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Staff ReportsMarch 23, 2018

Readers may note a focus on campaigns in Jacksonville Bold this week. With the Legislative Session over, we are now heading into campaign season. While Gov. Rick Scott seeks the right time to launch his bid for the U.S. Senate against Bill Nelson, facing no primary competition if he does so, pretty much everyone else […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 22, 2018

Governor Rick Scott and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam are in the twilight of their current tenures. Putnam wants to replace Scott and has been vocal in criticisms of Scott policy. Putnam vowed to bring back the drug czar position that Scott eliminated after he took office in 2011, although the commissioner was quick to point out that Scott […]

Staff ReportsMarch 22, 2018

On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott swung through Ponte Vedra to highlight military and veteran spending in the 2018-19 budget. This was the second trip this month to the Jacksonville market to highlight military-friendly initiatives. Scott staged the event at K9s for Warriors, which provides service dogs for veterans who suffer from PTSD and other post-combat maladies. The nonprofit […]

Peter SchorschMarch 22, 2018

After a brief hiatus, “Not Just A Body of Water” is returning with a streamlined format — different in style from our other email products — that is a better fit for what we describe internally as “Ninja Bow.” We plan to deliver NJABW more frequently than once a week because there is just so […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 22, 2018

Adam Putnam did not support the efforts of Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran to enact the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act. The Republican gubernatorial candidate has also went on record during a TV interview he would “likely not” have signed the bill. Yet despite taking to NRA TV this weekend to once more condemn the legislation, Putnam […]

Drew WilsonMarch 21, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday signed a bill that would put to rest years of legal and regulatory fights over the state’s trauma center system. HB 1165, sponsored by Panama City Republican Rep. Jay Trumbull, in part aims to stem the flow of litigation against the state’s Department of Health, charged with reviewing the need […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 21, 2018

If Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam becomes Governor, expect the “drug czar” position to be revived to lead the state’s battle with opioid addiction. For the record, that would be a reversal of current policy. In 2010, incoming Gov. Rick Scott was cutting costs, so he eliminated the Office of Drug Control, which was formed when […]

Scott PowersMarch 21, 2018

If Republican Gov. Rick Scott hears the clock ticking on his decision of whether to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, it will have to wait until after he gets through the stack of bills the Florida Legislature put on his desk. At least that’s what he suggested Wednesday when asked, during a stop in […]

Drew WilsonMarch 21, 2018

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham on Wednesday urged Gov. Rick Scott to put an end to visitor strip searches at state prisons. “Let’s call this what it is: Sexual harassment,” Graham said in an email. “It needs to end now. We can make prisons safer without humiliating women who are just trying to visit their […]

Peter SchorschMarch 20, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed a bill that establishes a coral reef conservation area off the South Florida coast. HB 53 forms the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area, which contains a stretch of coastline starting from the St. Lucie Inlet in the north to the northern boundary of Biscayne National Park in […]

Tag: Rick Scott
Helene, early Sept. 27. Image via NOAA via AP.

Jacksonville Bold for 3.23.18 — Five months to go

In twilight of their time in office, daylight emerges between Rick Scott, Adam Putnam

Rick Scott spotlights $180 million for military, veteran spending during Ponte Vedra stop

Not Just A Body Of Water — A newsletter about Tampa Bay politics — 3.22.18

If elected governor, Adam Putnam won’t commit to repealing gun control bill

Rick Scott signs trauma center bill

Adam Putnam calls for return of statewide drug czar – a reversal of Rick Scott policy

Rick Scott: Decision on U.S. Senate race to wait behind stack of bills

Gwen Graham vows to end prison visitor strip searches

Rick Scott signs bill establishing coral reef conservation area