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Jim RosicaApril 5, 2016

With work well underway on renovations of the Florida Senate chamber, there’s still no word on the fate of the decades-old mural that greets visitors to the chamber’s fifth floor public gallery. Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta said Tuesday no final decision has been made about the artwork’s future. This past October, Betta said the mural will be taken down because it’s showing […]

Jim RosicaMarch 30, 2016

Long overdue renovations in the state’s Senate chamber are under way. Most of it has been gutted in preparation for a fresh look. FloridaPolitics.com reported last month that the Senate would finally jettison its 1970s look, unchanged since the Capitol first opened, with a nearly $5 million renovation this year. The very day after the Legislature adjourned this […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 23, 2016

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Say goodbye to all those yards of fake-wood laminate: The Florida Senate will be shedding the 1970s look of its chamber with a nearly $5 million renovation this year. Senate President Andy Gardiner, in a Jan. 6 memo to fellow senators, said the remodeling will begin this summer. A copy of the memo was provided to FloridaPolitics.com […]

Jim RosicaJanuary 5, 2016

The Florida Senate’s bronze seal, which usually hangs behind the Senate President’s lectern, was removed this week not only to replace the seal’s depiction of the Confederate flag but also in anticipation of still more design changes, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. In October, the Senate decided to remove a Confederate flag from the chamber’s official seal and replace […]

Jim RosicaDecember 30, 2015

Julie Jones: The head of the embattled state Department of Corrections has been making headlines since her appointment this January, and 2016 promises a no less busy year. Reports of inmate deaths and abuses and criminal activity behind bars have been unfortunate staples of prisons coverage. Earlier this year, Republican state Sen. Greg Evers grew so concerned […]

Jim RosicaNovember 18, 2015

In the ongoing saga over state Senate redistricting, everything old is new again. The state Senate on Wednesday disclosed its proposed fix for its gerrymandered districts, a mash-up of two previous maps: One was passed by the Senate, another was drawn but not voted on in the recent Special Session. Because lawmakers couldn’t agree, it’s now […]

Jim RosicaNovember 4, 2015

As the Special Session for Senate redistricting drew to a close, lawmakers were taking time off. On Wednesday, two senators had excused absences and weren’t on the floor as their colleagues OK’d a conference process to finish redrawing the district map. Sen. Maria Sachs, a Delray Beach Democrat, “had a personal commitment” and Sen. Denise Grimsley, a […]

Jim RosicaOctober 29, 2015

A band of “concerned citizens” – including the Republican Party of Florida’s treasurer – is asking Senate President Andy Gardiner to save the decades-old mural that greets visitors to the chamber’s public gallery. Earlier this month, Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta said the mural will be removed from the wall because it’s showing signs of age, including fading and peeling. […]

Jim RosicaOctober 8, 2015

The Florida Senate on Thursday will start its formal consideration of removing the Confederate flag from the chamber’s official seal. But another flag depiction greets visitors to the Capitol as they enter the Senate’s 5th floor observation gallery: The “Five Flags Mural,” which includes the Confederate flag near the center of the 10 foot-by-16 foot painting. Critics needn’t worry […]

Associated PressAugust 24, 2015

Florida’s budget stalemate cost taxpayers more than $651,000. That’s how much the Florida Legislature spent to hold a June Special Session to pass a new budget. Legislators were forced to hold a Special Session because the House and Senate had a bitter disagreement over health care spending during the regular session held in the spring. […]

Tag: Katie Betta
Jennifer Barbosa. Image via campaign website.

Still no decision on Florida Senate’s “Five Flags Mural”

Florida Senate renovations proceed apace

No more ’70s paneling: Florida Senate readies for a refresh

State Senate seal could be changing – again

Jim Rosica’s 5 people to watch in state government in 2016

Senate submits proposed redistricting map

As Special Session winds down, lawmakers take off

Concern grows over removal of Senate mural

Capitol mural with Confederate flag will be ‘changed out’

Florida taxpayers pay up: Redistricting Special Session cost $651,000