Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschMarch 28, 2018

It’s been nearly 25 years since a Democrat presided over the Florida Senate, but if the plans of party leaders and operatives come together, the president’s gavel could be theirs as soon as November. The Florida Democratic Party and the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the recently-established campaign arm of the Senate Democrats, are aggressively working to […]

Blake DowlingMarch 24, 2018

Legislation, innovation and deployment of autonomous vehicles hit a significant roadblock this week. A very tragic incident in Arizona involving a self-driving Uber vehicle and a pedestrian killed the pedestrian. The goal of self-driving vehicles is to make our lives easier and roads safer. Self-driving cars do not get drunk or speed, so the 40,000 […]

Peter SchorschMarch 21, 2018

St. Petersburg attorney Carrie Pilon is expected to challenge incumbent Republican Jeff Brandes in Senate District 24, according to planning documents obtained by Florida Politics. Pilon, a St. Pete native, is a Stetson University law grad and also holds a bachelor’s and master’s in public administration from Florida State University. She runs an injury law […]

Drew WilsonMarch 13, 2018

House District 37 frontrunner Ardian Zika picked up an endorsement Tuesday from St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes. “Ardian Zika is a conservative Republican who knows what it takes to build a business, make payroll and grow our economy,” Brandes said in a press release. “Ardian’s story – how he left a civil war-torn country […]

Staff ReportsMarch 12, 2018

Sen. Jeff Brandes promised criminal justice reforms, a sweeping transportation bill, banning fees on consumer report security freezes and “merlot-to-go,” but only half of those came true by the time the 2018 Legislative Session wrapped up. As the process moved toward the 60-day finish line, the Pinellas County Republican was optimistic about his bold proposals. […]

Peter SchorschMarch 11, 2018

Nobody expected a tragedy like Parkland to suck all the oxygen out of the Legislature’s 2018 Regular Session. Lobbyists were left scrambling to save their clients’ priorities as lawmakers hustled to rejigger the budget to accommodate hundreds of millions of dollars for school safety and mental health initiatives. Some survived, many did not; although that’s […]

Danny McAuliffeMarch 7, 2018

The Senate unanimously supported a bill on Wednesday that would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before collecting information stored on devices like the Amazon Echo or Google Home. The bill (SB 1256) explicitly prohibits the collection of location and communications data stored on electronic communication devices, including cellphones. Bill sponsor Jeff Brandes, a […]

Danny McAuliffeMarch 5, 2018

The three independent campuses affiliated with the University of South Florida network could soon be consolidated under one accreditation. The House passed a bill Monday afternoon that, if signed into law, would require two smaller auxiliary campuses, USF St. Petersburg and USF Manatee/Sarasota, to become part of the main USF Tampa campus by July 1, 2020. The […]

Ana CeballosMarch 3, 2018

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After leading the charge to oust Broward Sheriff Scott Israel in the wake of Florida’s worst school shooting, Republican state Rep. Bill Hager tried to gut funding from a program run by the Sheriff’s Office. Hager oversees the House’s criminal justice budget, which gives him large sway over funding for law enforcement-related projects and issues. […]

Ana CeballosMarch 2, 2018

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A quiet change proposed Thursday under a wide-ranging commercial motor vehicle bill would strip the power of a transportation panel and give the governor sole discretion over the appointment of the state’s top transportation official. State law tasks the Florida Transportation Commission to recommend three names to the governor when it comes to choosing the […]

Tag: Jeff Brandes

Florida Democrats look to expand number of state Senate seats in play

Blake Dowling: After Uber tragedy, safety is job one for self-driving cars

Jeff Brandes expected to draw challenge from trial lawyer Carrie Pilon

Jeff Brandes backs Ardian Zika for state House

Jeff Brandes loses a couple of priorities, but brings home other wins

Winners and losers emerging from the 2018 Legislative Session

Senate backs privacy protections for Amazon Echo, Google Home

House passes USF consolidation plan

Bill Hager’s battle with Broward Sheriff spills over into Florida budget talks

Governor would have sole discretion over FDOT head appointment under proposal