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Staff ReportsMay 8, 2017

The Senate approved a roughly $83 billion state spending plan during a legislative overtime Monday, including a raft of conforming bills implementing House and Senate priorities on matters including public schools, colleges, and universities. The 34-4 vote sent the General Appropriations Act to the House, which later approved it on a 98-14 vote. The annual ‘sine die’ ceremony, […]

Jim RosicaMay 8, 2017

House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz blasted legislative leadership’s treatment of the University of South Florida, saying the school’s achievement of state “pre-eminent” status was snatched away from it at the last moment. Language in an education conforming bill late last Friday was changed, preventing USF from pre-eminence, a status that would have qualified it for millions of […]

Peter SchorschMay 8, 2017

Dysfunction seems to run in Tallahassee like a sine wave. We went from the collapse of 2015 – the House going home early, no budget, a Special Budget Session – to the trains-on-time Session of 2016, to the no-budget-at-the-end-of-regulation Session in 2017. We saw another Session in which we got oh-so-close to a gambling bill, […]

Joe HendersonMay 8, 2017

Florida State Senate President Joe Negron continues to insist there was no dark conspiracy to deny pre-eminent status to the University of South Florida. He swears on a stack of legal briefs that state graduation guidelines weren’t changed at the last minute just to make sure USF wouldn’t qualify. As we now know, this is […]

Mitch PerryMay 8, 2017

Florida Senate President Joe Negron is firing back at University of South Florida supporters who claim the Legislature “moved the goal posts” when they reverted language in an education conforming bill. The bill, they say, would prevent USF from reaching the 11th of 12 pre-assigned benchmarks which would qualify them for “pre-eminence,” a status that would have qualified […]

Peter SchorschMay 7, 2017

The headline writers had an easy job Friday night after the Florida Legislature failed to agree on rules to enact the medical marijuana amendment supported by 71 percent of Florida voters last November. “Medical marijuana deal goes up in smoke,” blared the Tallahassee Democrat. “Up in smoke: Legislature can’t agree on medical marijuana,” read The […]

Peter SchorschMay 6, 2017

Officials associated with the University of South Florida this weekend are fervently seeking to change the language in an education conforming bill that will keep the university from achieving ‘pre-eminent’ status next year. A loss of the pre-eminent status for USF could result in losing much as $15 million in state funding. “The amount of people who are upset about […]

Phil AmmannMay 5, 2017

Working toward a final Florida state budget, news of a skirmish between the Senate and House emerges. A war of words appears to have broken out between House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate Appropriations Chair Jack Latvala. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Latvala ended budget negotiations after Corcoran “changed the deal” by insisting the final agreement link […]

Peter SchorschMay 5, 2017

Ever since he was able to put a leash on rapper Pitbull‘s contract with VISIT Florida, Richard Corcoran has been the patron saint of those hoping to ferret out egregious government spending. Hospitals paying too much to their executives and lobbyists? Call Speaker Corcoran. Lottery makes a deal with a vendor which encumbers future legislative […]

Scott PowersMay 3, 2017

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham spent a good part of Wednesday installing solar panels on roofs in Orlando, while vowing she’ll do all she can to make the Sunshine State a solar energy leader. It’s not one now. Florida’s solar energy generation per person falls somewhere between Illinois and Ohio, well behind such un-sunshiny states […]

Tag: Joe Negron

Legislature OKs 2017-18 state budget in extended session

Janet Cruz blasts USF’s treatment in proposed budget

Winners and losers emerging from the 2017 Legislative Session

Joe Henderson: Bottom line for USF — Close, but no pre-eminence status

Senate President denies ‘moving goal posts’ regarding USF’s drive for pre-eminence

John Morgan after medical marijuana legislation dies: Ben Pollara ‘f*cked’ the patients

USF community outraged after last-minute budget language is inserted to keep it from achieving ‘pre-eminent’ status

Jack Latvala blames final budget stalemate on Richard Corcoran’s ‘last-minute switcheroo’

Richard Corcoran insists he’s not getting in the middle of Scientology vs. Clearwater Aquarium

Gwen Graham vows to push for solar while installing panels