Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ana CeballosFebruary 28, 2018

A broad amendment to the Senate vegetable garden bill that would have preempted local ordinances that ban plastic straws, or really any plastic utensils, was withdrawn Wednesday after facing scrutiny. “I am going after the paper straws,” Sen. Rob Bradley said. The powerful state senator and sponsor of the bill (SB 1776) filed the utensil […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 28, 2018

Sponsors of a measure that would make texting and driving a primary offense in Florida on Wednesday continued their fight for the bill’s passage, even though it appears dead in the Senate. The House bill (HB 33), which has the support of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, was heard on the House floor. The measure is sponsored by […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 28, 2018

Senate Appropriations Chair Rob Bradley is undertaking something seen too rarely in the Legislative process: He is actually trying to clean up and improve Florida’s health care financing policy. Bradley, an Orange Park Republican, intends to do this by finally eliminating “auto-payments,” a payment scheme that Gov. Rick Scott described in 2015 as arbitrary, inconsistent and bearing no relationship […]

Danny McAuliffeFebruary 28, 2018

As many speculate that Florida’s affordable housing issues will be exacerbated by the influx of Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria, the state Legislature intends to sweep millions from the Sadowski Trust, which funds the state’s affordable housing programs. Speaking with reporters late Tuesday night following an organizational meeting of the newly announced budget conference, Senate […]

Ana CeballosFebruary 27, 2018

With two weeks left in Session, the Florida Legislature on Tuesday agreed to the outline of the 2018-19 state budget that will use roughly $32 billion in state funds. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Conference Chairs Sen. Rob Bradley and state Rep. Carlos Trujillo will hold an organization meeting in 212 Knott Building. Conference subcommittees have […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 27, 2018

The House and Senate agreed upon the broad outlines of a state budget Monday night and will soon name conferees to work out the details. Senate budget chief Rob Bradley confirmed late Monday that a deal between the House and the Senate on budget allocations had been reached. Budget conferencing could begin as soon as Tuesday. Allocations […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 24, 2018

As House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s priority education bill is pushed through the Senate committee process, some watching this week were perplexed by the vote of one sometimes perplexing Republican lawmaker. Sen. Tom Lee, who has helped carry Corcoran’s policy in a sometimes-hostile Senate, voted with Democrats to gut language from the omnibus bill that would […]

Danny McAuliffeFebruary 20, 2018

In the wake of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, some lawmakers plan to exempt photos and videos of school shootings from public records laws. The plan has yet to be codified into a bill, but legislators reached a verbal agreement on Tuesday at the final Senate Criminal Justice Committee meeting […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 17, 2018

Republican state Sen. Dennis Baxley recently withdrew a bill to allow designated people to carry concealed firearms on school grounds. Nevertheless, it didn’t slow down a Democratic congressman from California from tearing into the idea Saturday during a national radio program. Baxley sponsored SB 1236, a proposal to allow school principals or superintendents to designate individuals who could carry […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 17, 2018

With only three weeks left in the 2018 Legislative Session, the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is dominating the conversation in Tallahassee. Democrats have started making noise about Republicans obstructing their long-stalled gun control bills, while GOP-leaders have focused on the need for changes to mental health laws, and needed funding boosts. Gov. Rick […]

Tag: Rob Bradley

Save the ‘sporks’? Amendment yanked from Senate veggie garden bill

Primary texting-while-driving ban teed up in House

Rob Bradley’s fairness doctrine

Budget remarks don’t bode well for Sadowski Trust

Budget conference begins tonight, state allocations unveiled

Legislative leadership agrees on 2018 allocations

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A puzzling vote

Graphic school shooting images, footage could soon be exempted from public records

California lawmaker calls out Dennis Baxley over his guns in schools proposal

Takeaways from Tallahassee — A tragic dialogue