel Perrin Rogers, top aide to Trilby Republican and future Senate President Wilton Simpson, and Lillian Tysinger, then a Senate Republican Office legislative analyst, was obtained […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 1, 2017

Thursday evening saw Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam address around 400 people at a ranch deep on Jacksonville’s Westside. The speech was familiar, by and large, though a new phrasing crept in: a reference to “corruption and predation and harassment.” Putnam didn’t elaborate on those themes on the mic, even as his remarks came just hours […]

Ana CeballosNovember 30, 2017

There were the unwelcome sexual comments about her clothes, breasts and legs. And there was the time that he ‘assaulted’ her in a state Capitol elevator, brushing the lower half of her breast and later, his hand attempting to reach her vagina, she said. In the three-page sexual harassment complaint filed with the Senate Rules […]

Ana CeballosNovember 30, 2017

The Florida Senate employee who sparked a Senate sexual harassment investigation against Sen. Jack Latvala called Senate President Joe Negron a “douchebag” during a text message exchange last Session with the Pinellas lawmaker. Rachel Perrin Rogers, a top aide to Republican Majority Leader Wilton Simpson, was texting Latvala when news broke in April about ousted […]

Mitch PerryNovember 30, 2017

Like his father, state Rep. Chris Latvala of Clearwater is a proud Republican who doesn’t always toe the GOP line – a contrarian streak which sometimes gets him into trouble. Not that Latvala, son of longtime state Sen. Jack Latvala, is that worried about that perception. “My grade with the NRA is a ‘D.’ And I’m proud of […]

Ana CeballosNovember 29, 2017

Rachel Perrin Rogers, an aide to future Senate President Wilton Simpson, has publicly identified herself as one of the women accusing Sen. Jack Latvala of sexual harassment, according to a POLITICO Florida report. In doing so, a potential conflict of interest is raised in the Senate investigation into the claims because Perrin Rogers is married […]

Ana CeballosNovember 28, 2017

While the state Capitol in recent weeks has been beset by sex scandals, records show that the state has a 30-year history of settling sexual harassment claims, costing taxpayers more than $11 million. The state has agreed to resolve more than 300 claims with an overwhelming proportion taking place in the Department of Corrections, followed […]

Peter SchorschNovember 22, 2017

From the soup kitchens of Tallahassee to the conch houses of Key West, from the toniest mansions in Coral Gables to the double wides in Dixie County, people from all walks of life will sit down to celebrate the most American of holidays: Thanksgiving. “Americans traditionally recognize the ‘first’ Thanksgiving as having taken place at […]

Tag: Jack Latvala

Rob Bradley on Jack Latvala investigation: ‘There is a process in place’

Pam Bondi calls for legislation to protect sexual harassment victims

Text messages: Jack Latvala accuser dreamed of him as younger, skinnier

Adam Putnam on Jack Latvala charges: ‘If it’s true, he needs to go’

Sexual harassment complaint against Jack Latvala released

Text messages shed light on working relationship between Jack Latvala, accuser

Chris Latvala goes to class

Jack Latvala accuser outs herself, sets up potential conflict of interest in Senate probe

State settles $11M in sexual harassment claims over three decades

What Florida’s political elite should be thankful for