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Staff ReportsNovember 18, 2015

Following an impressive performance at the Sunshine Summit in Orlando over the weekend, the Senate campaign for Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera announced the endorsements of several Southwest Florida and Tampa area state legislators Wednesday: Senate Majority Leader Bill Galvano of Bradenton State Rep. Ben Albritton of Bartow State Rep. Jim Boyd of Bradenton State Rep. […]

Drew WilsonNovember 10, 2015

Both Rep. Kathleen Passidomo and businessman Gary Price may have posted five-figure fundraising hauls in October, but it was Rep. Matt Hudson who raised enough to extend his lead in the three-way Republican Senate District 23 race. A good deal of Hudson’s $20,950 tally came from medical groups, including $1,000 checks from the Novartis Pharmaceutical Group, the […]

Ryan RayNovember 3, 2015

Amid a heated inter-industry debate among representatives of title insurance companies and homeowners’ and condominium association managers, a bill to shift certain closing costs onto the latter passed the House Civil Justice Committee on Tuesday with two “no” votes. Republican Rep. John Wood‘s HB 203 is based on the premise that HOAs and condo associations are charging […]

Drew WilsonSeptember 14, 2015

Gary Price scored another fundraising win in August, besting Republican Reps. Matt Hudson and Kathleen Passidomo in the contentious three-way primary for Senate District 23. The former Naples City Council member took in $14,120 for the month, more than Hudson and Passidomo combined, and spent $7,624. The August haul puts Price at about $109,000 cash-on-hand, […]

Drew WilsonAugust 10, 2015

July fundraising numbers are in, though none of the big ticket Senate races for 2016 got much action, and with the Special Session on Redistricting, it should stay that way for sitting lawmakers during the back half of August. Fort Walton Beach Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz brought in $16,855 for the month and spent $7,629, leaving him with a […]

Ryan RayJune 30, 2015

For the second time this month, Rep. Kathleen Passidomo received plaudits from the Florida Bar. The Trial Lawyers Section gave the Naples Republican its “Legislator of the Year” award on Tuesday, honoring the third-term representative for her work in revising the state’s guardianship laws to protect Florida’s elders from financial exploitation. “I am humbled by this honor […]

Drew WilsonJune 21, 2015

As of June, none of the 12 Florida Senators running for reelection is facing much of a challenge — Democratic Sen. Jeff Clemens is the only incumbent to draw an opponent so far, but it won’t derail him from another term. District 29 looks set as well, with Democratic Rep. Jim Waldman having a clear path to take over for outgoing Sen. Jeremy […]

Drew WilsonJune 11, 2015

The race to take over termed-out Republican Sen. Garrett Richter’s District 23 seat was already setting up to be a hard-fought battle between Republican Reps. Matt Hudson and Kathleen Passidomo, when the May entry of Naples businessman Gary Price brought on what will likely be an even more contentious three-way primary. Campaign finance numbers for May show Hudson is […]

Peter SchorschMay 14, 2015

The half-decade-long race to determine who will serve as president of the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2018 — either Jack Latvala or Joe Negron — has taken on all the difficulty of a Chinese finger puzzle after a series of recent developments designed to solve the matter have only made the issue more complicated. Most […]

Peter SchorschMay 13, 2015

As a Special Session of the Legislature inches closer to hammering out Florida’s spending plan ahead of the June 30 deadline, some lawmakers have even more pressing business to conduct: fundraising. A new email from Naples Republican Rep. Kathleen Passidomo does just that, as she announces she will seek the Senate seat of term-limited Sen. Garrett Richter. […]