Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonNovember 6, 2018

Florida voters had to fight back some “ballot fatigue” Tuesday, with no less than a dozen amendments following the razzle dazzle races for Governor and U.S. Senate getting people to the polls in record numbers for a midterm election. Some of those amendments have hogged the spotlight, none more so than Amendment 4, which would […]

Bill RuftyNovember 5, 2018

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends.” — King Henry the Fifth, William Shakespeare. On Tuesday, state Rep. Josie Tomkow is running for re-election to Florida House District 39. Nevertheless, she has not yet sat in a Legislative Session. Elected May 1 to replace state Rep. Neil Combee, who resigned Nov. 24, 2017, to accept a […]

Danny McAuliffeJune 15, 2018

Elected officials aren’t the only ones subject to brief stints in the capital city. Avenue Eat & Drink, a popular downtown eatery on East Park Avenue just blocks from the Capitol, has indefinitely shut down, according to owner and operator Chris Clark. Clark said the location “hopefully” could be up and running again soon — […]

Peter SchorschMarch 26, 2018

State Sen. Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat, had said he would announce a decision on running for mayor of Tallahassee this past weekend, but a spokesman said the longtime elected official has not yet made up his mind. Montford did not respond to calls and messages left Sunday. Montford, 70, was a popular school principal, Leon […]

Peter SchorschMarch 16, 2018

Once the hanky dropped on the 2013 Legislative Session, my family headed to St. Augustine Beach to recuperate from the 60 days of working in that pressure cooker. Michelle and I had been married for just over a year and our daughter, Ella Joyce, was only months old. Our business was just starting to take […]

Staff ReportsMarch 9, 2018

Billion-dollar budgets … education … gambling. These are but three of the dozens of earth-shattering critical issues debated during the 2018 Legislative Session. Who cares? Session is also about the tangential and the trivial, but it’s tangential and trivial which drives the Florida Capitol. That’s why Florida Politics is excited to announce the return of TallyMadness — an online voting competition […]

Scott PowersFebruary 7, 2018

Most Floridians want the right to rent out a bedroom, or their whole home, or their rental property, as short-term lodging for vacationers. A new survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy and released Tuesday finds that 73 percent of Floridians believe they and their neighbors should have the right to rent out their primary […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 13, 2017

The Legislative Committee of the Constitutional Revision Commission approved a proposal Wednesday to fix Legislative Session dates going forward. Sessions would start in January in even-numbered years. They would start in March in odd-numbered years. Rep. Jeannette Nunez, House Speaker Pro Tempore, noted that the proposal would give “consistency” going forward and would accord with current […]

Guest AuthorJune 30, 2017

This Legislative Session was a tumultuous one, with several lawmakers holding to their convictions, refusing to negotiate, but in the end, compromise prevailed. Thankfully, in the final hours of the Special Session, legislative leaders realized the unparalleled value of tourism to our state’s overall economy. By allocating $76 million of funding for VISIT FLORIDA, Florida […]

Blake DowlingMay 6, 2017

Legislative Session is winding down – gaming, dope, infrastructure, assistive tech. It has been an exciting journey, with losers and winners, fights, name calling at the Capitol and at the Governors Club. Hopefully, when the dust settles, those in the trenches can regain some commonality and remember we are all on the same team as […]

Tag: Legislative Session

Ballot B-Sides: Voters approve Amendments 7, 10, 11 and 12

Josie Tomkow seeks re-election, despite never seeing a Session

Avenue Eat & Drink joins growing list of shuttered Tallahassee restaurants

Bill Montford still on the fence on TLH mayoral run

The Schorsch governing theory of Florida politics — Part 1

Get ready for the return of TallyMadness!

Survey finds Floridians want right to rent out their homes to vacationers

CRC panel moves Session dates proposal through

Carol Dover: Thank you, Florida leaders, for your hospitality

Blake Dowling: Looking back …