Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterApril 26, 2017

The Florida House is moving closer to the Senate’s position when it comes to medical marijuana, but conflicts over several big issues, including the number of licenses, remain in conflict. Majority Leader Ray Rodrigues filed an 86-page, delete-all amendment Wednesday to his medical marijuana implementing bill (HB 1397). The amendment was one of more than […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterApril 24, 2017

A House panel advanced an amended version of the lower chamber’s medical marijuana implementing bill, preparing the bill for a vote by the full House in the coming weeks. But with two weeks left until the scheduled end of the 2017 Legislative Session, the House and Senate continue to be at odds when it comes […]

Scott PowersApril 19, 2017

Saying that otherwise the incident will be shortly forgotten and no one will be held accountable, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris King called Wednesday for Gov. Rick Scott to demand that Sen. Frank Artiles resign over his reported racist and profane comments to black colleges. Artiles was reported, first in the Miami Herald, to have launched […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterApril 13, 2017

The House approved an $81.2 billion budget Thursday afternoon, sending the proposed fiscal 2017-18 spending plan to conference. The House voted 89-26 to approve the budget proposal after about 45 minutes of debate, mostly from Democratic members raising concerns over spending for public school education, the environment and health care. “I have to rise in […]

Darryl PaulsonApril 11, 2017

What little Americans know about the filibuster is due to James Stewart‘s portrayal of Senator Jefferson Smith in the classic movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In the movie, Senator Smith filibusters a fraudulent land deal until finally collapsing on the Senate floor. This past week, it was the filibuster that collapsed on the Senate […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 30, 2016

Northeast Florida Sens. Aaron Bean, Rob Bradley, Audrey Gibson, and Travis Hutson all have new committee assignments. Happily for Northeast Florida, the first three listed will be in a position to have say over the upper house’s purse strings in the coming Session. Bean will be one of three First Coast Delegation Members on the Appropriations Committee, with leadership […]

A.G. GancarskiNovember 18, 2016

In St. Augustine for his monthly jobs numbers presser, Florida Gov. Rick Scott took questions about his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and discussed the 2018 political landscape. Scott said he had a “great meeting yesterday with President-elect Trump” lasting roughly 45 minutes. When asked if he might be part of one of Trump’s “landing teams,” designed to help […]

Larry GriffinAugust 25, 2016

At the Senate District 11 Democratic debate Wednesday night, held by the League of Women Voters, only three candidates showed up, and an hour of questions from moderator Karen Castor Dentel had them mostly agreeing on liberal policies and ideals, only differing in exactly what areas they would focus on in applying them. For an […]

Jim RosicaAugust 8, 2016

The Florida Senate’s underground parking garage won’t reopen for another two years, a state spokeswoman said Monday. It’ll be June 2018 before senators and staffers will again be able to park under the Capitol complex, according to Maggie Mickler, spokeswoman for the Department of Management Services (DMS), which oversees the Capitol. Meantime, DMS has been working with the Senate […]

Associated PressJune 20, 2016

A divided Senate blocked rival election-year plans to curb guns on Monday, eight days after the horror of Orlando’s mass shooting intensified pressure on lawmakers to act but knotted them in gridlock anyway — even over restricting firearms for terrorists. In largely party-line votes, rejected were one proposal from each side to keep extremists from […]

Tag: senate

Amendment moves House closer to Senate on medical marijuana, but differences remain

House medical marijuana implementing bill headed to the floor

Chris King calls on Rick Scott to call for Frank Artiles’ resignation

House approves its spending plan, setting it up for budget negotiations

Darryl Paulson: The filibuster, the nuclear option and the future of American politics

Northeast Florida Senators to feature heavily on Appropriations Committee

Rick Scott on Donald Trump: ‘I’ll do everything I can to help him be successful’

At SD 11 debate, Democratic candidates outline plans to advance liberal policies

Florida Senate’s underground parking closed for two more years

A divided Senate answers Orlando with gridlock on gun curbs