Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

James CallJanuary 6, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott took the oath of office for a second term at 12:09 p.m. Tuesday. The ceremony put an exclamation mark on Scott’s evolution from a Tea Party outsider who captured the governor’s mansion four years ago to a pillar of the GOP establishment; potential presidential candidates Texas Gov. Rick Perry and New Jersey […]

Associated PressJanuary 6, 2015

Former Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday announced the formation of a political action committee designed to lay the groundwork for a 2016 presidential campaign. In a video posted in English and Spanish on Facebook, the Republican said that the “Right to Rise PAC” will allow him to “support candidates who believe in conservative principles to […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 5, 2015

A surefire way for a player to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame is to bat .400 or better in a season, although no one has done so since Ted Williams in 1941. Still, if you get a hit every two times out of five in professional baseball, you will be more than an All-Star, […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 5, 2015

Being the Secretary of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority doesn’t come with many frills. The main job of this particular position is that he or she will preside over all board meeting in the absence of both the chair and vice chair. In other words, it’s heavily symbolic. But the question of who was […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 5, 2015

As Jeb Bush inches closer to a possible 2016 presidential run, anticipation rises as to when (and where) the Republican former Florida governor will finally take the plunge. Adding fuel to the fire, an announcement Bush will be raising money this week for his new leadership PAC at an event in Greenwich, Connecticut – hometown […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 4, 2015

Candidates mouthed the words “education” a lot in 2014, but it was not a decisive election issue. Still, against the odds, 2015 might be the year the Florida Department of Education makes a sincere effort to make its testing policies reasonable. There has been legitimate concern that Rick Scott, safe in his second term and […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 4, 2015

You see them haunting television commercials, old-time stars now hawking all sorts of stuff to make themselves some money and seem relevant. Here’s Shaquille O’Neal peddling medical products, as if we’d ever ask Shaq for advice about anything except how to dunk a basketball. There’s country crooner Kenny Rogers with yet another tired rendition of […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 4, 2015

Candidates mouthed the words “education” a lot in 2014, but it was not a decisive election issue. Still, against the odds, 2015 might be the year the Florida Department of Education makes a sincere effort to make its testing policies reasonable. There has been legitimate concern that Rick Scott, safe in his second term and […]

Associated PressJanuary 2, 2015

Jeb Bush has resigned all of his board memberships – both nonprofit and business – in a move that helps clear a path toward a 2016 presidential campaign. The former Florida governor stepped down from his remaining board memberships on Wednesday, the last day of the year, an aide said Wednesday night. It’s a continuation […]

Associated PressJanuary 2, 2015

Sen. Marco Rubio says he’s moving closer to a decision on whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination, but he’s not there yet. Rubio tells National Public Radio “this is not a gut decision.” He also says in an interview broadcast Thursday that he doesn’t have a “date in mind or a time frame in […]

Tag: Jeb Bush
Kamala Harris. Image via AP.

In inauguration speech, Rick Scott puts N.Y., California on notice

Edging closer to 2016 bid, Jeb Bush forms new PAC

Peter Schorsch: A reluctant Rubio and four other bold predictions for 2015

HART board member Kathleen Shanahan makes her presence felt

Jeb Bush fuels White House speculation with Greenwich fundraiser

2015 might bring high-stakes testing reform to Florida

Mark O'Brien: Jeb and Hillary, please stay home

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: 2015 might bring high-stakes testing reform to Florida

Bush resigns from remaining board memberships

Rubio moving close to decision on presidential run