Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 12, 2016

People United for Medical Marijuana, the political committee backing a push to get medical marijuana on the 2016 ballot, raised more than $500,000 dollars in December. The committee, which runs the United for Care Campaign, raised $571,236 in December. That one-month haul means the organization has raised more than $9.1 million. The committee received hundreds […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 8, 2016

More patients could be allowed to use medical marijuana under recently filed legislation in the Florida Legislature. On Thursday, Rep. John Wood, a Winter Haven Republican, filed legislation, HB 1183, that could expand medical marijuana options beyond a narrow category of patients, including children with a rare form of epilepsy. Wood’s proposal would allow use […]

Scott PowersJanuary 4, 2016

Florida’s Division of Administrative Hearings has split up the fourteen challenges to the state’s newly-awarded medical marijuana licenses, re-assigning the three Central Region challenges to Judge Elizabeth W. McArthur and the four Northeast region cases to Judge R. Bruce McKibben. Initially, the challenges all had been assigned to Judge W. David Watkins, who had presided over […]

Jim RosicaDecember 30, 2015

From palace intrigues to pot, 2015 brought a plethora of material to the Capitol Press Corps. Trying to pick the top 10 state government stories is a subjective pursuit, to say the least, but here are the FloridaPolitics.com picks for the passing year: No. 1: The “firing” of Gerald Bailey Gov. Rick Scott actually forced […]

Jim RosicaDecember 30, 2015

An open-government advocate is suing the Florida Department of Health, saying the agency is wrongfully withholding public records related to the state’s awarding of licenses to grow medical marijuana in the state. The case is about applications for the licenses, most pages of which — despite being posted on the department’s public website — have been blacked […]

Guest AuthorDecember 28, 2015

From palace intrigues to pot, 2015 brought a plethora of material to the Capitol Press Corps. Trying to pick the top 10 state government stories is a subjective pursuit, to say the least, but here are the FloridaPolitics.com picks for the passing year: No. 1: The “firing” of Gerald Bailey Gov. Rick Scott actually forced […]

Jim RosicaDecember 17, 2015

The Florida Supreme Court has approved a proposed constitutional amendment allowing medical marijuana in the state, according to an opinion released Thursday. The court on Thursday found that the amendment “embraces a single subject” and that the ballot title and summary and financial impact statement passed legal muster. “We therefore approve the proposed amendment and Financial Impact […]

Associated PressDecember 14, 2015

When Florida’s Office of Compassionate Care named five nurseries to grow and distribute medical marijuana in the state, many expected there would be a few challenges filed — but not the more than a dozen that had landed by Monday’s deadline. Department of Health officials said in an email that 13 administrative challenges across all […]

Jim RosicaDecember 11, 2015

Three Florida nurseries on Friday filed the first protests over the state’s licensing of growers of medical marijuana, according to the state Department of Health. The department confirmed receiving filings from TropiFlora of Sarasota, San Felasco Nurseries of Gainesville and Perkins Nursery of LaBelle by the close of business. Rejected nurseries have until Monday to file protests over the state’s award […]

Jim RosicaDecember 10, 2015

A medical marijuana lobbyist said a half-dozen Florida nurseries that had applied but failed to become growers “are thinking seriously about protesting” the state’s license-award process. Taylor Patrick Biehl told FloridaPolitics.com on Thursday that he and fellow lobbyist Jeff Sharkey had “spoken with seven or eight nurseries and a variety of administrative lawyers about the protest possibilities, […]

Tag: Medical marijuana

Committee backing medical marijuana amendment raises more than $500K in December

John Wood files legislation to give more patients medical marijuana options

State to split 14 medical marijuana license challenges among three administrative judges

Jim Rosica’s top 10 stories of 2015 in state government

Health Department sued over medical marijuana records

Jim Rosica's Top 10 stories of 2015 in state government

Fla. Supreme Court green lights medical pot amendment

13 challenges filed over medical marijuana licenses

3 Florida nurseries file protests over medical marijuana licenses

Nurseries gearing up for pot protests, lobbyist says