Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Gary FineoutMarch 11, 2016

The Florida Legislature is expected on Friday to approve a more than $82.3 billion budget for 2016-17 that is roughly 5 percent larger than this year’s budget. Here are a few key items you should know about: – EDUCATION: The new budget increases day-to-day public school spending by $458 million, which translates into a 1 […]

A.G. GancarskiMarch 10, 2016

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Chelsea Clinton may be a campaign surrogate for her mother. But in terms of political savvy, Chelsea is her father’s daughter. An event Thursday evening at the All Saints Early Learning and Community Care Center saw Clinton, who has a young child herself, demonstrate an ability to deftly pivot from conversations with children about whether […]

Associated PressMarch 10, 2016

Putting behind a year’s worth of rancor, the Florida Legislature on Friday will approve a more than $82.3 billion budget that includes a slight boost in money for schools but also rejects many of Gov. Rick Scott‘s main priorities. Just a few months ago the Republican-controlled Legislature was rushing to pass a budget to avoid […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 10, 2016

The Florida House rallied behind the Legislature’s proposed budget Thursday, teeing up the $82.3 billion spending plan up for a vote later this week. State lawmakers debated the budget, shrugging off a structured debate format that has been used in recent years. The reason? Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appeared to support the […]

Drew WilsonMarch 10, 2016

The super PAC backing Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera said Thursday that it has brought on Virginia Haworth, a veteran of the Gov. Rick Scott administration, as its new finance director. The Auburn University alumna joins Meredith O’Rourke, herself a former Scott staff member, and a team of fundraisers at pro-Lopez-Cantera committee Reform Washington, which had […]

Mitch PerryMarch 10, 2016

Hillary Clinton continued her three-day swing through the Sunshine State on Thursday by speaking to a rapturous crowd of approximately 600 admirers at the Ritz Ybor nightclub in Tampa’s Ybor City, where she said that she was ready for whomever the Republicans will nominate for president in a general election contest. “People ask me all the […]

Associated PressMarch 10, 2016

Life insurance companies will have to annually check to see if policyholders have died and then try to track down beneficiaries under a bill going to Gov. Rick Scott. The Senate unanimously passed the bill Thursday after the House did the same earlier this week. The measure (SB 966) would also require insurance companies to […]

Melissa RossMarch 10, 2016

Family law attorneys are blasting a sweeping overhaul of Florida’s divorce laws, saying they hope Gov. Rick Scott will veto SB 668. The measure does away with lifetime alimony in the state. Instead, the amount and duration of alimony would be determined by a formula. “It’s really going to affect women in a negative way,” said Jacksonville […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 10, 2016

A controversial bill that shields clergy members who refuse to perform gay marriages is now law. The so-called “Pastor Protection Act” was one of more than two dozen bills Gov. Rick Scott signed into law Thursday. Rep. Scott Plakon, the House sponsor, said this month the proposal offered protections to clergy who have concerns about […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterMarch 10, 2016

A bill to remove and replace a statue of a Confederate army general is one of more than two dozen bills signed into law Thursday. Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill (SB 310), which calls on the Department of State to select a prominent Floridian to replace General Edmund Kirby Smith’s statue in the National […]

Tag: Rick Scott
Screenshot via campaign announcement

Highlights from Florida’s new $82.3 billion budget

In Jacksonville, Chelsea Clinton proves she’s a master politician

Lawmakers poised to approve nearly $82.3 billion budget

House prepares for vote on state’s $82 billion budget

Pro-Carlos Lopez-Cantera super PAC hires top Rick Scott staffer

Hillary Clinton vows to give high-speed rail another look in Florida if elected president

Bill forces insurance companies to track down beneficiaries

Family law attorneys blast alimony, child custody bill headed to Governor’s desk

“Pastor Protection” bill now state law

Rick Scott signs bill to replace General Edmund Kirby Smith statue in D.C.