Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryMay 3, 2017

Two bills sponsored by Tampa House Democratic Minority Leader Janet Cruz are headed towards Governor Rick Scott’s desk. The House on Wednesday unanimously passed SB 800, the Senate companion to Cruz’ bill that will prohibit health insurers from denying patients the ability to receive a partial refill of a prescription if they choose to enroll in a medication […]

Scott PowersApril 21, 2017

Friends of the court are beginning to crowd into the Florida Supreme Court case pitting Orlando’s State Attorney Aramis Ayala and Gov. Rick Scott, with families of homicide victims siding with Scott, and the ACLU and House Minority Leader Janet Cruz siding with Ayala on Friday. Several filings Friday are loading the case with friends. Also Friday, a group […]

Mitch PerryApril 19, 2017

Florida Democratic Minority House Leader Janet Cruz is calling for Miami Republican Sen. Frank Artiles to step down, following the outrage over published remarks of his racist comments to black Democratic lawmakers. “Frank Artiles’ comments Monday night transcend politics and get to the idea of who we are as people,” said the Tampa Representative in a statement issued late […]

Mitch PerryApril 11, 2017

In declaring his candidacy early for the Tampa-based House District 62 seat, Carlos Frontela already demonstrates he’s learned from rookie mistakes made last year in his bid for the Hillsborough County School Board. “I jumped in really late, two months before the primary,” he says, reminiscing about his ill-fated run for the District 7 seat ultimately […]

Jim RosicaApril 10, 2017

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It’s tough to be a top Democrat in Florida, but Evan Jenne is going for it. Jenne, of Dania Beach, recently announced his intention to seek the leadership of the House Democrats in 2020-22. In a state where Republicans have controlled the Legislature for the last two decades, “you can’t promise definitively that something will […]

Jim RosicaApril 4, 2017

The House on Tuesday began consideration of a Senate bill changing the state’s “stand your ground” law to make it easier to claim self-defense. But the House soon amended the measure (SB 128) to change the burden of proof to overcome self-defense to “clear and convincing evidence,” a lower threshold than the Senate’s “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The […]

Mitch PerryApril 3, 2017

In Tampa, Florida Democratic Party Chair Stephen Bittel waxed optimistically last month about the Democrats’ chance of winning back the state Senate in 2020. Notably, he didn’t say anything about the House, where Republicans outnumber Democrats, 79-41. Tampa Rep. Janet Cruz, serving the first year of a two-year stint as Minority Leader and four weeks into the 2017 Session, admits […]

Mitch PerryApril 1, 2017

House members now say the possibility of a fracking ban is dead for the 2017 Legislative Session. Sen. Dana Young thinks it’s premature to administer last rites, at least just yet. “You never say never, but now we’re saying it looks like that will be next year,” Rep. Mike Miller, an Orlando Republican, told the Naples Daily […]

Peter SchorschMarch 31, 2017

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Hmmm, they don’t seem that provocative. On Thursday, members of the Women’s Legislative Caucus wore purple T-shirts with the slogan, “A Woman’s Place is in the House and the Senate.” Once on the House floor, however, an alarm rose among some: Were they appropriate? Rules Chair Jose Oliva, slated to be Speaker in 2018-20, soon put […]

Jim RosicaMarch 23, 2017

A bill that would let voters fix mismatching signatures on their vote-by-mail ballots so they can be counted has passed the House of Representatives. The House approved the bill (HB 105), sponsored by House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa, by a unanimous vote of 113-0 on Thursday. It would require supervisors of elections and their […]

Tag: Janet Cruz

Two Janet Cruz-sponsored bills headed to Gov. Scott’s desk

Families of homicide victims, ACLU, Janet Cruz join filers in Aramis Ayala case

Janet Cruz latest Democrat to call for Frank Artiles resignation

Carlos Frontela chastened by 2016 mistakes, is fired up for House District 62 bid

Evan Jenne’s ‘tipping point’: A run for House Democratic Leader

House amends Senate’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ bill

Janet Cruz’s ‘tough haul,’ frustrations of the Democratic House caucus

Dana Young, environmentalists still hold hope for fracking ban in 2017

T-shirts cause clothing kerfuffle in House

Vote-by-mail ballots fix passes House