Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Peter SchorschMarch 28, 2018

It’s been nearly 25 years since a Democrat presided over the Florida Senate, but if the plans of party leaders and operatives come together, the president’s gavel could be theirs as soon as November. The Florida Democratic Party and the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the recently-established campaign arm of the Senate Democrats, are aggressively working to […]

Peter SchorschMarch 16, 2018

Hialeah Republican Rep. Manny Diaz Jr. is holding a fundraiser for to kick off his Senate campaign on Thursday. The Hialeah Park event will run from 6 PM to 9 PM on March 22, and the host committee features a number of South Florida Republican elected officials. Listed on the invite are Sen. Rene Garcia, […]

Ana CeballosMarch 9, 2018

The last-ditch effort to revive a Senate human trafficking bill crashed Friday night after the House decided to strip language that would have created a trust fund for victims. When it was up to the Senate to consider the changes to the bill, Republicans argued it should be killed because the House “did not do […]

Drew WilsonFebruary 20, 2018

The Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly avoided killing a campus “free speech” bill, opting to instead temporarily postpone it after the roll had been called despite objections the move was not procedurally sound. SB 1234, sponsored by Ocala Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, would erase dedicated “free speech zones” on college campuses, instead opening entire campuses to […]

Ana CeballosFebruary 12, 2018

Legislation that would allow human trafficking victims to sue hotels and other businesses that turned a blind eye to the abuse moved forward in the Senate on Monday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lauren Book, intends to give victims more litigation power to recoup economic damages as well as cost for their medical and mental […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 12, 2018

Sen. Travis Hutson says he believes “there’s a way for us to get there” when asked about gambling legislation finally passing the Legislature this year. The Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance and Tax on Monday unanimously approved his 90-page rewrite of the Senate’s gaming bill (SB 840) for 2018. It now includes a House provision: A renewed 20-year […]

Danny McAuliffeFebruary 6, 2018

State lawmakers are uniting against insurance companies that want to use genetic information as a factor for accepting patients and drafting policies. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday advanced a bill (SB 1106) that prohibits the use of genetic information for any insurance purpose, including to establish rate differentials. State law already prohibits […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 3, 2018

As we kick off 2018, a message to Florida lawmakers: Don’t quit while you’re ahead. Last year, our legislators kept many New Year’s resolutions: trimming the fat from the state budget, making sure taxpayers kept more of their hard-earned money and expanding educational opportunity for children across the state. This Session, there are several legislative […]

Ana CeballosNovember 6, 2017

Republican Sen. Rene Garcia, who chairs the Committee on Children, Families and Elders Affairs, said Monday that legislators need to “stop ignoring” mental health in the state even more so after the massacre that killed more than a dozen churchgoers in Texas. “We can no longer move on as a society until we start addressing […]

Staff ReportsOctober 10, 2017

Florida sports franchises will be banned from constructing or renovating facilities on leased public land under a bill advanced Tuesday by the House Committee on Government Accountability. Lobby Tools reports that HB 13, sponsored by Republican state Reps. Bryan Avila and Manny Diaz, is identical to HB 77, which died in the Senate during the 2017 […]

Tag: Rene Garcia

Florida Democrats look to expand number of state Senate seats in play

Manny Diaz holding Senate campaign fundraiser March 22

Senate kills human trafficking bill a day after it was revived

Senate panel postpones ‘campus free speech’ bill

Human trafficking bill allowing victims to sue hotels moves ahead

Double or nothing? Senate gambling bill clears latest panel

Life insurers say ban on genetic testing could harm industry

Chris Hudson: This Legislative Session, Floridians have much to be enthusiastic about

Rene Garcia urges legislators to ‘stop ignoring’ mental health issues

Sports franchise bill passes only committee, heads to House floor