Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaMarch 7, 2016

A bill intended to end a fight between the state and several counties over juvenile detention costs passed the Florida Senate on Monday. The measure (SB 1322), sponsored by state Sen. Jack Latvala, was approved on a 38-0 vote. It requires “non-fiscally constrained counties,” generally more affluent, urban areas, to pay a total of $42.5 million for all detention […]

Staff ReportsMarch 7, 2016

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State Sen. Jack Latvala, who will become Appropriations chair next year, blasted House leadership as “ideologues” for refusing to fund Gov. Rick Scott‘s proposed $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund. Latvala, the Clearwater Republican who now heads the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development, penned an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times on Friday morning. Latvala […]

Ryan RayMarch 4, 2016

Legislative budget writers met Friday evening to take up another pair of unreconciled budget areas – Transportation & Economic Development and Civil & Criminal Justice – and came to a final agreement, closing out millions in funding items in a multibillion dollar move when the House and Senate accepted each others’ offers. Among the most […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 4, 2016

The Florida Senate began discussions on a proposal to expand medical marijuana in Florida. Among other things, it expands the Right to Try Act to include medical marijuana. Eligible patients, defined as someone with one year left to live, can purchase medical marijuana from dispensing organizations. Under the proposal, dispensing organizations would grow and distribute […]

Drew WilsonFebruary 29, 2016

The joint budget conference on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development came a bit closer to agreement Monday afternoon, with the third House offer closing out the largest chunk of the $12.8 billion budget segment. With the addition of $3.2 million for a trio of line items, lawmakers now agree on a $10.75 billion budget for the Department of […]

Ryan RayFebruary 28, 2016

An obscure but heated battle over a state contract potentially worth hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money is at stake as budget conferees continue to hammer out differences between House and Senate proposals. At issues is the radio equipment law enforcement agents use to communicate. Problems with communication gear have led to the deaths of several […]

Ryan RayFebruary 28, 2016

House and Senate budget conferees remain some distance away from reconciling their varying budget proposals, with a nominal $8 million and several line items standing between lawmakers and a unified budget proposal to send to Gov. Rick Scott. The elephant in the room? Neither proposal circulating in the Conference Committee on House Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations/Senate […]

Ryan RayFebruary 27, 2016

The Government Operations/General Government budget conference held its second meeting Saturday, as the sub-chairmen for each chamber – Rep. Jeanette Nunez and Sen. Alan Hays – continued to wrangle spreadsheets as they inched closer to squaring the $10 million in differences between their respective proposals. This time it was the House’s turn to respond to a Senate offer from […]

Ryan RayFebruary 27, 2016

The Senate accepted the House’s offer on funding for the Transportation and Economic Development budget silo, but with a catch – that the two chambers must still work out proviso language on two transportation programs. One of those two programs, which provide services to the transportation disadvantaged, was particularly important to Sen. Audrey Gibson, a Democrat from […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 24, 2016

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After a debate that included mentions of monsters, Robert A. Heinlein and the Tampa Bay Rays, the Florida House of Representatives Wednesday passed its 2016 business and economic incentives package, including the framework for Gov. Rick Scott‘s proposed $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund. As bill sponsor Jim Boyd reminded members, it still has no funding: “This is a structure bill, […]

Tag: Jack Latvala

Juvenile detention cost-sharing measure passes Senate

In op-ed, Jack Latvala blasts House zeroing out of incentives fund

Budget writers close out TED, justice budget silos

Senate tees up medical marijuana expansion for vote next week

TED budget conferees wrap up negotiations

State police radio replacement dispute becomes budget conference sticking point

House, Senate TED budget writers still unresolved on DEO funding

Government operations budgets inch toward reconciliation

House, Senate agree on TED budget proposal

House passes incentives measure desired by Rick Scott