Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Scott PowersMay 16, 2016

Sitting with Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, Florida’s Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio pledged Monday to do whatever he can to help combat the growing heroin crisis, saying federal funds for treatment of uninsured addicts are critical. Jacobs has made Orange County’s heroin crisis a top priority for her efforts, and recently oversaw a task […]

Associated PressMay 15, 2016

Nearly half the counties in Florida, including Orange, Osceola and Volusia, have a high percentage of adults without health insurance, according to new estimates released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Twenty-nine of 67 counties have many working-age adults without insurance, according to 2014 data from the bureau. The counties, largely located in Central […]

Larry GriffinApril 22, 2016

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said at a news conference Friday following the State of the County that the ongoing Tourist Development Tax spending controversy will be taken before the Board of County Commissioners for a workshop. “At the end of the day, it’s the board that makes any final decision about expenditures,” she said. […]

Scott PowersApril 21, 2016

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs may be looking for a way out of the corner she’s painted into involving the multi-faceted controversy over the county’s robust tourist tax. The mayor is calling a joint meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners and the Orange County Tourist Development Council with the prospect she’ll be seeking a path […]

Scott PowersApril 1, 2016

With Orange County’s bed tax flush from record tourism, Orlando’s tourism community wants to see more of that money spent on tourism marketing, the convention center and area sports and arts venues, including the next phase of construction for the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center. The Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association and Orlando’s three major […]

Tag: Orange County

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

Marco Rubio says federal government needs to provide more treatment funds for uninsured heroin addicts

Census: 3 Central Florida counties among highest with uninsured adults

Teresa Jacobs: Commissioners will hold workshop on Tourist Development Tax plan

Teresa Jacobs looking to reopen tourism tax discussions at special meeting

Hotel association, Orlando theme parks pitch for more Orange County tourism tax money