Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Michael MolineMay 2, 2017

House Speaker Richard Corcoran insisted Tuesday that he still hoped to complete a budget deal in time to adjourn on schedule Friday — but other lawmakers and Tallahassee’s lobbyists have begun clearing their calendars for next week. “I think it’s 90 percent likely,” Corcoran said of chances the negotiations with the Senate could be wrapped […]

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 […]

Michael MolineApril 13, 2017

The Senate’s workers’ compensation bill moved out of the Appropriations Committee Thursday after picking up an amendment declaring two forms of cancer occupational hazards for Florida’s 40,000 firefighters. The amendment — sponsored by Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala and vice chairwoman Anitere Flores, and not by bill sponsor Rob Bradley — names multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s […]

Michael MolineApril 12, 2017

Senate President Joe Negron’s $1.5 billion plan to fix Lake Okeechobee, and stop overflows of toxic “guacamole water” into the state’s rivers and streams, passed the Senate Wednesday on a vote of 36-3. Last June’s overflow of toxic algae blooms, which devastated tourism and sickened many people, and prompted Gov. Rick Scott to declare a […]

Michael MolineApril 4, 2017

The reservoir system that Senate President Joe Negron hopes to build south of Lake Okeechobee is about to get smaller but deeper. Negron announced plans Tuesday to possibly scale back the project’s acreage while still storing between 100 billion and 120 billion gallons of water by increasing the reservoirs’ depth to 14 feet. “An amendment […]

Michael MolineMarch 8, 2017

Senate President Joe Negron‘s plan to build reservoirs south of Lake Okeechobee got bigger Wednesday, when a budget subcommittee voted to raise the price tag from $1.2 billion to more than $3 billion and fold in water resources projects around the state. SB 10, as amended by the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural […]

Drew WilsonMarch 6, 2017

A bill filed by Orange Park Republican Sen. Rob Bradley Wednesday would require the state to set up a website detailing the amount of state, federal and local money school districts spend on each public school student. “Florida invests nearly a third of the state’s total budget in education. Florida parents and taxpayers deserve access […]

Michael MolineMarch 3, 2017

The Senate released its version of a workers’ compensation fix Friday, and the measure would lift limits on attorney fees in some cases and require insurance companies to file their own rates, rather than let a ratings agency do the job for them. The House released a draft, labeled “for discussion at a workshop March 7,” that also would […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 6, 2017

February will be a busy month for state lawmakers hoping to raise a few bucks for their next campaign before the start of the 2017 Legislative Session. Several candidates will be holding campaign fundraisers in Tallahassee during back-to-back-to-back committee weeks this month. House Majority, the campaign arm of the Florida GOP, will host fundraisers for […]

Michael MolineDecember 8, 2016

Sen. Rob Bradley reintroduced legislation Thursday clarifying that prosecutors have the burden of proving that shootings are unjustified under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. The Republican from Fleming Island said the measure would overturn the Florida Supreme Court ruling in Bretherick v. Florida. In that 2015 opinion, a 5-2 court said people charged in shootings must […]

Tag: Sen. Rob Bradley
A nice warm evening in Tallahassee on a very busy street while taking this shot.

Lawmakers, lobbyists begin to contemplate an extended session

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

Senate workers’ compensation bill acquires firefighter cancer amendment

Senate approves plan to fix Lake Okeechobee, end algae invasions

Joe Negron’s Lake Okeechobee plan undergoing another revision

Negron’s Lake Okeechobee plan absorbs additional water resources projects

New bill would give parents a closer look at education funding

House, Senate release details of their workers’ compensation legislation

February poised to be busy month for fundraising for lawmakers seeking re-election

Rob Bradley revives bill shifting Stand Your Ground burden to prosecutors