Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJune 15, 2016

I’m not religious enough to cite scriptural references in normal circumstances, but we all know the story of Job, and how he endured one calamity after another while his so-called friends tried to convince him to disavow his faith — yet he never did. Welcome to Orlando, where the rhetorical question, “What else can happen?” […]

Scott PowersJune 15, 2016

Love is conquering in Orlando. That’s the Day 4 message of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, as the community pulls together a remarkable recovery effort from Bloody Sunday and confronts a third tragedy in five days. Dyer and Jacobs addressed the city and the world Wednesday morning from outside of […]

Joe HendersonJune 12, 2016

(Editor’s note: We bring this column to highlight an important viewpoint on Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando.) The sermon Sunday morning in my house of worship was about love. In light of current events that seems odd, doesn’t it? We woke to the news that a gunman with apparent ties to radical Islam murdered at […]

Larry GriffinJune 12, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in Orange County after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub Sunday morning, which has so far claimed 50 lives and is the deadliest shooting in U.S. history. In an executive order issued Sunday, Scott declared Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Richard Swearingen would be […]

Phil AmmannJune 7, 2016

Florida has the most toll roads in the nation, with Orange County having the most per square mile in the state. There are 719 miles of Florida toll roads, reports LobbyTools, and Central Florida is at the epicenter. Orange County boasts 153 miles of toll roads, possibly making it an area with the most toll roads […]

Scott PowersJune 1, 2016

All the bickering this spring about whether Orange County could cough up $1 million a year to get the NFL Pro Bowl may be long forgotten next winter if the game week goes as announced. The NFL made the official announcement Wednesday afternoon that Orlando will host the next three football All-Star Games at Camping […]

Scott PowersMay 27, 2016

Thursday’s ruling by a 9th Judicial Circuit judge that Orange County constitutional officers must run in partisan elections creates a tight timetable for what happens in the Aug. 30 primary. Late Friday morning there still was no decision from the Orange County Mayor’s Office on whether the county will appeal the ruling by Judge Keith White, […]

Scott PowersMay 26, 2016

A judge ruled Thursday that Orange County had no authority to make the elections of constitutional officers nonpartisan contests, striking down the results of a 2014 ballot issue that did so. Those offices are now partisan again. Circuit Court Judge Keith White ruled in Orange County that the question put before county voters in the Nov. 2014, […]

Larry GriffinMay 24, 2016

Sen. Marco Rubio will chair a hearing in Washington D.C. about the heroin epidemic on Thursday. Rubio, in his position as chair of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues, will oversee the hearing, which will be titled “Cartels and the U.S. Heroin Epidemic: Combating Drug Violence […]

Scott PowersMay 19, 2016

Bloomberg Sports reported late Thursday that Orlando has won the Pro Bowl sweepstakes and the NFL will move the football all-star game to the City Beautiful starting next January. However, local officials said they were not aware of anything that could confirm the development. Bloomberg cited anonymous sources, contending that the NFL had not made […]

The transformation of Orlando

Love is conquering, say mayors Buddy Dyer, Teresa Jacobs

Joe Henderson: Love is perfect message on day of horror

Rick Scott declares a state of emergency for Orange County after Orlando shooting

Study shows Florida has most toll roads in the nation, with more to come

NFL makes official announcement on Orlando Pro Bowl

Orange County partisan election ruling forces tight timetable

Judge strikes down 2014 Orange County ballot issue that made elections nonpartisan

Marco Rubio to host heroin epidemic forum in D.C. Thursday

Orlando gets the NFL Pro Bowl