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Staff ReportsMay 2, 2017

The Senate voted Tuesday to send a trimmed-down version of SB 10, Senate President Joe Negron’s Lake Okeechobee restoration plan, to Gov. Rick Scott. The 33-0 vote followed approval by the House earlier in the day. Under amendments adopted in the House, and accepted in the Senate, bonding authority to acquire land and construct reservoirs […]

Florence SnyderDecember 13, 2016

Senate President Joe Negron was a kindly headmaster at this week’s orientation for committee chairmen and staff directors, offering excellent time management tips that everyone in #TheProcess should take to heart. “Don’t pass flawed bills” seems like something that should go without saying. But in recent years, legislative committees have gotten into the annoying habit of advancing half-baked bills as a […]

Jac VerSteegFebruary 17, 2016

Sen. Joe Negron’s SB 832 declares that “fantasy contests” — meaning endeavors such as DraftKings and FanDuel — “involve the skill of contest participants and do not constitute gambling, gaming or games of chance.” Negron, R-Stuart and a Senate-president-to-be, would regulate this non-gambling via a newly created Office of Amusement. It’s not “gambling,” it’s an […]

Phil AmmannJanuary 25, 2016

Since the State of Florida has moved away from a fragmented fee-for-service system of healthcare delivery toward a more holistic approach to care through the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program, we’ve learned many lessons. One of the most important is that a coordinated healthcare delivery system that addresses whole-body health leads to more effective, […]

Guest AuthorDecember 28, 2015

Over the past few months, fantasy sports has been in local, state and national news almost daily. What started out as an effort to educate Floridians about the fantasy sports landscape in the Sunshine State has now turned into a battle for survival for an upstart industry. Onlookers have posed important questions about the fantasy […]

Guest AuthorDecember 27, 2015

Over the past few months, fantasy sports has been in local, state and national news almost daily. What started out as an effort to educate Floridians about the fantasy sports landscape in the Sunshine State has now turned into a battle for survival for an upstart industry. Onlookers have posed important questions about the fantasy […]

Jim RosicaDecember 9, 2015

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on Wednesday said he won’t object if lawmakers approve a bill putting him in charge of regulating fantasy sports play in the state. Putnam spoke to reporters during an informal “pen and pad” question-and-answer session in advance of the 2016 Legislative Session that starts Jan. 12. State Sen. Joe Negron […]

Sally SwartzNovember 2, 2015

You could call Jeff Wittman an eternal optimist. The Hobe Sound resident never has stopped believing that a 46-acre chunk of Florida scrub wilderness between U.S. 1 and Alternate A1A, south of Bridge Road, should belong to the people forever. For almost a decade, the land has been the prize in a tug of war […]

Jim RosicaOctober 22, 2015

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Making the Tampa Bay region look like a game of Twister, Senate Rules Chairman David Simmons late Thursday filed his own proposed map redrawing the state’s Senate districts. For instance, Simmons’ map creates a 16th District that takes in about the same area currently represented by GOP Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater, not by jumping the bay, […]

Diane RobertsAugust 18, 2015

OCCUPIED TALLAHASSEE – They stamp their feet, they scream till they’re sick, and hold their breath till they’re blue. They act like 5-year-olds caught with their grotty little paws in the cookie jar, their faces covered in crumbs, as they swear they didn’t do anything wrong. The Special – or Remedial – Session. While all […]

Tag: Sen. Joe Negron

Joe Negron’s signature Lake Okeechobee project headed to governor’s desk

Timely advice from Joe Negron: Don’t waste time

Jac VerSteeg: Fantasy sports aren’t gambling? How amusing

Audrey Brown: Don’t cut dental plan until study is completed

Paul Charchian: Legislators should listen to Floridians, keep fantasy sports legal

Paul Charchian: Legislators should listen to Floridians, keep fantasy sports legal

Adam Putnam says he’s OK with regulating fantasy sports play

Sally Swartz: Long-delayed land buy now turns to Joe Negron, Amendment 1

David Simmons files map for Senate redistricting

Diane Roberts: Democracy in Florida remains lost in spite of new maps