Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ryan RayOctober 6, 2015

A House panel Tuesday morning advanced a bill to grant concealed weapons licensees to carry their guns openly in Florida. Or as sponsor Rep. Matt Gaetz put it, restore a right “granted not by government, but by God.” Despite an admonishment from chairman Carlos Trujillo to keep questions to the text of the bill itself and avoid “philosophical” […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 18, 2015

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Florida is one of only three states left in the country that takes away ex-felons voting rights for life. More than 1.6 million Floridians cannot vote, hold office or serve on a jury, according to The Sentencing Project, a prison-reform group. Democrats in the Florida Legislature have railed for years against what they call this […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 17, 2015

Whatever you think about who “won” or “lost” Wednesday night’s debate extravaganza from the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, can even the most ardent political junkies agree that nearly five hours of presidential debates maybe a bit too much to handle? My God, that show needed an editor. By the time the question about […]

Jim RosicaSeptember 11, 2015

Circuit Judge Terry Lewis has given parties in the ongoing congressional redistricting case until Monday to submit their final versions of how to draw boundary lines for those districts. At a brief hearing on Friday, Lewis set the date for all competing maps to be submitted. A final hearing on the matter still is set for Sept. 24, court […]

Julie DelegalSeptember 1, 2015

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown has filed a federal lawsuit opposing the reshaping of the district she represents, Florida’s CD 5. Her legal action has drawn the attention of voters’ groups including the League of Women Voters, the group that led the charge for voters to pass the state’s Fair Districts Amendments. Congresswoman Brown contends that […]

Martin DyckmanAugust 25, 2015

Florida lost one of its oldest and best citizens when Elston Edward “Steve” Roady, a professor emeritus of political science at Florida State University, died at Tallahassee last week, four months into his 96th year. He was one of my favorite professors there, long ago, and a good friend. He did more than inspire two […]

Guest AuthorAugust 10, 2015

Welcome back to another Special Session! It’s been fun blaming the Florida Legislature for gerrymandering and all that, but GOP state Rep. Mike Hill from Pensacola wrote penned an interesting letter to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. In part, he wrote: “Under the guise of interpreting Sections 20 and 21 of Article III of the Florida […]

Guest AuthorAugust 9, 2015

Welcome back to another Special Session! It’s been fun blaming the Florida Legislature for gerrymandering and all that, but GOP state Rep. Mike Hill from Pensacola wrote penned an interesting letter to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. In part, he wrote: “Under the guise of interpreting Sections 20 and 21 of Article III of the Florida […]

Mitch PerryAugust 4, 2015

Fourteen Republican candidate for president met Monday night at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., last night. It was the equivalent of political speed-dating, (by the way, do those things happen anymore? I did it twice in the early aughts, and what I remember from the experience was how weary I was after standing up and moving to […]

Mitch PerryAugust 3, 2015

The Florida Legislature convenes next week to redraw eight congressional districts. They were mandated to do the Florida Supreme Court ruled last month that those eight districts were created in violation of the state’s Constitution. But the League of Women Voters in Florida fears that the Legislature hasn’t gotten the message from the Court, and will […]

Tag: League of Women Voters
Image via AP.

House panel pulls trigger on open carry

Ex-felon voting rights group’s money troubles cost it League backing … for now

Mitch Perry Report for 9.17.15 – The good, bad and ugly from Simi Valley

Judge gives redistricting parties extra time for maps

Julie Delegal: Could Florida have 2 minority-access districts for the price of one?

Martin Dyckman: A good friend, an inspiring teacher passes on

Henry Kelley: It’s time to fix high court’s districting overreach

Henry Kelley: It’s time to fix high court’s districting overreach

Mitch Perry Report for 8.4.15 — Political speed date dialing in Manchester

LWV calls on Florida Legislature to make redistricting process public