Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Mitch PerryMarch 31, 2017

Advocates of Amendment 2, which legalized medical marijuana in Florida, have been expressing disdain for HB 1397, moving through the Legislature this Session, sponsored by Fort Myers Republican Ray Rodrigues. “Folks, this bill is bad,” wrote Ben Pollara, head of United for Care, the organization that campaigned for the constitutional amendment that passed with more than 71 […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 29, 2017

Cosmetic manufacturers are hopeful state lawmakers will take action this year to eliminate a policy requiring them to get approval before taking a product to market, a lengthy process that industry officials say goes above and beyond federal requirements. The industry has been pushing for the change for several years now, but think a recent […]

Staff ReportsMarch 28, 2017

The Senate Government Oversight and Accountability Committee voted 5-1 to approve a proposal (SB 596) that would allow telecommunications companies to put small wireless communications infrastructure in public rights-of-way. Tom Feeney, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida: “AIF supports legislation to bring technology of the future to Florida, allowing our communities to be […]

Mitch PerryMarch 28, 2017

Momentum remains strong in Tallahassee for the first bill in Florida to regulate ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft. On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the proposal (SB 340) unanimously without debate. The bill, sponsored by St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes, would require ride-sharing companies to carry $100,000 of insurance for bodily injury or death and $25,000 for property […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 22, 2017

Sen. Rob Bradley indicated he is willing to support opening up the medical marijuana market more than he first proposed, but continues to believe vertical integration is the right system for Florida. Bradley, an Orange Park Republican, filed one of five medical marijuana implementing bills this Legislative Session. His proposal (SB 406) would, among other […]

Ben PollaraMarch 22, 2017

Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues claims to have polled Floridians on whether they want marijuana legalized. They do not. Undisclosed interests hired a political consultant, who then hired Donald Trump‘s pollster to ask the same question. They got the same answer: 48 percent oppose legalization, while 46 percent support it. I have two questions that don’t […]

Peter SchorschMarch 21, 2017

Besides, maybe, New York City or Washington, D.C., there really is no better place from which to write about politics than Tampa Bay. One reason is that there are so many competitive congressional and legislative seats in the region. And what’s spent to win those seats is oftentimes as much as the amount spent to […]

Mitch PerryMarch 20, 2017

Because polling in 2016 showed less than half of all Floridians want to legalize marijuana outright, Ray Rodrigues believes he is doing the right thing by pushing regulations that ban people from smoking cannabis or using edible pot. “Here’s what we know,” the Fort Myers House Republican told former Congressman David Jolly on AM 820 WWBA Thursday […]

Les NeuhausMarch 16, 2017

More than three-quarters of Florida’s corrections officers have less than two years’ experience. In some state prisons, a single CO will be left alone to supervise 150-200 inmates in a jail block. Contraband has become so bad, one random search of (just half) a Dade facility turned up $15,000 in street value of cocaine, seven knives, […]

Mitch PerryMarch 15, 2017

There are a number of bills floating in the Florida Legislature this year that deal with criminal justice reform, but one that has law enforcement completely flummoxed is a bill that would remove their discretion to charge a minor regarding a variety of first-time offenses. Miami Republican Senator Anitere Flores‘ bill (SB 196) requires a law enforcement […]

Tag: Jeff Brandes

Unless legislation is changed, Joe Redner says he’ll sue over Legislature’s medical marijuana

Cosmetics industry hopeful third time is the charm for reform bill

Capitol Reax: Visit Florida funding, Uber, high-speed rail

Senate Judiciary Committee gives big win for ridesharing regulation

Senate begins discussion of medical marijuana implementing legislation

Ben Pollara: Medical marijuana implementation for the 29, 48 … or 71 percent?

Here’s where sh*t stands in Tampa Bay politics — the ‘this place is the best’ edition

Ray Rodrigues stance on medical marijuana angers Amendment 2 advocates

Florida prison chief: State losing corrections staff to ‘Wal-Mart,’ creating insecurity in system

Law enforcement says Anitere Flores’ civil citations proposal still ‘a non-starter’