Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaDecember 30, 2015

Julie Jones: The head of the embattled state Department of Corrections has been making headlines since her appointment this January, and 2016 promises a no less busy year. Reports of inmate deaths and abuses and criminal activity behind bars have been unfortunate staples of prisons coverage. Earlier this year, Republican state Sen. Greg Evers grew so concerned […]

Peter SchorschDecember 9, 2015

Shawn Harrison wants to make it clear that he still very much likes Eric Eisnaugle, his colleague in the Florida House. What Harrison did last week was business, not personal. But with his decision to shift his support from Eisnaugle to Pinellas Republican Chris Sprowls, Harrison has changed the narrative about who will be Speaker of […]

Ryan RayDecember 3, 2015

A House panel approved a bill Thursday morning that would reshape the timing and electorate of Florida’s local elections. The bill, PCB SAC 16-04, would preempt local authority to set the date of municipal elections, granting the ultimate say-so on when they are held to state lawmakers. Bill sponsor Rep. Matt Caldwell chairs the State Affairs Committee which passed […]

Mitch PerryDecember 1, 2015

If you don’t know of anyone who is caught up in the Florida corrections system, stories about the care of prisoners may not matter much to you at all. But they have been disturbing, particularly regarding the state of health care for those who incarcerated. Rick Scott ran for office in 2010 promising to privatize […]

Mitch PerryNovember 30, 2015

Lisa Montelione said it was “excruciatingly hard” to decide to give up her Tampa City Council seat next year, but that’s what will happen now that she’s decided to run for the Florida Legislature in 2016. She’ll take on fellow Democrat Mike Reedy in the House District 63 primary next August, with the winner to […]

Mitch PerryNovember 11, 2015

The odds were stacked against him last night, and there were many who were writing him off before last night’s debate. And yet he had a breakthrough performance at the GOP’s 4th presidential debate in Milwaukee. Jeb Bush? No, Rand Paul. Paul’s been down so far this election cycle that the only stories you seem […]

Mitch PerryAugust 25, 2015

In a just, accountability-fueled society, Florida Republican lawmakers would pay a price next year for the shenanigans they’ve been up to this year. As reported by the AP’s Gary Fineout, the nine-day June special session that occurred after House Speaker Steve Crisafulli pulled his members off the floor 72 hours before the session was scheduled […]

Phil AmmannJuly 14, 2015

Florida’s leading law enforcement association recognized 10 legislators this week for providing significant advancements in 2015 to the state’s overall public safety. Florida Sheriffs Association is a for-profit corporation representing Florida Sheriffs, as well as nearly 3,500 business leaders and 70,000 Floridians. The association released its annual list of Legislative Champions on Monday night during the group’s Summer Conference […]

Mitch PerryJuly 14, 2015

Associated Industries of Florida, considered a powerhouse lobbyist group for the business establishment in Tallahassee, has produced their annual scorecard on how often state lawmakers have maintained the AFI line, and the discrepancy isn’t that large between Democrats and Republicans in the state Senate, at least. AIF’s 2015 Voting Records contains each of the state’s 120 legislators voting […]

Mitch PerryJune 30, 2015

Among the many local projects that didn’t escape Rick Scott’s veto pen last week was $2 million earmarked for the Tampa Innovation Alliance, the nascent public-private agency charged with redeveloping the University area of North Tampa. But Mark Sharpe, the agency’s Executive Director, insists that it’s not a big deal. He says the organization never envisioned receiving […]

Tag: Shawn Harrison

Jim Rosica’s 5 people to watch in state government in 2016

Shawn Harrison says Eric Eisnaugle’s plan to rely on votes from future classes to win Speakership is why he flipped to Chris Sprowls

House panel votes to allow state to set municipal election dates

Mitch Perry Report for 12.1.15 – Corizon Health Care terminates contract with Florida prisons. That’s not a bad thing

Lisa Montelione feels confident in HD 63 Democratic primary versus Mike Reedy

Mitch Perry Report for 11.11.15 – The return of Rand Paul to the GOP presidential race

Mitch Perry Report 8.25.15 – Will Florida GOP Legislature pay any price in ’16?

Florida Sheriffs Association picks Legislative Champions for 2015

Florida Democratic state Senators score high in AIF’s 2015 voting scorecard

Despite Rick Scott rejection, Mark Sharpe says Tampa Innovation Alliance is right on course