Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet are supposed to meet Friday to pick the state’s new Insurance Commissioner. But except for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, none of them will actually be there. The rest, including Scott, will be phoning it in. Friday’s get-together (or lack thereof) is a last-minute emergency meeting, called by the […]

Phil AmmannApril 24, 2016

Florida legislators may have publicly backed a presidential candidate, but new research finds that several lawmakers failed to vote in the state’s primary election. Noah Pransky of WTSP reports that a number of lawmakers — just like in 2012 – simply did not take part in Florida’s March 15 presidential preference primary, including four from […]

A.G. GancarskiApril 21, 2016

In Tampa Thursday, Governor Rick Scott ceremonially signed SB 636, a bill introduced by Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto that requires testing of rape kits within 120 days of submission to a state crime lab, and requires that agencies submit kits for testing inside of 30 days after the beginning of the investigation In a statement, Scott said that the bill will […]

Jim RosicaApril 20, 2016

A top plaintiffs’ insurance lawyer is lauding Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty‘s offer to extend his departure, which was originally set for May 2. McCarty “staying on until a replacement is named is a massive blessing,” said Chip Merlin of the Merlin Law Group in Tampa. Merlin has built a business out of suing insurance companies that “deny, delay or underpay property […]

Jim RosicaApril 20, 2016

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Kevin McCarty is telling his bosses: You need more time? You got it. The state’s outgoing Insurance Commissioner on Wednesday wrote separate but identical letters to Gov. Rick Scott, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. He said he would delay his departure to “45 days after my successor […]

Peter SchorschApril 19, 2016

About a month ago, when FloridaPolitics.com offered “The Good, the Bad and the Interesting” of the applicants for the next Insurance Commissioner, we highlighted the legal requirements for the job. They’re high … on purpose. HB 3, passed in Special Session E in 2002, implemented a 1998 constitutional amendment that merged the jobs of Comptroller […]

Mitch PerryApril 18, 2016

Arguments were held in the Supreme Court Monday in United States v. Texas, the intensely fought legal battle regarding President Obama’s executive actions on immigration that he made in November of 2014. Obama’s proposal would create a new program to allow the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents to obtain temporary work authorization to remain […]

Associated PressApril 18, 2016

Florida’s fight to keep intact a ban on gay marriage is going to wind up costing taxpayers. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle has ordered the state to pay the fees of attorneys who filed federal lawsuits challenging the state’s voter-approved ban. Hinkle said in an order dated Friday the attorneys were eligible for payment because […]

Jim RosicaApril 18, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet now have 67 names to pick from for state Insurance Commissioner. They decided to take more applications for the job after the March 29 Cabinet meeting, setting an April 15 application deadline. Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater had each favored two different candidates: Retired executive Jeffrey Bragg and state Rep. Bill […]

Martin DyckmanApril 15, 2016

If only the Florida Constitution included a provision like this: (1) Members of the Legislature who vote for measures subsequently held unconstitutional shall be liable jointly and severally for all attorney fees and costs as established by the court. (2) Failure to pay such liabilities within 60 days of final judgment shall constitute disqualification for […]

Tag: Pam bondi

Jeff Atwater may be alone in Cabinet meeting

Florida lawmakers support presidential candidates, but forgot to vote in primary

Rick Scott ceremonially signs rape kit testing bill

Chip Merlin calls Kevin McCarty’s departure delay a ‘massive blessing’

In letter, Kevin McCarty says he’s willing to extend departure date

The million-dollar Insurance Commissioner question

Kathy Castor praises Obama immigration actions as case goes to Supreme Court

Florida’s fight to keep gay marriage ban could be costly

67 apply to become state’s next Insurance Commissioner

Martin Dyckman: Courts failed organizations that won redistricting fight