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Guest AuthorOctober 16, 2015

I attended the annual Tallahassee ritual Wednesday when politicians address the media and take some questions. The Republicans talked in generalities at the AP Legislative Planning Session and, for the most part, refused to respond to direct questions with direct answers. The Democrats, because they have absolutely no power in Florida government, mostly complained. Nonetheless, […]

Jim RosicaOctober 16, 2015

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First-time candidate Mary Thomas, running for north Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, on Friday picked up the endorsement of state Rep. Jimmie T. Smith. “Mary Thomas is the only true conservative in the race,” said Smith, who chairs the Veteran & Military Affairs Subcommittee. “She has experience working for Gov. Rick Scott and experience working to support our military […]

Mitch PerryOctober 15, 2015

Good morning once again from the Motel 6 ($50 a night) in Tallahassee, where this reporter spent his Wednesday hearing from Florida state leaders and U.S. Senate candidates (and had our slumber disturbed by a man shouting obscenities to someone on his cellphone in the motel’s parking lot at midnight!) What we learned: Rick Scott […]

Ryan RayOctober 14, 2015

Sen. Arthenia Joyner didn’t mean it in a good way when she said recent actions taken by Gov. Rick Scott and her GOP colleagues in the statehouse represented “just another day in Tallahassee.” After taking to the rostrum to the tune of Aretha Franklin‘s “Respect,” Joyner heaped criticism on the governor and legislative leaders for “grand abdications of the […]

Jim RosicaOctober 14, 2015

A Seminole County woman says she was behind a small plane’s buzzing of the Capitol on Wednesday, trailing a “No Bear Hunt!” banner with the email address of Gov. Rick Scott‘s chief of staff. Connie Hedden de Haan of Longwood had AirSign.com, an aerial advertising company, fly the banner around the Capitol as Scott, other elected officials and […]

Jim RosicaOctober 14, 2015

Representatives of the Seminole Tribe of Florida have been meeting secretly with Gov. Rick Scott and his staff this week as the deadline grows near for a new deal for the tribe to continue offering blackjack and other card games at its casinos. The two sides met Tuesday, as first reported by the Miami Herald, and again […]

Ryan RayOctober 14, 2015

When Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera addressed reporters during the Associated Press’ annual legislative planning session in Tallahassee, he made it clear he sees himself as a man of action rather than rhetoric. “I’ve actually delivered results for Floridians,” said Lopez-Cantera, known around the Capitol as “CLC.” “If there’s one thing you should ask anybody who’s running for […]

Mitch PerryOctober 14, 2015

The intense divide between the Florida House and Senate this year was so intense that House Speaker Steve Crisafulli led his members out of the chambers three days prematurely this past April, leading for the first of a series of special sessions in 2015. Speculation surfaced that the enmity between Crisafulli and Senate President Andy Gardiner was still present, […]

Drew WilsonOctober 13, 2015

Contributions are still flowing to Gov. Rick Scott’s political committee, which brought in its third straight six-figure haul last month. The committee, Let’s Get to Work, added $118,300 in September and spent about $83,000, leaving the committee with about $717,000 on-hand at the end of the month. The September numbers represent only about a quarter […]

Drew WilsonOctober 12, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott said Monday he’ll ask the Legislature to add $20 million in funding for the state’s technical centers in his 2016-17 budget recommendation. Technical centers are run by Florida’s school districts and colleges and train workers for various jobs based on the workforce needs of the area. Scott said the $20 million would […]

Tag: Rick Scott
Images via Florida Politics.

Tom O’Hara: Banner plane delivered highlight of AP Legislative Planning Day

Jimmie Smith endorses Mary Thomas in CD-2 race

Mitch Perry Report for 10.15.15 – Notes from AP Legislative Day in Tally

Senate Democratic leader rips into Rick Scott, state GOP leadership

Seminole County woman behind aerial bear-hunt protest

Seminole Tribe secretly meets with Rick Scott over blackjack

Show, don’t tell Carlos Lopez-Cantera

Steve Crisafulli says it’s amazing “anything” gets passed in GOP-led Legislature

Let’s Get to Work posts 3rd straight 6-figure fundraising month

Gov. Rick Scott requests $20M in tech center funding for 2016 budget